[TKOSINM] 223 - Two Years, Too Short

The carriage quickly left the capital and started running toward the North. As it got closer to the North, the chilly wind and snow became much more potent, but Irene did not feel the cold thanks to the carriage and thick coat. However, the cosy condition only applied to Irene and Noel, not Louiselle and the mercenaries on horseback outside.

It must be cold.

Irene looked up at Louiselle, who guarded them outside the window. Noel noticed as he saw her face filled with anxiety.

“You don’t have to worry about Louiselle and the Ram mercenaries. They are used to this cold weather.”

At his words, Irene looked back at him. He was working in the carriage. Even when he had left parts of the documents to Tom, he could not completely get out of this bundle of papers.

“But…”

They were human too, so how could they withstand the extreme cold? In addition, they were riding a horse, and the headwind was hitting their entire body.

Ever since departing the Grand Duke’s residence, the group never had proper rest. It was due to Noel’s order to push the schedule as much as possible. Irene was also impatient, so she was grateful for his consideration. But she was worried that Louiselle and the Ram mercenary corps might have been overdoing it.

Just as she was about to suggest taking a brief break to warm up, Noel put down the paperwork, stared at Irene deep in the eyes, and spoke.

“The people of the Ram mercenaries are essentially from the north.”

“Pardon?”

Irene opened her eyes wide. She could not believe they were from the North. Since the northern part and the capital were very far away, it was surprising to learn the members of the Ram mercenary Corps, whose headquarters were in the capital, would be from there.

More than that...

How did they meet Noel?

Suddenly, Irene wondered how Noel and Ram’s mercenaries got acquainted.

Come to think of it. I heard that Tom also came from the Ram mercenaries.

Why did he, who was the son of Viscount Esquan, join the Ram mercenaries? Irene wanted to ask Noel, but he might be offended, so she restrained from questioning him. Seeing Irene’s confused face, Noel smiled softly. He could clearly see how curious she was about himself and the Ram mercenaries.

“You can feel free to ask.”

Noel looked joyfully at Irene, who grunted with her hands supporting her face, and legs crossed.

It’s been about half a year since I met Irene.

It was midsummer when they first met, but it was already the beginning of winter. It was a long period as all sorts of variables had taken place, yet the time he spent with her felt so short. He thought he had gotten to know her to some extent. Still, he could not take his eyes off her tiniest movements and expression.

Two years is too short.

Their contract’s validity was two years, starting from their marriage. Although it had not been that long since it began, Noel already felt that time flew too quickly.

I should have set it for about four years.

No, that was still not enough. More than that…

…Why do I have such thoughts? Is this even normal?

He had recently become aware of a newly sprouted emotion, but he had yet fully realised its identity. It could be a longing for Irene, who could do things that he could not do well, or it could be an entirely new feeling.

But one thing was for sure.

-That this feeling was not normal.

It was impossible to distinguish between normal and abnormal with certainty, but it was definite that this feeling had broken down everything he had differentiated and established so far.

And it made him curious. What state of mind was she in right now? He wondered if Irene was experiencing the same bizarre feeling just like himself.

If I ask her, she will surely avoid it.

Unable to bear the embarrassed look on his face, Noel remained silent to hide his racing heart for a brief moment.

“Louiselle and the Ram mercenaries are all from the poor-class of the North.”

Noel erased the private thoughts from his head, and looking at Irene, spoke up. Irene’s gaze was also still on him, filled with surprise at his unexpected statement.

“Are they all poor?”

“Yes. Of course, except for Tom and I.”

“Then…”

She did not even think about it. Never had she ever imagined they would be from the impoverished part of the North.

I was told that there are numerous needy people in the North.

Compared to the area around the capital, where grains were plentiful, in the northern part, the land was barren, and there was no grain. So to survive, they had no choice but to catch and sell animals or monsters that occasionally appeared. Since the rewards gained out of monsters were sold at a high price, it was not difficult for those capable families to make ends meet. However, since only strong young men were able to hunt, the weak naturally fell behind. In the end, only children without a home were cast into a corner and abandoned.

She remembered learning at the academy that children who had no other way of surviving except hunting formed a group to survive, committing crimes such as theft. That brought the case that most of the children became active in the dark upon reaching adulthood.

Although Kreisen was located in the same northern area, not only did the monsters not appear due to the Snow Tree, but the climate was also mild. Therefore, grains could be harvested sufficiently.

But that was only because Kreisen was special; other places were barren.