Chapter 14

Tarnlake

Duggov Iguall, the ruling lord of an apparent “cardinal” house, with a vastly developed fief supplying its large military force. Even among the cardinals, the house had become a major powerhouse, where even the nobility of the country in which his duchy resides regards him in respect... or at least that’s what I got from these two’s converstations.

“And... you’re going to marry him?”

Farica innocently asked the question, leaving Latasha confused, fiddling with her fingers as she answers,

“n‒not exactly. It’s not a thing yet, but it’s a likely possibility. I’m the only heir, afterall. Marriage would mean I’d have to give up my rights to succeed, but then there’s no one else to be the head.”

“Then the reason is... because you love him?”

“What‒no, I’ve never even met him.”

“Eh? But then... why?”

“It’s complicated, wuss. A commoneer wouldn’t understand.”

Speaking of that, Latasha is some kind of high noble from a place called “District Cardinal”, isn’t she. And then there are “cardinal houses” that resides in it. From what I’ve learned, that “district” is not part of this country, then? Ugh... I don’t quite understand.

While I’m thinking, Latasha sighs as she stretches her arms out, looking at the sky with distant a distant look.

“...I need to get home,”

she continues,

“geez, we’re supposed to depart early in the morning. What the heck were they thinking, drinking all night like that?”

“That’s how they mourn, lassies.”

Suddenly, a deep growlish voice appeared from behind us.

“...Bruin. You scared me for a sec.”

The owner of the voice is Chief Aldwan, who is apparently a “bruin” now. Latasha, you know you just insulted his entire race, right?

“Ah, Chief Aldwan! How are the drifters doing?”

“Sober enough for the trip home,”

the chief replied,

“I’m sure they’ll be happy to know that you asked, miss Farica. And also, I apologize for this delay on their behalf.”

“It’s not just the delay, bruin. The accident last night could’ve been avoided if they weren’t busy partying,”

Latasha said, her hands on the hips in an attempt to look intimidating at the avlark who is nearly twice her size.

“If rake didn’t show up, we would’ve... wait, was he drunk, too?”

“Uh... not at that time‒”

“I meant this morning, when he did that.”

Sweat forms between the chief’s eyebrows as he thinks about how to answer.

“Not... not exactly. I mean, not wholly drun‒”

“So he was! That bastard, to play with a girl’s heart like that!”

“It’s not like that. He was also saddened with our losses, and add to that, he also seemed heartbroken about somethi‒”

“That’s no excuse! A girl’s heart is as fragile as a petal, you know! Next time I see him, I’m gonna rip his... his... ”

As Latasha searches for an ending to that, the chief quietly slips away.

Umm... I don’t really mind, you know.

“Latasha, calm down. She doesn’t seem to mind...”

Then Latasha looks at me as if to confirm that, so I smile at her and nod.

“How would you know? She can’t speak, you idiot.”

No, I really....

“But, she already did that to him.”

Farica replied, and finally Latasha calmed down.

It happened this morning, not long after we woke up.

When we were in the courtyard, some of the drifters came out from the common hall and among them was Luise. His face was flushed and the drifters seemed to be pushing him on to do something. After a series of nervous paces, he finally approached us, or specifically, me.

Of course, we didn’t know they were drunk at the time.

“Milady, If you’d be so kind to grant me a private audience?”

Was what came out from his mouth.

“No way, rake. I’m not going to leave her alone with you."

“...Very well.”

Then he held my hands, looking at me in his eyes as he said the next words;

“milady, first I laid my eyes on you in Falreas, asleep and defenseless, it was like my heart ceased its beating. I’d thought to myself how I’d found one of the fae.”

My eyes were locked to his, but I could tell from the gasps that people were watching.

“And then I saw you, back then. Your scars, your weaknesses... and yet, you stood strong against peril and even confronted the great evil by yourself, disregarding your own life. You are an enigma to me. A beautiful, enchanting enigma. I want to know more about you. I want to know all of you.”

Everything else were silent, not even the sound of breathing, in anticipation of his next words,

“After everything is taken care of, I shall meet you again. And when we do, will you be my bride?”

Then it erupted. The guys cheered, and the girls squealed. Maybe taking that as a cue, he abruptly pulled me in as if to embrace or kiss me. That was when I punched him.

It wasn’t on purpose, I swear. It was instinct, kicking in when he suddenly pulled me closer. I didn’t mean to, but the next thing I saw was him holding his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers.

“Oh, she punched him.”

“She punched him.”

“Wow... as expected of Miss Whitey.”

“To fight off the wolf’s advances like that, isn’t this a first?”

Just as I thought about checking on him, he stared at me with a dangerous flash in his eyes.

“One day, I will have you, my white tigress.”

Anyway, that’s what happened this morning. Remembering the whole thing, it just occured to me from what he said, that he knows about my deal with the demon. If the commander told him, the chief was probably told as well, seeing how the commander trusts him.

And then there’s that. Falreas, was it? The place where I was found. If I go there, I might find some hint on how this world connects with the underworld. However, now isn’t the time. Maybe some day.

Anyway, back to the present...

“Hold on, didn’t he say something about whitey’s scars?”

Oh.

“How did he know about that?”

“Well, that’s...”

Farica continued with reservation,

“he kind of saw them. Back on the first day, when she bathed in the... river....”

She stopped talking when she notices Latasha’s expression—the expression that tells a certain wolf’s bad ending. Honestly, for a man whom she apparently hates, doesn’t she care too much about his manners?

As the sun rises above our heads again, the convoy is ready to depart. With everyone gathered in the courtyard, the commander briefs us on the last part of our journey.

“Some of the guards will be escorting you back to Tarnlake along with the drifters. However, due to an errand, some of us including Luise and myself won’t be coming with you there.”

As soon as the commander finished, disappointment is openly voiced among the girls. I suspect they wanted to spend more time with the handsome wolf... or not. They probably just want the continuation from this morning.

Romance, huh...

Frankly, Luise has more than a decent face. He’s quick-witted and is said to be a prodigy in his field. There’s no real reason to refuse, but I can’t myself in things like that, not before I’m done with everything.

“Miss magus,”

the commander called out to me after the briefing. A bit surprising, seeing how he’d oddly avoided me during our short stay at the fort.

“...May I talk to you for a sec? I’m sorry for my shameful behaviour, I meant no disrespect. The truth is, I needed some time to take in what really happened back there.”

After looking around, the commander lowers his face near mine and speaks in a slightly hushed voice.

“As the commander of this mission, the mishap back on the Dread is my responsibility, and for that I apologize for how I’ve involved you in the gruesome fights. We thought we saved you at first, but in the end, you were the one that got us out of that situation. By my honor, I won’t ever forget what you did for my men.”

There was earnestness in his eyes as he said that. As he turn to leave, he stopped as if he just remembered something.

“Oh, and remember. Don’t tell anyone about that deal of yours. In fact, considering your appearance, I advise you to avoid the Church as best as you can.”

Eh?

Without further explanation, the commander walks away. As I watch his back, my eyes meets with Luise who then winks at me.

“Kyah! I saw that! You’re sending signals to each other!”

Kaelyn’s excited voice rings in my ears. She’s been particularly loud since Luise’s proposal. Apparently, she thinks that Luise is her ideal image of a prince.

“Ah, I’m sorry, miss Whitey. The others are waiting for you at your wagon.”

Right.

...The Church, was it. Why would he say that? Certainly, a deal with a demon would make me a demon’s advocate, enemy of the church, stuff like that. But what was that about my appearance?

The spider said something about this. About a Demon Lord, I seem to recall. I wonder...

Does this have something to do with my past life as well?

“Oy, whitey! We’re waiting on you!”

Coming...

--- --- ---

This time, the journey will only take a couple of days. Since we’ve entered the more established roads, there’s less chances of beasts attacking. In the first place, it’s unlikely for beasts to attack a large convoy, so the stuff that happened back then was an exception.

I watch as the surroundings change from desolate tundras to roads lighted with lantern posts. Before long, we pass by signs of civilization; merchants, patrols, and even a small town in the distance.

Once we’re nearing nightfall, the convoy stopped to spend the night by a riverside, the Grayborn River, I think the chief called it. He said we’ll reach the city if we follow the river, so I guess that’s what we’re doing.

“Hey, bruin, so what’s this ‘errand’ the commander was on about?”

“Well... to tell you the truth, they’re forming a task force to complete the mission.”

“The mission? Isn’t it to rescue the slaves?”

“That’s part of it, honorable lass. The other part is to gain intel on a large network that’s been taking ‘resources’ from this country. Luise told us that the slavers were supposed to meet a ‘contact’ from the slaver firm we’re after at dawn, the day you were rescued, and that’s when we were supposed to make our move.”

At dawn, huh. Isn’t that when I... oh. Dang it, does that mean it’s my fault again?

“The country? So it’s a national thing, then. Oh, is that why the reps are...”

“Yup. This mission was requested by Lephander’s Safety Council.”

“I see...”

“Oh, and by the way, I feel like I need to inform you. We’ve had a shadow stalking us for some time now, I suspect since we’ve left the fort. I tried to confront him, but he’s a slick one.”

“You mean someone’s following us? How’d you even notice?”

“Hmph. Don’t underestimate a battle-hardened avlark’s sense of smell. Anyway, I thought that considering your position, someone might be after your life.”

“Nah, I think you can leave him alone. It’s probably just one of my uncle’s spotters,”

Latasha replied nonchalantly.

“Your uncle... you mean, the Imperial Spymaster?”

“Yeah. Wow, for a mere drifter, you sure know your stuff.”

“Haha, well, I wasn’t always a drifter. I used to drink fancy drinks in fancy halls when I was young, no more than family obligation, I tell you. Met with the Spymaster a couple of times, in fact. Quite a man he was, capable of silencing anyone with just a stare. It’s hard to imagine having an uncle like that.”

“Eh? Was he really?”

“Yeah. We were all scared of him, kids and adults alike. One thing I remember is how he didn’t treat me differently just because I wasn’t human, very unlike most of Lephander’s aristocrats. I guess that’s what makes ‘em cardinals different. Ah, sorry, I meant no rudeness.”

“It’s alright, bruin.”

The night went on without much going on. Back on the wagons, I notice Farica holding some kind of slate in her arms along with other stuff.

“What’cha got there, wuss?”

Latasha asked her.

“I, umm...”

Farica shows us what she brought; a black slate, a chalk, and a piece of wood with some kind of cloth wrapped on one side.

“I asked the guys at the fort for this, for her to write with,”

she said while motioning at me.

“Oh, that’s great, wuss! Now we can finally communicate.”

Oh... so it’s a writing slate.

Taking the slate, I notice them both looking at me with anticipation. What am I even supposed to write?

“Umm... let’s start with her name,”

Farica suggested.

“Great idea. What’s your name, whitey?”

Uh...

Crap. What do I say?

“Whitey? What’s wrong?”

I stare at the blank slate as I rack my brain on whether to make a name up or tell them. If I tell them that I don’t have a name, they will surely pity me and I don’t want that. Alright, then. I’ll make up a name.

“Oh... could it be that you don’t have a name?”

N‒No, it’s not like that!

I shake my head at her.

“Then... perhaps you don’t know how to write?”

It’s not that either.

To proof it, let’s write something.

................

...Huh?

“She wrote something.” (Farica)

“ Yeah, it’s one letter. ‘I’ what, whitey?” (Latasha)

Hold on, how do I...

I know what I want to write, but somehow I... can’t think of the next word.

“Whitey, you...”

No, I can. I know how to write.

“... ‘I can... chalk?’ ” (Latasha)

“I think she meant ‘I can write’.” (Farica)

......Why?

“Whitey...”

No, don’t look at me like that...

“Hold on, I brought something with me.”

Latasha takes out something from inside her coat. A book?

“I snatched this from the fort. They had this little study that their sage owned, you see.”

“Eh? Is that okay? Aren’t books expensive?”

“It’s fine. They’re a lot cheaper now that they’re printed by machines.”

She opens the book and shows us the first page.

“....It looks handwritten, Latasha.”

“.....I‒It’s fine, because I’m a noble! Anyway, can you read, whitey?”

Of course I can! .....I think.

....

..........

“Well?”

It’s not that I can’t, but...

I can read the words and I know their meanings, but... once they become a sentence, I just can’t make sense of them. I have to read the sentence a few times, word by word, before I get the meaning.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“I think she’s having trouble.” (Latasha)

“Umm, it’s okay! I can’t read well myself. We’ll learn together!”

Farica said as she holds my hands, her eyes shining sincerely at me.

“I’ve never heard of a magus who can’t read and write. Did you learn just by practice? Anyway, since it’s come down to this, I guess I’ll have to teach you both.”

Latasha said to us.

“You’d do that?”

“Sure.”

“Latasha, thank you!”

....I want to cry...

In the end, they’re convinced that I’m illiterate...

Hahh... this sure makes things a lot tougher. I can read to some extent, and if I practice, I think I can get better at it. It might be the same for writing, but how long would it take before I can effectively communicate with another? How long before I can start searching for what I need to know?

I don’t know what to do...

..........

Maybe I can ask him? I really don’t want to, but I don’t really have a choice right now. I think I know how . Should I?

...Nexus, establish link with...

What was it again? Oh, right.

earlessLoud.

Huh? Did I say it wrong?

.....

..........

...errlessLord! Establish link with errlessLord.

His cold voice sounded through the nexus. Frankly, it wasn’t a voice I want to hear, ever.

It’s me.

....How do I say this?

Wait, wait! It’s just that... I just found out that I’m illiterate, and... you know, it might hinder whatever it is you wanted me to d‒

Eh?

Umm... I can’t write full sentences, and I can barely read. Even though I can listen perfectly well...

Eh?

The nexus...? How?

Ugh, this guy...

Wait, there’s actually one thing... >

That’s right. There’s that thing.

Tell me about the Demon Lord and the Church. Someone implied a connection between me and the first, then another warned me against the latter. And... does it have anything to do with my past life?

Hello?

You never told me anything at all.

What the heck? This is my survival we’re talking about here.

You mean... genocide?

But... why? What’s the reason?

Just for that...

To think such a thing is happening is... Now I’m confused whether to make connections or to just lay low.

Oh, and one more thing. Why can’t I “identify” myself?

...Cheapskate.

Well, about that... seeing the circumstance, it might take awhile.

...Right, then. I basically have all the time I need. That’s important, because I’m not just gonna break them out. He probably forgot, but among other things, I’m a liar too. I’m not just going to keep my part of the deal.

I’m going to destroy that place. It doesn’t matter how long or how hard it takes.

I’m sorry, guys. You’ll have to wait for me a little longer.

--- --- ---

The rest of the trip, Latasha made us read the book she has with her. With all that practising, my reading is... not improving. This might be harder than I thought.

Anyway, ever since this morning, we’d passed by more and more people going on both directions, noticable from the increasing sounds around us. Our caravan is particularly large and conspicuous, with five wagons and armored escorts. A few passerbies tried to sneak a peek inside the wagons, but were stopped, only getting a glimpse of the girls inside.

“Look, lassies. We’ve arrived.”

The chief is on his horse, his voice coming from beside our wagon as he remarked.

“Yeah, I can see that, bruin.”

“Haha, of course you can. Welcome to the walled city of Tarnlake, pride of the north, and center of drifter operations within the boreals.”

I take a peek with Latasha to see outside. In front of us is a looming wall of around ten strides high, with several towers potruding as guard posts. Guards are visible stationing on the walls and around the closed gate in front of us. I can see a line in front of us, slowly going past an opening beside the gate where people are examined on entry. As soon as they see the chief, though, we’re brisked past the queue.

One of the guards walks beside the chief as he issues instructions to the guards above the wall to open the gate.

“Chief Aldwan, great to have you back. The commander?”

“Still away on the mission, but we have the rescuees here.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“Hey, hey, don’t try to look inside. You’ll creep them out.”

“Ah, my bad.”

We ride in as the gate opens, closing back once the caravan closes.

“The security is tight. Is it because of the raidings, I wonder?”

Latasha said.

As the convoy goes on into the city, we’re hit by various sounds. The sounds of chatters and the clopping of horses on the road around us, and there’s also clanging metal I suspect coming from a blacksmith or construction. One time there’s a strong appetizing smell that makes us drool. A bakery, perhaps.

I peek again to see the town outside, and the view is... something I've never seen before.

People walking in groups on the sidewalks and carriages, some human, some not. Avlark, luphaen, human... all walking side-by-side without a single care of species. Then there's the carriages, so many carriages with horses dragging them. There's also baggage wagons that I see being dragged by scurries instead of horses. I look at the buildings, mostly around two to three stories high. I see smokes coming out from the chimneys, a given for a nothern city like this, I suppose.

--- --- ---

It's been about an hour, the duration in which I was immersed in watching all the new things. I didn't even realize Farica there beside me, her mouth open as she did the same. Did I have the same expression?

Whoa!

"Kyah!"

Both me and Farica nearly fell when the wagon stopped.

"Haha, morons,"

Latasha snickered at us.

“About time, my arse is getting achy,"

She remarked as walk past us and hops off the wagon.

Farica promptly follows, and then the girls one by one. Putting on the hood, I jump outside following the others, ignoring the guy that was holding his hand out for me. Sorry, didn’t see you, buddy. It's hard to see with this hood on.

The building we’ve stopped in front of is a grand, large formal-looking building with white walls and more windows than I care to count. The area in front of the entrance is shaded, with pillars supporting the terrace above. Hanging from the terrace is several banners with a symbol, the same one as the one sculpted above the entrance—a dove with a circular marking behind it, filled with intertwining lines.

...Huh. It seems that my impression of the drifters is wrong, huh. I thought they’re some kind of militia vigilantes that help people out, but they seem to be much more established than that.

“Here we are,”

the chief said to us.

“The drifter’s guild.”