Chapter 63
Even after several days of travel, everyone’s steps were surprisingly light.
As we reached the top of a gentle hill, the deep forest that had blocked our view fell away to either side as if it had never been there, revealing a dazzling sight below.
A massive stone arch bridge spanned the silver-bright Dinuvria River like the backbone of some great creature.
“If we board a boat in that city, it’ll take us straight to Albusvolt.”
“A boat, huh? It’ll be my first time. Just not having to walk there on my own sounds like heaven!”
Lyle started down the slope with a spring in his step.
Once we had crossed the stone bridge, a bustle far more intense than anything in Milheim greeted us.
The soaring spires of a grand cathedral reflected the afternoon sun, casting long shadows over the entire city.
On the cobbled streets, merchants from the south, pilgrims bearing heavy loads, and even armed adventurers jostled shoulders as they passed.
From a sausage shop facing the plaza, savory smoke from the charcoal grill rose without pause, mingling with the clamor of the crowd.
“Whoa...”
Lyle stood there in a daze, swallowing the rest of his words.
“If we get lost here, we’ll never find each other again. Lyle, you’ve got your mouth hanging open. You’ll get dust in it.”
Elena murmured, gripping the straps of her pack tightly as she warily scanned our surroundings.
Kai stood silently behind Lyle, who was on the verge of being swept away by the crowd, quite literally acting as his “shield.”
“...As you’d expect from the heart of the realm’s transportation network. It feels as though the whole world has been condensed into one place.”
Under our feet lay cobblestones polished smooth by countless travelers’ soles.
Looking up, the cathedral’s sharp spires soared into the sky, seeming to cut through the blue.
We let the current of people carry us deeper into the city.
Lyle peered curiously at the foreign stalls lined up along the street, while Elena kept glancing around at the surrounding buildings, looking uneasy.
The spires were so high they made her neck ache, and the sheer number of twisting alleys made her gaze wander.
“...Hey, Noah. Isn’t this city way too big? Everywhere I look, it’s people, people, people. I can’t even tell which way the river is.”
Every so often, she stopped to look back the way we’d come, as though desperately trying to commit every turn to memory.
“...For now, let’s follow the flow of people. With this many carts heading that way, there’s almost certainly a dock at the end of it.”
After leaving the plaza and passing through a narrow alley lined with towering stone buildings, the view suddenly opened up.
The Dinuvria River stretched out before us, with flat-bottomed boats packed tightly along its banks.
Projecting wooden cranes hoisted cargo with ponderous creaks. The boatmen’s shouts and the shrill voices of clerks counting the cargo rang in our ears as the wind carried them across the river.
Every boat in the line was a sturdy flat-bottomed vessel, without so much as a roof.
Timber bound downstream and barrels of salt were piled high, with travelers packed into the narrow gaps between them.
I headed for a small stone hut bearing the sign of the Boat Owners’ Association and booked places on a boat for the following day.
“...It’s settled. We’ve secured places on the first salt-carrying boat to leave at dawn tomorrow.”
When I returned from negotiating with the boat owner, the other three were sitting on a crate at the edge of the docks, out of the way of the surging crowds.
“All right, let’s find an inn for tonight. I’d love to sleep under a roof again for a change.”
We left the bustling docks behind and headed for a stone inn near the cathedral.
The room we were shown was simple, but the clean beds stuffed with freshly dried straw felt like the height of luxury.
As soon as he entered the room, Lyle flung himself onto a bed.
“Whoa, it’s so soft!”
He exclaimed, his voice bouncing, face still buried in the mattress.
“Hey, at least take off your boots.”
Elena frowned at him in exasperation.
Kai silently propped his tower shield by the doorway, then sat on the edge of a bed.
The next morning, while the city was still cloaked in deep fog and silence, we left the inn.
Moored at the docks was the same sturdy flat-bottomed boat we’d arranged to take the day before.
Barrels of salt, chilled by the morning air, were piled high. The narrow gaps between them would be our place.
“All aboard! Let’s go!”
With a sharp command, the boatman pushed off the stone quay with his pole, and the boat slowly pulled away from shore.
The gentle current of the Dinuvria caught our boat and began carrying us smoothly downstream.
The spires of Regenstein receded into the morning fog, while steep cliffs and dense forest closed in on either side.
“...It’s finally happening, Noah.”
Lyle leaned back against a gap between the barrels and tapped the bastard sword at his waist, as if checking that it was there.