Chapter 125: Dire Tidings

(Today’s second update~)

Chapter 125: Bad News

With half of the fat man’s guards accompanying him and Soyt leading the way, Xia Ya arrived in the southern part of Osgiliath.

The south was where the common people lived. After crossing the square at the city center and passing Arena Street—Xia Ya did not dare go anywhere near the arena now, and could only make a wide detour along the avenue beside it. There were simply too many warriors gathered around the arena these days; if word of his identity got out, challengers might come looking for him—he continued southward.

The closer they came to the southern edge, the nearer they were to the sea. The streets were no longer broad and level, but gradually became narrow and rough. Clearly, the cleaning here was nowhere near as thorough as in the wealthy districts of the city center and north. Meltwater lay everywhere, and beneath the trampling of countless pedestrians, carts, and horses, it had become a succession of filthy puddles. The streets were no longer as neat, clean, and solemn as those in the north.

The buildings on either side had also grown low and mean. Short mud houses and ramshackle huts had replaced the tall, imposing structures they had passed before. The people coming and going wore the plain clothes of the lower classes. There were no grand horses here, only mules, donkeys, and nags; no silken robes or fine garments, only hemp and coarse cloth.

Now and then, a small handcart creaked slowly past. Chickens clucked and dogs barked from either side of the street. Neighbors quarreled, husbands and wives traded insults, and children cried and wailed.

Xia Ya even saw two thin stray dogs barking at his party from a distance before turning and running away. As they passed one household, the mistress flung out a basin of dirty water, nearly splashing Xia Ya.

But then she caught sight of Xia Ya and the mounted guards behind him. With a frightened cry, she dropped the basin and fled back into the house.

It was not merely that household. Ever since they had entered the neighborhood, pedestrians and residents alike had watched Xia Ya’s party with curious eyes.

What could these richly dressed gentlemen possibly want in a place like this?

* * *

Clearly, this was the commoners’ quarter.

If one stripped away all the glorious titles attached to Osgiliath—the mightiest city on the continent, the City of Miracles, the ancient city with a thousand years of history, the seat of the empire’s power, the great capital of Yanjing, and so on—then this place was really no different from the districts inhabited by the poor in cities large and small across the continent.

After crossing a narrow side street, Xia Ya frowned at the short, crooked fences leaning drunkenly outside the houses.

“Is it just ahead?”

“Yes.” Soyt glanced back over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “The late Lord Kevin’s home is just ahead. Normally, at this time of day, Madam should just have returned from the tailor’s shop we passed earlier…”

They continued to the end of the lane and stopped before a rather plain two-story house. A simple little garden lay before the lower floor—or perhaps it was too small to be called a garden at all.

Compared with the huts they had passed earlier, the house was quite respectable. At least it was built of brick rather than mud. The ground in the yard had been swept smooth, and several unknown wildflowers grew along either side. They really were nothing more than the tiny white flowers commonly seen in the countryside, but they had been planted neatly around the yard, lending the home an air of quiet distinction.

Xia Ya signaled for Soyt to open the gate.

The front door on the first floor stood half open. Xia Ya had barely entered the yard when a gray dog darted out and barked at him several times. Soyt waved and called out something. The dog recognized him, ran over, sniffed him a few times, wagged its tail, and then retreated to the corner by the wall. Even so, it continued to stare at Xia Ya with wary hostility.

With a creak, the door opened, and a woman with long brown hair stepped out.

Soyt immediately bowed slightly.

“Madam Yulia.”

Yulia, the mistress of the household and the wife of the late Kevin, stood before the door, staring in surprise at the men entering her yard.

Her astonishment vanished as soon as she saw Soyt, replaced by a faint smile. She had brown hair, a high bridge of the nose, a tall figure, and green eyes. Her forehead was somewhat broad and high, and her eyes were set a little farther apart than usual. All in all, she was an ordinary-looking woman, but there was something distinctive in her expression.

She wore a loose hemp robe, and her brown hair had been tied back carelessly. Bright beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Her sleeves were rolled up, exposing wheat-colored arms—clearly the result of frequent household labor and long hours in the sun. Her hands were wet, and she wiped them several times against her robe.

But what shocked Xia Ya even more was this:

All the words he had been rehearsing on the way here, the tactful speech he had thought through again and again, vanished the moment he saw her.

Xia Ya froze.

He stood utterly stunned, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the woman before him.

Because beneath the loose folds of her robe, her lower abdomen was swollen high.

Yulia—the wife of Kevin—was pregnant.

In an instant, the sight before him shattered every defense he had built inside himself. His mouth went dry, and his legs weakened.

Even when facing the countless armies of the Odin people, even when confronted by Hasting’s terrifying black war spear, Xia Ya had never been as nervous as he was now.

“Soyt, you’re back!” Yulia’s voice was slightly hoarse, but she laughed brightly and cheerfully. She glanced at Xia Ya in the yard, then at Dodoro hiding behind him. “Oh? These two young men look unfamiliar. Are they Kevin’s new comrades? Come in, come in. Oh, and where’s Kevin? Is he behind you? That man must have secretly gone to buy some wine again…”

As she spoke, the woman rose onto her toes and looked out beyond the yard. Then she smiled.

“What are you standing there for? Come in. Soyt, go to Uncle Tom’s shop at the end of the street and buy some smoked meat. There isn’t much food in the house, heh.”

Soyt’s expression was terrible. He looked toward Xia Ya as though seeking help.

Only then did Xia Ya recover himself. He drew a deep breath and began walking slowly toward Yulia, one step at a time.

Perhaps it was Xia Ya’s expression, or perhaps the heaviness of his footsteps, but Yulia seemed to sense something. Yet she still forced a smile.

“Oh? Is this young man a new recruit in your unit? He doesn’t look very old. Is he even twenty? Come inside. I happened to buy a little honey yesterday. I can make you all some honey tea.”

“Yu… Yulia…”

Xia Ya stopped before her, his voice heavy.

The color drained from the woman’s face. As though she had guessed the truth, she tried to retreat quickly into the house. Xia Ya caught her by the shoulders.

“Yulia, my name is Xia Ya. I was Kevin’s comrade, and I am also—”

“No. Don’t. Don’t say it!”

Yulia cried out, losing all composure. The intelligent woman had already understood. She struggled frantically against Xia Ya’s grasp and screamed, “What are you doing? Why are you saying these things? Come inside and sit down! Whatever it is, you can talk to Kevin when he comes back… Kevin—where is Kevin?”

“Kevin…” Xia Ya’s eyes reddened, and his fingers trembled. “Kevin, he…”

Yulia’s body went limp. Her face turned deathly white as she stared at him, eyes wide with terror.

Then Xia Ya took a bundle from Soyt. Inside were a helmet, a dagger, several badges, and a piece of parchment covered in charcoal writing. Dark stains of blood marked the page.

Yulia’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

* * *

Xia Ya carried Yulia into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Soyt quickly brought a cup of hot water and poured it into her mouth.

Xia Ya looked around the room.

The furnishings were simple and rough. The crude cabinet and the iron fittings on the corners of the wooden table and chairs were covered with rust. Yet everything had been cleaned and arranged with meticulous care. Clearly, the mistress of the house was diligent and loved cleanliness.

The only things in the home that revealed the family’s identity were a warrior’s long sword hanging on the wall and several horseshoes lying in the corner.

It was a long while before Yulia slowly regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she stared blankly at the ceiling. Soyt called her name several times, but she did not respond.

Xia Ya clenched his teeth and pulled Soyt aside. Then he stood before the bed, dropped to one knee, and said in a low voice, “Madam… Yulia, Kevin was a hero. He died bravely, and he saved my life. Your husband was the bravest and noblest man I have ever known.”

He placed the badges, sword, and helmet beside the bed.

At last, Yulia moved. She struggled to sit up, but she did not look at the badges. Instead, she snatched up the bloodstained parchment and hurriedly unfolded it.

After reading for a while, tears began to stream from her eyes. Her hands slowly tightened until the parchment was crushed into a ball. She sobbed softly, her shoulders trembling.

If she had wailed aloud, Xia Ya might have found it easier to bear. But her restrained, quiet sobbing seemed like a knife, cutting again and again into his heart.

He moved a little closer.

“I understand how unbearable it must be for you to hear such terrible news, but I—”

“You needn’t say anything more.”

Yulia suddenly raised her head. Her face was streaked with tears, her expression desolate, and her voice hoarse, yet there was a strange strength in it.

“You needn’t say anything more.”

At last, her gaze settled on Xia Ya’s face.

“I am a Rodrian woman. As a Rodrian woman, my mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother all faced this same thing… Husbands, fathers, and brothers dying on the battlefield. It is almost as though this is the fate of all Rodrian women.”

Yulia continued to weep.

“But I never imagined that although I did not marry a Rodrian man, Kevin would still join the Rodrian Cavalry—and that I would still have to face this…”

She braced herself against the bed with both hands to keep from collapsing. Tears and mucus mingled on her face.

“Kevin… Kevin still doesn’t know that he was going to become a father. The last time he came home was more than half a year ago. After he left, I discovered that I was pregnant. I… I never had the chance to tell him. I was afraid. I knew he was going to fight at the Wildfire Plains, that he was going to the battlefield. I—I was afraid to tell him. I worried it would distract him while he was fighting. I only wanted to wait until the battle was over and then tell him… I…”

Xia Ya suddenly dropped onto his other knee. Kneeling before Yulia, he reached out and gripped both her hands tightly.

The muscles in his face twitched, and a dull pain spread through his heart. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Yulia… Kevin was not merely my friend. He was my brother! He saved my life! From the moment he died, his blood became one with mine. It will never be separated again! We are brothers—real brothers! From now on, you are my elder sister! And your child… I will be that child’s uncle. I will be the uncle who loves that child most in all the world!”

At last, Yulia could no longer suppress her emotions. She burst into loud sobs.

* * *

Yulia cried for two full hours before gradually calming down.

If Dodoro had not suddenly thought of something and spoken up beside her, saying, “Madam, please take care of yourself. Don’t forget that there is still a child in your womb…”

Yulia seemed to find those words more effective than any comfort. She finally wiped her face hard and stopped crying.

The three of them sat silently for a while. Then Yulia forced a faint smile.

“You… you are all Kevin’s comrades. It’s getting late, and you must be hungry. I’ll go prepare something for you to eat…”

How could Xia Ya possibly let her do that?

He hurriedly helped her lie back down, then he and Soyt went to the kitchen at the rear and prepared some hot rice porridge. They brought it to Yulia.

She managed one spoonful and seemed unable to eat any more. But after glancing at her stomach, the woman frowned tightly, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to finish the entire bowl.

“Thank you.”

After eating, she rested for a while. Her complexion improved slightly; at least she was no longer as frighteningly pale as before.

Then, suppressing her grief, Yulia asked Xia Ya several questions and asked him to tell her exactly how Kevin had died. Afraid of deepening her sorrow, Xia Ya avoided the details and gave only a brief account before helping her lie down to rest.

Xia Ya took out a cloth pouch and placed it on the table. It was heavy with gold coins.

“This is the army’s compensation… and some money collected by the rest of his comrades. Please, you must accept it. We…”

In truth, the country bumpkin was lying.

There were at least three hundred gold coins on the table. The army’s compensation was very small, and although Kevin’s comrades had contributed something, they were all soldiers and had little surplus money. Altogether, they had gathered no more than seven or eight gold coins.

Fifty of the coins had been given to Xia Ya privately by General Adrick. Adrick was an incorruptible commander and did not possess much wealth himself.

As for the rest, Xia Ya had emptied his own savings. Along the way, he had put on airs as a grand personage and accepted various gifts from local officials who entertained him. He had brought all of those gifts out as well.

Seeing that Yulia was about to refuse, Xia Ya immediately said firmly, “I know you don’t want to accept it. No amount of money can bring back a life. But please, do not refuse! This is everyone’s goodwill. Even if it is only so that we can all have peace of mind, so that no one will feel guilty for having done too little, please accept it!”

(To be continued.)

Thirty-Seven Chinese. The name is simple and easy to remember in Mandarin pronunciation.