117 Déjà vu
***[Heroine Oscar]***
The first village that suffered snow damage was only a few dozen households.
It is said that an avalanche occurred on the side that touched the mountain and hit the village.
I had heard the explanation beforehand, but I didn’t think it was to this extent.
“oh my god.”
I muttered involuntarily at the sight I saw.
the village is white
The house was gone, and it was just a field of white snow.
Only part of the roof can be seen sparsely far from the mountain.
It would be impossible to gouge out the eye in this condition.
We have no choice but to wait until spring arrives and the snow melts.
“…”
Some of the exposed roofs had signs of being touched by humans.
Even now, dozens of people are clinging to a house that can be seen far away.
Some people were digging the snow near the roofs, and a few were breaking the exposed areas.
Around it and in some places in the snowy field covering the village, quite large planks are laid like stepping stones.
It looks like it was put on to keep it from falling into the snow.
In the far corner where the land was exposed, there were a few tents drooping.
There is a bonfire in front of the tent, and a long iron rod is placed across the fire.
Hot steam rose from the pot hanging on the iron rod.
A boy of about ten years old looked into a pot over a bonfire, and a younger boy sat next to him.
looks like a brother
The boy sat next to the boy and held his hand.
‘The child… the child survived even in the midst of this.’
I feel like crying for some reason.
The man who had been giving instructions by going back and forth on the planks came running after seeing the duke’s carriage and procession.
His hair and clothes are a mess, but he seems to be the official in charge of the site.
The official’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t slept for a while.
He hurriedly ran in front of me and bowed his head.
“Duke, welcome.”
“It’s a lot of work.”
I gazed at the village covered in snow.
The report I saw only said that the situation was being assessed.
This is because there is no follow-up report yet.
In this age of undeveloped communication, all news is slow.
I don’t know if it’s a major event related to the duke’s family.
Most of them have no choice but to find out on the spot.
“What happened to the people, the villagers?”
“Many of them survived. Not long before the avalanche occurred, there was a monster subjugation near here. At that time, the mountain keeper who was in charge of the guide warned people, so they continued to pay attention.”
The official shrugged a little.
“But the person close to the mountain said that the time to escape was too short… and they ran away and got caught in the snow. Maybe if they were at home. In that case, they’re already dead.”
If there are people in the house who somehow come to life, they cannot be saved.
There was so much snow near the mountain that I couldn’t even see where the house was, and even if I knew the location, I had no equipment or people to dig the snow down.
If it was Earth, I would have tried to find the corpse, but the death of commoners in this world is light.
You have to wait until the snow melts.
Can not help it.
Seeing my eyes turn to the roof breakers, the official continued.
“Still, there were a few people alive in the house far from the mountain. If there is space left in the house and it is covered in snow, there is hope, albeit small.”
“Yes, do it in the direction of saving people as much as possible. Money and some support will come out to live for a while. If there are people who want to relocate, that’s possible, so please take good care of people so they don’t lose hope.”
This is all I can do.
After watching the roof breakers for a while, he suddenly turned his gaze to the official, and his eyes widened.
The official quickly turned his head to hide his face and sniffed.
Then he turned his face to me again and bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you, Duke. Everyone will be delighted.”
It is rare for an official to cry in front of me like this.
I sighed and opened my mouth.
“Do you have any connections in this town?”
“… Yes, my parents live here.”
The official’s gaze turned to the foot of the mountain.
Looking at the wide open eyes, the official spoke softly.
“There was a house where I grew up under the snow.”
“…”
I looked in the same direction as the official for a while and then said softly.
“I’m sorry.”
As the ruler of the duchy, I take responsibility for all disasters and tragedies that happen to this territory.
The official opened his eyes wide, and after a moment he smiled.
“What are you talking about, Duke. You don’t know how grateful I am just for coming here in person.”
The official laughed with a dirty face as tears flowed.
“From what you just said, my parents must have the same expression as me.”
After saying that, the official added a little.
“Thank you. There will be no happier farewell than this on the way to my parents.”
“…”
I was guided to the tent by the official.
The young people who were watching me from afar hurriedly fell to the ground.
Seeing the adults, the children also prostrate themselves and put their foreheads on the ground.
“Everyone get up, the floor is cold.”
When I picked up the little kid, people looked up with their heads down, confused and at a loss.
A boy of about 10 years old opened his eyes wide, looked up and said softly.
“He… He peed in his pants a while ago.”
“this.”
Confused, I looked at the official commanding the scene.
The official panics and tries to hug the kid.
“No, bring the child’s clothes first. It’ll be a big deal if a child like this stays wet.”
As I said, I took off the child’s pants.
The child’s clothes were supposed to come off just by untying the waist strap.
I didn’t even wear underwear underneath.
I put the half-naked child under my coat and hugged him.
Like a baby kangaroo, the child slips into my arms.
He was a child so small that the word handful was appropriate.
“…”
The official looked at me with a blank expression.
Maybe it was because of an unexpected disaster that there were no children’s clothes.
I looked at the captain of the escort standing behind me.
“Get me something from the wagon to wrap the child in. I’ll use it as a lap cap.”
“All right.”
Watching the escort captain give instructions to a nearby soldier, he sits down near a bonfire.
The little boy started crying in my arms.
A dull cry echoed through the coat.
However, in this cold winter, it is impossible to take off the lower part of the jacket.
Besides, as I was undressing earlier, I found out that this kid was a girl.
I had no idea she had short hair and was dressed like a boy.
I think I inherited the clothes of the boy standing in front of me with a bewildered expression on his face.
The official shouted as if he had come to his senses belatedly.
“Duke! That, the child, that…”
The faces of the young people lying on their stomachs around them also turned blue.
It is understandable that the lord makes such a face since he is holding a child with urine on it, but this is not the first time.
This is what I experienced a lot when I first brought the magic bottle.
That’s why the escort captain didn’t say anything.
It seemed that he also remembered some of the magic soldiers who were a little away from him when he was young.
He was scratching his cheek with a slightly flushed face.
Among the young people lying down, a woman hurriedly stood up, ran into the tent, and came out again.
The woman was holding a pair of pants that looked too big for a girl to wear.
A woman came in front of me, stooped, and stammered.
“I’m sorry, lord. I’ll dress you up.”
“… Ueeeng… Mom…”
It seems that she was the mother of the child.
“Yes, it’s cold. Come closer to the fire and put it on.”
“Yes, yes.”
As the woman approached and knelt down, I unfolded my overcoat to keep the child out of the wind.
These people won’t mind, but it also means covering a girl’s naked bottom.
‘No matter how small she is, she’s a girl.’
I’m not saying that I took off my pants in front of everyone.
But it was irresistible.
In this world, it’s easy to die just from catching a cold.
The woman quickly put pants on the child and tied them with a string around her waist.
The hem of the pants is folded up several times.
They look too small for a boy to wear, so these pants must have been inherited.
A woman, fully dressed as a child, was prostrated on the floor.
“Sin, sin, sin, sorry. I’m busy with other things…”
That’s why I didn’t care about the child.
“It can’t be helped. It’s after such a big incident. You shouldn’t have been in a hurry, don’t worry about me.”
I got the woman up and saw the boy.
“I hope you’ll help my mother. Next time something like this happens, tell her right away or change your clothes. It’s a big deal if you catch a cold.”
The boy replied as if he was slightly dissatisfied.
“But he’s been in his pants twice already.”
“… ugh… ueee
The girl started crying again, as if she already knew the feeling of shame.
A few people giggle.
A smile barely came to my face.
In the meantime, the soldier brought my knee pads from the wagon.
Knee pads made of weasel fur are wrapped around the child’s shoulders.
From the beginning, it was like a cape tailored to a child’s body.
“pretty.”
When the boy opened his eyes, the girl stopped crying and laughed.
“… warm.”
I think I liked it.
However, unlike the delighted child, the woman’s face turned blue.
“Hey, that’s such a good thing. Oh, no, my lord.”
The woman shook her head.
“It’s okay, it’s the price for making the child cry.”
After saying that, I looked around at the faces of the villagers.
Sorrow and weariness were deeply imprinted on their faces.
“I know that you are living your life to the fullest. But for this child, for the sake of your children and future grandchildren, please give me a little more strength.”
The young people quietly bowed their heads.
I put my hand on the cloaked child’s head and opened my mouth again.
“I can’t promise that tragedies like this won’t happen in the future. It could happen again in the future. But I’ll do my best to prevent it from happening, so please believe in me and give me strength.”
The young people prostrated themselves on the floor.
“Lord.”
“I know.”
“… my lord.”
“I know that the lord is working harder for us than anyone else.”
“thank you.”
It seems that people’s voices have a little power.
After promising future support, I climbed back into the carriage.
In the future, I will meet a lot of people like this in this town.
Children who lost their parents, parents who lost their children, people whose houses, livestock and fields to live in were all destroyed.
My heart sank heavily.
If there is a god, why do they leave humans in such pain?
For some reason, I felt a little resentful.
***[Amulet making priest]***
For several days, they rode a wagon, walked again, and rode a wagon again.
‘Strange.’
I’ve been to the dukedom before.
But I’ve never been down the same path as I am now.
The reason he came before was because he had business at another temple, and the road to there wasn’t this long.
‘So it’s definitely the first time I’ve come.’
But why?
It feels like you’ve been there once.
Guided by such a feeling, he insisted on the inspector who was guiding him before he knew it.
This way, then that way, this time that way…
I choose a road in the same direction as if I had been there once.
That’s how we arrived at the mountainside, where we could see the mountain valley village.
Far away, I saw a village buried in snow.
The distance is so far that people are as small as ants.
The head priest opened his eyes wide.
There was a nobleman with silver hair near the tent where a bonfire was burning in the distance.
He picks up the child, takes off his pants, and puts him in his arms.
He was such a dirty child that he could see the filth even from a distance, but the silver-haired man didn’t hesitate for a second.
It’s really rare for nobles to act like that.
No, rather than rare, I’ve never seen it.
However, the reason why the priest was surprised was not because of that nobleman’s actions.
‘Boo, I’ve seen… I’ve seen… this scene…’
It is not an illusion.
It’s a look he’s never seen before, but he’s definitely encountered this scene before.
‘Behind this, obviously, that nobleman gave the child a fur-padded cover.’
The moment I thought so, the soldier brought the fur cover from memory.
The noble took it and put it over the child’s shoulder.
‘I saw it from a little closer distance before. It’s not this far away.’
But I don’t know how you know this scene.
While I was watching the nobleman leave, the inspector came up the mountain panting.
“Ha, let’s stop now. I even sent a message to the Duke saying I’m going, but it shouldn’t be too late. If I go round and round like this, when will I arrive… Ha… I’m going to die of pain…”
The inspector grumbled and stood beside him.
It was hard, so my back was half bent.
These days, all young people are like that, and their stamina is terrible.
The investigator caught his breath and suddenly turned his gaze to the people in the distance.
“Hmm? Eh! Eh? That’s the duke’s carriage!”
The startled investigator began to panic.
“If you join the other side now… Whoa… What can I do… You’ve already left. Gee, wait! Hey! Wait!”
The investigator pulled out the knife that was stuck in his waistband and tried to shine a light on it.
But the sky is overcast, and the Duke’s procession has already begun to leave.
No one was looking this way.
Even if there were one or two, they would have been difficult to see because of the trees and snow.
From this side, you can see them through the trees, but it is impossible to see them from the other side.
The distance was too far.
The head of the priest ignored the inspector’s foot stomping and looked at the carriage procession in silence.
‘What the hell does this mean?’
It is now certain that it was the will of the Goddess that she met this young investigator.
But what the hell does it mean to know a sight you’ve never seen?
Suddenly, feeling his heart beating violently, the priest placed his hand on his chest.
“…”
The head priest recalled the silver-haired aristocrat’s face from afar.
The face of the man who hadn’t been seen too far was drawn in front of my eyes as if I had seen it myself from up close.
Yes, I know this face for sure.
I’ve seen it at close range.
“…”
Unstable.
My heart was beating like it was talking to myself.
I have to do something.
I have to do something.
I have to do something.
‘But what…?’
Goddess, what do you want from me?
What should I do?
The head of the priest spoke to the unanswering goddess as if praying.