Mort (1)

“His Highness was bright and energetic. He excelled not only in swordsmanship but in every other respect as well, so he always stood out. Every one of the knights admired His Highness, even though he was a boy younger than they were.”

The ladle in his hand scraped the bottom of the pot.

“But he also had many tender sides that he kept hidden from others.”

I quietly watched him. Somehow, he looked far older than his actual age. It was as though nostalgia, carried in on the winds of his homeland, had swallowed him like a rising tide.

He ladled steaming-hot soup into my bowl.

“Please enjoy your meal, Madam.”

I nodded, then moved aside for the knights rushing toward the food and crouched in front of the campfire with my bowl.

Seventeen knights, Dideric, and Victor.

They were returning home. Two years in the Southern Kingdom, then another two in the Eastern Kingdom. The war endured by the Knights of Mort had been brutally long. Long enough that I could understand why not only Victor, but all the knights had been unable to sleep.

Then would Victor improve once he returned home? His illness, and the inexplicable unease that seemed to haunt his heart?

I stared down at the bowl of soup as soft curls of steam rose from it.

“Madam! Have some of this too!”

At that moment, a loaf of bread flew toward me from afar. I reflexively snatched it out of the air.

It seemed Dideric had opened the provisions wagon before we reached the final village. The knights had crowded noisily around the wagon.

“If you don’t come quickly, we’ll eat it all!”

I grabbed my bowl and ran over with the speed of a harpy. Regrettably, I was far too hungry to remain lost in sentiment for long.

“Wow…….”

I could not hide my admiration. The knights, on the other hand, all looked unimpressed.

“Madam, do you like things like this? It’s just common draka hide.”

“It isn’t that common in other regions.”

I protested quietly and let my gaze wander. All sorts of miscellaneous goods displayed on the stalls dazzled my eyes.

The final village we reached at the end of our journey bordered Mort. Perhaps because they were intended for travelers, the market was filled with all kinds of specialties from Mort.

Draka hide stretched thin and dried, small drums decorated with the feathers of migratory birds, blankets sewn from thick wolf pelts…….

I looked around with wide eyes, but most of the knights, who had spent their years as squires in Mort, appeared uninterested.

“Madam, they sell things like this much more cheaply in front of Mort Castle. And what in the world would you use a drum for?”

“You can beat it.”

“Of course you can. It’s a drum.”

Kaltz teased me relentlessly. I needlessly pushed out my lower lip.

Even someone as ignorant of the ways of the world as I was knew that most goods sold in places like this were overpriced. Still, there was no harm in looking.

Victor, who stood beside me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Shall I walk around with you?”

“Victor, honestly, you aren’t interested in any of this either.”

I pointed out Victor’s tired face and uninterested expression.

To be honest, he truly seemed to have not the slightest interest in such things. Since he had been born and raised in Mort, that was understandable, but after riding over hard sandy roads all day, his face clearly said that he wanted to wash himself and put something in his stomach immediately.

I pushed Victor’s hand away with a smile.

“I’ll look around by myself and come in afterward. You should rest.”

“But—”

“Then I shall escort her.”

Sir Raul, the enormous knight carrying an axe over his shoulder, suddenly inserted himself into the conversation. He twisted his fierce face into a good-natured grin.

“This is my first time coming to Mort as well, so there are quite a few things I would like to see. I shall accompany Madam.”

Victor struggled with the decision for quite some time before finally nodding. It seemed he truly was desperate for rest.

He briefly took my hand and released it, then whispered.

“You must return quickly.”

“Don’t worry.”

When Victor gestured, Raul dumped his massive axe onto the other knights and hurried over. He flashed a broad, toothy smile.

“Today, I, Raul of Radan, shall escort Madam.”

Sir Raul and I behaved like country folk visiting a city for the first time. The merchants looked at us as though we were easy prey ripe for fleecing, but perhaps because Raul looked so terrifying, none dared to solicit us too aggressively.

Sir Raul enjoyed looking around even more than I did, yet he did not buy a single thing.

“Aren’t you buying anything?”

He answered my question coldly.

“I never buy from anywhere that charges even a single coin too much.”

He was unmistakably a mercenary.

I chuckled. Since he had joined the Knights of Mort during the Eastern Kingdom war that ended last year, it was understandable that he still behaved like a mercenary.

I continued diligently examining the stalls. The market had many unusual foods and accessories, not merely goods taken from monsters.

We bought grilled skewers and chewed noisily as we headed toward the end of the market. At the edge of the stalls stood an unusual open-air shop without even a sign. Yet both Sir Raul and I stopped in front of it.

At first glance, it looked as though ordinary draka hides were piled there, but the truth was entirely different.

“Isn’t this chimera hide?”

Sir Raul asked, unable to conceal his surprise.

The gleaming red color, the scales that appeared here and there, and the four enormous fangs stacked to one side. This was unmistakably the hide of a chimera, a monster that combined a lion and a serpent.

The man sitting before the stall silently nodded.

“That’s right. I nearly died killing it.”

“Impressive. Where in the world did you encounter something like this?”

“Near the border of the Grand Duchy.”

Raul frowned.

“Wouldn’t soldiers be guarding the border?”

The man raised his head and looked at Raul. His gaze lingered on the black lion crest stamped onto Raul’s shoulder.

“You seem to be a knight of Mort. Do you serve the Grand Duke?”

“I do.”

“Choose whatever you need. I’ll sell it cheaply.”

A chimera’s teeth were as hard as steel, and its hide repelled fire and arrows. I picked up two fangs, while Raul selected a large bundle of hide.

As promised, the man sold the goods for a very reasonable price. Once we had stored them in our pouches, the man stared at us.

“You should hurry. When the master leaves his place unattended, rats begin to swarm.”

“…….”

“The Grand Duke has been away for far too long. His fame may have risen beyond measure, but rats know nothing of fame. Return with caution.”

As though he had said everything he wished to say, the man folded his arms and closed his eyes.

I frowned and turned toward Raul. Raul was also looking at me with a scowl.

And the next day, we finally reached Mort.

Mort.

Located at the far northeastern edge of the Empire, it was the largest territory in the Empire. Mort Castle, which served as its capital, lay toward the western side of the territory, and the southern, northern, and eastern regions surrounding it were so vast that each could practically be considered a separate domain.

Geographically, it lay close to the Black Mountains and the wasteland beneath them, so there were many monsters, but the knight order was strong enough that they caused little serious damage. Apparently, livestock dying from the cold was a greater problem. The cool climate was well suited to growing wheat, but fruit was rare, and most of the territory’s income came from the enormous quantity of gemstones extracted from its mines…… or so it said in <The History and Knights of the Empire>.

I simply found it fascinating. Amari’s primary source of income was also minerals. Of course, nothing as precious as gemstones came from our mines, only small quantities of iron ore and copper.

In any case, it was rather surprising that Victor, who seemed like a typical southerner, had grown up in an environment similar to mine.

Had he also grown up watching miners with soot-darkened noses?

I secretly glanced at Victor. He had been looking out the window throughout the journey. Since he was returning home after such a long absence, it seemed he had many thoughts on his mind.

But he did not forget to look at me and smile from time to time. Just as he had said before we departed, he seemed exceedingly pleased to have brought me to Mort.

“Thinking of you being in my castle puts my heart at ease.”

He toyed with my hand.

“With no one else around, just the two of us, forever…….”

Victor smiled hazily. It was a smile beautiful enough to send a chill down my spine.

Even after seeing his face every day, I still could not grow accustomed to it. I faltered, then hurriedly changed the subject.

“Won’t you be busy, Victor? It has been a long time since you were last here.”

I had heard rumors that unpleasant things were happening in the territory, and the words of the chimera hunter yesterday also weighed on my mind.

What did he mean by rats? People? Monsters?

In truth, since the lord of such an enormous territory had been absent for several years, it would not have been strange for anything to happen.

However, Victor smiled languidly.

“Well, we shall see. I trust my vassals.”

He caressed each of my fingers one by one. After carefully stroking the joints hardened by sword calluses, he briefly pressed his lips against them.

“No matter what happens, you need not worry. All you have to do is remain by my side.”

I faintly furrowed my brow amid an inexplicable sense of unease.

The northern wind swept bleakly across the back of my neck.

Mort Castle was indeed beautiful. Within the tall fortress, backed by enormous sand-colored rocky mountains, sturdy stone houses topped with white wooden roofs stood in orderly rows. The roads were neatly paved with white stone, and even waterways had been constructed, clearly revealing the territory’s wealth. The dark blue-green coniferous forests visible throughout the castle blended with the grayish-white stone walls, adding to its cold beauty.

When the Grand Duke’s carriage entered, the people standing along the streets cheered. Since their lord had returned as a hero of the entire Empire, their reaction was understandable. The sight of them scattering white flower petals that bloomed in the north made it seem like a festival.

But Victor appeared to have his attention stolen by something else.

“……Something is certainly strange.”

“What? What is?”

“It is nothing.”

Victor smiled faintly and signaled the coachman. The carriage increased its speed and soon reached the inner castle where the lord resided.