Chapter 22
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Journey
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#
“The wedding is to be held in Eisleburg.”
Ulrich spoke at the forest’s edge, gazing at the sun hanging in the sky.
“Not in Solna, where the Grand Temple is?”
Roberta asked, reining in her horse to a stop behind him.
“Richard… that boy is not on good terms with the Pantheon. He despises the priests’ involvement. That’s why he abandoned Solna, the old capital and home to the Grand Temple, and made his core stronghold, Eisleburg, the new capital.”
As she recalled, Eisleburg was a city at the kingdom’s southern tip. It was at the complete opposite end of the country compared to the Duchy of Dithmarschen.
This was why the three of them—Ulrich, Roberta, and Fritz—had stopped at the entrance to this forest. They had to pass through it to take a direct route to their destination, Eisleburg, at the southern extreme.
“Ah… so that’s why we’re not taking the main road.”
Ulrich nodded.
“We have plenty of time before the wedding, but if we don’t go through this forest, we’ll have to take a significant detour along the highway. That would leave us with little room to spare. And as you know, one can never predict what might happen in life.”
Roberta and Fritz looked at the forest.
It was a forest of giant trees that grew so tall it hurt one’s neck to look up. The space between the trees was wide, but each one was so massive that it felt like standing before a fortress wall.
“This place is called the Snow Forest.”
It was a truly unfitting name.
There was no snow, only a sea of green, and the day was sweltering.
“It’s a name from long ago, hmm… back when Dithmarschen was part of the Ice Peninsula. It was the border separating the peninsula from the lands to its south, so it was always covered in snow due to the peninsula's influence. Back then, swarms of snow fairies lived here.”
Snow fairies. A race she had never seen in person. According to texts, they were small, winged fairies with pointed ears, and they loved frigid places, so much so that there was a saying, “They bring the winter with them.”
“Do they not live here anymore, my lord?”
At the mention of fairies, Fritz’s eyes sparkled as he asked.
“They couldn’t even if they wanted to. A snow fairy living in a place this hot would be like a human living on the Ice Peninsula. They left for other places when the temperature rose.”
With that, Ulrich urged his horse forward and entered the forest.
Roberta and Fritz followed. The moment they stepped into the woods, shadows fell over them, and their vision went dark. Coming from the bright summer sun outside into the deep shade within had disoriented their eyes.
The forest had felt immense from the outside, but it was even more so from within. The giant trees blotted out the sky, so that even if you tilted your head back, you could only see leaves.
What if they lost their way? There were no people, so they had to forge their own path, and with the sky hidden from view, she felt as if they might never escape the forest.
“Don’t worry. We won’t get lost.”
Ulrich said, as if reading her thoughts.
“I’ve been here a few times before.”
“When was that?”
Ulrich thought for a moment before answering.
“Well, the last time I was here was about 80 years ago.”
Eighty years?
She suppressed a cough that threatened to escape. Of course. They were navigating a path where one could easily become lost, relying on a memory nearly a century old. She trusted him, but she couldn’t help the sudden surge of bewilderment.
In contrast, Fritz, riding beside her, simply rounded his mouth and let his eyes sparkle. It seemed that for the boy who had just turned sixteen, anything the old man said was wonderful.
“That’s… that’s a very long time ago.”
“It is. But it doesn’t seem to have changed much.”
Ulrich said, looking around.
“Do you remember what it was like back then?”
“No, I wasn’t paying attention to the scenery. All I remember is passing through here with Adnan… my vassals at the time, hunting a monster.”
But there was a certain feeling one gets when seeing the same thing again, Ulrich added.
Roberta looked around the forest and thought it was probably true. It was a place untouched by people. Who would have dared to set foot in this forest before the three of them?
A forest untouched by human hands does not change easily unless a disaster strikes. The scenery Ulrich had glimpsed nearly a century ago was likely no different from what they saw now.
Perhaps they were treading the exact same path he had walked back then, and perhaps the same trees that had greeted Ulrich then were greeting him again.
“Beyond here, when we exit the forest, there’s a village. It belongs to the County of Goeten. I don’t remember its name, but that’s where I caught the monster I was chasing. We should arrive tomorrow.”
What must he be feeling?
Encountering the same place not after a few months or years, but after a gap as long as a person’s lifetime, was an experience she had yet to have. Would she ever, even once in her life?
“It must have changed a lot, after all this time.”
“I suppose so.”
He had lived a long, long life, wandering the world under countless names. He must have had countless experiences like this. Perhaps that was why he never paused, lost in thought.
Instead, he simply pressed on, as if treading a familiar road.
“…Or perhaps the village itself is no longer there.”
The three spent a day in the Snow Forest. The woods were so vast that they couldn’t get through in a single day, even on horseback.
As the sun began to set, they stopped their horses and prepared to make camp. The forest grew dark faster than anywhere else, so they gathered firewood from the surroundings and built a campfire. Soon, the area was completely enveloped in darkness.
Despite it being summer, the night in the Snow Forest was cool. The influence of the Ice Peninsula was likely still felt to some extent. After finishing their dinner huddled around the fire, they exchanged a few brief stories and went to bed.
Ulrich took the first watch. Saying he didn’t need much sleep, he sent the other two to rest and kept vigil through the night under a sky hidden by leaves. When morning came, he woke them, and they left the forest.
#
They reached the village late in the afternoon. They had left the Snow Forest early that morning, but the distance from the woods to the village was considerable. If they hadn't been on horseback, they would have had to camp another night.
Even if it was less affected by the peninsula than Dithmarschen, it wasn't entirely free of its influence. It was only natural for the village to be built at a distance to avoid that influence.
The village was small, but for its size, it was well-fortified. A stone wall encircled the village, and a watchtower, albeit a flimsy one, had been erected. The villagers spotted the party from the tower first and took up defensive positions.
“Do not come any closer!”
A middle-aged man shouted from the village entrance, his voice booming.
A dozen or so young men stood behind him. Each held a spear or a sword, their wariness toward the strangers palpable.
“State your purpose for coming here!”
Indeed, what reason would strangers have for coming to such a remote place? Especially strangers who appeared from the direction of the Snow Forest. Strangers who had crossed an untrodden path. It was impossible not to be wary.
“Ah… what do we do?”
Fritz asked, his voice thick with disappointment. It seemed he had been hoping for a warm bed away from insects and beasts, but now thought that was out of the question.
“Just a moment. I’ll speak with them.”
Roberta said and stepped forward.
“May the grace of Ganymea be with you. We are passing travelers. We have not come with any ill intent toward you. We have only stopped by to rest for a day on our journey.”
The villagers looked at the priest’s robes she wore. They also saw her dismount and channel her mana, causing a blue sigil to glow brightly in her bare palm.
“You’re a priestess?”
The middle-aged man who had shouted at them to stop hesitated for a moment, then lowered his spear and approached her. There was still some reluctance, but his guard had softened. He had judged the woman before him to be an ordained priestess.
In a world created by the gods, the position of one who serves them offered many assurances. This was especially true in remote areas where life was hard, and people relied on the gods for blessings.
“My apologies for the rudeness, Priestess.”
The man, who introduced himself as Gunter, said, doffing his hat and bowing politely.
“I understand. We did appear without warning.”
She smiled warmly and asked if they could stay in the village for a day.
“It is a humble place, hardly fit to host a priestess. Are you sure you will be comfortable?”
“Anywhere I can escape the night wind will be fine.”
“In that case… I will escort you to the village chief’s house. Of the places here, that is where you will find the least discomfort.”
“Yes. Thank you, I’d appreciate that.”
Having finished the conversation, Roberta gestured to Ulrich and Fritz. As the two approached, Gunter dismissed the young men and stood before Ulrich’s party.
When three strangers entered the village, the residents came pouring out to watch them. Was it that rare for people to visit? They stared with shining eyes as if someone of great importance had arrived.
‘Eighty years ago, he said.’
Ignoring the stares and whispers of the people, Roberta took in the sight of the village. Lord Ulrich had said he stopped here back then. To hunt a monster.
She too had participated in a few monster hunts. And each time, she had seen villages where only the dead remained. That was usually what happened when a monster appeared in a village. No one survived.
Unlike monsters that hid in deserted places waiting for prey, those that sought out human settlements possessed the power to back up their boldness.
Appearing alone before a group was a manifestation of confidence in its ability to take down all the prey before it. If such a monster wasn't dealt with immediately upon discovery, the damage would spiral out of control.
The monster Ulrich had pursued eighty years ago must have been one of them.
‘And for him to have chased it himself…’
But the village had survived.
The damage must have been significant, but it had endured for nearly a century since. That meant many people had survived.
Roberta glanced at Ulrich’s profile. He walked on, observing his surroundings with a calm expression. What was he thinking, what was he feeling? Even after knowing him for over a year, he was still difficult to read.
He was by no means an emotionless man, but should she call it immense patience or simple familiarity? He was a man of few expressions.
She was far from understanding his heart.
But a thought occurred to her. Perhaps the reason he chose this place after leaving the Snow Forest was because he wanted to see this village.
#
The village chief was a very old man.
When Ulrich’s party entered the house, the chief was sitting in a chair. The chair faced a wide-open window, so he appeared to be looking outside, but his eyes were closed.
As if he had reached the end of a normal human lifespan, his face was a mass of wrinkles, his body was gaunt, and his breathing was faint.
“Village Chief.”
Gunter approached and whispered in his ear, and the old man slowly opened his eyes.
Cloudy pupils looked at Gunter, then swept over the three people standing at the door. They were unfocused.
“Visitors?”
The chief asked, his voice a reedy whisper.
“Chief, these people are…”
Gunter explained that Roberta was a priestess of Ganymea, that Ulrich and Fritz were her companions, and that they had stopped in the village to spend the night. The chief took a labored breath and nodded his head.
“Ah, I see. I am sorry to host you in such a humble place.”
With Gunter’s help, the chief rose from his seat.
“I am Ruman. I am the chief of this village. You said you and your companions need a place to stay?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for the sudden request, but may we impose?”
“A request from a priestess… It is not such a grand place.”
Ruman let out a few dry coughs and approached the three of them.
“This way, please. I will show you.”
He squinted. Unable to see clearly, it seemed he could only recognize a person’s face when he was a single step away.
His cloudy eyes rested on Roberta for a long time before finally focusing. His gaze shifted to Fritz. After confirming him in the same way, it moved to Ulrich.
The moment his eyes focused for the third time, his pupils trembled. Gunter, who was supporting him, was alarmed when Ruman began to shake, but before he could ask what was wrong, Ruman grabbed Ulrich’s hand.
“S-Sir Ulrich…?”
“…You remember me.”
Ruman’s wrinkled face broke into a radiant smile.
“How could I forget… You saved us. On the day the monsters came, the youngest child you rescued… that was me. Do you remember?”
Ulrich closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching his memory.