Chapter 27

Chapter 27 - Valda (3)

"We looted a small village from the direction we came, but we gained naught. The Vice Captain rascal coaxed us, saying that since we were leaving anyway, we should target those who were off-guard near the city..."

The bandit, whose eyes rolled to avoid the swaying iron mace, pressed his face into the dirt.

"I have truly committed a sin worthy of death! Please, mercy!"

"Who is the Vice Captain?"

The one the bandit pointed to with a trembling hand was a corpse with a bolt embedded in its eye. Though they interrogated him further regarding the gathered bandit pack, he had left them quite some time ago and being a mere low-level member, he knew nothing of use.

"Wahhh! Please spare me."

"Hush! I said I wouldn't kill you, so why act thus?"

"I truly know nothing, I tell youooo."

It was certain, as nothing more came out even after the hunter mercenary handled him appropriately.

"Caravan leader Caliver."

"Yes! I am here!"

Caliver, who had been holding his breath while clutching his horse, came running hurriedly. While they were fighting and interrogating, the sun had risen further, and the dawn light illuminated the world.

"In this situation, it seems impossible to return to sleep, so how about we prepare to depart?"

"We should indeed. Sleep and everything else have fled. We must first clear away the corpses. Leaving them thus is no way to treat the road."

When Caliver signaled, the laborers approached the corpses hesitantly. But the mercenaries blocked their path.

"What is the matter?"

"Well, that is..."

At Eugene's inquiry, the mercenary captain politely clasped his hands.

"Since you and your squire dealt with the majority, surely you should be the first to take the spoils of war?"

His gaze was fixed upon the iron mace resting on the ground.

"Hmm."

Even a rough scan of the corpses revealed nothing that seemed particularly valuable. Fellows who sought to make a fortune while the city was in disarray, and even then, they were rascals who had fled from their group, so there was no way they would have anything worthwhile. While scraping it all together would amount to some money, it was an undignified act and it would be troublesome to dispose of immediately.

"Let us do this. Search the fellows' pockets and give only the valuables to me. Let you take the rest."

"Thank you!"

The mercenaries bowed their heads in delight. They were fellows who clearly looked to have little money. In such a situation, weapons, armor, boots, and various small tools were worth more. In the battle just now, the knight and the squire had virtually swept them away. They themselves had only formed a line, held their ground, and poked at the fellows who were fleeing. Yet to receive such a merciful consideration... Indeed, he is a Victorious Knight!

* * *

"Once we cross this bridge, a fork in the road shall appear."

Caliver pointed toward a stone bridge spanning across a valley stream.

"The work of the Ancient Kingdom, I see."

"Indeed. That one small bridge supports countless heads of households and their wives and children."

Except for being covered in moss, it stood firmly against time and the current without a single damaged part. Such immortal bridges provided convenience to numerous peddlers and travelers throughout the continent. Therefore, there were many anecdotes associated with them. Such as the story left by a man who served his entire life as a guard collecting tolls on the bridge when he retired...

- My old friend! You were a playground when I was young, gave me a job when I became an adult, and are now a resting place for an old body to sit upon. Thanks to you, my two sons and two daughters have wed safely. I wish to leave even the name of this insignificant man to a friend I have spent sixty years with... but I suppose you would not permit even that.

The story of the guard parting in sorrow can be found in any region.

Splish!

As they crossed the bridge while watching the swimming crucian carp, the fork in the road appeared after a short while.

"If you go left from here, it leads to the Emerald Forest. You shall recognize it immediately, as it's so vast and lush."

"It was a brief time, but it has been a pleasure, caravan leader."

"It was I who was honored to be with you, sir."

Caliver bowed his waist ninety degrees. Not only was he grateful for the protection of his goods and laborers without a single injury, but he had even handed over the prisoners at a suitable price.

"There are no major injuries and they are quite young, so there shall be no problem in trading them. They should pay for their sins through labor."

The mercenaries surrounded and glared at the bandits, who were tied up firmly and trembling. They looked as if they wished to kill them right then.

"Master Caliver, cannot we just kill them?"

"Who would buy fellows who are black both inside and out?"

Caliver waved his hand as if to soothe them.

"For fellows such as these, even a peaceful death would be a luxury, no? They say the world of the living is better even if one rolls in a field of dog dung, but there is a limit even to that."

"Ai, naturally it's better to be alive even if rolling in a field of dung. We must hand down judgment for the sake of those who were killed and looted by these rascals."

Caliver's face as he smiled and shook his head held a chilling air that merchants occasionally display.

"These rascals shall perform hard labor until only their skin remains and their ribs are exposed. They shall spend their entire lives in a dark place where they cannot see the sun even when they open their eyes in the morning. They shall fill their bellies with moldy bread and rotten water."

Caliver is a merchant. It was his conviction to make even a single copper rather than a moment's satisfaction. If that also served as punishment, then it was the best.

"A blade gives a moment's pain and death, but this method adds a long despair on top. Is this still not to your liking?"

"I-I suppose so."

"Master Caliver's words seem correct."

The mercenaries suddenly felt that the old merchant, who was not even at their feet in strength, was terrifying.

"I am glad it seems well settled. Then, I wish you all luck on your journey ahead."

Eugene departed after his farewell. Since it was a fork in the road, the caravan party was out of sight in an instant.

"Merchants are sometimes as terrifying as knights."

Homi shrugged her shoulders.

- As for us, we need only take the money.

Eugene opened his purse, which clinked heavily. Since it was all copper coins, the amount relative to weight would not be great, but it contained a bejeweled ring and several pearls.

- The person who sent the letter is also a magician; would they not be short on funds if they live in the forest?

Whether curious from looking at the purse, Homi asked through sign language.

"I heard that forest magic costs less money compared to other sects. Since most things can be managed through gathering."

For a knight, if they do not indulge in great luxuries, the low and high points of maintenance costs do not vary that much. However, for a magician, the money spent varied as much as heaven and earth depending on the field they pursued.

"How old would the Mistress of the Forest be? They said it has not been long since she settled in the forest and became active."

According to the Captain of the Guard's description, she was considered to be in her twenties, but as she was an Elf, one could not be certain. The Elves here are not immortal. Their lifespan is about 150 years. Those who inherited noble blood are said to live up to 200 years. Moreover, while their maturity is similar, their aging is very slow. The length of life they experience must far surpass that of humans.

Once they crossed the hill, a vast green forest appeared. Before it lay a small village that had become a shambles. It appeared to be the place the bandits had looted.

Whizz-!

Homi pointed in one direction as if she had discovered something.

"There was a survivor."

An old man was lying down, groaning. Homi checked the surroundings to ensure it was not a trap, then ran over to assist him.

"Ughhh."

When offered a water skin, the old man opened his mouth and drank.

"T-Thank you."

"I am Knight Eugene Meyer."

"I am a resident of this insignificant village, sir."

The old man laughed weakly.

"Were you attacked by bandits?"

"Indeed. There were a bit more than twenty of them. It had been a peaceful village for quite a long time..."

"The rascals have been subjugated, so they shall not return."

"Thank you, Sir Knight. You have bestowed a great favor upon all the surrounding villages."

The old man offered a polite word of gratitude.

"It's but a thing a knight ought to do. But I see no other people. Have they all fled?"

"There were none to begin with. The family of my last son left for the neighboring village last year."

Looking closely, the houses seemed to be in an atmosphere of already being abandoned rather than destroyed by looting.

"I am the only one left. The bandit rascals had nothing to strip away, so they beat me soundly as a way of venting their anger. It's a stroke of luck that they did not drive a blade into me, at least."

"It must be hard to live alone in such a place with a frail body."

"How much longer shall I live? I have no intention of abandoning the home where I was born and have lived throughout. Though my son is a filial one and tried to take me with him by any means. What an admirable fellow."

In his wrinkled eyes sat affection and pride toward his son.

"If you have lived here all this time, you must have seen much."

"Of course."

At the sight of Eugene looking at the Emerald Forest, the old man wore an expression that showed he knew everything.

"Are you curious about the maid who walks atop the wheat fields?"

It's another nickname of Valda, the Mistress of the Forest.

"How did you... Indeed, is it too obvious?"

"I am but an ignorant man who has only farmed here all my life. What else would someone like you be curious about from me other than that? It's not the first time."

Mercenaries, adventurers, envoys from the city, scholars exploring the world, and even bards... Those passing nearby must have asked frequently.

"I have seen her but once. It's already been more than fifteen years. At that time, there were quite a few people in the village."

The old man's face became misty as if recalling an unforgettable memory.

"It's was a time when a great famine had struck the entire continent. The soil was parched, and even the sunlight was weak like the flapping wings of a diseased bird."

"I have heard of it. It was the year when even nations that would remain in history were ruined by the famine."

It is said that the sound of wailing was heard across the entire continent due to the unheralded famine.

"Our village, too, was in despair over the dying wheat fields. But one cannot just sit and starve to death, can they? I went out to pull even weeds from dawn. Even if it was a futile act, I wanted to at least struggle."

Presently, many of the village's fields were neglected, and what was planted was not wheat, but potatoes. It was only natural as the old man could not tend them alone.

"It's where I discovered her. A beautiful Elf girl in a one-piece dress. She was walking buoyantly atop the withering wheat fields."

The old man pulled up a blade of grass and made a walking motion with his index and middle fingers atop the leaf.

"When her pure white bare feet, wet with morning dew, stepped over them, the golden wheat raised its heads from all directions. When I came to my senses, the fields were filled with lush grain. The youthful smile she showed before departing is still vivid."

After a brief pause, the old man looked at Eugene.

"Having seen that sight, I have become eternally bound to this village. So, how could I abandon this place and leave?"

The old man's face was more reverent than any priests Eugene had seen at his hometown monastery.

* * *

Parting from the old man and entering the Emerald Forest, the refreshing air seeped into his lungs. It felt as if he were bathing in the breath of trees and leaves.

Snort-!

Might and Sandy also liked it, repeatedly flaring their large nostrils.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Eugene felt a certain sense of strangeness. A peculiar sensation as if the wind were passing through his entire body. The sound of horse hooves, which had been echoing in two pairs until just now, was heard in only one pair. Looking behind, Sandy, carrying Homi, was heading in another direction.

"Homi!"

Even when called, she gave no answer.

"Might, we are turning back."

Eugene turned his horse's head, approached, and grabbed Homi's wrist.

"...?"

An innocent look that asked what was the matter.

"You were heading in an odd direction, yet you had no awareness?"

- Me?

Homi looked around with a face that said 'Me?'. Even she, whose senses were superior to Eugene's, had not felt anything strange and had been about to circle around.

"It's magic. Is this how people have lost their way?"

Eugene held Homi's hand as they rode their horses side by side toward the center of the forest.

"???"

Homi, who had been following with a puzzled face at first, the moment they passed the point in question...

"!!!"

Her pretty face twisted comically. She wrapped her body with the hand not held by Eugene and trembled. The strange sensation one feels when trying to force the same poles of magnets together... Homi felt as if that were caressing her entire body.

"Are you in pain, or is nausea coming upon you?"

Shake, shake.

It's just that the sense of strangeness is strong; it is not painful.

Eugene had been perfectly fine after the very first instance. For the unknown aura attempting to delude him was repelled by his strong soul.

"Pah!"

Homi let out her breath.

- I am fine now! It's a very strange feeling! Indeed, this is a magical forest!

The freed fingers moved dazzlingly.

"It's strange. Surely she would know we are guests she invited, yet there is no welcome."

She is an outstanding magician who uses birds of prey as messengers and can even see matters far from the forest. She must already know of Eugene's visit.

"Did she not come out because she is tending to the sick person mentioned in the letter?"

Continuing forward, a small meadow appeared. The lush trees that had obscured the view everywhere were pushed far away. In the center stood a large wooden mansion. It was a form completed as a house by intertwining dozens of trees and thousands of vines.

"Wait."

As Eugene raised his right hand, Homi reflexively placed her hand on the crossbow slung across her back.

"Do not grip your weapon. We cannot cause trouble while having come as guests."

Homi released the crossbow, pointed at her nose, and shook her head briefly.

"I suppose so. Those are not existences that can be recognized by scent."

Saplings about the height of a person, that had just shed their appearance of being young plants, were planted around the mansion. A faint aura of magic was felt from them.

Eugene took the letter from his breast and unfolded it to show.

"I am Knight Eugene Meyer. Having been invited by Valda, the mistress of this mansion, I have come as a rightful guest."

Creeeeak.

Creeak.

The saplings that had been rooted all together writhed. Arms and legs protruded, and figures of female forms carved from wood stood up one after another.

"Dryads," Eugene murmured at the sight.