episode_0057

Rogi felt a dim consciousness rising and opened his closed eyes, startled, and sat up. He remembered falling asleep after exhausting himself with the girl. He jumped up from his spot and realized that this was not where he had last fallen asleep.

“He’s awake!”

The blanket, which he hadn’t even covered himself with, was pushed down his body. Hearing the voices of his friends, with whom he often hung out, made it clear that this wagon was the one he had fallen asleep in with them before waking up from the dream. The playful voices of the children were bothersome for some reason, but Rogi had no time to worry about it, thinking that his actions with the girl had been discovered.

“Hey, who brought me here?”

“Are you still not fully awake? You slept here yesterday, didn’t you?”

“I was sleeping here the whole time?”

Could it be that everything from yesterday was just a dream? If no one had brought him here and he hadn’t been caught, he couldn’t help but think it was all a dream. But the cold night air, the soft and tender feel of the girl, and the pleasure he felt mingling bodies were too vivid to be just a dream. Rogi got up and dry-washed his face, trying to dismiss it as just an overly vivid dream. He might have continued to believe that if it weren’t for the black smudge-like stain on his hand.

“This can’t be.”

“Hey, he found out! Run!”

The children shouted as if they had been waiting for it, opened the door of the wagon, and ran away. Seeing them, Rogi realized why there was playfulness mixed in their voices. The children had drawn on his face since he was the last one to wake up. Yes, the children often played pranks on the child who woke up particularly late.

“These guys, really.”

Even though he spoke as if he was angry, Rogi had a smile on his face. Normally, he would have been furious and chased after them, but he was relieved by the children’s usual behavior. He dismissed the events of last night as just a nightmare. He wiped the ink off his face with water not used for consumption. But why couldn’t this emptiness in his heart disappear? It was when he was about to take off his sticky clothes, as if he had been sweating, to change.

His figure, changing clothes, was reflected in the flat, iron-made full-body mirror placed in a corner of the wagon. His underwear was different. It was not the underwear he had been wearing before falling asleep here. It was the underwear he had changed into after briefly dreaming. The moment he realized this, the color drained from his face. It wasn’t a dream?

“I feel bad.”

The girl’s voice saying that and the sorrowful golden eyes flashed in his mind. He looked for the underwear he had been wearing, but it was nowhere to be found. Rogi hurriedly changed his clothes and ran out of the wagon in a panic. The children, who had been about to check on him when he didn’t come out to chase them, laughed and ran away when Rogi came out, but what was important to Rogi now was not chasing after the children. The first person he looked for was Shalby.

If those events had really happened, Shalby, who had been sleeping in that wagon because of Thurse, would have been the first to find Rogi, who had done such a thing to the girl and fallen asleep. He found Shalby not long after and ran towards him.

“Rogi? What’s wrong?”

Shalby, seeing Rogi stop in front of him while running, asked as if it was strange. He thought they were just playing around again, hearing the children laughing.

“Was it you, Brother Shalby, who took me to the wagon?”

“What are you talking about? Took you? Was there a reason to? Didn’t you go to sleep with the kids?”

More than that, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to take you. You’re the strongest guy here. Shalby said, not being able to guess why he had come to him. Seeing that, Rogi thought that maybe someone else had found him first and taken him there.

“Did anything happen to that kid, Belka, by any chance?”

If so, he had to know that Belka had suffered such a thing again. If his memory was correct, he had fallen asleep without even cleaning up after himself. Then, Shalby made a pitiful expression, so he was sure that traces remained. But what came out of his mouth was a completely different story.

“Did you have a nightmare or something?”

“Pardon?”

“You told me that Pan was the culprit. No matter how great a wizard he is, he can’t do anything since we tied his fingers tightly and left him. I know you’re worried, but nothing happened. Don’t worry.”

“Nothing happened?”

Rogi couldn’t believe his words. Really, nothing happened? Then that means all of yesterday’s events were a dream. But why is my underwear the same as the one I changed into in the dream? His head ached.

“You don’t look good.”

Rogi couldn’t answer his question of whether he was okay.

“Where is that kid now?”

“If you mean that child, Usher went to have breakfast first.”

As soon as he heard those words, he ran to where breakfast was being served.

“That guy seems sick. I should ask Thurse to take a look at him.”

Shalby was waiting for Thurse to finish examining all the patients, so he was planning to have breakfast a little later. Rogi’s strange words and pale complexion, as he had come out for some fresh air while Thurse was seeing patients, were enough to make him worry. He decided to talk to him later, dismissing Rogi’s words as nothing much.

“Huff, huff.”

Rogi arrived at the place where breakfast was being served, panting heavily. He looked for the color red. Hoping that those events, which felt too real to dismiss as a nightmare even now, and his changed underwear were just a misunderstanding, that it was all just a dream. And among the people eating, he finally found the girl’s red color.

“Hey! Just a moment.”

The red-haired girl turned to look at him, knowing that she was the one being called. Usher next to her was looking at him with an annoyed expression, but Rogi had to hear the girl’s answer now. Hoping she would tell him that all those events were a dream.

“Do you, do you remember what happened yesterday?”

Belka tilted her head at his question and opened her mouth.

“The question is too broad.”

The girl, answering as if she didn’t know what to say, fortunately seemed to be saying that all the events between him and her last night were a dream.

“Is that so?”

“…But I do remember what happened last night.”

However, that was only for a moment. His heart turned cold as the girl continued to speak. Despite the warm weather due to the rising sun, it felt as if a chill was running down his spine. Looking blankly at her words, Rogi could find the sorrowful resentment in the girl’s golden eyes. It was just a glance. A glance that a insensitive person might dismiss as just their imagination. But to Rogi, that glance was like a sharp dagger stabbing his heart.

He felt like his legs were giving way and he was about to collapse, but he couldn’t end it here. He had to say something more to the girl. It was too painful and agonizing to end it like this, and he wished she would look at him for just a little longer.

“Then…, then why doesn’t everyone know about it?”

He spoke hastily, thinking that he had to say something more to buy time, but what came out of his mouth was a wish that everything from last night had been a dream. No, it was no different from begging her to say that it had to be a dream. Was that why? There was nothing left in the girl’s golden eyes looking at him anymore. Not even a shred of resentment.

“The price for the sacrifice has been paid. Whether it was what you intended or not, the contract has been fulfilled and it is over.”

Rogi couldn’t understand what the girl was saying. A sacrifice, a price, and a contract, stories he had never even heard of. But one thing was certain. His relationship with the girl was already irreversible.

“Belka, did anything happen with that guy yesterday?”

After Rogi heard Belka’s words and turned away with a dazed and unsteady gait, Usher looked at her, noticing that she didn’t seem to be in a good mood, and asked. He didn’t particularly like Rogi. On the contrary, he even found him annoying. But even so, seeing his face turn dark as if he was about to die, he felt a bit of sympathy. Usher could understand how sad it would be to be rejected by someone you like.

However, after listening to Belka and Rogi’s conversation, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened yesterday. The girl, who had been silently watching Usher, finally opened her mouth.

“Later, I’ll tell you later. There are too many people here.”

“Oh, okay.”

Putting aside his questions for a moment, Usher picked up the bowl he had put down. Breakfast was porridge made with rabbit meat caught yesterday. While the girl was watching him eat, others joined them where they were sitting. It was Donar and Sif.

“So, what were you doing, Uncle and Sister?”

Originally, they had come to have breakfast with Donar, but Donar had been called away by Sif in the middle and had only just returned together.

“Ah, it’s nothing. We just had something to do together.”

“Y-yes! I just had something to ask Donar.”

No matter what they had been doing, was there any reason to be so flustered when asked what had happened? Usher found the two of them suspicious. Then he noticed Belka staring intently at Sif. He wondered if she had noticed something.

“What’s wrong?”

“The two are mixed.”

The girl’s voice was small, but at least everyone in that spot could hear it. At her words, Sif’s face turned bright red, and Donar lowered his head as if he was embarrassed. Only Usher couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

After breakfast, the coachmen gathered. The end of their long journey was soon in sight, so they were slightly excited, but they were gathering for a calm meeting because the biggest obstacle still remained.

“Are there any screws loose or problems with the wheels?”

“The wheels are fine. But there’s a small hole in the wall of the wagon. We need something to weld it.”

“Even if we had a blacksmith, how could we do that kind of work here? I’ll just give you a sheet of iron, so patch it up.”

More thorough preparation was needed to pass through the cloud zone. No one would know even if someone died or disappeared here now. They received reports on the condition of the wagons and the Hildisvini pulling them, and carefully checked for any problems.

“We’ll use whistles instead of flags for signals. What was the condition of the cloud zone like?”

“I went inside and checked as far as I could see, but there wasn’t much to see.”

Donar pondered as he listened to the coachman who had just returned from scouting on Hildisvini. Since they couldn’t directly examine the center of the cloud zone, which was the most important part, the scouting was pointless, but it was better than nothing. But if they sent the scouting party into the cloud zone, they couldn’t guarantee the safety of the coachman and the Hildisvini. If they didn’t return, they would lose valuable manpower and livestock, which would be counterproductive, and even if they did return, considering the distance from the center, it would take too long. The probability of the weather changing in the meantime was too high.

“In the end, we have no choice but to rely on luck.”

“That’s right.”

He could only sigh as he couldn’t find an answer. The defenses were flawless, but no matter how well they prepared, there could still be casualties or even total annihilation. It was the worst. That’s what it was like to pass through the cloud zone. The size and scale of each cloud zone varied, but with the exception of a few, the atmosphere was very unstable, so passing under it was bound to be a dangerous adventure. There were even quite a few dangerous creatures living there. They had taken countermeasures and preparations, but now all they could do was brace themselves and pass through the cloud zone.

“Hmm, would you have time to talk for a moment?”

“Elder.”

The voice of an old man cut through the coachmen. As the coachmen respectfully stepped aside at the old man’s voice, he entered.

“Is there a problem?”

“It’s nothing like that. I just have something I want to tell you.”

When Donar asked on behalf of everyone, the old man smiled and denied it.

“If it weren’t for you guys, this caravan wouldn’t have made it this far. It’s all thanks to you.”

And everyone fell silent at his words. It was an unexpected remark. For them, all the tasks given to them were things that had to be solved, and they had lived a life where they shouldn’t fail, even if they were harshly criticized for solving the problems. This caravan was the same. It was a task given to them, and even the people in this caravan, with the exception of a few, took it for granted that they were leading the wagons and dealing with dangerous creatures.

“So don’t worry too much if you fail. You’ve all done a good job.”

For them, the old man’s words were a comfort and encouragement. After the old man left those words and returned, Donar, who had been leading the meeting, was the first to speak.

“There’s no point in dragging out this meeting. Let’s just get going.”

In fact, they had been hesitating. If they couldn’t pass through the cloud zone, their long journey would be in vain. They were afraid of what would happen if they were unlucky enough for the wagon to overturn or someone to die. However, the old man’s words were enough to dispel their hesitation. In the end, they ended the meaningless meeting they had been unconsciously dragging out and got into their respective coachman’s seats.

In case of emergency, the coachmen who were not on duty also got into the coachman’s seats. They were backup personnel to protect the coachmen driving the wagons or to replace them in case of emergency. Normally, it was fine for a single coachman to drive the wagon, but the cloud zone was especially dangerous, so personnel were needed to escort and replace the coachmen driving the wagons.

“Let’s pray that the crayfish swarm doesn’t come out.”

“Don’t say unsettling things. If we encounter them, it’s already over.”

Donar was also disgusted by the coachman’s jesting remark as he got into the wagon with him. The weather wasn’t the only problem that made the bottom of the cloud zone dangerous. There were also many dangerous creatures living in the already dark area. The crayfish he was talking about were giant creatures that lived under the cloud zone, with hard shells and a habit of moving around in groups, making them difficult to deal with, though not as much as dragons.

If they encountered them in the dark cloud zone, which was like their home, there was no hope, even more so than with dragons. No wonder they were called the natural enemies of travelers among the many dangerous creatures. The only way to avoid them was to not pass through the places they lived or to not have their paths overlap when they moved on a large scale from time to time.

-Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!

Before entering the cloud zone, Donar, having confirmed that all preparations were complete by exchanging signals with flags, blew the whistle one last time to signal the departure. This was because they had to use this sound to orient themselves in the darkness. And so, he led the wagon towards the cloud zone. The outskirts were still lit by sunlight, but as soon as they went a little deeper, it was full of darkness with no sunlight at all. As they entered the bottom of the cloud zone, they could no longer distinguish whether they were approaching the darkness or the darkness was approaching them.

Donar recalled his promise to Sif and held back his desire to retreat from the darkness that stimulated primal fear. He had to get through this place. The cross that the red-haired girl he had met during the ascent had given him instead of the symbol of his hometown that had fallen from his left chest seemed to give him courage. He didn’t know what meaning she had given it, but he thought he could just take it as a sign of support.

“It’s really dark.”

Usher, who was lying on Belka’s lap with his head pillowed on her knee due to the motion sickness that started as the wagon moved, muttered as he watched the sunlight disappear from the window and a pitch-black darkness rush in. The sky, covered in thick clouds and devoid of even the moon and stars, was more terribly dark than night and reminded him of the day they had been attacked by strange insects.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect you no matter what happens.”

As if she had noticed Usher’s anxiety, Belka’s gentle golden eyes turned to him and he felt her hand gently stroking his head. But even at her words, Usher couldn’t be completely happy. He remembered the image of the girl using magic, which she struggled to use just to protect him, even when Mack tried to kill him and when Pan threatened him.

“I don’t want that. Belka is going to sacrifice herself for me again.”

At the sight of her sacrificing herself for him. Usher had wondered if he could have done such a thing without any hesitation if he were in her place. He was so scared and afraid. He couldn’t be sure. He might have run away, leaving Belka behind. Even if that were the case, Usher was even more tormented because he knew that the girl would forgive him for it.

“I don’t want Belka to get hurt.”

Usher was afraid to leave Belka alone. Wouldn’t she be hurt somewhere without him knowing? Wouldn’t she sacrifice herself for him again without a word and say she was okay? He wished Belka was a little more selfish. Then she would get hurt and suffer less. The golden eyes of the girl listening to his words shone with warmth. The affection that he could feel just by looking at them reassured him like a special spell.

“Thank you. Usher.”

As her soft lips lightly touched and fell from his forehead, a warm and fluffy feeling filled his chest like a fluffy bread rising. The sound of rain and wind blowing from the dark outside and strongly hitting the wagon echoed inside the wagon, but he wasn’t worried. Just being together like this seemed to solve everything.

“I’m envious.”

Thurse, who was in the same wagon and couldn’t help but notice their lovey-dovey behavior if he wasn’t focused on something, inadvertently found himself muttering those words and shook his head to shake off the stray thoughts. But since he had already examined all the patients, he didn’t even have anything to focus on, so his eyes kept drifting to them. Even if he tried to ignore it, there was a magic-like quality to the girl named Belka that captivated people’s attention, making it even more of a problem. Thurse, who felt lonely as if he was in a different space despite being in the same space as them, was just waiting for this moment to pass quickly.