Westward
“... Korn, nice work!”
“You found this place well!”
“Thanks to you, we didn’t waste any time, Korn!”
Praised from every direction by the members, with shoulders and back being thumped again and again, Korn stood there at the center of it all.
But the man himself looked terribly awkward.
“N-no, uh… ahaha…”
Letting out a dry laugh, Korn gently tapped the pouch at his waist once with his fingertips.
Inside it, I wriggled a little.
Looks like Korn felt guilty for stealing my achievement.
I wanted to tell him not to worry about it, but I couldn’t make a sound in this situation.
So instead, I quietly stretched out one paw from inside the pouch and gave the lid a little tap from underneath.
Whether my feelings got through to him, or whether he simply couldn’t endure being praised by everyone any longer, I didn’t know.
But Korn suddenly raised his voice as if to shake off the awkwardness.
“S-so then, Commander Valdo! What did it say on that cloth?”
At once, the murmuring around us faded.
Timing it for the moment everyone’s attention shifted away from Korn, I once again peeked outside through the gap in the pouch lid.
Valdo had deep wrinkles carved between his brows, silently tracing the blood-written message on the cloth with his eyes.
In the snowbound forest, staring at that bloodstained scrap of cloth, the profile on Valdo’s face carried a pressure beyond words.
That was the face of the Commander of the Black Iron Claws, bearing the lives of his comrades.
At length, Valdo slowly raised his head.
Then, after looking over the companions lined up before him one by one, he shouted in a voice that seemed to cut through the frozen air.
“Yeah, rejoice, all of you. Carion and the others are alive!”
“Oh… ohhhhhhh!!”
A fierce cheer erupted, shattering the silence of the snowbound forest.
Everyone wore smiles mixed with relief and joy, slapping each other on the shoulders.
Korn too, cheeks flushed red, bumped fists with the members beside him and grinned.
“We did it! We did it!”
“Vice-Commander Carion, and the others too, they’re alive!”
“Knew Carion was an amazing man!”
Smiling at their voices, Valdo tucked the cloth into his coat and continued.
“While fighting the monsters, Carion and the others apparently escaped west to an abandoned village. Everyone, prepare yourselves. We move to rescue them now!”
“Ou!”
Valdo’s command rang through the silent forest.
That voice was the signal. The members all moved at once. Not a single wasted word.
With practiced motions they mounted their horses and took up the reins.
Then, with Valdo in front, the formation raced west along the snow-covered road.
But their expressions were completely different from when we came here.
Now, in every eye, there was a clear light of hope.
… Looks like Vice-Commander Carion is really admired by everyone.
I’m honestly looking forward to meeting him too!
There was just one unfortunate thing…
Traveling by horse meant that I, inside the pouch hanging from Korn’s waist, once again had to endure endless bouncing and thunderous noise.
I’d gotten a little more used to it than the first time… but painful is still painful!
So, for a change of pace, I stuck my nose through the gap in the pouch and secretly peeked outside.
The cold wind shook my whiskers. Still, that wasn’t so bad.
This should distract me a little.
The formation raced west along the snowy road.
Each time the horses’ hooves kicked the snow, powder burst upward in a whoosh. Snowflakes caught the sunlight and scattered glittering through the air.
The line glided over the snow, while the black trees on both sides streamed backward in a blur.
As I watched the scenery… Korn suddenly muttered in puzzlement.
“Still… why did Vice-Commander Carion run to an abandoned village?”
Another member riding nearby raised his voice and answered.
“The abandoned village to the west got hit by monsters before, so the farmers moved to the great eastern city of Dagis! That’s why the houses are still standing!”
“Huh, really? You know a lot!”
Both of them were practically shouting so their voices wouldn’t be drowned out by the pounding hooves.
Thanks to that, I could hear the whole conversation perfectly too.
“The Black Iron Claws used it for camping a few times! There’s a river nearby, and it’s a convenient place for treating wounds…”
The man’s expression suddenly clouded over.
Korn seemed to realize what that meant too, and fell silent.
… A good place for treating wounds, huh.
All that blood left on the road and in the forest. Those gouged-up traces of battle.
If those were the marks of a clash with monsters… Then Vice-Commander Carion and the others were definitely carrying wounds that weren’t shallow.
That was exactly why they must have fled to the nearest abandoned village.
If they were in any condition to move, they would’ve returned to base already, or joined up with their comrades in the great city of Dagis.
… I just hope they’re safe...
What do you think about this chapter?
