The Cloud Bridge

; Below, the path led downward, where it had once buzzed with the constant clamor of mercenaries. But because the drinking had gone late the night before, the quiet was different now—almost peaceful. ;

; Innkeeper Holger looked tired too. ;

; We ordered our meal and a portion for Lotte, then took our seats. Delphina Lobo descended the stairs and dropped onto the bench opposite me. ;

; She said she lived in a village near Setia Estate in Kemingham Kingdom, the westernmost duchy in the Central Region. ;

; Wolf beastpeople mature fast. Ten in human years is adulthood. The moment she turned ten, she ran away from home so she wouldn’t have to become village chief like her father. ;

; “Becoming village chief is something you’re supposed to prepare for since childhood?” ;

; While we finished a late breakfast, I asked her why it didn’t make sense. She answered with clear frustration. ;

; “It’s a cultural difference. We pass knowledge orally, not in writing, so you start early.” ;

; “Even back then, now that we have Common, couldn’t we just write it down?” ;

; “I don’t know. They said it’s tradition and it has to stay that way. That’s why I ran.” ;

; “Hmm.” ;

; I understood the words, but not the deeper meaning. I simply nodded and sipped my beer. ;

; “Wandering knight, what will you do now?” ;

; “Holger said there was no request from the sheriff, so I was planning to leave today.” ;

; “Oh?” ;

; Delphina took a sip of beer and tilted her head. ;

; “Must knights always receive a request from the sheriff?” ;

; “Not always, but it’s rare for mercenaries to get jobs that actually reach us.” ;

; “Ask the innkeeper if there’s anything here he can recommend. He knows a lot.” ;

; “I might.” ;

; I called Holger over. ;

; “The jobs I know are mostly errands, sir. Nothing a knight would take.” ;

; “Hmm. I see.” ;

; I nodded, and Holger suddenly looked thoughtful and added, “There is, however, one odd case.” ;

; “What kind of case?” ;

; “A bridge that appears to be haunted.” ;

; “A ghost bridge?” ;

; “I don’t know. Strange noises come from it and travelers get so confused they can’t cross. They say the other side is unreachable.” ;

; I grew interested. ;

; “Tell me more.” ;

; “From Luplin, head southwest for three days and you reach Bedel Duchy. Another two days into the mountains and you’ll find a small village. They sent a request from there.” ;

; “If it’s near an adjacent duchy, why come all the way here?” ;

; Bedel Duchy bordered Polska County. Mercenaries and knights would be more plentiful there, so this small settlement making the journey seemed strange. ;

; “They say they couldn’t solve it even there and had to come here.” ;

; “Keep going.” ;

; “The village grows herbs. They have a cloud bridge leading to the fields, and they can’t cross it. Bedel sent help, but they couldn’t find the cause.” ;

; “Still, no bodies reported?” ;

; “Yes. I’m told the same. So no strong measures were taken and the villagers are growing desperate.” ;

; Seeing my interest, Delphina asked, “It sounds like you’re curious. Am I right?” ;

; “Hmm… I think it might be fun.” ;

; “What part?” ;

; “Something strange happened and no one knows why. It’s perfect for a wandering knight like me, isn’t it?” ;

; “We mercenaries would rather not. It’s ambiguous—whether it’ll pay or not.” ;

; That’s why knights end up handling most of these cases. The reason so many adventure tales survive is because knights undertake so many of them. ;

; “Will you take the quest?” ;

; “Maybe.” ;

; “I’m coming too!” ;

; “Why?” ;

; “It sounds fun. I made some money gambling last night. I can afford to slack for a while.” ;

; “But can the reward cover both of us?” ;

; Holger answered, “I’ll handle that. The village is small and remote, so the pay is modest.” ;

; “Looks about right.” ;

; “Once the bridge reopens, one gold per person.” ;

; That was a lot of money for a village. It showed how badly they needed the bridge. ;

; I nodded. ;

; “They’ll stretch every coin they have to get it done.” ;

; “I’ll be satisfied with whatever they offer. I like the interesting stuff more.” ;

; I asked Holger for the route to the village. ;

; “How do we get there?” ;

; “There’s a map left by one of the villagers.” ;

; “Thank you.” ;

; I took the map. ;

; *** ;

; “Will I really bump my head on a branch?” ;

; “Watch your step.” ;

; For the next five days after leaving Luplin Estate and climbing toward the mountains near Bedel Duchy, I taught Delphina how to ride. The difference between a knight and a mercenary, when you’re not from a noble house, is nothing more than whether you own a warhorse and a mount. ;

; A pack horse or even Yan was a tremendous fortune. Mercenaries had pulled carts or pack animals, but very few had ever ridden one. Delphina was one of those mercenaries, but before that she was wolf beastperson—she had never ridden at all. They are too fast to bother, especially the Lycanthrope type like her. ;

; After hearing the story, I gave her a few tips and within minutes she was riding comfortably. ;

; Then, on a narrow mountain trail, a branch swept overhead. She asked Lotte and me, worried. ;

; “If I blink for even a second, I’m going to get hurt.” ;

; “There was a beast I chased only recently that died because of it.” ;

; “Really? For real?” ;

; “Yes. I stole it and ran off.” ;

; “And you rode it?” ;

; “Yes.” ;

; Delphina jumped off the horse in terror. ;

; “I’ll just walk.” ;

; “Suit yourself. We seem to have arrived anyway.” ;

; I pointed to one side of the ridge. A small mountain village surrounded by wooden fences taller than a man. ;

; The fence was probably for animals or monsters. If it had been meant to keep people out, it would have been higher. ;

; From a distance it looked fine, but up close the stakes were old and the ropes connecting them frayed in places. A watchtower stood beside the entrance. ;

; Two guards in the tower aimed arrows at us. ;

; “Stop! Who are you?” ;

; “Ion Rise of Bergen, wandering knight, and Delphina Lobo, mercenary. We came after hearing from Holger of Luplin Estate!” ;

; I stepped forward to answer. The men on the tower shouted the message down. A large wooden door opened. ;

; Outside, armed men stood on alert. Among them an old man in his sixties with a straight back walked forward. ;

; “I am Goetz, chief of this village. You are a knight, sir?” ;

; “Yes. I am Ion of Bergen.” ;

; Seeing a real knight, Goetz looked troubled. ;

; “We didn’t ask for a knight. We don’t have that kind of money.” ;

; “I already know about the costs. It’s fine. I won’t ask for more.” ;

; “Is that so? Very well.” ;

; Even though I had said it was fine, Goetz still looked dazed as he led us inside. ;

; “Come in. Please enter.” ;

; Among the log cabins, barely above hut level, we entered the largest house—the chief’s residence. After Goetz, a hunter in his forties named Malon followed behind us. ;

; “I never expected a knight to come. Honestly, there were no mercenaries coming and we were almost giving up.” ;

; “I heard the general story, but tell me the details. What’s wrong with the bridge?” ;

; Goetz sighed deeply and began. ;

; “It has been about a year now…” ;

; Originally, every animal in the duchy’s mountains and fields belonged to the duke. Even wild beasts couldn’t be hunted freely. Monsters attacking humans were the only exception. In practice, rules were ignored. Small orcs and goblins and similar races were supposed to be exterminated, but if there was no damage, they were simply overlooked. Sometimes they even traded with the locals. ;

; Managing the duchy’s people inside its borders was hard, so the area was loosely controlled. That loose rule still maintained some order. ;

; The same applied to mountain villages. Runaway serfs or refugees built settlements. When they grew large enough, they paid protection money to the nearest duchy. They were not fully subjects; if monsters or bandits attacked, the duke would send soldiers to help. ;

; As the village grew, they could surrender it to the duke. He would send managers and stationed soldiers. The villagers gained stability and the duke gained territory. The duke didn’t mind the spontaneous villages. ;

; This nameless mountain village grew herbs and was only just establishing itself, paying taxes to the duke of Bedel. ;

; That was why, even when they reported the cloud bridge anomaly, they only filed a brief report and sent a simple investigation. No clear cause was ever found. ;

; “The high bridge sways in the wind. People get dizzy and some are afraid to cross, but that was all.” ;

; Then, at some point, the dizziness grew worse and travelers started getting confused about direction. Many turned back halfway. ;

; Now they can’t cross at all, so they can’t manage the fields or harvest the herbs. ;

; “What did the investigators from Bedel say?” ;

; The chief sighed deeply again. ;

; “Some kind of natural phenomenon. It’s strange, but unavoidable. They told us to find another way to the fields.” ;

; “Is there no other detour?” ;

; “The fields are on a remote cliff. The soil is rich there and the herbs grow especially well. There is no other way up. Right now, the best plan is to start new fields somewhere else.” ;

; I, too, was growing impatient. ;

; The villagers really seemed out of options. ;

; “If it’s some strange natural phenomenon, it could be magic.” ;

; “We have no idea about that. We’ve only heard of magic, never seen it.” ;

; “True. Finding the cause would require a mage. And who in their right mind would summon a mage to a place like this?” ;

; Mages do exist. Witches exist too, but they almost never appear in the world. That is why they are seen as mysterious beings. ;

; Whether magic or natural, I would have to investigate myself. ;

; I stood up. ;

; “I’ll go check it out.” ;

; *** ;

; Led by hunter Malon, we climbed further into the mountains and stood before the cloud bridge. ;

; A swaying wooden bridge barely wide enough for two people to pass sideways had been carved into the sheer cliff. It rocked gently in the wind. ;

; Below, the clouds literally wrapped around the mountains, as if the bridge itself were floating in the sky. ;

; “It’s beautiful, but it looks deadly.” ;

; I nodded, watching the others. The sight made me smile. Most canine-type animals have a fear of heights. When the ground ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beneath their paws feels unstable, they feel uneasy. On a bridge this high in the mountains, fear is natural. ;

; Lotte kept licking her lips nervously, watching the swaying bridge. ;

; Next to her, Delphina was rubbing her own forearm as if chills were running through her. ;

; “You two don’t like heights?” ;

; “We wolf and bear beastpeople don’t. Cat and tiger beastpeople do. We don’t fit in.” ;

; “Still, we have to cross. Are you sure?” ;

; “I-I’m fine. I don’t like heights. I just can’t cross.” ;

; “Understood.” ;

; Then I looked at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lotte. ;

; “And you? Stay if you want.” ;

; Lotte, who had been looking back and forth between me and the bridge, raised her curled tail and stared ahead. ;

; “Yes. Let’s go together.” ;

; Malon, our guide, stood beside the bridge and spoke. ;

; “If you cross, the right side is the herb field and the left has a spring with a short rest shelter. I’ll wait here until you return.” ;

; “Understood.” ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠;

; I nodded, took the ropes on both sides of the bridge, and stepped onto it without hesitation. ;

; “S-Slowly!” ;

; Delphina followed, and Lotte padded after us one paw at a time at the rear. ;

; Halfway across, clouds rose and began to obscure the view like mist. Both the village side we had started from and the herb fields on the other side were hidden. I slowed down. ;

; Behind us, Delphina and Lotte, who had been chasing us with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wagging tails, stayed close. ;

; Delphina swallowed hard and spoke. ;

; “The bridge keeps swaying in the wind, but I can’t see front or back. My senses feel… strange. Like I’m floating.” ;

; “Same here. Something’s off.” ;

; I fell into thought. ;

; The view was blocked by clouds and the bridge kept swaying, so my senses were already disrupted. But there was more. ;

; The air was damp and cool inside the clouds, yet something felt mixed in. While I focused on sound, smell, and touch, I closed my eyes. ;

; The sound was only wind rushing past the high cliffs. ;

; The smell was nothing special. ;

; The touch was humid, sticky, but I couldn’t figure it out. ;

; Then I opened my eyes and felt slightly dizzy. ;

; The world in front of me began to blur. ;

; “Huh? What’s wrong with me?” ;

; Delphina staggered and sat down. Lotte sat and stared blankly ahead. I felt my senses slip and my direction confused. ;

; On a straight bridge it should be impossible to lose direction, but I was genuinely confused. ;

; For a split second I couldn’t tell whether I had been leading the group from the front or following from the rear. ;

; “There’s something in these clouds. I don’t know what, but—” ;

; I told Delphina. ;

; “Delphina! Get up and hold onto my shoulder! Hold Lotte with one hand too!” ;

; “Al-alright!” ;

; Delphina helped Lotte stand and gripped her neck. ;

; She placed her other hand on my shoulder. ;

; I took one step forward. ;

; “I-Is this the right direction?” ;

; “Right! Definitely!” ;

; “Got it! I trust you!” ;

; Delphina followed my certainty. ;

; I couldn’t trust my own senses, but the map in front of me—the arrow on the map—was pointing the way. ;

; The direction I had taken when we first stepped onto the bridge was west, and it still was. ;

; “For all its supposed divine blessing, I can’t even trust this? Then what can I trust? Once we cross, the secrets will be ours!”