The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 239 Seasickness
Glug glug glug—

Natalia rinsed her mouth and then spat it all out. The sea breeze quickly dispersed the spit-out water, and the waves on the sea made it impossible to tell where it landed.

"……Thanks."

After weakly thanking him, Natalia returned the cup to Eric, then noticed that his gaze quickly swept past her eyes, as if he was deliberately avoiding something.

Natalia raised her hand to touch it, only to realize that she was shedding tears.

"..."

Although it wasn't much, she didn't cry.

However, her body couldn't withstand the torment she had just endured, so she took it upon herself to use this method to relieve her discomfort.

Seeing Eric's averted gaze, Natalia knew he was being considerate of her feelings.

She was vomiting and crying, she completely lost face...

“Look at the horizon more,” Eric said. “They say gazing at the horizon can effectively alleviate seasickness.”

Natalia responded and turned her gaze to the distant horizon, though she had preferred to stay in her room.

Eric seemed to have guessed her thoughts: "The more you stay in a confined space, the more likely you are to get seasick."

Natalia remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she sighed.

Not only was she seasick, but she also had to stay outside and continue to embarrass herself under the gaze of the passing sailors and crew.

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have chosen to take a boat for the sake of a novel experience,” Eric said. “Especially since it would have been much faster by land. Even if those knights had set off a couple of days later, they would have arrived in Westwind City much earlier than us.”

He sighed softly, "Your Highness will suffer a lot on this trip."

Natalia couldn't deny that for a moment she felt a little resentful towards him, but she also remembered that she was the one who nodded in agreement to the suggestion.

"No... since we're going to the archipelago, we'll have to go out to sea sooner or later."

Natalia gazed at the distant horizon, not daring to look away. "Consider it as getting used to the sea ahead... It's better to lose face now than to lose face in front of those islanders."

Eric glanced at her profile. "There's nothing shameful about it. Everyone on this ship gets seasick more or less the first time they're on a ship."

Even though she might vomit again, Natalia couldn't help but glance at him, and at Kasha beside him, who seemed completely unaffected.

"Has Your Highness ever gone out to sea by boat before?"

"No."

"..."

“Oh.” Eric understood what she meant by that mournful look. “You can’t compare to me. We’re not the same.”

"..."

“Although I’ve never been on a ship, I’ve had similar experiences in combat or training. Kasha is similar; when she’s with us, she’s doing the least amount of exercise, so this rocking and swaying is nothing to her,” Eric continued.

Kasha looked them up and down, while Natalia sighed and turned her gaze away.

"I've been on boats before... I never thought I'd get seasick..."

"What's around Lutia... Your Highness, are you referring to rowing a small boat on Lake Elf's Tears in the suburbs?"

"...can't you?"

Eric gave an ambiguous "hmm".

Natalia felt that asking any further questions would only humiliate her, so she chose to remain silent.

Half a day had passed, and the Queen Vermeer had long since left Sunset Harbor in Sunset City, with only the boundless ocean in sight.

Because Natalia was quite seasick, the three of them stayed on the deck the whole time, and the crew even brought them chairs.

However, as soon as Natalia sat down, she felt something rising in her chest again, so she could only stand. Eric and Kasha sat behind her, looking at the sea view, and occasionally glancing at her, they both felt sorry for her.

"Your Highness, here is the seasickness medicine you requested."

A crew member came over with a bottle of dark green medicine.

Eric took it and handed him a gold coin in return, saying, "Thank you."

"Your Highness..." The crew member was overjoyed, but hesitated before saying, "You are a distinguished guest, and providing seasickness medicine is our duty. You don't need it..."

“Then you keep it yourself.” Eric smiled at him. “Just don’t let the captain see it.”

"Yes... thank you, Your Highness. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me."

Eric nodded, dismissed the crew, and then picked up the medicine in his hand to take a look.

"...Is this seasickness medicine?"

Even though he knew there were no white pills in the world, and he didn't expect the crew to bring him any seasickness medication that matched his understanding, Eric still didn't expect things to turn out this way.

—A large bottle of dark green liquid, the contents of which he had no idea, made him feel that even if he wasn't seasick, drinking this whole bottle of medicine would make him throw up yesterday's dinner.

But the crew wouldn't and dared not joke about them. Eric pulled out the stopper, and a strong smell wafted out, like a mixture of various herbs.

Kasha twitched her nose and leaned closer.

"Can you smell what it is?" Eric handed her the medicine.

Natalia, who was leaning on the railing, also turned around and looked at the potion in her hand.

“Ginger by moonlight, mint by night dew,” Kasha said, shaking the medicine bottle. “Fennel, seventeen-leaf chamomile…”

She frowned. "I can't smell the rest; the herbal scents are all mixed together."

"So do you think it works?" Eric asked.

Kasha thought for a moment, “Monthly ginger and night-blooming mint can relieve nausea and discomfort, while fennel and seventeen-leaf chamomile, in my memory, can calm people down.”

“That should have some effect.” Eric took the potion, shook it, and then handed it to Natalia. “Your Highness, please try a little. Don’t force yourself.”

Natalia took it, smelled it, and her expression immediately changed. She turned around and began to gag at the sea.

"..."

Eric opened his mouth, then quickly got up and patted her on the back.

"It seems that regardless of whether it's useful or not, it's better not to eat or drink anything for now."

He put the stopper back in, and Kasha took it and shook it in the sunlight again, seemingly still observing the ingredients of the potion.

Natalia leaned against the railing, tears welling in her eyes, unable to speak.

There's something I really want to say, even though it's not quite appropriate.

"Go ahead and throw up. You'll get used to it after a while."

"..."

Natalia didn't even glance at him, and perhaps she was too weak to continue, her head drooping even lower.

Eric stared at her exposed ear for a moment, then looked away.

Even a huge sailing ship is but a lone boat on the boundless ocean, rising and falling with the waves.

The sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull, interspersed with the occasional creaking of the sailboat itself, along with the captain's shouts and the sailors' calls, meant that there was never true tranquility on the ocean.

A group of sailors were pulling the ropes of one of the masts' sails, and with a series of shouts, the huge sail gradually unfurled.

On the other side, several sailors were adjusting the angle of the already unfurled sails with ropes to make the most of the sea breeze blowing from a certain direction.

At the top of the tallest mainmast, two crew members were taking turns observing and surveying the surroundings.

The helmsman at the bow maneuvers the massive rudder, adjusting the course at any time under the captain's orders.

There were actually very few passengers like them staying on the stern deck, because after the whole city saw them off that morning, Eric and Natalia's identities were basically known to everyone, and no one dared to come over and greet them casually.

Eric glanced around casually. Even with the development of shipping, the danger was much lower than in the real Middle Ages. Few nobles or wealthy merchants would consider going to sea as a pastime. Apart from the three of them, the other passengers were mostly ordinary merchants who went to sea with their own goods.

The passengers kept their distance from them, and Eric had no interest in greeting them. He looked around and then his gaze returned to Natalia.

She lay there, motionless for quite some time.

He leaned closer and found her eyes tightly closed, seemingly trying to alleviate her seasickness by avoiding looking at the rising and falling waves.

"Your Highness, let's go back to the cabin."

She looked up. "But didn't you say..."

“I’m talking about normal circumstances.” Eric looked at her. “Your Highness, why don’t you go back to your cabin and lie down for a while? If you can sleep, then sleep. Maybe you’ll wake up feeling fine and have gotten used to it.”

Natalia was about to say something when she suddenly covered her mouth, gagged, and looked quite pained.

"If they were in the cabin..."

“It’s alright.” Eric understood what she was worried about. “I think His Highness has already vomited quite thoroughly; he won’t be able to vomit anything more.”

"..."

Natalia gave him a long, wistful look.

“I’ll have a crew member bring something to catch it,” Eric added.

“Okay…” Natalia was so tormented that she didn’t want to think anymore, so she did whatever he said.

Seeing that she was unsteady on her feet and looked like she couldn't stand up, Eric offered her a hand and supported her arm, but she leaned against him and didn't seem to want to put in any effort.

Or rather, she didn't have much strength left.

Eric helped Natalia back to her cabin, had a crew member bring her a wooden bucket, and poured a glass of water for her to place by her bedside.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness…” Natalia had already lay down, her arm draped over her eyes, her voice weak, “I made you do this.”

"Don't overthink it. I'm not entirely comfortable letting someone else take care of His Highness either." Eric paused for a moment. "I'm not really willing either."

"..."

Natalia slightly raised her arm, and he turned to walk out. "Your Highness should go to sleep. You'll be fine after a good night's rest. Kasha and I are in the next room."

"……it is good."

She didn't have the energy to think much. She closed her eyes and listened to the click of the hatch closing. The sound of footsteps suddenly became distant, replaced by the sound of endless waves seemingly echoing in her ears.

Wow - Wow -

Natalia couldn't help but imagine it in her mind, and the familiar feeling welled up in her chest again.

She turned over and began to gag at the wooden tub beside the bed.

Hearing the noise behind him outside the cabin, Eric paused for a moment, waited a while, but still didn't go in.

"...This is truly a terrible tragedy."

Back in his cabin, Kasha was waiting for him at the small window.

“You don’t need to stay in the cabin with me,” Eric said. Kasha clearly preferred to stay on the outer deck, even though all she could see was the sea.

She shook her head and just looked at him.

Although the cabin was clean, it was also quite sparsely furnished, with just a bed, a table, and a cabinet. Compared to the rest area for ordinary crew members, it was already quite luxurious.

Eric sat down on the bed and stared at the limited view outside the window for a while, but soon found it boring.

"Are you bored?" he asked Kasha.

Kasha nodded.

"What a mess," Eric muttered again, regretting his impulsive decision.

“Luckily, I brought some books from the Governor’s Mansion.” He glanced at the several books, thicker than bricks, in the cabinet. “They should last until we reach Goddess Bay.”

Kasha got up and took out several books from the cabinet. "Which one do you want to read?"

"Let's read 'The Chronicles of Sunset City'."

She picked out the thickest book and put the rest back in the cabinet.

“I remember Natalia brought a few books with her, that should be enough,” Eric said.

Of course, this is from his perspective; it's hard to say whether she herself can cope with seasickness symptoms or whether she'll be in the mood to read.

As he was thinking, Kasha took the book "Chronicles of Sunset City" and sat down next to him.

"Want to watch it together?"

“Hmm.” She nodded, opened the hard cover, and saw a line of beautiful handwritten text on the title page.

[Dedicated to Governor Adrian Alwyn]

"Is this Liliana's ancestor?"

“Absolutely not.” Eric turned to look at the name. “Including her, the Austin family has only been established in Sunset City for a few decades. This book is at least two hundred years old. Back then, governors were appointed by the emperor.”

Kasha was just asking casually, not caring what connection the governor had with the Austin family two hundred years ago. Seeing that he seemed to be having some difficulty looking at the book, she pushed it towards him.

Eric suddenly had a feeling similar to when he used to forget his books and share one with his female classmate when he went to school.

He looked up at Kasha.

And this female classmate was incredibly beautiful.

His female classmate quickly noticed his gaze and tilted her head.

"fine."

Eric propped his head up on the table with one hand, so he could both read and look at her.

"Look."

Kasha smiled. "You translate it."

"Ah."

The morning of their first day away from Sunset Harbor passed slowly as Natalia suffered from seasickness and the two of them read.

At noon, the crew came to inform them that it was time for lunch.

Eric glanced around after leaving the cabin; this was a privilege reserved for them, presumably due to their status.

The crew waited to guide him to the cabin's dining room. Eric gestured for him to wait a moment, then went to the next cabin to check on Natalia's condition.

She was lying in bed, looking very calm, but it was hard to tell whether she was asleep or just too exhausted from seasickness.

Eric thought for a moment, then asked anyway.

She was indeed awake. She opened her mouth twice, as if to say something, but he didn't hear her. Just as he was about to go in, she raised her voice again: "I'm not eating... Your Highness, you don't need to worry about me."

Eric couldn't just ignore her, but for now it was best to let her continue to rest.

"I see."

Arriving at the cabin restaurant, space on the ship is limited, and this place is pitifully small, probably not enough to accommodate all the cabin passengers to dine together.

The crew told Eric that the other passengers would dine after the two princes, and he couldn't help but feel that this foreign ship was really giving them a lot of face.

However, he soon realized that the one who truly gave him face was Governor Austin of Rentani—the food for the three of them came from the Governor's Office and was provided separately.

Before the meal, Eric prayed, “Governor Austin is a great man. May the High God Yera forget my unintentional curses and bless him anew.”

Kasha looked at him.

"Does it work?"

"probably."

Lunch was quite lavish, and since the journey from Sunset Harbour to Goddess Bay in Coust is not too far, taking only about ten days, Eric estimated that their meals on board would not be too bad.

However, this was troublesome for Natalia—even though Eric had little experience with seasickness, he knew that at this time, she should avoid greasy food and try to eat light and simple meals.

After he and Kasha had almost finished eating, he asked the crew to distribute the remaining food to the other crew members, and then asked for a few pieces of bread that ordinary passengers ate, to take back to Natalia as her lunch.

Tuk-tuk-tuk——

Arriving at Natalia's cabin again, Eric knocked on the door, and a weak response came from inside.

Kasha followed her inside and cast a nature-based divine spell on Natalia to replenish her energy. Seeing that her condition had improved, she returned to the cabin next door to wait.

"Thanks……"

Natalia sat up, and Eric placed the bread wrapped in paper on her table. He glanced at the wooden bucket beside the bed; there was no vomit in it—she had indeed vomited quite thoroughly on the deck.

“Have some,” Eric said. “It’s just plain bread. I had the cook sprinkle some salt on it, so it won’t be too hard to swallow.”

Natalia leaned against the headboard, glanced at the bread on the table, nodded but didn't do anything more, as if she had agreed first and then said something later—she was really scared of throwing up.

Noticing her hesitation, Eric couldn't help but chuckle, then looked up to see her glaring at him.

...Alright, looks like I still have some energy left to complain about him.

“Alright.” Eric picked up the bread, unwrapped the paper, tore off a small piece, and handed it to her. “Your Highness, try a small piece first. If you can eat it, then eat it; if you can’t, then wait.”

Natalia took the small piece of bread, which was speckled with tiny grains of salt.

Suppressing her inner resistance, she put the bread in her mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it. She thought that the force in her chest would repel the food, but that was not the case.

The fine salt melting in her mouth brought her a taste beyond the blandness and bitterness that lasted all morning, and her body began to urge her to take in more.

"Is it edible?" Eric asked.

Natalia nodded and then looked at the bread in his hand.

Eric paused, and they looked at each other for a moment before he tore off a small piece of bread for her.

Natalia swallowed, then continued to look at him.

"..."

Eric raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and continued tearing bread and feeding it to her, repeating the process.

"Want some water?"

"want."

(End of this chapter)