Goodbye Riddly Village

There were no large water bodies near Noral Village with the exception of the river, so it had been a long time since Carolyn was able to fully submerge her body. Baths were taken in the kingdom, but due to the effort involved in preparing them, they were rare in small villages, and it would be impossible to find a bathtub as big as a pond unless one visited a noble's mansion. Even Carolyn could no longer regularly enjoy them once she became too big for her family's buckets.

Carolyn would have loved to let her body soak and have all her stress melt away, but this wasn't just a bath; it was a purification ritual. There were many ways of performing a send-off ceremony, but the most popular and traditional method was called the holy maiden's lamentation. For this method, a young woman, preferably one that maintained her purity, would perform a cultural art to soothe the lingering spirits and subtly remove their attachments to the mortal world. Carolyn would air no complaints if the villagers' spirits wished to continue haunting her, but she still wanted to give them a chance for peace.

In order to fully connect with the spirits and convey her intent, she had to submerge herself in a natural body of water. It was said that the longer that one stayed under water, the closer they would be to the realm of the dead (not in the literal sense). It was generally agreed that thirty seconds was a reasonable time, but even after a minute had passed, Carolyn remained under water. Kathy was beginning to get angsty, but there wasn't anything in the water that could interfere with Carolyn, so she managed to hold herself back.

Two minutes later, Carolyn slowly resurfaced and took a deep breath. Kathy was about to release a sigh of relief, but the moment Carolyn opened her eyes, Kathy felt the sigh get stuck in her throat because of the atmosphere that emerged from Carolyn. Even though she couldn't see her, she felt an almost irresistible urge to kneel. This reminded her of the warning that Hanson gave her before they left.

"Kathy, you'll be the closest to the Young Mistress for the duration of this trip, so there's something I have to warn you about."

"Is it about her charm, Sir?"

"Somewhat, but not completely. She doesn't have much experience with religious ceremonies, but I'm sure her mother taught her well. That alone wouldn't be too significant if it was someone else, but with her bloodline talents, you'll have to be careful. It should only be for a couple seconds, but after she's purified herself, you must keep your guard up. Otherwise, she'll make a devotee out of you."

Kathy had thought that she would be able to escape most of the danger by blocking her sight, but now she realised that that wasn't enough. Even without sight, she could still hear, smell, and feel her presence, and the information received by those senses almost overwhelmed her. To force her mind to resist the pull of Carolyn's atmosphere, she turned around and bit her tongue.

"Kathy?"

"I'm fine, Young Mistress. Please don't mind me."

Carolyn couldn't guess why Kathy turned around when her eyes were still covered, but this wasn't the first time she behaved oddly, so she didn't think about it too deeply. After resurfacing, Carolyn closed her eyes and floated in the water for a minute before moving to the edge and leaving the pond. As she wiped off her body and hair with the towel, Kathy could feel the fascination in her heart fading, but even when Carolyn put on clothes, the fascination still hadn't completely left her.

"Okay, you can take the blindfold off now, Kathy."

"Thank you, but I think I will remain like this for a little longer."

Carolyn looked at her strangely, but Kathy still couldn't bring herself to treat her normally. Thankfully, Kathy was still able to move unhindered through the forest. Carolyn didn't think she could replicate this feat unless it was an area that she knew well, so she quietly admired her. Unfortunately, Tristan and the twins were forced to complete the same feat while staying hidden because Kathy forgot to give them permission to remove their blindfolds.

After returning to the campsite, Carolyn entered her tent so that she could finish dressing up. She wanted to see how the venue was being constructed, but she had faith in Adam and Harold, so she decided to let it be a surprise. Once Carolyn entered her tent, Kathy felt like she could finally breathe again. Her strong presence still leaked from the tent, but only enough that could barely be picked up by her advanced senses.

While Carolyn was still inside her tent, Adam and Harold returned to the site.

"Kathy, fill me in."

"Yes, Captain. She's returned from purifying herself at a nearby pond and is now changing into ceremonial attire, I believe."

"I see. So, how was it?"

"Frankly, terrifying. If it wasn't for the Chief's warning, I doubt I would have been able to remain myself."

Though not to the same extent as Kathy, Hanson had also warned the rest of their team about the potential danger that Carolyn possessed. Adam had never experienced it himself, but he had heard many stories about people idolising those of her bloodline after coming too close in contact with them. It was a useful skill for those in power, but too much of that zealous faith and terrible incidents could occur.

As he was less informed about the matter, Harold was curious about what Kathy went through.

"Oh? I kinda wish I was there to see it."

"What was that? Are you saying that you wish to see her exposed body?!"

"Uh, that wasn't really what I meant, but I guess?"

"Then prepare yourself. As your former comrade, I'll make this painless."

"Hey! Calm down! Don't reach for your knife!"

Adam shook his head at the two's antics and was about to interrupt, but he saw the tent's entrance part. Harold and Kathy noticed shortly after he did and were made speechless by the sight they came upon. Carolyn was now dressed in an all-white religious garment. Her legs were hidden under a long, loose skirt that reached her ankles. Thin cloth wrapped her lower back and chest, but the cloth over her belly button and arms was translucent. There was also a translucent veil over her head that covered her face.

None of them were strangers to the outfit given that it was often used in religious ceremonies and celebrations, but when Carolyn was the one wearing it, it became a problem. She gained a mysterious charm like unexplored territory to an eager adventurer and a sacred presence only possessed by historical saints. Adam was able to pull himself out of the trance thanks to his years of experience, but it seemed it would take longer for Harold and Kathy, so he slapped their heads.

"Ouch."

"Stop making trouble, you two."

Once the two were somewhat back to normal, Adam addressed Carolyn.

"Shall we make our way to the altar, oh holy maiden?"

As the one playing the role of holy maiden was not allowed to speak once she was dressed, Carolyn nodded in response. Adam then took the lead in guiding her to the grave marker while Harold and Kathy trailed behind.