episode_0078

Today too, I went to the stream early in the morning and did laundry.

I had to remove the bloodstains from the sheets, so I worked harder than usual.

I washed them for a long time in the cold water, then hung Ritsu’s clothes and the sheets on the line.

“Haa-.”

I stretched my back and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Should I go back and make some stew now?

I haven’t given Ritsu much food lately, so they must be hungry.

It would be okay to increase the portion a little, right?

As I was resting for a moment with those thoughts, someone approached.

It was Ruyef.

“Ah, Loop! Good morning!”

“Hello, Tia.”

“Are you going to chop wood again today?”

“I have to. A little later.”

Saying that, Ruyef plopped down next to me.

“How’s Marie? Is she okay?”

“She’s okay for now. But she could get worse again. From the start, it’s not… a curable illness.”

He rubbed his blue eyes, looking a bit tired.

“Marie’s ‘constitution’ is just like that. Unlike us, her body has been weak since birth. It’s a blessing if she can just stay healthy.”

“……I see.”

“What about you? Has anything happened?”

Ruyef’s gaze turned to my face.

I nodded.

“No. Nothing happened.”

“I see.”

There was silence for a moment.

Ruyef sat on the grass and looked down at the village.

Sherry’s aunt’s house, unlike mine, was on a hill, so the view below was wide open.

From here, I could see everything people were doing.

The view was good. Plus, Aunt maintained a garden, so Ritsu and I often rested here.

It was a cold but quite refreshing morning breeze.

Ruyef spoke.

“I heard the news. The tribute party that departed two months ago was attacked mid-journey.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Many people were said to have died. What exactly happened there?”

“I…”

Actually, I had given the villagers a simple explanation of ‘everything’ that had happened so far.

I just said that I had safely gone to Deseo, obtained the medicine, and returned.

All the processes that occurred in between were intentionally omitted.

For them to properly understand the story of what I had experienced, ‘Uncle Fosao’ would inevitably have to appear.

And the villagers really disliked Uncle Fosao.

It was obvious what would happen if I brought it up unnecessarily.

“So, that’s…”

I recalled the memories from two months ago.

There was too much to say.

First, I had to remove Uncle Fosao’s appearance.

I fabricated the empty gaps in the story by inserting plausible extra details.

“I had briefly gone up the mountain to look for an unnie I had befriended in the tribute party… That’s when the bandits raided. I was a bit far from the spot, so I luckily survived.”

“What happened next?”

“After that… I fled frantically. When I came to my senses, I realized I was trapped in an unknown mountain. There were many dangerous situations, but I finally managed to pass through that mountain and crossed the Mesrod.”

Ruyef feigned a surprised expression.

To the question of how I survived alone in that mountain, I explained that I had actively used the methods I had read in .

I dug up tree roots or picked fruits to eat, and made a bow and arrows myself to catch small animals.

I told him that in between, I encountered an unknown village and stayed there for a few days.

By omitting the uncle’s presence, I somehow ended up sounding more and more like a woman with superhuman survival skills…

Ruyef didn’t particularly suspect anything.

My explanation was specific, and I answered his questions without hesitation, so fortunately he accepted it easily.

Ruyef asked.

“That was a great feat. Why didn’t you tell us in detail?”

“……Because I thought it would cause unnecessary worry. And since it turned out well anyway, I didn’t think it mattered.”

“I see. You must have had a hard time.”

“Hehe-. No. It’s all in the past.”

“……”

Ruyef clenched his fist and propped up his chin.

And then he asked in an indifferent voice.

“Tia.”

“Hm?”

“By any chance, did you see Fosao when you were with the tribute party?”

“Uh, uhm?”

I was so startled that I flinched and pulled my arms in.

Why?

I hadn’t expected Ruyef to bring up Uncle Fosao first all of a sudden.

My heart sank. I quickly composed myself and smoothed out my frozen expression.

I asked Ruyef, who still wore an unreadable expression.

“What do you mean…? You saw Uncle Fosao?”

“The day you left the village. Fosao also disappeared. He’s still not here. He probably joined the tribute party and departed with them. Do you really not know?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him…”

Even as I lied, I didn’t know if lying now was the right thing to do.

How much Ruyef knew right now.

Because I couldn’t guess at all what he was thinking by asking me such a question.

All I could think was that I wanted to escape this situation.

Ruyef, who had been staring at me, turned his gaze and murmured.

“Anyway, he must be dead. He hasn’t appeared after two months.”

“……”

“We finished the village meeting yesterday. We plan to dismantle Fosao’s general store. You don’t need to come since you have to nurse Ritsu, but I wanted you to know beforehand.”

“……!”

I gasped.

No.

Uncle Fosao isn’t dead.

He’s alive and well in Deseo.

And he’s coming back here soon.

“……Why?”

I managed to ask, squeezing the words out.

Ruyef turned his eyes back to me.

Soft blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

But his gaze was as sharp as a wolf’s, as always.

“‘Why,’ you ask?”

“Why are you going to dismantle that general store?”

“If there’s no owner, we have to take it down.”

“He could come back, couldn’t he? We don’t even know if Uncle Fosao is really dead…”

“He suddenly disappeared without a word. There’s no way to know if he’s alive somewhere or if he died away from home, but in the village, such a disappearance is considered death.”

“B-but…! Can you just do that as you please? What if Uncle Fosao really comes back later?”

“That’s Fosao’s fault for not clearly stating his whereabouts. We are simply handling it according to the village rules.”

Ruyef added in a cold voice.

“And honestly, I didn’t expect this reaction. I thought you would be cheering when I told you we were getting rid of the general store.”

“Me…?”

“You hated Fosao, didn’t you? Even though Ritsu visited the general store a few times, you never wanted to go.”

That was true.

I truly detested Uncle Fosao.

Even right before I left this village, I felt that way.

Ruyef wasn’t mistaken.

…But the current me has forgiven everything.

I could treat the uncle like a friend again.

Although he’s a bit frustrating, fat, and lazy.

I saw a warmer heart hidden within him than anyone else’s.

I clenched my fists tight.

“About dismantling the general store… I wish you would wait a little.”

“Hm?”

“It’s because I don’t understand.”

I said in a resolute voice.

“Since when… have people worried so much about Uncle Fosao?”

Ruyef’s eyebrows twitched.

“……Tia.”

“I may not have much say as a woman, but has anyone ever patrolled the general store? Did you call Uncle Fosao every time there was a village meeting? You never even considered him ‘one of us’ from the start. Why are you applying our village rules now?”

I know.

I know why the villagers are suddenly bringing up rules and trying to push things through.

The Chief-nim has passed away, and Ritsu is asleep.

Even firewood is scarce, so Ruyef still has to go up the mountain to chop wood.

In this situation where everything is insufficient and lacking.

They’re planning to somehow use whatever goods are left in the general store to get through winter.

But.

“Don’t you think this is… too underhanded?”

Ruyef crossed his arms and remained silent.

“……”

At first, he had a visibly flustered expression, but soon his eyes turned cold.

He let out a deep sigh.

And looked back at me with a face colder than ice.

His rigid voice echoed in my ears.

“I’m sorry to say this. Tia, you… have no right to blame the people.”

“What…?”

“The reason things have come to this point. Your fault is absolutely immense.”

Slam.

It felt like a large nail was driven into my chest.

My head felt numb, and I couldn’t move a muscle.

“Of course, you went through a difficult journey for two months. You must have worked hard in Deseo. You must have obtained that medicine with the sole thought of reviving Ritsu.”

Ruyef’s heavy voice choked my breath.

“But that doesn’t mean the villagers are grateful to you. What you did was merely ‘handling’ the situation, Tia. We fought against illness for two months while you were gone. It was already overwhelming just taking care of Ritsu, who had turned to stone, and sick people were popping up everywhere. We couldn’t do any work during the autumn harvest season. And in the end, Chief-nim and Grandmother Madrina passed away. I am only grateful to my sister who safely endured that hellish autumn.”

“……”

“You brought the medicine with great difficulty from Deseo? Did you think we would praise you for doing well? Don’t be mistaken. People aren’t fools for not saying anything to you. Everyone knows clearly that all of this happened because Ritsu collapsed.”

As if a verdict was delivered.

A sharp stake pierced my chest.

“The one who made the villagers act so cruelly… was you, Tia.”

It hurt.

My chest hurt so much I couldn’t breathe.

It felt completely blocked, and my throat was constricted.

“……”

He was silent for a moment.

As if he had made up his mind, he abruptly stood up.

“I will try to persuade them to not dismantle the general store. But remember this, Tia.”

Ruyef slowly walked down the hill.

Leaving his final warning to me.

“That you should always be grateful to the villagers who still accept you, despite everything.”

Whoosh-.

Along with the sound of winter approaching.

The hill quickly became silent.

Ritsu’s clothes, hanging on the clothesline and fluttering, brushed against my cheek.

The cold wind seeped into my seemingly empty chest.

My tied hair also swayed, trying to follow the wind.

I bowed my head. I knelt.

Powerless, I let my shoulders slump.

Ruyef’s words were true.

I hadn’t done anything well.

What I had done… was a nuisance from beginning to end.

What exactly did I accomplish on my own?

It was I who put Ritsu in that state.

And I was so proud just for bringing that measly Dienbus.

……How ridiculous must I have seemed to the villagers all this time?

Rustle. Rustle.

Someone else was coming up the hill.

I thought Ruyef had returned, but it turned out to be Aunt Merid.

Aunt was looking at me, nestled between the clotheslines.

“……Ah. So you were here, Tia.”

“Yes…”

Aunt Merid’s eyes felt unfamiliar.

“How’s Ritsu?”

“They’re getting healthier.”

“I see. It seems you have quite a bit of free time now?”

Why was that?

It felt as if a sharp blade was hidden within her cheerful voice.

“Yes. Hehe-.”

I scratched my head and forced a smile, but.

Aunt said, as if letting it slip, while entering Aunt’s house.

“…And you even have time to sit and enjoy the breeze.”

Clunk.

The door closed.

“……”

I don’t remember how I breathed again then.