Episode 204. The Child of the Prairie (5)
The next day, as planned, Rubin and his party entered the meadow, each mounted on a horse.
“What a truly amazing breed.”
Kuze’s heartfelt admiration. He has ridden many different breeds of horses, but this was his first time riding a horse exclusively used by the Imperial Army.
It was the same for Rubin. I thought Nerheim’s statement that a trotting horse was absolutely necessary to cross the meadow was somewhat exaggerated, but it was all true.
In the vast grassland, the trotter ran without stopping. Until the sun set and the evening twilight spread.
Purr! Purr!
As the horse was about to show off its overflowing energy by sprinting, Nerheim suddenly raised his hand and slowed down.
“The sun is setting. We must slow down the speed of the horse.”
“yes?”
Kuze asked back.
His knowledge of the Northern Plains and the Tuhun tribe was superficial. He was not aware that there was a unique natural phenomenon that occurred every night, so he couldn’t help but wonder. Of course, he followed Rubin’s slowing down without a word.
Nerheim smiled broadly.
“… Perhaps, Inspector, you might know about the ‘Tsundere Wave.’ You said you’ve seen the research materials.”
That’s right. Strictly speaking, it was thanks to looking at the records of Pelchion among the research materials.
When he was branded a traitor, all of his personal records were confiscated and burned, but those classified as ‘Suinhwa Research’ materials were preserved.
A dozen years ago, Felkyon Brion also headed north of the plains, just like Rubin and his party now do, and encountered the ‘Tsundere Wave’ for the first time.
‘They said that tsunamis have precursors. They said it was a change in the sound of the wind.’
As it happens, Nerheim was also offering a similar explanation.
“As the day gets dark, the wind noise will begin to change. That’s when you can start preparing.”
“preparation?”
What Nerheim took out was a wide piece of cloth. She held it up to her eyes, meaning to use it as a blindfold.
“By tying them up like this, you cover your eyes. Then, even if the ‘tidal wave of the wounds’ comes, you won’t be swept away by it.”
In a vast grassland where it is difficult to find even a single tree, what does a tsunami mean and what does it mean to be swept away?
As questions rose again on Kuze and Blane’s faces, Rubin opened his mouth.
“A tidal wave of taunts. It is a natural phenomenon that only affects the immigrant tribes that enter the grasslands. Since it refers to the immigrant tribes in the taunts’ perspective, it must ultimately be referring to us.”
According to the records of Pelkyon, when the wind starts to sound like singing, that is when it begins.
And then a few minutes later, the sound of horseshoes would continue, and the wind would rush in from far away.
“It’s not an ordinary wind. It looks like the air has condensed and formed into a certain shape, like a tsunami that occurs in the ocean after an earthquake.”
As Nerheim added, Kuze asked hurriedly.
“Are you saying that if you cover your eyes, the tsunami will go away?”
“Yes, I have experienced it several times. Those who are blindfolded escape.”
It was also written in the records of Felkyon. The wind gusts like a tidal wave, but it has no effect on the blindfolded or the Toothless.
“If I come across even one stray dog in the meadow before the end of the night, that too would be lucky.”
Then, Nerheim handed each of Rubin’s party a piece of cloth. They had to hurry. The sun was starting to set, and the sound of the wind blowing past their ears was gradually forming a melody.
Whee, whirriri, wheeet-
If this were truly completed as music, it would be a magnificent symphony with a sense of freedom and vastness.
“It seems like they’re building a wall.”
Ahead of the party’s slowly advancing horse, the air was thick and condensed.
It seemed as if he was casting some sort of air magic. However, in this case, the subject casting the magic was not the wizard, but the grassland.
Suddenly, I remembered the private opinion that Pelchion had written in his records. He had left his opinion that the reason why the polar monsters could not come inland might not be because of the barrier. Maybe they were blocked by the will of the grassland.
“… … .”
As time passed, the swaying air of the prairie gave off the impression of a cavalry formation ready to advance, ready to charge at the party when darkness fell.
“The tidal wave of the swarm hits about ten times before daybreak. That’s about once an hour. Of course, this is just the average. If you’re unlucky, you can suffer more.”
Despite Nerheim’s sharp warning, Rubin and his party simply placed blindfolds on their hands and did not readily comply.
She seemed to know why. Since Inspector Luhan did not take the lead, the other two did not follow suit.
Kuze asked again.
“If a tidal wave of destruction comes, will you fly far away?”
“Well… this wind isn’t real. But it’s not an illusion or a fantasy either.”
“What do you mean?”
It was Rubin who added the explanation at that time.
“Even if a tidal wave of trauma hits, there will be no physical damage. It will only shake internally. The worst that can happen is that your heart will burst, but that’s only for ordinary people. At least none of these people would suffer that.”
“then……?”
“They say that those who possess the Aura of Mana will simply collapse if they cannot endure it.”
Although intentionally omitted, the same goes for the dark circle. The group also seemed to have figured out Rubin’s true intentions.
“In that sense, I’m just going to try it out. I won’t force you two. It doesn’t matter which choice you make.”
Even in the records of Pelkion, there was no mention of the effects of the ‘Tuhun’s Tidal Wave’. There was no in-depth study of the Tuhun’s grasslands, so there was no proper theory.
But since it was obvious that it would have an effect on the environment, Rubin had no intention of avoiding it.
‘Perhaps you could call it another training session.’
According to my memories before returning, natural phenomena that affect the ring in any way usually make the ring stronger. This is one of the natural providences, like the existence of mana, aura, and darkness.
“… Ha. Well, I can’t say anything about the inspector’s decision. But, wouldn’t it be better for the young attendant to be blindfolded?”
Nerheim pointed to Blane.
He was an inspector’s attendant, so he wasn’t an ordinary person, but he didn’t look like he would be able to withstand the tidal wave of suffering.
“… … ”
Blane looked down at his blindfold once, then turned his head to meet Rubin’s eyes. At that moment, Rubin’s background and the meadow were completely engulfed in darkness.
Rubin looked indifferent and silent, but that appearance hastened her decision.
“I’ll try it too.”
“to?”
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“I won’t stop you.”
Rubin smiled faintly, though. It was a satisfactory decision.
Wheeeeeek-
Rubin let the blindfold in his hand drift away to the wind. Nerheim sighed deeply upon seeing it. In the end, the only one who had his eyes covered was Nerheim.
‘Ignoring the meadows, it’s frustrating. You’ll definitely regret it.’
This happened occasionally, especially among the arrogant imperial troops.
‘You have to experience it yourself to come to your senses.’
Doo doo doo doo-
After a while, the sound of horse hooves began to echo across the meadow where darkness had settled. It was the sound of the ‘Tsundere’.
The tidal wave did not hesitate to advance towards the stranger. The charging cavalry of the wind seemed to rush in with fury.
Urrrrrr.
Nerheim, who was at the very front with his eyes covered, swallowed hard. It was always a tense moment, even though he knew he wouldn’t be affected by the ‘Tsundere’.
And then the tsunami hit Rubin and the other two directly.
Paaaaang!
A huge, resonating sound of blasting air.
There was no physical price. Nerheim and the Tohunmas were just as calm as if they had been hit by a normal wind.
But Rubin and his party were different. The moment the gust of wind swept through, the three of them felt their inner turmoil greatly.
My mind was dizzy, my heart was pounding as if it was going to burst. I felt an inexplicable pain from the dark hallucination. A strange sense of discomfort was a bonus.
“Are you okay, Blane?”
“Yes, yes. It’s okay, Inspector.”
“Kuje, what about you?”
“I was able to endure it too.”
Kuze and Blane looked at each other. That’s what they answered, but they have to endure this more than ten times?
Yet they knew. After the momentary pain had passed, the ring had accumulated a subtle internal energy. They realized that if they could endure it, the ring would become stronger.
‘Then what will happen to the young master who has the Aura and Mana Ring?’
Kuze glanced at Rubin out of curiosity. Rubin’s expression didn’t change. Judging from his condition alone, he looked the best of the three.
If the circle is not one, is the pain shared? Or… … .
‘Oh, it’s the opposite.’
In addition to the two layers of the dark circle, and the circle of aura and mana, Rubin was enduring four times the impact.
Besides, there was another, bigger problem.
‘Haneke, are you okay?’
The expression ‘soul-shaking’ was exactly right. When the ‘tidal wave of struggle’ struck, it was Rubin’s inner self that was most shocked.
A tsunami in the physical sense hit my inner world. An earthquake struck Haneke’s space, and the buildings Rubin had built collapsed helplessly.
-It’s okay. It’s bearable. It’s recovering quickly here.
‘Thank goodness. I was worried that it might harm Haneke.’
-Don’t worry about it. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
‘Right?’
-Oh my… I feel bad for my grandson. If he knew this, why didn’t he tell me?
Rather, Haneke was a little excited. The first opportunity to train would have been enough to make the general feel overwhelmed. He even felt a series of regrets, thinking that if he had known this in advance, he might have reached the 8th star before he died.
‘Okay, if there’s no problem, let’s keep trying.’
-Please do so.
A relieved Rubin looked at Blanet.
Of the three, Blane was the one with the weakest level of darkness. It was uncertain how long he would be able to withstand the tidal wave before the night ended.
‘I hope you don’t give up halfway through.’
As if he had read her mind, Blanet flung the blindfold in her hand into the wind as if to show her what was going on.
“I won’t give up.”
Of course, it seemed like a pathetic decision to Nerheim.
After the tsunami passed, she took off her blindfold and saw the three still in good health. She was inwardly surprised, but on the other hand, she shook her head.
“Hey, little miss, don’t fall over trying to raise her, take this.”
I offered him a spare blindfold, but Blanet shook his head.
“It’s okay, my lord.”
“…Anyway.”
Then, over the next three hours, the ‘tidal wave of the fight’ passed four times. Rubin’s party, without exception, held out.
But when it came to the fifth time, Blanet began to waver noticeably. Rubin considered forcibly removing her, but stopped himself when he saw her strong will only strengthen him.
and.
“See, in the end… I fainted.”
It was just after the sixth tsunami had passed.
As soon as Nerheim took off the blindfold, he saw Blane collapse with the strength leaving his eyes.
“… … !”
When she tried to control the tortoise with her blood transfusion powers, Rubin stepped forward first.
As Blane was about to fall off the horse, Rubin held the horse close to him and helped him keep his balance.
“Rest, Blane. This is enough for today.”
Then, he tried to move Blane to Kuje’s horse.
“Kuje, you are Blaine… … .”
“… Yes, sir, inspector, inspector?”
Kuze’s condition was also abysmal. I don’t know if he could endure it two more times.
“… Okay. You don’t look okay either.”
In the end, it was Rubin who carried the unconscious Blanet on his horse.
“Recovery will happen when the sun rises, and we will keep moving forward.”
After that, they continued to face the tidal wave of the fighting, and before daybreak, even Kuze had fainted. Unable to handle Kuze’s body, he laid him face down on the back of the fighting horse.
‘I would believe it if you said that the inspector’s job was to train the agents.’
Nerheim stuck out his tongue at Rubin, who held on bravely even after both of his attendants had passed out.
I don’t know what the mission is, but I know it’s not a political game to strengthen the stance of change.
‘If you’ve endured this far, you’re at least a four-star Auror. Is it true that you’re only nineteen years old?’
* * *
It’s the fourth day since we started heading north towards the meadow.
The eagle that had been sent as a messenger returned to Nerheim. On the eagle’s leg was written a reply in the chieftain’s handwriting.
“The chieftain has agreed to the meeting.”
“Did you reveal that I am an inspector?”
“Of course not. That’s for you to meet with the Chieftain and decide for yourself, the Inspector. Even if you assume another identity, I’ll accept it. An explorer, or someone who writes books about the frontier. Anything.”
“Okay, let me think about it.”
Nerheim estimated the distance remaining until the Chieftain’s dungeon. He calculated the time it would take for the Chieftain to make a decision and the time it would take for the eagle to fly.
“If you have a good night, you will meet the Chieftain soon.”
Suddenly, Nerheim became curious and asked.
“Excuse me, Inspector. You said that Felkion received assistance from several anthropomorphs while conducting his research on the water spirits. You said that Imacarum, the ‘Wind of anthropomorphs,’ was the second person he met most frequently.”
“Yes.”
“Then, is the person you meet most often, Chieftain Inakitu?
“no.”
Rubin shook his head. The name Inyakitu did not appear in the records of Pelkion. Not even once.
The person I met the most. His name had never been mentioned anywhere before. He had not been one of the five chieftains, so he could not be called a famous tohun.
‘Anyway, one thing is certain’
It was said that he was an important figure to Felkyon. Felkyon, who had only had contact with Imacarum, who was confirmed to be capable of personification, six times a month.
But I had contact with ‘that person’ twenty times in a month.
Pelchion could not completely erase his name from the public records. The only way to hide his name was to misspell it.
‘Was it simply because he was a benefactor who saved her life? Or did he hold a secret about the water manhwa?’
According to the records, the person who saved Pelchion from the ‘tidal wave of the tumbler’.
On the first day that Pelkion entered the Northern Plains alone, he was hit by the ‘Tsundere Wave’ three times.
Since I had no information on how to avoid the tsunami, I ended up fainting, but when I woke up, a man was guarding me.
‘That was the first contact… … .’
Pelkyon thanked the thug, as he could have starved to death in the steppe without being able to move.
-The man who had been hit explained to me about the tidal wave of hits. And he readily told me his name, which was… … .
… It was at that moment that Rubin was about to recall the records of Pelchion in his head.
“… … !”
Something caught in the wide open darkness. They felt something approaching them quickly from the direction they were moving.
A speed that could overwhelm a galloping horse. If it were night, it could be mistaken for a ‘tidal wave of galloping horses’, but it was broad daylight at the moment.
-Your Majesty, I will go out.
Soon, Kuze and Blane’s presence was also detected in the dark room. Blane was pulling out his fighting horse to face the opponent together with Kuze.
She took out her bow and aimed it at the horizon.
“Attendant, what’s wrong?”
“… someone is coming.”
“You’re coming? Are you a Tuheun? Then I should put down my bow. It might be rude… … .”
“No, that thing coming now isn’t a tortoise. It looks like some other beast or monster.”
“A beast or a monster? Then let me check.”
Nerheim has made contact with an unidentified entity that has developed the recipient’s abilities. If it’s a monster or a beast, she can handle it.
“…what?”
But just as Nerheim realized that his powers were not working, something appeared on the horizon.
Since he couldn’t see well, Nerheim took out his telescope and went to check. What came into the telescope was-
“wolf?”
And a girl riding on a wolf’s back.
“What’s that guy?”
That curiosity was immediately resolved.
The girl held a tool made from a cut-off animal horn to her mouth. It was obvious that it was a tool for amplifying voices.
“Are you that blood-sucking woman who steals our words? Spraying the stench of orcs like perfume?”
Rubin snickered, and Nerheim’s face turned red as if it were going to burst. Even though it was the words of a childish child, it was an insult that crossed the line.
“I am Rayubia, the daughter of Nublar!”
At that moment, Rubin’s eyes changed.
Nublar.
It was the name that appeared most frequently in Felkyon’s records. The original name that was tried to be hidden with anagrams such as ‘Unalb’, ‘Albun’, and ‘Blanu’.
Also, Rubin was the person that the Chieftain was trying to meet.
