Road in the Western Region
The carriage rattled along the road, and a silence enveloped its occupants. Eliz leaned against the side of the carriage, gazing at the passing fields and the shifting mountains in the distance.
She glanced at her fellow passengers. Alarr and Grash had been locked in a staring contest for some time, seemingly engaged in a game of who would blink first. Fraril appeared to be asleep again, though Eliz harbored doubts about the authenticity of his slumber, given his perpetually closed eyes.
Turning her attention back to the window, Eliz let out a long sigh. Such moments rarely found their way into stories penned by authors. More often than not, they omitted scenes like these, deeming them uninteresting. The harsh reality was that travel could be exceptionally dull. Eliz lamented her lack of a phone, yearning for the ability to pass the time. She could only blame herself for not bringing any books.
Eliz slouched further in her seat, her gaze reflecting a sense of detachment from her own body.
She had begun to comprehend the necessity for authors to infuse such journeys with clichéd events like bandit attacks, monster encounters, and random incidents. While Eliz wasn't exactly eager for such occurrences, she wouldn't mind if 'something' did happen, or she could opt for more talkative companions.
In fact, she had a desire to confide in Grash, but out of consideration for Fraril, Eliz kept her thoughts to herself. At the moment, their relationship was based on mutual usefulness, and Eliz had already divulged more to him than she had to her own parents. She still held the belief that if her usefulness waned, things could take an unpleasant turn.
When they halted for a while in the afternoon, getting out of the carriage was a welcome relief. Alobela was fully prepared, immediately extracting a folding table and chairs from the other carriage and arranging them.
"Alobela, you're truly amazing," Eliz exclaimed, astonished to see a table set up in the middle of nowhere. She had expected, at most, to sit on a blanket or something less formal. However, Alobela was determined to ensure that Eliz dined like a lady, even in such circumstances.
They all settled in and were served a cold lunch of sandwiches, various spreads, juice, wine, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, and fruit. Eliz had no complaints and eagerly reached for pastries. Just as she was about to take a bite of a buttered roll, a sudden gust of wind caused her to swallow a strand of her own hair.
"Pfff," Eliz immediately spat it out and looked up, her face creased in a frown. The clinking of armor signaled that the others were on high alert, readying their weapons.
However, it turned out there was no need for that. No matter how hard they searched, they found nothing amiss. For a fleeting moment, Eliz thought she saw something blue in the sky, but upon closer examination, it revealed itself to be just a bird.
Her heart settled, and she felt relieved. Despite cursing the uneventful journey, she had no real desire to encounter any trouble.
Holm retrieved the map after the meal and spread it out on the table. "According to this map, we should reach the village by tonight. It's called Fern Village," he explained, then pulled out a notebook, which he began to flip through.
Eliz was curious about what he was searching for. "Uh-huh. From the information I gathered, Fern Village is renowned for producing high-quality ferns used in pharmacy. Fern is a crucial ingredient in medications for mental disorders. It should be a fairly developed village and falls under the jurisdiction of Baronet Barrown," Holm concluded, closing the small book when he was done.
Impressed, Eliz commended him. "You did your research?" she asked.
Holm scratched his cheek and smiled. "Well, when you mentioned our destination, I did some preparation in my spare time. The most potent weapon, after all, is information," he remarked.
Eliz applauded him. "Great! Holm, you're so reliable!"
Fraril nodded in agreement. "You certainly selected an excellent escort," the elderly criminal boss affirmed.
Holm felt a bit embarrassed by the praise but was pleased that his efforts were appreciated. In return, Eliz was delighted that her choice was starting to pay off. When she had capable people around her, she didn't have to think about every detail. In fact, she was so well-prepared for a swift departure that she hadn't considered obtaining information about the journey itself. For anyone, that would have been a grave mistake. However, thanks to Holm's proactive approach, it didn't matter that she hadn't thought of it. It was certainly satisfying when things fell into place.
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Resuming their journey, Eliz decided to take a nap to escape the silence inside the carriage. When she woke up, she found Grash had rudely placed his head in her lap, prompting her to deliver a punch to his face.
Regrettably, even with a black eye, Grash didn't appear to regret his actions. Eliz blamed Alarr for not intervening, but he responded with a growl, stating that he had attempted to pull Grash away, only to be scolded by Eliz in her half-sleep to leave her alone, leaving him with no choice.
Fraril completely ignored the entire incident, wearing a harmless smile. That old rascal.
Eliz contemplated the idea of relocating Grash to the other carriage for the next leg of the journey but hesitated, concerned about his behavior and not wanting him to bother Raiana or annoy Alobela.
As the sky gradually darkened and the sun descended toward the horizon, their carriage began to slow down.
"Have we arrived in Fern's village yet?" Eliz gazed out of the window at the village in the distance. However, something about it appeared strange.
Holm halted the carriage just before entering the village and cautiously surveyed the scene ahead. They all disembarked to get a better look.
"What could have happened here?" Eliz wondered, examining the village, which appeared to be in a state of ruin and long abandonment. Some of the houses were almost in disrepair, overgrown with vegetation, as if no one had set foot in the place for years.
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"Is it supposed to be abandoned? That doesn't seem right to me," Eliz mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Holm retrieved his small book and began flipping through it. "It shouldn't be. There's no information about this anywhere. It was described as an ordinary, prosperous village. Besides, it's still relatively close to a major settlement, so they haven't experienced many issues with bandit or monster attacks."
Eliz had confidence in Holm's information, yet the sight before them was undeniable. The village lay in ruins, and it appeared utterly deserted.
Alarr had his hand on his weapon and surveyed the surroundings with keen eyes. "I don't think we should stay here," he uttered, a sentiment with which Eliz agreed.
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"I'm not comfortable with the idea of spending the night in a ghost village, even if we find a suitable building. How about we... keep moving and find a place to stop for the night along the road?" Eliz suggested, her gaze fixed on the nearest dilapidated structure.
Fraril tilted his head. "The village doesn't seem to be empty. I think I hear someone moving about," he remarked. Everyone fell silent and strained their ears, but their hearing couldn't match the acuity of the blind wolf.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We'll continue on," Eliz, who had no desire to uncover the mysteries of the village's desolation, finally decided. She was well aware of what classic heroes might do: heroically enter the village, search for the cause and any survivors, and inevitably get entangled in something unpleasant.
Eliz was already regretting her initial thoughts. A straightforward bandit ambush would have been much more preferable. Encountering a ruined village that should never have been in such a state? That sounded like a scenario from a horror movie.
They had been driving for some time, but they remained within the village. After a while, Eliz felt as though she had seen some of the houses before. She gazed ahead, and the main road stretched endlessly.
"Alarr?" Eliz spoke hesitantly after a moment. Alarre turned a grim face toward her, and Eliz knew he had noticed it too. "Tell me... we didn't go in circles, did we?" Eliz didn't want to hear the answer she knew was coming.
Alarr sighed. "It appears to be as you say, my lady." He acknowledged her.
"Shit!" Eliz groaned inwardly and scanned her surroundings. They should have avoided that village altogether, given how peculiar it was! Even if it meant driving into a field.
"There seems to be some unknown force at work here," Fraril's voice came from the carriage, and Eliz shivered. She looked at him with remorse in her eyes. What if you said it in a less scary way?
Grash scratched his muscular stomach and yawned widely. "What's all the fuss about? Aren't you strong? Just get out there and kick the ass of anyone causing trouble." He remarked disinterestedly.
Eliz put her head in her palm. "I'm not seriously taking advice from someone with suicidal tendencies!" She snapped at him.
Grash shrugged, not taking it to heart. "Screw it, Kitty. You're too cautious. Sometimes it's better to jump into things headfirst and see how they turn out."
Eliz shook her head and stopped listening to him. Of course, there are times when that's appropriate. But they had no idea what was going on here, and these were already things she didn't know from the story. She was off-script, so she had to be doubly careful.
They continued, but when Eliz recognized that she had already passed the same houses again, she acknowledged that they couldn't continue like this. "Holm, find a local inn. We'll stop at it. It seems we won't be getting out of here right away," she announced grimly.
They wandered around for a while before Holm discovered what was likely an inn. It appeared old, and Eliz would have surely put a sign on it indicating it was scheduled for demolition, but the roof remained intact, and none of the walls had collapsed. There was a good chance it would endure for a while longer.
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Raiana jumped down from the wagon, displaying the most agility of the group besides Alobel, and checked the security of the inn. After fifteen minutes, she emerged and dusted off the cobwebs. "It looks stable, and there's nothing lurking," Raiana said.
Alarr led Eliz inside, and Grash and Fraril followed them while the others tended to the wagons and horses. In another fifteen minutes, they all gathered in the middle of the main room of the inn. Everything appeared old and dirty, but the tables, chairs, and counter were still standing. It almost seemed as if people had just up and left years ago.
Eliz looked out the window, which lacked glass, and the wind was blowing in.
"Not a soul was seen in all that time, not even an animal," she said, looking at the others.
"We also can't seem to find the exit from the village," Holm added.
"Is this place cursed?" Raiana worried. Grash was rocking in a chair at a table with his feet up on the table, scratching his beard. Eliz glanced at him, considering giving him a bath. He seemed to be scratching himself excessively.
"I don't sense Black Magic," Grash announced, deciding to be helpful.
"You can sense Black Magic?" Eliz wondered.
"Black Magic is similar to Dark Magic in some ways. I can detect Dark Magic right away, but Black Magic not so much. However, if it was a curse of such magnitude that it covered the entire village, I could definitely tell," Grash explained.
"Wow. You actually know how to use your brain," Eliz was impressed.
"Hey!" protested Grash, but Eliz turned away from him. "So, not a curse. But there's still something that makes us go in circles."
"My lady, I can try running through the village to see if we are indeed all prevented from leaving," Alobela spoke up, carefully cleaning one of the tables so her mistress could use it. Eliz wanted to dismiss it right away, not wanting Alobela to take such a risk, but she stopped when she saw the serious expression on her face.
"Are you sure about this? It could be dangerous," Eliz warned her.
Alobela nodded. "It's all right. I was one of the fastest Royal Messengers. No need to worry."
Eliz was speechless for a moment. A Royal Messenger? What was that? She wasn't familiar with that term.
"Ho. A Royal Messenger. How unexpected," Fraril sounded like he knew what was going on.
"My lady, I'll be right back," Alobela said as she walked to the door, and when her body was illuminated by a faint blue energy, she disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Eliz looked at Fraril. "What is a Royal Messenger?" She asked.
"It is the elite among messengers. The royal family trains such messengers from a young age. They are not assassins, but the fastest Runners in the entire kingdom. They are tasked with carrying royal decrees, diplomatic writs, secret orders, you name it. Royal Messengers are very loyal to their job; they would rather die than lose their mail or pass it on to others. They are very reliable," Fraril explained helpfully.
Eliz looked away for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise. That's why! So that's why Alobela in the story had died while delivering the writing to Elizabeth. Probably she got into trouble and rather than deliver the letter, she jumped off a cliff with it?
Eliz turned away and covered her mouth with her hand. What she thought was stupid and unreasonable had such depth after all?
Alobela was one of the characters she was quite fond of. Now that she realized this, she had even more respect for Alobela.
They waited a few minutes, and Eliz, at least, had recovered from her surprise. Alobela had returned.
"I can't leave either. I ran out of this place, and instead of escaping, I returned here in a few minutes without even reaching the edge of the village," explained Alobela, who was fixing her hair and looked at her mistress.
Her hands paused for a moment as she saw her mistress looking at her with slightly reddened eyes. Alobela decided to turn away from her.
Eliz sighed. She had been worried, but Alobela had returned safely.
"So we'll have to find the source of this problem. There's got to be something keeping us here somewhere," Alarr said with a frown.
Eliz used the Potential to look at Alobela again, but what she saw sent a chill down her spine.
Gabril Lio Trait: Waiter, Boxer Amateur Potential: Vocalist
Eliz didn't understand what she was looking at. Who was Gabril Lio? She turned her head to look around because she didn't see anyone strange, but one new system window after another kept popping up in front of her eyes.
Emina Sandala Trait: Innkeeper, Herbalist Potential: Alchemist
Sil Ga Trait: Village bully, Animal understanding Potential: Monster Tamer
As Eliz looked around, windows appeared and disappeared before her eyes, as if her gaze was sweeping over various people, but there was no one here except her group! Eliz was becoming frightened.