CH 46.1

Anne climbed into the carriage and heard the sound of horses galloping in succession outside.

As soon as the carriage began to move, Anne opened the window. About twenty knights followed on horseback. The world was covered with white, but the snowfall was decreasing.

Not long after, the carriage’s movement completely stopped. Arriving at the area in question, she could clearly hear people’s cries outside.

There must be a lot of people who have lost their homes.

Seeing that the situation was more serious than she thought, Anne took a deep breath. Taking care of the territory and taking care of the people of the territory during times of calamity was her role as the Grand Duke’s representative.

“This is about as far as carriages and horses can go. From now on, we have to walk.”

Abreham’s voice sounded from outside. Anne opened the door, carefully wrapping her outerwear around her as best she could. The chill that blew in was enough to suffocate.

Covering her nose with a shawl that seemed to freeze in her head, Anne walked up to the crowded hill.

“Here? There’s nothing here. Where is the village?”

“This is the village.”

The knight commander with a hardened face pointed forward. Anne’s face contorted as she inadvertently saw the wide plain-like snow hills toward which his finger was pointing.

She probably expected that she would see a ghastly sight. That’s why she gathered her heart more firmly, but the reality was a dark story on its own.

The village had disappeared without a trace.

The avalanche-stricken villages, she saw, were small settlements set on hillsides where the terrain lowered inward. There was a cliff behind it, and the ground had collapsed from the snowy mountain above.

If it had been a forest with trees, there wouldn’t have been a problem, but in villages like this, there are many cases where the wood would be used, so sparse bare hills collapse without a countermeasure.

“This …”

Looking down at the hill, Anne felt helpless. To think that a village was buried under this seemingly ordinary hill.

Some hesitant people suddenly intervened among them as they carefully scanned the land around them.

“Huhuu… no… My child, my daughter, is at home… !”

A young couple who had been to the central downtown area and returned belatedly hearing the news sat down on the ground and burst into tears. A few villagers who arrived afterwards also cried in tears, and in an instant, the sound of crying made the space they were in sad. Her heart was beating anxiously.

“Please help her. She is still only ten years old. Hic, I came out for a moment after seeing her sleeping at home, but my God…”

When the weeping woman saw Anne, who seemed to be in charge, she collapsed and knelt on the cold ground.

“Please, please help her.”

Seeing a grown-up woman cry sadly, Anne’s heart ached. Anne, who was watching the couple sobbing with sorrowful faces, turned her eyes to the knights with a hardened face. Whatever it may be, she couldn’t stay stunned like this.

“We have to hurry up and get the workers and knights to dig this place.”

“There are too many people. If these personnel hit the ground all at once, a secondary hazard may arise from the artificial vibrations.”

Abreham stopped her, hushing his voice so that others could not hear her.

“But you can’t just watch with both hands open like this. Search this place with all available personnel.”

As time goes on, the ones who are at a disadvantage are the survivors who may be somewhere. As the Grand Duchess was resolute, Abreham raised his hand helplessly.

“I will follow your orders, Your Grace.”

As soon as instructions were given, the knights slowly walked toward the place where the village had been. Now that the snow had stopped momentarily, their work must be finished as quickly as possible.

According to the knight commander’s orders, several people came together to scoop the snow with shovels, but it was not enough. The villagers who came to hear the news belatedly chipped in, but before the sun set, they seemed to have made no progress.

“We need to ask for help. Please send someone right now and call for help from the surrounding village who can use their strength.”

“I accept your order.”

Hearing her words, the knight commander nodded his head and walked to the subordinate who handled a horse best. In the meantime, Anne approached a knight who was busy digging with a shovel.

“Give me one.”

“Your Grace is going to do it yourself? It’s nonsense. If His Grace finds out, we will be held accountable.”

Anne nodded her head with a stern expression. The hands were not enough, and at this time she was the Grand Duchess, so she did not come to just stare. The knight handed her a shovel with a helpless look at Anne’s determined expression.