Chapter 42: Sea of Swamps
Sue, awkwardly looking around the outskirts of the village, entered a shopping district located on a narrow alleyway. Unlike the bustling streets of the capital, Emnon’s shopping district was so deserted it felt awkward to even call it a “district.”
There were clothing stores, restaurants, and everything you’d expect in a shopping area, but they all looked shabby and run-down. ‘Sue’ had no memories of walking through such a grimy street. It was both refreshing and oddly familiar.
“Hey, Miss! Take a look at this!”
Suddenly, the owner of a general store called out to Sue, who was walking down the street. He pointed at the various items displayed in front of his store and spoke enthusiastically.
“You look like you’re from a good family, right?”
“…No, I’m not.”
Sue missed the timing to answer, startled. She shook her head, and the skinny man chuckled as if he knew better.
“Haha, alright, alright. Sometimes young masters and ladies come here for a visit. So spend some money while you’re here. No pressure, though.”
Was it that obvious, even though I’m wearing plain clothes and a robe? Or maybe this owner just had a good eye.
She didn’t sense any malice from the cheerful shopkeeper. There was nothing she particularly wanted to buy, but she decided to humor him and glanced at the items on display.
‘Even a child could make something better than this…’
The shelves were crammed with crafts and accessories, but they were all poorly made and crude. The only thing that caught her eye was a shell-shaped object. She wondered what it was, assuming it was just a decoration.
“What’s this?”
“Haha, you’ve got a good eye! It’s a music box, a music box!”
“A music box?”
“It’s a magic craft made from a large shell. You might have seen them before, Miss, but they’re rare around here. Try putting your ear to the hole.”
Sue followed the shopkeeper’s instructions and put her ear to the hole in the shell. A clear, melodious voice began to sing. The beautiful voice seemed to calm her mind.
“They say it’s a music box that contains the song of a mermaid. Of course, that’s impossible. Hahaha! It’s something you can only find in a seaside town. Why don’t you buy it? You won’t regret it!”
Sue couldn’t help but chuckle and nod at the shopkeeper’s overly honest sales pitch. It would make a nice souvenir.
Sue continued to explore the shopping district. She bought some ready-made clothes at a clothing store, a freshly baked baguette at a bakery, and even had a free fruit juice at a fruit stand. Everyone was friendly, and she enjoyed walking around the quiet street alone.
The last place she visited was an old, dusty bookstore. She opened the door, hoping, against all odds, to find a book about breaking the two snakes’ curse.
The bookstore was cramped. Bookshelves were lined up, barely leaving enough space for a person to walk through, and the shelves were sparsely filled with books. The smell of mildew was overwhelming.
The owner of the bookstore, a woman, didn’t pay any attention to Sue. She was chatting with a middle-aged man who seemed to be a regular customer. Sue didn’t mind and browsed the remaining books on the shelves. Unfortunately, all the books she picked up were just ordinary novels. She flipped through a few more books, but nothing caught her eye.
As Sue, quickly losing interest, was about to leave, the owner called out to her from the counter.
“Oh my, where are you from, Miss?”
“Yes?”
The owner and the regular customer had been observing her with interest.
“Don’t be scared. We’ve never seen you before. And you seem to have a noble air about you?”
“A noble air…?”
“Are you the Baron’s daughter?”
The middle-aged man asked, and the owner immediately shook her head.
“Oh my, that young lady got married and moved away a long time ago.”
“Haha, then are you from one of the castles around here? Or could you be… a Skia?”
“Look at you, going too far! A Skia?!”
The owner exclaimed, hitting the man’s shoulder playfully.
“Hahaha! I was just kidding, just kidding.”
The man chuckled, rubbing his shoulder as if it didn’t hurt.
“There’s no way a Skia would come to a rural place like this. They’re the highest of the high.”
Well, one of them is here.
Sue hadn’t said a word, but the owner and the middle-aged man seemed convinced that she was from a high-ranking family and started chattering about her identity. Then, the owner suddenly clapped her hands.
“Could you be the daughter of one of the knights? They’re here for the inspection, right?”
The owner looked even more excited as she came up with a plausible theory.
The inspection she was referring to was probably the barrier inspection. Emnon was a town next to the Wastelands, so the knights would be patrolling the area.
But unfortunately, Sue, who wasn’t the daughter of a knight, could only smile wryly.
“Haha… I’m just the daughter of a merchant from a distant province. My father is having a meeting with a guild in this area, so I came along.”
The even more unfortunate truth was that she wasn’t even the daughter of a merchant.
The owner clicked her tongue, slightly disappointed.
“Is that so? You seemed more refined than the daughter of an ordinary merchant.”
Refined.
It was a word she rarely heard in the capital, but she had heard it quite a few times today.
“If you were really a noble lady, we would have been arrested for disrespect. It’s a good thing you’re not.”
The middle-aged man chuckled. They quickly lost interest in Sue. They started talking about something else, like when the Baron’s daughter had gotten married.
Sue, feeling awkward, watched them from a distance, then quietly left the bookstore, where laughter continued to ring out.
‘Is it that obvious?’
Sue touched her face cautiously.
To think I actually have a ‘noble air’ about me. No matter how much she was looked down upon in the capital, she was still a noble.
Sue hugged the bag containing her clothes and the paper bag with the baguette and headed down towards the village.
She reached the beach, where gentle waves were lapping at the shore, put down her belongings, and took off her hood. Her vision instantly widened, and the vast blue expanse of the sea unfolded before her like a painting.
Sue gazed at the sea of Atlantis, speechless. A warm breeze blew, carrying the scent of salt and the sound of crashing waves. She adjusted her hair, which was fluttering in the wind, and smiled with satisfaction.
I wanted to experience this kind of peace and tranquility.
As she walked along the sandy beach, she came across a small chapel at the end of the road that connected the beach to the village. What was strange was that the chapel wasn’t a dome-shaped building like the Grand Temple in the capital, but an ordinary church with a gothic roof. It was the first time she had seen a church-like building in Atlantis, and she felt both surprised and pleased.
She decided to offer a prayer and opened the door to the chapel.
Beyond the stained-glass windows, at the back of the chapel, stood a statue of the Creator God worshipped in Atlantis. The sunlight streaming in from behind created a halo effect.
“Have you come to pray?”
A priest in a white robe greeted her kindly. He knew instantly that she wasn’t from Emnon.
“You’re from outside, aren’t you? There aren’t many people who come to pray in a small village like this. But everyone is welcome, no matter where they’re from.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Sue smiled faintly at his benevolent voice. She stood before the statue, clasped her hands together, and offered a silent prayer. Then, she took out some silver coins and put them in the donation box.
“May the blessings of God be with you always.”
After praying, Sue crossed the road and headed towards the village. The village, located between the shopping district and the beach, was sparsely populated with small fields and houses. Villagers were working in the fields or chatting in small groups.
‘…If I go left here, there should be a bridge.’
Sue, sitting on a rock on the outskirts of the village, glanced at the path to her left. Unlike the other paths, which were somewhat maintained, this one was unkempt and dirty.
If she followed this path, she would come across a stone bridge. That bridge was the only path that connected Emnon to the Wastelands.
But even if she walked down that dirty path now, she wouldn’t be able to enter the Wastelands. There were strict requirements for entering the Wastelands. And unlike Halo, who had been exposed to the miasma since childhood, Sue, who had grown up in a completely protected environment, wouldn’t be able to last even an hour in the Wastelands. That was why Sue had been devoured by monsters the moment she was thrown into the Wastelands in the novel.
“Hey, sis.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, someone poked Sue’s arm.
“Sis, you got a minute?”
A young boy with a buzz cut stood beside her, his hands fidgeting nervously. Sue stared at him blankly.
“What is it?”
“Uh? Uh, I… No, that’s not it. Sis, can you help us out? If you have time?”
The boy, who had grabbed the hem of her robe, seemed desperate. Sue, being asked for help by a complete stranger in an unfamiliar place, was taken aback.
“Help you out? With what?”
But the boy just stammered, as if he didn’t know how to explain.
“It’s… Uh… Just follow me!”
“W-what?!”
The boy grabbed her arm and started running. Sue stumbled, barely regaining her balance. She pushed aside her confusion and ran after him.
After sprinting for what felt like an eternity, they arrived at an empty lot in the village.
“Ha… Ha…”
Sue, out of breath, dropped her belongings on the ground. As she was catching her breath, the boy patted her back.