East Road Quest

Chapter 26: Postlum

Jade’s journey to the village of Postlum took longer than anticipated. To avoid detection, she steered clear of the main roads and even switched carriages along the way.

The extended travel drained her modest funds almost completely. Without enough for lodging, she found herself reluctantly taking shelter in the open, a far cry from comfort.

Upon entering a proper village after so long, Jade yearned for a good night’s rest, but her purse strings were tight.

The meager amount she had left was just enough to buy a horse for crossing the desert and some provisions, along with a backpack filled with miscellaneous items whose necessity on the journey ahead was uncertain.

‘Had I been under the generous patronage of the Emperor, I would have rented out an entire inn in every village I passed,’ she mused.

Due to the red sand of the desert, the houses in Postlum were all tinged with red.

Although it’s now known that the sand’s color comes from iron ore mixed in the sand, thanks to advancements in alchemy, the red hue was once ominously associated with blood.

Superstitions related to the red desert persisted, despite the dispelled negative connotations.

Upon arrival, Jade checked her surroundings first. She had looked back so many times on her journey that she had lost count after three hundred. Like Daniel had felt in Rome, Jade too sensed that someone might be following her.

A gust of red sand momentarily blinded her, obscuring her vision so she couldn’t see ten steps ahead, before settling down again.

‘Even if there were pursuers, it would be difficult to spot them now after all this time,’ she thought.

Resigned, Jade headed into the village to a place where horses were sold.

“Is this your first time here?” asked Rendle, a short old man who was the horse merchant of Postlum.

“Not exactly, but it’s my first time alone,” Jade replied.

Before she became a priest, Daniel had taken her to the red desert to reveal ‘a certain secret.’ This was her first visit since then.

“I can’t recommend you go alone without a guide. The grace of God doesn’t reach the red desert. Wait a day or two, and I’ll introduce you to a guide familiar with the red desert. How about that? Business has been slow lately, so I can give you a good deal,” Rendle advised as he fed the last bit of fodder to the horse he was preparing for Jade.

In the stable, there were two other horses, and in a corner on a small chair sat what appeared to be his wife, eyes closed but not seemingly asleep.

“I’m aware of the dangers of the red desert. I’ve heard it’s rife with bandits. But the place I’m heading to is even more perilous, and I can’t risk a guide’s safety,” Jade explained.

“You’re well informed. But aside from the desert and bandits, there’s something else that’s become a danger lately.”

“What might that be?”

“Monsters have started to appear in the desert.”

Jade couldn’t help but stare at Rendle in disbelief.

“Monsters… you say?”

“It’s because of these monsters that our village has come to this state. Sure, there might have been a monster or two in the old days, but it’s gotten serious in the past three or four years,” Rendle continued, pointing beyond the stable door to the desolate village.

“This place has become as good as abandoned. Even the priest left, calling it a cursed village. He said he could hear the whispers of demons in the red desert.”

Through the broken wooden window, Jade could see the star cross atop the church lying in ruins.

“Have you seen these monsters yourself?” Jade inquired.

“If I had, would I still be alive? It’s all rumors, but we take precautions. To me, these invisible demons are less frightening than the very real bandits,” Rendle admitted.

Jade took his warning to heart, more concerned about bandits than demons.

“There are a few large gangs around. They sometimes lurk around this village, but they don’t cause harm since they’d lose their resting place if the village disappeared. However, they’re ruthless to travelers. Especially the Kapf gang—if you encounter them, your best chance of survival is to comply with their demands and grovel for mercy.”

“The Kapf gang…”

Jade committed the name to memory.

‘Knowing their name in advance won’t keep me safe from danger.’

With a resigned smile, Jade asked, “How much for the horse?”

“95 has,” Rendle replied.

“What?”

Jade was taken aback.

She had only 90 has left, which she planned to use to buy the horse, food, and water.

Considering that a donkey cost 100 has in Pompeii, a horse trained for desert crossing priced at 95 has was quite a bargain.

“Are you short on money?” Rendle noticed.

“I’m 5 has short.”

“That’s a tough discount to give…”

“Is there a cheaper horse available?”

“Horses are horses, there’s no cheap or expensive,” Rendle said, looking at the other two horses and seeming troubled before making an offer.

“If you take a guide, I can rent it to you. Just return it to the guide when you’re done. Normally, it’s 30 has for three days, but…”

Rendle began listing prices, but Jade interrupted him.

“No, the red desert isn’t the end of my journey. I need to buy a horse regardless.”

Jade’s mind was in turmoil. She had sold anything of value in the previous village and had nothing left to offer.

The last thing she had was a silver star cross given to her by Daniel.

‘Daniel didn’t pass away. So this isn’t an heirloom! It’s okay to sell it.’

Yet, despite her reasoning, Jade couldn’t bring herself to use it as a bargaining chip.

Rendel pondered for a moment before declining the initial offer.

“Very well. I’ll knock off five has for you. But in return, I have a favor to ask.”

Jade, delighted, inquired, “What is it?”

“Teach me a prayer.”

“A prayer?” Jade’s brow furrowed.

“From your accent, you’re not from Rome, are you? The way you wear that star-cross necklace, you seem to be a Catholic… If there’s a popular prayer in Rome these days, teach me one.”

While other clergymen might have scoffed or become angry at the mention of a ‘popular prayer,’ Jade, who understood the religious practices of ordinary people, did not laugh.

“There’s been no priest in the village, so it’s been almost half a year since I’ve prayed.”

Rendel gestured towards an old woman sitting in the corner of the stable as he continued, “My wife is ill, and I thought perhaps a prayer might help her get better… My memory isn’t what it used to be; I can’t remember the old prayers, and I can’t read, so I can’t read the Bible to her. If you can read, just read a few lines from the Bible to me so I can memorize them. Nothing too complicated…”

He added hesitantly, “Then I’ll consider the five has as payment for the prayer.”

Jade hesitated. She wanted to refuse but didn’t know how.

She couldn’t even bring herself to suggest a different favor. Honestly, the temptation was too great; one prayer would earn her a horse.

At that moment, the old woman, who had been closing her eyes, turned towards them and spoke, “That’s too much, dear. Trying to buy a prayer with money? You can see they’re in a tough spot; just give them a discount and be done with it.”

The old woman was shorter than Rendel, hunched over, and coughing severely. Even as she spoke, she kept her eyes closed.

Rendel was flustered. “It’s not that big of a favor for a discount of five has, is it?”

His statement was true. In the Zerba fish market, people had been killed over disputes for just one has.

“Still, asking for a prayer as bait for money? It would be better to ask for a favor like fetching five buckets of well water.”

“I’m not asking you to pray for me; I’m saying if you teach me a prayer, I’ll pray for you…”

While Rendel was making excuses, Jade approached the old woman.

She knelt on one knee and took the old woman’s wrinkled hand. The old woman opened one eye slightly in surprise. One eye was clouded with pus and couldn’t focus, and the other couldn’t open at all.

“You can’t see, can you?” Jade asked.

“When you get to my age, these things happen. It’s God’s will that I’ve seen all I need to see.”

The old woman smiled broadly with unfocused eyes.

Jade placed Daniel’s star-cross necklace on the back of the old woman’s hand and said, “I pray.”

Rendel watched Jade with interest.

‘If you continue to ignore me, then don’t listen to this prayer,’ Jade thought to herself.

‘And if this prayer offends you, then punish only me. This isn’t about breaking my resolve; it’s about wanting to reassure these people. You can think I sold my resolve for five has if you like. So please, don’t cowardly harm them; punish only me. Do you understand? Don’t be capricious!’

Jade prayed slowly.

“Lord, allow us to live today as we did yesterday, and may tomorrow be as happy as today. If there are blessings to come my way, let them fall upon this person instead. If there is sickness to come their way, let it come to me. And if disaster strikes, let it be one we can endure. If one cannot bear it alone, let the other help. Give us the strength to live each day to the fullest until the day You have set for us, and when death comes, let it be as warm as the sunshine. In Your name, I pray.”

After finishing the prayer, Jade removed the cross from the old woman’s hand.

The old woman’s hand trembled.

“How can you pray for such a thing? Asking for the blessings meant for the young to come to me?”

Jade replied with a faint smile, “Now you two can pray this for each other. I’ve kept my promise and taught you the prayer.”

“Still…”

The old woman looked worried, and Rendel was impressed.

“I don’t often go to church, but this is the first time I’ve heard a prayer that’s so easy to understand. Which church taught you this prayer?”

“Just various things…”

Jade mumbled before continuing, “Now, I’ll change a few words and teach you, so memorize it.”

“Hmm, it’s a bit long for me to memorize.”

“You have to repeat it. It’s a five-has prayer; it can’t be too short or it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“That’s true.”

“And remember, it’s the heart that matters in a prayer, not the form.”

Jade felt a twinge of guilt after saying this.

“That’s right.”

After teaching Rendel the prayer and fetching five buckets of well water, Jade mounted her horse and left for Poe.

Rendle provided Jade with three pieces of bread and water, watching over her until she safely made her way out of the village.

It was indeed fortunate that she had learned to ride a horse.

Father Daniel, who was incredibly active and had traveled extensively in his youth, was eager to impart his travel wisdom to Jade. Among his teachings was horseback riding.

Though it had been three years since she last rode, Jade quickly regained her comfort in the saddle.

According to ancient tales, the Red Desert was not always a desert. It was said to have been a vast ancient kingdom like Rome, which was set ablaze by the angels for not heeding the word of God, turning it into the desert it is today.

There were also theories that Sodom from the old scriptures was located here.

However, Father Daniel argued that it was simply due to a lack of rainfall that the land became barren and gradually turned into a desert.

Compared to the vast Siha Desert of the southern continent, this desert was so small it hardly seemed to deserve the name. One could cross it east to west at a slow horse’s pace in two days, and even less from north to south. To the south of the Red Desert lay the Duchy of Lituania, to the east the Duchy of Luna, and to the north, the Kumon Grasslands.

Jade’s destination was not one of these nations but the heart of the Red Desert itself. If she continued at a slow pace, she would reach her destination by midnight.

The Temple of Byphel.

Father Daniel reminded Jade of this place until the very last moment.

‘I’ve heard it so many times it’s tedious, and yet now I find myself longing to hear that tiresome tale in the priest’s voice,’ she thought.

The Temple of Byphel in the Red Desert.

Read page 144 in reverse,

Open the wall…

Descend underground…

And then, beneath that, you shall meet an angel…

On the hundredth repetition of this story, Jade challenged Father Daniel.

“How many people have you tormented with such a fanciful tale?”

Father Daniel summarized it simply.

“Two.”

“Who else besides me?”

“Who do you think? Poe. And Poe didn’t seem to suffer much.”

“You didn’t repeat it a hundred times to Poe, did you?”

“Well, Poe couldn’t read page 144 or open the wall, so there was no need to emphasize it, right? That’s why I only mentioned it ninety-nine times. Anyway, seeing your reaction, I think it’s best not to talk about it anymore with Poe.”

Jade wrapped her head with a turban. It was evening, but the sun was still strong, and the heat quickly warmed her body. It would have been better to wait for the sun to set, but there was no time to linger in the village.

She looked back. The reddish sandstorm rose hazily, almost obscuring the village from view.

“Huh?”

She faintly saw someone on horseback.

At first, she thought she had seen wrong or it was a traveler heading elsewhere. But as time passed, it became clear that the person was approaching Jade.

She spurred her horse into a gallop. After a while, she looked back to see the rider had drawn closer.

The east and north of the Red Desert were mostly rocky mountains and plains, but the west, where Jade was, was almost entirely sand. With nowhere to hide, she had no choice but to keep running. There were rocks and terrain to conceal herself, but that was only possible if the pursuer hadn’t spotted her from the start.

The distance between her and the pursuer was closing. Either their horse was better or their riding skills were superior. Either way, Jade could not think of another way to evade them.

At the highest sand dune nearby, Jade turned her horse’s head. The sand sank deeply, making it difficult for the horse to maintain its stance.

The chase continued until dusk.

Jade could not shake off the pursuit. Soon, she could even make out the face of the rider.

It was Brother Franco.