Volume 6 Chapter 68

Volume 6 + Chapter 68: The Voice of The “Wind”

Bear Two wore a nervous expression as he shouted, “Fog is rolling in!!”

Xia Yi leaned out and saw a thin layer of mist appearing in the surrounding forest. Visibility had decreased slightly.

“So what if there’s fog? Why are you yelling? It’s just normal weather, yet you’re acting as if something terrible has happened!”

The dwarf merchant scolded.

“Don’t make a fuss and scare everyone! My heart can’t take it. If you scare me into illness, you won’t see a single coin, and I’ll file a serious complaint against you!!”

Bear One also began to tense up at the sight of the thin mist, his expression changing.

“Employer, have you heard the legend about the Elven Kingdom?” he asked.

“What legend?”

“It is said that all the elves in this world have disappeared, and the Elven Kingdom has been overrun by monsters. Anyone who tries to enter the Elven Kingdom will find monsters appearing under the cover of thick fog!!”

“…Don’t give me ‘it is said’ this and ‘it is said’ that!!”

“Someone recently tried to enter the Elven Kingdom but encountered monsters and barely escaped with his life. That’s what he said!” Bear One explained to the dwarf merchant. “Apart from him, every other outsider who entered the Elven Kingdom has gone missing without a trace!!”

These words made the atmosphere in the convoy even more tense.

“Big brother, maybe we should, ”

Bear One hesitated.

The dwarf merchant was also frightened, but he glanced at his goods.

If he turned back now, he would go bankrupt.

He couldn’t accept that, working hard for most of his life only to end up with nothing.

“Nonsense! How could such a thing happen?!” The dwarf merchant shouted angrily. “What is there to be afraid of? Are you all cowardly bears? Believing such rumors? What do you mean ‘all the elves have disappeared’? Isn’t there still an elf right here in our convoy?!”

“Oh, that’s right!”

With that reminder, Bear One snapped to attention.

He immediately went to the carriage where Xia Yi was.

At that moment, Balan was staring blankly at the distant thin mist, not saying a word.

“Balan?”

“Bard?”

“Hey, long-ears??”

No matter how Bear One called out, Balan did not respond at all. He didn’t even blink, as if he had turned into a puppet, his demeanor somewhat eerie.

Xia Yi also felt something was off. It was as if Balan’s soul had been… spirited away?

“Balan!!”

Bear One shook Balan.

The elven bard’s eyes regained a hint of light. He awoke as if from a dream, looked around, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

“What’s wrong?”

“You… what were you just doing?”

“Just now? Did I do something?” Balan asked Bear One in return.

Bear One didn’t want to play word games with Balan. He asked directly, “Balan, is the road you’re leading us on the way into the Elven Kingdom?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve traveled this road countless times,” Balan replied matter-of-factly. “I’ve passed through here even more often than I’ve visited my own mother at home.”

“But we’ve encountered fog…”

“Fog?”

Balan laughed.

“Isn’t fog in the woods perfectly normal? Don’t worry. We elves have a special ability, we can communicate with nature. Even if there’s fog, we can still move through the forest safely.”

“That’s not the point. We’re talking about the legend of the Elven Kingdom, that monsters hide in the thick fog and attack every outsider who enters.”

“That story isn’t very interesting,” Balan shook his head. “It’s a rumor and slander against us elves. If such monsters truly existed, we elves would deal with them ourselves. How could we allow monsters to attack outsiders?”

“Really? So it’s false then.”

Bear One felt somewhat relieved.

“Balan, I’ve also heard that giants appear in the thick fog. Is that false too?” Xia Yi asked.

“Milady Xia Yi, there are no giants in our Elven Kingdom, nor do any exist. That is absolutely impossible,” Balan replied confidently. “I can swear to it.”

Xia Yi fell silent.

But the messenger had failed to deliver the letter into the Elven Kingdom precisely because he encountered giants in the thick fog.

What was going on?

She felt that Balan seemed somewhat unusual.

Was he lying?

It didn’t really seem that way.

“Atiya.”

“Yes, Milady? What are your orders?” Atiya looked at Xia Yi.

“Go and talk to Bear One. Here’s what I want you to say…”

“Oh, understood!”

After listening, Atiya called Bear One over and relayed the instructions Xia Yi had just given her.

“Huh? Doing that will slow down our progress into the Elven Kingdom,” Bear One hesitated.

“For safety’s sake. If something does happen, we can respond immediately.”

“…Fine!”

Bear One thought for a moment and agreed.

Afterward, he gathered the mercenary group temporarily and held a brief meeting.

The gist was to spread out the convoy, increasing the distance between the front and the rear, and also widen the gap between the two sides.

This would expand the convoy’s reconnaissance range. Should an accident occur, they could notify each other sooner.

…

…

The fog grew thicker and thicker, visibility gradually decreasing, though it was still far from the kind of dense fog where nothing could be seen.

After his conversation with Bear One, Balan did not communicate with anyone else. He sat in his seat, repeatedly playing an unknown tune on a loop.

During this time, Xia Yi tried to talk to Balan, but he seemed to have lost his hearing, entirely focused on his playing.

Meanwhile, the convoy reached the border checkpoint.

Normally, this place should have been guarded by elven soldiers. One needed their permission to pass through and set foot on the soil of the Elven Kingdom.

But the mercenary group searched high and low and found no one. The elven guards had collectively vanished.

“Where are the border soldiers?” Bear One scratched his head.

“If they’re gone, they’re gone!! Every time we pass through places like this, they charge me a huge toll. This saves us money. Come on, let’s keep moving!!”

The dwarf merchant urged the mercenary group.

Unable to find anyone, Bear One had no choice but to continue leading the mercenary group forward. They passed through the checkpoint and officially entered the Elven Kingdom.

Suddenly, Balan put down his harp. He climbed onto the roof of the carriage, spread his arms wide, and let out an unnatural, manic laugh.

“Haha, hahahaha, hahahaha!!”

“Balan, what are you doing?” Xia Yi asked.

“Haha, hahaha, hehehe! It’s the ‘wind’! I hear the voice of the ‘wind,’ hahahaha!!”

[Translator’s Note: Please join the Gravity Tales’ Discord Server, if you want to hang out.]

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]