The City Where the Wind Blows, Windenstadt (1)
Whoooosh— whoooosh—.
A windmill, perhaps…? We had finally arrived.
Windenstadt, a city situated in the heart of the Nortwind region in eastern Adelgard.
Ever since the wind god fell silent, the air currents across this land had twisted into a chaotic tangle. People built artificial wind-generating devices and appointed officials called Wind-keepers to manage them.
According to what the mercenaries told me, the devices in this city had malfunctioned, causing strange phenomena. Was it their doing?
Any scrap of information would do. If I could find even the smallest clue, that would be enough.
While I was thinking that, a jarring noise drifted in from the eastern direction.
Screeech—! Creeeak—!
The sound of rusted metal. What an unpleasant noise.
I hadn’t heard anything like it when I passed through here briefly before… Was that the area where the anomalies were occurring?
“Ah, shit, seriously! My ears are gonna fall off!”
Brita scowled and let out an irritated growl. The massive double-bladed axe resting on her shoulder clanked menacingly.
“What the hell are those Wind-keepers even doing? Can’t they hear that godawful racket? Tsk!”
She spat on the ground in frustration. Her words were crude, but I agreed with her.
Could the people in the city really not hear that sound? It was audible even from this far away, where the devices on the mountain were barely visible.
“…Hey, Krim. You even listening to me?”
Brita, who had been grumbling, whipped around to face me.
“What?”
“…You zoned out again, didn’t you?”
She let out a short sigh and continued.
“We’re almost at the castle gate.”
“Yeah, I see it too.”
“Do you know where we’re supposed to go once we’re inside?”
“They said the headquarters. You told me the old man already sent word ahead, right?”
“Oh, you actually remembered.”
I tilted my head slightly and gave her an exasperated look.
“You’ve been spacing out so much I wasn’t sure.”
?
Was she teasing me?
“The headquarters is past the market street. Since the old man already made arrangements, we just need to head there.”
The mercenary captain had sent a letter in advance. With his connections, there probably wouldn’t be any issues.
Hmm…
“Understood, Miss ‘Red-Haired Caracal Rita.’”
I used the nickname the captain had called her.
“Hey!!”
She exploded in anger.
“Don’t call me that! Take it back before I knock your head clean off!”
Her face flushed red as she glared at me.
Was it that bad?
“Yeah. Retracted.”
“Hey!!”
She really was easy to read.
After passing through the castle gate and entering the streets, the metallic scraping that had echoed from the mountainside had vanished completely. It seemed they were using wind magic to block outside noise. It was probably a temporary measure, but it wouldn’t solve the root problem.
“Wow. There are a ton of people here,” Brita remarked. I glanced across the market street.
“Fresh apples! Ten cog each! Three for twenty-five cog!”
“Herring caught fresh this morning! Thirty cog a fish! You won’t find them this good anywhere else!”
“Come on, come on! Last rye loaves, ten cog each! Bargain prices, folks!”
Sniff, sniff—
Brita wrinkled her nose, taking in the smells.
“Hey, Krim. Let’s grab some food first. All we’ve had since we left are those dried-out jerky strips. My stomach’s about to stick to my spine.”
She strode straight toward a stall grilling meat skewers.
“Hah…”
I let out a small sigh and followed after her.
“Two meat skewers!”
“Coming right up, ladies! That’ll be thirty cog!”
I pulled an iron coin from my pouch and handed it to the vendor. The coin was intricately engraved with a gear pattern—the currency used throughout the continent.
“Yes! One pheros received! Here’s your change, seventy cog!”
The merchant deftly counted out seven small copper coins. I took the skewers and shoved one toward Brita’s mouth.
“Here. Eat.”
“Hey… are you trying to pick a fight with me or what?”
She bit down hard, cheeks bulging, and growled through the food.
“What was that earlier? ‘Red-Haired Caracal Rita’? You really want your skull cracked open, huh?!”
What was she even saying…?
“Finish eating first, then talk.”
She huffed and began wolfing down the skewer at an impressive speed.
“I was just copying the captain. What’s the big deal?”
I took a calm bite of my own skewer.
“Besides, it suits you. The way you growl like a wildcat—”
“You little—!”
She gripped the handle of her axe tightly, but soon lowered it again. I knew she wouldn’t actually draw it here in the middle of the city.
“Ugh! I’m not wasting my energy getting mad at that deadpan face of yours!”
I stared at her with an expressionless gaze.
“?”
“Forget it, just forget it!”
She pressed her fingers against her brow and answered. Had I said something wrong?
She changed the subject as if trying to move on.
“For a place with such dark rumors, it’s surprisingly lively. Everyone passing by is smiling.”
At her words, I glanced around. Men drunk since midday. Women carrying laundry back home. Children running somewhere with bright smiles.
It really was a peaceful sight.
“…Are you feeling sick?”
“No. Not really. Why?”
“Just wondering.”
After a brief pause, she added, “You look… sad somehow.”
“…”
My homeland came to mind. It hadn’t been as bustling as this city, but I had once wanted to live like this too.
“It’s nothing. If you’re done eating, let’s get going.”
“…Sure, whatever.”
She didn’t press any further. I adjusted the emblem hidden beneath my cloak and quickened my pace.
After passing through the market street, we reached the Wind-keepers’ headquarters. The moment we arrived in front of the massive stone building, the cheerful atmosphere of the market disappeared entirely, replaced by a heavy, icy tension.
We headed for the entrance.
“Halt right there!”
Two guards in silver armor crossed their spears, blocking our path.
“Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter!”
They stared down at us with wary eyes. It was exactly as I had expected. In a situation like this, they weren’t about to let just anyone inside.
“Tsk!”
Brita stepped forward and thrust out her mercenary badge.
“We’re from Ostenfels. This should be enough, right?”
The soldier who took the badge looked us up and down.
“You’re the ones Sir Bernhard sent…?”
His expression was full of doubt. Hah. Was this the attitude to show people who had come at their request for help?
When I glanced sideways, I saw Brita’s brow furrow deeply. I needed to step in before things got worse.
“We accepted the commission. I understand it was prearranged with the mercenary company. Is there some problem?”
The soldier turned his suspicious gaze toward me.
“Since Sir Bernhard vouched for you, I suppose you’re trustworthy. However…”
He trailed off, then continued with clear disappointment.
“He never mentioned he would be sending people like you.”
“This bastard—!”
Brita flared up, hand reaching for her axe.
“Wait, Brita.”
“Move! How dare you insult the captain?!”
Captain. Not the casual “old man” she usually called him. She was truly furious.
I stretched out an arm to block her path, then turned my head and gave a small nod.
“Leave this to me.”
“…Tch.”
She looked unhappy but took a step back. Fighting here would only cause trouble. No matter how unpleasant, information came first. I just had to endure it a little longer.
“…I had no intention of insulting him. I apologize for that.”
The soldier bowed at the waist in apology. It was purely formal; I could sense no sincerity in his words. What an irritating man.
“Understood,” I said, suppressing my irritation. “Then where should we begin our investigation?”
“There have been sightings of suspicious individuals. People in black cloaks appearing in the back alleys.”
Black cloaks. The outfit of someone obviously up to no good.
“Is there any other information about them?”
“It’s not confirmed, but they were apparently wearing some kind of skull emblem.”
A skull emblem?
Could it be…?
I showed him the emblem I kept hidden inside my cloak.
“Does it look like this?”
“It seems to match. There are grotesquely twisted horns attached to—”
The soldier suddenly stopped speaking. I could see the muscles in his face go rigid.
“Um… is something wrong?”
He asked me cautiously. The mocking attitude from earlier had completely vanished.
“You…”
Brita reacted with mild surprise as well. Of course she would. She had never seen me make this kind of expression before.
My face was reflected in the tip of the soldier’s spear. The corners of my mouth were torn upward in a wide, unnatural grin. It could only be described as a smile filled with madness.
Finally… finally…!! I had found a lead.
Vrrrrm— vrrrrm—
Gram responded to my heart, emitting a dark green glow.
“Thank you for the information. From what you’ve said, it seems you haven’t conducted any separate investigation?”
“Y-yes… We’ve been short on time.”
“You must be very busy. We’ll take our leave now.”
I answered with clear sarcasm. Since he had spoken to us that way first, he could hardly complain.
With that, we turned away from the building.
“…You okay?”
Brita asked, avoiding my eyes.
“About what?”
I had regained my composure and answered briefly.
“That expression… I’ve never seen it before.”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence settled between us.
“For a long time…”
I was the one who broke it.
“Huh?”
“I’ve been tracking it for a long time. This emblem.”
I took it out and showed her again.
“What the hell is it? You never gave me a straight answer whenever I asked before.”
“…My enemies.”
“What?”
“They’re my… enemies.”
“…”
Brita fell silent after hearing my answer.
“My home village, the people there, and… my parents… They were all taken by those bastards.”
My face twisted as I continued.
“I will find every last one of them and make them pay.”
“I see…”
She fell into thought for a moment. It looked as though she were tracing through old memories. It was a far cry from her usual confident demeanor.
Had she experienced something similar?
“Well, fine!”
Brita closed her eyes, lifted her head, and spoke.
“Let’s go all the way with this!”
“Huh?”
“Hah, the more I think about those bastards, the more they piss me off.”
She looked at me and continued.
“Let’s wipe them out. Every last one of those vermin.”
Then she flashed a wide grin.
Good grief. I had no idea how long this journey might take. And yet she was saying she would follow me without hesitation. I didn’t have the money to keep hiring her for that long…
“Ah, money’s not an issue.”
…Was it written all over my face?
“This is something I want to do for my own reasons.”
She really was a strange one…
I averted my eyes from Brita’s and answered.
“Do as you like, then.”
“…Thank you.”
“What? I didn’t catch that.”
She had heard me perfectly.
“Hah… I said thank you.”
“Haha! Look at you! Finally saying something cute!”
Thump, thump—
She burst out laughing and ruffled my hair. Did I look like a cat to her? She was the one who kept getting called a wildcat.
Sigh…
Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted.