The road to the capital was generally in good condition. Due to the long period of peace the kingdom had decided to invest money into its infrastructure at the recommendation from one of the summoned heroes over the years. They had paved nearly all the roads out of the capital. In the halfway point between cities there was typically a guard outpost to prevent bandits from setting up ambushes and to keep monsters away.
Two pairs of guards would depart from the outpost, each pair going in opposite directions towards the next city. There would be four guards remaining in the outpost. A pair of guards would also depart from the city, headed towards the outpost. This way guards would avoid an isolated posting at the outpost due to the rotation and they could also monitor the road conditions every day.
My uncle had explained this to me during our first trip to the capital, and it always came to mind when we traveled. Thanks to this system, traveling in the kingdom wasn’t dangerous at all.
It had been a few days since we left our town and we’d mostly camped on the side of the road to avoid paying fees at an inn. It wasn’t like we couldn’t afford it, but my uncle said he preferred to sleep under the stars when he got the chance.
I didn’t mind it at all. The night sky in Spring was mostly clear and gave a perfect view of the stars. It’s not like we were in complete darkness, the road was actually lit by glo-lamps every so often, another investment by the kingdom.
My uncle had explained to me that glo-lamps were essentially lanterns but instead of being fueled by wax or oil were implanted with a magi-stone. They weren’t usually used in houses because they used a rune that needed to absorb light from the sun during the day and it was a hassle to bring them inside and outside every day.
Currently it was nighttime and we had just finished dinner. My uncle had gone to check the horses that he’d hitched to a nearby tree. They couldn’t be too close to the fire or they’d get spooked. I was working on a new carving in the firelight.
「What do you want to be.」
So far, I had only skinned the bark off the wood. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to carve yet. I usually whittled the wood down here and there until I was struck by inspiration. I was staring at the wood in my left hand while I fidgeted with the knife in my right.
Falkr: “Your skills handling that knife would scare someone if they didn’t know you.”
I had been absentmindedly weaving the knife through my fingers and spinning it around my thumb.
Charo: “Yeah, but it’s just us. Besides, I just use it to carve my wood.”
Falkr: “You’ve got nimble fingers, Charo. I’ve known pickpockets less skilled than you.”
Charo: “Whaddya you mean you’ve known pickpockets?!”
Falkr: “You meet a lot of people adventuring.”
Charo: “Well, I definitely don’t want to meet people like that. Adventuring’s really not the life for me.”
My uncle sat down on the opposite side of the fire from me and leaned back on his hands, staring at the stars.
Falkr: “Some of the best times I’ve had were with people like that.”
「He doesn’t usually talk about his past as an adventurer very much.」
Falkr: “A lot of what I know came from that time. Includin’ how to tend to my sheep.”
Charo: “Yeah? I thought you learned that from someone in town or when you were a kid.”
Falkr: “Your dad and I didn’t grow up around here, and I only moved into town when you were born, Charo.”
Charo: “So who’d you learn about sheep from then?”
Uncle Falkr let out a sigh and brought his hands into his lap.
Falkr: “Nobody important. What’re you carving there?”
He stood up and bent closer to me to see what I’d carved.
Charo: “Nothin’ yet.”
I twirled the branch in my hand.
Falkr: “’S a blank canvas then.”
Charo: “For now. It still hasn’t decided what it wants to be yet.”
Falkr: “We talkin’ about the wood or you?”
He had a grin on his face and he ruffled my hair.
Falkr: “I’m turnin’ in for the night. Don’t be up too long now.”
Charo: “I know. I’ll douse the fire soon.”
Uncle Falkr entered our tent and I could hear him snoring before long. I put the wood in a pocket and my knife in the sheath.
「What I want to be? I just want to be. Nothing specific, as long as I’m alive. Why does everyone keep bringing that up?」
I laid back with my hands under my head and looked at the stars in the night sky.
「How do we look from up there? Would it be similar to what I saw in that dream?」
While looking at the stars a bright streak shot across the sky.
「Ah, a starfall. How’d that children’s rhyme go?」
When worlds align,
Temptations call.
From the deities’ shrine,
A star will fall.
「I’ll have to tell Uncle Falkr about it tomorrow.」
I should head to bed now. After dousing the fire and making sure that that there were no embers I went into the tent and fell asleep on the opposite side of my snoring uncle.
When I woke up the next morning Uncle Falkr had already put away his bedroll and left the tent.
「Judging by the amount light coming through the tent it must be around sunrise.」
I had no problem waking up and packing my bedroll. Next up would be breaking down the tent and stowing it all in the cart, followed by hitching up the horses. Once the horses were hitched we’d be able to eat while riding on the cart.
My mom had packed food suitable for the road, a few dried sausages and hardtack bread, along with the lunch for the first day. Uncle Falkr and I had been using the road food for our breakfast since it was easy. It didn’t need a fire and was easy to eat while riding.
Falkr: “We’re making good time, we’ll stop by the town this time and pick up some more food for the road and some apples for the horses. Give ‘em a treat for being good.”
We hadn’t stopped in a town yet because we hadn’t needed to. We probably still didn’t, but it wasn’t a bad idea to stay topped up on supplies.
After a while of riding, we passed by a lake. There was a glint of sunlight off the water that reminded of the previous night.
Charo: “Oh yeah, I saw a starfall last night.”
Falkr: “A starfall, huh. I haven’t seen one in a long time, they’re pretty rare. Supposed to be good luck too.”
Charo: “I think that was the first one I’ve seen, it reminded me of the rhyme.”
Falkr: “The children’s rhyme? I know the one. Here in the kingdom starfalls are mostly ignored, but in the neighboring country they’re apparently bad omens.”
Charo: “Which one?”
Falkr: “Do you remember the name of the country to the south?”
Charo: “The south? That’s Langratia right?”
Falkr: “Correct. While we’re at it, let’s do a bit of a refresher.”
Every year when we head to the capital we do a bit of a geography lesson.
「I guess it’s to make sure I don’t flub anything if I run into foreigners.」
Falkr: “Here’s a freebie, where are we?”
I rolled my eyes and gave an unamused look to my uncle.
「Oh well, I’ll play along.」
Charo: “The Raltian Kingdom, and to our west is the Aleris Protectorate.”
Falkr: “Correct again! What else?”
Charo: “Off the coast of Aleris is… The islands.”
Falkr: “What’s their name?”
「I always forget this one… I guess the practice is good.」
Charo: “The something Isles.”
Falkr: “Close, Spotted Isles. The Spotted Isles. They should be the easiest ones to remember, they got their name from how they look on a map. They look like someone took a paint brush and dotted the map in the middle of the ocean.”
Charo: “I don’t look at many maps.”
Falkr: “Fair enough. Remember the others?”
Charo: “There’s the Telys Theocracy across the Eastern Sea and the Freeland Empire below them, right?”
Falkr: “Right again. Six for seven isn’t too bad, next year let’s aim for all seven. Even though one’s a freebie. Do you remember the nations in the Empire?”
Charo: “No, that’s asking too much. They’re too far for me to remember all of them.”
Falkr: “Charo, while I don’t disagree, make sure not to let someone from the Empire hear you say that. While they’re all united under the Empire they still have their own national pride.”
「I don’t think he has much to worry about there. The only people I talk to in the capital are the stall vendors, who are mostly from here in the kingdom.」
I pulled out the wood I’d been fiddling with last night, along with my knife from its sheath and started weaving the knife in between my fingers.
Falkr: “Anyways, continuing from earlier before the geography, in Langratia starfalls are considered to be bad omen.”
Charo: “Hmm? Why’s that?”
Falkr: “Apparently it’s somewhat related to that rhyme. I’m not sure how though.”
Charo: “Isn’t that weird?”
Uncle Falkr looked over at me.
Falkr: “What?”
Charo: “What’s good in one place is bad in another.”
Falkr: “That’s just the way the world works, Charo. Different people have different values. You learn that traveling around.”
Charo: “Hm…”
I stopped fiddling with the knife and looked at the wood.
「You’re a starfall.」
I started carving.
