chapter 24:The Witch's Sacrament
The air has a unique smell before it rains.
Riding her horse across a wide field, Roberta suddenly looked up at the sky. Though the sky was clear with only a few clouds, the wind carried the scent of damp earth. Her intuition told her. Rain was coming soon.
"It's going to rain.
At the same time, Ulrich, beside her, said the same thing.
"Look, the rain clouds are coming. We'll have to pick up the pace."
Roberta and Fritz looked back. In the distance, rain clouds had gathered. Like dipping an ink brush into the edge of a bowl of water, the sky was stained black. They were moving fast. They would reach the three of them soon.
This wasn't Dithmarschen, and the season was summer. Getting caught in the rain wouldn't be life-threatening. But they couldn't just ride on, soaked to the bone, so they spurred their horses.
Fortunately, there was a hill nearby. It was lush with trees, suitable for taking shelter from the rain. Just as the party reached the hill, the clouds arrived overhead. With a rushing sound, the rain began to fall.
It doesn't look like it will rain for long.
"Mm.
Roberta shook out her wet hair and looked at the edge of the clouds. Even though the rain clouds were thick, the blue sky was visible in the distance. It was a passing shower.
She let out a short sigh and sat down, leaning her back against a tree.
Fritz, unconcerned about the rain, stepped out from under the cover of the trees and stroked the horses. The horses seemed spooked by the loud downpour, but as he murmured, "Easy, easy," and stroked them, they calmed down.
....:
She shifted her gaze to Ulrich. He stood leaning against an old tree, arms crossed, silently gazing at the plains. He was a man who didn't easily show his emotions, so she couldn't tell if he was truly looking at the scenery or lost in thought.
Lord, where are we headed next?"
Roberta asked, looking up at him for a moment.
The final destination for the three of them was Eisleburg. Their goal was to attend the royal wedding being held in the capital of the Osnover Kingdom.
However, she couldn't guess their route. Take Luman's village, where they had spent a day before. For him, this journey was not simply a trip to Eisleburg.
"We plan to stop by Meyer."
Fritz, who had been stroking a horse's head, turned in surprise.
To our family's home?"
"We plan to stop by Meyer."
Fritz, who had been stroking a horse's head, turned in surprise.
"To our family's home?"
"That's the plan for now."
Meyer referred to the family of Count Meyer.
Ulrich had previously mentioned that his wife, Hilde, had been unable to have children and had taken in several adopted sons. Among them, Hoinlohe was the eldest, and the Meyer family were his direct descendants.
"I figured since I've left my domain, I should show my face at least once."
But Fritz's reaction was hesitant.
If we must go, it will be a long detour...··"
He trailed off, glancing at Ulrich. It was not the attitude of someone pleased to be going to his family home. Rather, he seemed to be subtly expressing his opposition.
"Are there bad memories:"
Roberta tilted her head.
Otherwise, why would he react that way?
Could there be some discord she didn't know about regarding his reason for coming to Dithmarschen? It was strange, now that she thought about it. Fritz was the fourth son, but wasn't Bernhardt the eldest? Usually, the eldest inherits the family, but for some reason, he had become the Duke of Dithmarschen's steward.
She watched Ulrich's reaction, but he was the same as always. He calmly waited for the rain to weaken, and as expected, it soon stopped.
The sky, swept clean by the rain clouds, was a brilliant, empty blue. Thanks to that, the sun poured its unobstructed light onto the wet fields.
Far from feeling refreshed, Roberta fanned herself a few times against the sticky, humid summer air, then got up and mounted her saddle.
The city of Tenov belonged to a domain situated between Goeten County and Meyer County. Though its size was ambiguous, barely qualifying it as a city. Still, a city was a city, and it was a settlement bustling with people.
Passing through the east gate, Roberta dismounted and felt a chaotic atmosphere for the first time in a long while. Near the market, the voices of people touting their wares, haggling, and arguing rang out.
Back when she was a common Priestess at the Nua Grand Temple, she had once told diocesan head Alonso that she disliked this kind of atmosphere. It was the same now. She still disliked the atmosphere of a crowd chattering distractedly.
But perhaps because she had spent a year in the North, or perhaps because she had experienced solitude in a land without people, for a brief moment, this atmosphere felt warm and familiar.
Alonso-nim said this was proof of getting older!
She gave a dry laugh to herself and asked Ulrich.
We're moving on right away, not staying, correct?"
Ulrich, who was walking ahead, answered in the affirmative.
"It's not even noon yet, so there's no need to stay. I plan to have a light meal and then leave."
"Before that, may I look around the market?"
The market happened to be open, she said.
"Do so. But don't take too much time. We need to reach our next stop before nightfall if we want to avoid camping out. For that, we must leave before noon."
After finishing their meal at the inn's restaurant, Roberta headed to the market with Fritz. Ulrich remained at the inn, saying he would write a letter.
"Do so. But don't take too much time. We need to reach our next stop before nightfall if we want to avoid camping out. For that, we must leave before noon.
Tenov was a small city, so its market was little more than a space with several stalls set up. Roberta planned to look for some travel supplies, including dried food.
"Is there anything you need, Fritz?"
Fritz waved his hands in refusal at her question.
"No, I'm fine. Please just think of me as here to carry things."
"A porter? You're being too hard on yourself."
Fritz gave an awkward smile.
Well, it's my first time traveling... so there's not much I can do.
"That's only natural. Everyone has a first time. •
She gave a gentle smile and patted Fritz's head. To her, the boy was like a younger brother, not too far apart in age, so she understood how he felt.
Sixteen is not a young age. It's an age where one must pull their own weight. Especially in a remote place like Dithmarschen, where one is forced to act as an adult at an even younger age.
But Fritz was originally a young master, wasn't he? Even though he had spent several years in Dithmarschen as the Lord's attendant, he was born and raised in Meyer County. He had gone from being the young master of a prominent noble family to an attendant.
"When I was your age, I was busy just following adults around and running errands. Well, that was less than ten years ago, though."
"You, Priestess-nim?"
His tone was one of disbelief. She smiled to herself, thinking she must have really become an adult. It had only been a few years since she was busy chasing after Alonso's coattails.
"For now, watch what I or Ulrich-nim do and learn. Then, later, whenever you get the chance, you can try doing things one by one."
Fritz hesitated, then nodded. But even as he accepted it, there was a sense that he was about to say something else, then swallowed his words. She read it in his expression but didn't press him.
He must have his reasons. If it was something that could be solved by telling her, he would have said so. If not, what could she do to question it? She continued through the market, making light conversation.
This damn thing, hold still!
And just then, a commotion arose.
The two of them stopped talking and turned their heads. In a corner of the market, a horse was rearing up on its hind legs and neighing. Next to it was a man who appeared to be its owner, yanking on the reins and shouting angrily.
I told you to hold still, didn't I?
The horse's head was pulled limply along with the reins. It was because of its small build. The young creature, small enough to be a foal, struggled and cried pitifully. Each time, instead of calmly soothing it, the owner swung a whip.
Seeing the whip strike the young horse's back, Fritz scowled and turned his face away. The man clearly didn't know how to handle horses. What could he possibly gain by treating it so roughly, Fritz muttered to himself with a sigh. Even if he felt a surge of pity, there was nothing the boy could do.
A horse is property. One couldn't interfere with another's property. All Fritz could do was leave to avoid the unpleasant sight.
"Let's go somewhere else, Priestess Roberta-nim."
But she didn't move to leave.
"Priestess-nim?"
Just a moment.
"Let's go somewhere else, Priestess Roberta-nim"
But she didn't move to leave.
"Priestess-nim?
She frowned, looking at the young horse.
......
Roberta felt something that Fritz had not.
The moment she glanced at the young horse, she felt a sense of incongruity. It was a feeling she couldn't clearly define. A brief, faint feeling that anyone else would have dismissed as a trick of the mind.
Roberta did not simply dismiss it. She focused her attention and carefully observed the young horse. And then, she felt the flow of Mana.
All living things have Mana flowing through them. Normally, this flow of Mana is difficult to perceive. Because such a small amount of Mana flows so gently, you can't feel it even a single step away from the subject. Normally.
It's like how you can't feel the heat of someone with a fever unless you touch their body.
But she could feel the flow of Mana from the young horse. She could feel it even though she was dozens of steps away. As she drew closer, step by step, it grew even stronger.
She could feel it distinctly.
*This is no illusion.*
Hiding her thoughts behind a smile, she spoke to the horse's owner.
"Is everything alright? The horse seems quite wild."
"Ah, Priestess, my apologies for showing you such an unseemly sight. He's unusually fierce for a colt."
The owner slapped the horse's cheek irritably. The horse whinnied again, but when its owner feigned another slap, it swallowed its cry.
Roberta forced her expression to remain neutral, fighting the urge to scowl at the owner's actions. Then, on the pretext that it might be acting out because it was in pain, she approached the young horse.
The terrified horse took a step back as she reached out her hand, growing even more frightened. But when its owner pulled on the reins, it could flee no further.
In that moment, Roberta placed her hand on the horse's head.
*'The amount and flow of Mana aren't normal.'*
Through her fingertips, Roberta felt the Mana flowing through the horse's body. The flow was certainly strange. Unlike any horse she had ever ridden, the amount of Mana was considerable, and its flow was violent.
This was not a natural amount or flow of Mana. It was like when she imbued a sword with Mana to sharpen its edge—as if Mana had been artificially injected into it, causing a change.
"Fritz, go get Ulrich-nim. Tell him I need his confirmation."
After Fritz left, she asked the owner.
"Did you raise this horse yourself?"
"No. I caught him wandering in the mountains a while ago."
"Then you wouldn't know who its owner is."
"No, though I've asked around..."
As the owner explained, he had never properly raised a horse before. Nor did he have the means to. His only thought was to find the original owner for a reward or sell it for a decent price.
The young horse, listening to the two converse, let out a small whinny at Roberta. It wasn't the sorrowful cry it had made at its owner. It was a bizarre cry, made by opening and closing its mouth like a person.
On top of that, it scraped the ground with its hoof. Since it was a well-maintained road, it left no mark, but the young horse made an incomprehensible gesture to get Roberta's attention.
Besides the Mana, it was a horse that showed bizarre behavior.
'Could it be...'
On top of that, it scraped the ground with its hoof. Since it was a well-maintained road, it left no mark, but the young horse made an incomprehensible gesture to get Roberta's
'Could it be...'
Just as her suspicion became clear, Ulrich arrived.
He didn't ask Roberta for an explanation. Even though he likely heard little of substance from Fritz, he simply approached the young horse and stroked its long head.
"You were lucky."
What did he mean by lucky? Ulrich handed the horse's owner a gold coin. The owner, who had been standing there dumbly, gaped as a handful of gold coins was placed in his palm. Then, as if afraid the gold would be taken back, he quickly stuffed it into his pocket and left as if fleeing.
After handing over the gold, Ulrich paid no mind to whether the man left or not. Stroking the young horse, which was trembling in fear, he gave it a gentle smile.
"There is nothing to worry about. I know the situation you are in, child."
At that, the young horse nodded its head and cried plaintively.
"Yangju-nim, as I thought, this is......"
"Yes, this child was originally human!"
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