East Road Quest

Chapter 19: Saf

Saf confided everything he had heard from Father Daniel to Mother Superior Julia.

Julia, with a face half full of surprise and half full of worry, said, “We must keep this entire matter a secret. Father Daniel is searching for the Holy Grail!”

Saf, sitting on the opposite side of the table, looked at her worried expression and spoke, “Should I not have told you, Mother Superior?”

“It was something you should have kept even from me. Didn’t Father Daniel warn you not to tell anyone?”

“He didn’t say that. In fact, he suggested I discuss it with you. I didn’t want to lie to you, even if I kept it from others.”

“Father Daniel seems thorough, yet has many gaps. And you, you’re too kind.”

Julia fidgeted with her wrinkled hands as she continued.

“So, you’ve made up your mind, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I have long thought that this life here might not suit you.”

“I have caused you so much trouble, Mother Superior.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Because of me, you’ve had to worry about things you shouldn’t have, suffered many inconveniences, and endured many hardships. Especially with this recent matter…”

“My dear.”

Julia reached her hand across the table. Saf hesitated, as if touching her hand would stain it with his own dirtiness.

Julia, sensing his feelings, grasped his hand tightly with both of hers.

“You are a child of fortune. The convent was always dark without you. But ever since the day you were found in a basket on the steps, my life has been filled with light. It felt like a candle guiding me through the darkness. A little wax dripping from the candle doesn’t make it any less valuable. You are the most precious gift God has given me. It feels as though Father Daniel is taking you away from me.”

Saf stared stoically at Julia.

At that moment, a tear rolled down Saf’s cheek. Julia was surprised, and Saf was even more surprised. His expression didn’t change, but the tear continued to fall.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you cry,” Julia said.

“It’s the first time for me, too.”

Saf wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. Tears had only welled up slightly when he yawned before, but now they ran down to his chin.

Rubbing the tears off his hand with his fingers, Saf asked, “Didn’t I cry even when I was little?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve seen your tears. Why are you crying?”

“I’m so happy. I never knew you thought of me that way. I always believed I was doing evil things to you and thought I had to leave the convent to lessen my sins against you.”

“How could that be?”

Julia stood up and embraced Saf. He closed his eyes and hugged her back. Tears welled up in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks once more.

Julia caressed Saf’s cheek.

“I never imagined I’d see you cry. I hope to see you smile next. I bet your smile is just as beautiful.”

Julia, having made up her mind, spoke with a resolute tone.

“Take care of Father Daniel and Jade, and be careful. Those two will cherish you.”

Julia also began to cry.

“Is this what it feels like for a mother to send her daughter off to be married? I thought I knew that feeling from marrying off the children from the orphanage, but this is different.”

Julia wiped her tears and said her farewell.

### Chapter 19: Saf

“Leave quietly through the back door. I will tell others that you’ve been transferred to the convent in Parence.”

Saf took only a few clothes, some silver coins, a loaf of bread for today, and a water pouch before leaving. Julia advised that although the nun’s habit was conspicuous, it would actually serve as a shield until he left Rome, so he decided to keep it on.

By the time Saf left the convent, the morning sun had already risen.

Only Julia came to bid him farewell.

“Saf, come back safely.”

“I will pray for you every night, Mother Superior.”

“Thank you. God’s blessing and your fortune will protect you from danger.”

Saf stopped and hesitated.

“That’s what Father Daniel always says. He tells me I’m a child of fortune and that I can achieve anything if I set my mind to it.”

Father Daniel had said this tirelessly every time they met. He repeated it so often that it seemed like he feared Saf would forget.

“Father Daniel and I have disagreed on many things, but on that point, I agree. You are a child protected by fortune.”

“At first, I believed him too. But everything always goes the opposite way for me. It’s as if I’m not a child of fortune but a harbinger of misfortune. This time as well… and last time, when you got hurt, it was all because of me…”

Saf couldn’t continue.

“Do you mean the goat incident?”

Saf nodded.

A while ago, a goat had escaped from the pen behind the convent. It was entirely Saf’s fault. On that particular day, he had forgotten to lock the pen’s gate, something he had never failed to do before, despite opening and closing it a thousand times.

That day, the wind blew strongly. And, unfortunately, the youngest goat slipped through the gate.

All the nuns went out to find the goat, and, just as bad luck would have it, an unpredicted rainstorm struck.

Saf and Mother Superior Julia were the ones who found the goat. It had slipped on a rock in the rain and broken its leg. Saf had to carry the goat back.

The goat struggled the entire way. When Saf couldn’t calm it, Julia took it into her arms, and only then did the goat settle. But just then, a thunderclap startled the goat, causing it to leap out of Julia’s arms, kicking her chest and making her fall, breaking her leg.

Losing the goat was Saf’s fault, and Julia’s leg being broken and her being unable to get up for nearly a month was also his fault.

The goat healed in two weeks, but the elderly Julia couldn’t move properly for two months.

“Because of that incident, you couldn’t attend the nuns’ gathering in the Kingdom of Glitten this year. I heard about it. The cancellation fees for the carriage and the ship reservations were quite hefty too…”

The guilt he had momentarily forgotten washed over Saf, making him tremble.

“My dear, Saf.”

Julia sighed wearily and continued, feeling apologetic.

“Yes, you only know part of the story. I deliberately didn’t tell you the rest so you wouldn’t feel strange about it.”

“What do you mean, the rest of the story?”

“The ship I was supposed to take sank suddenly due to a squall. Everyone on that ship either died or went missing.”

Saf was at a loss for words.

“I was so busy praying for the souls of the deceased that I didn’t even think about you. I never connected the incident with you.”

Julia grasped Saf’s hand tightly once more.

“Saf, every misfortune brings fortune, and every fortune is followed by misfortune. Do not become arrogant because you are fortunate, nor despair because you are unfortunate.

Ultimately, you must always do your best in everything. Don’t forget that throughout your journey.”

Julia’s words echoed in Saf’s mind as he walked down the hill away from the convent.

### Chapter 19: Saf

‘I don’t need to be a child of fortune. Please, just let my misfortune not spread to others.’

Saf paused at a crossroads to pray. As he was about to start walking again, a cart rushed past him.

Startled, Saf stepped back, only to find himself stepping into a hole. His foot got stuck, and he fell backward. The hole was filled with muddy water.

Saf landed in the muddy water, splashing dirty water all over himself. As he tried to get up quickly, he slipped again and fell headfirst into the mud. If anyone were watching, they might have thought he was purposely floundering around in the mud like a fool.

‘Good grief, it hasn’t even rained recently. What is this?’

Saf gave up fighting the muddy water and sat there to catch his breath. He waited until he was confident he could stand up in the slippery puddle, then finally rose.

Saf moved to dry ground and examined his attire. He looked like a beggar.

‘I can’t go to Father Daniel’s house looking like this. I can’t start the quest for the Holy Grail with muddy clothes.’

Saf decided to remove his nun’s habit. He first put on a priest’s hat to cover his horns. His blue hair, now messed up and muddy, looked almost brown.

Underneath his habit, he wore pants and a thin shirt, which were also soaked with muddy water.

‘Father Daniel’s house must have a place to wash up. I can borrow clothes too.’

According to old stories, women often dressed as men when they traveled. Borrowing Father Daniel’s clothes might force him into men’s attire, but it seemed like it might be for the best.

‘I am a child of fortune. Maybe this is a sign of good luck.’

Saf tried to look at the situation optimistically.

He started walking again. The path to Daniel’s house was not difficult to find or hard to walk, so he had no hesitation.

Another cart rushed past. This time, he stayed close to the edge of the path and avoided another mishap.

He noticed that the cart carried a large water tank. Water splashed out of the tank and spilled everywhere. The puddle he had fallen into earlier must have been caused by a similar cart.

“Fire! Fire!”

Someone’s voice rang out, followed by indistinguishable shouts. The red hue Saf thought was the morning glow was actually from a fire.

With a sinking feeling, Saf hurried his steps.

‘No way. It can’t be.’

Clutching his muddy clothes, Saf ran up the hill.

Father Daniel’s house was on fire!

Saf was so shocked that he fell to his knees.

“Father…”

People were scooping water from the carts into buckets and throwing it onto the flames. They managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses but couldn’t put it out completely.

As Saf sat by the road, staring at the fire, someone approached him.

“Do you know who lives here?”

“Huh?”

Saf looked up to see a large, bald man standing there. Saf, who rarely encountered men due to his life in the convent, felt nervous around this intimidating figure with his rough voice and muscular arms.

“Um, I…”

As Saf stammered, another man suddenly ran up.

“There you are!”

Saf turned to see another stranger, a short, fat middle-aged man.

He pushed the bald man aside.

“Who are you to approach my daughter?”

“Oh, she’s your daughter? And you are…?”

“I am the owner of this house. And who are you?”

“Just a passing monk. It looked like this lady was in trouble, so I…”

“If you have free hands, instead of touching someone’s daughter, how about helping to put out the fire?”

“Sorry about that. I’m in a hurry.” The bald man waved his hand with a smile and hurried down the hill.

The middle-aged man watched him warily until he was out of sight. Only then did he turn his attention to Saf.

“You weren’t harmed by that man, were you? Let’s see! Good heavens, did you roll around in a pigsty? Your face is a mess… Wait, who are you?”

The man reached out to touch Saf’s face but stopped, startled.

Saf, unsure of what was happening, stammered.

“Um, I… I mean…”

Just then, a woman with brown hair, about the same height as Saf, ran over from the crowd watching the fire.

“Dad!”

“Demia! What are you doing here?”

The middle-aged man quickly moved away from Saf and hugged his daughter.

“I thought you were in that house.”

He said.

“Why would I be in that house?”

“You snuck into Father Daniel’s house before and stole his wine, remember?”

“Why bring that up? It was just that one time.”

Demia glanced at Saf.

“Who is she?”

“Ah, never mind her. I thought she was you.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, the man turned away without apologizing.

His daughter asked, “What about the house?”

“It’s an old house anyway. I was planning to rebuild it. But I saw Father Daniel bring a young man into the house this morning. I hope they got out safely. If the fire spreads, this whole area could be engulfed. I wonder if we can put it out…”

As the homeowner spoke worriedly, the burning house suddenly collapsed. The people carrying water buckets screamed and ran away. Black smoke and debris scattered everywhere.

Although debris didn’t reach Saf’s spot, the black smoke, carrying ash, quickly spread, covering several blocks.

Miraculously, the fire was extinguished. It seemed the collapsing house had smothered the flames. Amid the smoke, people resumed dousing the remaining flames with water.

Through coughing fits, the homeowner’s voice was heard.

“Even if someone was inside, it’ll take a month to confirm.”

Saf was troubled by what he said.

‘Father Daniel went into that house? Then this is my fault. My misfortune has spread to him.’

Saf couldn’t bear to stay and check if there was a body inside, and if it was Father Daniel.

‘A young man went in with him? Could it be…’

Saf turned around.

‘What should I do? Should I go back to the convent and tell the Mother Superior?’

He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. His wet face and hair were now sticky with ash and dust.

‘No, Father Daniel must have escaped before the fire. He wouldn’t just stay there.’

Saf pulled his hat down firmly and ran towards St. Vesta’s Cathedral.

‘He told me to go to St. Vesta’s Cathedral if we got separated. This is just a case of us missing each other. It must be.’