Shadows in Niyotsun Canyon
The next day, we left Ziamant Hall under the warm send-off of the lord, his family, and the guards.
Rowell and Aegina politely declined the lord’s offer of his own prized steeds and instead chose three relatively older horses. They weren’t decrepit, but considering how long it would take to return them, it seemed the practical choice. Younger horses would be more useful for breeding, after all.
“Anak. The horses could’ve just stayed in the stables.”
“Horse prices have gone up lately.”
Not that we lacked the money, of course.
“Still, thanks to you, Anak, we got to celebrate Ginny’s wedding.”
“Yeah. She’s already old enough to marry.”
Rowell and Aegina smiled, but I knew the quiet melancholy hidden beneath those smiles. None of us had spoken of it, yet we had all been there.
“Anyway, where are we camping tonight?”
At the mention of camping, their expressions returned to normal.
“How about the Ropa Plains?”
“Huh? Not the Huinto region?”
Aegina tilted her head at Rowell’s suggestion. Even at a brisk pace, we could easily reach Priest Philip’s temple and still cross the Ropa Plains before sunset.
“Monsters appear in the Huinto region.”
Rowell said it playfully. We had said the same thing when we first set out on our journey.
“Remember, Anak?”
“Of course. Golakworms are tricky monsters to deal with.”
We laughed together. Back then, Golakworms that ambushed sleeping travelers from underground had been genuinely dangerous. Now they posed no threat at all—hardly even worth a diversion.
“……?”
“It’s a joke, Bagloros. We were just reminiscing about an old story.”
I quickly explained for Bagloros, who looked confused. He understood jokes to some extent, but without clear tone, he still struggled to tell where the jest ended and seriousness began.
“We’ll pay our respects to Priest Philip and Austin, then camp near the Traveler’s Rock in the Huinto region.”
The Traveler’s Rock—if we didn’t linger too long at the temple, that would be about right.
“Priest Philip and Austin are doing well, right?”
“Of course. They’re still putting Lord Tpeatyn’s teachings into practice on the front lines.”
Around noon, we arrived at the temple. Priest Philip and Austin came out to greet us.
“May Tpeatyn’s blessing be with you all. It’s been a long time.”
“Greetings, Priest Philip.”
“Welcome, everyone. You all look as wonderful as ever.”
“Thanks, Austin. You’ve become a proper priest now.”
“Welcome, Lord Rowell. And Lord Anak and Lady Aegina. I saw Anak recently, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen the two of you. And……”
Priest Philip’s gaze turned to Bagloros, who stood silently beside us. Rowell and I had known him since before the great war, and Aegina had met him once after our return home, but this was Bagloros’s first time here.
“You must be Lord Bagloros. Welcome.”
Yet Priest Philip recognized him. Though they had never met, Bagloros’s reputation made the guess easy.
“Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Bagloros bowed his head and replied naturally. He had clearly mastered that part of etiquette.
“Come inside. Have some tea before you go.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Even a brief visit to Tpeatyn’s temple required accepting tea from the priest—it was traveler’s courtesy.
Atop the neatly arranged altar stood a statue of the god Tpeatyn, arms outstretched in a benevolent smile. Below it sat a long table, symbolizing that Tpeatyn himself welcomed travelers into his home and served them personally.
“Please, everyone, drink.”
Priest Philip and Austin set out spotless teacups, and a subtle fragrance soon filled the temple.
“It smells lovely. What kind of tea is it?”
“Syrachi mint. It has a deeper aroma than ordinary mint.”
“It was sent directly from the Intis region.”
The Intis region was famous for high-quality teas. I took a sip; a rich, refreshing scent filled my mouth.
“Where are you all headed, traveling together like this?”
“To the Ayman Kingdom. It’s a family gathering after a long time.”
“I see. Lord Tpeatyn once said that the joy of travel comes from having a home to return to, and that home is wherever family awaits you.”
We spent a short but respectful time there, then paid our respects to Tpeatyn and the two priests before leaving the temple.
“We’ll be on our way, then, Priest.”
“We’ll meet again. Austin, see you next time.”
“Yes, safe travels.”
“Lord Tpeatyn will watch over your journey.”
We mounted our horses and picked up the pace toward the Traveler’s Rock. Suddenly, Austin called out as if remembering something.
“Ah, wait a moment, Brother Anak!”
“What is it, Austin?”
“Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about you in the western regions. Stories about you wiping out monsters and bandit groups, or digging waterways for drought-stricken villages. But something’s strange.”
We were already heading there to investigate those very rumors.
“What’s strange about it?”
Austin studied my face for a moment, then spoke hesitantly.
“They say you’re incredibly handsome and tall, with women constantly following you around……”
“……I see.”
A complicated feeling welled up inside me, but those were the only words I could manage.
Granbipra reached the entrance of Niyotsun Canyon and slowly slithered deeper inside.
—So they’re hiding here?
Because of the narrow gaps and unstable ground, large predators avoided the canyon. The barren, rocky environment offered little shelter beyond small insects and birds, making it suitable only as a temporary refuge.
Yet it was hard to understand why the proud and tightly knit Hilde tribe would hide in such a place. They might have fled following Hilde, but if that were true, traces should remain. Granbipra needed to confirm it.
As Granbipra moved through the gaps, rock fragments fell onto his body. His eyes glowed, enveloping him in blue light. The moment he passed through, the gap collapsed behind him. There were many such passages, but settling in such an unstable spot felt unnatural.
He ventured deeper. Though the interior was wider than the narrow entrance, countless cracks and massive fissures loomed threateningly.
—Niyotsun. The marks of your foolishness still remain.
There was a reason this place was called Niyotsun Canyon. Long ago, before Duru Satal, Toguath, Hilde, and the other administrators who died at the Demon King’s hands were even born, Niyotsun—one of Granbipra’s subordinates and an administrator—had perished here.
He had been a giant venomous lizard capable of creating powerful poisons and medicines using his countless venom glands and mana. One day, while attempting to brew an even stronger toxin, he was killed by his own creation. The potent venom that seeped from his corpse altered the land dramatically.
Plants withered instantly, and the earth itself lost its vitality and crumbled. Repeated rains and landslides worsened the damage, resulting in the canyon seen today. Even after all this time, the surrounding land supported only meager life, and every rainfall further destabilized the ground.
Granbipra moved through the smaller gaps, scanning them. Small animals hidden within tensed at his presence, but they were not what he sought.
—There. That’s the one.
Granbipra smiled in satisfaction. Though faint, he sensed familiar presences in the distance. His body glowed blue once more as he sped toward them.
As he drew closer, the presences noticed him and fled in the opposite direction, but they could not escape.
Then he spotted a red leopard scaling the canyon wall in an attempt to flee. Though smaller and weaker in mana than Hilde, it was unmistakably one of Hilde’s kin. The red leopard raced along steep walls and boulders, but the distance between them steadily shrank.
Finally, Granbipra’s long body blocked the path ahead while a duplicate he had created bared sharp fangs to seal off the rear.
—Oh, little one. Did you truly think you could escape?
At Granbipra’s question, the red leopard trembled and flattened itself against the ground.
—G-Great Guardian of the Forest. I am Pokyo Kete of the Stonefang tribe. Greetings.
—Cautious Fang. Yet you act rather hastily for one with such a name. Did Hilde not tell you that you cannot flee from me?
Granbipra sensed something amiss. At the mention of Hilde’s name, fear and a faint killing intent emanated from the leopard.
—Now, lead me to your pack.
—……
When Kete hesitated, Granbipra’s eyes glowed blue, and an overwhelming, icy pressure enveloped the leopard.
—Do not compound your foolishness, child. Even without your guidance, finding your pack is only a matter of time.
Kete finally nodded. Following his lead, Granbipra entered a cave deep within the canyon. Inside, about ten red leopards cowered in fear at the sight of him.
—O Great Guardian of the Forest. I am Wabutu Henju of the Stonefang tribe.
—Is this… all of you?
Granbipra was visibly shocked by how diminished they appeared.
—There are a few more packs like this on the opposite side of the canyon. The rest fled elsewhere, and we have no way of knowing their fate.
Though divided into several tribes, they had once numbered nearly three hundred. Now, by their own account, fewer than a hundred remained.
—What exactly happened? I was preparing for resurrection, but I’ve heard nothing of events that could reduce your kind to this state.
—…Yes. Those who know of this incident are no longer in this forest, aside from our own kind. It was never revealed even to the other administrators.
—What happened?
—…There was a massacre.
—A massacre?
—Yes. It was a horrific slaughter. From children to valiant warriors, all were brutally killed. Only those who fled quickly and a few who were too young or too old and sick survived in this wretched state.
—Who could have done such a thing? Who in this forest could slaughter your kind so thoroughly? And what was Hilde doing while this occurred?
At Granbipra’s question, every leopard in the cave bared their fangs and growled with rage.
—It was that one. The very one who was once our leader and the pride of our tribe—the one who led his own kin and family into that slaughterhouse.