Chapter 41

Two weeks after the Tentacle attack and Asha’s stay in the Orc Village, Jamie, who had fallen asleep in bed while taking care of Rosie, was awakened by a touch calling her name. With blurry vision, she was half-asleep, but she snapped awake when she saw her wife’s eyes open.

“Rosie?! You’re awake?”

“Ugh… my ears hurt… Who, who are you?”

Jamie, somewhat relieved that Rosie didn’t seem to know anything, slowly began to explain. After hearing the explanation, Rosie looked puzzled.

“I think I remember a little… I was dragged somewhere, my body felt strange, I was poked and prodded for a long time, and then I gave birth… The person who called my name then was Jamie, was that you?”

“Yes. I’m so glad you woke up, sob…”

Jamie, who had been thinking that her wife might never wake up, couldn’t hide her tears when Rosie regained consciousness. Rosie was even more flustered when her already awkward husband started to cry.

“Ah?! D, don’t cry…”

“Hwaa, I was so worried, sniff…”

Jamie, crying for a long time with tears that seemed to be a mix of joy and sorrow, noticed that some Orcs were staring at them and her face turned red. Of course, the people here knew that she was originally a man. The older Orc Sorcerer looked at the couple with a pleased expression.

“He’s crying because he’s so happy that his wife woke up, what a loving couple.”

“Not like the young people these days…”

Surrounded by strangely benevolent Sorcerer, Rosie had her condition checked and was diagnosed with no major problems other than weakened muscles.

Jamie, who had remained in the Orc Village to wait for his wife even after receiving all the treatments, was finally able to return to the village with Rosie. It had only been a few weeks since they had returned home, but they were both very awkward with each other.

“Jamie, now that we’re back in our village, what should we do? We probably don’t have any food, right?”

“U, um… what’s left has probably rotted. Sigh… how can I find food in this body…”

“Let’s cheer up. There will be a way when we get back.”

“I guess so? Let’s go!”

Jamie, encouraged by Rosie’s comfort, hurried back to the village.

As with most unfounded expectations, their hopes were shattered. The village, which they had returned to after almost a month, was in a terrible state, with many places destroyed as if it had been through a war. Jamie and Rosie, who didn’t have anything to eat right away, shamelessly went to see the Village Chief, but he looked troubled.

“Jamie, I know your situation, but there are people in the village who are disabled or even dead. John next door hasn’t returned, and his two children will have to spend this winter without a father. There are people like that, so I can’t give grain to two people who are still healthy, can I? We traded food with the Orcs, but we’re still very short.”

“Yes… I guess I was too naive.”

“No, I understand well enough after what you’ve been through. Come and see me anytime if there’s anything else I can help you with.”

“Thank you, Village Chief.”

It was embarrassing for her to beg for food without any injuries in a village where there were people who couldn’t even walk because their legs were broken.

Jamie went out of the village again to look for something to eat right away, but the forest was quiet without a single bug, and by evening, all she had found were a few mushrooms the size of her palm.

Jamie, returning home with heavy steps that contrasted with the endlessly light basket, saw Rosie cooking in the pot at home.

“Rosie? Did you find something to eat?”

“Yes. Fortunately, I was able to trade some meat with Amy. Here, eat quickly.”

“What did we have at home that we could trade for meat? Wait, don’t tell me…”

Jamie noticed that the box that had been taking up space in their small house had disappeared. Rosie said to her with an embarrassed face.

“The only thing I could trade was jewelry…”

Jamie felt faint when she heard that his wife had sold the bridal jewelry she had brought with her when they got married. Jamie, barely holding back tears in front of her who had cooked for her, managed to say,

“Looks delicious… Let’s eat.”

“Yes. Eat quickly before it gets cold.”

However, when the warm broth touched her throat, Jamie couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Sniff, sob… sniff…”

“What’s wrong, Jamie? Are you crying?”

Rosie, who was eating stew, approached Jamie. She came to Jamie’s side and hugged her from behind.

“Is it because you’re having a hard time?”

“Because I’m sad and miserable… sob, sob, I’m sorry, Rosie. I couldn’t find any food and I even made you sell the things you brought with you when we got married, sob…”

“It’s okay, Jamie. What does it matter since it’s not something we need to live anyway? You seem to be crying a lot more lately.”

Jamie couldn’t answer Rosie’s words and sniffled. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t find dinner that was the problem. Rosie didn’t remember, but Jamie had been watching his wife being violated by Tentacle for days before being rescued by a stranger. She felt like she had become infinitely insignificant because there was nothing she could do even after coming here.

“Rosie. My chest and below my legs kept aching yesterday, so I couldn’t sleep until late… I’m really strange… Can I keep living in this body?”

“It’s okay. I’m the same way. Um… you know, Jamie. Should we just leave for another place?”

“Huh?”

Jamie, startled by Rosie’s sudden words, looked at her with tearful eyes. It was his wife who had brought it up first, but it didn’t seem like she was just saying it on the spur of the moment.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. This place is too small for many people to live in. Moreover, the village and the forest have been devastated this time, so it will be even more difficult to live here. It might be better to go to the nearby border and go somewhere else. I couldn’t say that before because I was living without any problems, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea now. What do you think?”

Jamie had never thought of any other option than living here for the rest of her life, just like her parents had. Jamie felt a little unfamiliar and new to his wife, who had been living in front of him without ever showing any expression, actually wanted to leave this place.

“…I didn’t know you were thinking that. I’m sorry, Rosie.”

“No, it’s okay. It wasn’t bad living here either. If we had lived like before, we might have lived here forever… But I think it’s better to leave when something like this happens. What do you think?”

She was a wife who had been living together day by day without any particular claims. It was a life so busy with just making a living that she would collapse and fall asleep as soon as the sun set and work was over. Jamie felt that this was the last chance to leave here.

“I think it’s okay to leave now. Let’s go, Rosie. To another place.”

“Yes! It will be better if we go to the city!”

Jamie was able to smile for the first time since returning to the village.

The next day, Jamie and Rosie sold or gave away the things in their house to the villagers. They minimized the things they could carry and left the village.

The people were sad to see their neighbors, with whom they had lived for decades, leave, but they couldn’t help them make a living when they couldn’t even afford to feed themselves for tomorrow. The people wished them luck when they heard that the couple was leaving because it was difficult to make a living.

“Rosie! Jamie! Be careful!”

“Yes!”

The Village Chief walked out from among the villagers who were seeing them off.

“You remember where you have to go, right?”

“Yes. To the Artua Kingdom in the northeast.”

“Yes. If just the two of you go, the border guards won’t stop you either. Be careful on the way.”

“Thank you, Village Chief. Stay healthy!”

“Okay. Go now.”

The Village Chief watched with concern as the two women, each carrying a large backpack, set off on a long journey.

Jamie and Rosie, heading to the border of the Artua Kingdom, were talking about this and that as they walked.

“To be honest, I always thought the Village Chief was just a grumpy old man, but I think he’s amazing.”

“He’s treated like a hero in the village, right? He must have been amazing while we were gone.”

“Amazing…”

“…We’re not going back to the village, are we?”

“Yes. I guess not. Why, do you regret it?”

Jamie was silent for a moment at Rosie’s question.

“I don’t really know… But you’re smarter than me, Rosie, so I’m sure you made a good decision this time too.”

“I hope so. I don’t know what kind of accident will happen on the way.”

Jamie checked the small axe tied to the side of her backpack again.

‘If something happens, I have to protect Rosie.’

IF 1 – The King of Bandits

Jamie’s worries were right on target. They met four bandits on their way to the border. Jamie nervously held the axe in her hand and glared at them, but the bandits just found her amusing.

“Hey, put down that axe when I’m talking nicely. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.”

“Get lost! I’ll smash the head of anyone who comes near me!”

“Oh my! How scary.”

The bandits began to surround them as they spoke. Jamie’s hands were sweating with tension and the axe felt like it was about to slip.

In the meantime, Rosie, who was less guarded because she wasn’t armed, caused an unexpected change. She quietly dropped her backpack on the ground and quickly turned around, snatched the sword from the bandit who was approaching from behind, and cut off his head.

Slash-

“Guh!”

“Wh, what is that bitch! Kill her!”

The bandits, surprised that the woman they hadn’t paid any attention to had killed their comrade in the blink of an eye, rushed at Rosie, but it was too much for them. She swung her sword around as if she were harvesting rice, separating the heads of two men from their bodies, and approached the last remaining bandit. The bandit couldn’t even run away and fell backward in fear.

“H, haaa! Save me!”

“Are you talking down to me?”

Rosie, holding a sword dripping with blood, looked like a nightmare. The bandit turned pale and prostrated himself on the ground.

“Pl, please save me!”

“Where is your hideout?”

“Huk, ah, I’ll guide you…”

Rosie, carrying her backpack, followed the bandit who was walking with a grim face. Jamie, who had been spaced out, ran to Rosie.

“Rosie! How did you do that!”

“I don’t know, I just thought I could do it like this.”

“You can just do it if you want to?”

“I don’t know?”

The sight of his wife showing off her swordsmanship like a knight, slicing up three bandits, left Jamie dumbfounded.

‘Rosie is scary…’

After that, it’s another story how she took a sword and integrated the bandits between the two countries.