Chapter 96: Reluctant Choice (Patreon)

"Still, luckily, I'm neither the lord of that place nor one of its commoners."

Wearing a satisfied look, his face tinged faintly red, Vestra seemed a little drunk.

"Well, that's how things are in this country right now. It's a day worth celebrating, but it also raises the odds of something tragic happening."

Having said that, Vestra sighed.

"Of course, there's not much to be done about it. Taking a detour isn't an option either. That Vast Eder Snowfield is no joke. All I can say is, it's a matter of timing. Just be a little careful when you get there."

Hearing this, Pandora and Luluo both nodded.

The Inorandum, the Snow Field Capital…

So what exactly was it that could turn a day worth celebrating into a misfortune…

"All right, I've said what needed saying. Staying alert is up to you two now." With that, he got to his feet without ceremony. "Come on, I'll see you off."

"Mm. Thank you."

…

"Well then, goodbye."

Looking at Vestra standing beside them, Luluo waved to say farewell.

But Vestra only smiled and shook his head. "Whether we say goodbye again isn't up to you or me. It depends on whether you pass through here afterward, doesn't it?"

"Haha, true enough."

He was smiling, but there was a trace of helplessness in that smile.

With that, the three of them dawdled no longer. They set off toward their destination on the Trekbear, which carried enough dry rations and water to last several days.

Vestra said nothing more, standing where he was to watch them go.

Once the three figures had vanished completely from sight…

"Master, is this really all right…?"

Shadow appeared suddenly at Vestra's side and asked in a low voice.

Vestra smiled and shook his head. "Shadow, you and Phantom understand me better than anyone."

Shadow frowned slightly at that.

"It's precisely because I understand you that I say this. Pinning your hopes on a target you can't control isn't like you…"

"Oh? She didn't show any particular feeling toward me. If anything, she probably just thinks I'm a…" Vestra said as he walked back, "Only someone with enough confidence in herself can be fearless in front of others. And I could tell she isn't blindly arrogant."

Seeing that, Shadow said nothing more and turned to head outside.

Another new day.

————

The journey hardly needs describing. Everywhere the eye could see was a vast expanse of white, nothing but snow and more snow.

Truthfully, Pandora missed the scenery of Elior Forest and the royal capital a little. She hadn't stayed long, but they had still given her something to hold on to…

And now they had reached something close to perpetual night. There was only a brief stretch of daylight, and with no landmarks to measure it by, it felt gone in a blink.

At last, just as she was about to lose track of day and night, the horizon in the distance finally changed. Against the snow beneath them, which looked black under the night, the far edge showed as a single line of white.

"Mr. Luluo…" She couldn't help glancing over at him. "You should know the Inorandum, the Snow Field Capital fairly well, right?"

Luluo, who had been staring off into space, came back to himself. "I wouldn't say I know it well. I just know the place exists, and I've passed through many times. But what the layout is like inside, or the lay of the land, I don't really know…"

He paused.

"After all, that place is a mixed bag of every sort. It isn't as peaceful as it looks on the surface, and I never had a handover target there, so I generally don't linger."

Pandora let out a breath. "I see…"

No handover targets… which meant the Inorandum, the Snow Field Capital was a holy site with no lord.

"It's fine most of the time, but lately it's been festival season…" As if something had occurred to him, Luluo sighed. "During this period, the Church takes a hands-off attitude toward it, and the people who normally keep watch relax. On top of that, whatever happens happens in the shadows, so…"

What a hassle. Couldn't they take a lesson from neighboring Lugunica, the Dragon-friendly kingdom, where only a handful of people cause trouble, the streets are bustling, and crowds come and go?

Of course, the two countries had different cultures and different circumstances. There was naturally no way to compare them.

"Personally, I think…" Pandora smoothed the thick fur of the Trekbear. "An important festival like this would be better held in the holy capital."

After all, that was right under the nose of the central authorities. Anyone who wanted to make trouble there would have to think twice and size themselves up first.

Luluo nodded at that, and when he seemed about to say something, he shook his head instead.

"Doing that would indeed lower the chance of trouble, but the Holy Church honestly doesn't have the people to manage that kind of thing…"

He sighed as he spoke.

"After all, there are countless assassins, hunters and curse casters operating in secret all over the land. The disputes these people stir up alone are enough to keep them run off their feet.

Fights that edge into killing are tacitly allowed to break out, and surviving them comes down to luck and skill. You could say that's the state of this country."

Louliana, seated behind Pandora, tensed up at the words. She buried her face against Pandora's back, and the arms around her waist tightened a little…

Sensing the change behind her, Pandora gave no reaction. Some things were better faced than fled from, after all.

"But…" Luluo, beside them, seemed to think of something. "I have some skill of my own. If danger comes, I should have no trouble protecting myself, at least."

He was being modest, or perhaps just careful, in saying only "protecting himself," but there was still a little too little force behind the words.

Pandora nodded. "Of course. There's no need to worry too much. Like Mr. Vestra said, we just have to be careful."

"Mm."

…

As time wore on, the outline of the horizon kept shifting. Before long, they could clearly make out the face of the city on the side turned toward them.

"So it's already begun…"

Looking at the sight not far ahead, Luluo let out a sigh of wonder.

Pandora and Louliana found it novel as well.

What they saw in the distance wasn't the "towering skyscrapers" of an ordinary city. Houses like carved ice sculptures rose throughout it, and with the blaze of lights on top, it looked just like the ice and snow of a fairy tale…

[Author's Note: *Long-press a paragraph you like to record your thoughts.]