Chapter 72: Poar (8)

The fact that the Guild Master was the culprit detonated the village like a bomb.

People were tearing at their hair and sighing deeply, or wandering aimlessly with expressions of shock they couldn’t shake off. Jack, the center of the incident, remained silent. He had been cleared of suspicion, and ever since hearing the news that the Guild Master was the culprit, he hadn’t stepped foot outside his house, just drinking alcohol.

Hanson, who had been badmouthing Jack, always pulled his hat down low and bowed his head when passing Jack’s house, and Lorena looked particularly downcast. Alice was busy preparing documents for the case resolution. Apparently, the law firm would send the investigation results, and the local court would then issue the official judgment document for the case, but it seemed like even this kind of incident required a lot of paperwork.

So today, too, I was idly sitting in a chair, watching the village square. The village square was a better value than a zoo. Because just sitting there, all sorts of animals would appear, circle the square once, and then disappear elsewhere. I encountered a cow whose udders were twice as large as others’, and saw a rooster leading five hens strutting proudly like a victory parade. I also saw Lorena walking over with a deep sigh and crouching down by the fountain.

After glancing around, I carefully moved to sit next to Lorena. Stealthily, Charlie approached Lorena with a stick, but ran away when he saw me coming. Charlie had candy in his hand, and when I looked at it, he hid his hand behind his back.

“Lorena.”

“Ah, Evan. Uh, when did you get here?”

Lorena, with her sensitive intuition, hadn’t even noticed I’d sat beside her. I sat down next to her and peeked at her armpit through the loose-fitting shirt. Looking closely at the wide-cut shirt, her side boob and bra were clearly visible.

She was gazing blankly at me, unaware of my gaze, and I said, scanning her tanned skin.

“Just now. Why do you look so down?”

“…..I looked depressed?”

Lorena gave a wry smile as she said that. It seemed Lorena had tried her best to hide her feelings. But her slumped shoulders and listless gait fully revealed her emotions.

“Now that it’s revealed the Guild Master is the culprit.”

“…..Yeah, that’s right.”

“Now that Uncle Jack is cleared, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“Right. I should be happy.”

Lorena ran a hand over her face. Even her languid exhale revealed an innocence unfamiliar with men, which excited me. Lorena gazed at the dirt with moist eyes. Rooster footprints were dotted there.

“The Guild Master was really good to us. He gave us this house for cheap, arranged a job for me at the ranch, and even said he’d seriously look into my dad’s rehabilitation.”

There’s no such thing as kindness for kindness’ sake in this world. The seemingly kind Guild Master’s offers were ultimately just a desperate struggle to get his hands on a woman he fancied. I nodded and stroked her back.

“Forget the kindness of people like that. You have so many people who care about you.”

The bumpy texture of the bra hook felt so good. As I patted her back, Lorena moved a little closer and nodded.

Lorena said.

“I really thought he was a good person. I don’t know what to do now.”

She looked truly confused. I wrapped my hand around her back and said. Even as my fingers traced her arm, Lorena was too busy trying to compose herself to pay any mind.

“Things like that just make you more depressed the more you think about them. I used to be tormented by bad memories too, but whenever that happened, I tried to forget by thinking about the fun things yet to come. Bad things from the past aren’t problems to overcome; they’re problems to forget. Because they’re already dealt with.”

“Forget?”

Lorena looked at me. Our faces were quite close. She had a pretty nose, and her yellow eyes sparkled like amber. I smiled back at her and said.

“Yeah. Because there are many better and more fun things. Just forget them. Only think about the fun and hopeful things ahead.”

Lorena was looking at me and smiling. I nodded, but I knew it wasn’t time for a kiss yet. I saw Charlie standing in the corner, watching us. As I looked at him and playfully leaned closer to Lorena, Charlie burst out, saying.

“G-get away! You pervert!”

Then he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at me.

“Charlie!”

Before I could dodge, Lorena casually caught the stone Charlie threw and dropped it into the fountain. The action was so natural and smooth that I was amazed, forgetting my own situation. Lorena stood up and said.

“Charlie! Evan almost got hurt just now! What do you think you’re doing?”

“He’s a pervert! Just now! Y-you were touching Lorena…”

Lorena glanced at me once, then said to Charlie.

“Charlie. Evan is my friend. Friends can comfort each other, patting shoulders is okay, right? Hurry up and apologize to Evan.”

I didn’t say anything. It would annoy Charlie more if I did nothing than if I provoked him here.

“N-nooo…!”

And just as I thought. Charlie’s face turned red, and he shouted with teary eyes.

“I won’t apologize! I’ll never apologize!”

“Ch-Charlie?”

As Lorena tried to call Charlie back in a flustered voice, Charlie had already run far away. Charlie, having run to the edge of the square, shouted towards Lorena.

“I’m not playing with you anymore, Lorena!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. If I had thrown such a tantrum when I was young, I’d be dead already, but kids raised with love were definitely on another level. They didn’t care what others thought and considered everything their own. Such children, receiving proper education and love in the right way, would grow up to be upright and kind farm youths, but… That’s someone else’s business in the end, isn’t it?

Before my eyes, Lorena was slightly bent over, wearing tight jeans. The prominent curve of her hips and the firm muscles of her back showing through the thin fabric kept exciting me. It was a shame for Charlie, but Lorena was mine.

“Ah! Everyone! They’re preparing an execution by fire at the village entrance! Gather around!”

Contrary to the retreating Charlie, a young man working at the temple ran over, shouting. Lorena trembled slightly at the news that the Guild Master would be burned to death. I took her hand and asked.

“Shall we go?”

Lorena glanced at me, then looked towards the village entrance with an anxious face. Beyond the uneven terrain, faintly, people preparing the execution by fire could be seen. Lorena nodded and clenched her hand. I naturally offered her my hand.

Lorena looked at me with surprise, and I gestured towards her, saying again.

“Let’s go.”

Lorena hesitated slightly, then nodded and took my hand.

“Okay.”

We were heading towards the execution site. Just as the Guild Master’s body would burn, I wanted to burn tonight with Lorena too.

The Guild Master was silent. The execution site was packed with people gathered to watch someone burn to death. Alice, in her capacity as a law firm employee, had a separate spot arranged and was sitting there; she beckoned me to come up as well.

I shook my head, indicating I wouldn’t go because there was a priest next to Alice, and Alice belatedly remembered the priest beside her and nodded.

“Dad?”

Hearing Lorena’s call, I unconsciously turned my head and replied.

“What is it?”

Lorena looked at me with a bewildered expression and gave a hollow laugh.

“Huh?”

I belatedly realized that Jack, Lorena’s father, was nearby and looked around, asking.

“Ah, what the heck. Is Uncle Jack around here?”

“He’s right there in front.”

As she said, Jack was standing at the very front of the crowd watching the execution. He looked as if he had been granted the right to watch this execution ceremony from the front. People naturally made space for him so he could see comfortably, allowing Jack to face the Guild Master.

Jack stared silently at the Guild Master. The Guild Master, his body trembling with bruises and marks of torture, also stared at Jack.

Jack said.

“Why did you do it?”

A low, serious voice. For this moment, it was like the Jack from his knight days had returned. The murmuring crowd fell silent, and even the priests preparing to carry out the sentence waited for the Guild Master’s answer.

The Guild Master looked up, smiling. The slight upturn of his lips indicated he had no remorse.

“Why, why did I do it?”

“What did I do so wrong that you had to go this far?”

“What did you do wrong? Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

The Guild Master took a breath. As he prepared his final words, his demeanor was utterly dramatic.

“Your very arrival in this village was a mistake! In this village of Poar! A criminal like you crawling in here wanting to live! Gambling, drunken rampages, engaging in all sorts of dirty deeds, ruining the village atmosphere! You don’t even pay your dues! You refuse even when they invite your daughter to drinking parties! What have you ever done for this village! You parasite, only taking benefits from the village! You won’t be welcomed anywhere you go! It’s all your fault! It’s all YOUR fault!”

Jack’s face hardened. The priest silently threw the torch towards the dry firewood.

“Aaaargh!”

Leaving the Guild Master’s scream behind, Jack slowly turned his body. His face was more somber than ever.