3

The next day George got up early in the morning. He was used to getting up early from his mercenary days. He walked around the city looking for a house all day long. He needed a place to live with Julia and Id. But the price of houses in Nordburg was much higher than he expected.

“This is the only house we have available for twenty-five golds.”

As he laid his eyes on the worn-down shack on the brink of collapse beside a small brook, George clicked his tongue. The middleman talked insidiously.

“There is no house cheaper than this. If you don’t like this, the only way to live here is to go into the Forest of Evil Spirits and build a log cabin by yourself.”

The middleman raised an arm as he indicated in the direction of the Forest of Evil Spirits to the north. George quietly shook his head and left without any words. He thought it would be better to live in a log cabin than in a small dirty shack on the brink of collapse.

Julia and Id were brought to their home-to-be after living in the shabby inn for another ten days. George selected a mountain village, Derevnya, located within a three-day walking distance to the northeast from Nordburg. The residents of Derevnya cultivated slash-and-burn fields. The town of frontiersmen mainly living by hunting and logging was introduced to George by the mercenary guild of Nordburg.

Derevnya was located deep inside the Forest of Evil Spirits. Since there lived various beasts, monsters and evil creatures, the village was a danger zone of its own. Even though death was an almost daily occurrence in the village, there was the merit that the village inhabitants didn’t have to pay any taxes. The tax collectors of Nordburg avoided going to Derevnya due to the dangers involved. The Nordburg Mercenary Guild offered George a job as a village guard. The guard’s wage in Derevnya may have been one-tenth of his old mercenary income, but the meager wage was no deal-breaker for George, who had already decided to leave his mercenary days behind him.

“If you take the job, they’ll give you a place to stay, and you’ve got family, they might even give you a log cabin separate from the others.”

Because of the information provided by the officer of the Nordburg Mercenary Guild, George affirmed his decision to move to Derevnya. It seemed a good choice for George to take care of his new family without working as a mercenary soldier. Thus Julia and Id moved to Derevnya with George. Id looked back at the shabby inn he had lived in for ten days.

“Goodbye. See you again.”

It took more than a week to get to Derevnya from Nordburg, although it usually only took three days to walk there. It was necessary to collect enough companions to protect themselves from monsters or evil creatures. Therefore, George’s family had to wait for other visitors for a long time at the beginning of the forest before departing to Derevnya.

The village was composed of several divisions, each of which was surrounded by a solid wooden fence. It was imperative to fence the town for the safety of the residents as monsters and evil creatures attacked people from time to time. The Chief of Derevnya greeted George, seeing him entering through the gate with his family, merchants and journeymen.

“Welcome. We were waiting for you.”

Frontiers’ villages like Derevnya usually welcomed experienced former mercenary soldiers like George since it was a substantial help to protect their homes from violent attackers. They provided George with a newly built log cabin and gave a warm welcome to his family. In front of the freshly built cabin with a fresh scent of wood, George was deeply moved.

“Look, this is our new home.”

Id looked around the house, ‘Our New Home’. Those words had deeply moved him as well, even though the log cabin was not that magnificent like the spires or castle turrets he saw in the palace. Thus, the former mercenary, the exiled maid of the royal palace and Id, the bastard son of a noble, started a new life in Derevnya.

George was a better head of the household than expected. He was diligent and meticulous. It was a rare sight to see amongst mercenaries who wandered battlefields with no concept of family. He loved and cherished Julia and played a fitting role as a father for Id.

“This is a present for you.”

George gave Id a well-made bugle. It was made of a wild-boar tusk. Although not crafted by a professional, the bugle was of good quality. Id smiled brightly.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Call me dad.”

“I’m sorry... dad.”

George frowned, but he did not blame Id. Id could feel George’s good intention despite his harsh words. Having glanced at Id stroking the bugle with a gratified expression, George walked to the house. He was carrying a boar’s leg on his back, his share of the game hunted that day. Julia would like it.

George gained considerable popularity within a month of his stay in Derevnya thanks to his skills. People with various jobs gathered on battlefields. George had picked up many different skills from his previous mercenary colleagues. Though they were basic skills, they were enough to complete the many tasks that needed working in Derevnya.

Repairing wagon wheels or horseshoes was not difficult for George. Repairing leaking roofs was also easy. Moreover, he was very skilled with the crossbow. When the village people went hunting, a part of the game was, without fail, always finished by his crossbow. In short, he became an essential asset to the village.

Life in Derevnya was so peaceful. Id had nothing to do in particular, as George did almost all the housework. He just helped his mother clean the rooms or, at times, swept the backyard. He even got along with some boys of his age.

Id was an unusual boy from his very early ages. He was perceptive towards other people’s emotions. He could read other people’s thoughts or hidden intentions precisely. It was a necessary skill he acquired growing up at court as he had to constantly hide his thoughts and emotions amongst the people of the court, and no matter how he felt, he always had to fake a smile. Young attendants in the palace were often cudgeled if they showed any sort of dissatisfaction. Id learned to see through the thoughts and intentions of other attendants whilst thoroughly masking his own.

Thanks to this peculiar characteristic, Id got close to the boys in the village quickly. He did not suffer the bullying that was common at his age. There were four boys in the town of the same age, including Id. They romped around together within the boundaries of the wooden fence. Those were the happiest and most carefree moments of Id’s life.

Boys of Id’s age tended to be curious and loved to tell many bizarre stories. The first story Id heard from his friends was of an older man living by himself on the northern fence.

Derevnya is composed of several areas surrounded by a separate wooden fence. They cultivated farmland on the fields between the fences. Young and healthy men without family mainly lived in outer areas, and women, children and the old and weak people lived within the sizeable inner fence, which was considered safer.

“A one-armed old man with a terrifying face.”

“Alyosha’s seen him shooting lightning beams from his eyes. He even said that anyone hit by them was burnt to a crisp.”

Id was very intrigued by the rumors of the older man, who lived within the northern fence alone. At first, several young men had stayed in the same area as him, but for some reason, they had left one by one and finally, he was left alone. Nobody knew what he was doing there alone. The boys’ curiosity towards the older man was natural. Everything about him was a mystery.

“Let’s go to the northern fence.”

Mitya, the leader of boys, incited them.

“But if we get caught, we’d get in big trouble……”

The other boys hesitated. It was forbidden for the children to leave the boundaries of the inner fence by themselves. They were the easiest prey for monsters or evil beasts strolling around the village. Therefore, it was strictly prohibited for the children to go out of the fence without adults’ protection. Should they get caught, it would mean brutal clubbing by the adults. But Mitya didn’t care. It was the senselessness of a young leader.

“We just have not to get caught. We are going through our secret passage and take a quick look. We’ll come back before anyone realizes we’re gone.”

The boys were persuaded by Mitya one by one. Their curiosity won over their fear. They cautiously approached the secret passage. The secret passage was a small hole at a rotten part of the wooden fence. Id carefully followed the other boys through the fence.

It took a long time to get to the northern fence. There were watchtowers at each fence, guarded by the adults. The boys moved cautiously, staying out of their sight and arrived at the northern fenced area. Fortunately, the gate of the northern fence was open. The boundary of the northern area was much smaller than that of the central fence where the boys lived.

“Be careful, everybody.”

The boys cautiously entered the northern area. Id finally got to see the older man whom he had only heard stories of so far.

“Goddamn brats!”

Having heard his thunderous shout, the boys went pale. They ran away without even looking back. The older man had instantly been aware of their arrival through the fence despite the boys being very careful not to make any sounds. In contrast to the other boys, Id had not run away and was instead looking at the older man with interest gleaming in his eyes.

The older man was a gray-haired man in his late sixties. He was standing shirtless, chopping firewood. Compared to his age, his upper body was very robust. He was just as well built as younger warriors.