Hokuou Kizoku to Moukinzuma no Yukiguni Karigurashi

Chapter 68: Lukas Salonen Revontulet’s Activity Report

Author:

From Ritzhard’s father’s point of view.

Note:

A little explanation to clear things up. From here, there will be about 40 chapters of side stories, some from Ritz’s pov, and others from side character’s pov. Then from chapter 108 it goes back to the main arc, picking up from when the couple returned home with Sieg.

When I returned to my homeland, what awaited me was father’s reception.

“Kukuku, ha~hahaha!!”

“……”

Father laughed loudly as he pointed towards me.

“Hey, how about calming down now?”

“Hah, hah, as if I can not laugh at this! Fu, fuhaha!”

“……”

As to why he is so happy, it is because he was amused at seeing depressed from coming here without my wife.

“Hmph. Serves you right. You’re receiving punishment for pestering your son.”

“Well, I wonder about that?”

“Being so carefree like that again, you really have no shred of cuteness!”

Father especially doted on Ritzhard from a long time ago, according to the servant. He does have other grandsons, but maybe they aren’t cute like me.

“As a researcher, I thought that I shouldn’t disturb the village’s customs and cultures too much.”

“So you thought that you shouldn’t help you son?”

“Right.”

“Then you’re just a sheetty parent!”

“I won’t deny it.”

“I hope your true nature is revealed to your family, you black-hearted man!”

“But everyone will coolly accept me.”

“Go to hell!”

Father clicked his tongue and left the room. I felt glad that he is healthy.

Then I was also surprised at myself for thinking that.

People do change.

◇◇◇

I started adventuring the world a few decades ago.

When the research that I have been doing for many years was finally recognised by the world, my colleague said that I must be happy but I said that it wasn’t so, which surprised surprised him. That might have been the motive.

Lacking emotions. Father always said that to me.

I thought that it was fine if I was okay with it. But I was told that I am a black-hearted man.

Then I remembered a line that was bothering me, from someone’s research paper. “I felt the joy of life and how important it is for people to have one another.”

Joy of life, the importance of meeting people, I never felt that. But I didn’t have any hardships because of that.

However, I was curious at this feeling inside me that I did not have.

If I travel around the world, I might be able to experience this mysterious thing. People around me tried to stop me, but I went out travelling after all.

Travelling the world costs a lot of money. If I want to travel safely, it would cost just as much.

My savings were quickly depleted, and I even had to use the allowance I was given by father.

I read the travel guides written by a certain man again. When I went to the countries and the villages written on them, I received a warm welcome just because I was one of his kind. From their words, I could also learn of his kind personality.

Of course, not all was good.

I was tricked by an interpreter once lost all my money. I was assaulted by bandits when I was moving on a wagon. I even spent a night in prison.

Even so, I couldn’t stop travelling.

More than the fear of losing something, the want to learn about the world was greater.

Also, I was bothered.

In one village, an elderly lady whom I owe a favour said, “There is a treasure that cannot be replaced for you somewhere on earth. If you find that, you will definitely become happy.”

She didn’t explain what the treasure is. Something that is irreplaceable for me, I couldn’t imagine it.

Something irreplaceably precious. I could only tilt my head.

A healthy body and money for living is important, I can say for sure that they are not treasures.

Without a clear answer, I continued my travel.

The travel guides moved on to talk about the arctics. Amongst them, there was an interesting people.

‘Inuit’. I was greatly intrigued by this people eating raw meat.

Inuits live north of the arctic line.

They live in the arctic circle. Even among that, the place where the Inuits live are detailed as ‘the worst possible environment for human survival’.

The guide also had what I should look out for.

First, I was to be careful of ‘scurvy’.

Simply told, scurvy is caused by the lack of water-soluble vitamins found in fruits and vegetables and is a lethal illness that leads to death by blood loss.

Throughout history, there are many books about scurvy. What tormented the sailors of the Age of Exploration and the soldiers going to war was this as well.

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve from heat. And raw meat has lots of water-soluble vitamins. Inuits are eating raw meat to prevent scurvy as well.

In addition, the Inuits were never invaded. Because those regions have no value, according to the guide.

Why do they live there. I was curious about that, so I headed north.

However, when I arrived there were no Inuits.

It was written that Inuits are mongoloids, but the woman in front of me was without a doubt white. When I turned around to my guide, he was already gone.

“My, a visitor~”

“……”

She spoke Finnish. I didn’t think a subject I took out of whim in university would help.

When I looked at the passport I received from the guide, it was issued from somewhere else.

I was tricked again. I hung my head down.

“Did something happen? Are you hungry?”

I noticed that the woman in front of me kept talking to me.

“Erm, where is this?”

“This the village of the Sami people.”

“Sami.”

White hair, white skin. The woman who looked like a fairy smiled while holding a bloodied rabbit in her hand.

The place where the guide led me to was a relatively temperate village where people called ‘Sami’ lived.

Compared to the Inuits, who are said to have warm temperaments, the Sami had tough temperaments befitting the extreme cold.

However, from hearing their story of getting abused by outsiders, it felt natural that they would be cold to others.

The more I saw, heard and learned, the more I felt the harshness of the Sami.

However, the lord’s daughter, Richelle was different.

She was broad-minded and kind to anyone.

It didn’t take long for me to come to like her.

I married Richelle and had a child. Then I learned what it meant by my treasure.

I wanted to say thanks to that elderly lady who gave me an objective to travelling.

However, it took quite some time to get back to that village.

When I visited that village again after a few years, she was already gone from this world. It was just at her grave, but nevertheless I thanked her with Richelle that I was able to find my treasure.

I wasn’t really reflecting about neglecting my son because I was confident that he will be a good lord.

◇◇◇

I adequately cleaned up my research and presented them for a few years, then returned home.

When I got back home, my family greeted me.

I had five grandchildren already. It was decided that this old man who had no talent in hunting would do the babysitting.

It was the land of extreme cold, yet I felt warmth. The village was overflowing with treasure.

I thanked God for this miracle and vowed to enjoy this life.