Chapter 9

The winter in Cardia is cold.

While it is mild from spring to autumn, the temperature drops sharply in winter due to its location at the southern foot of the Black Mountains, the largest and highest mountain range in the northern part of the continent. In particular, the northeastern region is so cold that the rivers freeze over.

The Cardia territory, which is long from east to west, is generally divided into the southwestern and northeastern regions, with villages concentrated in the southwestern area, which is a gently rolling hilly region.

The northeastern region has many small lakes and rivers, and because their use has not been considered up to the present day, it remains largely untouched. In the past, people often went there to fish, but the people who were tied to the fields by the father's misrule gradually lost the leisure to go to the northeastern region, and it is now completely undeveloped.

It is unlikely that Earl Terezia will leave it as it is, and some measures will probably be taken soon, but it may be difficult to establish villages as settlements. In the northeastern region, which is closer to the mountain range, many animals come down from the mountains during the winter, making it a harsh environment for human habitation.

"As soon as winter came, Rassiwok became very energetic."

While walking Rassiwok as part of the daily routine, Camille smiled, pressing the hot tea bottle against his cheek.

Rassiwok seemed to enjoy sinking his feet into the snow and was playing on the snowy hillside, leaping and bounding. As a wolf dragon that feeds mainly on snow snakes, which do not hibernate during the winter, Rassiwok might be most active during this season.

The snow that fell yesterday and the day before was soft and powdery, making it very difficult to walk. The woolen cloak, which is a cold-weather garment, was also cumbersome. It was long enough to reach below the knees and, being heavy to begin with, became even heavier as the hem absorbed water from the snow.

It was good to watch Rassiwok, who seemed to be having fun, but the dark, cloud-covered landscape, the difficulty in moving, and especially the biting cold were tiring. Having experienced outdoor winter for the first time in his life, he had already decided that he did not like it.

With the wheat fields cut down, there was nothing to obstruct the view except for buildings, and the snow-covered hills, combined with the silence, created a desolate scene.

Frowning at the biting cold, he followed Rassiwok, but if Camille did not stop him from time to time, he might have strayed out of the direct jurisdiction. The lack of landmarks seemed to be throwing off his sense of distance.

"It's cold..."

"You have to let Rassiwok walk a bit more. When we get back to the mansion, Nathan will have boiled eggs and soup ready for us."

Camille, the son of a great merchant who could travel abroad, chided the complaint about the cold that he had blurted out. Camille was exceptionally good at calming people down, a skill that seemed to come from his merchant blood.

It was very regrettable that his father, the great merchant, had already passed away. Arcia, where information about foreign cultures was scarce, could have benefited from hearing stories about the various countries he had seen. It was inevitable to think that it would have been nice to hear those stories, but Camille, who was still young at the time, seemed to have forgotten most of the stories about the foreign lands he had visited. This was also a regrettable thing.

"Boiled eggs, what a luxury."

"This year, the village of Claria seems to have bought a few chickens from the Hensnadd territory. If they succeed in breeding them, I think we will be able to eat boiled eggs more often next year."

"I see."

Occasionally, Camille knew things that I did not.

As a dedicated guard and Rassiwok's handler, who was originally recommended by Earl Terezia to join the domain army, he must have had the trust of many people. It might also be because he had the perfect conversational skills for casual chats and gossip.

In the Yugfena region, boiled eggs are considered a lucky item and are always eaten, for example, at the evening banquet of the Descent Festival.

Unfortunately, in the current Cardia territory, the culture of raising livestock, which existed in the past, has almost disappeared due to the father's misrule. Until now, they had relied on imports from other territories, but the fact that they bought chickens this year suggests that efforts to restart livestock farming have begun. Perhaps next year, there will be attempts to catch fish from the lakes and rivers in the northeastern region. This means that the people of the domain have the leisure to look beyond growing wheat.

"Tsari? Why did you suddenly start praying?"

"I heard that new chickens were brought into the domain. It's not a strange thing, is it?"

"Well, no, but... Was Tsari that devout?"

Camille's questioning gaze was met with a shrug.

The prayer, which is usually offered to the gods, was in this case offered to Earl Terezia. As Camille said, I cannot be called a devout Ar-Ksha follower, as I do not believe in the existence of any gods.

I had only stopped for a few seconds to pray, but when I realized it, Rassiwok, who had been right in front of me, was rolling around a few meters ahead. I hurried over to him. Even if he strayed, Rassiwok, being intelligent, would return to the mansion at an appropriate time, but we would surely receive a lecture from Earl Terezia.

Rassiwok, who had been rolling around, suddenly stopped. He stuck his nose into the snow and sniffed around. He must have found something. After a while, Rassiwok turned his head towards me and Camille, who were looking at him in confusion, and roared a few times before furiously digging into the snow.

"What's going on?"

"He must have found something that could be food. When he used to hunt, he would dig the ground like that, and when we dug, we found earth dragons."

"Earth dragons!?"

Camille let out a surprised exclamation. That's right. Earth dragons are not like the moles, which are relatives of mice in the previous life, but a type of large lizard that lives in the ground. Their bodies are valuable as food, and their hides are used as materials for weapons and armor, making them quite expensive.

"Come to think of it, you were never there when it happened. Thanks to you, I missed two earth dragons."

"Missed them? What a waste!!"

"How was I supposed to catch a lizard bigger than myself? I couldn't even pierce it with a spear."

"That's true, but..."

While arguing, we reached where Rassiwok was digging furiously. I plunged my gloved hand into the snow without hesitation. Camille, looking at me, muttered, "A noble girl digging in the snow...," but it was too late to complain. Where in Arcia could one find a noble who had eaten spiders?

With two people and a wolf dragon digging, the work progressed quickly. After a few minutes, we could see the soil, and it took a few more minutes to dig up the frozen earth. The hard scales of the hibernating earth dragon were felt through the gloves.

"There it is."

We dug around to reveal the full size of the prey.

"Quite large... It must be about six feet long."

"Let's dig it up after we kill it."

Saying this, Camille drew the sword from his belt and accurately stabbed the center of the earth dragon's neck.

I looked up at Camille in amazement, forgetting about the earth dragon. Stabbing a sword into a specific spot is actually very difficult because the sword is heavy. If you move it slowly, the tip wavers, and if you move it quickly, the weight causes it to deviate from the intended path.

It was surprising to see Camille do it so casually. Even Gunther couldn't perform such a masterful technique.

"You stabbed it so well, I'm surprised."

Camille smiled, seemingly trying to hide his surprise at my gaze.