Chapter 112
A quiet morning arrived with the gentle sound of waves brushing against the hull.
The ship sailed steadily across the endless sea, its white sails billowing beneath a cool morning breeze. Sailors moved from one end of the deck to the other, tightening ropes, adjusting the rigging, and exchanging brief reports as another day began.
A pair of Justice Worshippers carried wooden crates toward the lower deck while several soldiers, their arms still wrapped in fresh bandages, leaned against the railing, enjoying the peaceful morning air.
Life aboard the ship had begun moving once again.
The cabin door slowly opened.
Princess Flora stepped outside.
The morning sunlight settled gently upon her long orange hair, giving it the warm glow of molten amber. A soft breeze swept a few loose strands across her face before carrying them behind her.
Without a word...
She walked toward the bow of the ship.
Her emerald eyes drifted toward the endless horizon.
The sea stretched endlessly before her.
...
She rested both hands upon the railing.
Nearby...
Sailors laughed as they hauled ropes.
Someone shouted for fresh drinking water.
The rhythmic crashing of waves echoed against the wooden hull.
The ship continued onward.
Flora never turned.
Across the deck...
Esabell stepped out of her cabin carrying a neatly folded blanket.
She immediately noticed the Princess standing alone.
"...Princess?"
A gentle smile naturally appeared on her face.
Then...
It slowly faded.
Usually...
Flora would've already noticed her.
She would've smiled.
Or waved.
Or asked how everyone had slept.
Today...
Nothing.
The Princess simply stood there, quietly watching the sea.
"...Princess..."
Esabell whispered.
So softly...
That no one else could hear.
Something wasn't right.
---
Near the center of the deck...
A large navigation chart had been spread across a sturdy wooden table.
A polished brass compass rested beside it, its needle pointing steadily north.
Marco leaned over the map while Vendetta stood opposite him, one gloved hand resting calmly beside the compass.
Marco traced their route with his finger.
"So..."
"We've nearly crossed the Eastern Sea."
Vendetta gave a small nod.
"Only a few more days."
Marco's finger continued moving across the chart.
"Our journey has certainly been..."
He let out a quiet laugh.
"...Unexpected."
"We departed from Lumivale..."
His finger traveled northward.
"Passed through Stonehaven..."
"Crossed the Northern Ocean..."
He shook his head with a faint smile.
"...Yet I never imagined we'd discover the Monessa Worshippers hiding on a volcanic island like Dumase."
Vendetta's expression remained calm.
"Of course you didn't."
"That is precisely how they've preserved themselves for centuries."
Marco looked up.
"I suppose you're right."
His gaze returned to the map.
"The world wasn't always like this."
"The Curse changed far more than kingdoms."
"It changed the land itself."
Silence settled between them for a moment.
Vendetta calmly unfolded another section of the map.
The entire known world appeared before them.
Five great continents.
Marco couldn't help studying it with interest.
Even after years of military education...
There were still parts of the world he had never truly understood.
Vendetta rested a finger upon the eastern continent.
"This..."
"...is Asterra."
"The largest continent in the known world."
Marco smiled faintly.
"Our home."
"Five kingdoms."
"Lumivale."
"Stonehaven."
"Medoria."
"Arven."
"And Ironhold."
Vendetta continued.
"Lumivale possesses the strongest military."
"Stonehaven produces the greatest harvest."
"Medoria controls the eastern trade routes."
"Arven thrives through innovation and craftsmanship."
"Ironhold remains hidden within its mountains."
Marco smiled.
"...Miss Vendetta."
She glanced toward him.
"You've visited every one of these kingdoms... haven't you?"
There was no teasing in his voice.
Only genuine curiosity.
Vendetta answered without hesitation.
"...Yes."
"Even while we remained hidden."
She lowered her eyes to the map once more.
"The Justice Worshippers could not isolate ourselves completely."
"We had to watch the world."
"Especially those who worship the other gods."
"They have changed far more than kingdoms."
"They changed history itself."
Marco listened quietly.
The certainty in her voice surprised him.
She spoke not as someone repeating stories she had heard...
But as someone whose people had witnessed them.
Without realizing it...
His respect for her quietly deepened.
Vendetta moved her finger toward the northern continent.
"Nivorheim."
"The frozen continent."
"Only one kingdom remains."
"Frostgard."
Marco nodded slowly.
"As far as I know..."
"Very few people live there."
"The cold alone keeps most travelers away."
"I've never met anyone from Frostgard."
He smiled awkwardly.
"To be honest..."
"Most people in Lumivale barely consider it a kingdom anymore."
Vendetta gave a small nod.
"The population is among the smallest in the world."
"The cold protects it."
"The mountains hide it."
"And few kingdoms have any reason to travel that far north."
Marco looked at her.
"...Is that where your people have been hiding all this time?"
For the first time...
Vendetta answered immediately.
"...Yes."
"Our Lord Dev chose Nivorheim many years ago."
Marco blinked.
"So the Justice Worshippers..."
"...have always lived there?"
"I was born there."
She answered calmly.
"But we did not choose it because it was our home."
"We chose it because no one wished to look there."
She folded her arms.
"If the followers of the other gods discovered our settlements..."
"They would erase us."
"They have spent centuries trying to remove every trace of the truth."
"The snow buries forgotten roads."
"The mountains conceal forgotten villages."
"And forgotten places..."
She lifted her gaze toward the endless white clouds.
"...are the safest places to protect forgotten truths."
Marco remained silent.
The sea breeze drifted between them.
He looked from the map...
Back to Vendetta.
For someone who appeared only a few years older than himself...
She possessed knowledge that even Lumivale's greatest scholars rarely spoke of.
Somehow...
He didn't find it intimidating.
Only admirable.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"...I understand now."
"If no one remains alive to tell the truth..."
"...Then no one can question the lies."
Vendetta gave a quiet nod.
"...Exactly."
For a brief moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of waves filled the silence.
Then Vendetta spoke once more.
"...There is something else."
Marco looked up.
"Our Lord Dev wishes to meet Princess Flora."
Marco wasn't surprised.
"He was the one who sent all of you."
"When he learned that the Fourth Soul had fallen into the hands of the Monessa Worshippers..."
"He ordered your people to rescue her."
Vendetta nodded.
"He did."
Marco hesitated.
"...How did he know?"
A faint breeze stirred Vendetta's dark hair.
"As I told you before..."
"We keep watch over our enemies."
Marco smiled faintly.
"I'd like to thank him someday."
Vendetta looked toward the endless horizon.
"...Perhaps..."
"...You will."
For a few moments...
Neither of them spoke.
The sea breeze drifted quietly across the deck, carrying with it the scent of salt and the endless rhythm of the waves.
Marco unfolded the remaining section of the map once more.
"What about the other continents?"
He looked toward Vendetta with genuine curiosity.
"You've visited them as well... haven't you?"
Vendetta gave a small nod.
"...We have."
"Our duty has never been limited to one continent."
Her finger rested upon the western lands.
"The Holy Valdrian Empire."
Marco's expression gradually became more serious.
"...The greatest power in the west."
"...And perhaps the most dangerous."
Vendetta nodded.
"Five kingdoms."
"One Imperial Throne."
"The remaining four answer to it."
"Their influence reaches far beyond their own continent."
Marco folded his arms.
"I've heard stories."
"They rarely conquer kingdoms through war."
Vendetta continued calmly.
"They prefer quieter methods."
"Trade."
"Religion."
"Noble families."
"Political marriages."
She paused.
"By the time an army arrives..."
"...their influence has already taken root."
Marco let out a quiet breath.
"So the battlefield is never their first weapon."
"...No."
"It never has been."
Silence settled between them once again.
When Vendetta spoke next...
Her voice became noticeably quieter.
"Their greatest weapon..."
"...is history."
Marco frowned.
"...History?"
"They rewrote it."
"They destroyed ancient records."
"They hunted those who tried to preserve the truth."
"They made the world forget."
The morning breeze stirred the map between them.
Marco slowly lowered his eyes.
"...Then..."
"The stories we grew up hearing..."
"...weren't entirely true?"
Vendetta shook her head.
"The Creator..."
"The One who gave birth to the Guardian Gods..."
"...was erased from history."
Marco's eyes widened.
"And the Guardian Gods?"
"They teach that only the Guardian Gods ever existed."
"They erased the One who came before them."
Vendetta looked toward the horizon.
"If people remembered the beginning..."
"...they would remember the Guardians' greatest sin."
"And if they remembered that..."
"...they would begin asking questions."
Silence filled the space between them.
Marco couldn't help remembering the Heaven Books beneath Lumivale's palace.
The unreadable language.
The missing pages.
The mysterious blue flower.
Everything suddenly felt connected.
His voice dropped to little more than a whisper.
"...So those torn pages..."
"...weren't simply damaged by time."
"They were removed."
Vendetta didn't answer immediately.
She simply continued watching the sea.
Sometimes...
Silence revealed the truth more clearly than words.
Marco slowly exhaled.
"...I understand now."
"In Lumivale..."
"We were taught that one day..."
"...the Blood of Peace would be born bearing a blue flower-shaped birthmark."
"And that person would awaken the Guardian Gods..."
"...and finally end the Curse."
He grew quiet for a moment.
"When Princess Flora was born..."
"His Majesty and Her Majesty chose to keep that birthmark hidden."
"Rumors still spread throughout the kingdom..."
"But the Royal Family never confirmed them."
"They wanted to protect her."
"They wanted her to grow up as an ordinary princess..."
"...without carrying the burden of saving humanity from childhood."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"But now..."
"I can't help wondering..."
"...whether keeping it secret only made everything worse."
Vendetta listened without interrupting.
When Marco finished...
She answered softly.
"...No."
"I believe they made the right decision."
Marco looked toward her.
"The Princess survived because no one knew the truth."
"The other worshippers could only guess."
"They searched."
"They argued."
"They suspected."
"But they never possessed proof."
Her gaze drifted toward the endless sea.
"If her identity had become known..."
"...Princess Flora would never have lived peacefully for fourteen years."
"The Blood of Peace..."
"...would have become the world's greatest target."
Marco slowly nodded.
"...You're right."
The sea breeze gently lifted the edge of the map.
Neither reached to stop it.
Both simply watched it flutter.
For a long moment...
Only the sound of waves could be heard.
Marco found himself quietly thinking.
The more Vendetta spoke...
The more he realized how little he truly understood about the hidden history of the world.
Strangely...
The realization didn't frustrate him.
Instead...
It made him admire her even more.
She never spoke as though she were superior.
Never mocked those who knew less.
She simply shared what she had learned...
As naturally as breathing.
After spending years traveling across continents...
She carried herself with a humility he found surprisingly rare.
Marco smiled faintly.
"...You've seen more of this world than anyone I've ever met."
Vendetta looked at him for only a moment.
"...Perhaps."
"But seeing the world..."
"...isn't the same as saving it."
Marco laughed quietly.
"You really don't know how to accept a compliment, do you?"
For the first time since their conversation began...
The corners of Vendetta's lips lifted ever so slightly.
"So I've been told."
The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Yet somehow...
Marco found himself smiling a little wider.
Before he even realized it...
He had been hoping to see exactly that.
Vendetta had already returned her attention to the map.
Vendetta's finger slowly moved toward the southern continent.
"Solkara."
"The jungle continent."
"Four kingdoms."
"Their lands remain fertile..."
"...but much of the wilderness now belongs to monsters."
Marco nodded.
"They rarely involve themselves in the affairs of the outside world."
"Even when Princess Flora was invested as Crown Princess..."
"...none of their royal families attended the ceremony."
"They've become increasingly isolated."
Vendetta gave a small nod.
"The deeper the Curse spread..."
"...the further they withdrew."
"For them..."
"Protecting what remains became more important than expanding their influence."
Her finger then moved across the map one final time.
"Elyndor."
"The oldest surviving continent of learning."
"Three kingdoms."
"Their scholars preserve fragments of history that disappeared everywhere else."
Marco looked at her thoughtfully.
"So that's why the Holy Valdrian Empire keeps trying to extend its influence there."
Vendetta answered quietly.
"If Elyndor falls..."
"...many of the world's remaining truths may disappear with it."
A sudden gust of wind swept across the deck.
One corner of the map lifted into the air.
Marco reached forward instinctively to hold it down.
At almost the same moment...
Vendetta reached for the opposite side.
Their hands stopped only inches apart.
For a brief instant...
Marco hesitated.
Vendetta calmly adjusted the map as though nothing unusual had happened.
"...Thank you."
She said simply.
Marco quickly looked away.
"...Ah... it's nothing."
He quietly cleared his throat before folding the map.
His movements felt strangely awkward.
Thankfully...
Vendetta seemed not to notice.
Or perhaps...
She simply chose not to mention it.
After the map had been folded away...
The two of them stood side by side, looking out across the endless sea.
Marco broke the silence first.
"...It's a much larger world than I imagined."
Vendetta's eyes remained fixed upon the horizon.
"...Smaller than it once was."
Marco followed her gaze.
"The Curse..."
"...claimed that much?"
She nodded.
"Countless kingdoms."
"Entire civilizations."
"Many disappeared without leaving behind even their names."
Only the waves answered for a while.
Marco quietly imagined cities swallowed by forests...
Kingdoms buried beneath snow...
Ancient roads that no one would ever walk again.
For the first time...
The world's history no longer felt like words written inside a textbook.
It felt...
Real.
He let out a slow breath.
"You've traveled across every surviving continent."
"You've seen things most scholars could only dream of."
There was unmistakable admiration in his voice.
Not because she was powerful...
But because she had experienced a world he had never known.
Vendetta remained as composed as ever.
"We had no choice."
"Our enemies were scattered across the world."
"If we wished to protect the Blood of Peace..."
"...we first had to understand the world surrounding her."
Marco smiled faintly.
"I think..."
"...I'm finally beginning to understand your people."
Vendetta looked toward the distant horizon.
The wind gently carried her dark hair behind her.
"...Knowing the world..."
She said quietly.
"...is the first step toward protecting it."
Neither of them spoke again.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable.
It simply felt...
Peaceful.
Above them...
The white sails swayed gently in the morning breeze.
The ship continued cutting through the endless blue sea...
Carrying everyone steadily toward the unknown future that awaited them.
---
Further down the deck...
Guinevere knelt beside one of the injured soldiers, carefully replacing the bandage around his forearm.
"Does it still hurt?"
The young soldier flexed his hand before smiling sheepishly.
"Not as much as yesterday, Commander."
Guinevere gave a satisfied nod.
"Good."
"But don't mistake feeling better for being fully healed."
"If you reopen the wound..."
"...I'll have you cleaning the ship for a month."
The nearby soldiers laughed.
The young man immediately straightened his back.
"...Understood!"
A faint smile crossed Guinevere's face before she rose to her feet.
As she turned...
Her eyes instinctively drifted toward the bow of the ship.
Princess Flora still stood alone...
Quietly gazing at the endless sea.
Guinevere's smile slowly faded.
"...Princess..."
She whispered beneath her breath.
Something...
Still wasn't right.
She had known Flora for years.
Long enough to recognize the difference between peaceful silence...
And the silence of someone carrying a burden alone.
Without another word...
Guinevere quietly began walking toward the bow.
...CHAPTER 112ENDS...