episode_0024

As soon as Sir Kintop’s orders came down, a large warehouse opened.

Inside the warehouse, firewood that the residents of Tailden had carefully collected to get through the winter was piled high.

Servants brought donkeys and carts and loaded the firewood, bundle by bundle.

They then pulled the five loaded carts up the mountain.

“Oh my goodness.”

“Good heavens—! Look what Ritsu brought!”

When we returned to the village, the elders cheered.

When I told them I had borrowed firewood from the lower village, they hugged me tightly, shedding tears and exclaiming, “There’s truly no one like Ritsu!”

We unloaded the supplies into the empty warehouse and sent the carts back to Tailden.

This, somehow, allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief.

My shoulders were heavy, but seeing people happy made me feel good.

Uncle Marvin asked.

“Who will manage the warehouse now?”

All the villagers looked at me, as if awaiting the Village Chief-nim’s decision.

Ah, now… I’ve come to bear the weight of this village. That thought came to me.

I spoke, my voice heavy.

“Everyone. I hope you will give Tia a chance to make amends.”

“Surely not….”

“Yes. If it’s her, she’ll surely do well.”

The villagers whispered among themselves, exchanging glances.

However, no one protested.

It was a grave task, managing the village’s precious resources.

If Tia could do well in the work that Ruyef had been able to do because of the strong trust he received, the elders would surely look upon her favorably.

At the same time, I was confident.

Tia will undoubtedly do well. She’s smart.

After finishing the work, I returned to the apothecary.

Tia wasn’t there.

I casually opened the shed and couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was very clean. Everything was in its place.

She had truly cleaned it flawlessly.

Right. It was just a matter of giving her some time.

Why had I spoken so coldly to Tia?

I felt ashamed of myself.

“Haa…”

I slowly sat down on a chair.

I’d brought firewood, and I could make medicine again.

Wouldn’t this allow me to catch my breath a little?

Just as my tense body began to relax and I leaned my head back.

“Ugh.”

A bitter taste suddenly flooded my throat and surged up.

“Cough, cough…!”

When I spat out the accumulated phlegm, bright red blood splattered out.

“Haa-. Haa-. Damn it!”

This can’t be happening.

Just one day without eating, and it’s come to this?

I immediately got up from my seat and rummaged through the bookshelf.

Throat and chest pain.

I searched for a remedy effective against vomiting blood, but I couldn’t find it in any of the books.

That can’t be. I remember seeing it before, was I mistaken?

For now, I quickly ground some of the remaining medicinal ingredients into a powder and ingested it.

But unlike Tia’s recovery medicine, it didn’t take effect immediately.

“Cough- cough-!”

Instead, my cough only worsened.

As I left the apothecary to rest, I happened to encounter Tia, who was coming up the hill.

“…Ritsu? Ah! Blood on your hand… Are you coughing again?”

“Don’t mind it. I just need some rest. More importantly, Tia, I’m entrusting you with warehouse management from now on.”

“Warehouse management? But Ruyef was…”

“He’s not here anymore. I’ve told people you’ll do it. Cough! Cough! If there’s anything you don’t know, ask the elders.”

“That… Ritsu decided that?”

“Yes.”

Tia asked, her tone bewildered.

“Why do I have to do that?”

“You’ll be able to do it well.”

“But… I haven’t said anything yet?”

I was starting to get a little annoyed.

Of course, I had decided this by my own authority without asking for Tia’s opinion.

Anyway, there was no one else who could do this job but her.

Right now, Tia wasn’t doing anything for the village.

“Tia. Then what are you going to do?”

“…Huh?”

“What are you doing right now? Why did you come to the apothecary?”

“Recovery medicine for Ritsu…”

“I told you I’d handle that!”

Tia’s eyes widened.

Why can’t she understand how I feel?

Please, at least have that much common sense.

You don’t have to work hard, just make an effort to help the villagers.

“Cough, cough……”

I just returned from negotiating with Tailden’s lord, while spitting up blood.

What were you doing all this time?

If you don’t even want to do this, then what exactly do you want to do?

“Tia. We’re no longer children. We’re… adults now.”

Our carefree days of dreaming without a thought have all passed.

Perhaps we won’t go down to the lower village to eat ginger biscuits together, or secretly have late-night snack parties, or leisurely read books, or hold hands while climbing the mountain.

Those will just remain as good memories of childhood.

Because we’ve become adults.

“You can do it, right? I’m entrusting you with this because I believe you’ll do well.”

“…Okay. I’ll do it.”

“From now on, if the aunts ask for help, go with them. You’ll be able to learn a lot.”

“Alright. I’m sorry, Ritsu…”

Tia hung her head low, turned, and went down the hill.

She grew farther and farther away.

I coughed out the coughs I had been holding back.

“Cough-! Cough! *Ptui*.”

A metallic taste filled my mouth.

***

The next night.

“Cough! Hack! Cough!”

The cough worsened.

I spread open every book I had and tried making medicine that might help, but there was no sign of improvement whatsoever.

I barely managed to calm my breathing and headed towards Uncle Marvin’s house.

“Hey, Ritsu. Are you really okay?”

“Yes. *Ahem!*”

“You don’t look okay. Don’t overexert yourself unnecessarily; just go inside and rest.”

“No, it’s fine. This is nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

Uncle Marvin looked at me with a worried expression, then let out a deep sigh.

Creak.

Uncle pulled something out of the cupboard.

It was a lantern.

He took embers from the hearth and placed them inside.

Whoosh-!

The light flared brightly, instantly illuminating the surroundings.

Uncle handed me the lantern.

“Now, take this lantern and slowly make a round through the village. If you get cold, Merid’s house has a brazier, so warm yourself there once in a while.”

“Yes.”

“If anything happens, blow this horn loudly to wake people up. Never try to do anything by yourself. And naturally, don’t even go near the forest. Understood?”

“Yes. Cough.”

“Then I’m counting on you for the night, Ritsu.”

I firmly took the lantern. It was heavier than I expected.

This was the flame that had been responsible for the village’s nights until now.

Even from the worn-out handle, I could feel the legacy of the adults who had protected the village throughout the years.

A ‘man’ who had not been baptized could not stand night watch.

Because guarding the night alone while everyone slept was a sacred duty given only to members of the village.

But tonight, I volunteered to stand watch.

Since my baptism was coming soon anyway, it was with the thought of formally declaring myself a village member and chief, and learning the difficult tasks in advance.

The elders highly valued my determination.

After Uncle Marvin, everyone else returned to their homes.

Then, silence descended along with the cold air.

In this village, small if you consider it small, vast if you consider it vast.

I was alone.

“Whew…”

It’s cold.

It was a good thing I brought Marie’s scarf.

If I hadn’t had this, my mouth would have frozen shut.

“*Ahem*. Shall I go?”

I began my patrol.

It was quiet. Nothing could be heard.

Only the clinking of a sword hanging from my belt echoed with each step.

Relying on the lantern’s pale light and faint warmth, I illuminated the darkness on the outskirts.

When I looked at the pitch-black forest, it felt a little eerie, but I found comfort in the proximity of people’s houses as I walked around, making it quite bearable.

The village scenery at night felt very unfamiliar.

With no movement or sound, it felt as if everyone had vanished in an instant.

I stared blankly at the scene for a moment before quickening my steps again.

After descending through the fields, passing Aunt Sherry’s house, and going down the hill again…

Tia’s house came into view.

Naturally, this large house was also included in my patrol route.

I naturally approached Tia’s house.

I lowered the cover to briefly obscure the lantern’s light, then approached the window and looked inside.

It was too dark to see anything.

Tia would probably be fast asleep by now.

“……”

But it was unusually ‘too’ quiet.

I had even intentionally made some noise while coming here.

For Tia, a light sleeper, to show no reaction at all…

I opened the lantern’s cover and shined the light inside the window.

I worried that such dazzling light might wake Tia, but it was a baseless fear.

“…Huh?”

The bed was empty.

Tia, who should have been lying there under the blanket, was nowhere to be seen.

I rotated the lantern’s angle, carefully illuminating the entire house.

It was the same. Tia was not visible.

However, the open wardrobe suggested she had been preparing for bed just a moment ago.

I wondered if she might be in the backyard and went around to check, but she wasn’t there either.

The basement door was also closed. It didn’t seem like she had gone down there.

“Where did she go?”

I circled widely around Tia’s house.

It was pitch dark.

For her to suddenly disappear without a word. I had a bad feeling about this.

Should I blow the horn and wake people up?

……No.

If I called the villagers, they would think Tia had caused trouble again.

There was a high possibility it wouldn’t be overlooked easily this time.

For her sake. I couldn’t do that.

Whoosh-.

As I surveyed the dry forest, where the wind was blowing.

A memory suddenly struck me from behind.

…No way.

I raised the lantern high towards the stream.

I saw unnatural-looking bushes, as if they had been forced open.

When I stepped towards them, a small path appeared.

I brought the lantern close to a gnarled tree.

Rough knife marks were left on its trunk.

About a hand span in size.

These were the marks Tia left whenever she passed through a new path in the forest.

A strong intuition told me.

I followed the path, guided by the marks.

It was a peculiar path that circled widely around the village.

Hidden by the dense pine forest, it was impossible to find with the naked eye.

Even I would not have known of this path’s existence if I hadn’t found Tia’s marks.

Rustle. Rustle.

I continued descending.

It was difficult to follow since I couldn’t see my footing clearly, but I knew by instinct that I had come quite far.

By then, the gentle babbling of the stream could no longer be heard.

“Haa-. Haa-. Cough!”

A two-story house appeared beneath my feet.

Just as I expected.

It was Uncle Fosao’s general store.

This secret passage was a direct route from Tia’s house to the general store.

“……”

And… the shadow of a curtain was visible on the second-floor window.

Why would Uncle Fosao still be awake?

I immediately covered the lantern’s lid.

I stifled my footsteps as much as possible and slowly descended the slope.

As soon as my feet touched the garden, I crept towards the front door.

No sound could be heard yet.

I cautiously pushed the door open.

Creak-.

My heart pounded.

It felt as if I had become a thief.

An unpleasant smell stung my nose.

A surge of discomfort rose with every breath I took.

Nevertheless, I continued forward.

With a tension that made my skin crawl, I took one step after another.

Being careful not to make any footsteps.

I reached the front of the second-floor stairs.

Soon, faint noises began to reach my ears.

Creak…. Creak….

As if the second-floor floorboards were being pressed down and then released.

Irregular yet rhythmic sounds could be heard.

I held my breath and stepped onto the stairs.

Creak…. Creak….

With each step I ascended.

The sound grew clearer.

Sweat trickled down my nape, dampening my spine.

“Hoo, huff……”

I could also hear Uncle Fosao’s gasping breaths.

When I was halfway up the stairs.

I saw light spilling out from the gap in the second-floor door.

“Huff-. Ahh… Aahhh-!”

Uncle’s strange voice, a groan that was impossible to tell if it was from pleasure or pain.

Now… one thing was certain.

This was by no means a normal situation.