Chapter 22

Journey

“The wedding will be held in Iselburg.”

At the entrance of the forest, Ulrich said this while looking up at the sun hanging in the sky.

“Not in Solna, where the Grand Temple is?”

Roberta asked, pulling on the reins and stopping her horse behind him.

“Richard—that child—is not on good terms with the pantheon. He detests the involvement of priests. So he abandoned Solna, the old capital with the Grand Temple, and established Iselburg—his core stronghold—as the new capital.”

As she recalled, Iselburg was a city located at the southernmost end of the kingdom. Compared to the Duchy of Dithmarschen, it was as far apart as two extremes.

That was precisely why Ulrich, Roberta, and Fritz had stopped at the entrance of this forest. To head straight to their destination at the southern edge—Iselburg—they had to pass through this forest.

“Ah… so that’s why you’re not taking the main road.”

Ulrich nodded.

“There is plenty of time before the wedding, but if we don’t pass through this forest, we would have to take a long detour along the main road. Then it would be difficult to afford any leisure. As you know, one never knows what might happen.”

Roberta and Fritz looked toward the forest.

It was a forest made up of towering trees so tall that merely looking up at them made one’s neck ache. The spacing between the trees was wide, but each individual tree was so massive that it felt like standing before a wall.

“This place is called the Snow Forest.”

It was a name that did not suit it at all.

There was not a trace of snow—only lush greenery, and the day was sweltering.

“Long ago… well, back when Dithmarschen was part of the Ice Peninsula, it was given that name. It marked the boundary between the peninsula and the lands to the south, so it was always covered in snow due to the peninsula’s influence. Back then, snow fairies lived here in groups.”

Snow fairies—she had never seen such a race in person. According to records, they were small beings with wings and pointed ears, said to love cold places so much that people claimed they ‘brought winter with them.’

“Do they not live here anymore, my lord?”

At the mention of fairies, Fritz asked with sparkling eyes.

“They couldn’t, even if they wanted to. For snow fairies to live in a place this warm would be no different from humans living on the Ice Peninsula. As the temperature rose, they left for elsewhere.”

With that, Ulrich urged his horse forward and entered the forest.

Roberta and Fritz followed behind. The moment they stepped into the forest, shadows swallowed them, and their vision darkened. Coming from the bright summer sunlight into the deep shade, their eyes struggled to adjust.

It had already felt grand from the outside, but inside it was even more so. The towering trees blocked out the sky so completely that even when one tilted their head back, they could see nothing but leaves.

What would happen if they lost their way? With no paths and no sign of human presence, they would have to carve their own route. And without being able to see the sky, it felt as though they might never escape the forest.

“Do not worry. We won’t lose our way.”

As if reading her thoughts, Ulrich spoke.

“I’ve passed through here several times before.”

“When was that?”

Ulrich thought for a moment before answering.

“Well… the last time must have been about eighty years ago.”

Eighty years?

She barely managed to suppress the cough rising in her throat. Of course—it was only natural. They were traversing a place where one could easily become lost, relying on memories from nearly a century ago. She trusted him, but the sudden sense of bewilderment was unavoidable.

Meanwhile, Fritz, walking beside her, merely widened his eyes in wonder. The boy, who had just turned sixteen, seemed delighted by anything the elder said.

“Th-that was quite a long time ago.”

“Indeed. But it seems little has changed.”

Ulrich said this while surveying their surroundings.

“Do you remember what it looked like back then?”

“No. At the time, I paid no attention to the scenery. What I remember is that I passed through here with Adnan… and the retainers of that time, in search of a magical beast.”

Still, he added, there was a certain feeling one received when seeing the same place again.

Roberta looked around the forest and thought that made sense. This was a forest untouched by human presence. Who would dare step into it before the three of them?

A forest untouched by human hands does not easily change unless struck by disaster. The scenery Ulrich had glimpsed nearly a century ago would not be much different from what they saw now.

Perhaps they were walking along the exact same path he had taken back then. Perhaps the very trees that had greeted him before were welcoming him once again.

“Beyond this forest, once we pass through, there is a village. It belongs to the County of Goeten. I don’t remember its name, but I hunted the magical beast I was chasing there. We should arrive by tomorrow.”

What kind of feeling was he experiencing now?

Not months or years apart, but separated by the span of an entire human life—encountering the same place again was something she had never experienced. Could she ever experience it even once in her life?

“It must have changed a lot, after all this time.”

“It must have.”

Having lived through such a long span of time, wandering the world under countless names, he must have experienced things like this countless times. Perhaps that was why he did not stop to dwell in thought.

He simply moved forward, as though walking along a familiar road.

“…Perhaps the village itself no longer exists.”

The three of them spent a day in the Snow Forest. The forest was so vast that even on horseback, they could not cross it in a single day.

As the sun began to set, they stopped their horses and prepared to camp. The forest grew dark faster than any other place, so they gathered firewood nearby and lit a campfire. Soon, darkness completely enveloped their surroundings.

Even in summer, the Snow Forest was chilly at night. It seemed the influence of the Ice Peninsula still lingered. After finishing dinner around the campfire, they exchanged a few brief words and went to sleep.

Ulrich took the night watch. Saying he did not need sleep, he let the other two rest and spent the night beneath a sky hidden by leaves. When morning came, he woke them, and they exited the forest.

They arrived at the village in the late afternoon. Though they had left the Snow Forest early in the morning, the distance between the forest and the village was considerable. Had they not been on horseback, they would have needed to camp once more.

Even if it was less influenced by the peninsula than Dithmarschen, it was not entirely unaffected. It was only natural to distance oneself as much as possible from that influence.

The village was small, but compared to its size, it was fairly well-defended. A stone wall surrounded the outskirts, and there was even a modest watchtower. The villagers spotted the group from the tower first and immediately went on guard.

“Do not come any closer!”

A middle-aged man shouted loudly from the village entrance.

Behind him stood over a dozen young men. Each held a spear or a sword, openly displaying their wariness toward the strangers.

“State your purpose!”

Well, why would strangers come to such a remote place? And moreover, they had appeared from the direction of the Snow Forest. Strangers coming from a path no one used—of course they would be wary.

“Ah… what should we do?”

Fritz asked, his voice full of disappointment. It seemed he had been hoping for a warm place to sleep after avoiding insects and wild beasts, but now thought that hope was gone.

“Just a moment. I’ll speak with them.”

Roberta said so and stepped forward.

“May the grace of Ganymia be with you. We are travelers passing through. We have no hidden intentions in coming here. We merely stopped by to rest for a day along our journey.”

The villagers looked at the priest’s robes she wore. Then they saw her dismount and circulate mana, causing a blue pattern to glow brightly on her bare palm.

“A priest?”

The middle-aged man who had shouted earlier hesitated for a moment, then lowered his spear and approached her. Though there was still some hesitation, his wariness softened. He had judged that the woman before him was a legitimate priest.

In a world created by the gods, the position of one who serves them guaranteed many things. Especially in remote areas where life was harsh, people naturally relied on the gods and sought their blessings.

“My apologies for the rudeness, priest.”

He removed his hat and introduced himself politely as Günter.

“I understand. We appeared without warning, after all.”

With a gentle smile, she asked if they could stay in the village for a night.

“It is quite lacking for hosting a priest… would that be acceptable?”

“As long as we can avoid the night wind, anywhere will do.”

“In that case… we will guide you to the village chief’s house. It is, at least, the most suitable place here for you to stay.”

“Thank you. We would appreciate it.”

After finishing the conversation, Roberta gestured to Ulrich and Fritz. While the two approached, Günter dismissed the young men and stepped ahead of the group to guide them.

As the three strangers entered the village, the residents poured out to watch them. It seemed visitors were rare; they looked at them with shining eyes, as if important figures had arrived.

‘He said eighty years ago…’

Ignoring the stares and whispers, Roberta observed the village carefully. Ulrich had mentioned that he had visited this place back then—while hunting a magical beast.

She herself had participated in monster hunts a few times. And each time, she had seen villages where only the dead remained. That was usually the case when monsters appeared—no one survived.

Unlike monsters that hid in uninhabited areas and waited for prey, those that attacked human settlements possessed the power to back their boldness.

To appear alone before a group meant confidence that it could kill everything in front of it. Such monsters had to be dealt with immediately, or the damage would spiral out of control.

The monster Ulrich had pursued eighty years ago must have been such a creature.

‘And if he had to personally chase it…’

Yet the village had survived.

There must have been significant damage, but it had endured for nearly a century since then. That meant many had survived.

Roberta glanced at Ulrich’s profile. He walked calmly, observing his surroundings. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? Even after more than a year of acquaintance, she still could not tell.

He was certainly not emotionless, but perhaps it was his immense patience—or simply that he was too accustomed to everything. He expressed very little.

She was still far from understanding him.

Still, one thought crossed her mind. Perhaps the reason he had chosen this route after leaving the Snow Forest was because he wanted to see this village again.

The village chief was an elderly man.

When Ulrich’s group entered the house, the chief was seated in a chair. The chair faced a wide-open window, so he appeared to be looking outside—but his eyes were closed.

He looked as though he had reached the end of a normal human lifespan. His face was full of wrinkles, his body thin and frail, and his breathing faint.

“Chief.”

When Günter approached and whispered in his ear, the old man slowly opened his eyes.

His cloudy gaze looked at Günter, then swept over the three people standing at the door. It did not focus properly.

“Guests?”

The chief asked in a voice like air leaking through cracks.

“Chief, these people are…”

Günter explained that Roberta was a priest of Ganymia, that Ulrich and Fritz were her companions, and that they had stopped by the village to spend the night. The chief exhaled weakly and nodded.

“I see… We are honored to host you in such a humble place.”

With Günter’s support, the chief slowly stood up.

“My name is Luman. I serve as the village chief here. I hear you require a place to stay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry for the sudden request, but may we ask for your hospitality?”

“For a priest to ask such a thing… this is no grand place.”

Luman coughed dryly several times and stepped toward them.

“Please, come this way. I will guide you.”

He narrowed his eyes. It seemed that he could only recognize faces when standing about a step away, unable to see clearly otherwise.

His cloudy eyes lingered on Roberta for a while before finally focusing. Then he shifted his gaze to Fritz. After confirming him as well, he turned toward Ulrich.

The moment his vision focused for the third time, his eyes trembled. Günter, who was supporting him, was startled as Luman’s body began to shake, but before he could ask anything, Luman grabbed Ulrich’s hand.

“L-Lord Ulrich…?”

“…You remember me?”

Luman broke into a radiant smile across his wrinkled face.

“How could I forget… You saved us. On the day the monsters came, among those you saved, the youngest child… that was me. Do you remember?”

Ulrich closed his eyes briefly, as if tracing back through his memories.