The Man in the Fog (1)
The world of voices is a world of dark colors.
The amber stone that Alicia saw through that world contained an autumn scene.
A maple tree stands tall between wide wheat fields.
Vlad still remembered the leaves falling into the red twilight.
It was a landscape that was intense, beautiful, and yet somehow sad.
“But I can still see a little bit now.”
Vlad closed his left eye and looked at the amber stone embedded in the end of the handle.
Although I couldn’t see it as darkly and clearly as in the world of voices, I was able to see the maple tree swaying in the wind.
“Where is this?”
Vlad, who was already talking to himself, sat on the bed and muttered quietly, but there was no one answering his words anymore.
Only the blue moonlight coming through the window caressed Vlad’s shoulders.
Suddenly,
a small bolt of lightning flashed out of Vlad’s left eye, which was closed.
Vlad couldn’t answer when a voice asked him to meet in a deeper world.
However, if the voice asks me again now, I will be able to answer with certainty.
I will do that.
Let’s meet again in a deeper and wider world.
In a dark room lit only by moonlight, a ray of white lightning settled in Vlad’s eyes.
※※※※
“How is it?”
Count Vitskaya, who was eating a table full of vegetables and fruits, raised a warm tea cup and asked.
Although he ate a healthy diet that only elves would eat, his face was full of frowns and wrinkles after he finished eating.
“It was clear that the knight named Vlad was a dragon slayer.”
Checking your work two or three times is not enough.
Especially when it comes to identifying suspicious people.
“and?”
“…I also confirmed my skills. “Among our remaining knights, there was none that could stand up to a knight named Vlad.”
There were five knights who attacked Vlad under the pretense of sparring.
And three of them were so beaten that they could not carry out their mission for the time being.
If it had been a real fight, my head would have fallen off.
“How about you?”
The knight commander bit his lip in response to the count’s question as if provoking him.
“Nine times out of ten, I will win.”
“…If you fight ten times, you might lose once or twice.”
Count Vitskaya well remembered how much gold the knight bowing before him received.
‘He’s only 18 years old…’
Even his own knight commander, who was quite famous when he was young, can’t guarantee a complete victory.
So, it goes without saying that there are chaffs that even Aurors cannot use.
“How about hanging the guards?”
“yes?”
It was a real knight, but I didn’t recognize him.
The first impression was so terrible that they left it standing outside in the cold, so they won’t move it easily.
“It would be nice if he had a little more awareness…”
Knights are people who value honor.
What he did was clearly rude, but there would still be a chance.
The count just hoped that the young knight had some idea of how the world worked.
※※※※
“…….”
Vlad looked at the tea falling in front of him.
A brilliant green light that sparkles in the sunlight.
Vlad unconsciously brought his head closer as the color of the tea showed through to the bottom of the teacup.
I don’t know what was brewed, but the strong smell of grass entered my nose and cooled my eyes.
“I understand that the culture of drinking tea like this has not developed in the North?”
“Only when you drink something brewed from leaves will you pick up the bottle.”
Count Vitskaya smiled happily as he looked at Vlad, who spoke bluntly but could not take his eyes off the car.
Indeed, even an uncivilized northerner would be bound to be intrigued the moment he saw this car.
“It’s elf tea. “It’s a specially processed product taken from a forest in the far east.”
“Elf…” As soon as
Vlad heard the word elf from the earl’s mouth, he licked his lips with his tongue.
However, he soon straightened his posture and looked at the count as if nothing had happened.
You should not reveal what you want during a transaction.
Marcella, the rose of Shoara, had said so.
“One of the main businesses of our territory is handling these elf specialty products. I guess the people in the center can’t use anything related to elves.”
Until now, the Count Vitskaya family had been no different from a rural family, but after the current Count Vitskaya ascended to the title, they took on a completely different appearance.
He took a risk for his declining family and was eventually able to become one of the few passages connecting elves and humans.
“For example, the car in front of you right now is worth more than its weight in gold.”
“…….”
Elves are a long-lived race, and their mysterious ecology was enough to arouse the curiosity of the central nobles.
There were ridiculous rumors going around that it would extend the lifespan of the car sitting in front of Vlad right now.
“Is it worth the price of gold?”
“I don’t know if it really increases your lifespan, but at least it’s definitely good for your health. “It’s a special medicine, especially for coughing.”
Rumors tend to be exaggerated, and elf tea is not a mysterious herb that increases lifespan.
However, unlike the elves’ car, the blonde knight in front of him really was the knight who killed the dragon as rumored, so the count’s attitude towards the real person had no choice but to be cautious.
“Would you like me to get you one?”
It was only after hearing the Count’s words that Vlad raised his head.
He seemed to have lost his mind for a moment when he heard that it was not only good for the body but also effective for coughing.
“Am I worth it?”
Vlad asked back, looking at the Count with a small smile.
There must be a reason why the Count calls him and tries to show him favor.
“As expected, the knights of the North are truly generous! “I like it!”
When the count realized that Vlad was ready to listen to his proposal, he smiled and raised his teacup.
He said he was from the north, so I thought he would be a tight-lipped guy, but surprisingly, he was a guy I could communicate with.
“I admire your ability to even slay a dragon. So, there is something I would like to ask you…”
His moves are shallow and his actions are capricious.
However, there is no need to shy away from holding hands if both parties have something to offer.
“Recently, there is a guy hiding in the trade route and stealing my goods. “It’s such a pain in the ass.”
“Are you a bandit?”
Vlad picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
It was tasteless.
“Probably not a bandit.”
Count Vitskaya smiled as he looked at the northern knight, who was holding a teacup and making a shocked expression.
That smile actually contained many meanings.
“Because all of my knights who were escorting the upstream route were gone.”
It may have been a lie, but there was no shame in the Count’s words at all.
He was a man who did not hesitate to extend his hand to even knights he had ignored in order to seek help.
“You mean even the knights?”
“Okay, that’s why I’m a pain in the ass.”
Vlad’s expression frowned when he heard that even the knights could not do anything.
The skills of the Vitskaya knights, as judged through sparring, were clearly not that great.
Rather, through this sparring, I was able to get a real sense of what kind of place Bayezid is.
“Even the Count’s knights couldn’t handle it, so would you say it’s me?”
Still, Vlad did not hesitate to let out a groan.
Like the count in front of him, the knight from the back alleys was a man who didn’t mind showing weakness to increase his value.
However, the Count cut Vlad’s foolish move with just a smile.
“Vlad of Shoara and the Slayer of Lindwurm.”
“…….”
“I believe that if you are recognized not only by San Logino but also by many northern families, you will do enough.”
With those words, the Count held out a small black pouch.
Inside the pocket, which was left slightly open on purpose, sparkling golden light was leaking out.
“I’ll give you even more if you just defeat the unknown marauder.”
“It might be difficult for me alone.”
“It’s still good.”
Count Vitskaya looked at Vlad with a deep smile.
The Count has a golden rope that never dries, but an unknown marauder is blocking that very rope.
It’s worth holding on for now, but if this leash continues to get blocked, eventually your own leash will be caught as well.
“I’m satisfied if you just chase me for a little while.”
No matter how much of a dragon slayer the kid in front of you is, there are many knights with this level of skill in the central region.
I wouldn’t have anything to hope for if it was completely resolved, but since it’s being used cheaply anyway, it would be nice to just hold out until a truly famous knight is invited.
“……All right. Count. “I will do my best.”
Vlad smiled at the Count, who had finally revealed his true intentions.
“Instead, I would like to receive something other than gold coins.”
With those words, Vlad took out a few gold coins from his open pocket and quietly returned them to the count.
“…Is there anything else you want from me?”
Value is relative.
To the Count, gold coins were in abundance, but Vlad was not a man driven by money.
“I want to see the wide world as a wandering knight.”
Even while standing in the mud in the back alley, Vlad tried not to let go of himself.
Even though I was soaked in that dirty gutter, I tried to look at the brightness of the boy’s soul.
“I’ve come this far, so I can’t help but go into the city of elves at least once.”
I promised the voice that I would find its name.
That promise was heavier than the bag of gold coins in front of me.
“It would be nice if you could give me a box of elf tea, which is said to be good for your health.”
Even now, in Shoara, there will be a man suppressing his cough with warm wine.
He was a man who had sworn to be faithful.
The sound of Josef’s faint cough always weighed heavily on Vlad’s heart.
“…You want to enter the city of elves?”
Seeing Vlad asking for something completely unexpected, Count Vitskaya leaned back deeply.
After all, the guys with unwavering authenticity were the ones who couldn’t be seduced by shiny gold.
“Under those conditions, simply finding out their identity is not enough.”
The Count furrowed his brow as if he was troubled.
Although Vlad was speaking easily, it wasn’t just a matter of adding one person.
Interacting with the elves was a small hole in the future of the family and throughout his life, and therefore the compensation Vlad requested was nothing short of an act that placed a great burden on the count.
“We will solve it.”
However, even Vlad could not compromise on this point.
Now that I knew that no one could enter the elf city, I had to somehow get cooperation from the count.
“So that the unknown marauder will never covet the Count’s trade route again.”
The central earl and the northern knight were making eye contact with each other.
As long as we have something to offer each other, we will be able to smile even if we drink bitter tea and show kindness even in front of those who ignore us.
“Good.”
Because that’s the deal.
Their joined hands were shaking quietly on the gold coin bag.
※※※※
On a stone bridge crossing a high cliff on a dark night.
The coachman trembled in the thick fog that made him wet just by breathing.
The reason the coachman was shaking was not simply because the atmosphere was eerie.
“Ugh…”
Right in front of me, the men were sprawled out on the bridge as if they were dead.
The broken flag of Vitskaya was fluttering between them.
All of the fallen were knights the Count had selected and sent.
“Are there any elf items inside?”
“Hey hey…”
An unknown man wearing a gray hood that reached down to his knees.
The sharp voice, as if scratching metal, was creating a strong feeling of rejection in the listener.
“That’s right! Please help me!”
The coachman quickly fell to the ground and cried loudly.
It felt as if the thick fog was swallowing my voice.
Wow!
A horrifying sound was heard from behind, but the coachman lay flat on the ground and did not take his eyes off the driver.
I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would run into a man wearing a hood.
In the thick fog, a faint light was falling from a thin stone bridge down the cliff.
With a heavily loaded wagon.
As soon as even the faint light disappeared from the bridge, there was only darkness again on the stone bridge.
