Long Road, Fragments of the Past VI

Before dusk, Brando had obtained a map of the secret routes hunters used to enter the forest. This was thanks to the bald owner of the Carriage House promoting—or, more accurately, threatening—the matter with great enthusiasm. These hidden paths in the forest, known only to hunters, were secrets passed down through the generations by the hunters of each region. Unless it was for the safety of their families, they would almost never hand them over to outsiders.

Of course, Brando's identity as Count Tonigell and a Royal Knight had also played a major role. Ordinary people always had this subconscious understanding: a proper noble had no need for the little secrets they possessed.

On the contrary, when they heard that another knight from the royal court was actually going to rescue their relatives in person, they were deeply grateful. Some even volunteered to guide Brando's group, but Brando tactfully declined them all—not because he thought he knew the northern forest better than the locals, but because bringing along a burden for such a minor convenience simply wasn't worth it.

Time quickly drew close to sunset.

A red sun was slanting into the mountains along the western shore of Valenden Lake, and the glow of the setting sun dyed the entire world a hazy gold and crimson. In the dusk, a convoy consisting of only a single freight wagon was leaving Shallow Water Town through the north gate. Brando rode his warhorse at the very front, advancing along the crescent-shaped beach beside the lake. His shadow was stretched long by the slanting sunlight, as though it were a silhouette cast by the gloomy North Anlaser Forest ahead.

Brando raised his head and looked at the forest buried beneath the shadows of the mountains. Its dark canopy, resembling countless nails arranged upward