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Chapter : 07
“Master, really… you could at least give us time to pack our clothes… I bet we’re the only ones going north with just one bag each.”
Lisa muttered softly.
Indeed, the path to the Eastern Temple connects to the north, and it was bitterly cold.
My frail body was being assaulted by the biting chill, making me sniffle involuntarily.
“I’m fine.”
Of course, my stuffy nose was something I couldn’t help.
“I still have the gloves Lisa gave me.”
I sniffled and answered, and Lisa touched my cheek, saying, “…Such a clever young lady.”
An unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes as she looked at me.
I recognized that look.
She’s thinking of her siblings back home.
Every time, I envied Lisa’s siblings. What must it feel like to have an older sister like her?
I had never experienced it myself, but I imagined it would feel wonderfully comforting.
That was when it happened.
“Hey, who told you to loaf around?”
A rough voice made me look up. It was the man responsible for transporting us to the Eastern Temple. His face was harsh as he stared at us.
“Who said we were loafing? You stopped the carriage yourself!”
Lisa retorted without backing down.
“You told us to get out to check the interior, even though it was fine before…!”
“What is she talking about? When did I ever do that?”
The man, holding a bottle of liquor, feigned innocence.
Not that it mattered—he even smelled faintly of alcohol.
No wonder he suddenly made us get off; he must have been hiding liquor in the carriage.
Because of that, we had to rush out of the carriage.
Doesn’t this count as drunk driving? It still has wheels!
“On top of being freezing, I’m supposed to worry about a weak little girl too?”
“What did you say?”
“So… are you getting back in or not?”
The man asked threateningly, shaking the bottle in his hand precariously.
The boundary between the East and the North was infested with monsters.
If the carriage left us here, our lives would be in danger.
“Lisa, let’s just get in. I’m cold.”
I grabbed her arm. Lisa hesitated, then forced out a reply with effort.
“…We’ll get in.”
“Hmph. Should’ve done that earlier.”
The man snorted and went to the front of the carriage. As Lisa and I climbed aboard, the carriage jolted and started moving.
“We should arrive soon if we just keep going a little further,” Lisa said, trying to keep her voice cheerful.
But it didn’t last long.
As the carriage moved, the path grew rougher and the weather even colder.
“…Something’s not right.”
Lisa’s usually bright voice faltered, her expression darkening.
“The path may be rough, but I heard the Eastern Temple is warm… yet the further we go…”
It’s only getting colder.
Before she could finish, the carriage suddenly stopped with a whinny of the horses.
The door swung open before we could even process what was happening.
“Hey, get out.”
It was the man driving the carriage.
“…Where are we?”
“Where else? This is your destination.”
“Did we… take a wrong path? If Duke Agnito finds out about this—!”
“What is she even saying?”
The man scoffed.
“This has been your destination from the start.”
“What…!”
Lisa’s eyes trembled.
Snow piled high enough to sink your feet, the chilling air, the overcast sky, and distant howls of beasts.
A massive iron gate, taller than my head, entwined with dark green vines. And a large emblem visible through them…
I instinctively knew.
Stukkia in winter.
The current empire has four ducal houses.
Families that have endured since the founding of the nation, one of which was the Agnito family I had just been part of.
Three of these houses remain intact, but one is on the brink of extinction.
That was Stukkia, the very place before me.
Also known as… the Trash Heap.
After the previous duke died of illness, his younger brother inherited the title.
Following a certain incident, the current duke shut the castle gates, and Stukkia became a place where anything could be discarded.
Objects, beasts, monsters… even people could be thrown away.
A land of destruction where all was permitted.
A living tomb, a land of the dead.
Lisa’s face went pale.
“Th-This can’t be… Duke Agnito would never send a young lady here…!”
“You still talk like that after seeing the situation? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t want to die with this little brat anyway.”
The man clicked his tongue in mock understanding, then grinned unpleasantly, as if an idea had occurred to him.
“Well, it’s not like there’s absolutely no way to survive…”
He looked Lisa over with a lecherous gaze.
“How about leaving the little one behind and coming with me? At least your life would be saved.”
“…What?”
“The Duke ordered that even the women accompanying you be thrown in. Meaning… you’re meant to die too.”
“Th-That can’t be…”
“But if you come with me, at least you’ll live. Of course, it won’t be free.”
The man started laughing at some sinister idea.
“You…!”
Lisa shouted, but before she could, I spoke first.
“Sir.”
The man, who had been laughing, looked down at me as if I were some kind of nuisance.
“Can you open that door?”
“What? Which door?”
I pointed to the heavily shut gate of Stukkia Castle.
“No one can open Stukkia’s gates,” I said.
“Ha. Who says that?”
“Street kids told me… no one can open it…”
I feigned fear, elongating my words slowly.
“They said it’s impossible unless you’re very strong…”
I glanced subtly at him. His face twisted instantly.
“Brats begging on the street, what could they know? Weaklings sure do talk a lot.”
The man clicked his tongue at the closed gate.
“…A crumbling castle like this? A single finger’s enough.”
His voice was taunting as he approached the gate.
“Once, I was a wanted serial killer with a bounty on my head.”
Not exactly a boast, yet he began pushing against the gate.
Creak…
At first, the door didn’t move.
Creeeeak…
Slowly, it began to open.
Ruuuuum…
Finally, with a grinding roar, the gate swung open.
“Haha, did you see that, kid? Hah, this door’s nothing, huff, no big deal!”
His breathing was heavy, though. I didn’t respond; I just peered into the opened gate.
It was still day, albeit overcast, but inside was swallowed by shadows, revealing nothing.
It shouldn’t be… I swallowed hard in my anxiety.
“Kid. I’ve got things to do, so I’m leaving now.”
Then he smiled confidently.
“I opened your gate to the afterlife. Now go in quietly and die.”
I ignored him, staring into the shadows.
No. There has to be someone. Surely…
At that moment, something caught my eye. My eyes widened instinctively.
Ah.
I knew immediately.
That’s it.
That was…
When I didn’t speak, the man grabbed my arm.
No, I can’t!
“Who are you to act so arrogant—what are you looking at—”
“Th-There!”
I shouted. The man reflexively turned his head. He froze, just as I had.
“…Huh?”
A pure, unfit gasp escaped my lips.
Now!
I quickly broke free from his grasp. Clinging to me like he had been waiting, Lisa hugged me tightly, and I turned my head hastily.
Inside the opened gate, something snapped open in the darkness…
Thud.
It closed in less than the blink of an eye.
“–! —!”
A horrid sound followed, but it was fleeting.
Lisa covered my ears.
Soon, her embrace loosened. I raised my head slightly.
Something crawled slowly out of the darkness. My eyes went wide.
“Th-That… that is…!”
