Chapter 20
“What is it?”
“Hm?”
“What do you want from me?”
“First, a quiet place.”
I spoke softly as I glanced around.
If I revealed here that I was a noble, I’d probably be shaking in fear the entire way home.
Because Rogas hated nobles.
“You do realize what’ll happen if you’re lying right now?”
Calix thrust his clenched fist toward me.
His arm, bulging with veins, looked like it could send me to the afterlife with a single hit.
“Eek! Don’t be like that. Scary~”
I tried to act cute, but his handsome face contorted in disgust.
He really looked like he hated it.
Yikes.
Guess I should give up on acting cute with this guy.
Eventually, he spoke with the tavern owner, then effortlessly picked me up.
“…!”
What the—!
“To the second floor.”
“I can walk… Or did you just want an excuse to carry me?”
“You expect me to match my stride with your stubby little sausage legs?”
“…”
Sausage legs?! Really?
How insulting.
He wasn’t like this in the novel. Or so I thought.
‘No, he was always foul-mouthed, even back then.’
He had lived as a mercenary for years, after all.
Anyway, he carried me into a room and dropped me on the bed.
“Now, speak.”
“I’m actually the lord of Rogas, the Duke of Altard. I want you to be the duke in my place.”
So I told him the truth.
But before I could even finish, Calix grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
Then, with a pitying expression, he gently patted my shoulder.
“…Kid, mental illness isn’t something to be afraid of.”
“Huh?”
And then he tossed me out of the room.
“Go home and get some sleep.”
Click.
Just like that, the door shut. A true, classic rejection.
“…”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Waaah, Mister!!”
I couldn’t be kicked out like this!
I thought bringing up the fruit of Arpedis would surely pique his interest… but I was wrong.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘This can’t happen.’
If I failed to recruit him here, my entire plan would fall apart.
I wouldn’t be able to win the territory battle, or get revenge. I’d just keep getting pushed around and die of stress.
In the end, there was only one option.
“Misterrrrr!!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I flailed my arms like crazy, and finally, the door swung open.
“If you don’t stop—!”
“Mister!”
Afraid he’d slam the door again, I quickly clung to his leg, tearfully.
Maybe it was because my body was small now, but I couldn’t control my emotions properly.
I don’t know what my face looked like, but Calix’s expression softened, like he felt sorry for me.
“Kid, please… just stop…”
“One week!”
Point!
I held out my index finger.
Calix looked at me like I was some bizarre creature.
“Just stay here for one week. I’ll bring it. Then, you help me for a few years. Deal?”
“You know impersonating a noble is a serious crime, right? The city guard will—”
“You want to save your son, don’t you?”
I stared at him calmly as he made threats he didn’t mean.
“…”
“That’s why you kept getting scammed, right? If you think of it as getting scammed again, you don’t really lose anything.”
Calix looked dumbfounded, but didn’t argue. Because if I was telling the truth, great. If not, well—he’d expected as much.
Honestly, I’d planned to coax him into signing the contract first before bringing him along, but if he’s going to be this uncooperative, I’ve got no choice. I’ll give him the item first, then get that signature!
“One week.”
“…I don’t know anymore. Do whatever you want. I’m staying here for a while anyway.”
“Okay, I’ll be back!”
I turned and strode out of the room, cold sweat dripping down my back.
But the moment I stepped out of the inn, I froze.
I may have marched out confidently, but…
‘How do I get there by myself?’
…I’m screwed.
A few days later.
Somewhere in the First Mountain of the Winter Mountain Range.
“Waaah!”
So cold!
So scary!
I’m going to freeze to death!
I was crawling—no, climbing—the snowy mountains, trembling as the wind howled around me.
…No, actually, I was crawling.
On all fours.
The snow was so frozen solid I couldn’t walk on two legs.
The day I got Calix’s permission,
I returned to the mansion and left a letter saying I’d be gone for ten days to find a new father.
I also emphasized that it was something super important and that no one should follow me. I wrote that a pretty lady in my dreams had warned me repeatedly.
‘I worked so hard to make my handwriting look all crooked like a kid’s.’
Anyway, that’s how I ended up here—in the Winter Mountains.
Deep in the mountains, beyond where even seasoned hunters dared to go.
A place infamous for being filled with magical beasts.
Where the blizzards are so intense, it’s hard to breathe.
‘I bought a bunch of fire magic stones and stuffed them inside my robe, but even that’s barely enough…’
The cold in the far-northern Winter Mountains wasn’t something to underestimate.
I couldn’t rest. I couldn’t sleep. I had to arrive today. Because—
‘Otherwise, I’ll freeze to death!’
These cheap fire stones were like one-way tickets—they weren’t built to last.
I wanted to buy better ones, but Rogas didn’t sell expensive ones because there was no demand.
Honestly, the cheap magic stones that cost next to nothing in the capital were much pricier here in Rogas.
I shivered violently.
I looked up to check how far I’d come, but I couldn’t see anything.
‘Of course. The blizzard’s too thick…’
I kept moving.
…No, kept crawling.
‘I never thought I’d appreciate having four limbs like a beast.’
Ugh.
‘I really should’ve brought someone with me.’
But I shook my head.
That wouldn’t be right.
This wasn’t something that should be discovered now. After all, the World Tree was supposed to be one-of-a-kind in the world.
This was meant for a future when the world was on the brink of ruin—so for now, only I could know.
I just hoped it still existed.
‘Please let it be there.’
But something felt off.
‘I came fully prepared to drive away magical beasts…’
And yet, I hadn’t seen a single one.
Grrr…
Growl…
I could hear growling from somewhere—but I saw nothing.
“…”
Suppressing my fear, I tightly gripped my incense pouch and the specially-made firecrackers to ward off beasts, and kept climbing.
‘Was it here?’
I tried hard to recall.
No matter how much I’d read the novel, it was still a memory from 22 years ago. Things were fuzzy.
Jingle.
Jingle.
Suddenly, from within the swirling snowstorm, I heard a faint bell sound.
Oh! That’s the Bell Tree in the Winter Mountains!
‘I have to follow that sound.’
Eventually, the sound would vanish like a ghost. The moment it disappeared, I had to turn around and walk back.
And after a long while—
“Whoa!”
After slipping several times—
I saw the mountain peak in the distance!
As soon as it came into view, I veered off to the side and circled the peak diagonally.
“There…!”
Just as my body started to go numb from the cold, I finally found it!
A wide-open cave!
I darted inside. Just being out of the blizzard made me feel alive again.
The moment I entered, my body—which had felt numb—began to tremble all over.
I lit a small candle I’d brought and followed its faint light into the darkness. After about ten minutes, the air grew oddly warm, and a sweet scent filled my nose.
“…!”
At the end of the cave, light streamed in through an opening.
Of course, the cave only had one entrance, so this wasn’t an exit.
Finally…!
“I found it…!”
And what lay before me was—
A vast meadow.
A field bursting with spring flowers in full bloom.
Turning my head, I saw bees and butterflies fluttering over the lush green grass.
It was a completely different world from the snowstorm outside or the dark, cold cave I’d just crawled through—bright as if it were midday.
And standing tall at its center…
From its roots to the tips of its leaves, pure and immaculate—
The World Tree, Arpedis.
