Lacius lightly tapped Jess on the nape of the neck.
“You shouldn’t do that. That’s rude.”
Hiinggg
“No.”
Hinggg.
Jess seemed to understand everything Lacius said.
It expressed its displeasure by stamping its front paws and eventually tilted its head toward me.
While stroking the bridge of Jess’ nose, I inquired.
“How old is Jess?”
“He turned ten this year. He’s an amazing fellow who has made contributions on the battlefield.”
“Battlefield…”
Come to think of it, Lacius rarely talked about the war.
For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t ask, so I stayed quiet, but I was curious.
How he lived on the battlefield. What it was like there.
How he won the victory over the desert clans and put an end to the conflict.
I had these questions stemming from my desire to know more about Lacius.
I didn’t want to be rude, so I didn’t say it out loud.
“Well, there was one night when we were ambushed. I was searching for the enemy stronghold with only fifty knights at the time, but they discovered us first.”
“Gasp, then?”
“We were outnumbered. We had to flee. I’ve never seen Jess run as fast as he did then”
Haha.
Lacius chuckled lightly.
Judging from his face, it must have been a pleasant memory. It seemed that no one had been hurt or killed that day.
I let out a sigh of relief for no reason, patting my chest.
“Hey, by the way, what’s it like in the desert?”
How many times would an ordinary person be able to visit a desert in their lifetime? I knew it was an endless expanse of sand, but I was simply curious about the desert here.
The land where Princess Ram Hertiti lives. The land where Lacius fought a war.
What kind of place was it?
“Well, it’s hard to expect nice weather like this there.”
“Is it very hot?”
“Extremely. But when night falls, the temperature can drop suddenly. It was difficult for the soldiers to adapt to the extreme hot and cold weather.”
“It must have been tough to fight in such conditions.”
“It didn’t bother me. Being a descendant of Schweiden, I wasn’t affected by the weather changes.”
The horses waggle their tails.
The sun was barely blinding here, but it must be completely different in the desert.
“Then where do the desert people live? Near an oasis?”
“Well, yes… but to be precise, the oasis moves around.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
In a place with scarce water, how can the oasis change its location? I didn’t quite understand, so I wrinkled the bridge of my nose.
Lacius smiled and tapped my nose with his index finger.
“Their first Lakurum carries everything.”
“Um, isn’t the first Lakurum the tribe leader and the strongest warrior?”
“Right. Everything in the clan depends on the first Lakurum. They can move the city to any location they want if they wish.”
“Oh, wait. So you’re saying they can pack up the entire city and move it?”
“It’s hard to believe, but that’s the truth.”
Wow. It’s truly fantastical.
I opened my eyes wide and looked at Lacius.
How he came to know such information was the meaning behind my gaze.
“At first, I didn’t know either. I was lucky enough to find out after we ambushed them and watched them for a while.”
“Wow… That’s really amazing. I guess it’s possible to decide which tribes live near each other in that vast desert.”
“That’s right. The same goes for the Lakurum festival that takes place every three years. People think that each tribe gathers in one place… but in reality, all the cities of the tribes gather at the agreed-upon location.”
That’s really fascinating. Of course, it’s only possible because of magic.
I became more curious about the land I had never been to.
I glanced up at the sun in the sky and asked Lacius another question.
“I’ve been reading myths, folktales, and history books lately. As I was reading them, I became curious about something.”
“About what?”
“I heard that the sword of the sun god chooses its owner, is that true?”
The pattern that was drawn on the back of his hand. The sword that seemed to come out of nowhere.
I recalled the day I saw the Sun God’s sword.
“Ah, right. The sword chooses its owner. The descendants of Schweiden have the opportunity to hold the sword when they turn fifteen. If you are recognized as the owner, the pattern of a sun chariot will appear on the back of your hand.”
“Wow, so when do they inherit it?”
“When the previous owner dies, or when the sword decides to leave on its own.”
“That’s amazing. In the latter case, does the sword move by itself?”
“Yes, it no longer responds even if called. Apollineus and the owner are connected by their souls, so they will know immediately if the sword leaves.”
“That must be a complicated and ethereal feeling.”
What was once mine is now passed on to my child.
Although they might not necessarily dislike it, it seemed like it would be a little disheartening.
“Maybe. If the previous owner dies early, the sword sometimes sleeps for a while before passing to the next successor.”
“The myth that God created it is definitely not a lie.”
I did want to see Lacius wielding Apollineus someday. But witnessing that would mean something terrible had happened. His sword-wielding image was best left to the imagination.
“How did the Sun God go back to the divine realm?”
I wonder how long it’s been since we’ve been riding slowly.
As I succumbed to the languor of the afternoon, I finally felt myself relaxing.
Besides, talking about mythology made me lose my sense of reality a bit.
It almost felt like I was immersed in that ancient civilization.
“I know that he returned to the divine realm because he was greatly disappointed in humans, but the book doesn’t mention the reason for his disappointment.”
I didn’t expect answers, it was simply like talking to myself.
Of course, myths and folktales are often vague, but I was curious about the specific reason.
Don’t just hit it off with a simple statement like “Humans have sinned”.
But then Lacius spoke slowly.
“It is said that the power of creation originally belonged only to the Sun God. However, humans deceived the eyes of the gods and obtained that power.”
“The power of creation? That wasn’t mentioned in the mythology books.”
“That’s what the Schweiden family teaches. They say that even though He waited, the power did not return. In extreme anger, the Sun God left this world, leaving only the light that illuminates it, and disappeared into the divine realm.”
“Then He must still be waiting for the power of creation to return.”
“Perhaps.”
A faint smile formed on Lacius’ lips.
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