EPILOGUE

One reason why the Church became corrupt, drowned in riches, and ended up in its current state, was because faith could be sold at a high price.

People would empty their wallets as a way of thanks in order to earn blessings, protection, and comfort in the big milestones in life—birth, weddings, funerals; protection on a journey; prayers for well-being in sickness; guidance in old age. Many people would give all they could for what they desperately wished for.

Faith was money.

The sky was a clear blue, the blizzard of the past few days now nothing but a dream.

It was a beautiful day, a sign that the end of winter was slowly coming northward, and a new season was on its way.

The waves on the seas, which had been raging just a little while ago, were gentle like a baby’s sleeping breath as they caressed the shoreline.

Gliding on the calm waters was a giant ship.

From what he had heard, a hundred people were about to be sold. Officially, they would have been volunteering their labor for the holy Church. Only God knew if that was true or not.

Though no one in the port of Caeson raised their voices, the whole town was wrapped in sadness. The only ones smiling were the archbishop and the wealthy merchant. Reicher and the others simply drank themselves to sleep. The islanders took the gold and were made to promise they would side with the Church in the coming war. But it was not what they wished for. Whenever the giant ship crossed the islands here and there, the families who had sent one of their own watched them go.

Autumn, who had come from the waters, told Col all this. They confirmed their plan and preparations once more. It was not that complicated, so it ended quickly.

Ever since that night, Autumn, who had been quite businesslike, would glance at him before returning to the water.

“You have not said anything about compensation.”

Col had come on behalf of the Kingdom of Winfiel to see if the people of this land would be suitable allies in war. Autumn, who had collected the veneration of all the islanders onto himself, would be able to have a notable influence on them.

“Have you forgotten? You saved our lives. What else would we ask you give us?”

Autumn did not smile.

“These proud sailors will not side with those who buy islanders for gold to take them hostage.”

“But my plan is to sell faith for gold.”

Autumn peered at him with quiet eyes between his hair and beard.

“People place different value on things, even if it is the same fish. I suppose that is what the fishermen sigh over.”

Though Autumn had said his human identity was temporary, answers like this made it seem more and more like he truly was a monk.

“At the very least, I will appear to you wherever you are in the sea when I hear your voice. Whether the people of this land will follow me, well…Only God knows.”

Just as Col thought he saw a grin on Autumn’s face, the avatar of the whale had already returned to the sea. The hole in one of the rooms in the monastery that led to the water had been for him to come and go when it was clear outside. As he watched Autumn disappear into the shining, green-lit waters, what he felt was not the satisfaction of successfully carrying out Hyland’s mission.

It was happiness, knowing that he had perhaps been able to aid Autumn, who had supported this land all by himself.

All that was left was to fulfill the job he had been given.

He left the monastery and headed to the dock.

Several small boats were tied there, and each had one person inside. Among them was Yosef, but the majority were pirates.

“Lord Autumn has spoken. The Black-Mother is angry.”

“Oohh…”

The anxiety spread. The pirates especially grew pale. That was because what they had done to Col had played a rather big part in that.

On the night of the blizzard, the pirates all had been told to capture any suspicious-looking ships on the water. And while it had gone well until they tackled Yosef’s boat, a fool had fallen into the sea, and yet another jumped in after. And the one who had fallen in was, of all things, dressed like a priest.

The expressions on the pirates’ faces when they saw he had lived would stick in his memory for quite a while.

There were those left speechless, who doubted themselves, who fell to their knees before Col, and even those who burst into tears. Their reactions had become even more intense ever since Autumn declared him a soul who had received all of the Holy Mother’s protection.

As though listening for their judgment in hell, those pirates carefully heeded every word he said.

The Black-Mother was angry. There was someone trying to harm the islands.

“You must know that the Black-Mother does not only offer salvation.”

Those who discerned the deeper meaning behind those words were the only ones who knew the Black-Mother’s true identity.

That being said, the expressions of those who submitted themselves to faith stiffened.

“However, as long as we are good followers, she may be benevolent with our sins.”

It also meant that she would forgive them for what they did to him. The pirates seemed slightly relieved.

“The Black-Mother has announced the coming of a miracle, and punishment will come before long. We must show those people mercy and receive her true teachings.”

Those sitting in the small boats all nodded. Each of them either gripped their figures of the Black-Mother or patted their chests where they kept them.

“We must have them understand that the Black-Mother will show us a true miracle.”

Though he had not raised a battle cry, everyone quietly understood what they had to do. Once he said, “That is all,” the pirates paddled their boats back to the galley anchored off shore.

Yosef’s ship stood beside it. The left side, which had been hollowed out in the pirate attack, seemed unhindered in sailing thanks to emergency measures.

“Master Col.”

As the pirates headed toward the ship, Yosef stepped onto the dock.

“Will salvation really come to this land?”

Col took a deep breath when he heard his serious question.

“We can do nothing but continue to believe in true salvation. However, I can only promise that great salvation will come.”

He had not lied. It was not as though they would come across fortune in their sleep.

The miracles of nonhumans were nothing but a beginning.

In the end, for humans to live on, they themselves needed to act.

“I would not mind that. It would be better than what we have now,” Yosef said and returned to his ship.

He watched them off from the dock, and once it fell silent again, he headed the opposite way of the monastery shore.

The sun was bright, the wind calm, and the water was so clear he could see all the way to the bottom.

One step and another—he made his way forward as his feet caught in the small pools and rough rocks and soon made it to the water.

Squinting, he could clearly see the gallant figure of a giant ship making its way calmly and confidently over the water.

A bolt from the blue, as it was often called.

For a moment, the ship soared in the air.

Though he knew what was happening, he was still surprised to see it, and it could not compare to what the people on board must have been feeling. It looked like the ship had risen into the air before it sank back into the water with a magnificent spray of water, making it seem like time had slowed down. The moment he thought he could see a distant rainbow, he heard a loud boom like a drum.

The giant ship had, of course, not escaped unscathed. It leaned far to the right and looked as though it would capsize at any moment.

The pirates may have seen it, too, if they looked carefully—the ship, full of islanders, appeared to be astride the back of the Black-Mother, and was about to be flipped over.

“Lord Autumn…That’s too much…”

When Col unwittingly murmured that out loud, Autumn’s back sunk into the water again and the ship was back to normal.

The oars extending from the ship made it look like a comb that was missing teeth, but they began to paddle at the water in a hurry.

Then Autumn must have attacked once more with his giant tail fin, for this time, the ship’s stern rose into the air, pitching forward. Once the ship returned to the water, the stern looked as though it was sinking. Perhaps a hole had opened and it was capsizing.

Everyone on board must have been in pandemonium.

Col was thrilled, especially since he knew what was going on behind the scenes, but then the shaking of the boat suddenly stopped, and it began to move even though the oars were not. The sinking stopped as well.

Someone must have thrown a figure of the Black-Mother into the water.

Anyone would feel the need to pray if that happened to them. There was nothing else they could do after all.

Then, led by a mysterious force, they would be cast ashore on a nearby island. While they were at a loss, the people of the island would at the same time be led by the Holy Mother and come help them. They would ask, Brothers, are you all right?

The archbishop would immediately understand why this happened to them. That was because the ship was full of people sobbing in despair, and what they threw into the sea were figures of the Black-Mother.

Then he would without a doubt understand who caused this miracle, even if he did not want to admit it. There was no doubt he would understand what they had all thrown into the sea.

Even merchants knew of these kinds of stories, and clergymen were even more familiar with them.

Relics.

“Ooh, we’re doing something bad.”

Col turned around when he heard the voice.

“Are you okay to be up and about?”

Blanket wrapped around herself, Myuri’s complexion was still pale. But a bit of color had returned to her cheeks as they were lit by the sun.

“I’ll only be punished if I sleep through such a nice day like this.”

“Why are you always…?”

What worried him was that though her life had been saved by burning the Black-Mother, she then grew feverish and had nightmares in the days that followed. Though her fever had finally broken, it would be a while yet before she was fully recovered.

“And I still have work to do, don’t I? I can’t let myself get rusty.”

Myuri spoke as she gazed far out across the water.

Myuri’s power was necessary in order to complete the plan Col had thought up.

He was just a powerless young man after all.

“Like how Mother dug up water for Father, I’ll be digging up rocks for Brother.”

A wolf’s nose and claws. With those together, she may be able to find new mineral veins on an island that everyone assumed was barren. Jet may appear here once more. And then they would offer a proposal to the archbishop.

These Holy Mother figures were fragments of the Holy Mother’s body, who descended to earth so she could save this island. By keeping a figure close at all times, the faithful could bring blessings and open up possibilities in the future. What’s more, the world was currently wavering in regards to what was righteous faith and what was not. Who would not want to be on the side of righteous faith? Were there not a great many who wished to be in the favor of righteous faith as well? Would not a relic of a true miracle be worth much more than any mountain of gold?

Members of the Ruvik Alliance came and went through the Caeson port daily. Autumn would create figures of the Holy Mother from the mined jet, which would then be sold for a high price as a relic. Reicher could take care of selling negotiations. There were legends of alchemists who could turn lead into gold, but faith could turn coal into gold. Col had strung together such a plan and told Autumn that one blizzard night that it may keep the island going for a little while longer.

Col was much too meager to stand with his faith, and even if he did sacrifice himself, he would not even know where or how to push forward.

But as long as the road he had lived so far still continued into the future, then this could be a place where he could compromise when it came to his place in the world.

It was none other than Autumn who had shown him that by praying earnestly, God would forgive any sins he committed.

He had no choice but to pray more than he ever had before.

Should prayer be able to bring someone salvation, then faith was not something to toss away.

“A whale as big as a mountain…Whatever exaggerated stories I heard in Nyohhira are nothing compared to this.”

Myuri chuckled.

At the end of the day, stories were things that humans came up with, and if God had truly created this world, then it was logical to be more impressed by reality.

“Come now, you should return to the fire soon.”

Though the weather was nice, the air was still cold. Col placed his hand on her shoulder to guide her, and after a moment, Myuri spoke.

“The story about the whale also sounds fake, but I still can’t believe you finally made up your mind, Brother.”

Myuri grinned and slid up beside him.

Col unconsciously pulled back, as though trying to escape, but a towering rock face immediately blocked him off.

“…How many times do I have to tell you? You misunderstand.”

And then, after he spoke, Myuri drew even closer.

“Misunderstand? What do you mean, misunderstand? Even though you were so terrible to me, I didn’t hesitate one bit to jump into the sea after you, turning into a spirit to rush to your side. So tell me, what kind of misunderstanding am I making?”

Every single thing she mentioned was either a debt of gratitude he could never repay or a blunder he could never make up for.

But he had no choice to keep telling her that what she was talking about was, without a doubt, a misunderstanding.

“That’s…That was because I knew that there was no fuel left to keep you warm until the blizzard passed. Were you not taught this in Nyohhira? It is what you are supposed to do when someone has fallen into the river in the winter and there is nothing to use. You could also say that is the wisdom of those who often travel in cold regions. It is normal.”

He persisted in his logic that the problem lay with the methodology. To show that he was not deceiving her at all, he puffed out his chest and stood up straight.

Myuri watched him and tilted her head, staring at him with a suspicious expression.

She would quip at him any moment now.

As he braced himself, her wolf ears and tail suddenly appeared.

“Maybe we should ask other people if they think it’s a misunderstanding?”

She was smiling calmly, as though there was nothing for him to be angry about.

But he had acted with a selfless heart. It had been nothing but goodwill. He was confident about that. Myuri knew that. She knew but disregarded it.

“I remember it reeeaaally well.”

This girl, who was of age, shrugged and placed both hands on her cheeks, embarrassed.

That night, Col had removed his clothes to warm Myuri with his body heat. It was true that even travelers knew that it was the best way to warm up, and there should have been nothing to be ashamed of.

However, Myuri regained consciousness unexpectedly, and when she immediately realized what situation she was in, she said—

“Am I your wife now, Brother?”

There were many reasons why he could not look directly into her sparkling eyes.

“When you write a letter to Father next, be sure to include that, okay? Brother and I were naked under the same bla— Owwwwwww…!”

She rubbed her head but was still smiling.

“But it’s true that you’ve improved so much that I’d be happy to become your bride.”

The foul look in his eyes he showed Myuri was no act.

“I could not do anything. I have been powerless ever since we came to this land.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I could not protect you, and what I proposed to Autumn was nothing more than child’s play. It is quite possible that it may only work temporarily.”

But Myuri continued to smile.

“That’s true, but at least from what I heard, I think this place might become a little happier. It might not be enough for you, but hmm, how should I say it?”

She closed her eyes, like she was listening to the voice of the wind.

“It’s totally different from what that old beardy guy was doing. You know, it smells a lot like you.”

“…Smells like me?”

“Yeah. It smells like a sheep, one that only sees half of half of the world.”

He thought for a moment she was making fun of him, but when Myuri opened her eyes, she was staring directly at him.

“You weren’t looking for a way to endure hardship but a road that leads people to more happiness. Even if something really small, even if everyone thinks you can’t do it, you still believe in the warm sun and just go for it. There’s like a brightness to that. You have such a stubborn mind-set that trusts the world isn’t some huge barren wasteland, and things will get better if everyone works together. That’s what it smells like.”

She stared at him in fascination with her clear, unclouded eyes. What she had pointed out was the good side of only seeing half of half of the world.

“You actually did fail several times, but you thought of another way in the end, didn’t you? Even I would learn the hard way and run with my tail between my legs if I got all beat up like that. But you even thought of getting the help of lots of other people, not just me.”

Col had truly been on the verge of giving up. He had the choice of swallowing what he had thought of and waiting for Myuri to wake up. But he did not do that. He could not. That could be called faith, but it could also be called clumsiness. He even thought it was a bit stupid.

His voice caught in his throat, but it was not because he could not think of what to say in protest.

Still gazing up at him, Myuri giggled and grasped his hand.

“Brother?”

He did not think she was going to tease him. She spoke softly, and though there was a teasing expression on her face, he could tell she was about to say something important.

Far away, the broken boat was being carried to a nearby island.

Col watched that for a while before surrendering and turning to face Myuri.

“What is it?”

As her wolf ears and tail swayed in the gentle breeze, the same strange mix of ash and flecks of silver as her hair, she spoke.

“Can you take me along on your next journey, too?”

He would never find such a phrase containing as many different interpretations in the scripture.

This was what happened when so many conflicting feelings inside Myuri bubbled up around one another and coursed into her hand as it squeezed his.

There was no method on this earth that could cleanly divide them all.

But to know which piece of bread he had that would make her happy, he only needed to look at his hands.

“As long as you are a good girl.”

Myuri shrugged and narrowed her eyes.

“Fine.”

He caught a glimpse of her pointed canines when she smiled.

She stood close to him, and Col put his arm around her shoulders, then returned to the fire inside the building.

Myuri’s fluffy tail playfully bumped up against his leg.

The sky was blue, and the sea was calm.

While he still did not know if God existed, he knew that the truth was here.