TPPE 07

Chapter 07

Lisa muttered under her breath.

“Honestly, the butler could’ve at least given us time to pack… We’re probably the only ones heading north with just a single bag.”

She wasn’t wrong. The road to the Eastern Temple bordered the North, and it was bitterly cold and bleak.

Thanks to that, my already frail body was currently puffing out clouds of cold air through my nose.

“I-I’m f-fine.”

Of course, the stuffy nasal voice wasn’t something I could help.

“I even have the gloves you gave me.”

Sniff. As I answered while rubbing my nose, Lisa murmured, “…Our young lady is so admirable,” and gently stroked my cheek.

There was an emotion flickering in her eyes that I couldn’t quite name.

But I knew that look.

She’s thinking about the siblings she left back home.

Whenever that happened, I envied them. What would it feel like to have an older sister like her?

I had never had one, so I couldn’t know for sure—but I imagined it must feel wonderful.

That was when—

“Hey. Who said you could keep slacking off?”

At the rough voice, I looked up. It was the man in charge of escorting us to the Eastern Temple. He was glaring at us with a nasty expression.

“Do you think I stopped the carriage so you could stand around chatting?”

“You’re the one who stopped it! You told us to get down because you needed to inspect the inside, remember?!” Lisa shot back without shrinking.

“What’s this woman babbling about? When did I say that?”

The man, a liquor bottle dangling from his hand, feigned innocence.

Not that it was hard to guess—there was a faint smell of alcohol coming from him.

When he suddenly told us to get down earlier, I’d wondered why. He must have been hiding alcohol inside the carriage.

And because of that, we had been kicked out into the cold.

Shouldn’t this count as drunk driving? A carriage still has wheels!

“It’s freezing enough already. And now I have to look after some creepy little brat too?”

“What did you say?”

“So, are you getting back on, or not?”

He asked threateningly, the bottle in his hand swaying dangerously.

The border between the East and the North was swarming with monsters.

If this carriage left us behind, our lives would be in danger.

“Lisa, let’s just get on. I’m cold.”

When I tugged at her sleeve, she hesitated. After forcing herself to swallow her anger, she answered stiffly,

“…We’ll get on.”

“Hmph. Should’ve done that from the start.”

With a snort, the man returned to the front. Once Lisa and I climbed back into the carriage, it lurched forward with a rattling noise.

“We’ll arrive soon. Just a little farther,” Lisa said brightly, trying to sound cheerful.

But that reassurance didn’t last long.

The farther we went, the rougher the road became—and the colder the air grew.

“…Something’s strange.”

Lisa’s face, usually bright so I wouldn’t be scared, gradually darkened.

“I heard the Eastern Temple is warm, even if the road is harsh. But the farther we go…”

It’s getting colder and colder.

She didn’t even get to finish.

Neighhh!

With the shrill cry of a horse, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

Before we could process what was happening, the door swung open.

“Hey. Get down.”

It was the driver.

“…Where are we?” Lisa asked cautiously.

“Where do you think? Your destination.”

“Did you take another route? If Duke Agnito finds out about this—”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

The man let out a scoffing laugh.

“This was your destination from the beginning.”

“What…!”

Lisa’s eyes trembled.

Snow piled so high our feet sank into it. Frigid air. Overcast skies. The distant howls of beasts.

A towering iron gate far above our heads, tangled with dark green vines. And beyond it, a massive emblem.

I knew instinctively.

Winter Stykia.

There were four ducal houses in the Empire, families that had endured since its founding. One of them was Agnito—the house I had belonged to until recently.

Three remained powerful.

One was on the brink of extinction.

That was the one before us now—Stykia.

Also known as… the trash heap.

After the former duke died of illness, his younger brother inherited the title.

Following a certain incident, the current duke closed the gates.

Since then, Stykia had become a land where anything could be discarded.

Objects. Animals. Monsters.

Even people.

A land of destruction where everything was permitted.

A living grave.

A hell.

Lisa’s face turned pale.

“T-This can’t be. Duke Agnito would never send my lady to a place like this…!”

“You’re still saying that after seeing it with your own eyes? Well, I get it. You don’t want to die along with this kid.”

The man clicked his tongue sympathetically, then suddenly smiled in a disturbing way.

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way to survive….”

His eyes slid up and down Lisa’s body in a leering glance.

“How about you leave the brat behind and come with me? At least you’ll live.”

“…What?”

“The Duke of Agnito ordered that even the attendant be shoved in there. That means you’re meant to die too.”

“T-That can’t….”

“But if you follow me, I’ll spare your life. Of course, not for free.”

He began to snicker, clearly entertained by his own filthy thoughts.

“You—!” Lisa burst out angrily.

“Sir.”

I spoke first.

The man, who had been laughing breathlessly, looked down at me as if to say, What now?

“Can you open that gate?”

“What? What gate?”

I pointed at the tightly shut gates of Stykia’s ducal castle.

“They say no one can open the gates of Stykia.”

“Hah. And who said that?”

“The street children told me… that not just anyone can open it…”

I dragged out my words timidly, as if frightened.

“They said you’d have to be very strong… otherwise it’s impossible…”

When I cast a small sideways glance at him, his face twisted instantly.

“What would those beggar brats know? Weaklings always talk the most.”

Clicking his tongue, he looked toward the sealed gate.

“…A half-ruined castle gate like this? I could push it open with one finger.”

With a stubborn scoff, he strode toward it.

“You know, I used to be a wanted criminal. They even put a bounty on me for serial murder.”

He bragged shamelessly and placed his hands on the gate.

Creeeak…

At first, it didn’t budge.

Then—

Creeeak… groooan…

Little by little, it began to open.

Kuuuung…

At last, with a heavy rumble, the gate parted.

“Haha! See that, brat? Hah—! This kind of gate is nothing—nothing at all!”

Though his breathing was far too ragged to make that convincing.

Instead of responding, I leaned forward to peer inside.

The sun was still up, though faint behind the clouds. But beyond the gate, the interior was swallowed by shadow—nothing visible at all.

That shouldn’t be possible.

I swallowed nervously.

“Brat. I’ve got places to be.”

The man grinned confidently.

“I’ve opened your gate to the afterlife. Now get in there and die quietly.”

But I ignored him and kept staring into the darkness.

No. It’s there. It has to be. It must—

And then—

Something caught my eye.

My eyes widened on their own.

Ah.

I knew instinctively.

That’s it.

That’s the thing—

Since I didn’t answer, the man grabbed my arm roughly.

‘No—don’t touch me!’

“When an adult is talking, you little—what are you staring at—”

“Th-There!”

At my shout, he reflexively turned his head.

Just like I had, he froze mid-motion.

“…Huh?”

A strangely innocent sound escaped him.

Now!

I quickly shook off his hand.

Lisa pulled me tightly into her arms as if she had been waiting.

Over her shoulder, I hurriedly looked back.

Inside the open gate—

Something in the darkness split open with a sickening stretch—

—and then snapped shut.

In less than a blink.

“—! —!”

A rather horrifying sound followed, but only for a brief moment.

Lisa covered my ears.

Before long, her grip loosened.

I slowly raised my head.

From within the darkness, something began crawling out.

My eyes widened.

“Th-That’s…!”