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The battle was over. The demons, who had either evaded or withstood the torrent of light unleashed with the resolve to blow up the entire Pantheon, were nowhere to be seen. They had all evaporated without a trace, completely obliterated by Hildegard’s attack.

Normally, a fight with demons would leave plenty of work to be done afterward. The lingering traces of demonic energy and their main strength had to be erased, and their corpses, which risked contaminating the surrounding magical resources and spells, had to be incinerated in sanctified flames.

“But this… it’s so clean.”

Sophia looked around with a surprised expression as she spoke. Just as she said, the battlefield was spotless.

The Pantheon’s barrier had already purged the area of impurities, and Hildegard’s final strike, overloaded with divine power and the pinnacle of purification, had shattered even that barrier. It was as if a typhoon had swept through, leaving behind only the serene clarity of a sky after rain. The area was so clean that no further action was needed.

As Sophia was lost in these idle thoughts, Hildegard, who had been maintaining her halberd-striking pose, suddenly staggered and collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out. She didn’t even have the strength to hold onto her halberd, which lay discarded nearby.

Sitting there, Hildegard groaned, “Ugh… I’m so tired.”

She seemed completely drained, as if she had discharged all her energy.

It was understandable. Divine power, by its nature, is incompatible with human frailty. To channel such an overwhelming amount of divine energy and then release it was an extraordinary feat.

Expecting her to remain unscathed was almost criminal. Sophia clicked her tongue and scolded Hildegard.

“Tsk, you got off easy for using a technique you’ve never tried before in actual combat. Stop exaggerating.”

“Wow, is that how you talk to someone who just went through a life-and-death struggle? Sophia, you shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

“Judging by how much you’re talking, you seem fine. You don’t need help, do you?”

“Wait, you’re not just going to leave me here, are you?”

As Sophia pretended to walk away, Hildegard’s voice cracked in panic. Just then, a half-naked, muscular priest in an unusual pose approached her.

“Don’t worry, Lady Wolfstein. If Lady Chazelle won’t lend a hand, I, this humble servant, will offer mine.”

Hildegard’s face twisted in internal conflict as she pondered Esiocles’ offer. But her dilemma didn’t last long. The moment Sophia took a step, she vanished, likely using some Mind-In-Action technique to return to the ship.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll take your help, Priest Emanuele.”

Realizing she had no other choice, Hildegard reluctantly took Esiocles’ hand. But there was still one small problem.

“Now, climb on my back.”

“Wha—? No, no. Just helping me up is enough.”

“Do you have the strength to walk on your own?”

“Of course! Look, like this… huh?”

And so, Hildegard, too exhausted to even stand, had to be carried back on Esiocles’ back. As they made their way through the night, tales of a half-naked, muscular man carrying a ragged woman spread among the drunkards, though neither Esiocles nor Hildegard ever heard them.

+++++

When a person experiences extreme exhaustion, their body often suffers. This can manifest as body aches, nausea, or similar discomforts, and the only remedy is to eat well and rest.

While Light Power can boost Life Force and heal wounds, it didn’t work for Hildegard. Her exhaustion was a side effect of channeling immense divine power, and using Light Power to accelerate recovery would only burden her further.

“You understand, right, Hilda? That’s why you’re on a drinking ban for now.”

“No way! That’s nonsense!”

Hildegard cried out in despair at Sophia’s declaration. Her eyes flickered with a myriad of emotions as she faced this unbelievable reality.

At first, she denied it. She couldn’t accept that this was happening to her. But when denial was no longer possible, her emotions turned to intense irritation and anger. “Why is this happening to me?” she thought, her frustration evident in her eyes.

“So, how long is this ban?”

“Hmm. Until your strength returns and your body fully recovers. At least ten days.”

“Ten days…!? Ten whole days…!?”

The shock and horror of not being able to drink for ten days overwhelmed her. Desperate, Hildegard began bargaining with Sophia.

“Ten days is too long. Let’s shorten it. How about four days?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Ten days.”

“Damn it, if four is too short, how about five? Or a week?”

“Enough nonsense. You’re on a ten-day ban.”

But bargaining with a doctor is futile. Unable to reduce the ban, Hildegard eventually resigned herself to the situation.

‘Well, this is for my health, right? If I want to drink freely later, I need to be in top shape. Maybe enduring ten days won’t be so bad. The first drink after this will be special.’

A glimmer of hope took root in her. But even as she tried to convince herself, the forced abstinence weighed heavily on her.

Frustration and depression, compounded by her exhaustion, filled her mind with dark, formless negativity. Unable to use Light Power or the Immovable King Wisdom Technique, she felt cornered.

Days passed. Under Sophia’s watchful eye, Hildegard maintained a healthy diet and routine, not touching a drop of alcohol.

But she never truly accepted her fate. Like any addict, she eventually sought ways to escape.

Three days after the ship left Cadiz, they arrived at Lisbon Port. Hildegard secretly obtained a bottle of wine and hid it in her clothes.

Sophia had confiscated all her hidden stashes the moment the ban was imposed.

When she finally found a moment alone in the depths of the ship, she opened the bottle.

“Tsk tsk, old habits die hard. Hilda, it’s only been three days. What are you doing? Hand it over.”

“No! You can’t take this from me!”

“This is for your health. Can’t you endure ten days?”

“I’ll die without it! Drinking will make me healthy again!”

“Your logic is flawed. I’m taking this.”

And so, her attempt was thwarted.

The same scene repeated four days later in Porto.

In truth, Hildegard’s escapades were anticipated by Sophia. Her ability to sneak alcohol was only possible because Sophia allowed it.

With her use of divine and spiritual powers restricted, there was no way Hildegard could hide her actions from Sophia.

Thus, Hildegard found fleeting happiness in sneaking to the port and hiding alcohol, even if she never got to drink it.

In a way, these periodic attempts helped her mental state during the ban.

+++++

While Hildegard waged her personal war, the voyage remained peaceful. Passing through Lisbon, Porto, El Musel, and Bilbao, the journey was largely uneventful.

There were moments, like when they passed through the Sirens’ domain, requiring everyone to plug their ears with cotton and tie themselves to the mast for half a day. Or when they detoured around the conflict zone between the Sphiyagon Empire and the orca warriors, the strongest of the merfolk.

But overall, the voyage was calm.

Hildegard, who had endured ten days of torment, finally began to enjoy the peace after her ban ended.

“Ah, the weather’s so nice!”

Standing at the ship’s bow, her short hair fluttering in the sea breeze, Hildegard couldn’t hide her joy.

In her hand was a bottle of Douru port wine, which she had smuggled from Porto and had confiscated by Sophia. Now that the ban was over, she had opened it early in the morning, letting it breathe. The aroma of the aerated port wine was enough to bring happiness to Hildegard, who had been miserable for the past ten days.

The others watched her with resigned expressions.

“Lady Wolfstein really loves her wine…”

Conra sighed, looking exasperated as he followed Sophia’s instructions. Sophia, who was helping Conra with his training by manipulating intangible fighting spirit and killing intent, also nodded and sighed lightly.

“Among the clergy of the Shrine Path, there are many who enjoy drinking, but Hilda is particularly extreme.”

Sophia herself enjoyed drinking and had a high tolerance, able to match Hildegard without using energy manipulation to dispel a hangover. But understanding the mindset of an alcoholic was still difficult.

Maria, who was practicing Sphere Exercises under Sophia’s guidance, and Esiocles, who was working on his upper and lower body muscles with exercises suited for a rocking ship, both glanced at Hildegard with similar expressions.

Esiocles, who had thought he understood Hildegard’s struggles after the incident ten days ago, realized he had been too focused on his muscles to notice her loneliness. He had resolved to be more considerate, but…

“It seems it’s going to be difficult.”

After all, gym rats and alcoholics are like oil and water. Even if they don’t intentionally avoid each other, it’s a natural divide. Especially between Esiocles, a muscle-bound exhibitionist, and Hildegard, a true alcoholic.

As they enjoyed the sea breeze, the ship approached Bordeaux Port.

“By the way, Lady Chazelle, isn’t Bordeaux Port part of the Kingdom of Franquia?”

“Yes, it is. Specifically, it’s a port city in the Duchy of Aquitaine, a vassal state of Franquia.”

As she answered Esiocles’ question, Sophia’s expression turned nostalgic. Aquitaine was where she had spent her childhood. She was born in the village of Chazelle in Aquitaine and lived in the Saint Manuel Monastery until she became a Nun Knight. The Saint Manuel Monastery was also located in Aquitaine.

‘Come to think of it, Bordeaux isn’t far from Saint Manuel Monastery.’

A faint longing stirred in her heart. She had thought meeting people connected to the monastery in the Toriento Bishopric had eased her homesickness, but the nostalgia for the place itself was a different matter.

As they neared Bordeaux, those with sharp eyes could begin to make out the port.

Suddenly, the bow of the ship became chaotic.

“Bordeaux… sea monster… attack…!”

“Kraken… port… danger…!”

Amid the chaos, strange words mixed with the shouts of the crew and passengers. Though the words were scattered, Sophia and her companions, with their keen senses, could easily discern what was being said.

Even without hearing clearly, they could read lips and sense vocal vibrations, making it easy to understand.

The interpreted message was clear.

“Bordeaux is under attack by a sea monster? The Kraken is rampaging in the port?”

“Since when does the Kraken come ashore to attack ports?”

The group exchanged puzzled looks. This didn’t align with their knowledge of such creatures. Deciding to see for themselves, they hurried to the bow.

When they finally caught sight of Bordeaux, they all sighed in unison.

“It’s true. The Kraken is rampaging in the port.”

What they saw was a massive octopus-like creature, its enormous tentacles rising from the water, smashing ships and port facilities.

 

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