IBDFSML Chapter 45

 45

Night had fallen.

We sat around the campfire and had a simple meal before discussing who would use which tent.

"I'm scheduled to keep watch until dawn, so the tent on the right can go to the Young Lord."

"Then I guess the priestess, the fairy, and I will share the remaining tent."

I had been lying on Sion's shoulder, enjoying the warmth of the fire. At those shocking words, I immediately sprang to my feet.

"What? Why would it end up like that?"

I pointed to myself firmly and declared.

"Of course I should be in the same tent as Sion!"

"Hm? And why is that?"

Diene asked, sounding intrigued.

I answered proudly.

"Because that's how it's always been! Back at the Grand Duke's estate, I always slept with Sion. We shared the same bed!"

"…Hoh."

A tense silence fell, broken only by the crackling of the fire.

Amid the silence, Sion, feeling Diene's unblinking stare, spoke.

"Just so you know, it's not what you're thinking, Diene Schuto."

"Oh my, what do you think I was thinking for you to say that?"

Diene's teasing tone prompted Sion to shoot her a cold glare.

Watching this, Garen sternly addressed Diene.

"Dame Diene, please refrain from making disrespectful remarks to the Young Lord."

"Oh dear, my apologies. The fairy's story was just so fascinating, I got carried away."

Sion rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"As you can see, Lin is a fairy. And a rather eccentric and intense one at that."

"……"

"She's not human, and even more so, she's not someone to entertain impure thoughts about. She's a being that simply cannot be judged by human standards or norms."

"…Mmm. That's true."

Diene looked me up and down, nodding thoughtfully.

"As the Young Lord said, it'd be quite a stretch to call Ms. Lin a 'human woman.'"

At that moment, Genevia, who had been quietly listening, cautiously raised her hand.

"Um… I've actually been wondering about this for a while. What exactly is the relationship between Ms. Lin and the Young Lord?"

Silence followed.

"Well, it's clear the two of you get along well. But if we try to define it, lover doesn't quite fit, so that's out. But you're not exactly friends or in a master-servant relationship either. It's all a bit vague."

Genevia sniffled a little and continued.

"A fairy who clings obsessively and overprotectively to just one person… Honestly, I've never heard of such a thing, not even in old folktales!"

"Oh come on, obsessive and overprotective?"

I clicked my tongue and corrected her.

"That sounds unpleasant. Let's just call it love and care, shall we?"

"……"

Genevia gave me a half-lidded stare and murmured.

"Now that I think about it… I've never heard of a con artist fairy either."

To that, Diene burst out laughing.

"This coming year is going to be quite something. I'm sure of it. It's going to be fun."

As the laughter died down, a faint bitterness flickered across Diene's smile.

"When you spend a long time in the border zone, you find fewer and fewer reasons to laugh."

"……."

"……."

A somber silence followed.

Feeling the mood had grown too heavy, I deliberately raised my voice to cheer things up.

"All right then, it's settled, right? Sion and I will share a tent!"

Four pairs of eyes immediately turned to me.

Sion looked at me steadily and then quietly said.

"…That's something I'll need to think about."

His voice had a very faint trace of amusement.

***

The next morning.

We began climbing the Alpheon Mountains.

True to their reputation as the defining mountain range of the North, Alpheon's snow-covered ridges stretched endlessly into the horizon like a white sea.

After climbing for quite a while, we finally came upon the village that Diene and Garen had mentioned earlier.

It was a humble little village nestled high among the towering snowy peaks.

"Wow, it's a village!"

I cried out excitedly.

"There really was a village in the middle of these snowy mountains."

Genevia murmured in wonder.

I tugged eagerly on Sion's sleeve.

"Sion, we're staying in that village tonight, right? Right?"

Only on the second day of this expedition, I was already desperate for warm food and a soft bed.

Sion surveyed the village below and said.

"If the village can accommodate us, then yes, that's the plan."

"Yes! Score~!"

As we approached the village, Diene added a bit of explanation.

"Ritten is a small mountain village. Even seven years ago, the population barely exceeded a hundred. Besides the locals, the people you'd encounter here are mostly hunters or mercenaries passing through the mountains, or occasionally, knights from the North."

Before long, we arrived at the village entrance.

As we entered, I eagerly scanned the area for signs of inns or restaurants, my eyes sparkling.

However, the village that had looked quiet and quaint from a distance felt very different up close.

Whoooooosh—

"……."

The village was deathly silent.

As if it had been completely cut off from the outside world.

Even for a remote mountain settlement, you'd expect at least a couple of people to be coming or going. But from the moment we entered to when we reached the village center, we hadn't seen a single soul.

My excitement quickly turned into unease. Feeling unsettled by the eerie stillness, I clung to Sion and whispered.

"Sion… Something's not right here."

"……."

Sion was already scanning the village sharply, his senses on high alert.

Garen and Diene, standing nearby, were no different. One of their hands was already resting on the hilt of their swords.

"…It seems something may have happened here."

In response to Garen's comment, Diene spoke up, her expression grave.

"It's always been a quiet village, but never this desolate… Could it be they were completely cut off during the last harsh winter?"

"…No."

Sion observed the broken-down and crumbling buildings around them and replied.

"This doesn't look like the result of simple neglect or wear from harsh weather."

Just as he said, the houses and furnishings, including civilian homes, appeared to have been destroyed by some external force.

"…Could it have been an attack by mountain bandits?"

Genevia asked cautiously. To that, Diene let out a short laugh.

"In the middle of these northern mountains? That's unlikely, to say the least."

At that moment, as I clung to Sion's back, scanning our surroundings, something caught my eye.

"…Huh?"

Without thinking, I floated into the air.

I flew straight toward the window frame of a two-story building on the opposite side.

"Lin, wait."

Sion called out to stop me, but I had already reached the window.

'I saw something move for sure…'

I peered through the old, dusty window frame. There, I locked eyes with a few people who were huddled together inside.

"There are people inside!"

I pointed toward the building and shouted to Sion and the others.

Then-

"…th—…ere…!!"

"…no… wa…!?"

We heard muffled voices inside, and then the slightly ajar window slammed shut with a loud bang!

Bang—!

"……"

With an awkward expression, I floated back to Sion.

"They don't seem all that thrilled to welcome us."

Garen stroked his chin and said.

"This is strange. This village has never been known to be hostile to outsiders. Just what happened here…?"

Just then...

One of the house doors creaked open slowly.

Creeeak—

"……!"

An elderly woman, looking extremely frail, appeared behind the door.

She looked at us for a moment, clearly deliberating, then slowly stepped forward, leaning heavily on her cane.

Sion stood silently, patiently waiting for her to speak first.

"Are you… by any chance… knights from Luxior…?"

"That's right."

Sion nodded.

At his response, the old woman's face clouded with emotion.

A whirlwind of shock, relief, joy, and even resentment flickered across her expression.

Diene dismounted and gently approached the woman.

"Ma'am, what exactly happened here in Ritten?"

Just as the old woman opened her trembling lips to answer...

BAM—!

"They're alive…!"

"The knights of Luxior are here!!!"

Doors that had been tightly shut burst open all around us as villagers came running out, one after another. In an instant, we were surrounded.

"Please, knights! You must help our village!"

"If this goes on, we're doomed…!"

A dozen or so villagers cried out desperately, their faces full of fear and pleading.

As I watched them, I realized...

So that's what has been weighing down this village...

It was fear.