episode_0164

What Happened Over Five Years?

“…Um… Village Chief-nim?”

“Hmm… Well, I suppose this reaction is natural.”

“Chomp…!!”

I don’t know what advice Aria gave her, but Arvina began to devour Aria’s food so ravenously that she didn’t even notice the poisonous herb right beside her. Was that really the Village Chief-nim who was self-deprecating just a moment ago…? Perhaps because she had completely regained her energy, she was practically inhaling Aria’s food… What words did Aria use to cheer up the Village Chief-nim?

“Oh no… All the food I made is disappearing… I did process all the remaining Garuda meat… but the amount wasn’t small, you know…?”

“Chomp… Munch munch…”

“Oh… Your cooking is amazing after all. Just a moment ago, the Village Chief-nim’s skin had no luster… Look at that.”

I was greatly surprised to see the luster returning to the skin of the Village Chief-nim, who was hurriedly eating the many dishes Aria had made. Ah, right… Aria had researched recipes to take care of my health until now… Plus, she had good spices and seasonings obtained from her past explorations, so regaining vitality immediately… Still, isn’t it impossible?! How could she regain vitality so quickly?! But seriously…

“H-How much more do you plan to eat, Arvina?! More than half of the food I made has gone into your mouth already!”

“Gulp… Whew… S-Sorry… But… the moment I bravely tasted a bit of Aria-nim’s cooking… my hands moved on their own…”

“Well… you’ve been starving for almost eight years. It’s natural for you to react that way…”

“Th-That’s not it… Zeke-nim…”

Knowing that Arvina hadn’t eaten for a long time, I tried to understand why she was eating so hastily. But when Arvina, with a trembling voice, refuted my words, saying that wasn’t it, Aria and I turned our heads towards her. When we looked at her, Arvina slightly bowed her head and, shedding tears, said:

“Eating food made with such deep care… it’s been so long… Eating such warm, gentle, and calming food… it’s been so long… I couldn’t help myself…”

As Arvina explained that she was so moved by eating such warm food after a long time, holding the soup bowl with both hands, Aria suddenly sighed and lightly tapped Arvina’s head with her staff across the table. Arvina looked at Aria in bewilderment, and Aria placed her staff back beside her and spoke to Arvina.

“Don’t misunderstand, Arvina. The care and love put into this food are for Zeke-nim, not you.”

“!! Pfft…!! Do you always have to suddenly ruin the mood like that, Aria?!”

“But what can I do when it’s the truth? Even if I felt pity for Arvina, my belief that only Zeke-nim can be moved by my food will never change! For me, there is only…”

“Ughh!! Do I have to feel pressured…?! No, do I have to explain that to make you snap out of it!!!”

“…Chuckles…”

As I got angry at Aria for suddenly breaking the touching atmosphere, and then got angry again at Aria for emphasizing her stubbornness, a sound like a suppressed laugh suddenly came from somewhere. Aria and I turned our heads towards it. When I saw Arvina laughing at us, I was confused, not knowing why she was laughing. Then, when I felt that Arvina was finally laughing as if she were happy, I let go of my anger and smiled. However…

“We are serious right now, Arvina. I truly put my love for Zeke-nim into this…”

“Ughh!! I told you to stop, Aria!!”

“Ah… Hahaha… Hahahahaha…”

As I cried out, startled by Aria’s harsh words, Arvina started laughing again. She found it so funny that she was holding her stomach as she laughed, and Aria continued to emphasize to Arvina that she was serious, repeating her harsh words. Throughout the meal, we continued to bicker, unaware that Arvina had regained her smile at the sight of our harmonious bickering. Arvina, feeling a harmonious atmosphere for the first time in a long while, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Do you understand now, Arvina? All these foods are…”

“Alright… I give up… Just say whatever you want…”

“Hahaha… Oh… Oh, my stomach… I-I’m sorry… I shouldn’t be laughing like this… How should I put it… I’ve probably forgotten the reason by now… I just never thought I’d laugh again like this… I got a strange feeling and just… kept laughing without realizing it…”

“…You weren’t laughing because you thought we were putting on some strange play, were you?”

“If you looked at Zeke-nim with such eyes… this staff will not forgive you, Arvina…!!”

When Arvina said she couldn’t stop laughing at our appearance, Aria threatened to kill Arvina with her staff if she genuinely misunderstood that I was putting on some strange play, as I’d suggested. However, Arvina didn’t show any fear at Aria’s threat this time and didn’t lose her smile. Seeing that Arvina wasn’t afraid like she had been during her previous rampage, Aria herself was rather bewildered. Then Arvina slightly bowed her head and said to us:

“It seems that merely thanking you wouldn’t be enough. When I think of how desperately you both spoke to save me… I feel that I am still a creature of some value… Not as the Village Chief of Kartun, but as a living being in this world, I offer my gratitude to you again… Thank you so much for saving us.”

“Ah… Thank you, Village Chief-nim. But are you really going to be okay with this? Without that poisonous herb, the Village Chief-nim will again…”

“I might become dejected again, of course… Although I feel a little better after eating Aria-nim’s food, made with such care for Zeke-nim… the anxiety in my heart hasn’t disappeared yet. Someday, I might become a wreck again and slowly die… Still, since you two reminded me that I am still a valuable living being, I desperately want to survive, somehow. And… there are also the beastfolk who are waiting for me and trusting me… Recalling their smiles, I will somehow endure, even if alone…”

“Ah, there you go again.”

“Gasp?!”

As Arvina explained that her heart had calmed a bit thanks to us, but the anxiety hadn’t disappeared, and just as she was about to say that she would somehow endure alone while recalling the beastfolk’s smiles, Aria lightly struck Arvina’s head with her staff. Arvina, bewildered, looked at Aria in a daze, and Aria sighed and spoke to her.

“Haaah… Don’t try to endure alone. Tell everything to the beastfolk who will listen carefully to your words. I wonder if you’re trying to become a wreck again…”

“…Yes… Understood, Aria-nim. I will never forget that counsel and advice… Thank you… Thank you…”

When Aria advised her again not to try enduring alone, Arvina bowed her head once more and thanked us. At that sight, I momentarily thought Arvina had been hurt, but seeing her tail wagging, I realized Arvina was genuinely happy and let out a chuckle. At that moment, Arvina suddenly took a deep breath and looked at us with a serious expression, saying:

“Huuuh… I’ve received so much help, so it’s only right for me to give something in return, isn’t it? Even if you encouraged me because you wanted to… from the perspective of someone who has received your goodwill, I also want to do something for you.”

“No… it’s fine, Village Chief-nim. I’m satisfied just knowing that Aria showed a good side of herself thanks to you…”

“I heard Zeke-nim is an explorer. In that case, I think Zeke-nim would be curious about what has happened in Kartun over the past five years.”

“….!!!”

When Arvina offered to repay me and asked if I was curious about what had happened in Kartun over the past five years, I, who had initially tried to decline her offer, was intrigued by her words. Aria, beside me, seemed to have anticipated my reaction. She had been smiling, satisfied that I’d seen her good side, but then her expression hardened upon hearing Arvina’s words. And, perhaps offended, she asked me with a stern face:

“Zeke-nim. Is history more important to you right now than my good side?”

“…Both are important, you know… But honestly, I was happier to see you show such a wonderful side.”

“….!! Hehehe… I knew it, right?”

When I honestly replied that I was happier to see her show a wonderful side, Aria finally seemed satisfied. She smiled and hugged me, who was standing beside her. Arvina, seeing our truly harmonious appearance, smiled and said:

“I’m truly envious… I used to show such a harmonious side too… I suppose I’ll have to start over from the beginning… Ah, this isn’t the time for such stories, is it? Ahem… Zeke-nim. This story might especially be related to Aria-nim, so you must listen carefully.”

“Huh…? It’s related to me?”

When Arvina said the story she was about to tell might be related to Aria, Aria released me and tilted her head, pointing at herself. I, too, was bewildered, unable to understand what Arvina meant. Related to Aria? Aria couldn’t be related, as she had been exploring the Levarud facility with me all this time, could she…? Also… I had forgotten the most important thing…?!

“Now that I think about it, why is Kartun still hostile towards humans? Bosca, the center of the human slave organization, must have been destroyed, and Aria even brought down Rubdon…”

“Before I lose my mind again… I will explain everything to you. Indeed, as Zeke-nim said, after Rubdon’s destruction, all human slave trade organizations began to weaken. So we all came to believe that we would become friendly with humans again. This was because we realized through you that there are good humans, not just cowardly and vile ones like the slave traders. However… an unexpected problem arose afterward.”

“An unexpected problem…? Wait… If it’s related to Aria, then surely…!!!”

Arvina revealed that Kartun would normally have re-established smooth relations with humans, but an unexpected problem had arisen. I, thinking that this was a story related to Aria, immediately sensed what the problem was and was greatly shocked. Arvina then nodded as if my intuition was correct and said with a sigh:

“Haaah… Our special squad, having heard sightings of strange statues continuously being erected in Faren Forest, was once dispatched there. However, only one beastfolk returned to Kartun and reported. He said that Saintesses and Priests from a place called ‘The Cult’ were erecting strange statues and had abducted most of the special squad members dispatched to Faren Forest…”

“….!!”

“Z-Zeke-nim… This story, surely…!!”

When Arvina mentioned the Priests and Saintesses erecting strange statues in Faren Forest, we simultaneously rose from our seats in great shock. Faren Forest… Saintess…!!! That means Saintesses like Krischa are still active even now!! As we were greatly astonished that the topic of Saintesses and Faren Forest had come up, Arvina observed our reactions and then opened her mouth to ask us:

“You seem to know something after all. Do you also know their identities?”

“…We actually only know a part of it ourselves…”

“So, both Zeke-nim and I only know that they were making statues from some kind of ore that could store power. We don’t really know what they are moving for, or what their scale is.”

“…You just know about them, then…”

Damn it… No wonder the beastfolk are still wary of humans…!! Realizing that the reason for the beastfolk’s hostility towards humans was the conflict they had with the Saintesses and Priests they encountered, I could somewhat understand the beastfolk’s wariness. But… why? Why are they erecting statues, and why did they abduct the beastfolk again…? It doesn’t seem to be for enslavement…

“Kartun had held some suspicion towards Aria-nim, if not Zeke-nim. Still, it’s a relief to know that you are completely unrelated…”

“Hmph. My heart belongs only to Zeke-nim, so why would I serve a god again? My top priority is solely Zeke-nim!!”

“Indeed, I also cannot possibly imagine Aria cooperating with those called ‘The Cult.’ I can vouch for this, as I have been by Aria’s side every day.”

Arvina, who had disclosed this fact with the anxious thought that Aria might be connected to The Cult, finally seemed relieved when we asserted that there was no way that could happen. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. But it truly is unimaginable… Aria siding with The Cult and serving a god again, especially after Cecilia? That’s as preposterous as having a strange dream.

“Understood, Zeke-nim, Aria-nim. Whoosh… Anyway, because of that, distrust of humans began to bloom again in Kartun… And because of that, I heard all their screams and fears… Groan…!!”

“….!!! Oh no!! The Village Chief-nim is about to lose her mind again!!”

“Hey…!! Eat this and snap out of it!!”

“Aah… Their voices… Gag?!!”

As Arvina began to lose her mind again, recalling the events of that time, we hurriedly shoved bread into her mouth. Arvina quickly chewed and swallowed the bread filling her mouth, then sighed in relief and said:

“Phew… Ugh… Thank you… I feel a bit better… A-Anyway, Kartun started to distance itself from humans again after that incident.”

“Haaah… I certainly understand now. I thought it was over once the slave traders’ influence weakened, but then another force suddenly tried to abduct the beastfolk…”

“And what’s more, they’re even erecting statues of the goddess Camilla, who has long since disappeared from my heart…”

“But that’s not all… Frankly, from our perspective, humans are an enemy race that we don’t even worry about… but apparently, they’ve started to show strange signs recently.”

“Huh?”

When Arvina said that wasn’t the end and that humans had started showing strange signs, we were bewildered. That’s not the end? The relationship between humans and beastfolk getting worse again is enough… What else could be even more shocking…

“A beastfolk told me a year ago… that recently, religions have begun to appear in human cities, and they are all worshiping the same god… And in other cities… in other villages, too, they’ve begun worshiping the same god, he said.”

“….Wait, what did you say? C-Could that god, by any chance…!!”

“He said that statues identical to those erected in Faren Forest are being placed in the center of their cities…”

“!!!!”

Aria and I were greatly shocked by Arvina’s words that humans had slowly begun to worship the goddess Camilla. This… this isn’t just a small problem…!! Was there no leisure to enjoy a festival like this right now?! While we were realizing from Arvina that something was terribly wrong with the world, Merzel was tending to a cemetery in Grovel, located in the Criton region.

“Hmm… Cecilia said she’d be back soon… so it might be better to prepare some snacks…!”

Merzel, muttering that it would be good to prepare snacks for Cecilia, who had gone out for a short while, sensed that some strangers had appeared at Grovel’s main gate. She immediately grabbed a broom and rushed to the gate. At that moment, Merzel realized that the red-haired man and the white-haired woman with long hair standing beside him were unusual. She raised her broom towards them and asked:

“Who are you? This is a place where the deceased might feel uncomfortable if powerful individuals like yourselves come.”

“…It’s surprising enough that there’s a cemetery in a place like this… Well… it certainly seems we are strong, Yuria. To be given such a cold shoulder.”

“That’s not it… Isn’t it natural to be wary of someone dressed suspiciously like you?”

“Is that so…? Hmm… Well… I’ll admit you’re right. I’ve certainly been suspected many times because of this attire… Anyway… Have you, the cemetery keeper here, noticed any strange statues being erected near this place?”