chapter 22:The Journey(2)
"The wedding is scheduled to be held in Eisleburg."
At the entrance to the Sho, Ulrich said, looking at the sun in the sky.
"Not in Solna, where the Grand Temple is?"
Roberta asked, pulling on the reins to stop her horse behind him.
"Richard, that child, is not on good terms with the Pantheon. He despises the involvement of priestesses. That's why he abandoned Solna, the old capital where the Grand Temple is, and made Eisleburg, his core base, the new capital."
As she recalled, Eisleburg was a city at the southern tip of the kingdom. Compared to the Duchy of Dithmarschen, it was at the complete opposite end.
That was why the three of them—Ulrich, Roberta, and Fritz—had stopped at the entrance of a certain Sho. To go directly to their destination at the southern tip, Eisleburg, they had to pass through this Sho.
Ah... so that's why you're not heading for the main road.
Ulrich nodded.
"We have plenty of time until the wedding, but if we don't pass through this forest, we'll have to take a long detour via the main road. Then we wouldn't be able to afford any leisure. As you know, you can never tell what might happen with people's affairs."
Roberta and Fritz looked at the Sho.
It was a forest of giant trees that grew so tall it made one's neck ache to look up. The space between the trees was wide, but each one was such a behemoth that it felt like standing before a castle wall.
"This place is called the Snow Sho."
It was a truly unfitting name.
It was anything but snowy, lushly green, and the day was so hot.
"It's a name from long ago, hmm... from when Dithmarschen was part of the Ice Peninsula. It was the border dividing the peninsula from the lands to its south, so it was always covered in snow due to the peninsula's influence. Back then, Snow Elves lived here in groups."
Snow Elves. A race she had never seen in person. According to texts, they were small, winged elves with pointed ears, and they were said to love cold places so much that there was a saying, "They bring the winter."
"Don't they live here now, Lord?"
At the mention of Elves, Fritz's eyes sparkled as he asked.
"They couldn't even if they wanted to. A Snow Elf living in a place this hot would be no different from a human living on the Ice Peninsula. They left for other places when the temperature rose."
With those words, Ulrich spurred his horse and entered the Sho.
At the mention of Elves, Fritz's eyes sparkled as he asked.
"They couldn't even if they wanted to. A Snow Elf living in a place this hot would be no different from a human living on the Ice Peninsula. They left for other places when the temperature rose."
With those words, Ulrich spurred his horse and entered the Sho.
Roberta and Fritz followed. The moment they entered the forest, shadows fell over them, and their vision went black. Coming from the bright summer sun outside into the deep shade within, their eyes were momentarily confused.
It had felt vast even from outside the Sho, but it was even more so once they were inside. The giant trees blotted out the sky, so much so that even when they tilted their heads back, they could only see leaves, not the sky.
What would happen if they lost their way? There were no people, so they had to forge their own path, but without being able to see the sky, she felt they might never escape the Sho.
"Don't worry. We won't get lost."
Ulrich said, as if he had read her worries.
"I've been here a few times before."
"When was that?"
Ulrich thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, the last time I came was about 80 years ago."
80 years?
She forced back a cough. Of course. They were traversing a path where they could easily get lost, relying on a memory nearly a century old. She trusted him, but she couldn't help the sudden surge of bewilderment.
Fritz, on the other hand, who was riding beside her, simply rounded his lips and let his eyes sparkle. It seemed the boy, who had just turned sixteen, was delighted by anything the Elder said.
"That's... quite a long time ago."
"Indeed. But it doesn't seem to have changed much."
Ulrich said, looking around.
"Do you remember what it was like back then?"
"No, I wasn't paying attention to the scenery then. All I remember right now is passing through here with Adnan... with my vassals of that time, searching for a monster."
However, there is a certain feeling one gets when seeing the same thing again, Ulrich added.
Roberta looked around the forest and thought that was likely true. It was a forest devoid of people. Who would have dared to set foot in the Sho before the three of them?
A forest untouched by human hands does not change easily, unless a disaster strikes. The scenery Ulrich had glimpsed nearly a century ago was likely not much different from the scenery now.
Perhaps they were treading the exact same path he had walked back then, and perhaps the same trees that had greeted Ulrich then were greeting him again.
"Beyond here, when we leave the forest, there's a village. It's a village belonging to the Goeten County, and though I don't remember its name, that's where I caught the monster I was chasing. We should arrive tomorrow."
What must he be feeling?
To encounter the same place not after a gap of months or years, but after a gap as long as a person's lifetime, was an experience she had yet to have.
No, would she ever have such an experience even once in her lifetime?
"It must have changed a lot, with so much time having passed."
"I suppose so."
Living such a long life, he had wandered the world under countless names. He must have had countless experiences like this. Perhaps that was why he never paused, lost in thought.
Instead, he just moved forward as if treading a familiar path.
"...Or perhaps the village itself is no longer there."
[MISSING]
Instead, he just moved forward as if treading a familiar path.
"...Or perhaps the village itself is no longer there."
The three of them spent a day in the Snow Sho. The Sho was so vast that they couldn't pass through it in a single day, even on horseback.
As the sun began to set, they stopped their horses and prepared to camp. The forest grew dark faster than anywhere else, so they gathered firewood from the surroundings and built a campfire.
Soon, their surroundings were completely enveloped in darkness.
The Snow Forest was cool at night, even in summer. It seemed the influence of the Ice Peninsula reached it considerably. They sat around the campfire, finished their dinner, shared a brief conversation, and went to bed.
Ulrich stood watch. Claiming he didn't need much sleep, he had the other two rest while he stayed up all night under a night sky hidden by leaves. When morning came, he woke them, and they left the forest.
They arrived at the village in the late afternoon. They had left the Snow Forest early in the morning, but the distance from the Sho to the village was considerable. It was a distance that would have required another night of camping if they hadn't been on horseback.
Even if it was less affected by the peninsula than Dithmarschen, it wasn't entirely free of its influence. It was only natural for the village to be located far away to avoid that influence.
The village was small, but it was well-defended for its size. A stone wall encircled the outskirts, and a watchtower, albeit a meager one, had been erected. The villagers spotted the party from the watchtower and took up defensive positions.
"Do not approach any further!"
A middle-aged man shouted thunderously from the village entrance.
A dozen or so young men stood behind him. Each was armed with a spear or a sword, showing their strong wariness of strangers.
"State your purpose for coming here!"
Indeed, what reason would strangers have for coming to such a remote place? Moreover, they were strangers who had appeared from the direction of the Snow Forest. Strangers who had crossed a path no one travels—it was impossible not to be wary.
"Ah... what should we do?"
Fritz asked, his voice thick with disappointment. He had been looking forward to a warm place to sleep, away from bugs and beasts, but it seemed that was not to be.
"Just a moment. I'll talk to them."
Roberta said and went forward.
"May the grace of Ganimea-nim be with you. We are passing travelers. We have not come here with any ulterior motives. We have only stopped by to rest for a day on our journey."
The villagers saw the Priestess robes she was wearing. They also saw her dismount and channel Mana to make a bright blue crest appear on her bare palm.
"You're a Priestess?"
The middle-aged man who had shouted for them to stop hesitated for a moment, then lowered his spear and approached her. There was still some hesitation, but his wariness had softened. He had judged the woman before him to be an official Priestess.
In a world created by the gods, the position of one who serves the gods guarantees many things. Especially since life in the North is harsh, people tend to rely on the gods and hope for their blessings.
"I apologize for our rudeness, Priestess-nim."
He introduced himself as Gunter, taking off his hat and bowing politely.
"I understand. We did appear without a word."
She asked with a smiling expression if they could stay in the village for a day.
"I apologize for our rudeness, Priestess-nim."
He introduced himself as Gunter, taking off his hat and bowing politely.
"I understand. We did appear without a word."
She asked with a smiling expression if they could stay in the village for a day.
"This is a humble place to host a Priestess, but will it be all right?"
"Anywhere is fine, as long as we can escape the night wind."
"In that case... I will escort you to the chief's house. Of all the places here, that will be the least inconvenient for a Priestess to stay."
"Yes. Thank you, I'd appreciate that."
Having finished the conversation, Roberta gestured to Ulrich and Fritz. While the two approached, Gunter dismissed the young men and stood before Ulrich's party.
When three strangers entered the village, the residents came pouring out to watch them. Had so few people visited the village? Their eyes shone as if someone magnificent had arrived.
*Eighty years ago, he'd said.*
Ignoring the stares and whispers of the people, Roberta took in the sight of the village. Lord Ulrich had mentioned stopping here back then. To hunt a monster.
She, too, had participated in monster hunts a few times. And every time, she had seen villages where only the dead remained. That was usually the case when a monster appeared in a village. No one survived.
Unlike monsters that hide in deserted places waiting for prey, a monster that seeks out human settlements possesses a power that backs its boldness. To appear before us alone was a manifestation of its confidence that it could capture all the prey before it. If such a monster isn't dealt with immediately upon discovery, the damage spirals out of control.
The monster Ulrich had pursued eighty years ago must have been one of them.
'And if he went to the trouble of chasing it himself...'
But the village had survived.
The damage had surely not been small, but it had endured for nearly a century since. That meant many people had survived.
Roberta glanced at Ulrich's profile. He walked on, calmly observing his surroundings. What thoughts, what emotions did he hold? Even after a year of knowing him, he was still difficult to read.
He was by no means a man without emotion, but should one call it immense patience, or perhaps familiarity? He was a man of few expressions. It was difficult for her to understand his feelings.
However, a thought did occur to her. Perhaps the reason he chose this place after leaving the Snow Forest was that he wanted to see this village.
The chief was a very old man.
When Ulrich's party entered the house, the chief was sitting in a chair. The chair faced a wide-open window, so he appeared to be looking outside, but his eyes were closed.
As if he had reached the end of the lifespan a normal human could enjoy, his face was full of wrinkles, his body was gaunt, and his breathing was faint.
When Gunter approached and whispered in his ear, "Chief-nim," he slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy pupils looked at Gunter, then scanned the three people standing at the door. They were out of focus.
"Are you guests?" the chief asked, his voice like a leaking wind.
"Chief-nim, these people..."
Gunter then explained that Roberta was a Priestess of Ganimea, that Ulrich and Fritz were her companions, and that they had stopped by the village to spend the night.
"Chief-nim, these people..."
Gunter then explained that Roberta was a Priestess of Ganimea, that Ulrich and Fritz were her companions, and that they had stopped by the village to spend the night.
The chief exhaled with effort and nodded his head.
"Ah, I see. I am sorry to host you in such a humble place."
With Gunter's help, the chief rose from his seat.
"I am Luman. I serve as the chief here. You said the Priestess-nim and her companions need a place to stay?"
"Yes. I apologize for the sudden request, but may we impose?"
"How could a request from a Priestess-nim be an imposition... It is not a grand place."
Luman gave a few dry coughs and approached the three of them.
"This way, please. I will show you."
He squinted. Unable to see well, it seemed he could only recognize a person's face when he was a single step away.
His cloudy pupils rested on Roberta for a long moment before they finally focused. He shifted his gaze to Fritz. And after confirming him in the same way, he turned to Ulrich.
The moment his eyes focused for the third time, his pupils trembled. Gunter, who was supporting him, was flustered as Luman began to tremble, but before he could ask anything, Luman grabbed Ulrich's hand.
"U-Ulrich-nim...?"
...Do you remember me:
Luman's wrinkled face broke into a bright smile.
"How could I ever forget... You saved us. On that day the monsters attacked, the youngest child you saved... that was me. Do you remember?"
Ulrich closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching his memory.
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