She raised her index finger in front of her lips.
Be quiet? But why? What could she mean?
To have another customer patronize the store was far from unusual, and yet Regis could feel a peculiar unrest.
The girl lowered her gesture before parting her lips.
“There are plenty of conscripts who lament the hell of the battlefield upon being dispatched to the front lines, but I reckon you’re the first to do so in a bookshop,” she said in a refreshingly clear voice. An energetic smile crossed her face before she continued.
“We finally meet! You’re Fifth-Grade Administrative Officer Regis Aurick, correct?”
“Huh? Oh, me?”
“Oh, are you not?”
“No, ah—yes, I am! I am Regis.”
“Excellent! I was starting to think I had the wrong person. I’m not too sure what I would’ve done had that been the case...”
Her relieved smile carried an innocence befitting her age.
Regis soon felt a strange warmth spread across his cheeks. The girl before his eyes was clearly so beautiful that— No, that wasn’t it. He was simply ashamed by how flustered he had acted simply because an evidently younger girl had called his name.
“Wait, my name... Why do you know my name?”
“When you’ve been sent to retrieve someone, it’s fairly crucial to at least remember their name, no? Please don’t regard me as though I’m some stupid child.”
“Oh, no, that wasn’t my intention at all. I see now, you’re here for me.”
Regis took another look at the girl. She wore a brown hooded robe, under which he caught a glimpse of leather pants and boots; common attire for a coachman.
“If you’re here from the fort, does that make you a soldier?”
“You tell me. Do I look like one?”
“No... probably not. You’re underage, aren’t you?”
“Correct. I just turned fourteen.”
The age of adulthood in the Belgarian Empire was fifteen. Barring extreme circumstances, minors were unable to enlist in the military.
“I see. Then you must be the driver of a hired carriage. I had planned on taking the public stagecoach. To have a personal escort, I must be quite the VIP.”
“Are you glad to receive such special attention?”
“It makes me a little depressed, honestly. It’s like they’re telling me to hurry up and get back to work.”
“Fufu, you’re surprisingly honest.”
“I’m not one to lie.”
“Is that so? But you’re... a tactician, are you not?”
The girl stared at him with her ruby eyes. Regis could feel an indescribable intensity from the girl four years his junior.
“...Well, there are some who would call me that... I only enlisted with the intention of working in the military library.”
“Sounds like an interesting story. How about we continue it on the road?”
“Sure...”
Feeling almost unable to breathe, Regis tugged at his collar in a feeble attempt to loosen it. Meanwhile, the crimson-haired girl was urging him outside.
“Come on, we need to go. The clouds are getting heavier; there’s a good chance it might snow soon.”
“You’re right. —Ah, I nearly forgot!”
Just as he was making his way out, Regis suddenly recalled his position and returned to the shopkeeper. He placed the money for the book on the counter.
“I’ll be purchasing this. Hm? What’s wrong? You’re not looking too good.”
“No, I’m fine. Come again anytime, soldier.” While Regis couldn’t begin to guess the reason, the bearded storekeeper had lowered his head, one hand rested across his mouth. He seemed to be holding in words.
The girl once again approached, although this time with a visibly sour expression.
“Are you an idiot, perhaps!?”
“W-What’s this, all of a sudden...?”
“In these borderlands, books are far too expensive a pastime. Only the rich and the foolish would shell out such a fortune!”
“Well, not that I’d ever call myself a smart man... but the lust for knowledge is, to me, the most glorious aspect of human nature. It’s what defines us as human, and abiding by that base instinct through reading is what gives me purpose, no matter the expense. My funds may run dry but, the way I see it, giving up on reading is no different from giving up on life.”
Only after he’d finished did Regis shut his lips tight, ashamed he had gotten so worked up over a comment from a child. Her eyes were still fixed on him, her expression now serious to a surprising degree. She gave a low nod.
“The same as giving up on life... I see. I may be able to sympathize. I also...”
“You also...?”
“Ah, nothing! We need to go!”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
Regis wedged his freshly-bought book under one arm, snatched up his baggage and trailed the girl out of the shop. A small, covered one-horse wagon was parked under the eaves, from which a lean, dark brown horse peered at him.
The girl’s long hair fluttered as she nimbly jumped up onto the cabman’s perch which was at waist-height.
“C’mon, hurry up!”
“Sure... What’s your name, by the way?” Regis asked, looking up at her.
The look in her eyes sharpened. She lowered her voice, clearly enunciating each syllable to end all discussion.
“I. Will. Leave. You. Be. Hind.”
He hurriedly clambered up into the seat beside her. Now was clearly not the right time to ask.
✧ ✧ ✧
With a clitter-clatter, the wooden wheels stumbled their way across the earthen road. They passed through the northern gate of the town’s stone walls. Their destination was the frontmost line, Fort Sierck.
The girl sat in the driver’s seat with a firm grasp on the reins. To her right, Regis sat holding his baggage. There was a canopied wagon bed behind them that seemed to be loaded with lumber and brick.
“—So, you wanted my name?”
“Right. What am I supposed to call you?”
“Let me see...”
The girl touched the fingertip of a stiff-gloved hand to her shapely chin in thought. Was there any need to think about that? Regis doubtfully wondered.
Her tight lips finally loosened.
“Yes. You may call me Altina.”
“Is that an alias?” he asked thoughtlessly, given that she had taken so long to answer. But doing so was a clear mistake—the girl named Altina furrowed her brow.
“...How rude... It’s a lovely nickname, is it not? I was considering giving you special permission to use it, but perhaps I should take that back?”
“I’m sorry, beg pardon, I would be honored to call you Altina!”
“Very well then, I’ll allow it. ...If you insist.”
“I insist.”
“Hm... You’re not very soldier-like, you know that?”
“Haha, I’m aware.” As Regis gave a bitter laugh, Altina was led along into a smile of her own.
Farms of wheat spread out on either side of the road they traveled. With it being winter, these bore nothing but lines of small seedlings indistinguishable from the undergrowth. The world had become a bichrome of gray sky and barren earth.