Chapter 25

1 Ix was sitting backward. The walls of the wagon obstructed his views of the scenery ahead of and beside him. To make matters worse, all he could see out the back was a continuous stretch of rural land, which wasn’t particularly interesting, either. He resigned himself to staring at the ruts its wheels were gouging into the ground. The road was entirely unworked and now muddy from the rain, so the pair of old bulls in front of the wagon were struggling to haul it. They gasped for breath when they moved off the paved road and started to climb a hill. By contrast, the farmer steering the bulls seemed entirely composed. His head, topped with close-shaven white hair, was locked on the path ahead the entire time. The old man was quiet. He never said anything, and his only response to questions was a shake or nod of his head. His tanned skin, lined with deep wrinkles, spoke of his many years in this world. Riding the wagon was uncomfortable, of course, but it was the odor coming from the large kegs piled in the wagon that Ix was really getting sick of. In the beginning, he’d thought the smell was nice, but it seemed disgusting now that he’d been inhaling it for the whole trip. Recently, it had started to mingle with the scent of the rain, creating a suffocating heaviness that left a tightness in his chest. They had departed Leirest before the sun had shown its face. Leaving the city had taken a while, since the man inspecting them had gone back and forth between the guardhouse and the wagon countless times, perhaps out of exhaustion. The three of them, too, had barely slept because they hadn’t left the Obryle mansion until past midnight. Not long after departing, Yuui started to nod off and eventually laid her head on Nova’s shoulder to snooze. Nova seemed to have fallen asleep as well. They both leaned quietly against the wall of the wagon. To be honest, Ix couldn’t be certain they were sleeping, since both their faces were concealed. Across from him sat Gidens, who was also out cold. Snores escaped from his half-open mouth, and there were still dark circles below his eyes. The wagon came to a sudden halt, and Ix almost toppled over. He turned to look forward, thinking they’d dropped something in the road. The farmer hadn’t changed position, but Ix could see the man gesturing in his direction with his chin. He heard the squelch of footsteps in the mud. When the sound came around the side of the wagon, a woman moved into view. She was carrying a heavy-looking barrel. Her eyes met Ix’s. She looked older than him, perhaps even older than Morna. She had plain features, and her hair fell in gentle waves. While she was thin and of average height, haggard was perhaps a better description. Her outfit was made from simple cloth, over which she wore a plain apron. She looked like a maid who’d stepped out when she was in the middle of cooking, or maybe a housewife. Or she would have, had her feet not been coated in mud. The woman glanced around the inside of the wagon and blinked in surprise. Taking care not to wake the sleeping passengers, she quietly loaded her barrel onto the cart. As she tried to climb in herself, her feet slipped on the muddy ground. Ix quickly reached out to grab her shoulder, just managing to make it in time. A moment later and she would have cracked her forehead on the wagon. “Th-thank you,” she said. He offered her a hand up, which she took with her own rough palm. Once in the wagon, she sat like Ix, facing backward, her feet dangling over the edge. They started moving again right after that. “Um, so…,” she said as she looked over hesitantly toward Ix and parted the bangs plastered to her forehead by the rain. Quietly, she asked, “Are you friends of Gidens? Or Gramps?” “Gidens,” replied Ix. “Where are you coming from?” “Leirest.” “You came all the way out here from the big city? Do you have some business in town? Wait, don’t answer. Let me guess. Hmm…” She crossed her arms, gazed upward, and sat silently like that for a while. “I’ll just tell you,” said Ix. “No, wait, wait! Just a little longer, okay?” “…All right.” Ix nodded, relenting for some reason. He was surprised he’d obeyed her. All he could think was that his body had naturally gone along with what she said. He really had intended on ignoring her protest and telling her… She hemmed and hawed for a few more moments, then held up a finger. “I got it; you’ve come to see the festival!” “…Yeah, that’s about it.” “Oh, really? Ha-ha… That’s a bit odd.” Her eyes widened. “Is it?” “Yeah. People come from the villages nearby, but all the people who live in towns near Leirest just go there. I mean, our little hamlet’s festival doesn’t hold a candle to the one in that huge city, right?” Just before he could ask her about the festival, she let out a small cry. “We’re almost in the village.” She was pointing to a square white stone placed off to the side of the road in a meadow. It was half buried by tall weeds. Perhaps it was a marker to show the border of the village? Or maybe a magic beast deterrent? It faded from view while Ix lost himself in thought.