The afternoon sun was over the Lacorta Road, a wide stretch of neatly aligned bricks. On both sides, short stone walls bordered the path, separating travelers from the open plains that was filled with grass as far as the eye could see. Carriages lined the road moving very slowly—some filled with merchants, others with nobles behind tinted windows, their horses stamping impatiently against the sun-baked ground.
The group's own carriage sat wedged in the middle of this, unmoving for nearly 1 hour.
"Why is it taking sooo longggg?" Marcus groaned, slumping in his seat, his shirt sticking to his back. He fanned himself with both hands, face flushed red.
Diego, sitting beside him, somehow looked completely fine—content even—as he munched on a piece of jerky. Across from them, Ami leaned out the window, hoping for even a whisper of breeze.
Dilek was sprawled in the middle of the carriage, flat on his back between the benches, like a man on his deathbed. The carriage, built like a small wooden minibus, rattled a couple times when the horses shifted.
Hela and Duja sat near the front, watching the group with faint amusement. The scent of sweat filled the air.
Hela turned to Nandita, who was calmly wiping her forehead with a small cloth. "How come you aren't feeling the heat?"
Nandita smiled lightly. "Oh, this much is nothing. I've had worse… from where I come from."
A loud thump! followed as Ami slapped the outside of the carriage in frustration. "WHY AREN'T WE MOVINGGG?" she yelled, startling a few nearby travelers. "TRAFFIC, COME ONNN!"
Outside, carriages creaked and drivers shouted over one another, the road buzzing with impatience. Despite the medieval era, traffic jams seemed to be universal—especially when only a handful of proper roads existed in all of Orynneya connecting the cities.
The carriage beside them was far cooler—its frame painted black and its curtains drawn tight. Diego leaned out the window, whispering, "How come you afforded this, Duja? I only see rich people on this road."
Duja smiled proudly, brushing a bead of sweat off his forehead. "Well, it's because we got quite some customers lately," he said, glancing back at the group.
Kelid sat quietly in the corner. Not a drop of sweat was on her body. She was looking out the window, her reflection flickering faintly against the glass. From the other carriage, a few noble boys were peeking out nervously—convinced the beautiful girl looking their way was interested in them.
Dilek, on the other hand, groaned and dragged himself up. He crawled toward Kelid, reaching her seat before she could react.
"What the hell?!" she shouted, startled as Dilek grabbed her leg.
He pressed his cheek to her shin with an exaggerated sigh. "It's… cold…" he muttered, then suddenly hugged her leg tighter.
Kelid turned bright red. "WHAT—STOP—HEY!" she stammered, trying to shove him away with her other leg.
Nandita grabbed Dilek's ankle and dragged him back across the floor. "Pervert," she scolded, glaring down at him.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING PERVERT?!" Dilek snapped.
"You're harassing Kelid," she said flatly.
Ami burst out laughing while Diego raised his hand. "Saint, you can hug my legs—" he paused mid-sentence, eyes widening in horror. "Wait… if I'm telling Saint to touch my legs, am I not being blasphemous?!"
He quickly tucked his legs up to his chest. "SORRY SAINT! I CAN'T LET YOU HUG MY LEGS!"
Dilek groaned, covering his face. "I didn't want to either, Diego…"
Kelid exhaled deeply, reaching into her pouch. She pulled out a small blue stone and tossed it toward Marcus.
Marcus caught it mid-air, blinking. "What's this?" The moment his fingers touched it, a cool sensation spread through his palms and into his chest. "Woahhh…" he sighed, pressing it against his stomach.
Diego leaned closer touching Marcus's shoulder, eyes wide. "It's cool…" He sighed happily as the heat around them seemed to fade.
Kelid threw another one toward Nandita, but Ami leapt and snatched it midair. "MINE! I NEED—Owahhhhh," she exhaled in bliss as the chill washed over her. Nandita placed a hand on her lap, sharing the coolness, and sighed as well.
"I thought you said you were fine in the heat," Ami teased.
"I said I can stand it," Nandita replied. "That's different from being comfortable."
Ami side-eyed her as Kelid checked her pouch—one stone left. She handed it to Hela and Duja.
"I carried these just in case," she said. "It'll help."
Hela smiled warmly. "You thought ahead, huh?"
Duja nodded appreciatively. "That's impressive."
Kelid shrugged. "Not really. I just knew this would happen—it's not that far-fetched."
Her pouch now empty, she looked at Dilek, who sat miserably sweating again. "…Uhm, Dilek," she muttered, "if you want, you can sit beside me."
He blinked, then shuffled over. "I still feel the heat…" he grumbled.
Without a word, Kelid took his hand. A flush shot across his face—only to melt into relief as a wave of cool spread through him. "Coooollll…" he exhaled dramatically.
Marcus, still holding his own stone, asked, "Where do you even get these?"
Kelid replied casually, "They were sold in the Belancony store, so I bought them."
Hela froze mid-breath. "Belancony???"
Duja's eyes widened. "You mean that Belancony?"
Ami blinked, confused. "What's the surprise about?"
Hela turned to her, expression serious. "Belancony is a store that sells top-tier goods—but at a very high price. A single item there can cost four to seven Gisho."
Dilek's head snapped toward Kelid. "Seven Gisho?!"
Nandita quietly observed, I know she's a rich girl running from home… I just can't prove it yet.'
The group sighed collectively as the carriage still hadn't moved an inch. The sound of horses, the creak of wheels, and the drone of heat filled the air.
Ami banged on the window again. "HOW COME IT STILL ISN'T MOVING?!" she yelled, leaning halfway out.
No one outside reacted. The nobles stayed patient, the drivers silent. Dilek stared at her and muttered, "At this point, if this were Earth, people would've already started fighting the guy blocking traffic."
'Well... that's exactly what we're going to do,' Dilek thought as he got up, still holding Kelid's hand. She looked up at him, startled, as he said, "Let's go."
"Huh?" She blinked in confusion, but before she could protest, Dilek pulled her out of the carriage. The others stayed inside as he shouted, "Me and Kelid will go and check what's the issue!"
Ami gave a thumbs up from the window, while Duja leaned forward and said, "Hold on, I'll come as well."
Dilek shook his head. "No need. I'll quickly check it out."
He ran, dragging Kelid along by the hand as she stumbled behind, flustered. "Hey—Stop—"
They weaved through lines of horses and carriages. The road ahead was a scene of chaos—drivers shouting, horses snorting and stamping impatiently. A few travelers sat on top of their wagons fanning themselves, while others argued about whose cart was blocking the way.
Dilek and Kelid passed by an old man leaning against his carriage, wiping sweat from his forehead. He was wearing—a faded vest and a straw hat, under the sun. He looked exhausted, muttering curses as he shouted, "Someone check already! What the hell is taking so long?!"
Through the carriage window behind him, The old man saw two young noble kids playing with cooling stones that glowed faintly blue. The old man sighed and unwrapped a candy bar from his pocket to pass the time, but when Dilek passed by, he paused.
"I'm gonna check it, don't worry!" Dilek called out.
The man smiled, his wrinkled face creasing warmly. "Thanks, kid!" He tossed the candy bar toward him. Dilek caught it neatly and stuffed it into his pocket without missing a step.
The two hurried ahead until a woman's panicked voice broke through the noise. "Hello! Is anyone here a doctor?! Anyone?! My child is losing a lot of blood!"
Dilek stopped abruptly, looking toward the voice. A mother stood near her carriage, her dress stained slightly red near the hem,
Kelid's eyes widened. "A doctor? In this sort of place?"
Dilek ran to her. "Hello, ma'am! I can heal people. Please, lead me to your son."
The woman's eyes filled with relief as she nodded rapidly and opened the carriage door. A burst of cool air greeted them—the inside was dimly lit by several glowing cooling stones attached to the walls.
Dilek turned to Kelid, whispering, "Hey, are these used by everyone?"
She nodded. "Pretty much. They're expensive, but people buy the attachable ones—they work anywhere."
"Oh, so like an air conditioner," he muttered.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Nothing. And this?" he said, pointing to the stones in her right hand as he held her left.
"This one's for small groups. It's cheaper," she replied quietly.
The mother interrupted, desperate. "If you two are done, can you heal my son?"
"Oh—yes, totally." Dilek climbed inside, finally letting go of Kelid's hand. She followed, kneeling beside him. The boy lay on a cushioned seat, blood trickling from his nose, staining his small white shirt.
Dilek smiled gently and crouched beside him. "Hey, kid," he said softly, lifting the boy's chin.
Kelid frowned. "It's bleeding a lot."
The mother wrung her hands anxiously.
Dilek looked at the boy. "It'll hurt a little. Are you a strong boy?"
The child sniffled but nodded. "My friends say I'm the strongest boy in class. I can take pain."
"Ah," Dilek smiled awkwardly, then turned to the mother. "Uhm, lady—this will hurt a lot, but he'll stop bleeding pretty fast."
She hesitated, then nodded.
Dilek placed his hand gently over the boy's nose.
Skill: Painful Healer (Activated).
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The boy screamed, his small body jerking back as Dilek quickly removed his hand. The mother gasped, horrified.
But when she looked again—there was no blood coming out anymore.
Dilek smiled and wiped the remaining blood off boy's face with a handkerchief. "Look—it stopped. You really were strong, huh?"
The boy, still teary-eyed, hugged Dilek tightly. "I… told you," he whimpered. "I'm… the strongest."
Dilek, surprised by the hug, smiled softly. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the candy bar the old man had given him, and handed it to the boy. The boy's eyes brightened as he tore the wrapper open and began to eat, murmuring a small "thank you."
Dilek looked at the mother, who was reaching into her leather purse—most likely to pay him. He hesitated, a thought running through his head. 'Come to think of it... I'm making a cult. I should really get serious about it…'
He turned to her with a light smile. "No need for payme—"
Before he could finish, the woman pulled out a clean white handkerchief embroidered with gold thread and handed it to her son. "Goodness, you scared me, you know," she said softly, brushing the boy's hair from his forehead. Her voice trembled slightly, half in relief, half in exhaustion.
Kelid, standing by the carriage door, crossed her arms and tilted her head. "How did it even happen?" she asked.
"I don't know… it just did," the woman replied, shaking her head. The boy was now sitting upright, chewing the last bits of the candy Dilek had given him.
Dilek smiled gently, his tone soft. "It's alright. He's fine now." He placed a hand over his chest and added, "May the Goddess Yaguya be with you."
The woman blinked, her brows lifting slightly. "Yaguya… Is that the church you belong to, priest?"
"Yes," Dilek said without hesitation.
She frowned a little, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Do you have a church? I've never heard of the Goddess Yaguya."
"Ah…" Dilek froze for a second, caught off guard. Even Kelid, standing beside him, blinked in confusion. She'd never heard that name either.
"Actually," Dilek continued quickly, scratching his cheek, "We're kind of low on funds… and I'm the only one who can hear the Goddess's voice."
Kelid gave him a side glance, her eyes narrowing. 'No way that's true,' she thought silently, though her expression stayed polite in front of the woman.
A soft notification flickered before Dilek's eyes:
BP: 109 (+2)
He blinked. Huh… it worked?
The lady smiled warmly, clearly moved. "Please allow me to express my gratitude, Priest of Yaguya. If it's not much, would you mind visiting my manor? We live in Phermola—it's the next city. My husband will be very grateful."
Her son tugged gently at her sleeve, still holding the candy wrapper. "Can the priest come soon, Mother?"
Dilek nodded instantly, his usual lazy tone replaced by enthusiasm. "For sure."
She reached into her bag and handed him a small, neatly printed card with a family crest embossed on it. "Please do come," she said kindly.
Dilek bowed slightly, accepting it with both hands. Then, he and Kelid stepped out of the carriage. Outside, the noise of restless horses and shouting drivers filled the air again—the heat, the smell of dust.
As they walked ahead, Kelid looked up at him, suspicion lacing her tone. "Hey, what's up with Yaguya? That's fake, isn't it?"
Dilek stopped, feeling the heat he grabbed her hand. He turned to her with a calm smile. "Not at all."
Kelid blinked, startled by dilek grabbing her hand, the sound of hooves clattering softly behind them as they continued walking side by side down the busy road.