The Abandoned Village
After riding for about an hour… Valdo, leading at the front, raised one hand as he slowed his horse.
At that signal, the whole formation gradually reduced speed one after another.
At the same time, through the gap in the pouch, I too began to make out a vague shadow beyond the snow.
… So that’s the abandoned village Vice-Commander Carion escaped to...
On a small hill off the main road stood a little settlement surrounded by a wooden palisade.
A narrow stream ran behind it, and inside the fence, wooden houses stood huddled close together.
Pure white snow lay piled on the rooftops, like powdered sugar dusted over them.
“Good. Berdu’s squad, check the perimeter of the village. Algis’s squad comes with me!”
Once inside the village, Valdo dismounted and began issuing sharp, precise orders to the members one after another.
Fortunately, it seemed the squad Korn belonged to would be acting together with Valdo.
The men who received orders quickly scattered to their assigned positions.
Korn too began checking the village and searching for Vice-Commander Carion alongside Valdo and the others.
I also did my part from the shadows, poking my pink nose through the gap in the pouch and sniffing around for anything that might be Carion’s scent.
Still, I’d heard no one lived here anymore, but the fence and houses had been preserved surprisingly well.
At the center of the village stood a stone well, with a thick mound of snow piled around its rim.
Beside it, a wooden bucket had been left overturned, and several thin icicles hung from the little roof above the well.
Beyond that stretched what must once have been farmland.
Though now it had become a white field of snow, with only faint rises and dips left behind.
… Somehow, it was a strange sight.
Back when I was Japanese, I’d grown up in the city from the time I first became aware of the world.
So I’d never once seen an entire settlement turned into ruins.
And yet this village felt less abandoned than… as if it were quietly waiting for the people who once lived here to come home.
Wrapped in pure white snow, the houses even looked peaceful somehow,as though they had fallen into a long, silent sleep.
I was thinking that when…
The door of the house I’d been looking at suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
Everyone turned that way at once.
The one who appeared from inside was a single man.
The hem of his thick black cloak had been shredded as though torn by something sharp.
A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, already stained bright red with blood.
Maybe he hadn’t slept, deep dark circles had formed beneath his eyes.
Even so… the moment he recognized Valdo and the others, his face lit up.
“Commander Valdo...! You came for us!”
At that instant, the tense air loosened all at once.
From among the members came a chorus of relieved breaths and joyful voices celebrating his safety.
Valdo walked over to the injured man and extended an arm to support him.
“We saw the message you left on the road. Rough time, huh... But now that we’re here, it’ll be alright.”
“Th-thank you very much...!”
“Heard you were attacked by a pack of monsters. You shook them off and made it here?”
“Yes... The monsters suddenly appeared from deep in the forest...! If not for Vice-Commander Carion’s quick thinking, we would all have been wiped out...”
Saying that, the injured member bit his lip in frustration.
“Tell me the details later. More importantly, where’s Carion?”
“The Vice-Commander is inside that house now... receiving treatment...”
His face twisted slightly as he said it.
Valdo didn’t miss the change. His expression tightened, and he asked in a low voice.
“I see... Understood. Is Carion in any condition to talk right now?”
“Yes. He regained consciousness a little while ago...”
He regained consciousness…
Which meant that until just a little while ago, he’d been unconscious.
So Vice-Commander Carion really had suffered serious wounds in the fight with the monsters.
Valdo let out a short breath, then turned to the surrounding members and issued fresh orders.
“Alright. Search the houses in the village! Secure any supplies that look usable. Firewood, water, bandages, blankets... anything. We camp here tonight!”
At Valdo’s voice, the members immediately answered with strong voices of assent.
It seemed only Valdo intended to go check on Vice-Commander Carion.
He had probably decided Carion’s heavily wounded state shouldn’t be shown to the others.
To prevent unrest among the members…
And above all, out of consideration for Vice-Commander Carion’s feelings.
Yeah. I think that decision was definitely the right one.
But as a result, Korn had been ordered to act separately from Valdo.
Just like the others scattering deeper into the village, Korn too started walking away from Valdo to secure supplies.
And once no one remained around Korn, I lightly leapt out of the pouch.
The cold feel of the snow reached my paw pads.
“Wah… Al!? W-what’s wrong?”
“Nya~n.”
I gave a small reply and turned my face toward the house Valdo had entered.
Then I looked back up at Korn once more and mewed softly.
Korn blinked in surprise for a moment, but soon narrowed his eyes as if he understood something.
“... Don’t tell me, you want to stay near Commander Valdo?”
“Meow.”
Korn crouched down, smiled gently, and softly stroked my head.
His fingertips slowly slid through my fur, warmth spreading from his palm.
“I see, I see. Got it... But the Commander’s instincts are sharp. Be careful he doesn’t notice you, alright?”
“Miya~”
I answered Korn one last time, then turned my back and started walking across the snow.
Each step I took pressed one little pawprint after another into the white surface.
And as I headed toward the house where Vice-Commander Carion was…
I suddenly heard Korn’s faint voice from behind me.
“... Tch. I’m kinda jealous, actually.”
In contrast to those half-pouting, faintly wistful words…
I could feel the warm gaze watching over me against my back.
~Read Chapter 20-29 in advance on Patreon~
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