The map of the continent unfolded before my eyes.

It looked almost exactly like the European continent of the world I originally belonged to, but the borders of nations and the names of existing countries fundamentally followed the original work of the novel.

Among them, the most noticeable was the vast territory of the Sacred Empire, which nearly enveloped the northwest of our current location, Benetsa.

Located at the heart of the continent, it was a transportation hub owning the most fertile and extensive lands of the Great Empire.

However, despite appearing intimidating, the internal affairs of this powerful nation were not as good as they seemed.

Due to various mistakes over time, the emperor’s authority in the Sacred Empire had dwindled, leading to the local lords in the empire—high-ranking nobles known as electors—watching keenly for opportunities to expand their power based on their territories.

These electors wanted to strengthen their power by breaking free from the emperor’s shadow at any cost.

For them, the recent uproar caused by the so-called heretics became a perfect excuse to weaken the emperor’s influence within their territories and enhance their own independence, or in other words, their own power.

Fundamentally, the emperor’s authority was supported by the church’s forces and the pope who appointed him.

Thus, the heretics’ doctrines provided the nobles with a legitimate reason to resist the emperor’s authority while simultaneously serving as an effective weapon to sway the people’s sentiments towards themselves.

As a result,

Although the conflict had not yet surfaced, the Sacred Empire was effectively divided into two factions.

The north, governed by electors who officially recognized the heretic forces and embraced their ideologies.

And the south, where the emperor and his aides strictly adhered to the church’s teachings.

However, despite this potential conflict, the northern lords were still unable to openly rebel against the emperor.

Although diminished from the past, the emperor’s authority was still alive and possessed a formidable power that could not be neglected.

Furthermore, the current emperor, Matthis, was not reacting sensitively to the heretics and was embracing them, making it awkward to incite a rebellion under religious pretexts.

In fact, in the original work, the major conflicts began only after the current emperor Matthis’s death. It was when his successor, Sijip Ferdinand, ascended to the throne that the empire descended into hellish chaos involving revolts, civil wars, and foreign invasions.

‘Although Emperor Matthis is still breathing, it likely won’t be long. Thus, the current Sacred Empire is like a powder keg ready to explode. Therefore, for now, I must focus on passing through that wretched place as swiftly as possible.’

With that thought,

I was determined to avoid the situation where a whale fight crushes a shrimp back and turned my gaze towards the so-called ‘Heretic Nation’ that was our destination.

However, the country located there was not the Turk Empire, which we originally intended to go to.

In the first place, the Sacred Empire did not share a border with the Turk Empire, and even if they did, the borders of the two nations, who could be considered mortal enemies like Hungary, would likely be closed under the current circumstances.

As a result, instead of the Turk Empire, we chose the heretic nation that borders the Sacred Empire—an undeniably formidable territory and power.

The Dragona Empire.

This was the only heretic nation we could currently reach, as recommended by Shylock, along with the Turk Empire, which had only observed the chaos in the Sacred Empire throughout the original story without getting involved.

In other words, this was one of the few places where I, who had been exiled from this chaotic world, and Cazerose, who was about to be exiled, could stretch out our legs and live comfortably.

“Despite being a heretic nation, fortunately, unlike the Turk Empire, trade between the Dragona Empire and the Sacred Empire is still proceeding without major problems at the border. Passing through the Rhapsody Region adjacent to this Bohemia area, we should be able to enter the Dragona Empire safely. I will send someone ahead to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

“I see… I should be grateful that there’s still a remaining route.”

Although our destination has changed, traveling by land would likely involve more headaches than taking to the sea and would take longer.

Even so, I felt the need to be grateful for the fact that I could at least leave somewhere in this situation.

If we stayed stuck here too long, there was a high possibility that Maxim, who we heavily snubbed while leaving, would catch our scent and come after us, or we could find ourselves in a troubling situation regarding Cazerose’s exile.

Even if it took a few weeks, it was best to leave as soon as possible.

So, I expressed my gratitude to Shylock, who showed us a way, though it wasn’t the way I wanted.

“Anyway, thank you very much, Shylock. For helping us like this.”

“Help you say… rather, you are the ones who helped me. If not for your assistance, I might have found myself at the gallows in the worst-case scenario. I feel regretful that I could only help this much despite owing you so much.”

“No, compared to the help we received from you, this is merely a trifling matter. It is only natural for a person who has received kindness to repay it, isn’t it?”

I spoke humbly, and Shylock let out a small laugh as he looked at me and Cazerose.

“Haha… Seeing you two, I can understand what the so-called ‘Lion of God’ in the outskirts means. If all the church’s believers were like you, I might have become a believer myself.”

“Haha… You flatter me, Shylock.”

Shylock spoke partly in jest, and I replied with a light smile.

“Well then. Until more detailed matters are arranged, let us rest here for a while. Since we’ll be embarking on a long journey, we should prepare well and also recharge our energy.”

“Thank you, Shylock.”

Thus, I decided to stay here for about three days to prepare before leaving and slowly began to rise from my seat as the situation became more or less settled.

At that moment…

A quiet yet distinct voice began to resonate in my ear.

“Dragona Empire… Is this really how it turns out?”

In the next moment, Cazerose spoke about our new destination with a hint of discomfort.

Her reaction was even less favorable than when we previously suggested going to the Turk Empire, leaving me slightly puzzled, though I didn’t probe further for the time being.

Of course, despite that behavior, I couldn’t help but have various thoughts swirling in my mind.

‘Could there be something going on? I just remembered Cazerose is from another country. Perhaps this could be related.’

Unless the person in question speaks up, it’s simply a vague guess as to what this means.

Holding onto that curiosity, I decided to wait for Cazerose to tell me about it in the future.

And at this time, I was unaware of what her words truly meant…

And how this would ultimately lead my life.

*

After sending Santana’s group to rest, a slow smile began to spread across Shylock’s face.

‘I never expected to receive help from that child in this way… Truly… is this person’s child?’

While maintaining business relations over the years, he hadn’t shown much outward expression.

However… he had been quietly observing.

How the child of the person he knew had grown up.

And where they were heading at this moment…

‘It seems I’ll have the chance to continue observing… How the remarkable child called Santana Andreas will change this world…’