The Journey Is About to Begin

Ever since the eerie mists began to swirl around the Yoiz Forest, the presence of bandits in the area had all but vanished.

Anyone harboring ill intent, whether disguised as a pauper or hidden within a merchant caravan, would invariably lose their way within the boundless forest, with no hope of escape.

Through the harrowing accounts of those few who escaped, this obscure forest began to acquire a mysterious aura.

This sense of mystery intensified further when the Holy See dispatched a search party after a squad of Holy Knights disappeared, only for them to get lost as well.

In stark contrast, most of the mountain villages here had survived the ravages of the Black Death, and with the legendary spring waters said to ward off illness, caravans frequented the area with increasing regularity.

Consequently, the once impoverished villagers had gradually grown prosperous.

“Fanny, this is a gift for you~”

“Thank you, Sister Sally!”

The girl—no, Fanny, who had now blossomed into a young woman—accepted the small basket offered by the silver-haired doll.

Grinning, she swiftly darted inside.

Watching the girl’s eagerness, Sally chuckled softly, shaking her head, and followed her indoors.

Over the past five years, the old hunter’s body had grown increasingly frail.

The agile hands once hailed as the ‘divine marksman’ of the village could no longer even steady his beloved bow, forced to hang it on the wall, a silent companion to the mounted heads of his past hunts, both commemorating bygone days.

Carefully navigating the countless bottles and jars piled on the floor, Sally sighed inwardly.

‘This place has truly transformed from a hunter’s lodge into a general store…’

In contrast to her own unchanging form and the increasingly frail body of the man reclining in the rocking chair, she appeared taller and more vibrant.

Only when the doll drew near did the elite hunter, once capable of discerning movement within a hundred meters, startle and look up, recognizing the old friend standing before him.

“Adi… you’ve aged even more since our last meeting…”

“But Miss Sally, you haven’t changed at all… cough, cough.”

From his rocking chair, the old man gazed at the still-radiant doll with clouded eyes, his voice a wistful sigh, punctuated by a faint cough.

The sense of life nearing its decay, emanating from Adi, left the doll with a heavy feeling in her chest.

“What can I get for you this time, Miss Sally? Your old man here just got in a fresh batch of sugar! Perfect for baking bread or anything else!”

Observing his face, now even more aged under the dim, yellow light, Sally couldn’t help but show a trace of sorrow.

“Old hunter, your attempts to change the subject are still as clumsy as ever… but never mind that. Give me seven ounces of your finest sugar!”

“…Heh heh, quite the appetite you have. You can’t possibly eat all that yourself, can you?”

“Of course not. I have those gluttons back home… I don’t know why some little lazybones suddenly stopped wanting meat and fell in love with sweets instead… Sigh, there’s just no helping them.”

As she spoke, the doll feigned distress, tapping her brow, yet the smile playing on her lips was utterly irrepressible.

“…You certainly have a good disposition. Your old man here couldn’t afford to keep so many ‘little ones,’ hah… Fanny! Stop eating those donuts! Go quickly to the warehouse behind me and fetch two jars of refined white sugar!”

“Hmph, I know! I’m going now!”

The girl, annoyed at having her meal interrupted, retorted with a huff, yet she still stuffed the remaining half of her donut into her mouth before puffing out her cheeks and darting through the side door at the back of the house.

As the girl vanished from the house, a solemn expression settled in Sally’s eyes as she regarded the old hunter.

Then, looking down at his dim, clouded gaze, she spoke softly:

“You… you know, don’t you? About your lifespan…”

Adi, still in his rocking chair, drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

When he looked up again, his eyes were vacant, staring blankly at the ceiling above.

“Yes, your old man here has vaguely known that his time is almost up… But it’s nothing to fret over. My children now have stable lives, and even my youngest granddaughter, the one I worried about most, has found someone she likes… Haha, she won’t tell me, but does she really think I don’t know it’s the little miller’s son?”

A frequently laughing, slightly plump, sturdy figure sprang to the doll’s mind.

She stroked her smooth chin for a moment, then replied:

“That young man, Hamos? Hmm, their family’s soul aura is quite warm and gentle… they should all be good people. If little Fanny truly has feelings for him, it wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.”

“Heh heh, with your words, your old man here feels even more at ease…”

“Once you leave, the only one in this village I can truly talk to will be gone… The others who know me either fear me to death or respect me so much they won’t utter a single word. Sigh… time flows like water, indeed…”

Listening to the doll’s lament, the old man, who should have been saddened and troubled, instead smoothed the wrinkles on his face, which were like gnarled tree roots, and laughed with a sense of liberation.

“Your old man here has lived a full life, with no regrets. What’s more, I’ve made a friend like you. But Miss Sally, what are your plans for the future? More and more people are entering the mountains and forests these days… Is it truly alright for you to stay in the forest all the time?”

“What problem could there be? If I don’t wish for them to see me, they wouldn’t find a single strand of my hair, even if they searched until exhaustion! However… I have been contemplating venturing out myself recently. Staying here constantly does grow a bit tiresome. Besides, the plague outside has subsided, and the Holy See’s Eastern Crusade has ceased its conflicts. It’s truly a time of peace.”

Through the window of the house, the doll gazed absently at the deep, azure sky, striving not to notice the increasingly faint flicker of life within the old man.

“Then I wish you a pleasant journey!”

“Ha, thank you.”

“Grandpa! I’ve got them! Are these the right jars?”

The lighthearted voice of the young girl interjected into the somber conversation of the two aged companions, bringing with it a touch of freshness.

Yet, when old Adi turned his head and saw her bouncing steps, cold sweat broke out on his brow.

“Oh, my little Fanny, be careful! The white sugar in those two jars, if sold, could buy my entire house!”

“Grandpa, I know! But we have so many good things here for baking bread, so why can’t we make donuts that taste as good as Sister Sally’s?”

“My little Fanny, those are goods for sale! Do you want your poor old grandpa to starve?”

“…I knowwww~”

Hearing her grandpa’s feigned pitiful voice, the girl, utterly helpless, pouted.

Reluctantly, she placed the two small, delicate jars from her hands onto the table between the doll and the old hunter’s rocking chair, before turning back to earnestly tackle the donuts in the small basket.

Glancing at his granddaughter, now fully immersed in her world of sweets, Adi sighed and turned his gaze back to the exquisitely packaged small jars, saying:

“These two jars contain a total of three and a half ounces, truly the finest white sugar… Aren’t you going to check to make sure?”

“Ha, no need. How much… never mind, here! This is what you’re owed!”

Adi looked at the bulging money pouch the doll had handed him, placed on the table before him.

He chuckled, then put it away without counting the money.

“What? Not going to check?”

The doll repeated the same question, but her tone was unmistakably teasing.

“Haha, no need. Anyone else could cheat me on money, but never you.”

“Well, that’s true…”

The doll joined the hunter in laughter.

After all, how could a saint proficient in alchemy ever lack money?

Transmuting lead to gold? Recreating matter? These were but simple feats for her.

‘What a pair of weirdos…’

Hearing the two behind her suddenly burst into laughter, Fanny pouted before re-immersing herself in the wonderful sweets.

‘Sister Sally’s bread is so delicious… I absolutely must learn this skill when I get the chance. That way, that greedy fool won’t be able to escape my grasp! Heheheh~~’

A mysterious blush bloomed on Fanny’s cheeks.