Chapter 7 …
“Master, really… couldn’t you have given us some time to pack? We’re probably the only ones heading north with just a single bag.”
Lisa muttered softly.
Indeed, the road to the Eastern Temple connected to the north and was bitterly cold.
As a result, my weak body was struggling against the biting chill, taking it all through my nose.
“I’m fine.”
Of course, there was nothing I could do about my sniffly nose.
“I still have the gloves Lisa gave me.”
Sniffling, I answered, and Lisa patted my cheek, murmuring, “…Such a clever little lady.”
A strange emotion flickered in her eyes as she looked at me.
I knew that look.
‘She’s thinking of her siblings back home.’
Every time I saw it, I envied Lisa’s younger siblings. What would it feel like to have a sister like her?
I had never experienced it myself, but I imagined it would feel incredibly happy.
Then, suddenly.
“Hey! Who told you to slack off?”
I raised my head at the gruff voice. It was a man responsible for our transport to the Eastern Temple. He glared at us with a fierce expression.
“Who told you to stand around chatting instead of riding?”
“You’re the one who stopped the carriage! You told us to get down to inspect the interior when it was fine…!”
Lisa protested boldly, refusing to back down.
“What’s this girl on about? When did I ever do that?”
The man, holding a bottle of alcohol, feigned innocence.
Sure enough, he faintly smelled of alcohol.
No wonder he suddenly told us to get down—he had probably hidden the bottle inside the carriage.
So we had been kicked out abruptly.
‘Wouldn’t this count as drunk driving? The carriage still has wheels!’
“It’s freezing already, and I’m supposed to worry about a miserable little kid like you too?”
“What did you say?”
“So, are you getting back on or not?”
The man asked menacingly. The bottle in his hand wobbled precariously.
The border between the east and north was crawling with monsters.
If this carriage left us behind, our lives would be in danger.
“Lisa, let’s just get on. I’m freezing.”
I tugged her arm. She paused, then forced herself to respond.
“…Alright, we’ll get on.”
“Hmph. Should’ve said that from the start.”
The man snorted and went to the front of the carriage. Lisa and I climbed aboard, and the carriage jolted forward.
“We’ll arrive soon, just a little further,”
Lisa said, forcing a cheerful tone.
But it didn’t last long.
The farther the carriage went, the rougher the road became—and the colder the air grew.
“…Something’s wrong.”
Lisa’s face, always bright for my sake, gradually clouded over.
“I heard the Eastern Temple is warm, even if the path is rough. But the farther we go…”
It’s only getting colder.
Before she could finish, the carriage suddenly screeched to a halt with a loud neigh.
Before we could even comprehend the situation, the door swung open.
“Hey, get down.”
It was the driver.
“…Where are we?”
“Where? Your destination.”
“Did we take the wrong path? If Duke Agnito finds out about this…!”
“What is she talking about?”
The man sneered.
“You’ve been heading here from the start.”
“What…!”
Lisa’s eyes trembled.
Snow piled so deep it swallowed our feet. The air was biting cold, and distant animal cries echoed through the cloudy sky.
A massive iron gate loomed above our heads, tangled with dark green vines. A large symbol was carved into it…
Instinctively, I knew.
‘Winter Stukkia.’
There are four ducal families in the current empire.
The Agnito family I had just been with was one of them, a lineage stretching back to the empire’s founding.
Three families remained strong, but one faced extinction.
That was the Stukkia we saw now.
‘Also known as… the Junkyard.’
After the previous duke died of illness, his younger brother inherited the title.
Following certain events, the current duke closed the gates, and Stukkia became a land where anything could be abandoned—objects, beasts, monsters… even humans.
A land of destruction where everything was permitted.
A living grave. A place of death.
Lisa’s face went pale.
“N-No… Duke Agnito would never send the lady to a place like this…!”
“Even seeing the result in front of you, you still say that? Well, I guess you don’t want to die following this little one.”
The man clicked his tongue, seeming to sympathize, then smirked unpleasantly.
“Well… there’s a way to survive, at least partially.”
He scanned Lisa with a lecherous gaze.
“How about leaving that little brat behind and coming with me? At least you might live.”
“…What?”
“The Duke ordered that even the women accompanying you be pushed in there. Meaning, you’re also meant to die.”
“Th-That can’t be…”
“But if you follow me, at least you’ll survive. Of course, it’s not free.”
He chuckled, thinking of some grim idea.
“You…!”
Lisa opened her mouth to shout, but I interrupted.
“Sir.”
The man looked down at me, confused by my sudden address.
“Can you open that door?”
“What? What door?”
Pointing to the firmly closed gates of Stukkia Fortress, I spoke.
“They say no one can open Stukkia’s gates.”
“Hah. Who says that?”
“The street kids told me… no one can open that gate…”
I drew out the last words, pretending to be scared.
“Without great strength, it’s impossible…”
I glanced at him subtly, and his face twisted.
“What would street urchins know? Weaklings always talk too much.”
The man scoffed, looking at the gate.
“…A decaying fortress like this? One finger is enough.”
He approached the gate with a self-important tone.
“I once had a bounty on my head as a serial killer, you know.”
Not exactly boasting, he began to push the gate.
Creak…
At first, it didn’t move.
Creak… creak…
Slowly, it began to open.
Ruuum…
Finally, with a heavy groan, the gate swung wide.
“Haha, see, little one? Hah, this gate’s nothing—hah, not at all!”
Though his breath was ragged…
I didn’t reply. I peeked inside the gate.
It was dim, though the sun was still faintly visible. The interior was swallowed by shadows, making it impossible to see anything.
It shouldn’t be like this. Anxiety made me swallow dryly.
“Little one, I have work to do, so I’m leaving now.”
Then, the man, grinning confidently, said:
“I opened your gates to the afterlife for you. Now go in and die quietly.”
But I ignored him and stared deeper into the darkness.
No. There has to be something. Surely…
At that moment, something caught my eye, and my eyes widened instinctively.
‘Ah.’
I knew immediately.
‘That’s it.’
That was…
The man grabbed my arm suddenly as I stayed silent.
‘No! I can’t!’
“Don’t be insolent to an adult. What are you—”
“Th-There!”
At my shout, the man instinctively turned his head. He froze, staring inside the gate as I had.
“…Huh?”
A pure, out-of-place gasp escaped him.
‘Now!’
I quickly shook off his grip.
I turned sharply into Lisa’s arms as she caught me, her embrace urgent.
Inside the opened gate, something snapped open in the darkness…
Slap.
It closed in the blink of an eye.
“–! —!”
Afterward, there was a brief, horrifying sound.
Lisa, holding me close, covered my ears.
Soon, her embrace loosened. I lifted my head quietly.
Something slowly crawled out of the darkness. My eyes widened.
“Th-That… that is…!”
