บท 32: Belobog
"Oh! A person came out of the snow!
Yuuto's mouth turned into a circle as he acted 'surprised' when he saw a tall man appear from out of the snow pile laid in front of him.
With dark blue hair and mint green eyes, the man brushed bits of snow off his shirt before approaching Yuuto who was standing right by him.
He cautiously looked at his surroundings wearing a nervous smile but paused when he noticed the group of people with him.
"Ahem… fine gentleman! It must be a work of fate for us to meet but I must ask first… has Captain G-Gepard inquired for my location as of recently…?"
"Gepard? I may have an answer for that but you should at least introduce yourself first, correct?"
"Ah! Where have my manners run off to. Sampo Koski is the name, if you require any services I'm the man for the job!"
Sampo placed a hand on his chest and gave the group a small bow while showing off a business-like smile.
"Shampoo..? Cow's key…"
"Ahem, young miss in the back. It's Sampo Koski."
Sampo's business smile cracked slightly when he heard Stelle's mumbling but he managed to recover his bearings right after.
He took one long look at the people in front of him and noticed the clothes they wore alongside the demeanor each of them had.
'Fresh faces… I smell a business opportunity. Let me be gracious enough to provide some 'guidance'..'
Sampo's smile deepened which Yuuto caught and felt the need to pay attention when dealing with him as he might be taken advantage of without even knowing.
"If you provide services, why don't you guide us to the nearest city from here?"
March took a step forward after hearing what Sampo said, seeing that this may be their first clue in reaching a settlement on this snow-ridden planet.
"Of course miss! That's an easy task to do but the cost would be…"
His words slowed down at the end when he noticed Dan Heng's sharp eyes staring straight at him.
Stelle also rubbed the bat that suddenly appeared in her hands while Yuuto gave him a neutral smile wanting to learn more on what he was about to say.
"...For free of course! I will guide you guys to the nearest city at your request for free as a sign of our newfound friendship!"
Sampo rubbed his hands together before suddenly walking ahead as if he didn't notice anything from earlier.
"Come let's go follow him." Yuuto turned to the other three and followed Sampo who was leading the way.
"Are you sure we can trust this random guy?"
Dan Heng still looked skeptical after his brief encounter with this unknown man who was suspiciously hiding under a snow pile.
"Well, we don't have that many options right?"
"That's true but…"
"Don't worry, if something were to happen we can always work together to escape, can't we? Plus I have a hunch that this guy won't really do anything dangerous to us."
Yuuto left those lingering words with Dan Heng before increasing his pace to catch up with Sampo ahead.
Sampo noticed that a person was getting closer and turned to see who it was.
"Sir? What can this very own Sampo do for you?"
"Nothing really, I just wanted to hear more about the city we're about to head to plus…"
Yuuto reached his hand over and gave something to Sampo who was a bit curious as to what was being given to him.
Sampo's eyes widened when he saw a transparent white crystal that was akin to a diamond shining on top of his palm and turned his head towards Yuuto.
"Take this as a 'payment' for being so enthusiastic in guiding us."
"Sir…"
An unknown glint sparkled in his eyes when he saw the crystal which Yuuto didn't miss.
Sampo raised the opening of his jacket and hid the crystal away before showing Yuuto a touched expression.
"My dear friend! Ask me anything and I shall answer them to the best of my abilities!!"
'I turned from sir to friend that fast…'
Yuuto thought as he listened to what Sampo had to say while also gathering information about the city to see if the things he knew matched up properly.
As he listened, he hid his hand behind his back and made the faint white mist disappear from his fingertips without letting anyone notice.
"It kinda feels like we have a scammer on our side…"
"Don't worry, what matters most is that the scammer is on our side!"
Stelle pumped her fist after hearing what March said after seeing the interaction. She increased her pace to catch up in hopes of listening to what the two were saying.
'I'm not a scammer though… when have I ever scammed someone…'
Yuuto felt accused and decided to ignore any baseless allegations made against him.
Navigating through the snow with the help of Sampo, the four learned quite a bit about the city they were about to go to.
Belobog
The City of Preservation and humanity's last bastion against the Eternal Freeze that has plagued the planet in a permanent snow storm destroying the majority of life on Jarilo-VI.
"This city is quite warm once we arrive but…" Sampo paused his sentence before he continued after scanning his surroundings. "There might be some troubles for me considering some 'friends' are out looking for me…"
"Are you wanted for something?"
"No, no. It's just some misunderstandings between me and Old Captain Gepard so…"
"Suspicious."
March was not convinced after hearing his tone but Sampo just laughed it off as if it was something not to worry about.
They continued up a slope and made their way past a few fragmented monsters that were dispatched quickly with the quick actions from both Dan Heng and Yuuto who were at the front with Sampo.
"Woah~ the two over here sure have some nice—"
"Wait! I heard some movements this way!"
Sampo who was about to compliment the two, suddenly heard a few voices begin to quickly approach their location after noticing some changes happening around them.
Past the white snow were men clothed in blue uniforms with black accents. Cold metal covered their faces while the long axes they held were suddenly pointed at Yuuto and the others.
"We have found the suspect and with him are some accomplices!"
"Arrest them!"
The soldiers began to gather in larger numbers while the people in question all turned their gazes toward Sampo who had an awkward smile.
"Haha.. these Silvermane Guards sure are silly."
Sampo rubbed the back of his head before his gaze shifted from the guards to Yuuto.
"My dear friend! It is unfortunate that during my tour we must encounter such an inconvenience."
Sampo clasped his hands together before faint smoke spread around his body and what was left behind were a few words that lingered in the air.
"But I will be sure to resume our tour once some inconveniences are gone! Farewell!"
"This guy really left us behind to deal with this!?"
March stomped her feet in anger and swore to strangle him if she were to get her hands on him.
"Are you sure to let him go?"
Dan Heng on the other hand looked at Yuuto who was silent throughout this whole turn of events.
"It's fine. We have some other things we have to deal with." Yuuto said as he turned his body towards the guards who were yelling their way.
"Plus I have a few ways to find him later since my tour from him is not over just yet."
Dan Heng nodded his head after hearing what Yuuto said and summoned his spear just in case.
"I will ask you four to surrender and relinquish any resistance!"
"I think you might have been mistaken. We are–"
"Silence!"
"Whoa, these guys are pretty loud."
Yuuto covered one side of his ear after hearing one of the guards yell out with their spears still pointed at them.
"Surrender peacefully!"
"I just want to say that it may look like we're that man's accomplices but we're just some people who needed directions."
"Nonsense."
One of the guards refused Yuuto's words right away and slowly moved closer.
"Capture them and bring them to Captain Gepard for questioning."
The soldier began to move closer while the four gave a deep sigh after seeing their actions.
"Just immobilize them for now."
"Gotcha~"
March smiled and pulled her bowstring and released a flurry of arrows towards the guards.
Yuuto saw the barrage and felt like a few more arrows were released compared to usual. 'I guess she wants to take her frustrations out on them.'
"Move back!"
One guard in the middle raised his arm to signal but a lot of his comrades got caught in the flurry and were frozen in place by pink ice that grew with each second that passed.
"Take a step–"
"Let's calm down a bit before you speak anymore, alright."
The guard felt a shiver down his spine when he saw Yuuto suddenly appear right beside him and noticed that his entire body was slowly encased in white crystals.
A cold mist brushed against his face and his mouth was shut closed without giving him any chance to do anything.
"Let's talk civilly. But first, can you lead me to your Captain?"
***
"What is the status?"
"One squad has not arrived at the appointed spot so I think something might have happened to them."
A Silverman Guard stood up straight as he reported to the man in front of him.
Blonde hair and blue eyes, his uniform was similar to the other guards but gold trimmings and garments showed that his position was higher than the regular guard.
The man closed his eyes and thought silently, making the person in front of him oddly nervous.
"C-Captain Gepard! The squad that was absent has returned and brought some people with them!"
The silence was suddenly interrupted when another guard came running towards Gepard who was thinking of his next course of action.
Hearing the status of his guard, Gepard felt relieved to see that they were fine but one other part of the news made him vigilant.
"Guide me to the squad."
"I understand!"
Gepard lifted the large shield that leaned against the snow wall and followed the guard.
In the distance was a group of four standing quite a distance from the missing squad who looked strangely restless.
"Captain!"
The squad leader rushed towards Gepard after seeing his presence along with the other members of his squad.
They looked tearful but no permanent injuries were present on their outfits which Gepard took note of.
'But why are they acting like this…'
He looked confused but held off from asking and instead focused on the four unknown people who were waiting patiently.
"Hello, you must be the captain I assume."
"You are correct."
Dan Heng took a step forward trying to take the initiative this time as he didn't want any more misunderstandings to arise between them and what seemed to be the law enforcement this planet had.
Even if it was due to a certain man who ran away, he wanted to make the trip run much smoother compared to before.
While Dan Heng was talking, Yuuto and the other two looked at the groups of guards standing off to the side ready to follow whatever order Gepard was to make.
"Visitors from the sky…"
Gepard took in the information Dan Heng conveyed but he still looked skeptical of his claims.
"How about this?"
Seeing that he was unmoved, Dan Heng followed along and showed them pictures of what Jarilo-VI looked like from outer space alongside some other pictures March had taken during their journeys elsewhere.
"Forest as green as this exists…"
"There's also large bodies of water there…"
Guards standing behind Gepard mumbled in amazement seeing the abundant scenery of lush green forest and massive oceans not found on this planet.
"....."
Gepard was also intrigued by the images on the screen but he quickly glossed over his personal thoughts and turned towards the four.
"If these claims are true then this situation is one that only the Supreme Guardian can handle."
"Captain…"
"Don't worry I will personally guide them myself." Gepard didn't accept any disagreement and waved his arm off. "Follow me, Belobog is just up ahead."
Gepard didn't spare any more time and led the way for the four, leaving behind only a few guards to protect this part of the land from potential fragmented monsters that may arrive.
***
Traversing past more heaps of snow, a stone wall began to enter their view while a large gate appeared right in front of them.
Once Gepard approached the gate, guards standing on top saluted before they opened it up for them to enter.
"Welcome to Belobog. The City of Preservation."
As Yuuto walked past the gate, a wind of warm air crashed into him which was vastly different from the frigid cold they experienced from outside the walls.
Looking at the stone path and walls, Yuuto felt nostalgic seeing the scenery of Belobog appear right in front of his eyes.
'It looks better seeing it in person.'
He smiled but his focus sharpened when he looked towards the large fort Gepard was taking them to.
Using [Clarity] he was able to see massive lines of dark golden energy radiating from the center of the fort. Leaving behind strands of this energy floating just above a certain room.
'I expected the influence to be strong but this seems pretty deep considering just how long she's been in contact with the Stelleron.'
Yuuto turned his focus off the Stelleron's corruption and looked at his surroundings for another strand of energy he was hoping to find.
'Still not here yet…'
"We are here. This is Qlipoth Fort, the heart of Belobog and a symbol representing the Aeon of Preservation that has brought upon protection making us lead this city forward despite our conditions."
Gepard spoke with a sense of pride as he brought the four closer and closer towards the fort leading them to a series of stairs.
"Our current Supreme Guardian, Cocolia Rand also resides in this residence so please have your words in place before we enter."
"Already!? I didn't even comb my hair yet…"
"Here you can use this."
"Ah! Thank you!"
Yuuto handed March a small comb that he had in his pocket and watched as March used her phone to help make herself presentable knowing that they were about to meet an important figure.
'Other than Cocolia, she's probably also inside…'
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