Southeastward Bound

After ending the conversation on that oddly meaningful note, I tossed out one last question, letting a hint of anticipation slip in.

"Ah, so how long until this tattoo disappears?"

I shouldn't have asked.

"For something permanently etched into the body, it really doesn't take long. About five years?"

If I just hadn't known, I could have blissfully believed it would vanish soon and kept my happy little delusions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠running for a good while.

Facing Luwiming as she radiated confidence, practically asking 'Isn't it amazing?,' I couldn't exactly crumple my face and start sobbing no matter how blind she was. So I forced a smile and had no choice but to say, 'I see.' From now on, if I trust a long-lived species' definition of 'soon,' I'm not a person, I'm a fucking dog.

After Luwiming's sendoff had sent my mood through the highs and lows of a roller coaster, I returned to the village with Cellevian and hastily started preparing for the journey home. First, I gathered grass and herbs to toss to the horse I'd tied up outside the village, since the damn thing was obviously going to shit wherever it pleased. Then I went to see the people of the Enderinia family, who reacted with deep regret when I told them I was leaving.

"You haven't even shaken off the fatigue of your travels yet. Why not rest a while longer before you go."

"This wasn't a planned stop, so I've got a pile of things to do one way or another. Asilie will be worrying about me too, so I mean to hurry back."

I made sure to add that I would definitely visit again later with Asilie, and the Enderinia family people were so deeply moved that they packed me all sorts of things. Thanks to that, my preparations were finished in an instant.

Honestly, if I'd stayed any longer, I felt like the topic of my age was about to come up in specific detail. It was basically me running away, so my conscience prickled just a tiny bit, but I decided to keep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my mouth shut. This was a problem too heavy for me to handle alone.

Anyway, even though I'd only stayed a single day, the crowd that came to see me off was quite large. Thanks to that, I had to exchange farewells one by one with the Enderinia family, Cellevian's group, a few elves who'd zealously plied me with drinks and gotten drunk with me, and even the village chief Laveri. Only after all that was I able ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to head into the forest.

Cellevian volunteered to act as my guide again this time, so the journey wasn't awkward. There was a minor holdup when we stopped once more in the World Tree's territory to get our bearings, and I had to respond individually to other elves who recognized me and called out greetings... but well, compared to stabbing a knife into some bandit bastards, that was nothing.

"I'm sure this question must feel utterly pointless to you, but are you truly all right going alone?"

Facing Cellevian as he let out a dry laugh, seeming to find his own words ridiculous, I smiled too.

"You told me that winter is already setting in below the forest you mentioned, and that it imposes heavy restrictions on travel. There's no need to put you through that kind of trouble."

The place we finally reached, after a journey that had grown somewhat familiar by now, was a nameless forest. Far in the distance, I could see a clean defensive wall, and I caught the scent of the sea—something I hadn't smelled once since coming to this world. Startled, I turned my head and saw an endless ocean stretching out to my left.

The first sea I'd laid eyes on in this other world was piercingly blue, and the ships lined up along the harbor following the coastline were indescribably majestic. I'd heard there was an ocean at the southern tip of the western region too, but judging by the circumstances, that sea could only mean one thing.

"Is this the east?"

At my obvious question—since I'd suddenly ended up crossing the continent yet again—Cellevian answered earnestly.

"That's right. It's near the Empire and eastern Itisel. That fortress wall you see over there is a city of Itisel."

When I turned my gaze to where he pointed, the wall standing tall far in the distance came into view. Maybe because he'd accounted for the eyes that might be watching us, or because we were still in the forest, I couldn't properly gauge the distance. But at a glance, it seemed like it wouldn't take even an hour to reach.

"In truth, there was a place closer to the capital, squeezed between the Empire and Itisel, but I figured something like a travel pass would cause problems, so we came here."

It was honestly a problem that hadn't even crossed my mind, but thanks to Cellevian, a whole lot of hassle was avoided. A guy wandering around with nothing but the Margrave of Kelbast's identity guarantee—only valid on the western continent—and an Itisel adventurer's badge would have been just begging to be mistaken for an illegal immigrant if he showed up out of nowhere at a city in some completely unrelated country.

I smiled and extended my hand to him for taking care of me right up to the very end, and he returned a smiling face in response.

"Give my regards to Asilie."

"I made it back easily thanks to you. Next time, I'll pay my respects with a bit more leisure."

Cellevian nodded slightly, gave a short wave of farewell, and then simply vanished back into the forest. Whether he felt no lingering attachment because we'd see each other 'soon' anyway, or whether he just didn't care either way, I couldn't tell. But it was a clean goodbye.

"Well then... now it's time to figure out exactly where the hell here is first."

Confirming that my heavy pack and axe were securely strapped to the saddle—thank you, future father- and mother-in-law—I turned my steps toward the city.

It was clearly just as cold here, but it was far milder than the northern outskirts, so the thin frost that had lightly formed on my shoulders and saddle began melting away in an instant. That it was like this even while facing the sea wind was enough to make me laugh in disbelief.

I didn't run into a single person all the way until I'd fully left the forest. Not only that, I didn't even encounter a single common monster, to the point where I suspected the elves might have deliberately set waypoints to maintain their concealment.

Because of that, the sight that greeted me the moment I stepped out of the forest even felt slightly surreal.

"I figured a port city would be big, but... this is a bit much, isn't it?"

The city was located close enough that I could reach it in less than thirty minutes at a gallop. The plain that revealed itself right where the forest ended was a little bare, but separately from that, the closer I got to the city's vicinity, the more the well-paved road filled up with carriages of all shapes and sizes and travelers coming and going.

At a rough glance, it looked like the perfectly ordinary scene of a port city. But the reality was a little different. That was because most of the people traveling the road had distinctive features clear enough to recognize even from afar.

"What's with all the damn mercenaries..."

Countless banners, armed soldiers and wagons, merchants following behind them.

A procession commonly seen when a large-scale mercenary corps was on the move was stretching all the way to the port city.

"Now that I think about it, I heard Mandeli Port got properly fucked by a Demonfolk surprise attack a while ago. Is the aftermath still dragging on?"

It was a pretty old memory, and since I'd figured I wouldn't have any business near there for a while, I'd been even more indifferent to it. Who'd have thought I'd end up running into it like this? With mercenary columns stretching from outside Itisel itself, at the very least this probably wasn't a war mobilization against a neighboring country.

Brooding over it wasn't going to give me any answers, and no matter what conclusion I reached, I still had to go into the city. So I shook off the pointless thoughts and spurred my horse on.

Smelling the sea breeze, all I could think was that I'd have to do some seriously intensive gear maintenance today. Driving the horse tirelessly onward, I reached the tail end of the column stretching along the road quite quickly. Maybe because I'd spent the last few weeks walking everywhere with elves, the comfortable ride was nice, but it felt oddly awkward for no real reason.

Probably because everyone was moving sluggishly, eyes briefly turned toward me since I'd suddenly approached at a gallop, but it was only brief. At most, a few mercenaries looked over my gear and horse with mild interest before turning their gazes away. That was the full extent of the attention.

Not a single person recognized me. I'd crossed the continent through the forest faster than any rumor could travel, so that was only natural. Thanks to that, I could bask in the indifference of my surroundings for the first time in a long while and enjoy watching the slowly thinning column.

Maybe ten minutes or so had passed quietly like that, when from the mercenary company moving in a group up ahead, one man started sidling his way over toward me. The people between us must have been peddlers following them around selling goods, because even though he was going against the flow, they smoothly stepped aside on their own and offered various greetings.

I couldn't tell if he was well-connected or just an officer in the company, but it clearly wasn't just a front, because people's expressions stayed bright even after they greeted him. It felt less like they were sucking up because he was their meal ticket and more like they were genuinely close, which I found a little fascinating.

As my gaze lingered on him, the man I assumed was a mercenary waved his hand and shouted a greeting even from a fair distance away.

"Howdy there, axe brother! You've got a mighty fine build—are you a mercenary by any chance?"

The man had ears easily twice the size of anyone else's, so big it made me wonder if he was mixed-blood with some other race, and round eyes. In contrast to his oddly shabby facial features and scrawny frame, he wore fairly well-maintained gear. He seemed like the type to smile gregariously, but maybe due to his natural features, he came off as oddly sleazy and underhanded. Even his way of speaking gave off that impression, yet his stride and mannerisms carried a hint of at least basic learned etiquette.

It was the kind of appearance that, once seen, felt like it would never be forgotten. To the point I almost suspected he acted that way deliberately to leave an impression.

"No, just an adventurer passing through."

Thanks to him striding over quickly, I didn't even need to raise my voice. I inclined my head in an appropriate greeting and answered, and with an exaggerated gesture of surprise, he continued speaking.

"Good heavens, it's been a long while since I've seen a brother give such a courteous reply. A shame you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not a mercenary, but... there's no law saying an adventurer can't do mercenary work, now is there? Looks like you're here to join the subjugation—any interest in trying out a bit of mercenary work together this time, just for a taste?"

"...What subjugation do you mean?"

No matter how much Itisel had its hands full with a long war, was there really something going on that required dragging in mercenary companies to subjugate? I tilted my head, genuinely unable to imagine it, and asked. The man actually looked more flustered than me as he answered.

And after hearing his answer, I had no choice but to be even more flustered.

"Good heavens, did you come from the opposite side of the continent or what? The orc subjugation, of course!"

Fucking orcs again? And on a scale large enough to require mobilizing mercenary companies?

Just as my expression was about to crumple involuntarily, the man launched into an explanation with exaggerated gestures.

"A gate of unknown origin activated near the very capital of Itisel, and a massive horde of orcs from the far-off western Great Grassland came pouring through, or so they say! I thought it was some kind of bullshit at first too, but what do you know? Hearing the rumors, it seems like the real deal. They say the royal house itself mobilized the nobles and even wyvern knights and launched a large-scale subjugation campaign! They destroyed the gate and stopped further damage, but the numbers were so huge that remnants scattered to all corners of the realm, apparently!"

Ah, so that was it. It was those orcs I already knew about.

Unlike the man's grave explanation, I felt the knot in my gut starting to loosen.