On the Road
Night.
The sun, which had warmed the world all day long, slipped beneath the horizon, and a hush of darkness settled over the earth.
It was the hour of rest, when those exhausted from hard work could finally catch their breath, and those worn thin by worry could set their troubles aside and sleep.
But night was not only a mother’s gentle side.
Behind the kindly face that embraced everyone lurked another, colder than the sharpest winter wind.
“The original plan was to finish the deal and leave right away to set up camp, but at this hour we won’t get very far.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest here for a day and go on tomorrow?”
“We can just leave a little earlier tomorrow, instead….”
Those who lived by the road, forever leaving the comfort of home behind, knew the two faces of night very well.
No matter how high you held a torch, no matter how bright a magic-tower lantern you carried, it still wasn’t enough to shine through the malice hidden in the dark.
They still had the sun overhead, but by the time they finished their business and left the village, dusk would be upon them, and before long they’d have no choice but to set up camp and face the wild night.
Rather than move a little farther and take on the danger, it was better to spend the day safely in the village.
With that in mind, the caravan slightly changed course and decided to stay the night in the small village.
It was a rather bold decision, considering the extra pay for the mercenaries and the profit they’d lose from the delay.
And just like that, the mercenaries found themselves with free time on their hands.
Some used the unexpected break to swing their weapons and polish their skills, while others flopped contentedly onto the soft grass and basked in the warm sunlight.
And one person, meanwhile, was dragging a girl around the village by the hand.
As Journey wandered through the village holding Canaria’s hand, she came face-to-face with an old woman sitting in a chair in front of a little house, watching the street.
“Excuse me~ May I ask you something for a moment?”
“Hm? What was that?”
“Oh no….”
The answer she got bore little resemblance to what she’d been expecting.
Right. Until a few years ago, this place was Grasis territory.
For an elderly woman, Granic would probably be more familiar than Arkish.
With that in mind, Journey realized her mistake.
“Hello. Could you tell me the name of this village?”
“Oh, you can speak the kingdom’s language. Looking at you, you must be a mercenary. Quite an uncommon young lady.”
“I only know a little, really. Hehe….”
“That’s still something. Yes, you wanted to know the village’s name, didn’t you? It’s called Blum.”
“Blum….”
Journey repeated the name the old woman had given her.
She mouthed it to herself several times, then broke into a smile.
“That’s a lovely name.”
“Hehe. Thank you, dear.”
Small talk with the locals wherever she traveled was one of Journey’s favorite things.
Talking with residents let her feel, vividly and directly, the culture and life of the place they lived in.
Wasn’t that the very reason she’d gone to college? Wasn’t that why she’d studied languages?
Of course, her skills were still lacking compared to a native speaker’s, but that hardly mattered.
After all, when a foreigner visited your country and tried to speak your language, however awkwardly, who would be harsh enough to judge them for it, or to look down on them?
In fact, hadn’t she benefited from that during her first meeting with the usually frosty Canaria?
There are some people like that, sure. But they’d hate you no matter what you did.
How wasteful was it to let people like that scare you into missing out on a good trip?
That part of Journey never changed, even inside the virtual reality game Silia Online.
“So….”
“Wow, really?”
Grasp. Squeeze.
“Hm?”
As Journey chatted with the old woman in her halting Granic, she suddenly felt a tug on her hand and looked down.
Canaria had turned her head away as if this had nothing to do with her.
But there was only one person who could be pulling at Journey’s hand.
“Is she your little sister? Oh dear, I’ve talked this poor little lady’s ears off, haven’t I? I suppose she must be terribly bored.”
“I’m not little.”
“Goodness, I must be going blind in my old age. My mistake. Then should I call you a young lady?”
“….”
Watching Canaria speak with the old woman, Journey nodded to herself.
Canaria, Canaria indeed….
So it was true after all. She really did speak casually even to people much older than herself….
Was that because she was a former captain of the knights? Journey found Canaria’s blunt speech surprisingly natural.
Of course, Canaria had actually been speaking that way since childhood, not just since becoming a captain, but Journey didn’t know that, so the misunderstanding made sense.
Still, somehow, it never sounded arrogant or rude. It was strangely refreshing.
Maybe it’s her voice? Or the flat way she talks?
Journey let her bubbling thoughts pop one by one and shrugged.
Who cared? It was cute, so that was that.
In fact, she thought Canaria would seem even more awkward if she spoke politely.
And even if she did sound arrogant, is there really anyone who could correct Canaria’s habits?
I don’t take orders from anyone weaker than me.
Journey pictured Canaria saying that proudly while swinging her sword, then shook her head.
…No way.
Canaria isn’t that kind of kid.
Even if she really thought that way, she’d say it with her sword, not her mouth.
“I heard there’s a famous flower field around here.”
“A flower field? Of course there is. It’s the pride of our village. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes. My little sister likes flowers. Which way do I go to get there?”
“Follow that road straight ahead, and you’ll come to it.”
“So it wasn’t actually in the village….”
No wonder she hadn’t seen it wandering around. It had been outside the village.
Journey, who had searched in vain for the flower field for quite some time, felt a little put out.
After saying goodbye to the old woman, she set off again with Canaria to find the flower field.
The road the old woman had pointed out continued beyond the village and up to a low hill at the foot of the mountain.
“So it wasn’t even a place someone tended….”
Journey had only proposed the outing to Canaria after hearing that there was a flower field nearby; she hadn’t looked into it further, so she didn’t know the details.
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gotten so lost.
She sighed and climbed the hill.
When the slope ended, Journey’s mouth fell open at the sight spread out before her.
“Wow…!”
Flowers of every color painted the hill.
They lifted their heads in eager rivalry, as if each one were trying to show off its own charm while waiting for Journey.
It wasn’t arranged in neat rows like the flower garden Canaria tended, but the way the bright blossoms blended together so naturally had a beauty of its own.
No—if human hands had touched it, it would never have looked like this.
This was the awe that only nature could create.
A soft breeze passed through, carrying the faint scent of flowers as it gently brushed through Journey’s hair.
Still staring in dazed admiration, Journey suddenly realized her hand felt empty.
“…Canaria?”
At some point, Canaria had slipped away from her side and disappeared.
Journey looked around for the girl, then found her not far away: a small figure crouched down, peering at some nameless flower.
Journey quietly walked over and stood behind Canaria, who was sitting before a tiny blossom with plump pink petals that made it especially striking.
Even though Canaria must have noticed her footsteps by now, the little girl was so absorbed in the flower that she paid Journey no mind at all.
It’s a cute flower.
Kind of reminds me of Canaria, too.
Not wanting to interrupt her, Journey simply crouched down beside her instead of saying what she was thinking aloud.
They sat there for a long while, looking at the pink flower and its sweet, soft fragrance.
By the time Journey’s legs had begun to tingle, Canaria finally stood up.
Journey rose too and smiled.
“It’s a pretty flower field, isn’t it?”
“….”
Though there was no answer, Journey didn’t miss the faint nod Canaria gave her.
She still wanted to look around a little longer, but the sun, already well past its zenith, was now sinking lazily toward the horizon.
“Maybe some of these flowers bloom at night?”
If they waited for nightfall, they could admire the blossoms under the moonlight.
But Journey chose to head back to Blum instead of waiting for the dark.
You can’t skip dinner.
Especially not when you were still growing.
It wasn’t as if they couldn’t come back later, and they could always eat first and return after.
Journey took the shy girl’s hand and retraced their steps exactly as they’d come.
By the time Journey returned to the village, the sun was already halfway sunk beneath the horizon.
Murmur, murmur.
“…Something’s going on.”
When Journey reached the wooden fence at the village entrance, she immediately sensed that the atmosphere was very different from when they had left.
It was evening, yes, but this wasn’t the lively sort of noise that came with supper hour.
It felt more chaotic, and faintly tense.
“If we hurry… we should be fine, right?”
“You really want to stay here… and then go…?”
“We’re not the only ones….”
Not only the caravan members, but even the villagers were gathered outside, speaking with serious expressions.
The uneasy atmosphere made Journey shrink back a little as she carefully, step by step, moved forward.
“Miss Journey!”
Then Catherine spotted her and hurried over.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“…For me?”
“Yes!”
“W-why?”
“Well, because something like this happened, and we couldn’t exactly talk about it without Miss Journey.”
“…Something like what?”
“You haven’t heard anything yet?”
“No. I’d gone out for a walk and just got back….”
“Ah! That was really close. I’m glad you made it back safely.”
At Journey’s words, Catherine looked momentarily flustered, then quickly composed herself.
To Journey, however, it was still a complete mystery.
From the way she was talking, it sounded as though she were welcoming someone back from a battlefield, relieved they’d returned alive—but since when had a walk become such a dangerous thing?
Sensing the question all over Journey’s face, Catherine finally spoke.
“A herd of ogres showed up nearby! And they’re heading straight for this village…!”
“…What?”
A herd of ogres had suddenly appeared—and they were coming straight for this village?
…Why?
Completely blindsided, Journey blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Did someone spread honey on a wagon or something?”
Yesterday it was a herd of orcs, today a herd of ogres.
Would dragons show up tomorrow?
Hearing her words, Catherine stamped her feet in agitation.
“This is no time for jokes!”
“Ah, no….”
It wasn’t a joke, though….
Journey rolled her eyes helplessly, then lowered her head.
“I’m sorry….”