EP.203 Land of Ashes (3)
Naturally, the road to the land of ashes is not smooth.
The land of ashes is a dead land.
It was a land of death in the sense that it was already dead and could not conceive life, and it was a land of death in the sense that one had to prepare for death if one approached it.
Therefore, another name for the land of ashes was the land of death.
Some even called it polluted land.
A land of death, or a polluted land.
There is no way that the road to a land with such a name is normal. The roads are cut off, and no one wants to go near the land of ashes.
“Did you say you were going to the land of ashes?”
“Sir, are you crazy?”
The carriage doesn’t even want to go near it.
“The road to the land of ashes?”
“Why does a young man with a bright future ahead of him want to die already? A woman with a smooth face, tsk tsk…”
If you ask for directions, you’ll often be treated like a crazy person.
“Why is everything treated like that?”
“So I told you. “It would be fastest to walk.”
It’s the fourth day since we headed to Arcadia, the land of ashes.
Raniel, who had been inquiring in the village closest to his destination, returned to the inn with his shoulders slumped. Looking at that scene, Cardi clicked her tongue.
“It was possible to take a carriage to the nearby village, but you will have to walk through the wilderness to the Land of Ashes.”
“I think it will take three days at best.”
“If you walk quickly, it will take you two days.”
“Tsk…”
Raniel chewed his appetite for no reason.
The wilderness that must be crossed to get to the Land of Ashes is clearly visible even through the inn’s window. The wilderness that extends beyond the horizon is reminiscent of the scenery of a magic world.
‘···It reminds me of when they keep marching.’
It wasn’t a very good memory.
Raniel let out a long sigh. Cardi looked at Raniel as if he was visibly disappointed.
“…Didn’t you already say you’ve been there once?”
“I went on an expedition when I was the next Mage Tower lord. And at that time, we crossed the wilderness by carriage. Coachmen came running from here and there to pick us up…”
“I guess they were happy because they caught a tiger fish.”
No matter where you go, there are people who risk their lives for money. And, if he was the next magic tower lord of a magic tower with color… his reputation was guaranteed, so he probably thought it was a challenge worth taking on.
“…Shall I hit you with money?”
“Just walk. “What a big deal two days is.”
“This is why elves do it.”
Raniel shook his head.
“Every day is precious to humans, right? “If you can shorten the time by even 1 minute and 1 second, it means consuming a lot of goods…”
So, Raniel begins to give a long speech about the ‘preciousness of time’. The temperature in Cardi’s gaze suddenly dropped as she looked at her.
“her···.”
Cardi laughed and muttered.
“A guy who is so important to shortening time came out with a robe and grabbed me for almost an hour?”
“······.”
Raniel is silent.
Looking at Raniel, who was silently looking away, Cardi let out a deep sigh. What lingers in my mind is the memory of when I grabbed Raniel.
“Oh, I said I’ll just wear it until we arrive! Really, just a little! a little bit···!”
The image of Raniel, who was refusing to give up his robe when asked to do so, flashed before my eyes. After an hour of grappling, they eventually succeeded in taking it, but in return, Cardi had to suffer from Raniel’s antics all day long.
“First of all, take the robe.”
“I don’t wear it because it’s shameful.”
“If I wear it for a while, will it wear out? “I really said I would wear it just a little bit.”
It was a despondency reminiscent of Gleria.
And, Cardi had learned something from her past travel experience with Gleria. It was a very valuable realization that it was better to just grant what I wanted rather than suffer for days on end.
「···Just tell me to wear it?」
“···really?”
So I just gave it to him.
As a result, the journey was smooth… but now that I was watching Raniel raving about the preciousness of time, I could only laugh.
“And, it would be better not to hire a coachman. “There are some devices that need to be touched in the wilderness.”
“What, was that something like that?”
“okay. So it would be easier to walk.”
Saying that, Cardi motioned to Raniel.
“Have you bought everything?”
“Wind grass, night sky flowers, wyvern claws… I bought everything they asked me to buy. “I’m going to use it for camping, but what are these mysterious materials used for?”
“It’s an alchemy ingredient. “You’ll find out later.”
After receiving the bag containing the items, Cardi stood up. It was a signal to start now that preparations were over.
“Wait a moment.”
Before departure, Raniel stood in front of the mirror.
A mirror placed on one side of the inn. Ran El, standing in front of him, twisted her body around and adjusted her clothes. Since it was a behavior that had been seen frequently over the past few days, Cardi watched it without paying much attention to it.
Bingle.
Eventually, she spun around in place, adjusted her robe, and smiled happily. It seemed like he really liked the robe she was wearing.
‘···It will be difficult to get it back.’
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The actual owner of the robe was Cardi, but Cardi had now given up half of her ownership of the robe. Certainly, looking at it now, it seemed like it would be difficult to get it back.
“Anyway…”
He is truly an eccentric guy.
Thinking about that, Cardi shook her head.
2.
The wilderness that spreads near the land of ashes is unduly harsh for ordinary humans. This is because there is no demon, but the environment itself is not much different from the demon world.
The temperature difference between night and day is large.
Deserts and steep canyons coexist.
It looks as if various terrains have been twisted around. Pointing to that, Cardi said, ‘It’s true that it’s actually twisted. ‘Because fifteen nearby fiefdoms were caught up.’ He answered. At that explanation, I just nodded and said, “I guess so.”
That’s how Cardi and I crossed the wilderness.
It was a harsh environment for ordinary people, but both me and Cardi were quite far from ‘ordinary’.
“It’s fascinating when you think about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am a wise man, right?”
“I can’t believe it, but… that’s what they called it.”
“What the f*ck?”
I was a wizard called a wise man on the battlefield.
“Anyway, you are a great sage. “The great sage who was with the first hero.”
“There was a time when it was called that.”
Cardi was a wizard called the Great Sage.
“So we’re not a wise man’s party? In fact, wouldn’t it be invincible with just two wizards?”
“That’s a very cheap-sounding name.”
“That’s true.”
“okay. “You seem cheap sometimes.”
“No, not that one.”
Regardless of the conversation we had, it was difficult to place the wise man and the great wise man in the category of ordinary people… so we crossed the wilderness without much difficulty.
“But, are you walking better than you think?”
“Mana has disappeared, but physical ability has not disappeared. When I was on active duty, I even walked at the same speed as Ganikalt. He even carried Gleria on his back at the beginning of the trip. “It was heavy compared to what it looked like.”
“Oh···.”
There was no difficulty in walking, but the wilderness was quite large and it took a long walk to reach the land of ashes. So we walked on, chatting casually.
“Now that I think about it, you said that among your companions were an elf and a saint.”
Is it really right to call them ‘colleagues’?
I opened my mouth with a strange expression on my face.
“First of all… it was there.”
“How were they? “From what you often say, I don’t think you’re a very good colleague.”
“Before they are good colleagues, I have doubts about whether they are colleagues…”
Sarah and Remia.
I pictured those two in my head, for whom I couldn’t find any good memories. The moment I thought of that prostitute-like pink and yellow hair, my fist naturally tightened.
“It’s hard to explain in words… they were bitches with incredible shit.”
“Is it that much?”
“That’s about it.”
“I’m not saying I’m an elf, but I don’t think the elves’ personalities are that problematic.”
Does the elf have a personality problem?
“Heh heh,” I let out a laugh.
“It’s because you haven’t met Remia, that 88-year-old girl.”
“The elf called Shingung?”
“uh. 90% of my hatred of elves was created by Remia in those ten years. “Never mind, whiner, selective nature lover, again…”
“I get it. Okay, calm down.”
Cardi freaked out and took a few steps away from me.
I looked at Cardi, who had a bored expression on her face, and smiled a smile that was close to liberation.
“It won’t happen, but if you meet that bitch Remia, you’ll feel this way, right?”
What do you mean?
Cardi asked that, and I answered this.
“Wow, how can a human bastard be like that? “Aren’t you little bastards like bastards?”
“···This is a very racially discriminatory remark.”
“The ‘early bastard’ I use when I call Remia refers only to Remia, not to elves.”
Something that is neither an elf nor a human.
The Remia I remember was really close to something like that… She had an amazing personality that was worth studying in itself.
“Wow, it’s creepy when I think about it.”
I shook my shoulders.
“Really, I don’t want to see you again. I don’t even want to see your face. really. “If I meet you, I might vomit.”
3.
“You said you had to go to the land of ashes, right?”
Remia opened her mouth while picking up the clothes scattered on the floor. Her blonde hair flowed over her pale white skin.
“Can’t you just say you stopped by and go have fun in the city of night for a month? “I want to see the parade.”
It was a voice full of annoyance.
Even though the road was already heading to the land of ashes, Remia seemed to want to go back immediately.
“Do we really have to go? Kyle?”
In response to that question, Kyle, who was brushing Sarah’s sleeping hair, opened his mouth quietly.
“Because it was requested by the knight commander.”
“There are other warriors too.”
“Everyone said it was a failure.”
“Aside from being a servile loser, what about Galahal? “Then isn’t it hopeless?”
“Because Galahal lacks starlight.”
Kyle let out a short breath.
It was a problem I didn’t want to explain at length. Kyle did not always share serious concerns or problems with Remia or Sarah. Because it wasn’t that helpful.
“Anyway, this is what we have to do.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“They say there is no difficulty in crossing with the blessing. Sarah likes it. “If it were the first Holy Church, it would definitely be full of all kinds of holy relics.”
Kyle changes the subject.
Remia narrowed her eyes at that topic. She was brushing her hair in front of her dressing table and looked back at Kyle with her curious eyes.
“…If it’s a holy relic, it’s a treasure, right?”
“I guess so.”
“Do you mind if I take it?”
“Because it’s a place that no one but us can hear.”
Remia stands up.
She approaches Kyle. Remia’s shadow shimmered in the candlelight.
“If it’s an ancient treasure, it’s coveted.”
The elf’s skin, illuminated by the shadow of fire, was red yet white. Her body was almost like a work of art, but Kyle’s expression didn’t change much when he saw her in front of him.
『Meeting with the forgotten and the missed.』
Only the whispers of stars linger in Kyle’s mind.
The stars whisper that two encounters await there. Kyle couldn’t tell who the star was pointing to. However, I just trust it.
The whispers of the stars are always right.
So, the stars are perfect.
It’s perfect, there’s no doubt about it.
If Raniel were here, he would have advised me to be more cautious, but he is no longer here. Kyle closed his eyes.
“···The night was deep.”
“You’re not going to sleep anyway, right?”
The night is deep, but the elf and warrior cannot sleep.
As the two’s shadows become entangled in the tent, the starlight heads somewhere else.
“Etch.”
In the middle of the wilderness at night.
Raniel, who was squatting down and touching the kindling, sneezed. she muttered, sniffling her nose.
“Wow, doing this reminds me of old times.”
At that time, he picks up the fireball and throws it.
Her voice echoed across the wilderness.
A word from the author (author review)
I wrote it quickly today so I brought it here quickly 😀
