Chapter 147
The guard moved along the river.
Perhaps because it was a pleasantly breezy and warm day, even the Duchess unusually kept her carriage window open.
I was marching beside the Duchess' carriage.
Occasionally I felt piercing gazes. Though I couldn't tell if she was looking at the scenery, Bibi had her eyes fixed in my direction.
I turned my head to look at Bibi. When our eyes met, she suddenly seemed displeased, closing the window and drawing the curtains.
It was an extremely peaceful journey.
If anything concerned me, it was about the “Spirit Festival”, but seeing the untroubled faces of villagers we occasionally met, it didn't seem like there would be major problems. Though I should keep watching.
Following the path connecting villages, we reached the downstream of a river flowing into the main river.
There we saw women doing laundry and children practicing dance on pebbles.
They also spun around singing songs.
Even the knights, tired from the journey, seemed to find mental rest watching the peaceful scene.
Bibi stopped the carriage and showed interest.
"It's peaceful and beautiful, unlike what I heard."
Then she called her advisor and asked, "Is it tradition in this region to hang long strings like clotheslines on every tree and decorate them with flowers?"
"The Spirit Festival will be held soon, where they pray to the gods for a good harvest before the farming season begins. That's why everywhere we go, everyone is in a festive mood."
Just then, a group of young women playing by another stream saw Bibi's carriage and came splashing over.
They lowered their bodies and showed respect with awkward gestures. Then one woman stepped forward as a representative and spoke, "We heard an important person was passing through Barbisia. Though we don't know much about the Principality, we know the Duchess is an important person."
When young maidens approached, a warm breeze blew through the guard, composed mostly of men.
Gerald stepped forward and said, "Step back."
"Won't the Duchess and knights come to the Spirit Festival? It's Barbisia's tradition to welcome any guests from afar on the day of the Spirit Festival."
These maidens seemed less interested in the Duchess and more in the strong, sturdy knights. And they sent subtle signals to me too, twitching their eyes. Well, chances to find partners wouldn't come easily in such a remote land.
Gerald and Nielin cut in sharply, "Get back at once."
When these two responded coldly, the women looked disappointed.
"S-sorry."
They retreated with dejected faces.
And the knights also clicked their tongues as if regretful.
Watching this scene quietly, Bibi said to Gerald, "What do they do at the Spirit Festival?"
Gerald answered, "I'm not certain. However, I hear the scattered settlers of Barbisia gather to dance, share grain and alcohol, and slaughter livestock for a grand festival. Since they can't gather like this except during the dry season."
"Call them back. A brief rest wouldn't be bad during this tedious and difficult journey."
We slightly deviated from our original destination.
"To reach the Spirit Festival altar, you must cross the Puros River."
The river the village woman pointed to was embarrassingly small and shallow to be called a river, but with multiple carriages, we needed to find a bridge with sturdy supports. There was only one bridge crossing the Puros River.
Though we thought we'd have to travel to the distant bridge following their guidance, fortunately, we didn't need to take such a troublesome detour.
The mages lined up in a row, facing the gently flowing river.
As they chanted spells in unison, something blue began rising from the riverbed.
Six ice pillars grew at intervals, then began connecting in arch shapes.
In thirty minutes, an ice bridge strong enough to support carriages was created.
Even knights in the same guard breathed out amazed exclamations. It seemed this wasn't a common sight for them either.
I couldn't just marvel at it. I had many concerns about having to face mages.
We traveled two more hours past the river to reach the ritual grounds. Round stone pillars stood in a row like a fence, with a small pond in the center. Behind it stood a white stone pillar that could have been used in a palace. I heard it was a symbol called the Spirit Monument.
About two hundred settlers had gathered, busy preparing for the festival's eve. On one side, they gathered pigs and cattle, sharpening knives for slaughter, while on another, they sang folk songs and practiced for ceremonies.
Elsewhere, men and women exposed their upper bodies and breasts, painting patterns on each other's bodies with white clay.
The gazes of men naturally drifted there.
An old woman wearing a necklace of beast fangs and claws approached us, supporting herself with a staff decorated with skulls.
"Noble ones. Noble ones have come."
Then, with movements surprisingly dignified for her appearance, she paid respects to Bibi's carriage.
"Duchess Bibi has come to join the Spirit Festival! The gods will surely be pleased!"
The old woman suddenly turned and shouted to the workers.
"According to the principles of hospitality, quickly bring wine and meat to serve our noble guests!"
***
A mountain of flames rose from the woodpile at the altar, illuminating the evening. A grand feast unfolded around the flickering flames.
The guard soldiers maintained their distance from the feast, standing firm until they received the Duchess' permission, then gradually lowered their guard and began blending in.
Boisterous voices mixed with clinking cups.
Folk string instruments of unfamiliar form played lively rhythms. Soon young men and women gathered around the campfire and began folk dances.
Several knights danced hand in hand with village maidens.
Guard captain Nielin drank alone near the Duchess' tent.
Though it was an utterly peaceful scene, I couldn't relax at all. I knew the guard's journey wouldn't end peacefully. My dislike of alcohol and inability to enjoy festivals was secondary.
Bibi stayed in her tent, either wanting to let the soldiers enjoy themselves without worry, or simply tired.
As the night deepened, I rose from my seat. It was time for the Duchess' foot washing.
***
When I entered the tent carrying the water bucket, she stopped writing at her desk, sighed, and snapped irritably, "Why aren't you enjoying the feast?"
Her tone criticized me for not knowing how to have fun.
"This is my duty."
She shook her head as if giving up, threw off her long stockings one by one, and turned her chair with bare legs.
"Where did you draw the water? You must have had to go far."
"From the pond in the center of the ritual grounds."
"They seem to consider that water sacred, is it alright?"
"The villagers use that water for drinking, cooking, and bathing."
"..."
I placed the bucket before Bibi.
When Bibi tried to dip her feet first, I stopped her.
"Not yet."
I took out the holy water, sprinkled a few drops in the bucket, and stirred it with my hand. The Duchess could only use water mixed with holy water.
But something strange happened.
When mixed with holy water, the water suddenly turned black as if ink had been poured in.
"..."
"..."
We both stopped moving simultaneously, seeing the strange change in the bucket. Bibi asked as if wanting to confirm again.
"Are you playing a trick on me?"
"No."
Holy water didn't react to ordinary dirty water. Holy water only turned black when contaminated spiritually. Bibi seemed to know this too.
Bibi's expression turned serious as if she'd grasped the situation.
"You said you drew water from the pond?"
Yes. The same water these villagers drank and used for cooking without hesitation.
"That's right."
Just then, urgent footsteps approached our location. And Nielin burst into the tent without warning.
He spoke, panting, "Your Grace, you should come see this."
Bibi turned to the side simultaneously.
"What is it?"
"It's something you need to see personally."
Nielin's expression was also frozen in seriousness. Sensing something wasn't right, Bibi quickly put on her shoes and went outside.
The Duchess' guards had all gathered with weapons ready.
The festival atmosphere at the ritual grounds had subsided, and everyone stood solemnly surrounding one spot, perhaps preparing for the ceremony.
Soon the old woman with the staff moved toward the altar, leading a group of young men and women.
This was exactly like the scene I'd seen in the cave paintings when I was bait.
The young men and women were dragged out completely naked, their wrists bound with rope.
Placing them before the towering rock in the altar's center, she shouted, "Oh god who watches over the pitiful people in the land of death, thanks to your blessings our young children grow fat and the land bursts with vitality. We offer these sacrifices to pray for the next ten years."
Then other men came with jugs and began pouring their contents over the bound young people.
It was oil.
Those dragged out trembled and squeezed their eyes shut, seeming to sense their fate.
"What are you doing!" Bibi shouted angrily and stepped forward.
Armed soldiers followed behind her.
A path opened around her.
The old woman conducting the ritual raged.
"Though I know you're noble, this is our business. Moreover, if you interfere with the ritual, you'll pay a heavy price."
"The Principality's laws do not tolerate human sacrifice, and no god demands innocent humans as offerings."
"This is how we've maintained ourselves. Has the Principality ever looked after the withering people of Barbisia? While we were being torn apart by magic creatures and cooking dead children to eat, you were having parties in your palace. We simply survive in our own way."
"Whether burned as a sacrifice or torn apart by beasts. Either way, innocent people die in meaningless rituals."
The old woman shouted in a harsh metallic voice, "These children were raised from birth to become offerings. They know their destiny. If you interfere with the ritual, there will surely be consequences."
Bibi, filled with anger, shouted, "This Spirit Festival or whatever ends today. As long as my eyes are open, this ritual will never be performed again."
The knights raised their sword points in unison and entered the altar to pull out the oil-soaked young people.
The villagers' faces showed panic at their sacred ritual being interrupted. But the knights' force was overwhelming, so they could only shout and couldn't charge forward.
"Destroy this altar completely so it can never be used again! Fill that rotten water hole with dirt!"
Soon soldiers tied ropes to the white rock that symbolized the altar and pulled together.
Earth flew and the rock tilted forward and tumbled. The rock split into several pieces.
Some villagers even tried rushing at the knights but were easily stopped, being overwhelmed by force.
The ritual priestess, unable to move with knights' blades at her throat, shouted at Bibi.
It was a curse-filled with desperate cries.
"All who follow you will die miserably. Your white skin will become food for maggots and flies. Your position will become shackles choking your breath. You will always suffer from deficiency and hunger, and you will be alone, wandering the swamp until you rot and crumble. No one will take your side, and everyone will only wait for your end."
Nielin shouted, "Shut that mouth!"
"Haha! Kyahahahaha!"
The old woman spewed curses and burst into maniacal laughter. Then she raised her arms to the sky and prayed.
"Master of the swamp..."
Nielin's eyes bulged as he rushed forward and swung his sword at the woman.
The blade flashed once, and with her dry root-like hair flying, the old woman's head fell to the ground.
"Kyaaak!"
"P-Priestess!"
"The god's anger will fall upon us!"
The watching villagers let out terrible screams. They were completely gripped by fear.
Nielin approached the Duchess without wiping the blood, knelt, and said, "Give the order. I will execute anyone who commits blasphemy."
From a distance, Barbisia's residents glared at the guard with full anger. Thanks to Nielin's example, they couldn't approach carelessly.
Bibi shook her head.
"There's no need to see more blood."
I agreed. There was no need to provoke them further. Their hostility contained sticky hatred that couldn't be removed just by threatening with swords.
The priestess' fierce cursing cry also left a strong impact on observers.
The priestess' head rolling on the ground while smiling added to the ominousness.
The festival ended like that.
The vitality and life force filling Barbisia disappeared.
Something dropped on Bibi's shoulder.
Other soldiers also looked up at the sky, raising their palms.
And as if by a lie, raindrops began falling from the sky.
Surely, until just moments ago, the sky had been clear with twinkling stars.
And someone among the villagers muttered, "The god... the god is angry."
***
After this upheaval, the guard left that place without staying the night, almost like fleeing.
The surrounding air became heavy in an instant, and the rain grew heavier as time passed.
Gerald muttered to himself with wide eyes, "Surely the rainy season was a month away..."
And at the Puros River we faced again on our return journey, we met our first ominous sign.
A knight exclaimed in dismay, "This can't be."
The small river we had crossed had overflowed in the blink of an eye.
Dark sky. Rain blocking visibility. Muddy water gushing like a horizontal waterfall. It was as if some world-changing cataclysm had occurred, the place we had passed through had become a different world.
The guard silently watched the swollen river as if appreciating a scene in a painting. As if still not sensing their fate.
The mages chanted spells several times to create an ice bridge, but the ice pillars collapsed in the current before they could even be erected.
It didn't end there.
And soldiers who had been fine until just moments ago suddenly clutched their stomachs, complaining of pain.
"M-my body feels strange...!"
"My stomach, my stomach!"
"Urgh!"
They bent over holding their stomachs and soon began vomiting one after another.
What came from their mouths wasn't digestive fluid mixed with meat and alcohol.
It was an unknown black liquid like ink.
In that hell-like scene reminiscent of a plague village, the only ones unaffected were…
Those who hadn’t enjoyed the festival: Bibi and me.
Solely us two.