Clothes stained with purple blood, a dagger in hand, and the still cool wind filling the high sky filled with cumulus clouds.
Amidst it all, three unfamiliar Giant corpses.
It would be dangerous. Instinct warned them.
And because of that, there was no turning back.
"Yeah, let's go."
Encrid said.
It sounded like a random statement, but the intent was clear. He was going along with him.
"If you go, I go too."
Luagarne said.
"Hmph, fine. I'll go with you."
Dunbachel said as if doing them a favor.
Rem looked at Encrid.
Would that man go just because he told him to? No, he wasn't that type. His stubbornness was the best on the continent.
Could anyone break that stubbornness?
Not a chance.
Rem made a quick decision and replied.
"Let's do it. Let's go."
They set out once more.
After discovering the three Giants, Rem found traces of a village.
"Damn. What the hell is going on?"
Rem muttered.
There were torn tents, a pot with a hole in it rolling on the ground, and wide stone slabs scattered about.
There were hardly any bloodstains. The smell of blood was almost nonexistent.
The place that had been the village was a relatively high spot on a small hill.
In the middle, there were signs of a large bonfire.
It was the remains of a burned-down settlement.
Nearby were pieces of half-burned tents, scraps of leather, and piles of dry wood, with a large pot in the center.
Beside the pot, there were several bones that clearly belonged to humans.
Rem's expression was more serious than ever before.
He scooped up some dirt with his hand, sniffed it, and looked around.
"There's nothing else."
There were no broken barricades, no snapped bow strings or spear shafts.
There were too few signs of a battle. That was Rem's judgment.
Too many things were bothering him. But there was nothing here that could be definitively concluded.
Rem looked at the remnants of the wooden barricades that held some special sap and spoke.
"There used to be some folks I knew here. No, they should have been here."
"And now they're gone."
Encrid said while examining the ground.
It was hard to find any trace beyond the three Giants. So, who was this prophet the three Giants mentioned?
"That's right. And those three Giants... something feels off. Their blood is strange, and there are fewer monsters around than usual."
Rem muttered as he folded his arms, leaving his axe aside.
Just because this was the west didn't mean there were no monsters.
This area had many unusual creatures rarely seen on the continent.
Things like sandworms, white furred beasts that mimic human voices, and ratmen. Rem had said such things were common.
Perhaps due to the dry climate, creatures like lizardmen or crocodiles were rarely seen here.
Now and then, they saw some wild Velopters.
They had short mouths, bodies covered in scales instead of fur, short forelimbs, and long hind legs.
They were as fast as horses when they ran.
Still, taming them seemed questionable.
Some people in the west rode them, so there must have been some way to tame them.
"Let's go."
Rem dusted off his hands.
The Giants attacked the village. It was possible, but the people here wouldn't have been so easily defeated.
That meant there was something he didn't know going on.
Rem started walking again.
The group moved once more.
Even though the village was empty, the path Rem knew remained unchanged. The road was still there.
As they walked, Encrid looked up. For a moment, it seemed like the clouds were moving faster.
He had heard that in this region, when it rained, it poured relentlessly, but it rarely rained otherwise.
In the current atmosphere, it was hard to imagine rain coming.
Should he call it a rough breeze? From Encrid's experience, there wasn't even a hint of the smell of rain in the air.
Luagarne, following behind, spoke.
"It's too dry."
In truth, it was a perfect condition, but it might have been uncomfortable for Luagarne.
She kept drinking water.
"Drink all you want. We'll arrive tonight."
At Rem's words, Luagarne nodded.
Occasionally, a dust-filled gust of wind blew, followed by a fresh, dustless breeze.
As they walked on, Rem said something.
"People around here don't like change."
He was scanning his surroundings as he spoke. It seemed like he was searching for more signs of the Giants, but that wasn't it. He was just looking for the road.
His landmarks were ridgelines, rocks, and large trees.
Things that don't change.
Things that stay in place even when a storm strikes.
It was an impressive and majestic landscape.
For anyone living here, they would seem no more than a speck.
Here and there, patches of grass lingered on the ochre ground, and some areas were made of gray stone.
There were a few sandstone lumps formed from clumps of sand, weathered and eroded over time.
These would be difficult to use as landmarks.
As Encrid admired the surroundings, he asked again.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Even though there's war and we fight among ourselves, in the end, we reject any big changes. Even if we wander this land, fight, and die, that's all there is. Everyone believes it's all fate and wants to live that way."
Rem had a tendency to become calm when talking about something he truly hated.
Whether he knew it or not, Encrid did.
For instance, when he got mad at Jaxon or Ragna, it was okay for him to raise his voice. That just meant he was somewhat angry.
But when he spoke quietly and gripped his axe, that was a sign of real danger.
Lately, since his fight with Ragna, that was a sight Encrid had seen more often.
"I don't see what's so enjoyable about that."
Rem said. Encrid immediately replied without needing to think. His words were serious, but his tone was light.
And that was fine.
Because he had his own beliefs to guide him forward. He wouldn't have lived like this if he cared about what others thought of him.
The words, though light, encapsulated his life's philosophy. So, though his tone was casual, the words weren't truly light.
"Who cares?"
Rem suddenly stopped walking.
"That's true."
Rem muttered to himself and started walking again.
Just because a certain way of life is considered the correct answer, just because everyone says it's right, does that mean you should live that way?
Does that mean it's the right answer to live that way?
No.
If there's something you want, shouldn't you go and claim it for yourself?
That's the kind of person Encrid was.
Rem wasn't much different.
That's why he had left the west.
For a life of claiming what he wanted.
For the thrill.
To move forward.
He didn't want to stand still, becoming a weathered sandstone pillar, eroded by the western winds.
He had a past where he ran away from responsibility and duty. He admitted it.
It was because he had acknowledged it that he could now return.
That's what had shaped Rem's current path. His feelings. His will.
When he had learned sorcery, he would often gain certain realizations, and it felt similar now.
Rem remembered a mindset he had forgotten, one he had realized sometime after leaving the west.
"Let's walk through the night. Anyone who's tired… put your hand down before I break your arm."
"I wasn't going to. My armpit just itches."
Dunbachel was either damp or dry, but always indifferent. She was a rather dull beastwoman. All she said when she saw wide-open spaces was that they made her uncomfortable.
It might have been because they reminded her of the vast plains where the beastmen lived.
"Try to bathe more often."
Rem commented to the beastwoman.
"There aren't many beastmen who bathe as often as I do."
Dunbachel replied with confidence.
Naturally, Encrid didn't believe her. Nor did Rem or Luagarne.
"If anyone's tired, hop on my back."
Rem said casually as he continued walking, through the plains that looked like a wasteland, across dirt paths and patches of short grass, with his gaze fixed on the ridgeline to his left.
The ridgeline was filled with rocks pocked with holes.
It might have been a volcanic area in the past, as it seemed like the basaltic terrain, along with faint geothermal heat, was weighing down the surroundings.
'From afar, it looks like a lava Giant stomped his foot down!'
Thanks to years of training and the development of his senses and technique, Encrid could picture the shape of the rocks and the carved basin.
As they walked through the night, a few monsters appeared.
Ratmen. The monsters with rat heads and long claws were swiftly sliced up by Dunbachel's scimitar.
"My turn!"
She knew that if monster blood got on her, she would need to wash it off, so after slicing through them, she quickly moved aside.
It was a typical hit-and-run tactic.
She managed to deal with the monsters without getting even a few drops of blood on her.
Dunbachel's skills had improved significantly from before. That's how it appeared to Encrid.
So, how would she fare against the Giants they faced earlier?
He had been able to handle them.
'Dunbachel would win. The odds are in our favor.'
Of course, talking about odds in a real fight was a foolish thing.
Being well-trained increased your chances of survival, but it wasn't an absolute guarantee.
'Maybe I'm overestimating Dunbachel's skills.'
Should he push her harder to instill a sense of progress?
Dunbachel didn't seem to have many thoughts on the matter.
It seemed like something had changed after she received a series of compliments during the previous battle.
'She'll figure it out.'
It wasn't something Encrid needed to concern himself with. Dunbachel would carve her own path and move forward.
"Leave it to the hyenas or vultures to take care of the corpses."
Rem looked over the slain monsters, spoke, and then resumed walking.
As they moved, they passed jagged, blade-like rocks.
Sharp, solid rocks—a natural fortress.
Encrid surveyed the area.
To the right, patches of grasslands were visible. It was short grass. A few sheep were lazily grazing there.
'Sheep?'
There were sheep here?
There were also cows.
Among them, a few people were visible.
It was dawn, thanks to the night-long trek.
Sunlight and clouds combined with the west's unique light, dry air, casting a glow over the area. It was serene.
There was hardly any fog, so there was nothing to obscure their vision.
The sunlight added color to the surroundings.
Gray and ochre were joined by light brown, dark brown, and green patches of grass. Despite the blend of gray and ochre with green, the combination was harmonious.
Amidst the sheep and cows, four people were gathered, and one of them stepped forward.
They could have shown some wariness, but the person merely glanced at the group before confidently walking over.
"There wasn't anything about enemies coming when I read the clouds."
The person was tall, broad-shouldered, and imposing, but his voice was surprisingly thin.
The figure was dressed in an armor made entirely of thick fur. It didn't seem to be for warmth but more like the fur itself served as armor.
His hair was braided and tied back, long and light brown in color.
Curiously, his footsteps made almost no sound. It seemed like something was attached to the soles of his boots.
Encrid could tell just by looking.
A hunter? At the very least, this person had the appearance of someone who enjoyed hunting.
The person's gaze scanned everyone except Rem.
Were they scouting? Cautious? Somewhere in between.
In addition, there was a subtle, calm something about them.
'Like flowing lava.'
What appeared on the surface was slow, but if you touched it by mistake, you would immediately catch fire and be consumed entirely.
A person who had tightly bound their seething rage.
Their eyes passed over Encrid, Dunbachel, and finally Luagarne.
Her gaze touched and moved on from Encrid's face without lingering.
Even though his face, despite being dirty from traveling, was clearly attractive, she didn't pay any attention and moved her gaze away.
Then, she asked.
"Which one?"
It was a sudden question.
"What do you mean by that?"
Surprisingly, it was Rem who answered, sounding somewhat intimidated.
Was Rem intimidated?
It wasn't that they seemed familiar with each other that was shocking, but that Rem appeared intimidated was.
Encrid looked around briefly.
Could it be a dream shown by the ferryman?
There was no ferryman. There were no illusions like a mirage.
It was reality. His senses told him so.
"I'm asking why you ran away from home."
The imposing woman spoke again.
Rem didn't answer right away.
At that moment, as he watched them, Encrid's instincts woke up. His mind raced, reconstructing events and drawing conclusions.
'Are you sure you want to go with them?'
'You don't have to.'
'You could make the trip faster alone. Why take the long way?'
The reason Rem had hesitated.
'If I go now, I'll die. No, I 'will' die.'
The reason he refused to leave while he was still injured.
The reason he had shown something resembling fear, which was unusual for him.
The reason he was so reluctant to go back for something he had left behind.
The answer to all of it stood before him.
"Hey, answer me, damn it!"
The western warrior touched the axe at her waist.
She was Rem's wife.
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