Gradually Reaching Paradise - Chapter 75

In a world where the laws of nature were often bent by divine forces, the sight of a place buried in snow was not entirely unprecedented. However, few locations could claim to be as unnaturally snow-covered as Olkiedpan. Tatil had come to Olkiedpan, drawn by this striking similarity.

Yet, Three Thousandth was aware, through information obtained from the underground fortress, that the deity responsible for the snow in Olkiedpan was also involved with the sealing of the Providence. This knowledge allowed Three Thousandth to piece together the seemingly unrelated information provided by Tatil and Hegos into a coherent picture.

Could it be that the supreme being of Heimdrix, who vanished after the Great Disaster 135 years ago, will soon reappear in Rem…? Or perhaps a massive event will unfold, extending his influence from Heimdrix to Rem? And if that influence is what causes the sacred tree to wither…

As the scattered clues began to align, a plausible narrative emerged. Of course, the snow in Rem’s ruins might simply be a weather anomaly, and Nodsayti’s vision of the sacred tree’s future might be as natural as flowers blooming and then wilting. However, Three Thousandth felt that, along with the recent troubling signs across the continent, everything was converging toward a single, inevitable conclusion.

The reason the Allied Forces of Thul’mor was fully backing Olkiedpan was out of fear of the dangers posed by Providence. Yet, in reality, whether the seal broke or the end came, there was little humanity could do. If even the Two Great Gods who created the world couldn’t handle it, how could mere fragments of their power hope to resolve such a crisis? All they could do was live day by day, trying to survive the oncoming torrent—as they always had.

“Anir of Rem? What a pleasure to see such familiar faces! Actually… I was hoping to ask for the High Priest’s help, but perhaps you could also assist me?”

“Oh, come now, what need is there for formalities between us? Just say the word!”

“On my way to the temple, I rescued a woman in distress. But, um… I can’t seem to get her out of my mind…”

Three Thousandth allowed a faint smile to cross his face, thinking that perhaps even a hero needed to experience love once in a while.

Despite the scars of valor that marked his body, Hegos was awkwardly fidgeting with his strong hands, looking uncharacteristically shy. The hero who had just been discussing the fate of the world was nowhere to be seen.

As a renowned hero, Hegos was no stranger to the admiration of the most beautiful and handsome people across the continent. Yet, burdened with the weight of the world, he had never had the time or the heart to fall in love. Even the proposal from the beautiful queen of the Cede Molinosa Kingdom, with whom he had a long-standing relationship, was declined, showing just how seriously he took his duty.

Now, to hear that Hegos had fallen so deeply for a woman he had only briefly encountered, to the point of bringing it up in a formal setting, was more intriguing to Three Thousandth than the news of the sacred tree’s demise. What puzzled him more, however, was that the usually sly Tatil, who should have been eagerly offering her seer abilities, was uncharacteristically silent. Just as suspicion arose, Hegos blushed and added, “She had beautiful, silvery hair that shimmered like a rainbow…”

“…”

“…”

Three Thousandth turned to look at Tatil, who was staring down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Three Thousandth was exasperated, realizing that Tatil, who was supposed to be guarding Mariax, had likely been the one to lead her into danger. However, the situation was even more complicated than Three Thousandth initially suspected.

Tatil had dragged Mariax out, taken her to a gambling den, actively led the scam, and, after seeing Hegos in the future, pushed Mariax into meeting him. The result was a potentially tense situation between two powerful individuals, all because of Tatil’s reckless actions. Now, Tatil was feeling deeply conflicted, knowing that the entire mess was a consequence of her own impulsiveness.

Despite being a hero from the land of seers who could read both the past and the future, Tatil was, in the end, just a human being regretting her mistakes.

“I am a well-meaning seer… My only fault is that I couldn’t see just a little bit further…”

What is this hero who’s famous for seeing only an inch ahead talking about? Three Thousandth sighed as he watched the bewildered Hegos.

***

The gates of Foxhole Castle opened, an unusual occurrence for a fortress that typically only served as a final line of defense once its two outer walls had fallen. Ordinarily, this castle was the residence of Gart, his followers, and high-ranking figures like Three Thousandth. It was also the site of Anir’s meetings and banquets, though these were held only once every few years.

Thus, it was a rare event for the usually closed-off castle to welcome Hegos and the expedition from Liuheila. Although Anir of Olkiedpan was absent, and the invitation had been extended by Three Thousandth, who was acting on Anir’s behalf, it still showed that Liuheila’s power couldn’t be ignored. Of course, Olkiedpan’s true intention was to gather ‘useful people’ within the castle to utilize them for the time being, but the youngest warrior in the expedition, Quinie, merely felt pride as they passed through the gates.

However, that pride quickly turned into shock once Quinie entered the castle.

Is this really a castle?

Even considering its focus on defense, wasn’t this going too far?

What’s that in the corner…? A giant spider’s leg? And is that tapestry from centuries ago? It looks like it’s been here since before the Great Disaster!

Rather than being charmingly antique, the place just looked worn out. The veil of mystery surrounding the castle, which had made everyone so eager to visit, now revealed itself as a facade of disappointing decay. Everything was gray—this wall gray, that corner gray—with stains that looked suspiciously like blood, darkening the gray even further. Stone everywhere, cracked stone, broken stone. It was a far cry from the richly decorated halls of Liuheila, filled with vibrant dyes, paintings, and sculptures.

The guest room they were shown to wasn’t much better. Though the bedding was clean, that was about all it had going for it. The atmosphere was so drab and monotonous that it felt more like they were being shown to a cell rather than a guest chamber. In fact, Quinie’s nights sleeping under the stars on the road had felt more luxurious than this.

Dinner only solidified Quinie’s disillusionment with Olkiedpan. Did they think of humans as carnivores here? The table was laden with roasted meat, fried meat, boiled meat, ground and shaped meat, and even meat mixed with blood and stuffed into intestines…

The strong smell of reindeer meat was not only unfamiliar but nauseating. Quinie took a sip of wine to wash it down, only to nearly spit it out immediately.

“Ugh!”

It was so strong that for a moment, Quinie thought it might be poison. Just holding it in his mouth for a moment brought a rush of intoxication. He quickly pushed the glass away.

I thought I could finally eat and drink properly after reaching Olkiedpan, but…

Quinie had just turned fifteen, the age of adulthood, and had left Liuheila for the first time to follow his respected hero, Hegos. After a long and arduous journey, they had finally reached the fabled Olkiedpan, a place Quinie had only heard of in stories…

Yet, the mystical allure he had imagined, a land touched by the divine, was nowhere to be found. All he saw were endless fields of white snow, punctuated by the carcasses of threatening monsters—or worse, the corpses of humans. The air was thick with the scent of wilderness, or perhaps barbarism, and for a noble-born like Quinie, it was all too much.

The state of Foxhole Castle only added to his disappointment. There were no iron fortresses, no noble heroes, no valiant warriors battling monsters on the frontlines. Instead, he saw half-ruined buildings and alleys that exuded a sinister air, lined with gambling dens and shady characters. The kind of seedy, vulgar men he encountered there, laughing and cracking lowbrow jokes, had no hint of intellect or refinement about them.

Which made it all the more unbelievable when Quinie remembered what Hegos had said about his sudden disappearance.

It might be that I’ve met the other half of my fate.

At the time, Quinie had thought, “So suddenly?” But now, seeing the state of Olkiedpan, his thoughts turned to, “Here, of all places?” Sure, the fortress was overwhelmingly male, but even among the few women present, none seemed like the ‘other half of fate’ Hegos had described.

One woman laughed with a crude cackle, another snickered gleefully. Hegos might chastise him for judging people by their laughter, but it wasn’t just that. One woman was licking a bloodstained dagger, while another sat disrespectfully on a fallen man as if using him as a chair.

Could it be that Hegos had simply been seeing things? Like a mirage in the desert? That seemed like a far more reasonable explanation.