The Star Traveler
He raced onward with cloud-wreathed snow peaks towering in the background.
The snowfields they crossed by dog sled were utterly wondrous.
Glaciers floated here and there over the sea, while in places blessed with sunlight, the snow had melted away to reveal the earth beneath.
To his surprise, blue-tinged moss could be seen under the snow.
Now and then, reindeer would appear and dig at it with their hooves to feed.
Trailing after them were northern foxes as white as the snow itself.
The moment they spotted an opening, they hunted down any reindeer that strayed from the herd.
Once the foxes had eaten their fill, whatever scraps remained belonged to the ground squirrels.
And while those little scavengers picked at the leftovers, northern wolves would stalk them from behind.
It was a world of eat and be eaten.
It was very different from Ulbazar Swamp, where insects and venomous bugs had swarmed in such numbers.
The animals of the north, adapted to the bitter cold, were each enduring the endless winter in their own way.
A dog sled could travel farther than a carriage.
Just as Ralph had boasted, the sled covered astonishing distances.
As long as he gave the dogs proper breaks now and then, they pulled with obvious delight.
“Are we done running for today?”
“A blizzard is coming. Reaching a safe campsite comes first.”
There was no need to meet danger in the middle of the snowfields.
Thanks to Ralph, who knew the safe campsites in every region, they never had to worry about getting lost.
They pushed hard when they needed to.
They rested when they had to.
And before the storm could hit, the sled slipped away as though by magic.
When that happened not once, but three or four times over, Lawrence stopped doubting Ralph’s skill as a guide.
The north was not all endless snow, either.
There were places where short trees clustered together, and beneath cliffs where migratory birds had nested, the ground lay exposed in a rare, bare stretch.
On the third day after leaving Winterglen, Lawrence, now somewhat accustomed to the road, lit a campfire.
“Fire.”
The hard-won kindling caught at once.
The flame would not last long, but thanks to the warm magic he had borrowed, the cold of night no longer seemed quite so frightening.
The campsite this time was near a little stand of trees where a herd of reindeer could be seen.
Or rather, calling it a forest was almost laughable.
At most, there couldn’t have been even fifty trees growing there.
Still, since the area was dotted with small and large patches of grass, it was a sight rarely seen in the north.
The reindeer seemed wary of the unfamiliar visitors, but once they understood there was no danger, they did not flee.
After casting the warm spell on Ralph, Lawrence spoke.
“Everything that grows in the north is so small.”
“It has to be. Anything tall won’t survive.”
Ralph set a pot of stew over the fire.
“The plants up here ward off the cold with snow. They bloom by drawing on the warmth rising from the earth. Even fire-moth larvae hide in the snow, eating and growing like that. After a few years of that life, they make cocoons and fly off as fire moths.”
“That’s amazing. I can understand the plants, but is there really anything for the caterpillars to eat under all that snow?”
“The plants grow inside the snow. The larvae eat those plants.”
Lawrence could not quite hide his astonishment.
It felt as though everything, from first to last, fitted together perfectly.
The words great nature rose in his mind and then vanished.
Along with the stew, they drank schada.
Black tea mixed with butter made for a tea with a wonderfully rich, nutty flavor.
The shopkeeper had been right.
There was nothing better for warming the body.
“This place is a little more dangerous than the other campsites. Sometimes wolves or bears come sniffing around after the reindeer.”
“Then I’ll trust these guys. They notice monsters before we do.”
Lawrence looked at the dogs, resting in the warmth of the fire.
They had let out contented whines, and after running to their hearts’ content, they seemed to be in high spirits.
“You’re an excellent mage. Aren’t you planning to hunt any monsters?”
“I wasn’t hired for extermination. There’s no reason for me to go hunting monsters right now.”
“That’s a strange answer. If you can kill a monster, it turns into money. That’s what mercenaries do—they kill monsters and make a living doing it.”
At Ralph’s reply, Lawrence said, “If you leave a place where monsters have gathered, only more monsters will come. Sure, I could kill monsters and make money, but for the people who live on this land, it isn’t such a simple matter, is it?”
The real trouble came after the killing was done.
Just because there was a forest in front of him didn’t mean he could ignore the trees.
“Say I kill a bear. Another monster will just take its place. To be blunt, if a monster like a wendigo moved in, where would the reindeer even set foot? And this is a campsite, too. It may be safe now, but if other monsters start gathering here, the territory will be thrown into chaos. Then it wouldn’t even be usable as a campsite anymore. Acting however I want for my own gain isn’t a good thing.”
Ralph stared at Lawrence, dumbfounded.
“Are you really a mercenary?”
“Yes. I’m a mercenary. And a mage.”
“I can’t tell whether it’s the mage who’s amazing, or you.”
“I’d like to say both are amazing. But if I’m being honest, I’d especially like to say that I’m amazing.”
Somehow, his shoulders had straightened a little.
Lawrence offered a silent thanks to François, who was not there to hear it.
As the saying went, the more you know, the more you see.
Not only Neil, but all the knowledge he had learned from her had not been wasted.
“Then let me change my question. What business does such an amazing mage have, coming all the way to Reindeer Village?”
“Hmm…. To be honest, I’m looking for a Sherpa.”
There was no particular reason to hide it.
Taking the stew from Ralph, Lawrence continued, “I was told the place I’m looking for is somewhere in the north. I thought a Sherpa would know where the building is, and maybe be able to guide me there, so here I am.”
“May I ask what sort of building it is?”
“A palace left behind by the people of the north.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it. The north’s legacy isn’t inside the Wall. Could you have heard wrong, and it’s somewhere beyond it?”
“No. I heard it from someone I can trust. I’m certain there’s a palace left by the people of the north inside the Wall.”
The stew with seal meat was rather dry.
The fishy smell wafting up from it was not his imagination.
Still, with schada, it was not bad enough to be inedible.
“As you can see, even Ralph doesn’t know. That should be enough of an answer as to why I’m looking for the Sherpa.”
“Well, I’ve heard the seer of Reindeer Village can see the unseen and hear the unheard. If there really is a palace left behind by the people of the north somewhere in this part of the world, then surely they’d have heard at least some rumor of it.”
“The seer?” Lawrence asked, unfamiliar with the title.
“Put simply, the village chief. The person who leads Reindeer Village.”
“It seems to have a religious meaning as well….”
“It does. I don’t know the details myself, but according to rumor, they hear mysterious whispers.”
Mysterious whispers.
Suddenly, Lawrence thought of Elvira’s eldest sister.
The woman who had led the gypsies had been someone who had awakened to conceptual cognition.
Could the seer of Reindeer Village have awakened to it as well?
“That’s welcome news, then. After all, I’m taking the time and spending the money to come all this way. If it turns out to be a wasted trip, I can’t deny it would be discouraging.”
If they truly knew nothing, then he would have to seek out the Watchers.
Saint Wall.
The Wall of Winter.
He had heard that reaching it was a grueling journey.
So far, things had gone fairly smoothly, but human affairs could change in the blink of an eye.
If he assumed the worst…
He might have to go all the way to the Wall.
Still, he hoped he would not need to use François’s handkerchief.
Lawrence made that quiet wish to himself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
They arrived in Reindeer Village on the eighth day, one day later than expected.
The village, set on high ground, showed no sign of a palisade.
On the barren hillside, where only stone could be seen, houses like caves were scattered here and there.
Among them, the building on the hilltop stood apart.
It was the only structure in the village decorated with flags.
Red, yellow, blue, green, white.
Countless flags fluttered in the north wind.
Small stone towers, painted in the same colors as the flags, stood around the building.
Along the edge of the village were many ornaments whose purpose he could not guess.
A bone tower carved from the skeleton of an animal.
Some strange horn-shaped structure made by carving wood.
Beyond that, there were many dog houses, much like Ralph’s home.
Though the way the dogs were kept was a little different.
In Reindeer Village, the dogs were not tied up two at a time, but each kept separately.
Perhaps they were fed generously as a matter of course, too.
Children gathered in front of the kennels and freely handed out food.
Lawrence watched the children’s clothes closely.
Were they a traditional costume of some ethnic minority?
The leather garments looked as though they had been turned inside out and worn that way.
The pure white fur covering their bodies looked warm at a glance.
“An anorak. It’s a traditional garment that wishes good fortune upon a child.”
Ralph, who had read Lawrence’s gaze, said that.
After tying the dog sled off to one side, he walked over to the children.
“Please tell the seer that Ralph has come with a guest.”
“Oh, it’s Uncle Ralph. The seer has been waiting for you.”
“The seer has been waiting?”
“Yes. They said you’d come together with a traveler guided by the stars.”
Guided by the stars.
His hunch had been right.
To this day, the only person he had heard speak of being guided by the stars was that eldest sister.
The seer, too, seemed to have awakened to conceptual cognition.
“Now I’m even more confused.”
“Didn’t Ralph already say it? The seer knows a great many things. Maybe they already knew we were coming.”
Ralph still looked as though he couldn’t make sense of any of it.
But Lawrence had nothing useful to tell him.
“Traveler of the stars. Don’t I have something to give you?”
The child stared up at Lawrence.
Something came to his mind at that look.
“It’s the thing the silver-plate mercenary Singh gave me.”
A figurine resembling a deer.
He now knew it was not a deer, but a reindeer.
“Yes. That’s right. I’ve checked it. Then shall we go?”
Carefully tucking the reindeer figurine away, the child set off first.
“What’s that?”
“I got it from the mercenary who introduced me to this village. He said to give it to a resident once we arrived.”
The two of them followed the child up the hill.
It was a place where people lived, after all.
Inside the village, residents were moving about busily.
A man cutting into frozen seal meat.
Women preparing a meal and fetching water.
A sturdy young man who had brought back wood was making something with it.
They merely greeted the guests with a light nod or a brief wave, as though nothing about it was worth surprise.
It was a peaceful scene full of ordinary village life.
The sight, somehow heartwarming, made Lawrence’s shoulders feel lighter.
The child led them to the building atop the highest hill in the village.
“The seer is waiting inside.”
“…….”
Lawrence could not answer at once.
They had climbed all the way here without pause.
Never mind his heavy legs; he had to catch his breath first.
The child’s expression, as if she could not understand why, stung a little.
From the girl’s perspective, it probably made no sense at all.
“Uncle Ralph, please wait here. The seer only allowed the Star Traveler to enter.”
The child stopped Ralph.
He looked at Lawrence without the slightest hint of disappointment.
“Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll go in alone.”
Ironically, this was not Lawrence’s first time dealing with something like this.
It had been the same when he met the eldest sister Elvira had introduced him to.
With his mind lightened, Lawrence reached for the door, intending to knock.
Creak.
As though it had been waiting, the door opened by itself.
“…….”
He didn’t even need to raise his hand.
Before he could knock, the master of the house had already welcomed him inside.
“Excuse me.”
Lawrence stepped through the doorway.
Soft pools of light trembled in the air.
The interior was sunk in overall dark tones.
Under the candlelight, he could make out tableware with an antique feel to it.
Were they traditional objects used by the north’s minority peoples?
The dishes, somehow even tinged with a religious air, carried a deep, muted color.
Lamps and cups.
A long candlestick and a blanket that resembled the light of the night sky.
The room, with its bitter fragrance rising through the air, felt strangely uncanny.
The seer was right there within it.
Kneeling on a cushion, he was an old man of slight build.
His face was hard to see.
The seer’s eyes were hidden beneath a black blindfold, and he wore all manner of ornaments.
Objects made from animal bone and claws gave off a chilling air.
Even the adornments running from his shoulders down to his feet were made of leather and bone.
Exotic, in an almost unsettling way.
Clearing his throat, Lawrence began, “Pleased to meet yo—”
“Show respect to Lord Skarma, Star Traveler.”
As though greetings were unnecessary, the seer cut him off.
Skarma?
He raised a hand and pointed at something.
There, he saw a white statue of uncertain origin.
A man in a baggy robe.
There was no hair on the top of his head.
His eyes were sharp like a hawk’s, and his nose curved downward.
The head was disproportionately large, perhaps because it had been carved as a statue.
For some reason, the figure looked familiar.
The holy site in Ulbazar Swamp.
There was no mistaking it: the statue he had seen there was standing in this very place.