The Crimson Duke of War: Historian In Another World

Morning had come to pass without any issue, the stone guards continuing their endless watch, none of them ever spotting the scouts that had now surrounded them all.

Justinian woke up first, rubbing his eyes and exiting the cavern, checking if anything may have happened that the stone constructs had missed.

And they did.

Quite a lot, actually.

[Duke of War +1]

His trait had heightened his senses to the utmost, and with his recent ascension to a full-blown arcanist, it was now nearly unparalleled.

Marks in the snow, they were faint, but it was clear they existed. Justinian's sharpened eyes couldn't miss them.

'We're surrounded...'

Even with the current predicament he was in, he wasn't worried; he had already fought crusaders and legendary commanders on the battlefield.

A few skilled mountain scouts weren't enough to make him worry.

And he fully well knew that they were completely in the right... Justinian understood their caution; if he were in their place, he would do the same.

'I'll pretend I didn't see them for now.'

Justinian exhaled and headed back to the cavern to prepare their breakfast before they left.

***

They didn't linger for too long, something Maria had vocally protested to; she didn't want to move so soon after waking up, but with Justinian as her tour guide, she couldn't really try to stop him.

"Think we can arrive there today?" Maria asked, dragging her boots through the cold, snow-covered path.

"Likely not... even if we try to be as fast as possible, it's still a long distance."

Justinian chuckled. "But don't worry, there should be a few settlements just ahead of us that would be far better to sleep in than the cave."

Just as expected, the path was still as treacherous as ever, with Justinian having to save Maria from falling a few times due to the sudden collapse of the path.

Even Justinian was starting to wonder why people even bothered to undergo a pilgrimage here; unless you were a master, it was guaranteed death.

"Troll..."

Justinian stopped suddenly, causing Maria to bump into his back.

"Troll?" Maria tilted her head curiously.

Justinian didn't reply, however, only pointing at the beast in front of them, eating to be what seemed to be berries that were native to the mountain itself.

He didn't expect trolls in this world to be omnivores, already used to them always being portrayed as carnivores in most media in the old world.

"Petrify..."

He uttered, but it didn't work; the troll was still eating and relaxing as usual.

"It didn't work?"

"Guess I found my limitations."

"I wonder if it's friendly..." Maria remarked.

"I highly doubt that."

Maria moved first, approaching the troll, trying to test her theory, and Justinian didn't stop her.

If it indeed was friendly, then Maria was the best choice; if it was hostile, then Maria could probably learn a thing or two from her gifts due to the heat of the moment.

And if needed, Justinian could always just kill it.

"H-Hello...?"

Maria waved, just a few meters ahead of it, trying her best to look as neutral and friendly as possible in a way that even animals... or in this case, monsters would understand.

Justinian had already prepared his sword; the second he saw Maria in any real danger, the troll was dead.

But the troll didn't care at all, looking at Maria in what seemed to be a bored expression, as if calculating if she was worth interacting with.

Its answer? No, it would rather continue eating than talk with a hairless version of itself.

"It isn't friendly... but it isn't aggressive as well... so I guess that's a win?"

Maria turned to Justinian, shrugging.

And they continued on their path, leaving the troll to its feast, all the while continuing to be monitored and shadowed by the scouts.

"Smart choice... they may not be as aggressive as we previously thought," Isildur muttered, the rest following as they continue.

***

Maria kept glancing back at the troll until it faded from view behind the trees. "You know… I almost wish it waved back."

Justinian smiled faintly. "If it waved, then I'd have a lot of questions."

"Can't you just let the mystery stay a mystery? I think it would be a lot more fun that way."

"Fair."

The path ahead wound into thicker pine growth. Snow clung to the branches, heavy and silent, and occasionally dropped like powdered curtains with each soft gust of wind. The sun above was bright, but its warmth didn't reach the ground.

Maria pulled her coat tighter. "I'm glad we finally made it into something that seems more stable... I'd rather not experience almost falling any more than I already did."

"Cheers to that," Justinian replied. "The forest may still be dangerous, but at least we won't be fighting against gravity itself."

Maria softly laughed for a moment. She glanced at Justinian, calm, focused, the snow crunching lightly under his boots, every small sound making the forest feel more alive than it actually is.

"I've never been to a forest before," she muttered.

"Savor the moment then," he said simply. "I'll keep watch."

By midday, the landscape shifted. The path widened, revealing remnants of a cobblestone trail half-buried in frost and age. Broken stone markers stood like gravestones overlooking the valley, their inscriptions faded but still present.

"Settlement ruins?" Maria asked.

"Rest stop for old pilgrims," Justinian said, examining one of the stones. "Before the new roads were built… before they were forgotten."

Maria traced one of the runes with her finger. "Feels lonely."

Justinian didn't reply. But he looked at the stone longer than he needed to, as if recognizing something that wasn't written there.

He wondered if the same would apply to his duchy in the future, forgotten due to the passing of time; he knew fully well how even the strongest of empires never win a fight against time itself.

Further ahead, a small wooden shrine stood beneath an ancient pine, covered in snow, but unmistakably maintained. Someone had brushed the snow off recently.

Maria noticed it too. "We're not alone here."

"No," Justinian murmured. "We really aren't."