Side Story – The Road Leading to Starlight
No matter how hard they tried to escape, there were always discriminatory gazes that followed Northerners.
Non-believers who do not believe in God or lowly races mixed with barbarian blood.
This was the way most northerners were viewed over the years.
“Congratulations on becoming the new head of the family. Rutger Bayezid.”
However, now at the gates of Sturma, nobles from all over the continent were lined up, as if the previous discrimination was insignificant.
Not only nobles from the same north, but also those sent from families far to the south.
The sight of flags full of sentences they had never seen before made even the blunt people of Sturm raise their heads with a glance.
“hmm?”
Rutger, who was not yet the head of the family, sat in a seat reserved for only the head of the family and greeted guests.
A flag he had never seen before was approaching him.
“It is the flag of the Dalmatian Baron family. “They said they changed the sentence this time.”
“Hmm.”
Rutger nodded at Dorothea’s explanation from next to him, but a trace of embarrassment still remained on his face.
I thought I shouldn’t do this in front of guests, but anyone would react like Rutger in front of the Dalmatian coat of arms fluttering in front of them.
“Congratulations. Mr. Rutger.”
“Thank you for your hard work coming from far away. Bayezid welcomes you.”
A territory located in the northern part of the central region. Dobrechti.
They had been unable to enter the world of aristocrats due to poor circumstances, but now they were using Rutger’s succession ceremony as an opportunity to raise their own flag.
“…By the way. “I want to ask you something.”
“yes?”
Rutger and the messenger from Dalmatia exchanged what they had to say as guests and what they had to say as hosts.
However, even after the regular greetings were over, Rutger was still holding on to the envoy from Dalmatia.
The attention of the nobles in the hall immediately began to focus on that exceptional appearance.
“Is the sentence engraved on the flag I’m holding now… by any chance?”
“Ah, this is what you mean.”
The envoys from Dalmatia began to be embarrassed, as if they had never received attention like this before, but still puffed out their chests as if they were proud when they took out their flags.
It was not a sophisticated reaction, but rather, the action brought a warm smile to the people around him.
“It is the great pride of our territory. “This time, it was created after a divine beast that was directly recognized by the Orthodox Church.”
“The Orthodox Church?”
The people gathered in the hall immediately began to quiet down upon hearing the words that it was a divine beast directly recognized by the Orthodox Church.
Worshiping idols other than God is an act of heresy.
That is why the church has been stingy with other symbols.
“Then what?”
“Yes, that’s right. “It’s a mole.”
Others expressed their family’s prestige with beautiful patterns, such as castle walls and windows, but the Dalmatian baron did not do that.
“It is a sentence symbolizing the spirit of the land that brings abundance.”
The thing depicted on their flag now was a mole that looked cute.
It even had a short thumbs up, so it seemed like no one could help but smile at that cute sight.
Kya-!
From Auschlin to Deermar.
There was a mole that had carved out a road leading from the east to the central and northern regions.
It is said that the spirit, who is with the Sword Master and recognized by the Orthodox Church, is now receiving a worthy offering in his original hometown of Dobrechti.
※※※※
“There was a rumor all over the city.”
“…….”
“It’s ugly, it’s ugly. really. “Even if you don’t have anything else to do, why don’t you play marbles with the kids?”
Shoara’s dockside, where a lot of people are gathered.
Now, there, with the full summer breeze blowing, Gemina was poking Vlad’s side with her triangular eyes raised.
“Is it because you didn’t do much when you were young? Now that you have some free time, did you want to give it a try?”
“It’s not like that.”
“It would have been better to drink and act out. “What childish behavior is this?”
Perhaps conscious of the large crowd of people around her, Gemina whispered in Vlad’s ear so that only he could hear.
Therefore, if someone saw the two of them now, they would probably mistakenly think that the sight of them being close together was good.
“…That’s not it. I said I needed Nibelune.”
Who said that life is a comedy when seen from afar and a tragedy when seen up close?
If anyone around them had come close to the two, they would have noticed Vlad’s slightly sullen appearance.
“You said you needed beads for the kids? “Why the cat?”
“Is that… Because that’s magic?”
A mysterious entity that cannot be believed unless you have seen it and cannot be understood unless you have experienced it.
It was almost impossible for the current Vlad to properly explain it to Gemina, who had never experienced it before.
“I see you guys fighting until the very end.”
There was a man coming down from the dock, looking at Vlad and Zemina.
Behind him is a captain who carries all kinds of strong men, including beastmen and dwarves.
Haven, who had now become another object of envy among the children in the back alley, was still approaching the two who were grumbling.
“okay. “This is the scenery of my hometown.”
“Are you ready?”
A man who now looks like he even has a limp.
In addition, he was wearing a captain’s hat that Zemina had newly provided him, so anyone could see that the current Haven was a handsome sea man.
“I’ve made all the preparations. “The dock has been remodeled for exploration, and we have loaded up on alcohol for the crew.”
With those words, Haven narrowed his eyes at Vlad.
“I guess someone even cared. “Even though it was a very busy time, the shipyard quickly made room for us.”
The current voyage was only possible when the northern glaciers were melting.
We might have had to waste a year to meet that deadline, but it was only thanks to Vlad’s consideration that we were able to start right now.
“Maybe I’ll be in Aussurin by this time next year. “I’ll write you a letter then.”
“okay.”
The purpose of this expedition was to discover a possible new Arctic route.
Therefore, the final goal of Haven, which was leaving now, was to circle halfway around the continent and reach Aushurin, the city of the elves.
“Then since you’re probably busy on your way there too, shall we just leave?”
In front of Haven, who was laughing mischievously, there was a yawning Goth.
The captain goes to the sea and the knight goes to the north.
Goat, who had even dragged the carriage as if to ask us to take a look, seemed to be saying that we should leave for the north as soon as possible.
“be careful.”
“you also.”
The two of them said goodbye and bumped their shoulders, but didn’t say anything more.
The two boys, now adults, knew well that it was better to say goodbye plainly.
“Sniff… black.”
Vlad quietly watches Haven go back to the ship, leaving only a brief parting word.
The sound of someone whimpering was heard next to Vlad.
“Black. Haven that one. Black. Look at me not even looking back. “Huh.”
“…….”
The weather was sunny and the wind passing through my hair was rich.
Jemina’s tears were flying along with the wind, which seemed like there would be no better day to set sail than today.
“That cold-hearted bastard.”
“Let’s go now.”
“…These cold-hearted bastards.”
At the sound of someone shouting, the rope tied to the dock began to unravel.
Along with him, the red-headed Gemina Lake slowly flows along the waves of the river.
“They said they’ll contact you next year. “When that time comes, I will watch it again to my heart’s content.”
The people of Shoara were waving their hands as hard as they could toward the ship leaving in the distance.
For Captain Haven, who was born in a humble back alley but heads to the farthest reaches of the world.
The people of Shoara were waving their hands with all their might for him, who was leaving not to make a living but only to pursue his dream.
“…….”
However, even as everyone was waving towards the ship, Vlad was looking in a completely different direction from them.
The place Vlad was looking at was a building on the docks where Captain Hoover’s headquarters used to be.
“Is it good to get out of there?”
To Haven at that time, when she was locked in a dark room with a pale face.
Vlad was riding in the carriage towards Haven, where he was laughing in front of the wall I had destroyed, and was giving his final greetings.
※※※※
-The sun is setting! Half sail!
-Finally, guess the location! The watchman checks the constellations!
The salty taste of the sea, not the fishy smell, began to drift from the blowing wind.
Haven’s ship slowly heading north with the fading sunset beside it.
The sailors were busy preparing for the coming night, but only one person stood next to Haven and did not move.
“What are you doing here now?”
It was a helm seat where only the captain could stand, but Nibelun seemed to not care about such things and stood side by side with Haven, looking at the increasingly dark sky.
Even when passing sailors notice or hear embarrassing coughing sounds from the side, they remain silent.
“If you don’t have anything else to do, should I make you something?”
“I’m not here because I have nothing to do.”
On the left side of the sea, the sunset, which had not yet reached the horizon, was sinking with a red glow.
However, the magician who deals with mysteries was just raising his head with a bead near his eye, as if he could already see the stars in the night sky.
“……done.”
After staring at the sky for a while, Niberun pointed the bead toward the first star that rose in the slowly expanding night sky.
The star that Nibelun found was the North Star, the northern star that all sailors who travel the seas at night rely on.
“What happened?”
“I just saw it.”
“…What?”
Haven continued to ask questions as if he was still not used to talking with a wizard.
However, as time goes by, Haven will learn as well as Vlad.
A mystery cannot be explained; it must be experienced.
“The North Star. “That star saw us.”
A star in the night sky was shining its light toward a star floating on the sea.
Towards the bead held by Nibelun, following the sparkle of the children it contained.
“I thought I could recognize stars with this bead.”
The lights of two stars attracted to each other were twinkling.
From the sea to the night sky, towards somewhere north where they are heading.
“…What is this line?”
For the boys who still try to look up at the sky even if they are now wandering in the pitch-black night sea.
The light of the two stars connected like that was dividing the sea and creating a line.
As if to follow me, as if to prevent anyone from getting lost.
“I don’t think you need a compass. “Right?”
Even if it wasn’t the high night sky, it was for the shining stars.
Haven’s ship was moving along the border of the connected world.
