episode_0219

Awoke from a deep sleep.

……

Opening my eyes, the same scene always greeted me.

The morning sunlight streaming in through the slanted window.

The fresh, slightly chilly forest air.

And the bustling chirping of birds.

Though the scenery changed somewhat with the seasons, this was always the view of Dragonez.

“Ha….”

I closed my eyes again.

If I wanted to be a bit lazier, I could just sleep until Gale, my next-door neighbor, loud rooster crowed.

But come to think of it… today was the day for the regular meeting.

Unfortunately, it seemed there wouldn’t be time to enjoy sleeping in.

“Hoo-”

Eventually, I got up and pulled back the covers.

As I slid my feet into my shoes, my mind still hazy, the clattering sound from the kitchen was unmistakable.

And just as my nose, dry from the night, became moist with the morning dew, the savory aroma that wafted over was… chicken soup. My mouth was already watering.

Finally, putting on my coat, I stepped into the living room, and my wife, who had been looking at the pot, turned to face me.

“You’re up?”

“Yeah.”

“Breakfast is ready. Eat before you go.”

She filled a bowl to the brim with the bubbling soup and placed it before me, along with a hardened chunk of bread.

“Thanks.”

The way to eat it was simple.

Break the bread into pieces, put them in the hot soup, then stir with a spoon until they soften.

When I thought it had dissolved enough, I’d take a spoonful and put it in my mouth.

“Hoo-”

The warmth spread through me, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the tenderness of the meat, yielding its savory broth.

After devouring it thoughtlessly, I’d soon find myself scraping the bowl clean with the last piece of bread.

Though my wife and I were two of the unlucky six who had to wake up earliest in Brizedon, I was confident that we were also the only ones fortunate enough to have such a hearty meal starting from early morning.

“I ate well, Marie.”

“Heh heh.”

Because such a beautiful and kind woman was my wife.

Clink.

A steaming cup was placed before me.

This herbal tea, with its pale pink hue and sharp aroma, was ‘Red Cloud’, which I enjoyed drinking these days.

Walking a week northwest from here, the city of Norukton appears, and this herb, which only grows in the mountains nearby, is quite well-known.

Naturally, in the past, it would have been an herb so expensive I wouldn’t even have dreamed of taking a sip. But ‘these days’, the story was a bit different.

Knock knock knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the window.

“Ritsu! Letters have arrived!”

Marie got up and opened the window for him. She received a bundle of letters from the mail carrier and handed him a silver coin. He bowed and then went on his way.

As I drank my tea, I glanced at the bundle of letters Marie was holding.

Ah, it was as thick as I expected.

“…The letters have increased.”

“My Oppa seems to be right. That book must have spread nationwide.”

“This is trouble.”

When am I going to write replies to all of those?

This all started… about five years ago, I think. Yes, that must have been it.

I compiled all the pharmacological knowledge I had researched on my own, bound it into a single book, and sent it to the Deseo Medical Center. It was to have my knowledge verified by the renowned doctors of the center.

However, the royal physicians only said they would check the data and then there was no contact for a long time. Well, I figured they were very busy with a lot of work, and even less time to carefully look at a book written by some country bumpkin, so I forgot about it and didn’t care anymore.

But then, starting around last winter, letters began to arrive, one or two at first. Checking the senders, they were all pharmacists from Deseo. They had read my book and had questions they wanted to ask me personally.

I was touched by the thought of others reading my book, so I wrote replies to all of them. The problem was that by the next month, the letters had increased to five. This time, it was a story about a poor person from Deseo who had read my book and cured his wife’s illness. My book saved a life? I was touched again, and wrote replies, and so on…

The letters kept increasing. Recently, letters have been arriving not just from Deseo, but from all sorts of places.

Ruyef surmised that my book seemed to have been transcribed into many copies and was being distributed nationwide. He added that if I hadn’t written the author’s name as ‘Ritsu of Brizedon’, I wouldn’t be receiving a full bundle of letters every week.

Certainly… thinking about it now, that was indeed my big mistake.

“It’s alright. I’ll take care of the letters.”

Because I’m too busy and don’t have time to write letters, Marie has been writing replies on my behalf for a while now.

Marie must have many things to do too. I just feel sorry that I’m causing her trouble.

“Sorry. I’ll leave it to you again today.”

“Of course. Don’t worry and go to your meeting.”

“Yeah, I will. The kids?”

“They’re still sleeping. Should I wake them?”

My wife turned her head towards the small room.

On the small bed, Louis and Latina were soundly asleep, covered by a blanket together.

It always felt truly wondrous.

Whenever I saw this brother and sister, who perfectly resembled Marie and me, sleeping, a contented smile would form on my face for no reason. They were precious beings who gave me strength from early in the morning and made me leave the house with a pleasant feeling.

Our children.

“No. Let them sleep more. Oh, and if Louis throws a tantrum about sleeping again, tell him you’ll take him to the Village Chief-nim. He’ll wake up in a fright.”

“Heh heh. Understood.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Be safe.”

After a light kiss with Marie, I left the house and walked along the quiet uphill path.

Brizedon’s morning air was incredibly refreshing.

It carried the scent of pine needles year-round, and at its heart, the invigorating crispness gifted by the majestic mountains.

Wherever you turned your head, there were mountain peaks, and large birds soared through them.

The deep valley, having flowed for ages, even brought clear, cool water down along the outskirts of the village.

The only ones who knew this charm were Marie, Ruyef, and I, who were ‘originally people of Brizedon’.

For the past 12 years, the three of us had worked together diligently to develop the village. We had a lot of money left, there was no power to interfere as we had fully inherited the old Brizedon land, and a few influential figures who knew the Queen’s past had actively supported us to somehow establish a connection with us.

As quite some time passed, people began to settle here one by one. There were even times when welcome parties for new residents lasted an entire week.

As many people united their efforts, the village’s foundation was established, and once established, the quiet mountain village became bustling with new people.

No one called Brizedon a humble mountain village anymore.

This village, which once nearly vanished, now had far more people than before. It became a resting place for adventurers exploring the unknown Dragonez. It became a sturdy overland route for merchants connecting the western country and Tailden.

As a result, now…

“Hoo-”

Like this, it had become a considerably large village.

“Good morning, Ritsu Teacher-nim!”

Gale greeted me energetically from down the hill.

Gale. A twenty-four-year-old young man living next door. He was one of the unlucky six who had to wake up earliest in Brizedon, and an early resident who came when the village was actively being restored. He lived with his fiery wife named ‘Elda’ and was already the father of one son and two daughters, serving as Brizedon’s civil engineering manager.

“Good morning, Gale.”

“Ah, Teacher-nim! Now that I think about it, I heard my son went to Tailden with Louis yesterday, but I wasn’t told about it. Did you perhaps give them permission?”

“No? This is the first I’m hearing of it too.”

Gale’s eldest son, Joseph, followed Louis everywhere, so it wasn’t particularly surprising that the two children went together. However, the fact that they went to Tailden to play without telling any adults was something to be a little wary of.

Gale sighed deeply.

“I’ll have to give him a stern talking-to.”

“I guess so….”

Of course, Joseph probably just followed Louis without thinking, so he’s not at fault.

In conclusion, it’s my fault for neglecting Louis. Gale was also looking at me with a strange expression, as if to say, ‘Teacher-nim, do you have nothing to say for yourself?’

Scratching my cheek, I shared my personal thoughts.

“But… don’t be too hard on Joseph. Ruyef and I used to sneak off to play like that when we were kids too.”

“Oh-ho- So Teacher-nim is telling old stories. This is a rare opportunity. So, did the Village Chief-nim drag Teacher-nim to Tailden?”

“No. Ruyef was dragged along with me too.”

“What? The Village Chief-nim, who’s like iron? Who dared?”

……

Gale speculated with a suspicious expression.

“Uh… as far as I know, the only other person it could be is Marie Noona-nim?”

“No. If it were Marie, Ruyef would have been dragged along every time he said something strange.”

“Well, that’s not wrong. She doesn’t actually drag him, but… Marie Noona-nim is the only one in this village who can overpower the Village Chief-nim, isn’t she?”

“Haha. That’s true.”

It was an old story.

A story so old that I couldn’t remember anything that happened afterwards.

“Anyway, something like that happened.”

“I see.”

Gale didn’t ask any further. He seemed content with just having learned that ‘there was such a time’.

It was a natural reaction, considering he knew well that Ruyef and I rarely brought up old stories.

As I walked, chatting with Gale, I soon arrived in front of a cabin.

This was the place everyone called the Village Chief’s house.

My father’s… or rather, the ‘former Village Chief’s’ house was renovated and Ruyef made it his residence.

Being at the center of the village and the only three-story house, it stood out everywhere, which perfectly fit the name ‘Village Chief’s house’.

By now, you might have noticed, but the current Village Chief of Brizedon is Ruyef.

When it was just the three of us at first, there wasn’t really a need for a Village Chief. But as the residents grew in number, the question ‘So, who is our leader?’ began to arise.

Ruyef naturally insisted that I, the ‘former Village Chief’s son’, should become the Village Chief, but no matter how I thought about it, Ruyef seemed to be the right person for the job.

After all, he was the first one to step up and propose rebuilding Brizedon, and frankly, he had a stronger attachment to this village than I did.

Marie took Ruyef, who was stubbornly refusing, and the siblings had a deep conversation. The guy, who still couldn’t win against Marie, changed his mind and declared that he would become the Village Chief.

Ruyef received fervent support. In fact, anyone would agree that Ruyef had to be the Village Chief of Brizedon.

He was the one who prioritized the village’s well-being, made calm and rational judgments, and possessed sharp leadership that could convince everyone. That was Ruyef. If his ambition had been a little greater, he might have become a great general or even a king.

Of course, he’s also human, so he sometimes makes mistakes and misjudgments, though rarely. That’s why, once a week, early in the morning like this, he calls together four appointed officials to hold a meeting for village operations.

Gale entered the cabin and greeted loudly.

“Good morning, Village Chief-nim!”

Ruyef, Hanson, and Elon were already there, seated.

“Welcome, Ritsu, Gale.”