Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Romance of Running Away
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The runaway went very smoothly. Search parties from the Grand Duke's family passed right by me time and again, but none of them recognized me as they dashed off to other places. No surprise there—who would peg me for the Grand Duke's Heir in my ragged clothes and with that makeshift reed hat pulled low over my face?
One knight did stop me for questioning, putting me in a brief moment of crisis. But when I dropped to my knees like any tenant farmer would and answered with my face buried in the dirt, he didn't catch on and just moved along.
'Ah, this is the life.'
Fluffy clouds drifted across the blue sky. I was riding in the back of an ox cart driven by a kindly old villager, shaking the foxtail grass clenched in my teeth to shoo away the grasshoppers buzzing toward my face. Having traveled southeast for over three days now, the full bloom of spring was everywhere.
I happened to spot a basket within reach and narrowed my eyes. It was packed with nicely baked barley bread—and a generous amount at that. More than enough for the grandpa driving the cart to eat all day with plenty left over.
'Well, eating too much isn't good for your health anyway.'
I slyly pulled out two loaves and took a bite. Soon, a rich vegetable aroma filled my mouth. The slight saltiness suggested there was stewed vegetables stuffed inside.
Amazed by the rare treat, I sat up and called out to the grandpa.
"Grandpa, this barley bread is really delicious, isn't it?"
The old man cupped a hand to his ear and glanced around.
"What?"
"The bread's delicious. Your wife must be quite the cook."
"Well, my old lady's still got some skill to her, even at her age."
He beamed innocently, flashing his toothless gums. I rolled my eyes and lay back down.
A little while later, the cart reached a fork in the road. The sign pointed left to Lorai Village and right to Hoppa Village. Both paths led toward my destination, but as the cart veered left, I hopped off right away.
The road to Lorai Village passed by a military camp where Viscount Granther's troops were garrisoned. Soldiers were probably swarming the place, so it was best avoided if possible.
"Grandpa, I'll be heading out now. Take care and stay healthy."
He either didn't hear or just kept going, driving the cart off into the distance. With that, I shouldered my firewood bundle and headed toward Hoppa Village.
"Finally made it."
Hoppa Village, my destination, was known as a rural hamlet nestled at the foot of the Drwin Mountains. Monster raids were common, marking it as one of the more dangerous spots in the territory, yet it teemed with people. All because a side path from Hoppa led to a smuggling route straight to Kalligo Kingdom.
The Yosrahim Empire, which had enshrined the faith of the Light God Lu as its state religion, was locked in fierce conflict with Kalligo Kingdom, devotees of the Dark God Nox. Ever since human civilization began, the forces of light and darkness had clashed endlessly, so it wasn't anything unusual. Even so, the two nations had only recently spilled rivers of blood in all-out war.
Official trade between them had been cut off as a result, but as in any human world, they turned a blind eye to smuggling for those special goods each side needed.
Even as a power of light, the Yosrahim Empire showed some flexibility toward the forces of darkness. After all, it had been neutral until about two hundred years ago. It got battered from both sides by the powers of light above and darkness below until it finally sided with the light—but old traditions lingered.
A prime example was the empire's national flag.
The emblem on the Yosrahim Empire's banner depicted a sun and moon together, symbolizing the neutral Yin-Yang God. Light forces had demanded they change it countless times, but they stubbornly refused, citing that it was the banner raised by their founding emperor, Siegfried. Now they just ignored the complaints outright. Back then, they were merely a small northern kingdom; now, they were the continent's strongest empire. Power really does make everything easier.
'Anyway, our empire's got some real grit.'
Hoppa Village was one of the hubs for this smuggling trade. The treacherous terrain was a risk, but that same difficulty kept it hidden from temples and the general public, making it a rare gem of a smuggling route.
It could only happen because we were the Yosrahim Empire. Other light-aligned nations knew about it under the table but never called them out openly.
I entered Hoppa Village with a light heart.
'Whoa, is this a town or a village?'
The place had a red-light district, a mercenary guild, even a magic communication office. It was practically a city in scale, but no regular army was stationed there. Even for an empire, placing troops at a smuggling hub would draw too much attention. So security fell to the militia and mercenaries, except in special cases.
Still, I couldn't ditch the reed hat. No way someone as thorough as Count Meyer wouldn't have plastered wanted posters with my face all over a place like Hoppa with its magic comms.
Plus, Yosrahim intelligence agents operated here in droves, sniffing out any Kalligo spies who might infiltrate.
"Hey, big brother, wanna have some fun here..."
As I passed the red-light district, a prostitute called out to me. She looked middle-aged, nothing special to look at. Probably why she bothered with a scruffy woodcutter like me. I ignored her and kept walking.
Even if I'm known as a womanizer who can't resist a pretty face, I've got my principles—I only chase the beautiful ones.
'Not to mention, no money.'
Soon, I reached the entrance to the smuggling path. Ten mercenaries guarded it, and they scowled the moment they saw me—thanks to my filthy look and the stench of cow dung.
"You, where you headed?"
"To gather wood."
"Why this way?"
"An uncle I know said there's a stand of eo trees near the pond, so I figured I'd check it out."
The mercenary nodded. Eo wood burned hot and long—perfect for firewood. Only veteran campers like wandering mercenaries or pro woodcutters would know that.
"Got it. Show your ID then."
I put on my most innocent, boyish face to look underage.
"I'm not an adult yet, so I don't have one. IDs only come at the year after next."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
He scanned my appearance and nodded. I'd just turned of age this year. Pushing the minor angle didn't seem off at all.
"Fine, go ahead. But don't go too far. It's dangerous."
"Got it."
As I started into the entrance, another mercenary nearby sharpened his gaze and called out.
"Hey, and you."
I clenched my fist tight.
"Yes?"
"For god's sake, go wash up. Show up like this again, and we'll kick you out on sight. What is that cow-shit smell? Ugh."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
Once inside the mountain path, I glanced back. Just checking for any intel agents tailing me on suspicion. Nothing. Smooth sailing.
Best of all, no real ID check—the thing I'd worried most about. Sure, I'd made it this far anyway, but dodging a forcible breakthrough was lucky. Meant I could vanish completely.
No one would find me easily now. The next place I'd show my face in the empire was Viscount Graf's territory at the northern edge of the Divinum Holy Site. No one would dream I'd head there.
I tossed the firewood bundle off a nearby cliff and bolted up the mountain.
"Yojjo, I'm coming! Hold on~"
The scenery whipped by. Branches I brushed snapped loudly, and a pack of rabbits playing on the path froze in shock, too stunned to flee as I blew past.
I'm faster than anyone. I'd only run a short while, but I'd already crested two peaks—and the next was nearly in reach.
'Whew~ tougher than I thought.'
But the mountain trek wasn't a walk in the park.
This body wasn't the one I'd had in my past life before dying. Mana pooled inside was a mere droplet, and my physique wasn't honed to satisfaction. Definitely not as fast as my prime.
The silver lining? My mana kept growing steadily, thanks to its nature.
Mana acts as the binder between a human's physical body and intangible mind. But the mind now inhabiting this body wasn't that of a fresh young adult—it was a swordsman's from my past life, one who'd just entered the Master realm with immense mental strength.
That created an imbalance between my suddenly elevated mental power and scant mana. To stabilize it, mana—the essence of harmony—was ramping up fast to match.
At this rate, I'd recover all the mana from my past life in about ten days. And as mana grew, my body would toughen up quick too.
"Time for a break."
I paused for rest as soon as I entered the deep mountains. Still had stamina to spare, but burning it too fast could invite trouble.
The Drwin Mountains teemed with monsters. The rugged vastness made subjugation tough.
Anyone crossing had to conserve energy for potential ambushes.
Funny thing: according to the Codex of Creation, which chronicled the history of creation, monsters shouldn't exist in this world. The Creation Gods and their subordinates had sealed every dimensional rift—gateways for chaos and void forces to seep in. Yet monsters existed and kept appearing, proof the dimensional walls were weakening, letting chaos and void trickle through.
Humanity was oblivious. Monsters had plagued them since long before recorded history.
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years.
A blink in the gods' creative timeline, but an eternity for humans—one that normalized the Age of Ruin. Yes, humanity's downfall had been underway for ages. The event eight years from now would just be the heavenly gods placing the final period.
The Romance of Running Away End