The Encounter in Kobeck
“You want to go to the night market in Calvera?”
“Yes.”
“The night market only opens after sunset, and with so many people there, it’s dangerous.”
“I want to see it. When else would I ever get to visit such a crowded place?”
“But it will be difficult for you to move around……”
Blair’s reluctance to allow a visit to Calvera’s night market was reasonable. It was no place for someone with limited mobility to navigate and enjoy freely.
Calvera’s night market was a grand monthly event in Anatolia that drew enormous crowds. With no special security checks, all manner of ruffians and peddlers swarmed like flies, and where people gathered, trouble inevitably followed—fights and accidents, large and small, were common.
For ordinary people, a single visit to browse would pose no great issue, but Odeliana was different. If she fell, she could not rise on her own, turning what would be a minor mishap for others into a serious accident for her.
“I’ve never been there in my entire life, so I’m curious. I heard they have everything—strange trinkets and all kinds of people. It must be fun.”
Odeliana raised her voice with exaggerated enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she gazed at him pleadingly. Blair let out a deep sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead.
“……We won’t stay long. After midnight the crowds will grow even larger, so we’ll look around and leave before then.”
“That’s enough for me.”
“I’ll ask the castellan to assign guards. With so many people, we must be especially careful about safety.”
“……Do that.”
She wondered if it was truly necessary to drag along a whole entourage of guards, but refusing might mean losing permission to visit the night market altogether. The idea of being followed was irritating, yet the place was so crowded that shaking them off would not be difficult.
“I hope you make many happy memories on this trip, Odeliana.”
“……”
“I’ll do my best so that this becomes a joyful memory for you.”
His words were painfully kind. Yet instead of returning that gentle consideration, she had to drive a blade into his heart. He had set out on this journey full of hope for his sister’s happiness, but no matter the outcome, this week would become an unforgettable nightmare for him.
……I’m sorry.
The guilt she could not voice poured out. Odeliana turned her gaze away, unable to bear the warmth in his eyes.
* * *
Calvera’s night market was astonishingly filthy.
Located in the outer district where commoners lived, it could never receive the same care as the inner district, home to nobles and wealthy merchants. Unlike the inner district—spotless and peaceful like a painting on display—the outer district was polluted and decaying.
In the streets of the outer district, one could easily spot children and elderly beggars scraping by day to day. Buildings thrown together haphazardly from mud and wooden planks without any regard for aesthetics clustered chaotically. The air was thick and foul, reeking of animal waste.
There were no guards to watch over homes, no cleaners to sweep the streets. Instead of fine carriages drawn by skilled coachmen, sick horses pulled carts laden with goods and people, clogging the roads in disorder.
It was no place for a noble, and Blair’s expression as he peered outside the carriage was truly grim. Still, his gaze held more pity and sorrow than contempt, making it clear he felt compassion for the commoners’ plight.
Wherever one went, the outer districts where commoners and the lower classes lived looked much the same. Only the capital, Levelhorn, managed to maintain clean urban scenery even in commoner residential areas.
“We’re here. Let’s get out.”
Blair lifted Odeliana from the carriage and set her down. The guards who had followed behind dismounted and fell in step with them.
As expected, the night market was packed with as many browsers as vendors. Haggling voices echoed from every direction. Even amid the chaos, the merchants never paused in their efforts to attract customers. The street pulsed with life.
Women hurrying with food, children tugging at adults’ hands and begging for toys, merchants shouting to draw crowds, customers examining goods piled high on stalls—everywhere one looked, there was movement.
Blair showed genuine interest in the rare sights he had never witnessed before. His earlier distaste for the dirt and noise had long since faded.
Odeliana felt relieved to see him enjoying himself and began shopping in earnest.
First, she took Blair to an herbalist’s stall. While the merchant explained various medicinal herbs and their benefits to him, Odeliana slipped over to another vendor and purchased a powdered anesthetic.
Next, she visited a general goods stall and bought a cane—not an ordinary one, but a self-defense cane that could double as a sword. She also secretly purchased a small dagger small enough to hide in her sleeve.
Blair had given her a generous amount of emergency funds, so even after buying everything she needed, she still had plenty of money left.
He seems to have a curious nature.
Blair was completely absorbed by the rare items on display, enchanted by the night market’s endless variety of trinkets and food.
Of course, for someone as upright and sheltered as him, the place was intensely stimulating. Setting aside the odd knickknacks crowding the stalls, there were dog-fighting rings, gambling dens, and traveling circuses performing for the crowds—plenty to delight the eyes and ears.
While Blair’s attention was briefly caught by an unusual golden clock, Odeliana rose from the carriage. Leaning on her new cane, she looked around. The guards assigned by the castellan only watched Blair occasionally, appearing bored and distracted.
As expected, they’re not paying any attention to me.
Since she was a woman who could not walk and Blair had been leading the carriage, they must have thought one guard was sufficient.
Odeliana pulled her robe low over her head and began walking. With the dense crowds, it was easy to slip away from both Blair and the guards.
She went straight to a coachman.
“Where to, miss?”
“Take me to Kobeck.”
“……That’s no place for a proper young lady to wander alone. Are you sure you want to go there? It’s dangerous.”
“If you don’t want to, say so. I’ll find another coachman.”
“Ah, no! Please get in. I’ll take you there as fast as possible!”
Odeliana handed the coachman two gold coins from her purse and climbed into the cart—hardly worthy of being called a carriage. With a crack of the whip, the pony tied to it began to move.
The pony was smaller than a typical carriage horse and moved slowly, so the thirty-minute journey took a full hour.
“We’re here.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“You’d best rejoin your companions quickly. This place…… isn’t fit for living. If you want to avoid trouble, don’t go anywhere alone.”
Odeliana understood the coachman’s fuss.
Any slum had poor security, but Kobeck was especially bad. The walls were poorly maintained, and because it bordered Mount Nevis, beasts often descended from the mountains and barbarian raids were frequent. Pickpockets and gangs of thieves could leave a person penniless, and stabbings by strangers were not uncommon.
Since it was no place for decent living, it naturally attracted the dregs of society—people with no education and no regard for law or common sense.
Yet Odeliana was heading toward someone far more terrifying than thieves, ruffians, barbarians, or beasts. She recalled her old memories and stepped forward without hesitation.
Mathias was definitely living in the shanty village where the orphans gathered.
She kept her head low to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes and leaned on her cane as she walked. After some time, a familiar sight appeared—the shanty village matched the faint memories she still carried.
Strength returned to her weakened body. Wondering how best to persuade him, she entered the village. Before long, she stopped dead in her tracks.
Several burly men—whether adults or youths, it was hard to tell—had surrounded a boy and were kicking him relentlessly. The boy, curled up helplessly on the ground, met her eyes. A chilling thrill raced through her entire body.
……Mathias?
She was so stunned she could not speak.
Why? In her previous life, this monstrous boy had slaughtered barbarian warriors. How could he now be taking a beating from just a few people without fighting back?
Without thinking, Odeliana rushed into the fray. She threw herself over the small boy curled on the ground and wrapped her arms around him with all her strength.