episode_0022

“……!”

By now, it was clear.

What just happened wasn’t unintentional.

Tia… was clearly doing it on purpose.

But why?

“Um, excuse me… Tia?”

“Hmm?”

“That… your hand is in a rather dangerous position…”

“Ah.”

I told her so, but.

She dug even deeper and began to caress.

Gently stroking my precious place and my hardened pillar…

Then, with an innocent face, she asked, “Don’t men like it when you do this?”

“……?!”

Tia?

How do you know something like that? Did the aunts teach you?

No, no. More importantly, it was just a slight touch, but why did it feel so sensitive?

Tia’s touch was… blatant.

As if trying to find out where I would feel good. She dug even deeper.

Damn it. This is bad…! It’s rising.

With her warm hand continuously stimulating me, it was now swelling uncontrollably.

Feeling too embarrassed, I leaned my waist back.

“No. But, still… this is a bit too much…”

“Oh, sorry… Did you dislike it…?”

No. I loved it too much.

So much that I wanted to ask her to touch me directly.

…But I don’t think ‘now’ is the time for this.

I tightly held both of Tia’s hands.

So she wouldn’t be disappointed or flustered. I admonished her in the kindest voice possible.

“I prefer it if you just hold my hand. And I think something like this can wait until after the baptism ceremony.”

“Then… after the baptism ceremony, we can do it?”

Tia looked at me with slightly shy eyes.

My heart pounded.

Why was this?

Talking about something like this felt truly surreal.

We didn’t usually engage in sexual contact or jokes.

Because we had a mutual respect for each other.

The villagers say we used to bathe together, but the last time we actually bathed together was when we were nine, and I haven’t even seen her underwear since then.

The most precarious moments recently were when we dried wet clothes together, a brief kiss at the Lake of Promise, or when I accidentally caught a glimpse of her chest a few days ago.

So, this ‘blatant’ act was bound to be embarrassing.

I didn’t know what to say to a question like, “Is it okay after the baptism?”

According to the village rules, after the baptism ceremony, one can freely date…

Perhaps light displays of affection would be acceptable then?

I managed to clear my head and replied.

“To be precise, it would be after ‘marriage,’ I suppose. But since we’ve already promised to marry, I think the Dragon God-nim will overlook it even if it’s a little early. So, just until the baptism ceremony. Can you wait until then?”

“…Yes!”

Tia held my hands tightly with both of hers.

Phew. It seems like it went over well, somehow.

*Whoosh*.

The fierce winter wind rattled the window.

Come to think of it, the baptism ceremony is coming soon.

The day when I can go beyond just holding hands, embrace Tia, and whisper words of love all night long.

It wasn’t far off.

* * *

“Now… you mean?”

“Yes.”

Aunt Merid nodded.

On a night when snow was falling softly.

I was quietly reading when Aunt Merid came to visit.

Given that she visited without warning at night, I assumed it wasn’t a simple matter, and indeed it wasn’t.

“Ritsu. The elders are very unwell. Marvin told everyone not to badger you, so they’ve been quiet, but I’m telling you this because I feel like many will die if we leave things as they are. Please understand.”

“I know.”

Aunt Merid’s request was simple.

She wanted me to return to the apothecary immediately.

I wasn’t unaware.

I had been asleep for the entire autumn.

Winter approaching is when the elders are most vulnerable, and since they hadn’t received proper care during that time, I naturally expected medical problems to arise.

So, I had tried to be proactive, but suddenly my health deteriorated, and I was bedridden again, which was fatal.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was ill.

There’s no choice.

Since my body is mostly recovered, I should resume work as soon as tomorrow.

“As you say, I’ll be at the apothecary starting tomorrow. I apologize for not being able to provide care until now.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I’m sorry for asking such a difficult favor when you’re still ill, Ritsu.”

“It’s my duty, after all.”

Aunt Merid nodded, then went to the window and pulled the curtain shut.

She looked around as if to check if anyone was nearby, as if she was about to say something secretive.

A moment later, Auntie quietly opened her mouth.

“Ritsu.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of Tia?”

“…What do you mean, ‘what do I think’?”

“I’m worried about her.”

Her voice was serious.

Auntie’s earnest expression made me feel a little nervous too.

“Tia, you see… nowadays, bad rumors are circulating among the people.”

“That can’t be.”

“No, it’s true. Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of hurtful gossip. There was a bit of a commotion in the lower village too.”

After all, Breezedon is just a small town where people live.

There could always be stories of people gossiping behind others’ backs.

Just as I disliked Ruyef so much, it was common for people with incompatible personalities to exchange such gossip.

But I couldn’t believe that the target was ‘Tia’.

Even though Tia had caused a lot of trouble in the past, no one disliked her because of her bright and lively personality.

Tia was also respectful to the elders, and she hadn’t caused any serious problems, so she was well-liked.

…Although she had caused a few major incidents recently.

As expected, Aunt Merid spoke.

“Do you know there’s almost no firewood for this winter? The warehouse is visibly empty. Because Ruyef ran away, the elders are frantic going around chopping wood. They’ve completely put other work aside, you know?”

“……”

“Even that isn’t enough, so there’s talk of using the timber intended for next spring’s bridge as firewood.”

“That’s pretty serious.”

They had been chopping trees for half a year to expand the mountain path, collecting a large amount.

If they used all of that this winter, it would severely disrupt next year’s schedule.

Uncle Marvin had already contracted with carpenters from other villages.

If they canceled that, the village would suffer immense losses.

It was a serious problem that truly shook the foundation of their established plans.

To somehow fix it, the men had been climbing the mountains to chop wood even amidst raging blizzards.

Naturally, the villagers would want to find the cause of such problems and blame someone.

“Aunt Merid. But that…”

“I know. It’s Ruyef’s fault. But that fellow isn’t in this village, is he? Then who else is there to blame?”

“Isn’t that too harsh? Tia is a victim.”

“If Tia hadn’t let Ruyef into her house, or at least if she hadn’t been caught, things wouldn’t have escalated this much.”

“No, but…”

“That’s not all, Ritsu.”

I was about to refute her words, which I couldn’t possibly accept, but Aunt Merid spoke even more coldly.

“If Tia hadn’t dragged you into that deep forest, the Village Head-nim and Grandmother Madrina wouldn’t have died. And because of whom was this village’s only doctor injured?”

“If Tia hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have woken up.”

“That wasn’t because of Tia.”

“…Huh?”

“It was thanks to the royal physician from Deseo who happened to be staying in Taildon, heard the news, and immediately rushed over. That person treated you tirelessly for an entire day, barely pulling you back from the brink of death and giving you breath. Of course, Tia bringing the antidote from Deseo was crucial for you to eventually recover, but normally, you should have been buried under a pine tree by now.”

“……”

Auntie crossed her arms and let out a deep sigh.

“I know. Saying this to you is hurtful. You two are closer than anyone else. But… try to think from our perspective too. Tia doesn’t properly help with village affairs, and she only seems to ruin everything.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry about?”

“I really… have nothing to say.”

“Everyone has affection for Tia, so they haven’t said anything until now. But you are the Village Head-nim’s son. You learned the most under the Village Head-nim. So, I think you, at least, should be aware of village matters. The elders believe that Ritsu can fix things, somehow.”

This was troublesome.

It seemed the rift between the villagers and Tia had deepened without my knowing.

I had expected it, but I didn’t realize it was this serious.

Originally, the elders refrained from visiting me, saying I needed rest, and Tia always came to me with a smiling face, so I couldn’t have noticed.

Aunt Merid’s words were right.

Only I could solve this problem.

“Alright. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you so much for understanding, Ritsu.”

* * *

The next day.

As soon as I woke up, I went straight to the apothecary.

I let Aunt Sherry know that I was almost fully recovered and that she shouldn’t worry.

For the first time in a while, I focused and diligently carried out my duties.

The elders suffered from various chronic illnesses.

First, I sorted out those with severe symptoms and then researched which medicines to prepare for them.

I was drafting custom recipes and checking the remaining medicinal ingredients, pondering how to solve the problem.

“Oh, Ritsu?”

Tia entered the apothecary.

Seeing her with an herb bag slung over her shoulder, it seemed she had come here today to make my recovery medicine again.

“Hello, Tia.”

“…Why are you here, Ritsu?”

“I have to do my work now.”

“But you haven’t fully recovered yet, have you? You said you weren’t feeling well yesterday too.”

“No, it’s fine. I feel bad for Aunt Sherry if I keep lying around.”

“Ah…”

I closed the book I was reading.

“I need to make the medicine quickly and give it to the elders. It looks like I’ll be busy for a while.”

“Today? Oh, um… can’t you do it starting tomorrow? You’re not fully recovered yet… and you’re still coughing…”

“There’s no more time to delay. There are elders who are in a more critical state than me.”

“Ju-Just a moment—”

The moment I picked up the prepared ingredients and opened the shed door.

*Clatter*.

Something hit my foot.

It was an empty medicine bottle.

“……”

As I slowly raised my head, a horrific sight met my eyes.

The shed I had cherished so much was a chaotic mess, on the verge of collapse.

It was exactly like Ruyef’s house when I went to find it after he had run away in the middle of the night.

Broken medicine bottles were scattered everywhere.

There was a strong smell of something burned, the drawers were completely charred, and one of the distillers was so damaged it was unrecognizable.

It was nothing short of a battlefield.

“What… happened here?”

It definitely wasn’t this bad when I checked a few days ago?

Tia stammered an excuse in a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry… I, I… I made a new recovery medicine… and accidentally made a bit of a mistake…”

“This isn’t ‘a bit’ of a mistake.”

“Well…”

From the jars to the bowls.

No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find anything normal.

This was a disaster. I couldn’t make medicine like this.

Unconsciously, I clenched my fists.

Anger surged within me. Aunt Merid’s words from last night came to mind.

Why does she keep making such big messes and making things difficult for me?

“Tia, I’m sorry, but.”

“Yes…”

“Please gather all this and take it outside.”

“…What about the recovery medicine?”

“Don’t make it anymore. It’s not needed.”

“……”

Tia trembled and began to clean up the trash scattered on the floor.

I couldn’t even sigh.

I was so angry and bewildered that I didn’t know what to say.

“Haa—”

Still, I managed to calm myself and think carefully.

I squeezed out a positive thought.

Isn’t this also a trace of Tia’s struggle to do something for me while I was sick?

I think I was too cold just now.

Better late than never, I softened my tone.

“Thank you so much for making medicine for me until now, Tia. Truly. From now on, I’ll take care of it myself. You don’t need to go through such trouble.”

“……Yes. Alright. I’m sorry.”

“Instead of doing this difficult and tough work, I heard the aunts are very busy these days. It would be better if you helped them.”

She nodded with her back to me.

I heard her sniffle, perhaps from the dust.

I left the apothecary.

It would take a long time for the cleanup to finish.

But I couldn’t rest.

Even in this short time, there was an endless amount of work to be done.

For Breezedon. For the villagers.

…And for Tia’s sake too.

I had to act.