kscans

1

Bard was at the Great Ova River again today. He wasn’t wearing his leather armour or his hat, and Stavros was by his side. The cold wind blew relentlessly, ruffling his long hair and beard. Bard thought about what had happened at Gwendell Castle.

“Why did I get so angry?”

He had never intended to kill Caldos. He had told himself that before boarding the ship. If he killed Caldos now, the hard-won peace would be destroyed. It would lead to a bloody war, and the people would suffer. Tercia would also suffer greatly from the ravages of the monsters.

As a result, Gwendell would lose much of its power, split apart, and eventually disappear. But the welfare of the people was more important than punishing Gwendell for his crimes.

It was better to keep Caldos as the lord of Gwendell, with Bard holding the leverage. Of course, if King Wendelland punished Gwendell, Bard had no objection. They had already made sure that Tercia wouldn’t be involved if Gwendell rebelled against the Parzam Kingdom.

Caldos had thought that King Wendelland was sentimental for trying to summon the child of Princess Idora and that his bloodline meant he couldn’t inherit the throne. But that was not the case.

King Wendelland was now forty-nine years old, and he had no children except for Julelan. It was necessary for the stability of the throne to have a successor, and in fact, the selection of the next king was a problem in the Council of Elders meeting. It was then that one of the elders said the following:

“Prince Wendelland has secretly married and has a twenty-eight-year-old son. Furthermore, this son has a fingerprint that looks exactly like the first king’s fingerprint.”

And he showed them the actual fingerprint. This gave the nomination of King Wendelland a huge boost. So, unofficially, Julelan was already considered a strong candidate for the throne by the Council of Elders.

It was not true that his mother was looked down upon because she was from the frontier. Surprisingly, it was said in the Parzam Kingdom that the role of guarding the Great Barrier was given by the first king to his closest friend. When the nobles heard that she was the princess of the Tercia family, who had been protecting the gap from the invasion of the monsters, they were impressed. It was also convenient that the Tercia family had no title, so they were considered the equivalent of a marquis.

The marriage of King Wendelland and Princess Idora was properly arranged when the Prince Wendelland consulted with a monk who had been his mentor and friend on his return from the frontier. Although the bride was absent, the oath ceremony took place, and three qualified persons signed as witnesses. The documents were formal and unambiguous. However, it was kept secret due to the political situation. Bard learned all of this from the priest who performed the marriage, Bali Toad. The priesthood was temporary, and he would be appointed as a confidential advisor when he returned to the country.

This would give Julelan a much higher status than Caldos had expected. It was unknown how stable it would be. The future would also change depending on the health and longevity of King Wendelland. But for now, all is well. Gwendell wouldn’t be able to do anything reckless.

After all, a great kingdom had been born in this land. There was no need to destroy it. Bard prayed that a good path would open up in the future.

2

So Bard didn’t have to worry about that. Instead, he wondered why he had felt so much anger.

Was it, after all, because of his love for Princess Idora? Were all of his actions motivated by personal revenge?

Bard thought and thought and finally came to this conclusion:

“There is also personal revenge mixed in. What he did to Princess Idora and the Tercia family should be punished. At the very least, the injustice must be righted. But it’s not just that. He couldn’t allow the powerless and innocent people to be trampled on by those who abuse their power. That’s why he was angry and fought against them.”

Otherwise, Princess Idora’s honor wouldn’t be protected. He could proudly tell her that he had kept his oath as her knight.

If it was just personal revenge, he could have killed Caldos. There would be no further revenge. He had spared him for the sake of the people, for the peace of this land, and for the true wishes of the princess. It had to be done. Is that all right, Princess?

At that moment, he thought he heard Idora’s singing voice across the river. The song was “The Pilgrim Knight”, an old song that Bard had learned from a wandering knight and taught to Princess Idora.

“Ah, the princess must be pleased with what I’ve done,” Bard thought.

3

After a secret meeting with Priest Bali Toad at the lakeside villa, Bard wrote three letters and sent one to the priest and two to Jurchaga.

One was addressed to the King of Wendelland, explaining the situation from Bard’s perspective and enclosing a knife with a seal as proof.

The second was addressed to Julelan, explaining the situation and asking him to sign with all ten fingerprints and deliver it to Jurchaga.

The third was addressed to Count of Linz, requesting that Julelan’s fingerprints be delivered to the King Wendelland through the Marquis.

Jurchaga arrived at Count of Linz’s place a week after leaving Bard. He had Julelan’s letter with him. It was an amazing speed, considering he had to travel between Dorba and Pakula. It was incredible that he did so without using a horse.

After leaving Gwendell Castle, Bard finally came to Linz in the end to return the horse to Count of Linz. He didn’t stop by Pakula because he couldn’t decide what to do next. However, he had to inform the Tercia family of the situation. When he arrived in Linz, Jurchaga was there, so he asked him to deliver the message. At first he thought of writing a letter, but his right hand wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to. Jurchaga had an excellent memory and already knew most of the situation. He just wrote “Please ask this person for details” and told Jurchaga the rest verbally.

“Has Father Bali Toad already returned to the capital and reported to the king? A new reception will visit Julelan, and Julelan will meet King Wendelland. Those who wait for Julelan after that will not only seek honor and status. But Julelan will be fine,” Bard thought.

And then he thought, “What am I going to do now?”

The reason he left Pakula and went on a journey was no longer there. He could return to Pakula without any problems now. But he couldn’t.

Bard tried to put his right hand in his pocket and grimaced. Since he had been reckless at Gwendell Castle, his right shoulder had stiffened and hurt like a fetter. He still couldn’t lift it over his shoulder. Enduring the pain, he took out the letter from Idora and read it again. It was written on soy bamboo paper, which Idora preferred over smelly parchment.

“Dear Bard Rowen,

First of all, congratulations. You have finally stepped out into the wide world. In a strange turn of events, you have come to serve the Tercia family and with your courage have brought peace and love to the people of this land. No one is unaware of your bravery and nobility. But the real you is like a free bird that cannot be locked in a cage. Somewhere in your heart, you have always longed for the high and distant sky.

Do you remember that small table in that little garden? You, me, and Jules. You told us stories about the forest, the mountains, and the demonic beasts. Tales of many battles. And a little bit about strange foods. Battles and unfamiliar food were adventures for you. Your stories were always full of the joy of discovering something new. As I listened, I also participated in the adventure in my heart. Ah! It was really fun. Did we look like a family in that sunny (himawari) garden?

Now you are free. Spread your wings and go to the faraway world. From time to time, please write to me and tell me what unusual scenery you have seen and what delicious food you have eaten. There is no greater joy than that.

Please stay in good health forever.

With everlasting friendship,
Idora”

He can go back, but he doesn’t have to worry about the Tercia family anymore. He wonders what has happened.

Should he go forward? Or should he go back? Bard looked up at the sky. Washed by the cold wind, the sky is deep and clear everywhere. It’s as if Bard’s heart was reflected in it. The things that had been on his mind for years became clear, and the distortions were being corrected. He went on a rampage at the damned Gwendell Castle. His heart was clear and free like never before.

“Hmmm. I should go on a journey after all. Combining all of Pakula and Linz territories, it only accounts for a small part of the eastern continent’s frontier. The frontier is vast, and even the parts where people live are like tiny specks. Even in those tiny specks, there are areas that a person cannot walk through in a lifetime.

Let’s go on a journey. Yes, that’s it.

Besides, if I return to the Tercia family, I’ll be within Caldos’s reach. People fear what they cannot see. As long as he thinks I’m watching from somewhere, he won’t be able to do anything bad. Even if I die in the middle of the journey, if he doesn’t know about it, he’ll always be afraid of my eyes forever. My gratitude towards the Tercia family will never disappear, but it’s all right now. Though it’s embarrassing to say, I have served them faithfully for many years. Let me spend my remaining years free and unrestrained.

Yes, let’s go on a journey after all. Let’s go to places we’ve never been to and see things we’ve never seen before. Let’s eat rare and delicious food. I don’t think I have much time left, but I want to live freely, have fun on an interesting journey, and die as I please.”

With that decision in mind, Bard tore up the letter from Idora into small pieces and let the wind carry them away. The pieces of paper fluttered and danced over the great Ova before disappearing somewhere.

Although it cannot be seen from here, the sacred mountain of Fyuza towers far upstream of Ova. When a person dies, their soul gathers on Fyuza and, guided by the spirits of the gods, ascends to the Garden of the Gods.

“Perhaps the princess’s soul is also sitting in the wind that blows towards Fyusa.”

“Hmm, shall we head north? Towards Fyuza. It’s said to take a year to travel there, but it’s not a hurried journey. We can take our time and wander around, looking for rare sights and delicious food. When we get to Fyuza, if we are still alive, we can think about what to do next.” Stavros watched Bard with a happy expression as he imagined where his journey would take him. The old knight’s journey begins.

(End of Prologue “Departure”)