Because of its location and timing, Curtia did develop quickly, but every time they heard from distant merchants and sailors about the prosperity of another continent, they felt that it was not fast enough.

The Nooans were fortunate to have a fertile land, but in a sense, they were also trapped in it. According to distant legends, those who tried to sail away did not end well, so they settled for a peaceful life without food and clothing...... Until the huge galleons of the Eastern Continent appeared on their shores.

It was thunder full of warnings, but it was also lightning that pierced the fog.

Surprised, curious...... and a strong sense of crisis, giving them the motivation to move forward after hundreds of years of peace with their centaur neighbors. They chose to accept rather than turn away those who had sailed from afar as enemies, and they had learned from a long time with the mighty centaurs that knowing your opponents and being friends with them was far better than pointless fights.

Of course, that's when the other side doesn't see you as food, or if you have sharp minions that are strong enough to protect you.

The people who walk the streets of Curtia today do not know that when the first caravan from another continent laden with goods entered the humble port of decades ago, hidden behind the peaceful villages were the best warriors sent by the king—who prepared for the worst and got the best results.

But there can be no lasting peace in exchanges of unequal power. The "friends" who came from afar were not without greed and ambition in their eyes, but they were only constrained by the overly difficult journey and the vigilance of the Nooans who never let go. Want to avoid possible dangers...... Or to overcome it, they need to become stronger at a faster rate. But Kurtia's prosperity today is backed by the entire kingdom of Noa. If they want to get stronger...... They will have the whole continent behind them.

For thousands of years they were content with the status quo, many of whom would never leave the village where they grew up for almost their entire lives, and when they began to desperately want to understand the entire continent, the swamps, forests, and mountains that traversed it were almost insurmountable obstacles.

Now, there was someone, a strange young man from the Eastern Continent, who had so easily delivered what they desperately needed to them.

She had to be suspicious.

Main looked at the gray-haired young man in front of him, wondering if he really understood the meaning of the gift—to know if it had an ulterior motive or was wrapped in a poisonous filling...... However, the young man's dark blue eyes were clear and bright, and seemed to be so simple that they could be seen through at a glance, and they seemed to have a depth and incomprehensibility like the sea.

She withdrew her gaze, realizing that she had lost her cool a little in the midst of this unexpected surprise. The purpose of the other party is important, but how they judge and use the gift is even more important.

Unfounded speculation can only lead to unhelpful uneasiness.

"So, what do you think," she began, "we'll try to find the girl, and before we find her, we'll put the notes in the library so that everyone knows about it...... It also lets everyone know who it was originally a gift to. ”

Ed thought for a moment.

"Maybe it's better not to mention her name?" he said, "and not everybody wants to be that ...... Famous. ”

May chuckled softly at his unexpected concern.

"We can just tell her story. "Even if she doesn't remember it herself, someone will always remember the pastor...... Speaking of which, the temple he built is still in its original place on the shore, do you want to see it?"

Ed's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

.

The temple perched on a cliff by the sea was not large, but it was not as simple as Muru had described. It even had a small portico, gray stone pillars mottled and blackened by the sea breeze, and the lower end carved with swirling waves like most of Lutgar's water shrines, with simple but not rough lines. The statues in the temple are the same, the lines are simple and neat, and the slightly lowered faces look unusually gentle in the dim light, not like the goddess...... It's more like a mother waiting for the return of her wanderer.

"A businessman paid for it to be rebuilt. Main told him, "In addition to those who come to pray for a good journey, some sailors who have stayed here also come occasionally." If you are in a foreign land, even if you are doing well, you will need some comfort from your hometown. ”

Ed bowed his head and prayed silently...... For the pastor who can never return to his hometown.

May he be in the palm of your hand—he thought.

As he looked up, Iss poked his arm lightly, motioning for him to look at the statue's pedestal. He stared for a few moments before he recognized the small, faint symbol between the undulating waves, and his anger roared out in an instant.

Shaped like an hourglass, it has no beginning and no end...... That's the symbol of Nessah. It was not surprising that there were followers of Nessus among the merchants and sailors who came here, but it was evident with his unbearable malice that his symbol was carved into Nyor's feet in this way.

Ordinary Christians don't do that.

In the blazing rage, a chill pierced Eddard's mind like a sharp blade - if they had already been here...... What do they want to do? What will they do?

“...... Have you seen this symbol anywhere else?" he pointed to Main as he pointed to it.

Main looked at it carefully, shook her head, and frowned slightly.

“...... Is there a problem?" Ed saw her hesitation.

Main was silent for a moment, then answered him.

"I've seen similar symbols," she said, "all of them are simple lines, carved into a stone slab......"

Ed's head buzzed, almost dizzy.

"Where?!" he asked, disrespectfully.

.

Ed thought it would be a small slate, palm-sized obsidian, not very regular in shape, and there was no sign of carving, as if it had been born naturally, just like the one that the unhappy priest had forced into him...... Like the one that Norway had turned out of the necromancer's corpse in Ankland. It should have been engraved with other names, the names of other powerful beings who had passed away. Although he still does not know the significance of such a slate, such a record.

But in front of him, Main's men carefully opened a black wooden box, and took out a boxy, almost large slab called a stele, polished smooth as a mirror, and carved with symbols as clear as new, arranged in a perfect circle.

...... That's not the name of any living being.