"You don't have to go that far. It really is something that will be finished quickly..."
"That’s even better then. Let’s finish this quickly and go back."
Speechless, Tiuran looked toward the soldiers as if asking for help. However, no one dared to step forward. Thalia, forcibly grabbing her hand, gestured to the soldiers.
"Tell Lucas to bring the wagon down to the village. We'll go ahead first."
"Your, Your Highness..."
As she walked along the dirt road with the perplexed Tiuran, Khan, who had been standing quietly on the side of the road, quickly chased after her.
Thalia turned a blind eye to the people stealthily stepping out of the way to avoid the huge wolf, and slowly looked around the wooden houses with their scattered doors.
The village formed outside the fortress walls was evenly distributed around thin streams and rectangularly partitioned farmlands. Every house had a livestock shed surrounded by a low wooden fence, and inside the fence, sheep and goats bleated loudly.
Beyond the gently sloping hills, herds of sheep and cattle were scattered grazing, and it was immediately apparent that they had been well cared for throughout the summer, as they were all plump and well-fed.
“That place.”
As she slowly surveyed the peaceful scenery that seemed untouched by the aftermath of the civil war, and walked on in silence, Tiuran pointed to a two-story building on the outskirts of the village and spoke.
"It is the oldest house in this place... so it will be uncomfortable for you to stay."
"It's not like I'm planning to live here, so what."
Thalia replied nonchalantly and stepped into the spacious front yard past the rickety fence. Then, she signaled to Tiuran, who wore a troubled expression.
"Go ahead and knock on the door."
Finally, letting out a sigh of resignation, Tiuran approached the front door and knocked on the shabby wooden door.
"Excuse me. I have come to see you at Nidran's request."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the door burst open, and a middle-aged woman with dark skin appeared.
"Thank you for coming, Tiuran. I was actually waiting impatiently for your arrival..."
The woman, who had been speaking urgently, suddenly fell silent. She had belatedly noticed the splendidly dressed blonde woman standing beside Tiuran, the giant direwolf, and the soldiers standing guard around the fence. Looking up at Tiuran with a terrified expression, the woman asked.
“They..."
"The person here is the Grand Duchess."
Tiuran, wearing a gentle smile as if to reassure the woman, explained in a calm tone.
"We ran into each other on the street, and she accompanied me here out of concern for my safety."
"Ah... I see. Thank you for coming all the way to this humble place. Your Highness the Grand Duchess, t- this way..."
The woman, who had been frozen as if paralyzed, threw the door wide open and hurriedly stepped aside. Thalia stepped inside without hesitation.
The hut was old and dilapidated, but it appeared to be well-maintained. Thalia, who had been looking around the gloomy kitchen where the firelight flickered, shifted her gaze to the wide-open doorway.
True to its reputation as a peddler's house, the not-so-spacious room was piled high with various miscellaneous items and crates that appeared to be merchandise for sale. As she scanned them with curious eyes, the fidgeting woman pulled out a chair for her at the table and spoke.
"Please, Your Highness, take a seat here. I will prepare something to serve you."
"I don't need it. Don't worry about me, just take care of the patients."
The woman, who was at a loss for words at the curt reply, soon led Tiuran into a room that appeared to be a bedroom. While she was treating the patient, Thalia looked at the tapestry hanging on the wall.
On the worn cloth that appeared to be an old object, a white birch forest and the image of a three-headed beast were loosely woven with colorful threads. At first glance, it seemed to depict an Eastern legend.
Recalling the lyrics she had heard at last autumn's festival, she ran her fingertips over the somewhat rough-textured fabric.
Just then, she felt someone pulling the hem of her skirt taut.
Thalia flinched and turned her head, freezing as she met the pitch-black eyes staring up at her.
A small girl who looked about five or six years old was fiddling with her long hair, her plump lips half-open.
"Sister, are you a spirit?"
Thalia stepped back with a flustered look on her face. However, the girl clung tightly to her knee and refused to let go.
"You're the Spirit of Armund Forest, right? Did you come to heal my grandmother?"
“Tina!”
While Thalia was at a loss for what to do with the soft, warm body temperature unique to a young child, a middle-aged woman who saw the child belatedly rushed over and pulled the little girl away.
"I, I am sorry, Your Highness Grand Duchess. My daughter has been so rude..."
"That's enough. Don't make a fuss over nothing."
Thalia, who had been quietly staring at the woman wrapping her arms around her daughter as if protecting her, suddenly turned around.
As she approached the door that looked like the bedroom, she saw an old woman with a body as gaunt as dry firewood lying diagonally on the bed. Tiuran, who had been standing beside her lighting an incense candle, gave her an apologetic smile.
"I am sorry, Your Highness. I think it will take a little longer."
"I'm fine, so take your time."
Thalia replied indifferently and stepped over the threshold into the room. Various types of decorative fabrics were hanging inside the old woman's bedroom as well. It appeared they were items prepared to be sold at the upcoming fabric market. While Tiuran applied a compress to the patient's knee and brewed medicine for him to drink, she examined the various fabrics embroidered with traditional Eastern patterns with interest.
It is said that Easterners believe carrying a picture of a three-headed beast brings good luck, and indeed, there were an unusually large number of decorative fabrics featuring patterns of three-headed wolves or dogs.
Among them were cloths embroidered with the figure of a young woman who appeared to be an earth spirit. Thalia, who had been casually flipping through them, suddenly paused and froze. She had discovered an embroidery of a somewhat bizarre shape amidst the mountain of fabrics.
Thalia picked it up and held it up to the light to examine it closely. On the rough, undyed cloth, a crude embroidery of a tree with human heads hanging from it was visible. As she narrowed her eyes at the eerie, even bizarre, image, a calm voice came from behind her.
"That is a cloth used to ward off evil spirits during the autumn festival."
“Amulet?”
When she turned her head, Tiuran, who seemed to have finished all her work in no time and had a bag slung over one shoulder, was looking down at the cloth in her hand.
"This embroidery depicts the atrocities committed by the Khan people in the past. On the last day of the autumn festival, the women of the East often perform a ritual of burning the cloth to wash away the sins of their ancestors and seek the forgiveness and mercy of the gods."
Thalia frowned. Come to think of it, she heard that the Easterners practiced human sacrifice until they were incorporated into the Empire. Thalia, who had been tracing the bizarre image depicted on the cloth with her fingertips, asked in a curious voice.
"Did you offer a human head to Tiramer?"
"To be precise, we offered blood."
She pointed to the dark red part under the tree and said.
"Our ancestors sacrificed tens of thousands of people to restore Tiramer from her eternal slumber. They believed that the more blood flowed upon this land, the stronger her power became. Indeed, it is said that among the clan of Sheerkhan, who are known to possess the strongest aura of Tiramer, individuals with strange powers were frequently born."
Tiuran paused for a moment and added in a low voice.
"According to rumors, His Excellency the Grand Duke also displayed special abilities in his childhood."
“Special abilities?”
Thalia turned to look at her with a stern expression. After a brief pause, Tiuran cautiously continued speaking.
"There is a rumor that when the Grand Duke was only five years old, he brutally murdered three robbers who tried to kidnap him."
Tiuran's voice became even lower.
"I heard that the late Grand Duke sent the young heir to the Great Hall at such an early age precisely because of that incident."
Previous Next
Comments
Post a Comment