Chapter 412 Canaria Pilgrimage
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Around the time Kento, proprietor of the magic circuit shop Harvest¹, was beginning to forge a new bond with his love-slave sister-in-law, Flearis, the Holy Figure² Loire-Rose was deep into her journey toward the Canaria Kingdom.
A single carriage and a handful of guards were currently being swarmed by a pack of magical beasts. Cardinal Mork, her right-hand man, shouted as he cleaved through the monsters with Holy Arts³.
”Guh…! Your Holiness, this path is simply impossible!” Mork cried.
”It’s fine, I’m telling you,” Loire-Rose replied. “Look, I’m getting my hands dirty too. Besides, I bet the main road is even more of a hellscape than this.”
Loire-Rose hopped down from the carriage, adding her own Holy Arts to the fray. They weren’t taking the paved imperial highways of the Wielope Empire-the ones they’d used during the heresy trials of the Tremble-Ddo-Buddy. Instead, they were cutting through the smaller nations to the southeast, forging a route through the trackless wilds.
Unlike the smooth imperial roads, this was a bone-rattling country track where monsters lunged from the shadows at every turn. It hadn’t changed even after they’d crossed into the Canaria Kingdom. The North-South Trade Route was still a pipe dream, useless to them. Yet, this was the road they had to take.
”Monsters might not show up on the main road, but people definitely would,” Loire-Rose said. “We’d get held up at every single checkpoint, and the second we tried to force the border-bam! A knife in the gut. We’ve been over this a million times, right?”
”That may be true, but still…!” Mork protested.
Mork and a few other clergymen were the only ones accompanying her. They were all elites in service to the Holy Figure, but even for them, this forced march with such a small detail was grueling. As they stood over the carcasses of the Shadow Wolf pack, quickly preparing to move on, a profound exhaustion settled into their bones.
Before leaving the Holy City, they had begged her to reconsider. Heading for the Canaria Kingdom was a clean break from the Wielope Empire. This wasn’t some incognito visit or a formal ceremony. This was a one-way trip. No matter how quietly they moved, they wouldn’t be ignored this time. Just as she said, the moment they stepped into Canaria, they’d have targets on their backs.
”Is it truly too late to return to the Holy City?” Mork asked quietly.
”I said no! We’d just be circling the drain,” Loire-Rose snapped. “Those people propping up Sister Amelia would just keep running their mouths. How am I supposed to lead the faithful like that? We’d lose supporters bit by bit until we hit the same dead end anyway. Mork-y, do you want to see me ruined?”
”I would never say such a thing! We could have taken the sea route through Sylvaol or Ferguson… or at least traveled with a larger host,” Mork replied.
”We already talked about how the sea route wouldn’t be fast enough,” she said, shaking her head. “Call it a gut feeling, but if we’d waited any longer, things would’ve gotten way worse. Didn’t you see those guys parading through the Holy City screaming about how much they hate me right before we left? You really think we could’ve rolled out with a massive caravan in the middle of that?”
Mork ground his teeth at her words. She was right. This woman was brilliant-her sense of political balance was truly something to behold. The only reason the Church of Demon-Subjugation was still standing was due to her sheer competence.
In a different era, she would have been hailed as a once-in-a-generation Holy Figure, a literal light for the faithful. Instead, she was being hounded into a corner, forced to crawl through the mud to beg the Canaria Kingdom for asylum.
’Why does God grant us such trials?’ Mork wondered. ‘What sin did our Church, or our Holy Figure, ever commit?’ He was so overwhelmed with bitterness he could hardly breathe.
”Don’t give me that face, Mork-y,” Loire-Rose said.
”But…! But…!”
”It’s okay. I haven’t given up hope yet. This is nothing. It’s not like the whole world is our enemy. Even Ce-chan is helping out. Trust me, carving a path through the wilderness is way easier than being totally alone and trying to push back a swarm of dragons by yourself.”
She was referring to the legendary trials the previous Holy Figures had endured. By invoking the deeds of her predecessors, she made her own suffering seem like a trifle. Her gaze in that moment was truly that of the woman carrying the entire Church on her shoulders. Mork and the others swore a silent, fierce oath: We cannot let this woman die.
The party would soon be deep within the Canaria Kingdom. This was an unmapped frontier far from the imperial highways; the border existed only on paper. However, internationally, this was Canaria soil. If the Holy Figure died here, the blame would fall squarely on the Canaria Kingdom-and by extension, on Queen Cecile.
For the Wielope Empire, it was the perfect killing field. They could do whatever they wanted away from the eyes of the public, effectively framing an enemy nation while disposing of a troublesome Holy Figure.
”Alright, stay sharp,” Loire-Rose said, her voice dropping its casual edge. “People are way scarier than monsters. Everyone, be ready to move at a moment’s notice. And if the worst happens… please. Just run. Don’t worry about avenging me.”
No one replied. When she spoke like that, they couldn’t exactly snap back with a refusal. They would protect her to their last breath. They refused to even entertain a ‘worst-case scenario.’ If it came to that, they would gladly discard their humanity and become demons to strike back. With those fires burning in their hearts, they pressed on.
”It should be around here,” she muttered.
They reached a plain of rolling, gentle hills. To the north, the roads were better but clogged with mountain passes; to the south lay the coast, which would take them far away from the capital, Canarias. This was a brutal route with almost no villages for respite, but for the sake of safety and speed, it was their best bet. They crossed the invisible border, eyes scanning the horizon.
”Are we okay for now?” she asked.
”Yes. But we cannot afford to relax,” Mork replied.
”I know.”
They continued northwest, an endless cycle of climbing and descending small hills. The elevation wasn’t high, but the repetition was soul-crushing. Still, they couldn’t let up. Every time they approached a crest, one guard would sprint ahead to scout. The far side of the hills was a total blind spot; an ambush there would be a death sentence.
They couldn’t stick to the low ground, either. The hills would choke their line of sight, and they’d be sitting ducks for anyone attacking from above. Naturally, the scout was the most exposed, risking his life with every peak. They rotated the duty to manage the physical toll, but not a single man complained.
Only the Holy Figure, who couldn’t take a turn, suffered in silence. She watched the scout’s retreating back, her heart only restarting when she saw him wave from the summit.
”One more down. But how many more…?” she whispered.
Any second now, would an arrow or a spell tear through him? Would a line of imperial soldiers crest the hill and carve them apart? Her nerves were being ground to dust. The sun had already passed its zenith. They couldn’t possibly camp here; they had to clear these highlands before dark. But even then, there would be no true relief.
Once they were in Canaria proper, they would be living in the shadow of Wielope’s reach. The enemy likely knew they’d be resting once they cleared the hills, making the exit the most dangerous spot of all.
She continued to plot their survival as she crested yet another hill. The view was breathtaking, but it only served as a cruel reminder of how much road was left. This journey, later known as Loire-Rose’s Canaria Pilgrimage, was only just beginning.
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Summary:
The chapter follows Loire-Rose and her loyal retainers as they undertake a perilous journey through the trackless wilds to seek asylum in the Canaria Kingdom. They are evading the political machinations of the Wielope Empire and a rival religious faction. The trek is physically and mentally grueling, marked by constant monster attacks and the looming threat of an imperial ambush.
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Trivia:
- The journey is happening simultaneously with Kento’s new bond with Flearis.
- They are intentionally avoiding the North-South Trade Route because it is too dangerous or unestablished.
- Loire-Rose’s casual speech is a deliberate mask for her followers’ morale.
- The death of Loire-Rose on Canaria soil would cause an international incident for Queen Cecile.
- The group is small because a larger caravan would have been a target in the Holy City
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Character Insight:
Loire-Rose demonstrates significant growth as a leader, showing that her ‘gyaru’ personality is a layer of psychological armor. She is willing to be hated or seen as a failure if it means saving the core of her Church. Mork’s motive is pure devotion, struggling with the indignity of seeing his ‘Holy Figure’ in such a wretched state.
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Behind the Scenes:
The title ‘Canaria Pilgrimage’ or ‘Canaria-mairi’ is a play on religious terminology, framing a desperate political retreat as a sacred test of faith.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Loire-Rose – The current Saintess, possessing a divine appearance yet a modern, playful, and irreverent attitude that clashes with Church tradition. She has white hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and wears clergy robes.
• Flearis – A member of the diplomatic envoy and guard. Has pink hair. Lily’s sister or Martin’s younger foster sister. Has pink hair. Member of the covert unit. Displays a cold, almost vengeful pragmatism when reporting her sister’s words to Martin.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
• Mork – A central figure in the ‘Inquisition.’ Acts panicked and constantly looks sideways, seemingly pressured by the masked Inquisitor. He represents the rigid, fear-based opposition to the protagonist’s products. A Cardinal and the right-hand man to the Holy Figure. He is a skilled user of Holy Arts.
• Amelia – The Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating, who usually buys from Kento, has light blue hair.
• Cecile – A queen in the capital who possesses the authority to regulate business and commerce, particularly concerning moral or public order issues. She is currently investigating Kento’s shop, ‘Harvest.’ Have long golden hair, elegant, and wearing expensive white dress with gold accesories.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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