Chapter 37
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Night.
The time when the warm sun hides beneath the horizon, and the quiet darkness descends upon the land.
It is a moment of rest for those weary from a long day’s labor, a time when those burdened by worries sigh deeply and lay down their troubles to fall asleep.
However, night wasn’t always as gentle as a nurturing mother.
Behind its warm face that soothed everyone lay a colder side, more chilling than the harshest winter wind.
“The original plan was to complete the trade and leave right after, camping along the way. But judging by the time, we won’t get very far.”
“It would be wiser to rest here for the night, wouldn’t it?”
“In exchange, we’ll just have to leave a bit earlier tomorrow…”
Those who wandered away from the comfort of their homes knew all too well about the two faces of the night.
No matter how high one held a torch or used a lantern powered by magic, it wasn’t enough to fully illuminate the malice hidden within the darkness.
Though the sun was still up for now, by the time they left the village after their business was done, dusk would soon fall. They would have to set up camp not far away and face the dangers of the wild night.
Rather than move and take unnecessary risks, it seemed better to spend the night in the village, enjoying the comfort it provided.
With that thought, the merchant guild adjusted their plans slightly, deciding to stay in the small village for the night.
It was a bold decision, considering the extra wages for the mercenaries and the profit they might lose due to the delayed schedule.
And so, the mercenaries found themselves with some unexpected free time.
Some took the opportunity to hone their skills by swinging their weapons, while others lay lazily on the soft grass, basking in the warm sunlight.
One of them, however, was running around the village, holding a young girl’s hand.
Joanie, with Canaria’s hand in hers, roamed the village and eventually came upon an elderly woman sitting in front of a small house, watching the street.
“Excuse me~ May I ask you a question?”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Huh…”
The reply Joanie received was not quite what she had expected.
‘That’s right, this place used to be part of the Grasis Kingdom a few years ago.’
The elderly woman, being of an advanced age, would likely be more familiar with the Granic language than Arkish.
Realizing her mistake, Joanie inwardly scolded herself.
“Hello. Could you tell me the name of this village, by any chance?”
“Oh! You can speak the royal language. You must be a mercenary, eh? You’re quite the rare one, young lady.”
“I’m not very good at it, just a little. Hehe…”
“That’s more than enough, dear. So, you’re curious about the village’s name? This place is called Blum.”
“Blum…”
Joanie repeated the name the elderly woman had given her.
After repeating it to herself a few times, Joanie smiled brightly.
“It’s a lovely name.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Engaging in small talk with the locals was something Joanie particularly enjoyed.
Through conversations with the residents, she could vividly experience the culture and lifestyle of the places they lived.
Wasn’t that the very reason she had gone to university? The reason she had studied languages?
Of course, her skill was lacking compared to a native speaker, but that didn’t really matter.
When foreigners visited a country and made an effort to speak the language, no matter how clumsy, very few people would judge them harshly.
Hadn’t that helped during her first cold encounter with Canaria as well?
‘Well, there are exceptions. But those kinds of people tend to dislike you no matter what you do.’
What a waste it would be to miss out on enjoying the journey because of fear of such people.
Joanie’s approach remained the same even in the virtual reality game Silia Online.
“So…”
“Wow, really?”
Tug, tug.
“Hmm?”
While Joanie was engaging in small talk in Granic with the elderly woman, she felt a sudden pull on her hand and looked down.
Canaria, turning her head as if she didn’t know what was going on, stood beside her.
However, there was only one person who could have pulled Joanie’s hand.
“Is she your little sister? Oh my, this old lady must have been talking too much and bored the young miss.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“Oh dear, my eyesight must be failing me with age. Would you prefer I call you a lady then?”
“…”
Joanie nodded, watching Canaria speak with the old woman.
‘Canaria…’
As she thought, even when talking to someone much older, she used informal language.
Was it because she used to be a former captain of the knights? Joanie felt that Canaria’s casual speech seemed quite natural.
In reality, Canaria had used informal language since she was young, but Joanie didn’t know that, so her misunderstanding was understandable.
Still, despite using informal language, Canaria never came across as arrogant or disrespectful, which Joanie found quite surprising.
‘Is it because of her voice? Or maybe her calm tone?’
Joanie shrugged off the random thoughts that popped into her head.
Who cares? She’s cute, and that’s enough.
In fact, Joanie thought it would feel even stranger if Canaria used formal speech.
‘And even if someone did find her rude, who could actually correct her habits?’
“I don’t take orders from someone weaker than me.”
Joanie briefly imagined Kana boldly stating that while swinging her sword, but she quickly shook her head.
‘…That can’t be.’
Kana wasn’t that kind of person.
Even if she ever had such thoughts, she’d express them with her sword, not her words.
“I heard there’s a famous flower field around here.”
“A flower field? Of course. It’s the pride of our village. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes. My sister loves flowers. Where should I go to find it?”
“Just follow that path over there.”
“Oh, so it’s not within the village…”
No wonder she couldn’t find it despite wandering around—it was outside the village.
Feeling slightly aggrieved after searching for the flower field for so long, Joanie said her farewells to the old woman and set out once more with Kana to find the flower field.
The path the old woman had indicated led beyond the village, continuing all the way to a gentle hill at the base of the mountain.
“So, it wasn’t maintained by anyone…”
Joanie hadn’t known much about the place, having only heard there was a flower field, and had proposed the idea to Kana without looking into it further.
‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have wandered around.’
Joanie sighed as she climbed the hill.
When the uphill path finally ended, she gasped at the sight before her.
“Wow…!”
The hill was adorned with a vibrant array of flowers.
The flowers, as if in a friendly competition, displayed their charms by proudly showing off their petals, seemingly waiting just for Joanie.
Unlike the orderly garden Kana had tended to, these wildflowers grew freely, blending together in a natural harmony, which gave the scene a different kind of appeal.
No human hands could have created such a view.
It was a spectacle that could only be born from nature’s touch alone.
A soft breeze carried the subtle fragrance of flowers, gently brushing against Joanie’s hair.
Lost in the scenery, Joanie suddenly realized that her hand was empty.
“…Kana?”
At some point, Kana, who had quietly been standing beside her, was no longer there.
As she looked around to find the girl, she spotted her not too far away, crouching down and gazing intently at an unfamiliar flower.
Joanie quietly walked over and stood behind Kana, who was sitting in front of a small flower with delicate pink petals.
Even though Joanie had approached quietly, Kana, undoubtedly already aware of her presence, remained engrossed in the flower, paying no attention to her companion.
“Such a cute flower.”
It kind of reminds me of Canaria.
Not wanting to interrupt her, Joanie stayed silent, instead choose to crouch next to Canaria. They sat in front of the pink flower, which emitted a sweet fragrance, for quite some time.
When Joanie’s legs began to cramp, Canaria finally stood up. Joanie followed her lead, smiling.
“A beautiful flower garden, isn’t it?”
“…”
Although there was no verbal reply, Joanie didn’t miss the slight nod from Canaria.
Joanie was tempted to stay and explore the area longer, but by now, the sun had already passed its zenith and was slowly sinking beneath the horizon.
“Maybe some of these flowers bloom at night?”
If they waited, they could probably enjoy the sight of flowers blooming under the soft moonlight. However, Joanie chose to return to Blum Village rather than waiting for the night to come.
“Skipping meals is a no-go.”
Especially for a growing child.
There was no rush—after all, they could always return later after eating. Joanie took the shy girl’s hand and retraced their steps back to the village.
By the time they arrived at the village, half of the sun had already disappeared below the horizon.
There was a commotion.
“…Something feels off.”
When they reached the village gate, Joanie noticed that the atmosphere was different from when they had left. It wasn’t just the usual evening bustle; something felt more chaotic, and there was an odd tension in the air.
-“Maybe we should… hurry?”
-“But you can’t just leave it like that…”
-“It’s not really… our problem, is it?”
Both the traveling merchants and the villagers were out, talking in hushed yet serious tones.
Sensing something unusual, Joanie hunched her shoulders, taking cautious steps forward.
“Joanie!”
At that moment, Catherine spotted Joanie and quickly approached.
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“For me?”
“Yes!”
“Why, why?”
“Well, since this is happening, I can’t talk without you.”
“…What’s happening?”
“Did you not hear anything?”
“No. I was out for a walk and just returned…”
“Ah…! You could have been in serious trouble. I’m glad you made it back safely.”
Catherine momentarily showed a flustered expression at Joanie’s words, but quickly composed herself.
From Joanie’s perspective, everything was still shrouded in mystery.
The way she spoke gave the impression that she was welcoming someone back from a battlefield, but when did going for a walk become such a dangerous affair?
Noticing the questions flooding Joanie’s mind, Catherine opened her mouth.
“There’s been a group of ogres spotted nearby! Moreover, they’re heading towards this village!”
“…What?”
Suddenly, a group of ogres had appeared, and they were on their way to this village?
…Why?
Joanie, bewildered by the unexpected situation, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Did you perhaps smear honey on the carriage?”
First, it was a horde of orcs, and now it’s a group of ogres.
What could possibly come next? A dragon horde?
Catherine stomped her feet upon hearing Joanie’s words.
“This is not the time for jokes!”
“Ah, no…”
It wasn’t really a joke…
Joanie, rolling her eyes, bowed her head deeply.
“I’m sorry…”
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