Heart Of Ruin (2)

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁠⁠⁠⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁣⁣⁠⁣⁠⁠⁣⁠
“Uhehe. I can see my breath.”

Kuntachi happily blew out his breath.

“Are you okay? Damn it. I’m cold.”

Camilla frowned as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself. The temperature was dropping sharply.

The wind blowing from the north was cold enough to cut into the flesh. Though it was still the middle of summer, the cold was anything but ordinary. Now, Fimbulbert was no longer the mad rambling of a lunatic, but was thrusting its claws forward with tangible substance.

“Is the world really about to end? Hm? Hey, everyone stop!”

Camilla halted the group and stepped forward.

Refugees had made camp at a three-way intersection. They could be recognized as refugees because they had packed up a great many household goods, but in their hands were clubs and blackjacks, and some even had crude swords and shields.

Archers were also positioned along the roadside. They were clearly a group that could not be treated carelessly.

However, they too were tense as they looked at Camilla, Kuntachi, and the armed state of the soldiers behind them.

“Who are you people?”

“We are the Fireglyph branch of the Van Dyke Trading Company. Count Ivchek of Sandokar and Sir Azadine of the Rescue Knights Order guarantee our trade journey.”

“Azadine….”

“Do you mean that soulless blasphemer?”

The refugees looked at Camilla, Kuntachi, and their subordinates with hollow eyes and muttered among themselves. Hearing that, Camilla clicked her tongue.

“You had better not have just insulted Sir Azadine.”

“What? Is this woman insane? Of course we can insult a Messenger Clan bastard.”

The refugees, who had already half-turned into a band of thieves, showed displeasure when Camilla took an overbearing attitude.

The atmosphere was growing harsh.

Camilla looked at those refugees and smiled. In truth, she could pretend not to have heard them insult Azadine, and then things would proceed a little more smoothly. But if she left alone people who treated Azadine’s name carelessly, more people like this would keep appearing afterward.

Camilla could not tolerate that point. She could not simply overlook people who knew nothing of what Azadine had sacrificed and what efforts he had made, yet looked down on him.

“Kuntachi.”

“Huh? Sister?”

“Those bastards are insulting your sister.”

“What? Really?”

Kuntachi stepped forward with a battle-axe in one hand and a greatsword in the other.

At that moment, the archers aimed their arrows at Kuntachi. But aside from Kuntachi, the other soldiers also aimed bows, crossbows, and matchlocks at the archers.

“You dared to scorn our captain’s name, so apologize at once. Otherwise, well, judging by how you look, you seem like bandits, so we may as well clear the caravan’s path in advance.”

“…….”

“So what are you? Bandits? Or law-abiding civilians? Are you going to apologize or not? All you have to do is apologize.”

At Camilla’s words, the muzzles, crossbows, and bows of the soldiers moved without the slightest wavering.

It meant that all of them were angry at those who had insulted Azadine, and it also meant that their level of training was no joke.

“A-all right. We were wrong. Please accept our apology.”

“But if you really are merchants, could we perhaps buy food?”

“I am an escort. The merchant caravan will arrive soon, so speak with the merchants.”

When Camilla said that and blew a whistle, the caravan wagons appeared from the rear. Due to Baron Jerod’s group and the refugees, as well as other refugees who had joined them every time they traveled along the road, the caravan’s size had become enormous.

“What is going on, Camilla?”

Dilia, the head merchant of the caravan, asked.

“They are requesting a trade.”

“Ah….”

Dilia gave a bitter smile. The refugees who were requesting a trade were armed with blackjacks tied with leather straps, clubs, and the like. If this side’s armament had been poor, they had probably also considered plundering them.

“If we could buy some food….”

“It is expensive. And the wagons are already packed to capacity.”

Dilia gave an order to her adjutant with a tilt of her chin.

Her adjutant brought over a small slate. Since refugees mostly asked for food, the unit prices of food had been written down on it.

Most people were illiterate, but they could read numbers.

“These are the prices of beans, oats, barley, wheat, fish, jerky, bread, ale, and sherry.”

“Huh?”

“This is blatant profiteering… How shameless.”

“Well, whether it is profiteering or not, please set that aside and move out of the way, as we will be passing through.”

“I-if you are going to Sandokar, could we follow you as well?”

“Of course. Follow us. But from the rear. Please follow Baron Jerod’s control.”

Dilia frowned as she absorbed another group of refugees.

The refugee group was swelling endlessly. This was not a number a single merchant branch could handle.

“This is serious.”

While trading from Sandokar to Banreung, Dilia had set up an outpost in preparation for emergencies. She had unloaded food, weapons, and other supplies at an intermediate point and prepared it so they could resupply at any time.

However, before they could resupply at that outpost, their food was running low. There were too many refugees demanding food.

In order to control supply to them, Dilia deliberately called out high prices, but surprisingly, the refugees bought not only food but even liquor at those prices. Groups had appeared that held gambling dens during mealtimes or sleeping hours.

Once gambling began, some won and some lost. To those who had won money that way, even food priced expensively did not feel that expensive.

As a result, the food among the caravan’s stock began to bottom out rapidly.

‘Should we have opened the gambling den ourselves? Some random bastards are making money. But public opinion is already bad enough, and if we even run a gambling house….’

-Rumble!

As if to add anxiety to Dilia’s worries, snowstorms and rain fell mixed together, and lightning writhed in the sky. Snow was falling from the midsummer sky. Since the ground was at least warmer, it turned into rain near the surface, but if things continued like this, it would not be long before the world froze over.

But in the lightning, people began appearing one after another who claimed to have seen a strange shadow.

“Hiiik?!”

“D-did you see it?!”

“From the north, from the Banreung Kingdom’s side….”

People claimed to have seen a gigantic shadow in the north.

They said an evil and enormous, yet indescribable shadow was stretching its hand toward them from the Banreung Kingdom.

Many people testified to that. As the people grew frightened, Dilia turned to her adjutant.

“Send another carrier pigeon to Sandokar. How many are left?”

This adjutant, a doppelganger transformed into human form, took out a birdcage and showed it to her.

“There are two carrier pigeons left. If we send one to the Aragasa and one to Sandokar, there will be none remaining.”

“…Do not send one to the Aragasa.”

“Will that be all right? We already sent one carrier pigeon when we turned the caravan around. Would sending more not simply waste carrier pigeons?”

“The first carrier pigeon might not have arrived, right? There is nothing bad about sending more.”

“In that case, to the Aragasa….”

“The Aragasa would not send reinforcements to help us anyway, would they? Azadine is better instead. Save the carrier pigeon so we can send one more to Azadine.”

Dilia said that, then wrote down their current location, the situation with refugees joining them, the remaining amount of supplies, their future plans, and the rumors they had obtained in a letter, then handed it to her adjutant. He tied the letter to the carrier pigeon, used simple magic to indicate the direction, and released the bird.

-Rumble!

The carrier pigeon flew through the darkness where thunder howled.

“I hope it reaches them safely.”

“Even if it reaches them, it will take no small amount of time for them to prepare and come rescue us.”

“I know. There was also the carrier pigeon sent the previous day, and this is the second time, so if Azadine is quick-witted, he should be able to make it in time.”

Dilia answered that way and announced camp to her subordinates.

Since icy rain was falling from the sky, she chose to camp rather than have someone get hurt while traveling at night for no reason.

“Circular formation!”

The caravan wagons were parked along the roadside like castle walls, and ropes and cloth were connected between them to make roofs. This caravan circular formation could create quite a wide safe zone with a small number of wagons.

After arranging the circular formation that way, Dilia ordered her employees.

“There are tents among the goods, right? Lend them to Baron Jerod.”

“What? Even tents? Yesterday, there was no particular trouble even when we just camped outside….”

“It was not raining yesterday. There are many refugees, so if we do not provide goods as well, they will turn into a mob in an instant.”

Dilia said that and called Baron Jerod, but he refused her proposal.

“Thank you, but we already have tents.”

“You are soldiers, so you must have prepared tents, but the refugees are not like that. They must have been your subjects, so you should distribute the tents to the refugees.”

Do you think this ends just because you alone have tents? Dilia was rebuking Baron Jerod that way.

“Th-thank you.”

“It is not exactly in exchange, but please take the rear. The very rear of the refugees will be the most dangerous, so the finest warriors should guard that place, should they not?”

Dilia lent tents to Baron Jerod and, in return, suggested that he camp at the rear of the refugees. It was a request for Baron Jerod and his army to guard the refugees’ rear.

Baron Jerod seemed to think Dilia’s words made sense, so without much resistance, he made camp in the rear and distributed the tents to the refugees so that they could avoid the rain.

The mercenaries hired by the Van Dyke Trading Company and the soldiers belonging to Azadine’s warlord faction guarded the caravan wagons, and Camilla served as the scout, investigating the road ahead.

But as the sun fell and icy rain came down, people began crying out. Everyone wanted to enter inside the caravan wagons’ circular formation.

They were trembling in fear as wolves howled and shadows danced over the mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees covered in darkness.

The rainwater that brought cold was also a problem. Everyone was wearing summer clothes, but the rainwater was terribly cold.

“My child has a fever! Please let us ride in a wagon!”

There were also people who brought children and asked to put them in the wagons, saying they had fevers.

“No. I refuse.”

Dilia naturally refused.

It was obvious that there were goods and food inside the caravan wagons, and no one knew what would happen if outsiders were let inside.

If she accepted them one by one, there would be no end.

“You coldhearted people! Are you saying it is fine if my child dies?!”

“That is why we are lending tents free of charge, are we not?”

Dilia looked at the refugees, unable to get a sense of what she should do. But then, Kuntachi approached her.

“This is serious, Dilia. Monsters are coming from the north.”

“What?”

Kuntachi was trembling while looking down at the ground, not even looking north.

“It is scary. Something scary is coming.”