Chapter 139

Two significant events occur in Lake Fortress.

One is friction with other tribes, and the other is subduing the magical beasts. The former happens on its own given time, while the latter can be relayed through Darika.

Carami knows the details but has no intention of stepping forward. This is a story that Darika tells to Asies. She just needs to wait quietly.

“But I absolutely can’t just sit still.”

It’s a master’s heart to want to help a troubled slave. She was thinking of at least providing a minimal connection.

Carami, entering the chieftain’s tent smoothly in the role of a friend’s son, introduced Asies to Darika.

“Chieftain, this is Lady Asies. Lady Asies, please greet.”

Asies tilted her head slightly.

Darika leaned forward, staring intently at Asies. Tilting her head back and forth like a seesaw, she examined her as if she were a curious sight.

Her wide-open eyes radiated a different atmosphere than usual.

“You are….”

“Why do you say that?”

“You are….”

After staring at Asies for a long time, Darika’s mouth twitched.

“What a beautiful girl you are!”

She blurted out such a cliché remark.

“It feels as if I’m looking at my childhood self!”

“Haha, you must be completely out of your mind.”

“Out of my mind? You have no idea how pretty I was back in my day! Do you know how many men from other tribes tried to win me over?”

“Oh dear, I had no idea. I must have spoken something terribly rude. I thought you were just senile.”

“You little rascal.”

Darika clicked her tongue.

She looked at Asies once more.

“What a fascinating girl. Watching you brings back memories from another time.”

“What kind of memories?”

“When I was young! My great-grandmother used to tell me old stories quite often. Others found them boring, but I loved them. I sat in front of the campfire, munching on snacks while listening.”

“That’s interesting. Would you share those stories with us too?”

“Of course! I was just thinking I needed company; clearly, only Carami thinks of me! The others are always causing a ruckus, refusing to listen whenever I try to talk!”

As Darika said this, she glanced at Jorn, who was watching Carami’s group from the corner of the tent. Despite suffering from dementia, she remembered only the bittersweet memories well.

Jorn subtly avoided her gaze. The leader, who had devoted half his life to serving the chieftain, suddenly became an enemy due to Carami’s arrival.

“Where should I start…? Yes, I should talk about when the tribe was first established. Our tribe’s first chieftain was my great-great-grandmother.”

Darika began her tale.

She was in high spirits, as most old people telling “back in my day” stories tend to be.

“Of course, I never met my great-great-grandmother, but I know she was an extraordinary person. The chieftains of our Lake Fortress have traditionally been shamans, and she was no exception.”

Referred to as shamans or sorcerers, these individuals practice magic from a young age, protecting the tribe and praying for the safety of the village.

While it may seem trivial, it plays a vital role for the Northerners, who prioritize tradition, as their spiritual pillar.

“But she was not an ordinary shaman.”

“Really?”

“She was a sorceress of a kingdom! She had the ability to see the future. She foresaw the wicked dragon invading the kingdom and escaped early to establish our tribe!”

“Did she run away all by herself? Leaving everyone else to die?”

“Quiet!”

Darika’s sharp retort cut through the air.

“It was not a cowardly escape! She worked for the greater good! If she hadn’t escaped, this story wouldn’t have been passed down to future generations!”

“Oh my, is that so? That’s impressive.”

“Not only did she escape, but she also brought back a very important artifact from the royal family. It is this magical jewel!”

“That’s theft….”

“Be quiet!!!”

Darika jumped up suddenly.

Carami’s voice might have contained a magic that invigorated the old woman. Otherwise, there would be no way the withered old woman would have so much energy.

But Carami kept her mouth shut. If Darika regained too much vigor, the staff seemed like it could erupt like a volcano.

Darika, who had been huffing and puffing, slumped back down.

“Such an undisciplined child. I could tell even when playing with Baschal. Ha… where did I leave off?”

“You were talking about the magical jewel.”

“Right, the magical jewel. This is the magical jewel that my great-great-grandmother brought!”

Darika presented the necklace with Lazurite prominently displayed.

“What kind of effect does it have?”

“If you hold this, you won’t feel cold.”

“That’s it?”

“Actually, there’s one more secret hidden….”

As Darika looked around cautiously, she whispered.

“This jewel can eliminate the cold of Isgangar. It can lift the dragon’s curse.”

“Is that true? Are you lying?”

“You little rascal! A grown-up is talking, and you say it’s a lie! This is what my great-great-grandmother said, you brat!”

“But why is the curse not being lifted?”

“Because the time has not yet come. And lifting the curse is not my job.”

It was the words passed down from the great-great-grandmother, who was a sorceress of the kingdom.

“She said that one day a hero will arrive. When that person comes to bring spring to Isgangar, we were told to hand over the jewel. That is the role of our chieftain.”

A duty passed down across generations to the chieftains.

Darika remembered that much clearly amid the chaotic jumble in her mind.

If no hero arrives during Darika’s lifetime, she must pass down the jewel along with the duty to the next generation, just as she received it.

“But Baschal isn’t even close to ready….”

Fearing that the legacy of her predecessors would end with her, Darika muttered with a serious expression.

If she failed to fulfill her duty, even in death, her soul would never find rest and become a wandering spirit. She would roam this harsh north aimlessly.

That was the most feared fate for Northguard. Darika fidgeted with the necklace in anxiety.

“Just let it flow through one ear and out the other. It’s all nonsense from an old woman.”

Jorn, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t hold back any longer and interrupted.

“What do you mean it’s nonsense?”

“Everything. The first chieftain being a sorceress. The dragon leaving a curse. What kind of power can a mere jewel have to end this cold? A hero? That’s ludicrous.”

“It’s not nonsense, Jorn!”

Ignoring Darika, Jorn continued with a cold tone.

“Do you know why fairy tales are fairy tales? Because they don’t happen in reality, they become stories. Those who believe in such fairy tales are either naive children or the sick.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Carami tilted her head, pondering.

“So don’t listen too closely….”

“There’s one more thing.”

“What?”

“The people who believe that fairy tales are reality.”

Jorn narrowed his eyes, shooting a glance at Carami.

His pupils trembled slightly with unease.

“…who would that be?”

“The residents living in the fairy tales.”

Carami grinned, looking directly at Jorn after casting a glance at Asies.

“It’s not up to you or me to decide whether this is a tale filled with false hope or an essay still being written. It’s for the readers to determine when the story concludes.”

“…….”

“Until then, we just need to fulfill our roles as characters. You, as the chieftain of Northguard, and I, as the master of my slave. While waiting for the hero, the protagonist, to make their appearance.”

Seeing Carami’s smirk, Jorn clicked his tongue inwardly.

Is this what they call a merchant’s high-level persuasion? Whenever he spoke with Carami, he always felt drawn in. Even the steadfast Jorn could be momentarily deceived.

“What kind of nonsense are you two talking about? Where did we leave off?”

“We discussed handing the jewel over to the hero….”

“Oh, right! I should tell you about how our tribe was first established.”

“You just did that….”

“It was the story my great-great-grandmother told. Actually, my great-great-grandmother was a famous sorceress of the kingdom.”

The dialogue continued to repeat like a hamster on a wheel.

Carami shut her eyes tightly, and Asies listened with no change in her expression.

Darika, telling the story to both of them, appeared to be happier than usual.

***

Days passed with Asies helping with the hunting and listening to Darika’s stories.

Even though Darika repeated the same stories multiple times, Asies quietly listened without a single complaint.

It was not because Asies was simple-minded but because she listened attentively to Darika’s tales, which some might consider delusions or fairy tales.

The tribe members also refrained from interrupting, taking turns to fulfill the role of Darika’s long-lost conversational partner.

Asies voluntarily took on that role, enduring the same story until her ears were full. If they were to poke a hornet’s nest, the responsibility would fall upon them.

Asies was implicitly allowed to come and go from Darika’s tent.

“Oh, come on. How can you build a house like that? Doing it this way would make it much more efficient for keeping warm.”

“Oh…! This kind of usage! The craftsmanship of dwarf artisans is indeed extraordinary.”

A small group of dwarves had come along with Carami. They don’t share their expertise with just anyone, but they can’t help but point out poorly constructed buildings.

They step in to help even when not asked. When praised by Northerners, they casually respond while twitching their beards.

‘How can this be a basic trait of their species?’

Well, it’s true that the dwarves have significantly helped win the favor of the Northerners.

The reason they intertwined the less developed Northerners with the dwarves, who are the pinnacle of craftsmanship, was for this purpose.

Had they encountered elves, who might have looked down upon others while showing off their skills, the Northerners likely would have refused out of pride, but with dwarves, it was a different story.

Contrary to the initial fears of the Northerners, the arrival of Carami’s group led to days of peace repeating.

“Oh… she truly is a beautiful woman. Do you think you could hand her over to me? I’d pay handsomely for her.”

This happened before a group of merchants arrived in the village.

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