Chapter 5 - Pilgrim Reynold (1)
Lawrence returned the scriptures.
But Blackwell pushed the end of the book back toward him with his hand.
"That now belongs to you. Treasure it as dearly as your own life, and never let it leave your side."
"I don't want to become a priest."
"I know. But keep it anyway. Even if your dreams lie elsewhere, the Goddess will still be watching over you."
He had expected a scolding.
But judging by Blackwell's demeanor, he didn't seem angry at all.
"You seem to be under a big misconception. The monastery isn't only for those aspiring to be priests. We take in homeless children from all over the continent, educating and supporting them."
"So, you mean…?"
"I mean, you don't have to become a priest if you don't want to."
Only then did Lawrence understand why he hadn't been scolded.
"To be honest, your refusal was a bit of a shock."
"I'm sorry."
Lawrence quickly bowed his head. He knew that voice was sincere.
"So, have you thought about what you want to do?"
"I want to see the world."
"The world?"
"Yes. After coming to the monastery, I realized how vast the world is and how much I still don't know. I want to see more of it with my own eyes."
The joy of discovering the world.
The dreams and magic in his sleep awakened Lawrence.
Long ago, before he settled in Hilton Village, the boy had simply wandered aimlessly.
He went wherever his feet would take him, carrying a heart trembling with both fear and excitement.
Recalling those memories, Lawrence steeled his resolve.
"That's certainly not a bad idea."
There was no hint of a smile on Blackwell's face.
Hearing Lawrence's true intentions seemed to make him ponder.
I just need a little more courage. If I don't say it now, I might never get the chance.
"I mean the trainee priests."
"Trainee priests?"
"More precisely, I heard that someone is about to embark on a pilgrimage."
In total, five trainee priests visited Saint Charmant Monastery. Among them, the pilgrim Blackwell mentioned was somewhat of a celebrity.
Ever since arriving at the monastery, there was only one pilgrim who not only swung a sword in the corridors starting the very next day but also wandered in and out of the grounds as if it were his own home.
Marjorie often grumbled about him. She said it was impossible to tell whether he was a clergyman or a mercenary.
"Would it be all right if I traveled with him to see the world?"
"You mean with Reynold?"
"Oh, I don't mean to keep traveling together forever. As long as it's not Hilton Village… Even if we only go as far as the nearest village together, I wouldn't mind. After that, I'll continue on my own."
Lawrence quickly hurried to add an explanation, bowing his head. He sensed Blackwell seemed displeased by the idea.
Maybe it really was too much to ask. Lawrence was just a hired hand—an impudent orphan who'd even had the nerve to turn down the monastery's offer to become a novice priest.
But even as time passed, Blackwell didn't scold him.
"Is this something you decided on your own?"
"I started hoping for it after you brought up the novice priest offer."
"I'm proud of you. Very well. I'll speak to Reynold. I can't say for the other pilgrims, but if it's him, having one companion shouldn't be any problem."
Blackwell gave his permission.
"But you won't have much time. Reynold will soon set out on his pilgrimage. I can't guarantee he'll agree to take you with him."
His tone carried a note of concern.
To sum up, Blackwell's worries were half right and half wrong.
"I'm Pilgrim Reynold."
"My name is Lawrence."
Pilgrim Reynold was a man with rough brown hair. His clothing was no different from when he first came to the monastery.
A filthy robe and leather armor. His weapons were the same as before, except for one thing—the crossbow was missing.
"I heard from Blackwell that you want to journey with me."
"I'd greatly appreciate it if you would allow me to join you."
"Do you want to go on the pilgrimage?"
"No. I just want to see the world…."
"If you're not a trainee priest, then I have no reason to let you travel with me. Do you even know what a pilgrimage is?"
"..."
Lawrence couldn't answer. Seeing the boy like that, Reynold gave a short, mocking laugh.
"The pilgrimage is originally a journey where one seeks the Goddess's guidance alone. Companions aren't allowed, and even if you meet someone else on the road, the rule is you don't stay together until the end."
"Um… If I'm mistaken, I apologize. But when you arrived at the monastery, wasn't there someone else with you?"
The day Reynold visited the monastery, there had been four other trainee priests. They weren't pilgrims; all of them had come to Saint Charmant Monastery seeking guidance.
"I ran into them at the entrance."
"So they weren't your companions."
He hadn't known. No—if he'd known that pilgrims always traveled alone, Lawrence wouldn't have made such a request.
Since you're going to tell me anyway, you could at least be a bit more detailed… Lawrence muttered his not-quite-complaint as he thought of Marjorie, who wasn't there.
In truth, he knew.
It was his own fault.
He should have looked into it more thoroughly.
But hearing there wasn't much time left had made him anxious and impatient.
"One week."
"Sorry?"
"In one week, I'll be setting out on the pilgrimage. If you still want to come with me then, be outside in the corridor before dawn tomorrow morning, dressed for travel."
So it seemed it was too early to give up.
"Is that really okay?"
"Thank Blackwell. If he hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have given this a moment's thought."
Then Reynold added,
"I'll see for myself tomorrow if you're worth it."
The next day, while practicing Shadow, Lawrence noticed the sun rising and changed into his travel clothes.
When he came out into the corridor, Reynold was nowhere in sight. Lawrence took a seat near the well and sat, lost in thought for a moment.
At first, Reynold's proposal had caught Lawrence off guard.
But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the right thing to do.
Once you set off on a pilgrimage, you have to overcome many things on your own.
The dangers lurking along the road can't be counted on your fingers.
Lawrence hadn't wandered the alleys of Hilton Village because he liked it there.
To be precise, he simply hadn't had the courage to leave for somewhere else.
The first danger that came to mind was monsters.
Even in Hilton Village, as soon as you stepped outside the safe zone, Underwolves would appear all too often.
A child who hadn't eaten or slept well could easily be torn to pieces by those powerful jaws alone.
And after sunset, monsters became even more vicious.
If it were just wild animals, you might be able to scare them off with a desperately lit fire.
But that didn't work with monsters.
In fact, the fire would only reveal your location to them.
Caught between these options, Lawrence ended up becoming accustomed to life in Hilton Village.
He couldn't make that mistake again.
He didn't want to go on living, helplessly resigned.
Wandering through those filthy back alleys was over now.
This time, he would step beyond the village he couldn't leave before.
He wanted to run towards a world he had never seen.
"That's right. At least you didn't run away."
Those were Reynold's first, rather blunt, words when he saw Lawrence.
"This is a waste of time. Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"You don't need to know that."
Reynold strode forward with heavy, purposeful steps. Compared to Aveline, who moved so quietly you barely noticed her presence, it was hard to believe they were both clerics.
Lawrence watched Reyonld's back as he walked. Aside from a sack whose contents were a mystery, he noticed the familiar crossbow strapped to Reynold's back.
The monastery quickly disappeared behind them.
At first, Lawrence thought they were just heading down to the village. The sack could've been for picking up supplies for their journey, after all. Reynold always dressed this way, so there was no reason to suspect anything.
But the moment Lawrence realized where Reynold was actually headed, his face tensed up.
"It's dangerous from here on."
"Dangerous, is it?"
"This is Underwolf territory."
It was just common sense. Monsters never forgive trespassers in their domain.
This was an area the people of Hilton Village never approached.
It was the same during hunts. Usually, they said you could lure the beasts out with raw meat or by using their sense of smell. But he'd never even heard a rumor of anyone coming this close.
"I know."
You know?
Lawrence couldn't believe his ears.
Unless he'd heard wrong, Reynold was basically admitting that he was walking straight to his own death.
"Blackwell told me. Said you wanted to see the world for yourself."
"That's right."
"Then keep quiet and follow me."
It was an unspoken pressure to stop asking questions. Watching Reynold march confidently along the mountain path, Lawrence let out a sigh.
He did have the option not to follow. There was no need for him to see the world with Reynold, after all.
Still, something felt wrong about just backing down like this.
Was this some kind of test?
He was certain Reynold knew Blackwell. Maybe this was all meant to test Lawrence's true intentions.
The dilemma didn't last long.
If he hesitated any longer, he felt like he might lose sight of Reynold's back.
In the end, after much deliberation, Lawrence decided to follow Reynold.
"So you really meant it when you said you wanted to see the world."
"..."
Lawrence couldn't answer.
The world seemed to spin around him.
He had no idea how many hours they'd been climbing this rough mountain path.
He'd always thought he was in decent shape, but seeing Reynold not only keeping pace but climbing without even breaking a sweat was exhausting.
He's not even human.
Now he understood why Reynold was called a Pilgrim.
"Do you know what monsters are?"
"They're creatures that threaten human lives."
"Have you ever encountered a monster yourself?"
"I h… have."
He dredged up an old memory.
It was from when he used to travel with his friends, long ago.
It was when skinny John died. They'd been wandering the hills to find a burial site when they ran into an Underwolf.
"So, did you kill it? Or did you run away?"
"We ran away."
It had been sheer luck. Because they spotted the creature first, everyone managed to escape unharmed.
"Then you've never killed one."
"That's right."
Even now, could he actually kill an Underwolf?
The answer was no. Right now, the only weapons Lawrence had were Shadow and Fire. Shadow could emerge from the darkness and take shape, but it still wasn't strong enough to use in a real fight.
If anything, Fire seemed to have a better chance.
But it still wasn't enough. Lawrence knew this all too well from practicing Fire. All he could do was heat up water or ignite a small flame—certainly not enough to take down an Underwolf, which was bigger than a grown man.
Maybe someday, but definitely not now.
"Here. Take this."
Reynold handed Lawrence the sack he'd been carrying.
It was heavy. Even holding it with both hands, his entire body shook.
"What is all this?"
"See for yourself."
Reynold turned away, as if he couldn't even be bothered to explain.
Lawrence looked inside the sack. He saw leather armor, a few daggers, and an old crossbow.
"These are... hunting tools."
"Then you know what we're supposed to hunt."
There was no need to even wonder. It was obvious what prey Reynold was talking about.
"You're thinking of hunting the Underwolf."
"Are you scared?"
"It would be a lie to say I'm not."
"Then head back right now. It's not too late."
"If I go back, this whole thing never happened, right?"
"Of course."
He understood exactly what Reynold was getting at. This is the minimum requirement to step out into the world.
"Is just one enough?"
"You make it sound as if you're certain we'll catch it."
"If I didn't have the courage to try, I would never have said I wanted to see the world."
Lawrence took the crossbow and a quarrel out of the sack.
Compared to a bow, it was quite heavy. But at the same time, that weight made the crossbow feel more trustworthy.
After inspecting the crossbow for a moment, Lawrence pulled the string. This was heavy, too. Unlike a bow, it required a different kind of strength. Maybe once or twice would be fine, but if he kept loading quarrels, he'd tire out quickly.
Would it be easier to use his foot? He set the crossbow upright. After stepping on what looked like a footrest and pulling back the string, it locked in place much easier than before.
There were plenty of suitable targets scattered around. Lawrence took aim at a tree and fired the crossbow.
Thwack!
The quarrel shot forward with force and embedded itself in the tree. It was so powerful that the tree even trembled.
It seemed much stronger than the rumors had led him to believe. At this level, I might really be able to take down an Underwolf with a single shot.
The problem is...
"Did you aim for that?"
"No, I was aiming for the tree in front of me."
"Well, of course you were."
Looks like I need a bit more practice.