episode_0015

That night arrived.

As soon as I heard Aunt Sherry enter her room, I secretly opened the window.

I threw the shoes I had prepared outside and laboriously hooked my feet onto the windowsill.

“Hup!” Thud. My two feet landed gracefully on the ground.

“It’s chilly.” I wrapped my arms around myself. The wind outside was terribly cold. This is why I didn’t want to go stealthily in winter.

I can’t help it. This is the only time I have to return ‘Tia’s pocket knife’.

I crept down the hill. At this hour, the patrol guard would start to appear. I walked hunched over to avoid being seen, but for some reason, the night watchman wasn’t around today. It seemed like they were slacking off somewhere.

The distance between Aunt Sherry’s house and Tia’s house was quite significant. There was a difference between being on top of the hill and at the bottom. It was almost like crossing the entire village.

Hiding myself in the ditch, I followed it down until I finally arrived at Tia’s house.

“…Hm?” Light was coming from Tia’s house window. What’s with that guy? Was he still awake? He probably had the light on because he was reading late.

Even better. I can return the pocket knife and talk for a bit. I approached the fence with that thought. Suddenly, voices could be heard from inside Tia’s house.

“…!”

“—!!!”

And this loud voice was that of a man. Wait a minute… there’s a man inside Tia’s house? Who is it?

I gulped and moved closer. The two people’s conversation continued. They had been loud earlier, but now they were saying something in quiet voices.

Cold sweat ran down me. I had a bad feeling. What is it? A man, alone with a maiden in her house in the middle of the night? What on earth happened?

Just as I was about to go a little closer. Creak! The wooden door was roughly pushed open, and someone walked out. I quickly hid myself in the darkness and watched the man.

“…!” A tall figure and ‘blonde hair’ gleaming in the moonlight. His back as he climbed the hill, holding a lantern high to go on patrol.

It was Ruyef. I doubted my eyes. Why was that bastard, from Tia’s house…?

I listened closely again. The light was off, and no more sounds came from inside the house.

What should I do? I had to return the pocket knife to Tia. The shock was so immense that I didn’t have the courage to meet her.

My breath caught in my throat. “What the. What on earth…”

It shouldn’t be. I swear it shouldn’t be. But what if. In the two months I was asleep, Tia and Ruyef… Grasping the pocket knife tightly, ominous thoughts seeped in.

“…” At that point, I felt terrifyingly disgusted with myself. I… imagined killing Ruyef? No. Don’t get excited, calm down.

I shouldn’t meet Tia now. I wasn’t confident in meeting her with such a disturbed mind.

I need to find out more. What happened between them, why they were alone together at this hour. I have to thoroughly investigate and uncover the truth.

Slip. I carefully put the knife back in and turned my steps towards Aunt’s house.

***

As soon as dawn broke, I went to the village warehouse.

Clack. Ruyef was meticulously stacking dried firewood inside the warehouse. As I quietly watched him from outside, even that indifferent guy finally turned his eyes to meet mine. He asked me in a gruff voice.

“…What is it?” “You look tired.” Ruyef scoffed. “I was on patrol duty. Ah, you wouldn’t know yet since you’re a kid.”

“Of course I know. Including how you trespassed into the house of a girl who is still a ‘kid’ last night.” Thump. At my words, Ruyef put the firewood he was holding down on the floor. His face became a complex blend of embarrassment and annoyance. He growled in an angry voice.

“You were wandering around as you pleased in the dead of night… You bastard.” “What did you do with Tia there? Tell me straight.” “Why should I tell you that?” “Because if you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to banish you. That’s how it’s set.”

“Banishment?” Ruyef wore an incredulous expression. “You bastard… The guy who’s supposed to be the next village chief slept soundly for two whole months, oblivious to the world, and now that he’s awake, the first thing he says is that he’s going to ‘banish’ me?”

“Shut up, and just tell me what you were doing at Tia’s house then.” “Ha… I just talked for a bit. Satisfied?” “What kind of talk?” “It’s something you wouldn’t know. And it has nothing to do with you.”

His tone suggested that even talking to me at this moment was exhausting. This, I absolutely couldn’t just let slide. It wasn’t a matter of whether it concerned me or not. A man secretly entering a maiden’s house in the middle of the night was already a serious crime punishable by banishment from the village.

However, the reason I sought out Ruyef first instead of reporting this fact was that I didn’t want to cause a ruckus, perhaps there might be some misunderstanding on my part, and also to protect Tia’s honor. Even after showing such leniency…

“If you’re going to act like that, then I have no choice. I’ll have to ask the elders what they think about what I saw.” “No.” “What?” Ruyef said bluntly, with a hardened expression. “I said no.”

Given his personality, I thought he wouldn’t care what I did. But when I said I would report this, he became serious with a terrifying expression I had never seen before. “Why? You don’t want to be reported? Are you scared you’ll be disgracefully chased out when everyone has looked kindly on you until now?”

“No. I don’t give a damn. I don’t care if I get banished or not. But, ‘now’ is not okay.” It seems he doesn’t grasp his current situation. The initiative is with me anyway, so why bother with pointless bluster? I can only laugh.

“Then explain what you talked about when you went into Tia’s house in the middle of the night?” “If I tell you, would you be convinced?” “…Depends on the circumstances.”

Of course, the probability of me not being convinced was very high. It would be stranger if there was a convincing story in that situation in the first place. It’s absurd. ‘Just talked’? If that were the case, he could have done it during the day, and if it was really urgent, he could have woken Tia up and talked through the door. Why did he specifically go ‘inside the house’?

No matter how I thought about it, it was definitely a flimsy excuse. Go ahead and babble on as you please. I’ll compare your words with Tia’s testimony and prove that everything you say is a lie.

Ruyef looked down at me expressionlessly. He let out a deep sigh, glanced around for a moment, then spoke in a very low voice. “Send Tia out of the village.”

“…What did you say?” It was such a sudden statement that my words caught in my throat. Ruyef continued. “It’s something only you, holding the authority of the village chief, can do. First, send Tia out of this village, then don’t worry about it. I’ll handle the rest.”

“What nonsense are you talking about now? Banish Tia…?” “Yes.” Was that the face of utter shamelessness? The guy was saying ‘banish Tia’ with resolute eyes and an unfeeling voice.

My teeth ground together. “You crazy bastard…” “Tia is currently involved in a serious incident. Soon, Deseo soldiers will come to this village. She needs to be sent somewhere else before they arrive.”

“…?” For a moment, my mind went blank. I couldn’t understand a single word coming from Ruyef’s mouth. Tia is involved in what? What’s coming from Deseo?

“…Ha. Hahaha.” It seems this damn guy is seriously mistaken about something. Firstly, if he thought such a lie would work on me, that’s a huge miscalculation. Secondly, if he thought I was a fool who would get scared just by hearing ‘Deseo’, then he was arrogant. Thirdly, do you think I could banish Tia with my own hands, you idiot? Even if the Divine Dragon knelt and begged, that’s absolutely impossible.

A snort of derision naturally escaped me. “That’s quite a fresh joke. Your humor has improved, Ruyef.” “…You can’t?” “Of course not, you crazy bastard!”

“Figures. I knew it. I was foolish to expect anything from you. You weren’t going to listen to anything I said anyway.” “This bastard, seeing how I’m just letting him…” “Well, a fool who slept for two months, bitten by a bear, not even knowing the village chief had died… what could he possibly say?”

Ruyef strode forward and grabbed me by the collar. “If you don’t know how crazy things are outside, then just lie quietly in bed and protect yourself! Don’t act so carelessly with your shallow knowledge!”

It was then. Whistle! A clear whistle cut through us. That familiar whistle was… As if by unspoken agreement, we turned to look in that direction.

Thump. Thump. A man was slowly climbing up from below the hill. His attire was shabby, but his large, sturdy frame, impossible to conceal, was a hymn to a mercenary who had survived countless wars.

A bushy beard beneath a ragged turban. And a friendly smile gracing it. Two swords of different lengths hung side by side at his waist, clattering. It was truly a mysterious sight. It was the visit of a familiar guest, completely unexpected, to the point where I could mistake it for a dream.

Ruyef was greatly flustered. “Joseph…” “Uncle…?”

Uncle Joseph firmly planted his staff. “Hahahahaha!!” Along with his characteristic hearty laugh. “Hey there-! Ritsu! Ruyef! Are you two still fighting? Haha! Kids grow up doing that, but isn’t it about time you two matured?”

Ruyef released my collar. In front of this person, we couldn’t help but become respectful. “Is it really you, Uncle Joseph? How did you…” “Yes, you rascal! I happened to have some business in Tailedon, so I stopped by for a visit. Hahaha!”

His laughter echoed throughout the entire village. It felt like we had leaped back to the past. Probably no one in Breezedon… would have forgotten this man’s resounding presence. Because a few years ago, Uncle’s voice had stirred up the villagers. Because he had brought a new wind to this village.

Sure enough, people began to come down from the fields one by one. “Oh my, look who it is!” “Good heavens! Joseph!” Mister Marvin, Aunt Merid. Even the elders and grandmothers. Everyone stopped what they were doing and could be seen rushing towards us.

Uncle took off his hat and greeted everyone politely. “Hahaha! It’s been a long time. My brothers and sisters.”