Ballad of the Dogsledder Praying to the Northern Lights | Chapter 3

[healingbonds]

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Toto’s eyes go round. His cheeks flush red, and his voice trembles with awe, as if he just met a celebrity.

Toto: So you’re the Sage...... Ah, I can’t believe it...... My heart feels like it’s gonna stop......

Akira: A-are you all right......?

Nodding and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Toto stares at me and sighs breathily.

Toto: They say you came from a different world, so I kept imagining how scary you would look, but......
Who would’ve expected that you’re such a wise, beautiful person. Ah, I’m going to treasure this memory for life...... I’ll never forget about today.....

Cain: Fufu. It makes me happy to hear Akira being praised.

Arthur: We treasure him with all our hearts. The Sage is our pride, you see.

I shrink at their praise, understanding how Heathcliff must feel whenever Shino sings his praises.

Akira: I’m not all that.... I’m happy to meet you, Toto. Oz is safe, too.

Toto: He’s safe......! Oh, thank god......! Would he return to the castle......?

Akira: Will there be a problem if Oz doesn’t return?

Toto: Yes, a huge problem. Without him there, our village is going to be destroyed overnight one of these days.

Cain: That sounds like a problem...... But who would want to destroy your village when Oz isn’t there?

Toto: Well...... The other wizards. Humans don’t stand a chance against Northern wizards, so we get destroyed depending on their whims.
That’s why we offer tributes to certain wizards, borrow their names, and rely on them to protect us from the other wizards.
Our lord is the strongest wizard in the North. No wizard or human would lift a hand against the village under his protection.

Akira: (I see...... So the people from Toto’s village live by depending on Oz’s name.)

His face pale, Toto draws a deep breath. Arthur grips both of his hands, smiling wryly.

Arthur: You don’t have to be so scared. Sir Oz is a kind person. I’ve been telling you that for ages.

Toto: You might say that, Arthur...... But even saying his name is disrespectful, so it’s banned in the village.
If I angered him, our small village would be frozen overnight. I don’t know anything about etiquette......

Cain: You’re worrying too much. Oz wouldn’t get hung up on etiquette. If anyone would, it’d be Riquet.

Toto: Riquet?

Cain: Here he comes now. Oz is with him too.

Toto: ............!

Just then, we hear footsteps approaching. Oz, Riquet, Murr and Rustica enter the room.
Toto leaps up and kneels on the ground. Without even knowing which one of them is Oz, he lowers his head and presses his forehead to the floor.
Shylock shrugs with a sigh at his figure, and Arthur pats his large back.

Shylock: You’ll get dizzy. You’ve just woken up, after all.

Arthur: That’s right, please don’t be so frightened. Sir Oz, this is Toto from the innermost village. He used to play with me in the past......

Oz: .....The village closest to the castle?

Toto’s back tenses up at the sound of Oz’s voice. For a split second, it looks like he’s about to look at Oz’s face, but he remains face down with his eyes shut tight.

Arthur: Yes. He’s the son of the family of master dog breeders, with the magnificent dogsled.....

Finally, Oz nods like he’s recalled something.

Oz: Oh..... From that time when you wanted a dog.

Riquet: Prince Arthur. Did you have a dog?

Arthur: I did not. I was close to getting one from Toto’s family, but I felt bad separating the puppy from its mother.
Sir Oz, there’s something Toto wants to say to you. Toto, please, do lift your head.

Toto continues staring at the ground, his eyes blown wide open with terror. The sweat trickling down his forehead drips onto the floor.
The sweet smell of a pipe wafts across the room, and I hear Shylock’s languid voice.

Shylock: Prince Arthur. It would be cruel to force that on him. They must have educated him in the Northern village.
Humans can get caught up in all kinds of trouble if they know the appearance, voice or even just the characteristics of a strong wizard.

Arthur: ............ Is that so, Toto......?

Toto: ......No, I...... We were taught to be careful about saying his name, that we shouldn’t stare rudely at his castle......

Oz: You can stay like that. I’m Oz. Speak.

Toto: Y-yes......!

Taking care not to look at Oz, Toto starts to speak, his body still curled up in a heap on the floor.
It is a cold sight to behold: Toto’s large back drawn taut as Oz looks down at him with an air of apparent indifference.

Toto: Y-your castle hasn’t been lit, so everyone in the village is worried that something happened......
If this goes on, other wizards might come — wizards who mean to do bad things......
Please...... Please won’t you return to the castle? I beg you..... Please!

His nerves strained beyond their limit, Toto raggedly draws in shallow breaths as he reaches the end of his sentence.
The other wizards present seem swayed by his impassioned plea.
Toto’s resolve, his courage, his journey, and the precious people he left behind in his village. We can feel those sentiments looking at his large back.
But Oz simply continues to look down at him, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
There’s no trace of unhappiness or irritation in his face. It’s as if he is simply troubled by finding a tiny pebble inside his shoe—no, not even that.

Oz: I do not recall extending my protection to your village.

Toto: Y-yes......!

Oz: You people established a settlement next to my castle as you pleased, borrowed my name, and started to offer tributes — that is all.

Toto: ......Yes......

Oz: I am not going to return to my castle simply because you requested me to.

Toto: ............

Toto makes a despairing gulp. Arthur casts his gaze downwards as he caresses Toto’s back.

Arthur: Sir Oz, you don’t have to be unkind.

Oz: ............

Arthur: I apologize, Toto. I think Sir Oz will return to his castle. He loves that castle, after all.

Oz: Arthur.

Arthur: However, it is Sir Oz who lived on that land first.
So I think it feels kind of strange to ask him to return for the sake of the village.
Isn’t that right, Sir Oz?

Oz doesn’t nod in agreement, but he doesn’t deny it either. It’s probably just as Arthur says.

Akira: (Is this kind of like being told, "I want to use your WiFi without permission, so please don’t move away"......?)

Arthur: Sir Oz. Won’t you return just once to light up the castle?
It would put Toto and the villagers at ease, and I....... I want to go back too. To that castle where I lived with you, Sir Oz.

Oz: ............

Riquet: I agree. You’re not going to refuse, right, Oz? I’ll help out, of course.

Cain: I want to go to your castle too. It’s where Arthur grew up. I’ve always wanted to visit!

Oz: ......Go to my castle? All of you?

Arthur: Why not? It’ll be a lot of fun if we all go together. You’ll come too, won’t you, Sir Sage?

I nod at Arthur’s query. I would love to see where Arthur and Oz lived.

Akira: I’d like to visit too. Can we, Oz?

Oz glances at me briefly, taking a moment to consider.

Oz: You are the one who ordered me to live at the magic headquarters. If this is your command, I will follow it.

Akira: You call it a command, but...... Heath and Rutile often return to their hometowns, and you’re also free to go wherever you like anytime, Oz.
You can invite over whoever you like and go anywhere you want. Ah...... Would it be easier for you if I make it a command......?

Oz: ............

Oz frowns with an air of puzzled bewilderment. I hadn’t realized, but he had never invited anyone to his castle before.
Any visitors he had would always show up by surprise, so he’s never had the experience of saying yes to someone asking, "Can we come and visit?"
So that’s why, to borrow Arthur’s words, this might feel kind of strange for him.

Chloe: U-um......

Just then, Chloe speaks up reservedly.

Chapter 2 << | index | >> Chapter 4