Chapter 331

The North was a barren land everywhere you went.

The only place where wheat farming took place was in the southern part of Yuridina City. In most other areas, only famine crops were barely harvested.

As someone who grew up in abundance, it was a life hard to imagine.

My hometown was located in the eastern part of the continent. The climate was mild, and the eastern region had long been famous as the breadbasket of the continent.

As long as you did not encounter a harsh lord, commoners did not go hungry. The only concern was the fact that, with a large population, there were many orphans as well.

Of course, I, too, had pity for the orphans as a noble from the East.

Although the food situation in the East was stable, there was no capacity to feed abandoned children. It meant that I could only watch the suffering of countless children.

This was something I should be ashamed of as a noble.

However, after facing the coniferous forest in the North, my narrow worldview had to undergo significant adjustments. My long-standing worries were not even a problem in the North.

This was because there were hardly any orphans in the North.

The reason was clear.

“They all die.”

It was a remark made by the soldier guiding me to the barracks, as if he were joking.

With those words, my party and I had to choose silence, as we could not gauge how to respond.

Should we express sympathy and compassion, or should we laugh it off?

The answer was neither.

A child who loses their parents dies.

This was a proposition that was common sense in the North, and there was no reason to say it with any specific intent. It was not something particularly special in the first place.

The soldier merely laid out the reality of life in the North.

“The North does not have a large population. In other words, it means that land without owners is strewn everywhere. No one manages it. Thus, various dangers lurk.”

Only then did I understand the soldier’s intent.

I could guess the next part. So I cautiously followed up with a question.

“For example, monsters or bandits?”

“Yes, and even Elves.”

The soldier nodded with a bitter smile.

It meant that my assumption was mostly correct.

Including the enemies the soldier specifically pointed out as ‘Elves,’ there were far too many dangers in the North. It was not a place where a child could survive alone without a guardian.

Moreover, there was even a shortage of food in the North.

Thus, orphans were not a problem.

They would either starve to death, freeze to death, or be killed.

This was a land where even half of the children with parents would perish. Except for a few who were extremely lucky, most orphans had no choice but to lose their lives.

The soldier said he could often see children’s corpses, especially on the front lines.

It was then that a hazy malice began to cloud his eyes.

“Most of it is the doing of the Elves. Those monsters spare neither adults nor children… Living in the North, you learn to harbor hatred towards Elves before you even read.”

“Is that true even outside the front line?”

“As I mentioned, there is a lot of empty land in the North.”

At that, the soldier momentarily stopped his steps.

Beyond the barracks, towards the northernmost part of the North.

There lay a vast expanse of trees. Towering trees, numbering in the tens of thousands, stood in a place where even moss hesitated to take root.

In the entirety of the continent, there were only two places with such an abundance of trees.

The Great Forest in the South and the Coniferous Forest in the North.

And since this was the North, the identity of this overwhelming forest in my view could only be one thing.

The Coniferous Forest. The last barrier blocking the path to eternal tundra.

Even these trees filling my view were merely a small fraction of what lay hidden.

“The forests of the North hide many things. We cannot see into the forest; we can only witness what emerges from it.”

And to guard all those boundaries, the Coniferous Forest was far too vast.

Even if tens of thousands of warriors were mobilized, could this place be thoroughly controlled?

It was impossible.

Realizing this, a sigh escaped my lips.

“It’s a place that is fundamentally impossible to seal off.”

“Yet we cannot just burn down the forest. The monsters staying here would pour out all at once.”

Listening to the soldier’s explanation, I quietly gazed at the Coniferous Forest.

Abiyang must have also hidden away in the shadows of these trees.

He wouldn’t have made a sound. Doing so would risk being discovered by the monsters and facing a gruesome death.

It was a profoundly ironic story.

The soldier referred to both Elves and monsters collectively as ‘monsters,’ yet one of those monsters was afraid of another monster.

It wasn’t entirely wrong. At least not for the soldier.

Monsters and Elves were alike in that they threatened their lives.

But my impressions from the conversations I had with Abiyang were different.

Monsters and Elves are not the same.

Monsters do not understand language, but Elves do. Unlike monsters, Elves do not express absolute hostility toward life.

And so I felt a deeper sense of regret.

The Elves of the Coniferous Forest were also likely engaged in fierce competition for survival. There were probably many who were dying.

Of course, it was only a cheap sense of pity.

Elves were enemies of the Empire, and coexistence between humanity and Elves was no longer possible.

The aftermath of a war lasting hundreds of years was too great.

Now, they could not stop harboring hatred and murderous intent toward each other.

So I made sure not to express even a hint of goodwill toward the Elves. Especially in front of those who had already lost families or comrades to them.

There was no reason to provoke their discontent.

All I offered was a handshake filled with gratitude.

“Thank you for your efforts. I will find the tent to stay at, so you may go back now. I’ll see you next time.”

“It was an honor to meet the esteemed Sir Ian of the continent. I hope you show your skill to those devilish Elves…”

With that heartfelt request, the soldier departed.

He was merely someone temporarily assigned to accompany me. According to his words, a retainer formally dispatched by the Yuridina Clan would soon arrive.

There were not just one or two barracks surrounding the Coniferous Forest.

Each of the dozens of barracks housed hundreds of soldiers. It was to manage the Coniferous Forest effectively, yet the locations of each barrack were a secret.

Only the loyal retainers of the Yuridina Clan were aware of their positions.

However, I needed to know the locations of each barrack exceptionally well.

I could not determine exactly where the information was leaking from, and there might be a need to move between barracks while infiltrating the Coniferous Forest.

So, Senior Delphine decided to send a retainer to assist me, someone who had dedicated long years of loyalty to the Yuridina Clan and memorized the locations of all the barracks.

It was lamentable that my mission required me to watch and question even that individual.

After finishing my greetings with the key figures of the barracks, I headed to the assigned tent.

Thanks to Senior Delphine giving advance notice, the inside of the tent was cozy and warm.

It looked like top-quality.

After all, Senior Delphine and I had shared a night together.

Looking back at my first meeting with her, it was indeed a humorous connection.

At that time, Senior Elsi had treated me as if I were Senior Delphine’s ‘partner’ to provoke her.

And I had taken that opportunity to ambush Senior Elsi, which started our partnership where we trusted each other’s backs.

That connection continued to develop, and ultimately, I became close to Senior Delphine.

In a way, Senior Elsi’s prophecy had come true.

Of course, Senior Elsi would not wish for that at all now.

I suddenly recalled the question I had buried deep in my consciousness.

Someone had witnessed my relationship with Senior Delphine.

But who could it possibly be?

Before heading to the front lines, I carefully observed the expressions of my party. Yet, I gained almost no results.

The only realization was that all members of my party, excluding Yulen, seemed to have had a restless night.

The Saint, Senior Elsi, and even the Imperial Princess and Emma all appeared that way.

Even when I inquired about it, I received no satisfactory replies.

They all simply said it was due to having bad dreams.

Emma, at least, provided a somewhat plausible reason.

“Well, um… you see, it’s just that it’s the first time I’ve had such a luxurious bed. Ahaha…”

Her confession, blushing deeply.

Seeing that, I resolved to continue bestowing my unconditional trust on Emma. I promised myself countless times not to disturb her gentle heart.

Thus, excluding Emma, there were three remaining women.

The Saint, Senior Elsi, and the Imperial Princess.

It was a bad selection since two of them weighed on my mind. I had shared an awkward atmosphere with the Saint, and Senior Elsi had confessed to me.

In either case, if they found out, I would have to prepare for complete severance.

Thank goodness that Ceria did not come to the North. If Ceria discovered my relationship with Senior Delphine, I would have actively considered suicide.

At the very least, my body should remain intact.

Just when I was groaning and lost in thought.

“……Master?”

A girl suddenly lifted the cloth covering the entrance of the tent and peeked in.

Actually, the term ‘girl’ was a misnomer. The other party was older than I was.

However, judging by her petite frame and lovely features, anyone would hesitate to call her anything but a ‘girl.’

Senior Elsi.

As one of the individuals I was just contemplating, I was taken aback and quickly stood up.

Until then, I had been leaning against the back of a chair for rest. Since Senior Elsi had come, my short break was now over.

I made an effort to smile to hide my anxious thoughts.

“Senior Elsi, what brings you here?”

However, no answer came back from Senior Elsi.

She hesitated for a while, then awkwardly stepped into the tent.

My puzzled gaze was fixed on Senior Elsi.

Regardless of my stare, she was babbling out excuses in an awkward voice.

“Um, well… that’s it! The bedding inside the tent was uncomfortable. Did that Delphine girl play a prank on my tent?”

“……?”

Senior Elsi had traveled a long way to assist Senior Delphine.

Even if their relationship wasn’t great, that seemed unlikely.

Tilting my head in confusion, I decided to take Senior Elsi’s side for now.

“Is that so? Then I can speak to the barracks about it…”

“Oh, no! Th-That’s not necessary!”

Senior Elsi hurriedly stopped me.

I had no choice but to give up my intention and gazed blankly at Senior Elsi again. I could not even guess why she had come to see me.

Senior Elsi’s strange behavior continued.

With her cheeks flushed, she gently sat down on the bed designated for me. Then, while glancing at me, she said,

“W-Was it because I didn’t sleep well? I thought I might be too tired, so I was wondering if I could borrow your bed…”

Hmm, I swallowed and scratched my cheeks.

It wasn’t an implausible explanation.

The relationship between Senior Elsi and the Saint could not even be described as polite. The Princess would be burdensome, and Emma would probably refuse because she’s a commoner.

Even if Senior Elsi were fine with it, I would have to decline. I could just picture a kind Emma feeling all fidgety in front of Senior Elsi.

It might be better to just let her take a short nap in my room.

Having concluded that, I nodded my head in consent.

“Is that so? Then I’ll be on a reconnaissance for a bit…”

“Th-That’s not necessary!”

Senior Elsi hurriedly cautioned against me, while fanning her crimson face.

At the same time, she subtly attempted to take off her outer garment.

“Ah, it’s hot, isn’t it? Is the heating too strong?”

“This is the North. It can’t possibly be hot just because they’re heating the tent…”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right! It’s too cold, but could you warm my spot just a little, Master?”

In all her flustered state, Senior Elsi was unbuttoning her outer garment one by one.

I could only look at Senior Elsi with disbelief.

“No, just a moment ago you said it was cold…”

“If I bundle up too tightly when sleeping… it’s… it’s uncomfortable!”

Even I, who was usually dull, had to realize by now.

Senior Elsi was enticing me.

I could only swipe my hands down my face, grasping the sudden suspicion that arose.

Did Senior Elsi see us?

Before facing the Elves, I first had to deal with the women.