Even without Erne, my days were busy. From early morning to late at night, I was buried in work.
Thanks to the Marquis of Mosley providing Erne with a separate horse, Judith rode to work in my familiar Gold.
I haven't been able to ride Gold yet, but moving slowly was no problem.
Business was still good without Erne, and security was much better thanks to Marquis Mosley's increased patrols around the shops.
My daily life was not affected at all even without Erne. And with his skills, even if he couldn't wipe out the Followers, he would return without major injuries.
So, there's nothing wrong with it, and I can just go on with my life as usual, but why is that so difficult?
Inside the incense shop, Erne, who used to stand in the corner every day, was gone, so even though there were customers inside, the shop felt empty.
“Oh, really, it’s so empty.”
It wasn't just a store. The bed without Erne was unnecessarily wide. My bed was as wide as Erne's, but it suddenly felt like the bed was too wide.
I was tired, but strangely I couldn't sleep.
Finally, I woke up at dawn after a brief nap.
“I wonder if we’ve reached our destination by now. No, we’ve already entered the main group of followers.”
He said it was a two-day walk. It had been three and a half days since Erne left, so he must have been on a mission.
You must have been asleep for two days, so I wonder if you slept okay.
“If you’re going to camp, do you pitch a tent or something?”
Light a bonfire? I imagined Erne sitting alone in front of the bonfire, away from the knights and soldiers who had gone on to the advance party.
With that kind of personality, he wouldn't be laughing and chatting with the other members of the vanguard.
“I’m sure he’ll only say what’s necessary.”
Keep his answers short. I think he spoke ten words in two days. When I first met her, Erne was a quiet person. But at some point, he started nagging more and more, and eventually, he started talking on his own without me answering.
Even just before falling asleep, the nagging was almost like a lullaby: about the curtains, not throwing away the blanket because it's hot, working too late is bad for your health, your stamina.
“Can’t you sleep because you can’t hear that sound?”
The mattress tilted slightly under Erne's weight, a soft voice brushed past my ear, rough hands clasped together. Without the things that used to accompany me every time I slept, I couldn't sleep at all.
Is it a feeling of emptiness, like losing a beloved doll that you always hugged and slept with?
“I want to see how long it’s been since we fell apart...”
What? I muttered to myself and was so surprised that I almost dropped the incense I was holding.
Did I almost say that I miss him now? That I miss Erne?
"Oh my God."
I must be crazy. If Erne had heard this, it would have been a joke for ten years. I was embarrassed and just smiled.
There have been many people throughout my life that I 'never wanted to see again', but there was no one I wanted to see.
Expressions like “I miss you”, “I don’t know where you are, but I know where you are”, etc. were far from me.
For me, life was a life lived alone. So how awkward must it have been for me to feel the strange feeling of missing someone.
“Have I become attached to him?”
I could only interpret this feeling in that way, for I had no other way to interpret it, for such a complex and subtle emotion was unprecedented.
“You shouldn’t get attached.”
Erne is the one who will leave.
I muttered as I placed a candle on the empty shelf. Erne didn't look like the kind of person who would settle down anywhere.
Besides, what kind of relationship do you have with someone to settle down here? You’re not friends. You’re not really a couple, either.
A relationship that is simply tied together by mutual interests. It will end when the mutual interests disappear.
There was no reason to keep him, and in fact, there was no reason to. Why should I keep Erne by my side? Just because I was upset? Because I was relying on him? Or...
Just as I was about to fall into deep reflection, the incense stick I had placed on the shelf fell over.
Clang-
The sound of breaking glass woke me up.
“I put it in a good place, so why did it fall down?”
It's just ominous.
“I’ll clean it up, Miss Harrington. Don’t touch it with your bare hands. You’ll get hurt.”
Ryan hurried to get a broom and dustpan. I was gathering the shards of glass with my feet and apologizing to the startled guests.
Bam-
However, it seemed like they had to set up an ambush. There was no sign of the main group of Followers being nearby. Strangely enough.
“Wait a minute, doesn’t it look like the fog is getting thicker?”
Erne frowned at the thought, feeling strange as the fog obscured his vision.
“Since when has the fog been this thick?”
“Really... strange. It was definitely sunny when we left.”
The captain of the advance party also looked around. At some point, the abandoned village that had been visible here and there in the thick fog disappeared from sight.
Fortunately, the sound of Omar's carriage was heard, so there was no difficulty in pursuing him.
“The fog is thick, so everyone be careful where you step.”
The advance party, which had slowed down for a moment because of the fog, picked up speed again and chased Omar's carriage. Erne listened closely to the surrounding sounds.
Roll roll-
The sound of the carriage wheels heard in the distance is Omar's, the cautious, stepping footsteps are those of the captain of the vanguard, and the light, stepping steps are those of a new knight drafted from the 1st Division...
'Six steps.'
Erne tilted his head for a moment. There were eight members of the advance party, including himself.
But why only six?
Thanks to the Marquis of Mosley providing Erne with a separate horse, Judith rode to work in my familiar Gold.
I haven't been able to ride Gold yet, but moving slowly was no problem.
Business was still good without Erne, and security was much better thanks to Marquis Mosley's increased patrols around the shops.
My daily life was not affected at all even without Erne. And with his skills, even if he couldn't wipe out the Followers, he would return without major injuries.
So, there's nothing wrong with it, and I can just go on with my life as usual, but why is that so difficult?
Inside the incense shop, Erne, who used to stand in the corner every day, was gone, so even though there were customers inside, the shop felt empty.
“Oh, really, it’s so empty.”
It wasn't just a store. The bed without Erne was unnecessarily wide. My bed was as wide as Erne's, but it suddenly felt like the bed was too wide.
I was tired, but strangely I couldn't sleep.
Finally, I woke up at dawn after a brief nap.
“I wonder if we’ve reached our destination by now. No, we’ve already entered the main group of followers.”
He said it was a two-day walk. It had been three and a half days since Erne left, so he must have been on a mission.
You must have been asleep for two days, so I wonder if you slept okay.
“If you’re going to camp, do you pitch a tent or something?”
Light a bonfire? I imagined Erne sitting alone in front of the bonfire, away from the knights and soldiers who had gone on to the advance party.
With that kind of personality, he wouldn't be laughing and chatting with the other members of the vanguard.
“I’m sure he’ll only say what’s necessary.”
Keep his answers short. I think he spoke ten words in two days. When I first met her, Erne was a quiet person. But at some point, he started nagging more and more, and eventually, he started talking on his own without me answering.
Even just before falling asleep, the nagging was almost like a lullaby: about the curtains, not throwing away the blanket because it's hot, working too late is bad for your health, your stamina.
“Can’t you sleep because you can’t hear that sound?”
The mattress tilted slightly under Erne's weight, a soft voice brushed past my ear, rough hands clasped together. Without the things that used to accompany me every time I slept, I couldn't sleep at all.
Is it a feeling of emptiness, like losing a beloved doll that you always hugged and slept with?
“I want to see how long it’s been since we fell apart...”
What? I muttered to myself and was so surprised that I almost dropped the incense I was holding.
Did I almost say that I miss him now? That I miss Erne?
"Oh my God."
I must be crazy. If Erne had heard this, it would have been a joke for ten years. I was embarrassed and just smiled.
There have been many people throughout my life that I 'never wanted to see again', but there was no one I wanted to see.
Expressions like “I miss you”, “I don’t know where you are, but I know where you are”, etc. were far from me.
For me, life was a life lived alone. So how awkward must it have been for me to feel the strange feeling of missing someone.
“Have I become attached to him?”
I could only interpret this feeling in that way, for I had no other way to interpret it, for such a complex and subtle emotion was unprecedented.
“You shouldn’t get attached.”
Erne is the one who will leave.
I muttered as I placed a candle on the empty shelf. Erne didn't look like the kind of person who would settle down anywhere.
Besides, what kind of relationship do you have with someone to settle down here? You’re not friends. You’re not really a couple, either.
A relationship that is simply tied together by mutual interests. It will end when the mutual interests disappear.
There was no reason to keep him, and in fact, there was no reason to. Why should I keep Erne by my side? Just because I was upset? Because I was relying on him? Or...
Just as I was about to fall into deep reflection, the incense stick I had placed on the shelf fell over.
Clang-
The sound of breaking glass woke me up.
“I put it in a good place, so why did it fall down?”
It's just ominous.
“I’ll clean it up, Miss Harrington. Don’t touch it with your bare hands. You’ll get hurt.”
Ryan hurried to get a broom and dustpan. I was gathering the shards of glass with my feet and apologizing to the startled guests.
Bam-
The door to the incense shop opened and Cain came in with a rather anxious look on his face.
“What’s the matter, Marquis?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Cain looked around the store and then took me out the back door.
“Don’t be so surprised, Madam. The messenger from the rearguard came and said Erne was missing.”
A day and a half before Judith heard from Cain the news of Erne's disappearance.
As expected, the upper deck of Ouz arrived at where Erne was camping.
While the upper of Ouz were preparing to camp, Chief Omar meddled here and there and then quietly stepped back.
While the others were busy preparing dinner, he left the camp in a small wagon drawn by a single horse.
He hasn't checked inside the carriage, but it probably contains something necessary for dealing with the Followers.
“...Let’s go.”
As Omar moved, Mark of the 1st Division, who was in charge of the advance party, gave a signal.
The advance party members rose quietly one by one.
“Let’s leave the words alone.”
Where Chief Omar was headed was at best a plain with some tall trees. If you followed him on horseback, you would likely be caught.
Fortunately, Chief Omar did not increase the speed of his carriage, and since he could be seen from a distance, chasing him was not too difficult.
The advance party tracked Chief Omar's movements from a distance.
“There is an abandoned village over there.”
“There’s a village in such a remote place. It’s not even on the map.”
Chief Omar's carriage entered the abandoned village.
“Should I stop the carriage?”
“What are you doing?”
Omar got out of the carriage that had stopped for a moment and knocked on the door of a shabby house.
Omar briefly doubted whether this was the point of contact with the Followers, then climbed back into the carriage.
“I guess that’s some kind of signal.”
“Let’s follow them too. It’s dangerous to go down the same path, so let’s go back to the forest and chase them.”
The forest surrounding the village was not a place that could be properly called a forest, for lack of a better term.
The tall, vine-covered trees were denser than the plains, and the weeds were lush.
He was more worried about getting caught than getting lost, but it was better than walking into the middle of town, so he had no choice.
“How about splitting up into two groups and going from here?”
“When we see a contact point, we will split into two or three groups and move together for now.”
So the eight advance parties entered the forest surrounding the village.
The carriage of the chief was seen and then disappeared repeatedly, but none of the eight advance guard members were worried.
Because the surroundings were so quiet, they could be chased away by the sound of horse hooves and cartwheels. They moved at a certain distance from the chief.
“I guess if you leave something at the contact point, the Followers will come and take it.”
There was no sign of life, and it was quiet, so one of the advance party muttered.
“Then, moving together, two of you will follow Chief Omar, and the rest will lie in ambush at the contact point.”
“I hate ambushes.”
“What’s the matter, Marquis?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Cain looked around the store and then took me out the back door.
“Don’t be so surprised, Madam. The messenger from the rearguard came and said Erne was missing.”
***
A day and a half before Judith heard from Cain the news of Erne's disappearance.
As expected, the upper deck of Ouz arrived at where Erne was camping.
While the upper of Ouz were preparing to camp, Chief Omar meddled here and there and then quietly stepped back.
While the others were busy preparing dinner, he left the camp in a small wagon drawn by a single horse.
He hasn't checked inside the carriage, but it probably contains something necessary for dealing with the Followers.
“...Let’s go.”
As Omar moved, Mark of the 1st Division, who was in charge of the advance party, gave a signal.
The advance party members rose quietly one by one.
“Let’s leave the words alone.”
Where Chief Omar was headed was at best a plain with some tall trees. If you followed him on horseback, you would likely be caught.
Fortunately, Chief Omar did not increase the speed of his carriage, and since he could be seen from a distance, chasing him was not too difficult.
The advance party tracked Chief Omar's movements from a distance.
“There is an abandoned village over there.”
“There’s a village in such a remote place. It’s not even on the map.”
Chief Omar's carriage entered the abandoned village.
“Should I stop the carriage?”
“What are you doing?”
Omar got out of the carriage that had stopped for a moment and knocked on the door of a shabby house.
Omar briefly doubted whether this was the point of contact with the Followers, then climbed back into the carriage.
“I guess that’s some kind of signal.”
“Let’s follow them too. It’s dangerous to go down the same path, so let’s go back to the forest and chase them.”
The forest surrounding the village was not a place that could be properly called a forest, for lack of a better term.
The tall, vine-covered trees were denser than the plains, and the weeds were lush.
He was more worried about getting caught than getting lost, but it was better than walking into the middle of town, so he had no choice.
“How about splitting up into two groups and going from here?”
“When we see a contact point, we will split into two or three groups and move together for now.”
So the eight advance parties entered the forest surrounding the village.
The carriage of the chief was seen and then disappeared repeatedly, but none of the eight advance guard members were worried.
Because the surroundings were so quiet, they could be chased away by the sound of horse hooves and cartwheels. They moved at a certain distance from the chief.
“I guess if you leave something at the contact point, the Followers will come and take it.”
There was no sign of life, and it was quiet, so one of the advance party muttered.
“Then, moving together, two of you will follow Chief Omar, and the rest will lie in ambush at the contact point.”
“I hate ambushes.”
Erne muttered to himself.
However, it seemed like they had to set up an ambush. There was no sign of the main group of Followers being nearby. Strangely enough.
“Wait a minute, doesn’t it look like the fog is getting thicker?”
Erne frowned at the thought, feeling strange as the fog obscured his vision.
“Since when has the fog been this thick?”
“Really... strange. It was definitely sunny when we left.”
The captain of the advance party also looked around. At some point, the abandoned village that had been visible here and there in the thick fog disappeared from sight.
Fortunately, the sound of Omar's carriage was heard, so there was no difficulty in pursuing him.
“The fog is thick, so everyone be careful where you step.”
The advance party, which had slowed down for a moment because of the fog, picked up speed again and chased Omar's carriage. Erne listened closely to the surrounding sounds.
Roll roll-
The sound of the carriage wheels heard in the distance is Omar's, the cautious, stepping footsteps are those of the captain of the vanguard, and the light, stepping steps are those of a new knight drafted from the 1st Division...
'Six steps.'
Erne tilted his head for a moment. There were eight members of the advance party, including himself.
But why only six?
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