episode_0037

…Do I still hate him?

Should I answer that absurd question?

If I could say ‘yes’ with all this shame, this boiling anger, and all the effort I was putting into feigning indifference, I would have gladly done so.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

“I-I’m sorry, Tia. Really… I’m sorry.”

Mister Fosao dropped to his knees. Then he began to plead profusely with both hands.

“I’m sorry. I, I was crazy back then! I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry!”

He pleaded for forgiveness in a stumbling voice.

I couldn’t even laugh.

If what he did to me back then could be forgiven with such a light apology, I wouldn’t have hated Mister Fosao from the beginning.

Perhaps even now, I’d be visiting the general store with Ritsu, laughing and talking with him, and reading books together while eating ginger biscuits.

I had trusted and followed Mister Fosao like that.

I truly thought he was like a father.

“……”

That was a long time ago.

Just as this unpleasant feeling lingering in my body wouldn’t disappear, those days would never return.

Mister Fosao prostrated himself flat on the ground.

“I-I want to beg for forgiveness… Tia…”

“Now?”

“I-I’ve always wanted to apologize. But I couldn’t meet you… Ritsu was always there… I didn’t have a chance… N-now, even now…”

Forgiveness?

I’m sorry, but I can’t.

Just for not reporting ‘that act’ to the villagers, I’d already shown him the greatest mercy.

Thinking of the affection we shared, when he played with me and taught me things.

I decided not to tell Ritsu and to bury it in my heart until I died.

How much more forgiveness do I have to give?

“Please… Tia…”

Tia took a step without a word.

There was nothing to say. Nothing had changed.

She just decided not to think about anything.

It was when she took a step down towards the base of the mountain.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a strong wind blew.

It was quite strong for a mountain wind at dusk.

Tree branches swayed in the wind, countless fallen leaves fluttering down.

Her red hair also scattered with the wind.

Caw- caw-.

It was an eerie feeling.

Too cold and desolate.

The sight of crows flying up was chilling.

Everywhere was dark, and there was a faint metallic smell of iron.

Tia, born and raised in the mountains, was sensitive to the warnings the mountain gave.

Clearly… a bad feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen, was creeping over her.

Mister Fosao was the same.

He, too, was born and raised in the mountains.

He also sensed something and his face turned pale with fear.

“……”

Tia turned around and held her breath.

On the distant mountain ridge, where the sun had almost set and it was getting dark.

Shadows that hadn’t been visible before now appeared.

Small but distinct outlines. They were not alone.

Many of them appeared from all directions.

Very quietly and quickly.

They were approaching this way.

Tia unconsciously took a step back.

“People…?”

People descending the mountain, especially at this dark evening hour?

No matter how she thought about it, they weren’t people who would come with good intentions.

Especially if their direction was towards the ‘tribute caravan.’

Mister Fosao cried out softly.

“B-bandits…!”

Mister Fosao was right.

Sharp, menacing weapons in their hands.

They were bandits.

“Ah…”

She looked back down the mountain.

The people of the tribute caravan, unaware of anything, were preparing for their usual night camp.

The Knight-nim entering his tent.

The courtesan Unnies clapping and singing.

No one had noticed the danger slowly approaching.

It was dangerous.

She had to inform Robert-nim quickly.

Rustle!

Tia quickly turned and ran downhill.

Running to tell them was pointless.

She had to warn them, even if it meant shouting.

She took a deep breath and screamed with all her might.

“Band…!”

Thump.

Suddenly, her mouth was covered.

And with a violent impact, her body floated up.

Thud!

She was buried directly in the fallen leaves.

The unpleasant smell of rotting mushrooms.

Fat fingers covering her mouth.

Mister Fosao clamped his hand over Tia’s mouth and pressed down on her with his heavy body.

He whispered urgently.

“N-no!”

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

“We’ll d-die!”

No, this can’t be.

I have to tell them right now.

The people of the tribute caravan don’t know anything.

She struggled, trying to pull away Mister Fosao’s arm, but he didn’t budge.

He was so heavy, it felt like being crushed by a giant rock.

Whoosh—

The mountain wind continued to blow.

Mister Fosao desperately cried out.

“T-There are too many of them. We have to s-survive, at least us…!”

“Mmmph-!”

“Ritsu… You have to save Ritsu…!”

The moment she heard those words.

Rustle. Rustle.

Chilling footsteps were heard from above.

They were everywhere.

An axe scraped against a tree, making a grating sound.

They were already close.

She was too scared to even breathe.

Muffled footsteps. Muffled footsteps.

The bandits moved quietly.

But very quickly, they descended the mountain.

The sound of leaves being trampled on overlapped.

It was… like the sound of a grim reaper’s robe dragging on the ground.

Crunch! Crunch!

A man passed right by Mister Fosao.

They didn’t discover Tia and Mister Fosao, hidden by the pile of leaves.

They passed by and headed downwards.

When the shadows of about 50 bandits came into view.

She instinctively realized.

Even if her voice reached Robert-nim, one knight and five or six soldiers couldn’t stand against such a large number of bandits.

And that if she had screamed just then, she would have surely died.

I can’t die.

Ritsu is waiting.

I can’t die here.

I can’t die, but—

Another death was slowly descending towards the tribute caravan.

She knew it, but she couldn’t stop it.

She couldn’t scream for them to run away.

Please. Please, run away.

Cruelly, her tongue and body were stiff, and her chest just pounded wildly.

“La la la- la la-♪.”

From far away, the beautiful singing of the Unnies faintly echoed.

“Mmmph…!”

Tears streamed down her face.

When one bandit at the very front raised his arm, a black brand was revealed.

And in that man’s hand was a large longbow, the kind used in war.

Groan…

He slowly drew the bowstring.

A bandit next to him lit the arrowhead on fire.

Sizzle.

A silence more terrifying than death settled.

As the taut bowstring was released with a twang-!

“Raaagh-!!”

“Aaaah-!!”

The barbarians’ screams echoed through the mountain.

Everyone grabbed their axes and began to charge wildly down the mountain.

The people below looked up the mountain.

Their eyes, like the approaching night, were instantly filled with terror.

“Kyaaak!”

A single scream from an Unnie was heard.

At that moment.

Chaos erupted.

Something shattered with a splintering crash.

Amidst the faint light of the bonfire, countless shadows of people rapidly intersected and disappeared.

The singing was no longer heard.

Swoosh.

Mister Fosao’s hand, which had been covering her mouth, fell away.

His arm, which had held her tightly, also let go.

…But she couldn’t move.

The burning supply carts.

The braying of mules and neighing of horses.

Screams of terror.

Even the inexplicable roars of the bandits.

Tia could only stand dumbfounded and watch the base of the mountain, where everything was mixed together.

“T-Tia?”

“……”

“Tia! You can’t stay like this! Y-You have to run now!”

Mister Fosao roughly grabbed her hand and pulled.

Even as she was dragged by his force, her ruby-like eyes reflected the tribute caravan engulfed in flames.

The screams faded into the distance.

The fire grew fainter.

That was the last sight Tia had of the tribute caravan.

* * *

She didn’t know how long she had walked.

It felt like she had crossed twenty peaks.

Her legs trembled from continuously climbing and descending steep hills.

The night was quiet and dark.

Fortunately, the moon was bright.

She could move forward, relying on the pale moonlight.

She had set her direction east by the constellations, but it wasn’t certain.

Without a map, she had no idea where the tribute caravan had stopped, how large this mountain range was, or how far it was to Deseo.

In other words, she was lost.

Tia didn’t know where she was.

She was just walking endlessly away, towards where she expected Deseo to be.

She had left her belongings behind.

All that remained was the shirt and shorts she was wearing, a short sword attached to her belt, and a cloak covering her shoulders.

She had truly been dropped into an unfamiliar mountain range with nothing.

It was the worst situation.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

Ah, she missed one thing.

There was also a pig struggling to follow far behind her.

“……”

She decided to just ignore that man.

Her head was spinning as if she were about to throw up, and she didn’t want to worry about him too.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

But he kept following.

Even when she deliberately walked faster and put a significant distance between them.

If she sat on a rock to rest for a moment, he would soon appear, making those unpleasant panting sounds.

Sweating profusely, emitting a foul smell, and with a deathly expression, he painstakingly followed.

She hated even looking at him.

If the distance seemed to close, she would walk even faster.

How many times had this repeated?

“Haah- haah-.”

Her legs felt like they were about to burst from the heat.

In the distance, dawn was breaking.

She had crossed this mountain range without sleeping a wink.

She had walked so hard, and now another challenge was before her eyes.

A very high peak.

The slope was so steep that she couldn’t even grasp how to climb it.

In fact, she had already forced herself this far, straining every ounce of strength.

She had barely walked, pushing herself relentlessly as if whipping herself onward.

But now, she slowly began to feel her limit.

“Ugh…”

She couldn’t stand any longer and collapsed against a tree.

Her overheated body had no strength left.

She was so exhausted she just wanted to fall asleep right there.

“Haah…”

Even Mister Fosao’s persistently annoying panting was no longer heard.

Had he finally given up on following her?

Listening to the sweet birdsong that heralded the morning, she slowly closed her eyes.

Cold sweat trickled down her neck.

Her consciousness gradually grew hazy.

Just a little nap.

Because she only needed to cross that peak…

So…