***
“The wedding is scheduled to be held in Eiselburg.”
At the entrance of a forest, Ulrih spoke while looking at the sun hanging in the sky.
“Not in Solna, where the High Temple is?”
Roberta asked as she pulled the reins behind him to stop her horse.
“Richard, that child, does not have a good relationship with the Pantheon. He loathes the priests’ intervention. So he abandoned Solna, the old capital and the location of the High Temple, and made Eiselburg, his core base, the new capital.”
As far as she remembered, Eiselburg was a city at the southern end of the kingdom. Compared to the Dithmarschen Ducal territory, it was so far away it could be called polar opposites.
The reason Ulrih, Roberta, and Fritz, the three of them, were stopped at the entrance of a certain forest was there. To go straight to the destination at that southern end, Eiselburg, they had to pass through this forest.
“Ah... so that is why you aren't heading for the main road.”
Ulrih nodded.
“There is enough time until the wedding, but if we do not pass through this forest, we have to go around considerably via the main road. Then it will be difficult to take our time. As you know, one never knows what will happen with human affairs.”
Roberta and Fritz looked at the forest.
It was a forest made of giant trees that grew so high it made one’s neck ache. The gaps between the trees were wide, but because each individual tree was such a giant, it gave the feeling of standing before a fortress wall.
“The name of this place is Eyesforest.”
It was a truly unfitting name.
Far from being snowy, it was incredibly green, and the weather was so hot.
“In the past, um... it was the name given when Dithmarschen belonged to the Ice Peninsula. Because it was the boundary that separated the peninsula from its south, it was always covered in snow due to the influence of the peninsula. At that time, groups of snow elves lived here.”
Snow elves—they were a race whose true form she had never seen. According to literature, they were small, winged elves with pointed ears, and they were said to like cold places to the point that there was a saying, “They bring winter.”
“Do they not live here now? Lord?”
At the word ‘elf,’ Fritz asked with sparkling eyes.
“They cannot live here even if they want to. For snow elves to live in such a hot place is no different from humans living in the Ice Peninsula. They left for another place once the temperature rose.”
Ulrih said that and drove his horse into the forest.
Roberta and Fritz followed behind him. The moment they entered the forest, shadows covered the humans and their vision was dyed black. Because they had entered the interior where shadows had settled thickly from the outside where the summer sunlight was beating down, their vision experienced confusion.
They had felt it was grand even from outside the forest, but it was even more so once they entered. The giant trees blocked the sky, so that even if they tilted their faces back, they could see nothing but leaves instead of the sky.
What if they lost their direction? Since there were no signs of people, they had to make a path as they went, yet they couldn't even see the sky, so she felt as if they would never be able to leave the forest.
“Do not worry. You won't lose your way.”
Ulrih spoke as if he had read her worry.
“I have been here several times before.”
“When was that?”
Ulrih pondered for a moment and then answered.
“Well, it has been about eighty years since the last time I came.”
Eighty years?
She barely swallowed a cough that was rising. Was it not so? He was saying he would pass through a path where one could easily become lost by tracing old memories from nearly a hundred years ago. She believed him, but she couldn't help the sudden surge of bewilderment.
On the other hand, Fritz, who was going along side by side with her, only had his mouth rounded and his eyes sparkling. The boy, who had just turned sixteen, seemed to like anything the Elder said.
“It has been quite, quite a long time.”
“I suppose so. But it seems not much has changed.”
Ulrih spoke while scanning the surroundings.
“Do you remember? The appearance at that time?”
“No, I didn't pay attention to the scenery then. The only thing I remember right now is the fact that I passed through here with Adnan... and the vassals of that time in search of a magical beast.”
Roberta thought that would likely be the case while looking around the forest. It was a forest without signs of people. Who would have dared to set foot in the forest before the visit of the three of them?
A forest untouched by human hands does not change easily unless a disaster strikes. There wouldn't be much difference between the scenery Ulrih had caught a glimpse of about a hundred years ago and the current scenery.
Perhaps they were currently walking exactly along the path he had walked then, and perhaps the tree that had welcomed Ulrih then was welcoming him this time as well.
“Beyond this, once we leave the forest, there is a village. It is a village belonging to the Goeten Earldom, and although I do not remember the name, I caught the magical beast I was chasing there. We will arrive by tomorrow.”
What kind of feeling was he receiving?
Encountering the same place with an interval of a person’s lifetime, rather than an interval of a few months or years, was an experience she had not yet encountered. No, would she ever be able to encounter it even once in her life?
“It must have changed a lot, since so much time has passed.”
“I suppose so.”
He had lived a long, long life and wandered the world under numerous names. He must have undergone this kind of experience countless times. Was that why? He did not stop while being lost in contemplation.
Instead, he just moved forward as if passing through a familiar path.
“...Perhaps the village itself does not remain.”
The three of them spent a day in the Eyesforest. Because the forest was so wide, they couldn't pass through it within a day even on horseback.
As the sun began to set, they stopped their horses and prepared to camp. Since the forest darkened faster than anywhere else, they gathered firewood from the surroundings and lit a campfire. Soon, the surroundings were completely covered in darkness.
The Eyesforest was cool at night even though it was summer. It seemed the influence of the Ice Peninsula reached it to some extent. After finishing dinner while sitting around the campfire, they shared short stories and went to bed.
Ulrih stood the night watch. He said he had no sleep and let the two of them sleep, while he stayed up through the night under the night sky that was not visible, covered by leaves. And when morning came, he woke the two of them and left the forest.
#
The time they arrived at the village was late afternoon. They had left the Eyesforest early in the morning, but the distance from the forest to the village was considerable. It was a distance they would have camped once more if they hadn't been on horseback.
Even if it was less influenced by the peninsula than Dithmarschen, it wasn't as if it wasn't influenced at all. It was natural logic to stay far away to avoid that influence.
The village was small, but compared to its size, it was quite well-defended. A stone wall surrounded the outskirts of the village, and a watchtower was also built, albeit poorly. The villagers discovered the group from the watchtower first and stood guard.
“Do not approach any further!”
A middle-aged man shouted loudly at the village entrance.
About fifteen young men stood behind him. Each was equipped with a spear or a sword, showing strong vigilance against the strangers.
“Reveal for what purpose you have come!”
Well, what reason would there be for strangers to come to such a secluded place? Furthermore, they were strangers who appeared from the direction of the Eyesforest. Strangers who had crossed a path where people did not pass—there was no way they wouldn't be on guard.
“Ah... what should we do?”
Fritz asked in a voice clearly showing disappointment. It seemed he had judged that his hope of having a warm bed while avoiding bugs and wild animals was ruined.
“Wait a moment. I will try talking to them.”
Roberta said that and stepped forward.
“May the grace of Lord Ganimea be with you. We are merely passing guests. We have not sought you out with any other hidden motives. We have just stopped by to rest for a day on our way.”
The villagers saw the priest’s robe she was wearing. And they also saw her, having dismounted from her horse, moving her mana and brightly manifesting a blue pattern on her bare palm.
“Were you a priest?”
The middle-aged man who had shouted for them to stop pondered for a moment, then put down his spear and approached her. There was hesitation, but his vigilance softened. It was because he had judged the woman before his eyes to be a formal priest.
In a world made by the gods, the position of a person who serves a god guarantees many things. Especially since life is hard in remote regions, they tend to rely on gods and expect blessings.
“I apologize for committing a discourtesy, priest.”
He introduced himself as Gunther while politely greeting her after taking off his hat.
“I understand. Since we appeared without a word.”
She asked with a smile if they could stay for a day in the village.
“It is a place very insufficient to host a priest; will it be alright?”
“Anywhere is fine as long as I can avoid the night wind.”
“In that case... I will take you to the village chief’s house. That place will be the one where the discomfort for the priest will be the least.”
“Yes. Then I will ask that of you.”
After finishing the conversation, Roberta gestured to Ulrih and Fritz. While the two were approaching, Gunther dismissed the young men and stood in front of Ulrih’s group. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
As three strangers entered the village, the residents flocked out to watch them. Were there so few people seeking out the village? Their eyes sparkled as if some great people had visited.
‘He said it was eighty years ago.’
Ignoring the people’s gazes and whispering, Roberta took in the appearance of the village. The Lord, Ulrih, had revealed that he had stopped here then. To hunt a magical beast.
She had also participated in monster hunts several times. And each time, she had seen villages where only the dead remained. Normally, that is what happens when a magical beast appears in a village. No one survives.
Unlike magical beasts that hide in uninhabited places and wait for prey, magical beasts that seek out human settlements have the power to back up their boldness.
The fact that it appeared alone before a group was a manifestation of confidence that it could catch all the prey before its eyes. If such a magical beast is not dealt with immediately upon discovery, the damage increases uncontrollably.
The magical beast Ulrih had chased eighty years ago must have been such a beast.
‘Furthermore, if it was to the extent that he personally set out to chase it...’
However, the village had survived.
The damage must not have been small, yet it had been continuing its existence for nearly a hundred years since then. It meant that many people had survived.
Roberta looked at Ulrih’s profile. He walked while observing the surroundings indifferently. What thoughts, what emotions was he harboring? Even though more than a year had passed since they formed a bond, he was still difficult to know.
He was by no means a person without emotion, yet should she say his patience was too great or that he was too accustomed? He was a person with very few expressions.
She was far from understanding his feelings.
However, a thought like this did occur. That the reason he chose this place after leaving the Eyesforest might have been because he wanted to see this village.
#
The village chief was an elderly man.
When Ulrih’s group entered the house, the chief was sitting in a chair. Since the chair was facing the wide-open window, he was in an appearance of looking outside, but his eyes were closed.
As if he had reached the end of the lifespan an ordinary human could enjoy, his face was full of wrinkles, his body was gaunt, and his breathing was faint.
“Chief.”
As Gunther approached and whispered in his ear, he slowly opened his eyes.
His cloudy pupils looked at Gunther and then scanned the three people standing in front of the door. He could not focus.
“Are you guests?”
The chief asked in a voice where air leaked out.
“Chief, these people are...”
Then Gunther conveyed the fact that Roberta was a priest of Ganimea, Ulrih and Fritz were her companions, and that they had stopped by the village to spend a day. The chief let out a heavy breath and nodded his head.
“Ah, I see. I am sorry for hosting you in such a humble place.”
With Gunther’s support, the chief rose from his seat.
“I am Luman. I am the chief of this place. You said you need a place to stay, priest and companions?”
“Yes. I am sorry for the suddenness, but may I ask that of you?”
“For a priest to ask a favor... it is not such a great place.”
Luman let out dry coughs several times and approached the three people.
“Please come this way. I will guide you.”
He narrowed his eyes. Because he could not see ahead properly, it seemed he could only recognize faces once he was a step away from the other person.
Once his cloudy pupils stayed on Roberta for a long time, he finally focused. He moved his gaze and looked at Fritz. And once he finished checking in the same way, he headed toward Ulrih.
The moment he focused for the third time, his pupils trembled. Gunther, who was supporting him, was flustered as Luman’s body began to tremble, but before he could ask anything, Luman grabbed Ulrih’s hand.
“U-Ulrih... Lord?”
“...Do you remember me?”
Luman wore a bright smile on his wrinkled face.
“How could I forget... you saved us. On that day when the magical beasts struck, the youngest child among the people you saved... that was me. Do you remember?”
Ulrih closed his eyes for a moment as if retracing his memory.