Chapter 74
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 74
He tilted his head to one side. Ever since the accident, his damaged senses had a habit of misfiring.
Waiting for the ringing in his ears to subside, he pushed past the woman and stepped into the barracks.
Whether she had been burning herbs all night again, the dim space was thick with the bitter scent of smoke. Yet, beneath the haze, a peculiar odor lingered—the sickly sweet fragrance of fruit just on the verge of rot.
It was a strange scent that had begun to emanate from the woman’s skin some time ago.
He held his breath for a moment before slowly inhaling the heavy air. Then, he called her name quietly.
“Thalia.”
There was no answer, but he could feel her presence.
His eyes scanned the cluttered space, moving past the strewn bowls, wine bottles, and water cups. He came to a halt when he spotted a heap of clothing piled next to the disheveled bed.
He crouched before a large chest tucked away in the corner of the tent.
As he carefully lifted the lid, a small figure curled into a tight ball came into view.
Once again, his body reacted strangely. It felt as though a horse’s hoof had struck him square in the solar plexus.
Stilling his churning insides, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
The woman, who had been burying her face in her knees, looked up.
Beneath lashes heavy with moisture, eyes of a pure, untainted blue were revealed. Clear tears blurred over skin as pale and translucent as a creature from the deep sea.
He cupped her damp cheeks, his thumb brushing against her reddened chin as he gently tilted her cowering head back.
Whether she had been scratched by something or had clawed at herself, several thin welts marked her slender nape. As he examined them, a cracked voice leaked from between her blood-red lips.
“The monsters… did you defeat them all?”
He looked into her eyes again.
Her deep blue irises, submerged in tears, wavered precariously.
He remembered the first time he had encountered those eyes. It was the first color he had ever seen on the day he regained his sight.
Feeling a tightening sensation deep in his throat, he took a long breath and straightened his stiffened body.
Supple, soft arms wrapped around his neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A thin wail dampened his taut skin.
“I thought I was being taken away again.”
Barkas tightened his arms around her.
That will never happen again.
The words hovered at the tip of his tongue before sliding back down his throat. Since the accident, he found himself frequently swallowing his words in her presence.
The things he left unsaid began to pile up inside him, layer by layer, like sediment.
Frowning at the uncomfortable sensation of a stone pressing down on his entrails, he gently stroked her narrow, trembling back.
Her stiff body gradually relaxed, winding around him softly. When he pulled her head slightly away from his shoulder to look at her face, he saw her eyes were closed; she had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
He toyed with her drooping golden lashes with his thumb, then readjusted his hold on her slipping body and scanned the room.
He spotted a coat hanging from a tent pole. Snatching it, he draped it over her and stepped outside.
As he strode across the campsite, several cavalry warriors busy dismantling tents cast curious glances his way. He pulled the cloak up to cover her head.
The men had been watching her like hungry wild dogs since before she was even five kvets tall. And this woman, though she feared them, would occasionally expose herself defenselessly before their eyes—as if she wouldn’t mind being bitten to death.
He pulled her even tighter against his chest and quickened his pace to shake off the bothersome stares.
Entering his own quarters, he laid her down on the bed. Her body, which had grown noticeably thinner over the past few months, caught his eye.
A sigh rose in his throat.
The irritating part was that her emaciation was only pushing her beauty in a more dangerous direction. Barkas let his gaze slide along the woman’s gaunt nape, her thin shoulders, and her prominent collarbones before turning toward the entrance.
The young squire who had followed to attend to him was stealing glances at her. Barkas’s half-dead nerves flared sharply.
He dismissed all the attendants and tightly fastened the entrance. It wasn’t a particularly good idea; the interior of the tent immediately filled with that sickly sweet scent she gave off.
He swallowed hard against a strange thirst that left his throat parched.
Roughly raking back his damp hair, he cast a restless gaze toward her. Her pale cheeks, stained with dried tear tracks, filled his vision.
Years ago, the words she had spat out in terror echoed in his mind.
“H-he said that. That he has no choice but to keep… keep looking for me, as if he’s addicted…”
He bit down firmly on the soft flesh inside his cheek until he tasted blood.
Tapping his temple with his fingertips, he picked up the coat he had left in the corner.
When he stepped outside, the metallic tang of blood filled his lungs.
He inhaled deeply to wash away the murky scent lingering in the back of his throat. Barakan, who had finished arming himself, approached.
“Preparations are mostly complete. We can leave as soon as your tent is packed. Shall we dismantle it now?”
“In an hour.”
After a brief pause, Barkas spoke in a low voice.
“We’ll depart after taking a breather.”
A flicker of an amused smile crossed Barakan’s lips. He shrugged and replied lightly.
“As you wish.”
The man turned away to relay the orders to his subordinates.
Barkas sat on a water barrel and looked out at the Norden Plains, faintly visible through the dense trees. A gust of dry wind scratched harshly against his cheek.
A somewhat familiar scent spread through the air.
Where had he smelled that before?
As he searched through his hazy memories, the howl of a wolf drifted from afar.
He turned his head. A mournful resonance stretched out from the edge of the forest.
* * *
Her weakened body could not withstand the long journey, and she suffered from a continuous fever.
Looking up at the swaying ceiling of the carriage, Thalia tossed and turned, gasping for breath. The carriage moved at a speed barely faster than a walk, but even that slight vibration was torture.
Thalia clutched her head, fighting a splitting headache.
Just then, the sharp blast of a horn sounded from outside. Had they finally reached their destination? She dragged herself up and looked out the window. Through her fever-dream vision, the landscape of the vast plains came into view.
Thalia’s eyes widened. A deep green prairie stretched out endlessly, meeting the sky. A whirlwind swept over the lush grass.
She opened the window to cool her burning face in the chilly wind.
“That over there is Kalmor.”
Startled by the sudden voice, she jerked her head and saw a man riding a horse right beside her. He drew closer and offered a friendly smile.
“I am Tyron. We were introduced before; do you remember?”
She kept her mouth shut, offering only a wary look. The man’s smile faded slightly. After a brief, searching gaze, he continued softly, undeterred by her cold reception.
“You seem to be in very poor health.”
“……”
“We will arrive at Raedgo Castle soon. See there? Can you see the walls?”
The man pointed ahead. Thalia followed his finger.
At the edge of the horizon, she saw ash-and-sand-colored walls that looked as if they were molded from dust. She leaned her head out the window to see more clearly.
Raedgo Castle appeared to have been constructed by stacking massive boulders. Thick outer walls, built without ornamentation, seamlessly surrounded the foot of the hill. Above them, towers and fortresses of various sizes, composed entirely of sharp, straight lines, rose tall.
She reflexively covered her nape.
Perhaps it was because the place where she would now have to live looked so utterly desolate, but a chill ran down her spine.