Episode 105
— Excuse me, are you busy right now?

“…??”

Berrick just blinked repeatedly. That damn dog was panting and grinning up at him. Did that mutt just speak?

“Ha, no way. I must be losing it from boredom. Seriously, this is nuts. I’m about to burst, damn it.”

Berrick chuckled and ruffled his own hair. But when he heard the voice again, he snapped back to attention and turned around.

— Yes, I was speaking to you. If you don’t mind, could you spare a moment? Hmm, quite a distinctive-looking fellow.

The dog sat calmly, still looking up at Berrick.

‘Is this bastard calling me ugly?’

Berrick rolled his eyes and tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. But the whole area was covered in snow, and there were plenty of places to hide, making it difficult.

Tap!

The once-friendly dog noticed Berrick’s gaze shift strangely. It slowly backed away, then suddenly bolted. Reflexively, Berrick gave chase.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Well, you do make some noise. What are you?”

“Woof!”

Ian frowned as he pulled the carriage back, hearing the commotion. He had no idea what kind of trouble they were causing and couldn’t help. In the distance, the flash of wild red hair stood out sharply.

“Berrick!”

“Ian! Catch that damn dog!”

“Why catch a dog?”

“This mutt here? It talks. But it’s got a real attitude!”

Running around causing a ruckus, they looked worse than the dog itself. Ian frowned at Romandro and the others, signaling to ignore the nonsense.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“Let him be. He’s probably just full of energy.”

Romandro chuckled, defending Ian. While Berrick played tag with the dog, the others turned the carriage around and finished preparing to depart.

“Ian, since we’re stopped anyway, can we finish checking the wheels? The snow’s slipperier than expected.”

“The horses could use a bit more rest, too.”

Ian checked his watch and nodded. Even with winter shortening the daylight, they had enough time. They could turn back a little and still reach Karenna by evening.

“Alright. It’s not far now.”

“By the way, do you really think that’s a bandit hideout? It’s awfully close to Karenna. It’s so obvious, the guards wouldn’t just ignore it.”

The coachman, lighting his pipe, glanced toward the village and asked. He had a point, but Ian wasn’t about to change plans just to avoid the worst-case scenario.

“That’s something Karenna’s people will have to figure out.”

“Got it! That damn mutt!”

Squeeeak.

At that moment, Berrick shouted, holding a white lump in one hand.

“Ian, look! This mutt really talks!”

The group resting nearby paid no attention, and neither did Ian—until Berrick shoved the dog right in front of him.

The dog looked at Ian with frightened eyes.

“Berrick, speak sense.”

“Why? Magic and all that might be believable, but a talking dog? No way. I swear! It even asked me if I had time.”

Hmm. Hearing him so firmly, it didn’t sound like a joke. Either he was hallucinating or this was for real…

“Speak, then.”

Squeeeak.

Ian locked eyes seriously with the dog and muttered. Romandro, watching nearby, couldn’t hold back a laugh. With Berrick acting like this and Ian too, it was quite a spectacle.

“Sorry. Ahem. Hey, you there. Um, mind if I have a smoke too?”

Ian looked over as Romandro dodged the question and ran off toward the others. The dog wagged its tail lightly, panting.

“Don’t waste your energy. Just let it go.”

“I’m telling you, it’s for real. This guy’s hilarious. I almost wanted to eat it.”

Berrick muttered in disbelief, and the dog looked shocked. The moment Ian noticed, the dog bit Berrick’s hand.

Snap!

“Ugh!”

Pat-pat-pat!

The dog sprinted up the hill with all its might. Berrick crouched, swallowing the pain, while Ian calmly followed the dog’s retreating figure with his eyes.

— Insolent creatures! You’ve mistaken my people! I thought you were like those with divine power! Hmph, spit, spit!

“See? That mutt’s talking!”

Ian’s mouth dropped open in surprise. The little dog barking so proudly was oddly endearing. Romandro and the others glanced over at the noise, but by then the dog had vanished.

“What was that? Did that dog really talk?”

“Ha ha! Romandro, you’re quite the joker.”

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

“Let’s hurry and get some rest.”

As everyone busied themselves preparing to leave, Ian and Berrick exchanged puzzled looks.

“What the hell just happened?”

“How would I know? You got bit pretty good, damn it.”

“Well, that’s unsettling.”

Is it some kind of non-human? Or a divine beast?

But it seemed too insignificant for that.

If it was neither, maybe a monster—but finding monsters in Bariel’s interior these days was rare.

“Can’t say for sure.”

Just as Ian was about to climb into the carriage, he sensed something behind him and looked back up the hill. Berrick dusted his hands off and followed Ian’s gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Feels like someone’s there. Don’t you sense it?”

“That damn mutt hasn’t left yet, has it!?”

“Enough. Get in. The wind’s picking up.”

Ian pushed Berrick toward the carriage. As the procession turned back the way they came, Ian stayed alert. Romandro noticed and asked with concern.

“What’s wrong? Feeling unwell?”

“No, just tense. This area’s known for bandit activity.”

Screech!

Clatter-clatter!

The long line of carriages slowly disappeared. Hidden black figures in the forest followed the shadows cast by the carriages.

---

As the coachman said, Ian arrived in Karenna near sunset. A quiet, unremarkable small town. Residents finishing their day paused to watch Ian’s caravan.

“If this were Bratz, some gang would’ve raided us by now. It’s peaceful here.”

“Being close to the interior means no worries about foreign invasions. Bandits wouldn’t dare bring a carriage in here.”

Romandro clicked his tongue, glancing at Berrick’s bitten hand.

“Is that hand okay?”

“The back of my hand? It’s nothing.”

“Then why grab a passing dog like that?”

“That wasn’t just any dog—it talked!”

Berrick had a point. No matter how you looked at it, it was absurd. Seeing a beast speak was one thing, but the contrast between its soft appearance and rough voice was shocking.

“Could it be some kind of spell?”

“Maybe, but a small town like this probably doesn’t have a sorcerer…”

Or maybe it does.

Ian, a magic user stationed on the front lines against border tribes, knew sorcerers weren’t impossible.

Squeak!

“We’ve arrived, Ian.”

“Good work, everyone. Unload and get some rest.”

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Are you staying at the inn tonight?”

“Are you the owner? We have quite a few carriages and a lot of luggage.”

“Welcome! Just a moment!”

A woman sweeping outside the inn hurried inside and returned with staff.

“The horses are sensitive; we’d prefer to keep them separate.”

“Luckily, no guests right now, so we can accommodate you. Please come this way.”

While the men took care of the horses and carriages, Ian went inside to fill out the guestbook. The pages were clean, suggesting it hadn’t been used for days.

“Winter’s slow for business, huh?”

“Yes, that’s right. Honestly, even in good weather, business isn’t great. There’s nothing special to see or eat here. Travelers like you were the occasional guests, but rumors of bandits have stopped even that. Just one night?”

“Yes.”

The innkeeper gave a wry smile as she checked the book. With twenty horses, ten carriages, and a dozen or so people, plus all their luggage…

“Meals and bath included, that’ll be one gold coin.”

It felt a bit pricey, but this was the only place that could accommodate the whole group together. Otherwise, they’d have to split up, which was more trouble than it was worth.

And since they were staying, it made sense to get the best treatment.

Clink.

Ian readily handed over two gold coins. The innkeeper’s face brightened, and she bowed deeply in thanks.

“Oh! We’ll do our very best to serve you!”

“It’s cold—make sure to keep the fire going strong.”

“Of course! Shall I start heating the bath water right away?”

“That would be great.”

“I’m hungry! Food! Food!”

“Yes, yes. Just a moment, and we’ll have it ready. Please come this way. By the way, there are only two rooms with attached bathrooms. How would you like to arrange that?”

As Ian climbed the stairs, he glanced back at Romandro and nodded in response to his master’s words.

“I’ll share the room with Berrick. Romandro, please rest comfortably.”

“Oh, is that alright? Thank you.”

“Don’t I get a say? I kind of wanted to have the room to myself.”

“Is that so? Well, the stable’s empty if you want to go there.”

“…”

“This way! Watch your step on the stairs!”

Creak.

The room was old but tidy. The air was thick with the scent of dry firewood and cheap soap, and the lighting was dim, half the bulbs burnt out. Yet, it felt cozy and warm, and above all, the very presence of a bed was a blessing. After all, hadn’t they all been sleeping on cold, snowy ground for the past few days?

“Alright!”

Berrick jumped onto the bed, rolling around with a grin. After they roughly unpacked their things, the innkeeper quickly brought over some snacks.

“If you don’t mind, please have a little something before your meal to ease your hunger.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Honestly, we were worried we’d be twiddling our thumbs this month.”

Ian took the tray and asked, “Has Haiman stopped operating?”

“You mean the bank?”

“Yes. I heard they’ve shut down branches in Karenna, Longin, and Zailkuf. I wasn’t sure if that was still the case.”

“They closed them all for a while, but now only the Longin branch is open on a limited schedule. People from here and Zailkuf have to go there for their business. It’s closer, and besides, the bandits haven’t been cleared out yet.”

“Still?”

What exactly were the guards doing? Even if it was a small town, three areas had been hit. Wiping them out completely should have been a priority.

“On the way here, I saw a village that wasn’t on the map. We thought it might be a bandit hideout.”

The innkeeper hesitated at Ian’s words, as if recalling something long forgotten.

“Oh, you mean Danil.”

“Danil?”

“Yes. It probably isn’t on recent maps. A few years ago, the entire village was wiped out. It was abandoned after that. Since demolishing it would be a hassle, they just left it as is.”

Since the maps were made for travelers, there was no reason to mark a deserted village. Ian frowned and sighed.

“The whole village wiped out? How did that happen?”

“No one knows the exact cause, but they were found lying dead as if they’d all fallen asleep together. It was a terrible mess. People from nearby villages had to go and drag out the bodies. An investigator from the royal palace came by, and, well… I think they said it was mass food poisoning?”

Berrick, who had been lying back on the bed, lifted his head at that.

“…Does that even make sense?”

“If it came from the palace, it must be true. The Ministry of Magic sent someone, so the investigation was thorough.”