151. Engagent - Antelope Canyon
"So... it seems the chieftain has passed away. I expected as much, but for the greatest warrior of the North to die so aninglessly..."
The tavern owner sighed deeply and muttered.
The warriors gathered around flinched at the arrogant title "the greatest warrior of the North," but they didn't argue.
They didn't want to question the deceased's prowess, and it was also due to the symbolic significance of the Ice Island.
Once a warrior completed a trial, they no longer sought out the beasts. They conceded for the next great warrior, though not every great warrior made that choice.
Sotis, warriors who sought more trials naturally headed north.
Their destination was the Ice Island, located at the farthest northern point of the North. It was said that on nights when the moon shone blue, massive beasts would break through the ice sea and land there, offering endless trials and glory.
The tribe established on that island was the Avviker tribe. Among the great warriors who gathered, the strongest was chosen as the chieftain, so the title "the greatest warrior of the North" wasn't entirely baseless.
Though, about twenty years ago, they were wiped out by an attack from the Cross Church...
"The priestess is gone too... Ran and Anne must have had a tough ti. But it's good to hear they're living well and even have a child."
The innkeeper stood up. He asked Lena where the two were and then said, "I think I'll head in for the night." He left the drinking table.
After the innkeeper left, the five warriors who had lost their enthusiasm also left, smacking their lips. The only ones left in the empty dining room were Leo and Lena, along with a lady cleaning up in the kitchen.
"...Let's go to bed too."
It was sothing he couldn't say out of embarrassnt a mont ago, but the excitent had long faded.
The two returned to their room silently and lay down on the bed. Leo, thinking about the barbarians from the Ice Island, Marhas, and the stories about his mother that Lena had told him, soon fell asleep under the influence of alcohol.
Lena looked at the sleeping Leo with pity.
*
The next day, after sleeping late, Lena and Leo left the inn.
The innkeeper had disappeared sowhere, but it wasn't hard to guess his whereabouts. He probably went to find Ran and Anne.
Leo hurried their journey.
However, not far from the inn, in an open field, Leo found yet another altar dedicated to Malhas, and he sighed heavily.
What on earth is happening... Isn't it perilous to make Lena a princess of the Astin Kingdom in this state? ─ He couldn't help but worry.
Their journey to the eastern Astin Kingdom continued.
They were heading to the capital of the Astin Kingdom, 'Manuvil,' where the Reti tournant would be held, and they stopped at various villages along the way to try any unique foods they encountered. They had plenty of money, so they didn't miss any interesting sights or beautiful sceneries.
"It really feels like we're on a honeymoon."
Lena was delighted. She always linked arms with Leo, and as they moved further away from Barnaul, Leo also regained his composure.
They had left behind all the events and crises. There was a peculiar sense of relief as they walked across the vast plains on this aimless journey.
A few days ago, when they saw a group of priests swarming towards them, their hearts sank. They thought sothing might have happened to them again.
But the priests just hurried past them, and nothing happened. Leo soon realized where they were headed.
Early sumr.
It was around this ti that Rev from the childhood friend scenario caused an incident. By now, the capital of the Orun Kingdom, Nevis, would be stained red, becoming Barbatos' hunting ground.
'Leaving Barnaul early was the best decision...'
Rev's incident was significant enough to impact the entire continent. It was certain to have a negative effect on Barnaul as well.
It was a thought that ca to Leo now that they had left, but it was a near disaster. He sighed in relief.
'What about Lena?'
Leo Dexter recalled the last scene he rembered from the previous iteration. Lena, who had beco Barbatos, reached out through a hole where light poured in and grabbed (from Rev's perspective) and tore at him.
His mory ended there. Minseo had zoned out, so he couldn't read the 'ending credits' at all.
The Saintess and Barbatos. Who won? This was a serious concern for Leo.
It wouldn't matter if the Saintess won, but if Barbatos won, it was a serious problem.
No one would be able to stop her. He wasn't sure if Lena was given the sa extre efficiency as Rev, but it was likely.
- "I knew you were a filthy plaything of the gods. Though I didn't read it all because it's so complicated... Anyway, isn't it enough if you don't die? Just like this woman. So, let the apostle who doesn't listen beco a tree. I will make good use of this body."
Just like this woman...
This was a hint. Barbatos must have judged Lena to be almost identical to Rev.
'Wait... then what about us? Why did Barbatos kill us?'
He didn't know. As Rev at the ti, all he felt was the need to kill these guys (himself and Lena) as soon as possible.
Leo Dexter looked down at Lena Ainar walking beside him. She was enjoying the refreshing 'Field Breeze.'
The Field Breeze referred to the wind blowing in the sumr, and its direction varied depending on where one was on the continent.
In sumr, the wind blew from the sea towards the center of the continent.
Thus, the Field Breeze was generally a westerly wind in the Holy Kingdom on the west side of the continent, an easterly wind in the Aisel Kingdom on the east, a southwesterly wind in the Orun Kingdom on the southwest, and a southeasterly wind in the Conrad Kingdom on the southeast.
Therefore, in the Astin Kingdom, where they were now, the Field Breeze was a cold northwesterly wind blowing from the northern sea.
"Hey? Leo. Look over there. Those n are there again."
At that mont, Lena raised her hand and pointed at the people walking far ahead. Looking up, Leo saw the five warriors leisurely walking in the distance.
They were the sa warriors they had t at the Ice Island inn and had often encountered during their journey, as if they were traveling the sa route.
"Those guys are really slow. How are they moving at the sa pace as us? Haha."
Lena's cheerful laughter broke Leo's chain of thoughts.
Whether Lena would win or not was still uncertain. Given the pitiful state she was in at the ending, it was possible that the Saintess had won, so Leo Dexter decided to put off his worries for now.
Ti spent with Lena was far more precious at the mont.
*
“Wow- it’s really magnificent. They say those are all sword marks, right? Hahaha, amazing.”
The middle-aged warrior, who introduced himself as ‘Bahatar,’ exclaid in admiration.
They had climbed a low ridge, below which vast, white canyons spread out. Interestingly, the canyons weren't continuous but were split into dozens of parts, as if soone had slashed the wide land.
“Wow... it’s beautiful. Did Todler Akiunen really do this? It’s my first ti hearing about it...”
“Indeed. Your Ainar tribe, being close to the Holy Kingdom, seems to have so misinformation. Todler Akiunen is a demigod, a great warrior born in the North. Now that we're here, why don’t we camp here to absorb so of its energy?”
Bahatar, the man who had joined them recently, corrected Lena’s misinformation.
Todler Akiunen.
As they got closer to 'Antelope Canyon,' naturally, the topic of Todler Akiunen ca up, and there was a slight difference in opinions.
Lena knew him as the first swordmaster and the hero who founded the first human kingdom, the Kingdom of Arcaea. Leo shared this belief, but the five warriors had a slightly different view.
They set up their tents and started preparing for the night. Though the sun hadn't set yet, the seven of them busily prepared their evening al.
Then,
- Plop. Sizzle-.
“Hey?! What are you doing?”
Lena shouted when she saw one of the warriors putting a thick stone into the pot instead of thinking of putting it on the fire.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“How can you put a stone in the pot? How are we supposed to eat that?”
“What? Ahahaha! This young lady, you’ve got a sharp mind but a funny side too. This is to boil the water, not to eat. Co here and take a look.”
He pointed at the pot. When the hot stone was put into the pot on the campfire, bubbles started rising from the still thin broth.
Boiling water wasn't easy in the North, where fierce snowstorms were common. Since the fire could easily go out due to the snow and wind, people in the North often boiled water by putting hot stones into it.
Lena, who had lived in relatively warr Avril Castle, didn’t know this.
“Huh... You boil the soup this way? What about the stone?”
“You take it out when it’s done. Though you could just boil it normally in this warm weather... I find the taste different if I don’t do it this way. Anyway, I’m the one cooking, so don’t worry and just wait.”
He drew a line, like taming a clueless puppy, and focused on cooking.
“Grr...”
Lena puffed her cheeks in frustration, feeling she was being treated like a child, and diverted her attention elsewhere.
Sothing else caught her eye. The stones scattered towards the direction of the canyon were peculiarly shining white.
Unlike the surrounding ground or rocks, they were stark white, as if a white liquid had been splashed on them and dried.
“What is this? Why are only these stones so white?”
Lena approached and picked up one of the stones. As she suspected, the back of the stone was a normal gray, not white.
Watching her, Bahatar burst into laughter.
“You really don’t know any of Todler Akiunen’s legends, do you! How can you call yourself a warrior without knowing this? Co here. Let , the next chieftain of the ‘Albacete’ tribe, teach you personally.”
Next chieftain?
Lena looked at Bahatar, who seed all talk, with a slightly different perspective. She approached and sat down, waiting for him to speak, but her eyes soon narrowed skeptically.
“What are you talking about? You’re not the next chieftain. Your brother is supposed to inherit the chieftain position...”
“Hey! How can you say that?! They seem to believe everything the Cross Church says, so I need so credibility to make my stories convincing, don’t I?”
“Oh, that makes sense. Yes, this friend here is indeed the next chieftain. I forgot.”
“...I already heard everything, you know?”
“Haha, sorry about that. But listen with an open mind. It’s all valuable information. Now, eat a lot.”
Soup was poured generously into Lena’s wooden bowl. It was a dish called 'Ochaz,' made by boiling broth with plenty of milk, and it slled rich and looked greasy.
Lena and Leo, along with the five warriors, gathered around the campfire.
Hearing the na of the 'Albacete' tribe, Leo imdiately wanted to ask if they had any relation to Baron Arpen Albacete, the swordmaster of the Astin Kingdom, but he decided to hold back for now.
The legend passed down orally in the North. Bahatar, who seed experienced in telling such stories, spread his arms theatrically and began.
“Long, long ago, when the tears of ice fairies turned into dew, and the gnos lived in this cold North, there were powerless humans living there.”
“Could you please not talk as if you’re telling a story to a child?”
“Just listen. I’ve only ever told it this way. Ahem. And in a small human village, there were siblings nad ‘Leonel’ and ‘Leicia’...”
As the canyons glowed yellow in the setting sun, Bahatar began to narrate the legend of Todler Akiunen.
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