Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Village in the Gray Wolf's Hideout
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"We're here."
"R-Really? Whew..."
I reached out a hand as we climbed the steep cliff.
Snow-Covered, her forehead slick with sweat, grabbed it and pulled herself up.
She'd boasted lately about her stamina improving by leaps and bounds, but in the end, she cried uncle before this nearly ninety-degree incline.
Any farther, and she probably would've collapsed midway, groaning in agony.
But we'd made it to the mountains in one piece, so now we just had to find where the Gray Wolf was holed up, and the journey would be over.
Gulp, gulp.
Snow-Covered wiped her sweat and guzzled water from her leather canteen like it was nectar.
Meanwhile, I lifted my head to check the usual spot for his hideout.
"?"
But where the house should have been, only green trees and snow held court.
This had to be the place. Had he moved his hideout in the meantime?
I couldn't hide my confusion.
We weren't in the habit of exchanging letters, and there was no way to contact him anyway. How was I supposed to track down the Gray Wolf now?
My mind went blank as I quietly furrowed my brow.
But just then, Snow-Covered, who had been calmly drinking, startled.
"Ah, look over there!"
Had she spotted something?
I whipped my head around in surprise, following her pointing finger.
"Ah......"
There, nestled perfectly into the surrounding landscape at the base of the mountains, sat a sturdy village.
Smoke rose from firewood into the sky, a sure sign of habitation, while people bustled about industriously.
The wooden village looked hastily thrown together in the past year, but the foot traffic proved its size was no illusion.
Snow-Covered scratched her neck awkwardly.
"We didn't take a wrong turn, did we......?"
What was this feeling?
It was like visiting an old hometown friend after ages, only to find the quaint village of memory replaced by a strange new city.
But we couldn't just turn back now.
With a grim expression, I headed toward the village, where smoke curled lazily upward.
At first, I'd suspected bandits might have taken over during our absence.
But watching folks come and go along the mountain paths, they were mostly ordinary farmers or hunters snaring small game nearby.
The taint of bloodshed shows on the face.
These people might live harsh lives, but they weren't the type to survive by killing others.
This was safe enough.
After scanning the village with a sharp eye, I decided to get closer.
"Wrap up well so we don't stand out."
"Got it."
I first bound the two swords I'd brought with leather straps and thongs to my back.
Then I hid a sharp dagger in my clothes and removed my leather hood.
Clop, clop, clop.
Just then, an old cart pulled by a pony approached slowly from afar.
He looked like a farmer returning from spreading well-rotted winter manure.
Rustle.
We emerged from the brush like weary travelers who'd been walking for hours.
Then, as if sightseeing, we slowed our pace to match the cart naturally.
The farmer glanced our way.
Snow-Covered greeted him with an innocent, beaming smile, as if she knew nothing of the world.
"Hello! The weather's warmed up nicely, hasn't it?"
In these lawless backwoods, street greetings like that were practically begging for a knife in the ribs.
But if security were that bad around here, the farmer wouldn't be approaching strangers so casually.
His honest eyes slowly sized us up, like inspecting appearances.
The farmer chuckled as if charmed by a child and nodded amiably.
"Aye, makes driving the cart a breeze. And this one's your daughter?"
"Yes!"
In a blink, we'd become father and daughter.
But it was the perfect role to lower his guard, so I played along as kindly as possible.
Good thing, too.
I didn't know who ran the village yet, but they clearly kept the roads safe.
After chatting amiably with Snow-Covered for a while, the farmer offered us a ride.
"Hop on?"
"......You sure that's okay?"
"What's the harm?"
What harm, indeed.
Acting that carefree was just asking for a blade to the skull.
But I kept my thoughts to myself and climbed aboard the cart with Snow-Covered.
The pungent fertilizer stench stung my nose, but it wasn't unbearable.
The farmer urged the cart onward.
The pony fussed at the extra weight but mercifully moved.
Clop, clop, clop, clop.
"You folks come from far off, eh."
"That obvious?"
"Aye, most do. You hear the rumors and come running, don'tcha?"
Oversized packs bigger than ourselves, grubby looks, weary faces.
Now that he mentioned it, we looked just like the slash-and-burn settlers flooding in.
Perfect.
I lied smoothly.
"Spot on. Wife passed first, and the girl kept weighing on my mind. Looking for a safe place to settle."
"Tsk, tsk...... World's a cruel place."
I'd pawned off a nonexistent wife.
But the farmer bought it hook, line, and sinker, gazing at us sadly in turn, as if seeing a pitiful family adrift without a mother.
"You're in the right spot, then. Unlike other lands, we've got a knight here. Every bandit in the area lost their heads to him."
"A knight? A real knight?"
"You bet! You'll be shocked when you hear his name. Nobody around here doesn't know Sir Gray Wolf."
Found him.
I'd wondered where he'd gone after ditching his hideout. Turns out he'd built a proper village.
I'd pegged him as the type to hate crowded spots, so what wind blew him into playing village chief?
I couldn't make sense of it, but relief washed over me that he hadn't left the area.
Time to meet and talk.
Feeling like the first button was sewn on right, we fell silent obediently.
But the farmer kept chatting.
"Your wife must've been a beauty. Daughter's a looker, so..."
"Ah, yeah. She was."
"Heh heh, lucky thing. Doesn't take after her pa!"
"......"
Snow-Covered and the farmer laughed heartily.
I stroked my prematurely gray hair awkwardly and chuckled along.
Thanks to the kind farmer, we entered not just the front gate but the village proper without a hitch.
He'd vouched for us enthusiastically, and the guards didn't bat an eye at newcomers anyway.
Fitting for the Gray Wolf's turf.
After an emotional farewell to the farmer, we stepped into the village.
"Whoa, live fish!"
"Must be a river nearby."
We were greeted by sizable wooden buildings and a modest market square at their center.
It was basic barter, no coin, but it meant they were producing and trading.
This had to be all the local settlers banded into one force.
The Gray Wolf was doing exactly what we were—building a village from scratch elsewhere.
"Little miss, try one."
"Th-Thank you!"
The market folk were generous.
Circulating with Snow-Covered, checking faces, I could tell the Gray Wolf led them well as a chief.
"Master, you too."
Nom nom.
Snow-Covered, munching fruit, popped a piece into my mouth.
But I barely tasted it, eyes darting around busily.
Knowing he ruled here, I needed to meet him ASAP.
"- - - - - - -."
Large villages like this always have a chief's house or assembly hall for meetings and minor disputes.
And sure enough, at the village edge not far from the market stood a building styled like the Gray Wolf's old place.
I nudged Snow-Covered, distracted by the crowds, and quickened our pace toward it.
"That's settled, then. Report the rest later."
"Oh, thank you! Truly, thank you!"
Running a village like this required armed force for security.
Village militias or our well-drilled soldiers exemplified it.
The Gray Wolf knew it too—seasoned warriors stood guard before the hall path, weapons in hand. Bulging muscles, steel axes that could cleave skulls.
They evoked the huskarls he'd once led.
Not quite matching those battle-hardened veterans, of course.
"Next!"
They handled security and bridged the chief with villagers.
Proof: a long line of locals seeking the chief, and we were dead last.
"We're at the end."
"Just wait our turn. No sense causing a fuss."
The Gray Wolf valued rules and order.
He'd hate me breaking them, acquaintance or not.
Body aching a bit, I waited patiently with Snow-Covered.
Her patience, rare among kids her age, was a godsend.
Clank, clank, clank.
"?"
But as I set down our packs for a moment, the sharp clatter of arms echoed.
About ten warriors marched across the village center toward the hall.
The Gray Wolf?
Perfect timing—I turned eagerly.
But a boy's clear voice shattered that hope.
"Ha ha, good work, everyone!"
Sparkling platinum blond hair, a sword like from a fairy tale, ornate decorations.
Before the ten-odd huskarls, a beautiful boy with shining blond hair waved to the crowd.
"Welcome back!"
"All quiet while I was gone? Your bright faces make me happy."
The boy, mismatched with this barren wilds, oozed nobility and flair like those western elven aristocrats.
Yet locals smiled familiarly, bowing spontaneously in respect.
An old woman reaching for his hem, village girls blushing like they'd met a storybook prince.
I quietly watched the boy wave like a famous comedian before striding briskly into the hall.
Something felt off.
An instinctive revulsion licked at my nape, prickling my skin.