Chapter 13: The place where frost stays Part 13

The moment Joseph heard the sudden shout and the noise reminiscent of a scuffle, he had a hunch.

“Those damn mercenary bastards!”

The mercenaries who had promised to pay a hefty sum were bound to mess things up and cause trouble.

With this, the first plan of quietly dealing with Hilmor and returning was out the window.

So Joseph pinned his hopes on the second plan: deploying the six elite cavalry he had secured from Baron Gofrit!

And Joseph had just left the lord’s manor to call for them.

While he needed to summon the cavalry, the main reason was that the mercenaries were loose-lipped and unreliable.

There was a chance that the failed infiltrating mercenaries had spilled all the beans about Joseph.

With the mercenaries bungling the job, Joseph shouldn’t remain at the lord’s manor.

The foolish second son of the Bellaf family, who had tried to manipulate things his own way? Joseph couldn’t care less about what happened to him.

If he could just call the cavalry, everything would be resolved.

That’s what Joseph believed.

“Huh?”

If only he hadn’t spotted a man waving a torch in the darkness, where snowflakes were swirling.

The large circular motions of the torch were a signal that had been agreed upon with the mercenaries beforehand.

It was a signal to call in the cavalry waiting nearby to finish things off neatly when the job was either easily wrapped up or when Hilmor fled.

To Joseph, it didn’t seem like things were going smoothly at the moment.

The fleeing Hilmor didn’t even have a shadow.

Then who was waving that torch to call the cavalry?

Joseph’s gaze turned toward the figure wielding the torch.

A massive build, and the faint outline of knightly armor illuminated by the flame.

The moment he saw it, Joseph had a hunch.

“What, what is that?”

Something had to have gone terribly wrong.

As the six cavalrymen responded to the signal and galloped from afar, Joseph blankly watched the scene unfold.

He had originally left the lord’s manor to gather the cavalry.

But the cavalry he hadn’t even called had found their way here on their own, and the unidentified knight had engaged them.

When the giant knight had already killed two of the cavalry, Joseph was already bolting toward the village in a panic.

He couldn’t even dream of fleeing into the forest.

Entering the woods on a snowy night like this was a suicide mission.

Then, should he have trusted the cavalry and stayed put?

Joseph guessed that would be a decidedly poor choice.

Logically, it seemed difficult for the knight to win in this situation.

Yet Joseph’s instincts chose to run.

“Hah, haah…!”

In this haphazard descent into the village, Joseph found himself trembling against the biting cold, with nowhere to go.

Having been to Carlton village countless times, he was familiar with many faces.

However, his relationship with the villagers was limited to simple transactions; it hadn’t progressed beyond that.

“Damn it!”

If he had known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have haggled so much on prices!

Of course, not haggling at all wasn’t an option.

He was a man born to be a shady trader.

The swirling cold wind had become even harsher, making Joseph shake like a leaf.

“Where should I go?”

Joseph’s mind raced in the chill.

Whatever it was, he wanted to get as far away from the lord’s manor as possible.

Ultimately, Joseph hurried to a small house at the edge of the village.

That was the only place farthest from the lord’s manor.

Pushing through the biting wind, Joseph arrived at the home of Batiste, the charcoal burner of Carlton village.

“Batiste! Hey, Batiste…”

As Joseph reached Batiste’s house, he cautiously called his name.

No response came.

Joseph didn’t know, but it wasn’t because Batiste was asleep.

He was wide awake.

It was just that Batiste was extremely perceptive.

Just moments before, Batiste had heard the sound of horses from a distance.

From the direction of the manor, where he had caught a glimpse of the torchlight and oil candle flickering, he could also hear the sounds of horses and shouts.

The sounds of horses and shouting came from the commotion of Keldric battling the cavalry.

Naturally, Batiste was unaware of this fact, but he at least sensed that something was amiss outside.

In the midst of that, it was strange that Joseph had suddenly come to visit.

“Batiste! Please open the door!”

Joseph’s urgent voice was laced with a peculiar sense of urgency that often accompanies someone who has committed a wrong.

So, the charcoal burner Batiste quietly locked the door.

If it turned out to be a misunderstanding, he could always say he was asleep later.

“Batiste! Damn it!”

The tightly shut door refused to budge.

Cursing under his breath, Joseph hurriedly looked around.

In Carlton village, where the sun had set, a frigid cold and snowstorm swirled around, making visibility nearly impossible.

A place where frost lingered year-round.

Joseph was painfully realizing that peculiar title.

With his lips turning blue from the cold, Joseph looked around and eventually spotted a slightly warmer place.

‘That’s…’

It was a sort of shed where Batiste stored his gathered charcoal.

One wall of the shed appeared to be slightly loose.

Joseph hurriedly ran toward it.

With all his might, he kicked the wall.

With a sound like “thud,” the wall caved in.

The wooden wall, given the snowy climate, was prone to such damage if not regularly maintained.

Joseph hurriedly crawled through the hole he made in the wall into the shed.

He planned to wait until the snowstorm subsided, and once it seemed calm, he would escape on the donkey he had used to pull the cart.

Setting aside the feasibility of that plan, it was the only way Joseph could see himself surviving.

Keldric was searching around the village, exhaling white breath.

He rummaged through alleys where neighborhood stray dogs frequently appeared, and checked the hunting huts often used by the woodcutters at the village outskirts.

However, there were no traces of Joseph, not even a shadow.

Unless Joseph had sprouted wings, it was impossible for him to be completely absent from Carlton village.

However, waking up all the villagers to assist in the search wasn’t a good idea either.

Perhaps some residents had awoken to the commotion.

However, there was a big difference between being awake and making them tear through the snowy fields in the middle of the night.

Searching in the cold would risk some of them getting frostbite.

The villagers’ complaints would only add to the troubles.

That wouldn’t bode well for the local situation.

Keldric, who was soon to leave the territory, didn’t want to make a mess in terms of local governance.

“Damn…”

After searching the village for a long time, Keldric fell into deep thought.

Where the hell had that damn trader gone?

‘He wouldn’t have gone into the forest.’

Joseph was an extremely ordinary merchant who valued money and his own life above all else.

It was foolish to have caused such a ruckus, but he certainly wasn’t stupid enough to venture into the forest on a snowstormy night.

At least that’s what Keldric thought.

The only option left was the village.

However, Keldric had already searched it thoroughly.

So where could he be hiding?

‘Could it be with the villagers?’

Keldric imagined a scenario where Joseph was hiding with the help of villagers he usually traded with.

Even though it was a quiet peripheral village, the Bellaf family regularly brought merchants in to circulate the village’s economy.

Villagers would buy raw materials from the merchants and process them, then sell the processed goods to other villagers or other merchants to make money.

Joseph was the merchant who profited from that middleman position.

Naturally, his acquaintances among the villagers were limited.

‘Malcolm is in the lord’s armory, and Lint from the butcher shop has gone to a nearby village for a while.’

Several individuals who either weren’t in the village or weren’t in a position to help were excluded from Keldric’s mind, and finally, the candidates were narrowed down to three.

First, the owner of the only inn in Carlton village, “The Singing Nightingale,” Rotai.

Though it was more of a tavern than an inn, he was still one of Joseph’s frequent trading partners.

There were even occasions where he had been seen in private discussions with Joseph.

However, Rotai was a man who was blindly loyal to Baron Volpen and the Bellaf family.

When he had reduced the tax imposed on liquor, he had almost shown a fanaticism.

So Keldric didn’t think he would join Joseph’s plan to take down the Bellaf family.

Second, Otto, the miller.

Otto sold barley to Rotai, who had to brew beer, and traded ground grain with Joseph.

In some ways, he was the one who had the most active dealings with Joseph.

However, he didn’t think much of Joseph.

After the previous miller, Dietrich, had been punished for embezzling funds, Otto’s cautious nature had taken root.

He had successfully gained Otto’s trust through sheer avoidance of any mistakes.

Otto wasn’t the type to jump into danger for a merchant he didn’t even like.

That left only one person.

“Batiste?”

Keldric felt a slight spark of hope.

It was entirely possible that Joseph was taking refuge in the shed of Batiste, the charcoal burner, who often did trade with Joseph.

Batiste wasn’t someone loyal to the Bellaf family or the lord.

In fact, he had always grumbled about the high taxes imposed on charcoal.

“Damn it.”

With one thought, Keldric dashed toward the back of the village.

Following the road that led to the home of Batiste, Keldric finally reached the entrance to Batiste’s residence.

The sturdy, wooden door was tightly shut.

“It’s not the time to play games!”

Keldric shouted in a furious voice.

At the same moment, Keldric’s booted foot smashed into the door.

The door splintered, sending wood chips scattering around him.

As he stepped inside, the lingering warmth quickly struck him.

Keldric took a brief moment to adjust to the warm temperature before kicking off his boots.

He had long since learned that the snow piled up on his shoes would create a slippery path for himself.

Inside, Keldric’s eyes quickly scanned the vicinity.

“Batiste!”

There was no reply.

Keldric began his search around the house.

The kitchen was empty, and the fire had been extinguished.

He walked through the simple living room, where a few pieces of furniture were arranged, and checked the sleeping quarters.

But there was no sign of Batiste or Joseph.

“What? Where did they go?”

Keldric was puzzled.

The only place left was the shed, and he had no choice but to go there.

As he stepped outside, Keldric felt the cold air immediately wrap around him like a thick, damp blanket.

He took quick strides toward the shed and, not even bothering to knock, kicked it open.

“Where are you, Joseph?!”

He yelled.

Nothing.

As he scanned the dim interior, Keldric found the light of a flickering oil lamp and stepped deeper inside.

At that moment, Keldric spotted something strange.

In the corner of the shed, the wall appeared slightly caved in.

‘What is this?’

Keldric walked closer to investigate.

Suddenly, Keldric’s gaze caught sight of something inside.

The sight of dark boots hiding beneath the slumped-over body of a man clad in furs caught his eye.

It was unmistakably Joseph.

“Joseph!”

Keldric called out, rushing to his side.

“What’s the matter?”

Keldric shook him frantically.

The unconscious Joseph slowly stirred awake.

“Where is this place?”

Joseph’s disoriented gaze searched the surroundings.

“Why are you here?”

Keldric responded, his tone sharp.

“Ugh…”

Joseph groaned and slowly sat up.

Keldric helped him to his feet, and Joseph finally began to gather his wits.

However, as he struggled to stand up, he fell into Keldric’s arms.

“Joseph!”

Keldric’s voice grew even sharper.

“I-I’m fine!”

Joseph exclaimed, pushing Keldric away with both hands.

“You’re not fine!”

Keldric retorted.

He noticed the cut on Joseph’s forehead, as well as the bruises on his arms and legs.

It was evident he had been hiding here in fear for his life.

“Where have you been? What were you thinking?”

Keldric’s voice lowered to a harsh whisper.

“You’re lucky I found you in time!”

Joseph stared blankly for a moment before quickly glancing at Keldric.

Then he slumped down again as if the energy had drained out of him.

“Is it over?”

Keldric scoffed at Joseph’s question.

“What do you think? The cavalry is engaged in battle!”

“What?!”

Joseph stammered.

“It’s all over!”

Keldric felt his heart racing again.

“Do you have a plan? You have to come with me!”

But Joseph shook his head.

“No, no, no! It’s a bad idea! I need to hide!”

Joseph had lost all rationality.

Keldric grabbed him and lifted him up.

“Don’t be a fool. You need to come with me!”

“I-I can’t…”

“Damn it!”

Keldric bit his lip in frustration.

His instincts were screaming that staying here was a death wish.

The distant sound of clashing steel echoed faintly, causing a shiver to run down Keldric’s spine.

“They’ll find you here!”

Joseph’s face twisted into a grimace as he hesitated.

“Do you want to die?”

“Think carefully!”

Keldric gripped Joseph’s shoulder tightly.

“Once the mercenaries arrive here, they will kill you! And I don’t want to die here either!”

Joseph looked shocked at Keldric’s words.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Shut up!”

Keldric cursed under his breath, throwing Joseph over his shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes.

“Now let’s go!”

“But I have to hide!”

“Enough already! You can hide later! Now we need to escape!”

At that moment, Keldric felt a tremor underfoot, and the two of them froze.

In the stillness, the sound of hooves approached from afar, growing louder.

Joseph’s face turned pale as he trembled violently.

“No… No way…”

“Damn!”

Keldric cursed again as he kicked open the shed door, clutching Joseph firmly.

He scanned the snow-covered path.

“Come on!”

Keldric urged, sprinting toward the tree line.

At that moment, a flickering light appeared at the edge of the village.

Keldric turned, holding his breath.

“Hurry!”

The flickering light was already approaching at an alarming speed.

Keldric immediately ducked behind a tree, pulling Joseph down with him.

The light approached, and the sound of hooves grew louder.

Keldric felt the tension build within him, and Joseph’s breath hitched beside him.

But they were still hidden, waiting for the horses to pass.

“Who’s there?”

The voice belonged to a mercenary.

Their guttural, coarse tone sent shivers down Keldric’s spine.

The figure holding the torch illuminated the area, revealing a group of three men on horseback.

“Could he be hiding here?”

Keldric clenched his fists tightly.

In that instant, the head of the group turned toward the shed.

“I saw something!”

The mercenary urged the others forward.

“Let’s check!”

“No! We have to go!”

Keldric growled, turning his body sideways to shield Joseph, who was shivering uncontrollably.

“Damn it! You have to be quiet!”

Joseph nodded fervently, but his eyes reflected pure fear.

As the mercenaries advanced toward the shed, Keldric felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.

“Move!”

Keldric whispered urgently.

Keldric had no choice but to move.

He dashed toward the thick trees, putting Joseph on his back again.

The trees surrounded them, offering shelter against the rising mercenaries.

The wind whistled through the branches as Keldric darted deeper into the forest.

But even though they had escaped the immediate danger, Keldric couldn’t shake the feeling of being hunted.

He was desperate, and Joseph’s weight began to tire him.

“I can walk!”

Joseph panted from behind.

“No, it’s dangerous!”

Keldric snapped, focusing on the path ahead.

“Damn it, just hold on!”

As they continued their escape, Keldric cursed the situation and Joseph for putting him in this predicament.

If Joseph hadn’t been so careless, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Where the hell are we going?”

“Anywhere but here!”

Keldric shouted, pushing through the underbrush.

“Just keep quiet! For your own sake!”

But Joseph’s breath came faster, and Keldric could feel the man’s pulse racing against his back.

“Just hang on!”

Keldric gritted his teeth, pushing himself to run faster.

The dark forest surrounded them as the wind howled above, shoving them deeper into the unknown.

There were no clear paths, only the instinct to evade.

And in the heart of that turmoil, Keldric refused to look back.

The two characters mentioned earlier were either loyal to the Bellaf family or had a bad relationship with Joseph.

And since Batiste, who did not fit either description, was managing a few barns storing charcoal, Keldric felt a sense of unease.

In the cold northern village, charcoal was essential for survival, and naturally, it required special attention from the family.

However, managing two large barns alone, Batiste had overlooked some aspects, leading to several complaints about the storage conditions of the charcoal.

Still, it was unlikely that the perceptive Batiste would hide Joseph, and if Joseph wasn’t visible anywhere in the village…

Keldric turned his steps back toward Batiste’s house.

The commotion coming from the lord’s manor had quieted down a bit, and a few villagers peeked out cautiously.

As they surveyed the situation outside, they quickly shut the door when their eyes met Keldric’s.

Covered in blood and carrying a sword that had just cut down a man, Keldric looked like a robber knight.

While heading toward Batiste’s house, Keldric heard the sound of galloping horses approaching from the direction of the manor.

‘Could it be the guy who escaped earlier?’

With a hopeful thought, Keldric squinted at the source of the noise.

However, the rider turned out to be the stable master from the manor.

“Maurice, Peter! Get up right now!”

He was wandering around to wake up Maurice and Peter, soldiers of the Bellaf family.

It seemed to be an order from Hilmor.

After watching Maurice and Peter being dragged out of bed in a daze, Keldric continued on his way.

Batiste’s house was close to the edge of the village.

Keldric, who often exercised around there, knew the place well.

Knock! Knock!

“Batiste! Are you awake?”

Keldric knocked on Batiste’s door, but there was no response.

Removing his helmet, Keldric knocked again.

“Batiste, it’s me, Keldric. Are you home?”

As soon as he revealed his name, the door rattled open.

On the other side of the opened door stood Batiste, looking awkwardly at Keldric.

He didn’t appear to be groggy.

He had clearly been awake for some time.

Keldric’s expression turned slightly sour as he realized this.

“You were awake this whole time! Why didn’t you respond?”

“Oh, well… I’m sorry. I thought something huge was happening at the manor, and I was too scared…”

“It’s not that serious, so don’t be too flustered. It’s just a small accident.”

Keldric chose his words carefully.

He thought it would be better to keep the villagers from being alarmed about the situation for now.

After glancing over Batiste, Keldric asked, “By the way, have you seen Joseph?”

“Joseph? The merchant?”

“Yeah. The one who comes around sometimes. He was here in our village just a few days ago. You know him well, right?”

“Yes! Of course, I know him!”

Batiste’s reaction seemed a bit suspicious, causing Keldric’s brows to furrow slightly.

“So, have you seen him? I know it’s a bit odd to be asking this at this hour, but…”

“Um…”

“If you’re worried about the reputation you’ve built trading with him, don’t be. You won’t need it anymore.”

“Gah…!”

The perceptive Batiste gasped.

The time that Joseph and Batiste had been trading together had surpassed five years.

The implication that he needn’t worry about that…

“Mormon Trading Company will definitely be involved in this. So, can you tell me where Joseph is?”

The fact that Joseph had done something serious enough to disregard complaints from the trading company indicated that something grave had occurred!

What had Joseph done?

Batiste’s mind swirled with questions, but it was clear that now was not the time to ask such things.

Keldric’s demeanor was anything but calm.

“Actually, just a little while ago, Joseph knocked on my door.”

“Oh? So, did you let him in?”

“Of course not! Even though we’ve been trading for over five years, how could I just open the door at this hour?”

“Then do you know where Joseph went after that?”

Batiste quietly pointed toward a certain spot.

Keldric followed the direction of Batiste’s finger.

There was a barn where charcoal was stored.

‘Of course.’

Keldric’s intuition was spot on at that moment.

“After he visited my house, I heard some loud noises coming from the barn.”

Hearing Batiste’s whisper, Keldric narrowed his eyes and looked closely at the barn.

It was dark, so he couldn’t see well, but something looked suspicious.

The wall was poorly covered with hay or something similar, and the wind mixed with the snow was slowly being sucked in through that spot.

There was a smell.

“Alright. Do you have the key?”

“Yes, I do. I-I’ll open it for you.”

“I can go alone. In fact, it would be better that way.”

“B-but, Keldric, this is something that someone like me should….”

“Batiste.”

Batiste’s words were abruptly cut off.

Keldric’s gaze as he looked at him was serious.

“You’re perceptive and always pay your taxes, but that doesn’t give you a reason to turn a blind eye to Joseph’s collusion to raise charcoal prices little by little.”

“Are you worried that if Joseph disappears, you won’t be able to exploit the prices anymore?”

“N-no….”

“If not, then it’s best for you to just keep your mouth shut and give me the key. Right?”

“…Yes. Here it is.”

Receiving the key from Batiste, Keldric immediately headed for the barn.

He put his helmet back on and pressed his body against the barn door, concentrating on the sounds coming from inside.

Amidst the other various noises, an artificial and irregular sound tickled Keldric’s ears.

It was the sound of someone breathing.

Keldric quickly inserted the key into the barn door.

The door opened, and the distinctive smell of charcoal flooded his nostrils.

Amidst the half-formed piles of charcoal, one pile was subtly trembling.

As Keldric approached, he calmly spoke, “Joseph.”

The pile of charcoal twitched slightly.

“If I call your name one more time, you better be prepared.”

This time, it twitched a bit more. Keldric remained still, waiting.

As he counted mentally for about ten seconds, the charcoal pile finally collapsed, and something dark began to rise.

“K-Keldric.”

“Joseph.”

Joseph’s eyes, dimly illuminated by the torchlight, were damp with tears.

Keldric looked at him with a calm expression.

“Come here.”

“Once. Just know that there won’t be a second chance.”

Joseph emerged from the shadows like a pig led to the slaughter.

His entire body was covered in soot, making it hard to distinguish him in the darkness.

As Joseph came into view, Keldric’s large hand slowly rose to rest on his shoulder.

“I have a lot of questions I want to ask.”

“K-Keldric.”

“But at least now isn’t the right time.”

In a flash, Keldric’s fist, controlled to a suitable strength, slammed into Joseph’s solar plexus.

“Gah….”

Joseph’s mouth fell open wide as he drooled, his eyes bulging in shock as he collapsed.

Unable to breathe properly, Keldric effortlessly hoisted him up and exited the barn.

It was time to uncover the truth.