Chapter 100: A barrain place
The four horses moved at a leisurely pace through the grey mist.
Their hooves crunched softly against the damp earth as they left the Fortress behind and rode into the surrounding area.
Edgar rode at the front on the young horse they had brought on their first visit to Soragon Bazaar.
Gordon remained on his right, while Andrew awkwardly followed on his left.
Several metres behind them came the Headless Soul Knight.
The Commander Soul Guardian sat silently upon its skeletal steed. Unlike ordinary horses, the Soul Steed made almost no sound.
Its black skeletal hooves left faint azure footprints that faded only seconds later.
Andrew couldn’t help glancing back every now and then. "...Young master."
"Hm?"
"...It’s still creepy."
Edgar looked over his shoulder.
The Headless Guardian rode with perfect posture, its rusted greatsword resting across its shoulder while the small bronze bell gently swayed at its waist.
"It is."
"Why are you comfortable with it?"
"I made it."
"...Fair enough."
Gordon let out a chuckle. "You should stop asking questions about the things my lord makes, just like me."
Andrew turned his head and scoffed. "I was here before you."
The veteran shrugged. "Does it matter? I’m still much more loyal to him than you."
’I really doubt that, Gordon,’ Edgar thought to himself but kept his judgement hidden.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Gordon. After last night’s battle, he was sure he could trust him with his back.
But Gordon was here for Hera, and his duty was to protect her, not him.
Andrew kept glaring at the man as though he were threatening to take his place.
The three of them continued riding toward the southern area.
The surrounding forest remained eerily quiet. Only the occasional distant cry of an unknown creature echoed through the mist.
Gordon pointed toward a hill on their left. "That area used to have a small stream."
"Used to?" Edgar asked, looking over his shoulder.
"It dried up years ago," Gordon replied. "I remember cleaning myself there, but the next time I came, it was already gone."
Edgar thought for a moment before mumbling, "...The Eternal Night?"
"Probably."
After learning that the Nightmares came out of the literal ground, Edgar had become extremely cautious of them.
He still found it really unnerving that all those monsters might be lurking just beneath them.
After another few minutes of silence, Gordon looked toward Andrew.
"So..."
Andrew blinked.
"So?"
"You fucked some chick, or are you still a virgin?"
Andrew nearly choked.
"W-Where did that come from?"
Gordon smiled innocently.
"Still a virgin, I see."
Andrew immediately glared at him.
"I never said that!"
The veteran kept riding as though discussing tomorrow’s weather.
"You would’ve already been bragging if you had."
He smiled from ear to ear before continuing,
"Like how I always brag about sleeping with beauties from different kingdoms!"
Andrew’s ears immediately turned red. "Who cares!"
Gordon sighed dramatically. "What a disappointing youth."
Andrew opened his mouth to rebuke him, but all he could do was keep it shut.
"....."
Though the one who was more embarrassed was Edgar.
He really hoped Gordon wouldn’t ask him the same question.
’Well, I can always bluff my way out.’
Still, while the young blond was thinking about it, his mind began to wander toward Hera.
Edgar quickly shook the thought away.
’...Now isn’t the time.’
He had far more important things to worry about than romance.
Unfortunately for him, Gordon had other plans.
The old knight slowly turned his horse toward Edgar with a grin that instantly made him uneasy.
"...What about you, my lord?"
Edgar’s eyelid twitched. "...What about me?"
"You know exactly what."
Andrew’s eyes lit up.
For once, someone else was about to become Gordon’s target.
The young man immediately leaned forward on his saddle.
"Actually... I’m curious too."
Edgar let out a sigh and snapped the reins he was holding.
The horse neighed and began to run toward the south.
The other two quickly followed after him.
---
The three horses gradually slowed to a stop.
The grey mist hanging over the land parted just enough to reveal a broad river stretching into the distance.
Han River.
Its dark waters flowed silently from east to west, carrying broken branches and patches of black moss along with the current.
Edgar dismounted first.
His boots sank slightly into the damp riverbank as he walked toward the edge. "...It’s wider than I expected."
Gordon climbed down beside him. "It gets even wider upstream."
Edgar followed the riverbank at an unhurried pace.
The damp soil crunched beneath his boots as he studied the steady current.
The river looked terrifying, but it was undoubtedly beautiful as well.
’...I wonder how long it would take me to build a dam here.’
The thought lingered in his mind.
A proper dam would give him far more than just water.
It could provide fish, a stable water supply during droughts, and perhaps even electricity if he ever found a way to harness it.
’One step at a time.’
His Fortress could barely produce enough iron.
Building a dam now would be nothing more than a fantasy.
Gordon noticed the thoughtful look on Edgar’s face.
"What are you thinking about, my lord?"
Edgar pointed toward the river. "What is on the other side?"
"A completely different place, my lord," Gordon replied with a smile. "Something that we can’t fight right now."
"...."
Edgar kept staring at the river, which had thick logs floating on its surface.
’..Hm?’
But when Edgar focused more closely, he finally noticed that they weren’t logs but living creatures.
A thought appeared in his mind along with a scene from a movie he had watched long ago.
’Anaconda...’
Edgar remained silent for a while before turning around.
"Let’s head back."
As Edgar was lost in thought, a familiar presence entered the Soul Network.
One of the Soul Guardians had found something.
His vision instantly shifted, and through the Guardian’s eyes...
He saw the entrance to a cave hidden behind thick vines less than four kilometres east of the Fortress.
The air around it shimmered faintly with a metallic sheen.
Edgar’s eyes lit up. "...A cave?"