Chapter 146: Chapter 146 - Rosario Village ( Part 1 )
The road to the west lay ahead under an overcast sky.
For a week now, Jennie, Roxy and Snow had been traveling since leaving Ashvale. The serene mountain views had gradually given way to rough hills, dry plains and forgotten roads that were rarely used even by merchants.
The happy chirping of birds had become less frequent.
In its place sounded the faraway calls of crows flying over the deserted landscape.
Roxy put her hood up and looked around at the faded wooden signpost at the side of the road.
Most letters there had blurred over time, but one remained clear.
Rosario.
Snow stopped walking.
His silver ears twitched.
"...I don’t like this place."
Jennie looked at him.
"You haven’t even seen the village yet."
Snow sniffed the air.
"I don’t need to."
"My nose already knows."
Roxy giggled.
"What does it smell like?"
"...Trouble," said Snow in a serious tone.
Jennie smiled.
"That’s a very precise answer."
"I am a very specific wolf."
The trio proceeded walking.
And when they passed the last hill, Rosario Village appeared before them.
This village was quite unlike the others.
Not the solid stone walls and guard towers, but wooden fences surrounded the settlement.
Several buildings had clearly been rebuilt multiple times.
Various architectural styles clashed with each other in a strange manner, as though each building had been constructed by completely different peoples from different kingdoms.
Next to the blacksmith’s workshop was located the gambling hall. And next to the church was the tavern whose window panes rattled from the noise.
Children played with each other in the muddy streets while armed men relaxed playing cards in front of the tavern. Laundry hung on the roofs together with swords, axes and hunting bows.
Nothing matched.
Though somehow...
Everything worked.
Roxy blinked.
"This place feels..."
Jennie finished the sentence.
"Trouble."
And upon entering the village, all conversations instantly ceased.
Dozens of pairs of eyes turned to them.
Curious.
Suspicious.
Hostile.
Jennie calmly smiled and greeted politely.
"Good afternoon."
No one answered.
Burly man with a scar on his face slowly got up from the wooden bench.
His arms were thick as tree trunks.
Several knives hung from his belt.
He watched the newcomers for some moments, then spoke.
"Travelers?"
Jennie nodded.
"Just passing through."
"Hmph," grunted the man.
"Don’t cause trouble."
Snow quietly remarked,
"He warns us while carrying enough knives to open a weapon shop."
Roxy bit her lips in order not to start laughing.
The scarred man looked at Snow.
"...Did the wolf just insult me?"
Snow pretended not to hear.
"I would never."
Jennie coughed politely.
"He has... an active imagination."
The man shrugged.
"As long as the wolf won’t bite anyone."
Snow immediately whispered,
"No promises."
Jennie gently tapped Snow’s head.
"Behave."
The trio continued moving through the village.
All around them...
People had obvious scars.
Woman wearing an eye patch happily baked bread.
Man missing one arm carefully carved wooden toys.
Several young men trained with swords while laughing every time they made a mistake.
Despite all their tough appearance...
There was some warmth under it.
Jennie silently observed everything.
These people didn’t look like villains.
They looked...
Tired.
Like people who had hard lives.
Roxy noticed it too.
"I thought we will meet some dangerous criminals."
Jennie smiled slightly.
"Sometimes..."
"The world determines a person’s title without even hearing their story."
Snow flicked his tail.
"And some people still look dangerous."
Jennie looked at the tattooed man towering like an oak.
He was helping an elderly woman carrying the water buckets.
The woman couldn’t help smiling.
"I suppose sometimes appearances deceive."
The trio soon reached the village marketplace.
Unlike the busy trade cities, Rosario marketplace was strange in its informality.
There were no stalls. There were no taxes.
Everyone was simply trading whatever they had.
Fresh vegetables.
Animal skins.
Old books.
Home-baked bread.
And even repaired weapons.
The elderly merchant smiled at Jennie.
"You buying?"
"Just looking."
"Looking is free."
Snow immediately pointed at the roasted meat.
"And tasting?"
The merchant laughed.
"Tasting is one silver."
Snow gasped dramatically.
"Outrageous."
The old man smiled.
"So is eating for free."
Jennie silently bought three meat skewers.
Snow’s eyes sparkled.
"I knew I travel with the right human."
"You say this only because you eat."
"Exactly."
Roxy laughed.
"At least he’s an honest one."
As they were eating, Jennie noticed something strange.
No village guards. No town watchmen. No noble representatives. No soldiers.
Instead...
When any quarrel took place, the nearby villagers simply intervened in it themselves.
The thief attempted to steal an apple.
The elderly woman grabbed him by the ear before he could escape.
"Pay first!"
"I’m hungry!"
"So earn money!"
"...Fair."
He went back and started unloading the crates for the merchant.
Snow stared.
"...That was unexpectedly wholesome."
Jennie nodded.
"It seems everyone watches over each other."
"There are rules here."
"They’re simply unwritten."
Near the middle of the village stood the stone monument, its surface covered with hundreds of names.
Roxy approached it.
"What is this?"
Old carpenter answered without turning away from his work.
"Peoples who have started a new life."
Jennie looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"For the most part we haven’t been born here."
"Some were thieves."
"Some were mercenaries."
"Some were being hunted."
"Some just had no place to go."
He gently patted the monument.
"So..."
"We engraved our names."
"It was a promise."
"No matter how bad people we were..."
"We would become better here."
Jennie silently read all those names.
Some had been engraved decades ago. Some recently.
Her smile softened.
"So Rosario is not a refuge for criminals."
The carpenter nodded.
"It is a refuge..."
"...for people who want another chance."
These words stuck with Jennie.
She understood them better than most.
Because...
She herself once was such a person.
Leonis died thousand years ago.
Jennie Queens was supposed to be a new beginning.
Perhaps...
In this sense...
She was not so different from the villagers of Rosario.
As the sun slowly set in the horizon, the trio arrived at the village inn.
It was old but strong.
The wooden sign above the door read:
The Last Stop.
Snow sniffed the air.
And sighed.
"...Yep."
"It still smells like trouble."
Jennie smiled.
"I think it smells like roasted bread."
"And soup."
"And sawdust."
Snow shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the western part of the village.
Under rows of small houses, he sensed something else.
Something powerful.
Something ancient.
It wasn’t evil.
But not usual as well.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"There is..."
He paused.
"...something here."
Jennie followed his gaze but found nothing strange.
"What is it?"
Snow slowly shook his head.
"I don’t know."
"But..."
His ears raised up.
"...it feels like the wind itself is watching us."
Cool wind blew through Rosario village, bringing down the falling leaves on the dusty streets.
Jennie unconsciously put her hand on the hilt of Excalibur.
For just a moment...
The Divine Sword gave a soft pulse.
Acknowledging the unseen power hidden somewhere in the village.
Neither Jennie nor her companions had noticed it yet.
But in Rosario Village, where people had abandoned hopes to seek forgiveness...
Another Divine Sword waited for them.
The sun slowly made its way towards the mountains on the west side of Rosario Village.
Having settled in the little inn named The Last Stop, Jennie, Roxy, and Snow decided to walk around Rosario before the evening fell.
Different from the bustling cities Jennie and Roxy knew, Rosario had its own peculiar rhythm.
In one corner of the village, some people started fighting loudly but drank together in a few moments.
A mercenary who used to wander the lands was sharpening his sword and giving lessons to kids about carving wooden figures.
A woman who used to be a notorious thief and robbing people of their money was now selling her pies and yelling at people who hadn’t paid yet.
All that created an impression of chaos.
And mess.
Yet...
A lively mess.
Roxy smiled seeing two little boys running around playing heroes.
"Raven!"
One of them shouted confidently, waving his wooden sword in the air.
"No!"
The other objected.
"I’m the White Hunter!"
Jennie choked with her tea.
Snow silently looked away.
"I haven’t seen anything."
"You sure have."
"No evidence."
Roxy laughed.
"I guess it must be strange hearing stories about... well..."
She lowered her voice.
"...you ."
Jennie smiled nervously.
"I never thought children could quarrel about playing me."
Snow grinned.
"At least they’re not pretending to be Barthus."
"I suppose you’re right."
Laughing gently, they continued to walk further into the village.
The noisy marketplace turned into small houses and yards with colorful flowers.
Unlike the other part of Rosario, this part was quite quiet.
Almost secluded.
Jennie noticed the little wooden house next to a small stream with a garden full of white lilies, lavender, and mountain roses.
Obviously, someone took care of every single flower.
The wooden fence had been recently renovated.
There were wind chimes made of polished shells ringing softly in the breeze.
Snow stopped in the middle of the road.
"...This place is different somehow."
Roxy nodded.
"It almost doesn’t fit into Rosario."
Curiously, Jennie approached the garden gate.
Before she even had time to knock...
The door slowly opened.
A young woman stepped out carrying a watering can in her hands.
She appeared to be in her early twenties.
Her long chestnut hair fell nicely on her shoulders.
Emerald green eyes radiated kindness rather than caution.
She wore a cream-colored dress.
Despite the hot day...
She wore long black gloves covering almost all her arms.
She wore a light scarf on her neck.
Jennie noticed that at once.
The clothes seemed to be too thick for this time of the year.
But the woman smiled like everything was fine.
"Oh..."
She looked pleased to see them.
"We have visitors."
Her voice was soft.
Gentle.
Like the spring breeze.
Jennie politely bowed.
"I’m sorry for disturbing you."
"We’re travelers."
The woman smiled kindly.
"Travelers are always welcome."
Her eyes went to Snow.
"Oh..."
"What a cute wolf."
Snow immediately started puffing up.
"Yes."
Jennie sighed.
"He says that every morning."
"That helps me keeping my self-confidence healthy."
The woman smiled softly.
It wasn’t loud.
Neither forced.
It sounded natural.
Comfortable.
Almost melodious.
"My name is Deressa."
"I’m happy to meet all of you."
Jennie smiled.
"I’m Jennie."
"This is Roxy."
"And our self-confident friend..."
Snow proudly interrupted.
"The handsome wolf , Snow."
Deressa giggled.
"I find you adorable."
Snow froze.
Jennie tried to cover her mouth.
Roxy burst into laughter.
"...Puppy."
Snow dramatically looked up to the sky.
"I’m defeated."
Deressa gently opened the garden gate.
"You’ve walked a long way."
"Please."
"Come inside."
"I just brewed fresh tea."
Jennie hesitated.
"We don’t want to trouble you."
"It isn’t any trouble."
Her smile was gentle.
"I don’t get many visitors."
Convinced by her sincere words, the three of them stepped inside the house.
Inside...
Everything was wonderful tidy.
Books occupied the handmade shelves.
Pressed flowers decorated the walls.
The smell of lavender and chamomile spread in the air.
The fireplace burned quietly despite the heat.
It was...
Peaceful.
Almost unbelievably peaceful.
Snow immediately curled up beside the fireplace.
"I’m staying here forever."
Jennie laughed.
"You said that at the last inn."
"This fireplace is better."
Deressa soon came back with the tray made of polished wood.
On it there were three delicate cups with shining golden tea.
Carefully setting the cups in front of her guests, she said,
"I hope you like mountain herb tea."
Roxy tasted it.
Her eyes widened.
"This is amazing!"
Deressa smiled bashfully.
"My mother taught me."
Lifting her own cup, Jennie inhaled the pleasant fragrance of the tea.
It was gentle.
Calming.
Somehow...
It reminded her of home.
Arthur often brewed tea like this at the evenings in the Queens household.
Jennie smiled without thinking.
"This is wonderful."
"I’m glad."
Deressa sat opposite them.
For a moment...
They just talked peacefully.
About the weather.
About their travels.
About the mountains nearby.
About unusual people in Rosario.
Deressa listened more than she talked.
When Roxy started telling something enthusiastically about magic, she softly laughed.
When Snow boasted about his "heroic deeds", she kindly believed him.
It was soothing to be around her.
To feel comfortable being around a person like her.
But...
Jennie couldn’t help noticing one thing.
Almost every minute...
Deressa slightly adjusted one of her gloves.
As if the glove had suddenly became uncomfortable.
Her fingers slightly shivered.
Once...
Jennie saw her wince.
For an instant.
But then the smile returned.
The same gentle smile.
The same kind eyes.
But...
There was something behind them.
It was sadness.
Not a deep grief.
Not fear.
But something else.
Quiet loneliness.
Something that she carried for such a long time.
Silently observing her, Jennie thought about all the people she met in her two lives.
Heroes.
Kings.
Children.
Soldiers.
She understood that people can hide almost everything behind their smiles.
Happiness.
Suffering.
Regret.
Hope.
Deressa’s smile...
Wasn’t complete.
When the afternoon slowly turned into evening, Jennie finally stood up.
"Thank you for your hospitality."
"We’ve already taken enough of your time."
Deressa accompanied them to the door.
"I enjoyed today."
"It was nice listening to laughter."
Snow tilted his head.
"Do you live alone?"
For the first time...
Deressa paused.
Only for a second.
But then she smiled again.
"Mostly."
Jennie noticed that.
That small pause.
That slight hesitation.
There was a story there.
But she didn’t want to ask.
Because some wounds can only be healed when the owner wants them to be healed.
Stepping outside, they said goodbye to Deressa.
Deressa waved softly from her garden.
"I hope we’ll meet again tomorrow."
Jennie smiled.
"So do I."
The evening breeze brought the scent of lilies blooming in the air.
Standing at the doorway, Deressa watched her visitors disappearing into the distance.
Only when they left she lowered her gaze.
Her right hand, wearing the long black glove, started shaking.
Very cautiously...
She slowly loosened the edge of one glove.
Just a little bit, showing the dark scale-like mark on her wrist.
She quickly covered it again.
But smiling softly as if nothing happened, she whispered to herself,
"I wonder..."
"...for how long I can still keep it hidden."
The wind didn’t answer her.
