Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 36: Reese and Rabe 3 of 5 (Part 01)

Note: The charge is a little heavy, read it when the mood is good. For those who haven't read the Great War Record and jumped straight into Arc 02, I recommend reading it because it actually contains the answer to some of your confusion.

The cool air is freely inhaled, the sound of birds and the sound of crowsing chickens being a natural alarm for them. Klista settlement, that is the official name of the village in the records of the city government of Rockfield. The place was indeed too small to be called a village, with its population of no more than 10 heads of the family could not be included in the village category under the rule of the Kingdom of Felixia.

Misty scenery becomes natural in the morning, with fresh air filling the entire village and making visibility limited. Standing near the gazebu, Odo Luke sighed as he gazed towards the misty forest that still looked dark. Raising the view to the sky, cloudy clouds fill and looks will not be bright any time soon.

“Huuh ...” The exhaled breath becomes white steam and disappears.

“You didn't sleep?” Fiola immediately woke up, Huli Jing the black-brown-haired girl rubbed her eyes and stared flatly.

Looking towards Fiola, the young man replied, “I don't need to sleep.”

“You do not need to eat, no need to sleep, for a long time you do not look like a human. I am a Huli Jing also need to sleep at least one or two hours a day ..”

Odo fell silent, not commenting on the long-lived race's sleep. Looking around again, none of the group was awake and they were still lying in the gazebu.

“Such place even more like Ranggon, yes ...”

“Hmm? You said something?”

“Nothing ...”

The young man sat back down to the gazebu that only the two of them used, then stared flatly at the soldiers who were sleeping soundly. Seeing them unwary, Odo felt that much was their trust in their leader who said their transit village was safe.

At a glance see the small settlement located on the plateau, the type of house and architecture that is different from most types of buildings in the city of Mylta. In settlements that take their tribal name, Klista, their buildings tend to use wood as the main material and are stilt houses that are about one to one and a half meters high. Has a simple design but the aesthetic value is so strong, on the door of each house there is a unique carving and hung wooden sculpture under the house stage.

“Yes, according to Lisia this place is also one of his main income wood carving art. Almost the whole wood all,” Odo's mind while smiling thinly.

The first time came yesterday, the young man did not have time to look around the Klista tribal village for some reason. Looking at the settlement as clearly as it is now, the young man made sure of a few things when he saw the Klista people coming out of their homes to take care of livestock, gardens, or go hunting.

They are mostly female, wearing plain-colored pesak brackets and floral-patterned scarves that circle around the neck for warmth. Seeing their appearance while working in the morning, Odo briefly remembered one of the traditional clothes that he knew.

“Hmm, this world does copy a lot of things from where I used to live,” murmured Odo.

“Master, what's up?” Fiola approached and patted the young man's shoulder from behind.

“Tak apa.” Odo only replied with a smile.

When the day had begun to be a little noon and the people had all woken up, under the command of Lisia they immediately proceeded to replenish and recount the supplies taken from the settlement. Odo, who was known to plan members as a young man named Nigrum, had to come with them and become a hauler, lifting boxes from the village warehouse and counting the contents for data collection.

Observing from the gazebu near the parked cargo train, Fiola and Lisia just sat down and smiled lightly looking towards the young man. They seemed to enjoy it, observing Odo who had to expend extra energy when the air was very cold. Although the snow is not falling, the temperature is quite heavy for those who are not used to being in the highlands with less oxygen levels.

Alternately they are carrying goods, work feels slow because they have difficulty breathing. The transit in the plan also became one of the methods that Lisia used to make the plan members adapt to heights. If they continue the journey and continue to rise, it is certain there will be some members who are affected by AMS (acute mountain sickness).

In fact, the symptoms of Mountain Sickness are already experienced by Miquator magicians who tend to have a weaker physique than others. Although only mild symptoms such as reduced appetite and dizziness, things like adaptation do need to be done to avoid bad things that may occur such as ambushes when conditions are not at their maximum.

Putting that aside, Odo had no symptoms at all and did not even feel cold with a drastic drop in temperature when compared to the beginning they began to climb the mountain area since yesterday. The young man casually lifted the food crate that had been counted in the warehouse, then placed it into the cargo hold.

The soldiers with the best stamina could not follow the young man, they chose to rest because the symptoms of shortness of breath began to appear. During the day, transportation of supplies is completed ahead of schedule. Everything had been counted, and Lisia went to where the Elders of the Klista Tribe were to confirm a few things with the settlement chief.

Feeling no connection to such a thing, Odo sat down on one of the gazebus and let out a slight sigh. Looking up, he stared flat but did not look exhausted or cold despite wearing only a thin shirt.

The Chief Warrior of Mylta City, Iitla Lots, sat down near Odo and asked, “Tuan Nigrum, are you not cold or tired?”

Looking towards that shoulder-length blonde middle-aged man who was wearing a warm blanket and was still shivering, Odo had no comment at all on that and was instead astonished by his suddenly polite manner of speech.

“Why are you staring at you like that?” ask Iitla cynically. “Ah, you must have felt that I was silly because now it's shivering like this, ma'am-no? Pueh ...”

“No,” says Odo. Stop staring at Iilta Lots, Odo looked towards the settlement that was starting to get crowded and said, “I'm just surprised you can talk politely like that.”

Staring at what the young man was looking at, Iilta said, “I am a stubborn person, not a self-informed person. After Mr. Nigrum showed your ability over the past week, of course I have no choice but to acknowledge you and give you respect.”

“Haha ..” Odo paid him no heed and only gave a dry laugh, the young man's gaze of black hair turned slightly flat. Looking at the scan, near the building of the Tribe Elders was seen Fiola standing there and waiting for Lisia who was the only outsider allowed to enter.

Slightly glancing towards the Head Warrior, Odo asked, “By the way, village— Ah, formally a settlement, yes .... Well, what is the point of this place exactly? Why is there a connection with the Mylta Family?”

“Although you're Miss's fiancee but don't know, huh? Hmm, how to explain it .... Actually this Elder is still a close relative of Mr. Argo, precisely the Elder here is his brother who was forced to be exiled because he was not elected as the Head of the Family first. As you know, the affairs of the nobles are indeed complicated ..”.

Odo digested the new information. Therefore, in the form of seclusion by the internal Mylta Family, of course, there is no official record that says that unless officially stated, only the Branch Family breaks away from the Main Family.

In the normal situation in the families of the nobles, children after birth will not be published to the public and will be educated to be selected at a certain age to become the Head of the Family. Those who are elected will remain and those who are not elected will be exiled. The reason it is done is very simple, the child is born not only from the womb of the main wife. Concubines could have given birth to the descendants of the Head of the Family, it could have ignited the conflict if not done firmly such as the removal of birth traces.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Odo said, “If he's Mr. Argo's sister Mylta, then he's old, isn't he? Why would he still lead such a remote settlement? If he had royal blood, he could have chosen to return to the city after the conflict was over. Why stay here old? Is it because it is in love with its citizens?”

“I think it's one of them .... But that's not the point, Mrs Roro the problem is not purely a human being.”

“Not human?” Odo looked over with interest.

“Ya ..., she's half Einhorn .... On his blood flowed the horned horse with incredible magic power. Therefore, he was long-lived and always looked young. It was very disastrous, therefore he was exiled.”

“Eng, horse?” Odo's eyebrows shot up, tilted his head and said, “Sepent ..., why can humans give birth to mystical horse offspring? Did Mylta's predecessor do that with a horned horse?”

The Chief Warrior glanced flatly, looked a little annoyed and said, “Although it looks calm but your way of speaking is brutal, yes. Of course it's not like that! Einhorn, they are beings whose existence is like a Great Spirit but who can live in the Real World by possessing a forest horse, turning its fur silver and giving it longevity.”

Of course Odo knew such a thing, the young man asked with joking intent. Sighing and staring flatly, he chose silence and listening back instead of dismantling the joke that was taken seriously.

The warrior head looked towards the settlement, then said, “From all that, if Einhorn dies from something, the horned horse will turn into a Spirit form again and get into the body of another horse. But ..., whether it's a disaster or a blessing, Mr. Argo's mother said she had a dream of meeting a horned horse and returned pregnant when Mr. Argo was ten months old.”

Odo nodded in understanding, then said, “So, yes .... So the one who was born was actually Einhorn himself, but in human form .... That's why ..., he was exiled until now.”

“Although he was exiled, in fact he was very dear to many of his followers, loh. When I was a child, I was also amazed by his charisma. Well, therefore the system in this village became closed to avoid a direct gaze with Mrs Roro.”

“Ya ..”.

“So want to see.”

“Eh?”

Odo got up from his seat, then walked towards the settlement towards the building where the Tribe Elders were. The Chief Warrior who saw the sudden decision of the young man could only stare in astonishment, not understanding what kind of mindset was inside the young man's head.

As Odo reached the front of the building where the Elder was and was about to call Fiola to ask, suddenly the wooden door opened and from the stilthouse came out two loyal servants of the Tribe Elders. They were pure human beings, both of whom had the characteristic black hair color and slightly squinty eyes that characterised the imperial people. Not much different from the other residents, the two Elder Servants also wore pesak brackets with scarves coiled around the neck.

The Klista tribe itself is not a tribe formed by an Individual named Roro, but the tribes scattered throughout the Michigan continent and believe that someone who was born as half a Spirit or can be called also Titian Peri is a Great figure who deserves respect. Their tribal ancestors were also humans who were incarnations of the Great Spirit who had lived in the Real World for a long time.

One of the hikers looked in deep breaths, then shouted, “Master Odo Luke! Mr Odo—!!”

Fiola immediately jumped onto the porch of the stage house and silenced the mouth of one of the Elder Servants. To his surprise, Odo and Fiola were at a loss as to why the woman had called Odo Luke's name even though no one should have known that the individual was among the people from Mylta who had come.

.

.

.

.

Unexplained other than himself being summoned by the Tribal Elders, Odo was one welcome to enter the building which should only be Mylta descendants who entered. Inside the building where the Tribe Elders were located, only Odo was seated after Lisia was told to leave and Fiola was not allowed to enter.

Observing around, the building is completely made of shiny polished wood and some angles there are carved patterns on the floor and walls. There was only one room in the stilt house where the Elders were, it felt spacious and at the end that could be seen after entering a special place bounded by slightly transparent layered curtains.

The flame of the oil candle in the room made the silhouette of the figure behind the red curtains visible, making Odo who sat sila on the pillow stare flat with curiosity. At first glance recalling the explanation of the two Elder Servants who allowed themselves an entrance, the young man in black hair felt a lack of information.

“What ... you know I'm from Lisia?” asked Odo in a tone that showed absolutely no respect.

The silhouette figure behind the curtains gets up, then walks out and deeds, “Bukan.”

The figure opened the curtains and stood staring at Odo directly. Seeing the figure glorified by the Klista Tribe, the young man gaped in awe at the beauty of the woman. Although it is said that he is more than fifty years old, in the eyes of Odo a woman named Roro Nia’an it is still very young and only looks like a twenty-year-old woman .

The green brackets she wore matched her silver hair that dangled to the floor wildly. The flower-patterned brown scarf is not worn neatly, just circular chaotically around the neck. Even so, the green eyes of the woman were very beautiful and her charisma did not fade away at all. From the appearance of the woman, a spiral horn on her forehead is the only feature that the woman is not human.

As if unaffected by the beauty of the woman, Odo asked, “Then why did you know me and call me that way?”

“Nujum ..., do you know that?”

While Odo was surprised, he knew that such a thing was one of the kinds of divination methods that used the position of stars as a race. Taking a light breath, the young man stared in disbelief as he did not believe in the divination method or anything like that.

The woman with very long shiny silver hair was sitting on a pillow sitting right in front of Odo, with the equivalent of wanting to speak to the young man before her. Seeing that the woman's shiny hair was straying wildly on the floor, Odo's eyebrows twitched and were slightly disturbed because it felt so dear that such beautiful hair was not well cared for.

“What ... My hair is that beautiful?” ask Roro.

Odo looked up, slightly looked away and said, “Besides Nujum, you can also read minds, huh? Practical once.”

“I don't read minds, just foretell the only ability I have.” Lifting a few strands of his own hair, Roro with a gloomy face said, “I know you are amazed by this hair from a dream, if you will surely be stunned at me because of this hair. It was visible after I saw the star cluster last night.”

Staring flat at the woman, Odo sternly asked, “So, why did you invite me here? Will anything bad or good happen to me, and then you'll tell me or warn me?”

“Not ...”

The silent voice sounded strange in Odo's mind, making the young man stare with a flat highlight. He does not like the type of woman like him, looks lethargic and seems to know everything.

“Keep what's your destination?”

“I just wanted to meet you before that bright shining star was completely extinguished. No other reason or anything I asked for.”

“Hah?”

“The world has slipped off its gear, speeding towards its full dark potential and no one knows. Night becomes day, day becomes night. The truth will be misleading and depravity will show the true direction .... Tell us the meaning of the name, the moon that blooms in the sky. Go wherever you want, O Black, white will always be with you.”

Odo was silent at the words like a poem, astonished but slightly filling up some empty pieces in his head. Taking a deep breath, the young man hesitantly asked, “Do you also know who I am?”

Roro did not answer directly, he closed his eyes at a glance and made the room feel quiet. The wind that entered through the wooden building blew out the candles, making the shadow as if dancing in the darkness.

“I know, just a little know and can't change anything. We are basically just a slave of destiny, you are the one who will liberate this world .... What you will choose, be it destruction or peace, the world will be saved. Just how did you get to that point.”

After saying the thing that really baffled Odo, the long silver-haired woman got up from the seat and went back behind the curtains to sit there. Odo was silent in confusion, his mind running so fast that blood flowed out of his nose. Despite having thought very hard, conclusions were not obtained and only a sense of emptiness filled the mind.

Gazing towards the female silhouette behind the curtains, Odo asked, “You who?”

“My spirit is only an Observer, changing nothing and a soul that becomes one of the components of the world. No more than that, no less than that ..., just that.”

The conversation actually ended in a way that Odo did not expect, the woman named Roro no longer answered the question that the young man was asking. Doubt and curiosity made the young man come out of the building dumbfounded, looking like his mind went somewhere.

After that, a small party was held by the villagers as the day began to night. They prepared in frilled clothes and had exquisite embroidery, ornate wooden and metal trinkets, as well as drum musical instruments removed from the village warehouse.

Beside the burning bonfire and accompanying the night, they clashed with excitement and joked cheerfully. The village women dance near the campfire, the men beat drum instruments. The simple entertainment really made the people who came from Mylta entertained and momentarily forgot the worry that was in mind.

The dance performed by the women of the village is called Kagura, can also be called a ritual worship of the god who is believed to be a member of the tribe. The ritual is actually more often held in the imperial area. But because the Klista tribe itself comes from the imperial area, things like the ritual is also one of the traditions that are still done in order to ask for blessings.

With bare feet dancing on the snow surface, the women wearing loose-fitting clothes frilled with wisdom did their job. The right hand carries a sword-shaped stick made of Sasaki trees, while the left hand holds a stick with tassels of cloth bells, Onusa.

Outside the crowd that was around the ritual place to ask for blessings before tomorrow's departure, Odo sat in the gazebu and was still thinking about what the Tribe Elder had said to him earlier this afternoon. Still not getting an answer, he just daydreamed and stared at the women who were dancing.

It once again did not feel strange to the young man in black hair, feeling that someone had once done such Kagura to him. Feeling that something was awkward with what was felt in the mind, Odo still could not remember it clearly and the mind became increasingly chaotic.

Fiola who was sitting next to him just observed without commenting, despite reading the young man's mind he had no idea what Odo was really doing.

Sighing in agitatedly, in the end the young man chose to sleep on the gazebu and went straight away with exhaustion. Thinking drains his stamina more than using magic and fighting for the past week. He chose not to think about it further, letting the mystery remain a mystery and trying to forget it.

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