MHHC Chapter 38

Heavy Snowfall

"Ah, it's progressing well. The snowfall has lessened these past two days, and the monster attacks have been strangely absent—the work is proceeding very smoothly. By today, we should have a clear path all the way to the river at the edge of Regenbach Forest."

"That's a relief, at least."

Adelheid—who had flinched at the words 'no monster attacks'—felt genuine relief by the time Hermann finished speaking. She had made bold declarations, but the dwindling supplies had cast a pall over the castle's atmosphere, a creeping shadow she could feel tightening day by day.

She continued with cautious hope threading through her words.

"The forest is so densely packed with trees that perhaps not much snow accumulated in the interior. If we can hunt game, it will help with provisions. Also, we should confirm whether we can break through the ice on the river and catch fish."

"I'll relay that to the knights as soon as they return."

"Is that all?"

"Yes... No, it's not. If it wouldn't be presumptuous, there's something I'd like to ask."

"Go ahead."

Adelheid closed the ledger and looked at Hermann. He hesitated, as if uncertain how to begin—but once he opened his mouth, his opinion poured out without further reluctance, each word weighted with conviction.

"Setting aside everything else, why must you care for even the vagrants? Most of them are drifters of unknown origin. One tried to sneak into the kitchen, dissatisfied with the rations. Fights break out constantly."

He stopped, drew in a deep breath, and exhaled sharply—a gust of frustration made visible.

"In my opinion, these are not people Your Grace needs to look after."

Hermann made no effort to hide his antipathy toward the vagrants. More than that, he burned with the conviction that they should be expelled—a small fire of certainty blazing in the careful architecture of his composure.

But for Adelheid, it had been an unavoidable choice. Not a single day had passed in peace since Greta's disappearance—each one shadowed by absence, each night a cataloging of fears.

When word spread that Ansgar Castle was accepting those with nowhere else to go, vagrants from nearby villages swarmed in like bees before the roads closed completely. If Greta had left the castle on foot, she couldn't have gone far—and Adelheid had thought she might slip among the vagrants upon hearing the rumors, pretending reluctance while seeking warmth and food. Greta's nature would never withstand prolonged hunger and cold.

But it wasn't entirely because of Greta.

"You said we lack soldiers to defend the castle. What if we trained some of the newcomers—those who are young or physically capable, with trustworthy character?"

"...I'm not convinced they're the sort who would approach training seriously. If they were, they wouldn't have become vagrants in the first place."

At Hermann's dubious tone, Adelheid shook her head slowly—a gesture of gentle correction rather than dismissal.

"Hermann. You must remember the war only recently ended. Even I, who knows nothing, understand that Ansgar staggered under the burden of war expenses."

"That's—"

"If even I, living in the castle, felt it, how much worse must it have been for the commoners? Many lost their homes or fled because of unbearable taxes. We can't simply drive them all out into this cold."

"......"

"If you think it's better to have bandits infesting the area around Ansgar, I won't stop you from expelling them right now."

Hermann stared at her, words caught somewhere between intention and voice. She was right—people cornered by desperation turned first to theft, to taking what belonged to others.

Especially those who had survived such extreme circumstances with a certain ruthlessness—they were most likely to transform into bandits eventually. If the swelling ranks of war refugees joined bandit groups, their forces could grow to unprecedented, unmanageable numbers.

Hermann asked, stumbling slightly over the words.

"...Did you consider this situation from the beginning?"

"More accurately, I found a convenient excuse not to bar the gates."

Adelheid replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck—a gesture of admission, of revealing the practical calculation beneath charitable appearance. Then she looked out the window, where the snowfall had begun to thin at last, and continued.

"For now, compile a list focusing on those who haven't caused trouble. Examine their character carefully to see if they're trustworthy. While they stay at the castle, we could assign them work—clearing snow, cleaning, and the like."

"...If there are troublemakers, how should we deal with them?"

"Expelling everyone who causes problems in this cold will only lead to their freezing to death. Separate them from the others and reduce their rations slightly—wouldn't that serve as a warning?"

"I'll do that."

"For now, we still have some breathing room. Let's endure a little longer."

Hermann's face didn't show complete conviction, but he seemed pleased with the idea of training them as soldiers—that much had taken root. He stepped closer to Adelheid with the air of someone who had reached a decision. When she looked at him questioningly, he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I've obtained the information you asked me to investigate. About Greta."

"You—surely... there's been news since then?"

"It doesn't seem she was kidnapped or threatened by anyone. At least, it appears she left the castle of her own accord. There are people who witnessed Greta boarding a carriage the night before the snow began."

Adelheid drew in a short breath—hope and relief tangled together, sharp as winter air.

"Who was it?"

"Hans and Peter, assistants to the stablemaster. They said they saw her climb into a merchant's carriage from Schlenburg in Bayern."

"Is it reliable information? Could they have mistaken someone else for her...?"

"No one could mistake Greta's build. Both were certain."

Adelheid exhaled a long sigh of relief—the kind that empties the lungs completely, releasing accumulated tension. If Greta had departed south the night before the snow began, she would have reached somewhere unaffected by the blizzard long ago. At least until the third day, the snowfall hadn't been heavy, and temperatures would have grown warmer the farther south she traveled.

One major worry had been lifted. Adelheid smiled faintly, though the expression carried shadows.

"That's a relief, at least."

"Yes. After all, a person's life was at stake..."

Adelheid looked at Hermann with surprised eyes.

After Greta disappeared, it was confirmed that some gold coins from the chest had vanished as well. Because of this, rumors initially circulated that Greta might have been threatened or fallen victim to crime.

But once testimonies began pouring in from people who had seen Greta leave the castle voluntarily, the situation rapidly shifted.

Even if no one openly expressed it in Adelheid's presence, an atmosphere pervaded the castle—one that regarded Greta as a betrayer. In this climate, Hermann's words—even if merely polite—were surprisingly sympathetic.

"...Thank you."

"It's nothing. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Please do. Ah, has His Grace eaten yet?"

"No. He's still in the library."

The library had become Valentin's most frequent haunt recently. With the training grounds buried under snow—making sparring with the knights impossible—he had apparently decided to bury himself in books instead. Thanks to this, his vocabulary was reportedly improving at remarkable speed.

Adelheid considered visiting Valentin immediately, but changed her mind.

"His Grace will have skipped lunch as usual. It would be good to prepare something light and send it to him."

"...I'll see to it."

Hermann hesitated with the look of someone wanting to ask more, but soon bowed respectfully.

Adelheid passed him and descended the stairs with quick steps. She moved through the kitchen—where maids bustled about—and was approaching the corridor leading to the grand banquet hall when—

"Your Grace!"

Yanik, his face flushed completely red, spotted her and waved. He appeared to have just come in from the cold wind. Adelheid read excitement in his expression—something bright breaking through the gloom that had settled over recent days.

"What is it?"

"The knights have returned! They've cleared a path to the river. They caught two large deer!"

He clenched his fist and raised his voice with barely contained enthusiasm. Adelheid's eyes widened.

"Is that true?"

"Yes! They've stacked firewood in the back courtyard and hung several pots. It looks like they're making stew and smoking the remaining meat for jerky. Would Your Grace like to go see?"

So that explained the castle's unusual bustle. Everyone was moving energetically in response to the rare good news.

More than anything, the fact that new supplies had been procured—rather than merely consuming stored provisions—seemed to have planted seeds of hope in people's hearts. The maids' cheerful laughter, unheard for who knows how long, brought warmth to Adelheid's own heart.

"I... I'm fine."

Though she wanted to go immediately and share in the pleasant atmosphere, Adelheid shook her head in refusal. The recently friendly mood had frozen strangely ever since she decided to accept the vagrants. And Adelheid, accustomed to reading others' moods, had instinctively begun avoiding people out of habit—shrinking back before anyone could express disapproval.

Perceptive Yanik seemed to understand her hesitation.

"Don't pull back like that. Times like these, you should show yourself openly rather than withdrawing."

He even clenched his fist in earnest encouragement, and Adelheid found herself nodding before she quite realized it.

"Good decision. This way."

Following Yanik down to the back courtyard, she saw pots bubbling vigorously and makeshift ovens constructed from stacked bricks—apparently built to bake bread on short notice. Servants were hurriedly draining blood from the deer and cutting meat from bone.

It was far from a pleasant sight. When startled Adelheid covered her mouth with a pale face, someone approached.

"Your Grace."