Boarding the Ship and the Little Thief

When Honey Badger headed for the Twenty-Second Ring, she still had a Pope Guard accompanying her.

But by the time she left, she had silently transformed into a serious-looking middle-aged man.

He had two white, drooping mustaches and short, gray-white curly hair. He wore a Stibium-style butler's uniform and quietly followed behind a petite young girl with long black hair.

Bayard could not appear in the Theocracy out of thin air, so Iver had to enter Stibium first under an identity other than "Iver or Bayard." Thus, she removed her disguise and revealed her true appearance.

Iver had never imagined that... the first supplies he would requisition after becoming Pope would be the most expensive Elven Style white dress for his alternate identity.

The two of them made their way to the First Ring, remaining silent the entire journey.

Honey Badger did not ask any questions, while Iver—or rather, Miss Aleister—simply held the crow calmly as she sat inside the public transportation that circulated back and forth like an iron train on the ground, watching the surrounding scenery spin past at high speed.

It was not until they entered the harbor district that the noisy racket of the goblins instantly set the stagnant flow of space in motion: "The Theocracy Passage Manual, a must-have for visitors! Only six gold coins or eight white crowns!"

"Elven clothing! Genuine handmade Elven clothing—surely the young miss won't leave without a gift? We also have Elven Style handmade silver jewelry!"

"A compilation of the past three days' newspapers! Thirty-six daily papers from six countries in total! You can learn about news from the entire world while in the Theocracy!"

"Snakefolk delicacies! Handmade dates, chilled Fruit Dew! Cheap, perfect-condition black tea!"

Aleister ignored the goblin merchant trying to sell her Elven clothing and turned her