episode_0039

When she opened her eyes again.

She realized she couldn’t even twitch a finger.

“…Ugh.”

It seemed she had caught a bad cold.

A blunder.

She hadn’t realized her body was this weak.

Her throat was so dry.

Looking around, she saw a water pouch nearby.

She barely managed to reach out and snatch it.

Fortunately, it contained cool water.

She drank it all down immediately, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Ah…”

Her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

Her head spun from the pain.

It was daytime.

They say calm follows a storm. The weather was truly clear.

As if the torrential rain from yesterday was a lie, dazzling bright sunlight streamed into the cabin.

Crackle. Pop.

The fire in the hearth was still alive.

It seemed Fosao-nim had brought more firewood and added it while she was asleep.

She stared blankly at the warm flames.

“…”

To create embers in that situation.

She had thought it impossible.

She was truly grateful they could spend the night warmly.

Rustle.

“Hmm…?”

Come to think of it, something like a blanket was covering her.

Was there a blanket in the cabin?

Yesterday had been so chaotic she couldn’t even remember if she’d slept with this on.

In any case, the blanket was very warm, and she liked it.

She pulled it up, covering herself to the neck.

But then.

“…!”

There was a smell.

The smell of boiled mushrooms.

She immediately checked what she was covered with.

This was… not a blanket, but Fosao-nim’s coat.

Her head started aching again.

That man, he had arbitrarily covered her while she was asleep.

A sudden urge to rip off the coat and throw it away surged within her.

But she didn’t have the strength to do so anyway.

For now, she felt she needed to quietly keep this on for her body to recover.

As she quietly closed her eyes and rested in front of the hearth.

Her stomach slowly began to ache.

Rumble.

How pathetic.

She had barely quenched her thirst, and now her stomach was rumbling, demanding food.

It was understandable.

She hadn’t eaten anything until now.

Swallowing felt like her insides were completely empty.

Of course, it was unlikely, but hoping there might be something to eat in the cabin, she looked behind her.

“…Huh?”

But there really was something.

And right before her eyes.

On a dish made of layered leaves, various colored berries were placed.

There were also Rubus roots, mushrooms, and roasted chestnuts.

They were raw, gathered in a hurry, but still.

They were edible.

Could it be that man brought these?

Fosao-nim was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the large clothes hanging from the ceiling, it seemed he had gone somewhere for a moment.

“…”

No matter how she looked at it, these foods seemed to have been left for her to eat.

Now that she thought about it, the water pouch and the coat draped over her body.

It felt like that man had prepared all of them.

“…Hmph.”

She ignored the food and turned her back, lying down.

If he thought she would readily accept these and forgive what happened then, he was greatly mistaken.

Such useless gestures.

She could manage on her own, even without such false kindness.

Right now, she was just a little unwell.

She thought so, but…

Her stomach tightened sharply.

Rumble.

This feeling of her head drying up.

Dangerous.

She looked back again.

Why?

Why did these common berries, which she hadn’t even given a second glance, look so delicious now?

Her mouth watered, to the point where she wouldn’t envy a noble’s feast.

Just one bite.

When she came to her senses, she was already holding a handful of blueberries and eagerly eating them.

They were incredibly sour and sweet.

She gobbled them down without even time to savor the taste.

“Haa— I feel alive.”

She ate all the mushrooms and roasted chestnuts too.

Even though it wasn’t a proper meal, putting something into her stomach made her feel much better.

Now, she finally had the leisure to look around.

“That’s…”

Fosao-nim’s bag was placed in the corner of the floor.

It was thick. It seemed to be full of something.

That man always carried the bag with great care.

She hadn’t been particularly curious then, but now she felt an urge to open it.

What was inside?

He treasured it as if it held treasure…

Maybe there was more food inside.

Thinking that, she opened it.

“…Huh?”

It was true.

Inside the bag were gold rings, ivory goblets, and a sapphire brooch.

If she had seen these treasures on an ordinary day, she would have been startled.

But now, she felt nothing.

Instead, only a deep sense of emptiness and disappointment washed over her.

It would have been better if it were food.

In her current situation, these were nothing more than useless burdens.

That pig… she knew he was greedy, trembling even at the thought of spending a single penny.

Was he planning to lug those heavy treasures around all the way?

Her head throbbed, so she put the bag back in its place.

“Haa. What could have happened…”

Lying down and resting her arm on her forehead, she suddenly thought of Madam and the other women.

Had they safely escaped from those bandits?

No, it would probably be difficult.

Was Robert-nim alright?

He surely had enough time to escape on horseback.

But somehow, she didn’t think he would.

Robert-nim was an honorable ‘Knight’.

Rather, he would have fought the bandits; he wouldn’t have chosen to abandon the tribute convoy and flee.

The last scene came to mind.

Tents and wagons ablaze, the terrifying screams of people echoing.

If she had shouted loudly to warn them then.

If Fosao-nim hadn’t covered her mouth.

Wouldn’t some people have been safe?

If that were the case. If she could truly say that, she would have had the courage…

…No.

She couldn’t.

Even if she went back to that moment countless times, her choice would be the same.

‘Ritsu… I have to save Ritsu…!’

Just as Fosao-nim said.

Because she had to save Ritsu.

That’s why she had no choice but to remain silent.

Her eyes welled up.

“I’m sorry…”

She wanted to apologize to everyone she had met in the tribute convoy.

It was an apology that would never reach them anyway, but she sincerely wished they could hear her voice.

Blaming herself for being a coward.

“Sob… sniffle…”

Tears dripped down.

How miserable.

Her past self who had vowed to bring Dienbus to Ritsu.

Her past self who had bravely told Teacher-nim Vin that she would return unharmed.

Her past self who had promised to protect the women with her sword—it was all laughable.

When she first started her journey… she thought it would work out.

That’s what she thought.

Now, here she was, helplessly bedridden in a cabin whose owner she didn’t know, on a mountain whose name she didn’t even know.

Why had it come to this?

There was nowhere to lay blame.

Because all of this was her fault.

If only she hadn’t dragged Ritsu to that forest.

If only…

“Ritsu… I miss you…”

Her vision blurred.

She closed her eyes.

Remembering Ritsu’s bright face, she curled up in the coat.

* * *

Snore.

Snore loudly!

“…Hmm.”

Snore.

Snore loudly!

“…Hah.”

She opened her eyes.

That sound just now, was it a beast?

A thought struck her.

Had she closed the cabin door? Maybe not.

This house had been left abandoned for so long that its door was tattered.

Even if properly closed, it might have been blown open by the wind.

The embers in the hearth had also died out.

With no light and the scent of a human, a beast must have been drawn here.

Snore.

Moreover, this wasn’t a sound a human could make.

A low, vibrating tremor.

Judging by the large reverberation, it was a big beast.

A wolf? A bear?

She quietly grabbed her Rose Sable, which was propped up right in front of her.

It was deep night, so she didn’t know where the beast was.

But judging by the sound, it had definitely entered the cabin.

She gently rose from her spot and picked up her sword.

Snort…! Snore loudly!

Muffling her footsteps, she exited the kitchen.

Gripping her sword tightly, she followed the sound into the main room.

Snore.

“…”

There was nothing inside.

No ferocious beasts like wolves or bears were visible.

There was only one other ‘beast’ lying sprawled on the floor, its enormous belly exposed, expanding and contracting repeatedly—a sight so embarrassing she couldn’t even bring herself to call it a human.

“Snore. …Snore loudly!”

Her eardrums felt like they would burst.

Her head seemed to be ringing too.

It was truly a thunderous snore.

It was so loud it felt as if the entire cabin was vibrating.

It was like entering a cave where a bear was sleeping.

“Haa.”

She pressed her hand to her forehead.

She couldn’t possibly endure such noise.

She was already sensitive to sounds when trying to sleep due to her light sleep, so sleeping while listening to this monstrous sound was impossible.

Dragging her tired body, she stepped into the room.

“…Ugh.”

Getting closer, it was even more of an eyesore.

That irritating man was sleeping naked, wearing nothing but his underwear.

The roasting pig Olivia Imo had brought from the lower village on the day she gave birth looked exactly like that.

What’s more, his arms and legs were covered in scabs, as if they’d been scored with a knife.

Truly… he was a person who made her recall old memories in a different sense.

She decided to wake him up first.

“Mister. Wake up.”

“…”

“Fosao-nim?”

“Snore loudly!”

He’s not even responding!

Is he really not an animal?!

Phew. Did she really have to shake him awake?

Unwilling to use her hands, she poked his thigh with her foot.

“Snore loudly! Grunt… Snore loudly!!”

She thought he’d gone quiet for a moment, but he started snoring again.

She didn’t know what to do.

She just kicked him with all her might.

Thud!

“Grunt! Cough!”

Fosao-nim opened his eyes.

He abruptly sat up, looking around with a dazed expression.

“…Tia?”

“I can’t sleep because of your snoring.”

“Oh, really? *Chuckles* Sorry…”

“Get out.”

“…Huh?”

She pointed outside.

“Go sleep outside. You’re too noisy.”

“Ah… alright.”

Fosao-nim went outside.

He shuffled towards the back of the cabin and leaned heavily against a pillar.

Creak.

The cabin shook slightly.

…He really was a horribly heavy mass of flesh.

“Snore.”

A moment later, the snoring resumed.

Still, it was much better than the sound echoing loudly inside the cabin.

If she pulled the coat up to cover her ears, she could barely hear it.

Phew. Now that it was quiet, should she go back to sleep?

She relaxed her body and lay down comfortably, but.

“…”

For some reason, she couldn’t sleep.

She was tired, but.

It was something… unsettling, a feeling that kept bothering her.

Wasn’t the night air a bit cold just now?

And although she hadn’t seen any yet, there could certainly be fierce beasts in such a large mountain.

And bandits might come looking, drawn by that thunderous sound.

“…”

But why was she worrying about this?

Whatever happened to him was none of her business.

She decided to just ignore it and close her eyes.

“…”

She tossed and turned a bit.

“…”

She scratched her arm because it was itching, then.

“…Ah— seriously!”

She opened her eyes again.

She was too uneasy to sleep.