“I wish I could ride the horse. It would make our travel easier.” Lady Aria muttered.

  “It is absolutely not allowed. Your frail body aside, it is unbecoming for the next saintess to ride the horse.” The high priest assigned to ‘assist’ Lady Aria spoke in great denial.

  “Forget it, milady, it is too dangerous. Except during emergencies, I will not allow it.” I chimed in as I rode a horse beside her carriage. She has only learned horse riding in the last few months, so it would be challenging for her to ride a horse during this trip.

  It had been eight months since we left for the pilgrimage. We have traveled across the central regions and the eastern regions of the empire. We were on our way to the main church for the annual prayer before resuming our pilgrimage. The goal was to travel across the empire. It would take two to three years. However, considering our current pace, it would take us at least five years.

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  I could not say our travel was smooth. Setting aside the first accident right after we left the main church, our travels were full of struggle at each and every stop. During our ‘travels,’ Lady Aria never once made any unreasonable request. She would try her best not to drag us down. That was admirable on her part. However, our travels would still be delayed. She kept insisting on making a ‘full stop’ at every settlement on our route. And each time, she would insist on treating every sick person in that settlement before moving on. Even when we visit a town or city, she would stay there for at least a week if needed to treat those slum people. If we rushed her, she would push herself beyond her limit. At first, on several occasions, when the high priest threw a tantrum about the time she spent on healing, Lady Aria would abuse herself. She would stay up all night, cutting down her personal time, to treat everyone before she left. It made her close associates, me included, come to hate the high priest. However, after several accidents and incidents, he came to a compromise with Lady Aria's demand, which softened the tension among the group.

  As we approached the castle town of Marquise Larose, I reminisced about the first time we visited this town. It was two months after we began the pilgrimage.