episode_0041

The mountain trek continued.

Once hunting became possible, more effort was put into procuring food than into marching.

They mainly targeted small, meaty animals like rabbits and birds.

When they found a stream, they would wash lightly, refill their waterskins, and if they had time, even try catching fish.

Resolving the food issue brought them some peace of mind.

If a hunt was successful, the animal was butchered and consumed entirely that day.

This was because there was no way to preserve the meat they had obtained with difficulty.

Thanks to learning how to prepare meat from Merid Imo by observing her, I was able to carry the meat lightly.

When we found a place to rest, we shared the berries and fruits Fosao Ajeossi had picked, along with the meat I had hunted.

With abundant food, vitality returned to Fosao Ajeossi’s face.

I, too, gained more strength, allowing me to travel further.

It was the seventh day since we had entered the nameless mountain range.

It was an evening with a cool breeze.

“Tia. W-what’s in that pocket?”

Fosao Ajeossi pointed to the belt hanging at my waist.

“Why? Are you wondering if there’s money?”

“Oh, no-! It’s just that you’ve never used it… so I was curious….”

I opened the small pocket.

Inside was a red bundle.

To be precise, it was a bandage soaked with Ritsu’s blood.

I picked it up and showed it to him.

“It’s a bandage. Ritsu gave it to me.”

“Ah…….”

“You look disappointed it’s not something to eat.”

“Nuh-ha-ha! No- no-.”

Fosao Ajeossi waved his hands in a hurry and added,

“What happened to Ritsu… I’m sorry.”

I flinched slightly.

Every time I heard Ritsu’s name, or recalled Ritsu’s face, my chest ached as if being gouged.

It was even more so when I heard it from that Ajeossi’s own voice.

Because when we were young, the three of us used to play together.

“…….”

Bad memories seemed about to surface suddenly.

I turned my head and silently walked forward.

A bewildered Fosao Ajeossi waddled after me.

“Tia?”

“Let’s keep some distance.”

“Why, why suddenly…….”

Even though I had received a lot of help so far and we were somehow managing to navigate the forest together.

‘That incident’ was still unforgivable.

“I want to be alone.”

“…Alright.”

We walked in silence for a long time.

Ajeossi didn’t bother to appear in front of me or talk to me.

It was so quiet, I almost couldn’t tell if he was following.

Indeed, this distance felt best right now.

There was no need to unnecessarily recall unpleasant memories.

We weren’t exactly helping each other out of kindness.

It was just a temporary alliance with a ‘shared goal’ of getting out of this forest.

Having even that Ajeossi around was more advantageous for survival than being alone.

We were simply exchanging the specialties we each possessed.

The moment we reached Deseo.

No, the moment we escaped the forest, I would erase him from my memory.

If he ever laid a hand on me again like he did back then… I was prepared to mercilessly cut him down with my sword.

I gripped Rose Sable tightly and looked ahead.

Then.

“……Huh?”

At the end of the path.

A person was standing on a nearby ridge.

It was a girl.

She, too, was looking down at us with a surprised expression.

I hadn’t expected anyone to be in this vicinity at all.

And at this hour, with the sun already setting.

Even when I rubbed my eyes, thinking I’d seen an illusion, it was clearly a child. A girl with long braided hair, a bit darker skinned than Marie but appearing to be around the same age.

The girl stepped back, her face a mix of surprise and caution.

First, I warned Fosao Ajeossi.

“Don’t move from there.”

“U-uh-huh.”

To avoid startling her as much as possible.

I approached slowly by myself.

“Hello?”

“…….”

The girl didn’t answer.

Fortunately, her body language wasn’t overly cautious.

However, our appearance was too ragged, and we were carrying weapons, making it difficult for us to be seen as safe people.

I had heard in that many tribes disliked outsiders.

This was especially true in regions prone to frequent wars.

I didn’t know what kind of place this was, but to make contact with them, we had to prove we were harmless.

I asked in a soft voice.

“Where are you from? Are there any adults nearby?”

“…….”

She still only blinked, giving no answer.

I wasn’t even sure if she was properly hearing me in the first place.

“If there are adults, please let me know. I want to talk.”

The moment I took one more step closer to the girl.

*Snap!*

Suddenly, something leaped out of the tall grass beside us.

*Clang!*

Reflexively, I drew my sword and turned it towards the sound.

“…Haa. Haa.”

Another child was there, gasping for breath with a spear raised.

This time, it was a boy.

His attire was unusual, with his upper body bare and only large, baggy trousers.

Just by looking at the two children’s clothing, I could tell this place was completely different from the Dragonage Borderlands.

The boy shouted.

“Don’t come!”

It was a peculiar accent I’d never heard before.

The boy held his spear straight, aiming to protect the girl.

I needed to calm him down.

“Alright. I don’t intend to get close. We’re… just lost travelers.”

“Go back!”

“Please. We just need a little help. Can you tell us where the village is?”

“No!”

The boy only shouted in a firm, short tone.

His expression showed no intention of listening to me.

Honestly, if I wanted to… I could have subdued him in an instant.

Even if his courage seemed commendable, the spear tip was trembling, and he looked too young to stab a person.

But I didn’t want to resort to unnecessary force.

“Alright, I’ll put my weapon down.”

I placed my sword and bow on the ground.

Even though I had disarmed myself, the children remained unmoving.

It truly seemed like they wouldn’t say anything until we disappeared.

The frightened girl hid behind the boy’s back.

And she said something.

The boy nodded and swiftly took my weapons.

Just when I thought he was finally lowering his guard.

The boy still held his spear aimed, backing away.

What was this?

Why did he just take my weapons but not let us into the village?

“Hey? Those are mine…….”

“Don’t come!”

It was a moment where I was so dumbfounded, I just stared blankly.

“…Ah, hello. Kids?”

Suddenly, Fosao Ajeossi walked out from behind me.

The children were startled and turned their spear towards him. Their caution had risen even more than before.

This is why I told him not to show himself unnecessarily and just stay put!

“Ajeossi! I told you to stay behind me—”

“This is… Cha, Charrack, right?”

Then the boy nodded.

“That’s right.”

Fosao Ajeossi spoke.

“I, I want to meet the Village Head-nim. Could you h-help us…?”

“Hmm… Alright.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Why did the boy, who had been so resolute with me, so easily lower his guard for Ajeossi?

Even stranger was that Ajeossi knew the name of this unfamiliar village.

“Ajeossi. Did you know? If you had known there was a village here earlier….”

“I-I also saw it somewhere. But I didn’t know it was this village. I-it was a coincidence.”

“…….”

There was no village called ‘Charrack’ in the either.

The boy gestured.

“Follow me.”

We quietly followed behind the children.

After crossing two more hills, the village indeed began to appear.

My heart pounded.

Could the sight of houses and human-cultivated fields ever be so welcoming?

As we entered the village, people stared at us with curious eyes, murmuring.

Fosao Ajeossi whispered.

“It’s smaller than Breezedon….”

“It is.”

Only about 30 people were visible at a glance.

Since it was night, they were likely all gathered in one place, so this must be everyone.

The boy led us to a house in the center of the village.

A man was sitting there.

Anyone could tell he was the village head.

“Who are you?”

I explained everything that had happened so far.

I told him that I had followed the tribute convoy—though this old man didn’t even know what a ‘tribute convoy’ was—and ended up stranded in a nameless mountain range due to bandits, then wandered until I accidentally discovered this village.

It seemed my elaborate story had worked.

The village head withdrew his suspicious gaze.

“This place is ‘Charrack’. The same name as the mountain range you passed through. You may stay for a while, but it won’t be much.”

“No, it’s alright. Just giving us a place to rest is enough to be grateful for.”

“…Hmm.”

The old man cleared his throat and looked back at Fosao Ajeossi.

“Now, I wish to speak with you for a moment.”

“N-nuh? Yes-! P-please speak comfortably….”

I waited to hear what he wanted to say to Ajeossi, but the village head cleared his throat again.

“You, leave now.”

“Huh? Oh… Yes.”

I quickly left the village head’s house.

Something felt wrong.

Was I just ignored?

Why did he only want to talk to Fosao Ajeossi alone?

And was there any particular reason to kick me out?

While I was waiting outside with an uneasy feeling, the girl I had met earlier timidly approached me.

The girl spoke to me.

“Unnie. Let’s go bathe.”

“Bathe?”

“Yeah. They say you smell a lot. Mom told me to bring you after you bathe.”

“Ah-. Hahahaha…”

Did I really smell that bad?

Maybe she mistook Fosao Ajeossi’s stench for mine?

…Even if I thought that, it was true that I hadn’t been able to properly wash myself recently.

For now, I followed behind the girl.

I thought “bathing” meant going into a public bath, but she suddenly started leading me up a mountain.

Even in the pitch-black forest at night, this girl wasn’t scared and darted around nimbly.

Just when I wondered if this was really the right place.

Suddenly, a wave of hot, humid air hit me.

Pushing through the bushes, a shallow pond appeared before my eyes.

A thick mist lay at my feet, and a pungent smell stung my nose.

Good heavens.

It was a ‘natural hot spring,’ something I had only read about in books.

“Wow…”

“Unnie! Come in!”

The girl swiftly took off her clothes and jumped into the hot spring.

When I dipped my hand in, it was surprisingly hot.

Wouldn’t my skin get cooked whole?

Despite that, the child was splashing around and playing just fine.

Well, it should be okay to go in, right…?

I unbuckled my belt, took off my top and pants. Finally, untying my bound hair, I became completely naked.

Savoring the long-awaited sensation, I slowly put my feet into the hot spring.

“Whoa! Hot!”

“Haha! Unnie, you’re a scaredy-cat!”

“I am not a scaredy-cat-!”

“Come in quickly!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and submerged myself in the hot water.

“Ugh…”

At first, I thought I might just get cooked alive like this.

But after a brief soak, it quickly felt lukewarm.

Haa. This is nice.

It felt as if all the fatigue accumulated in my body was completely washed away.

I slowly enjoyed the hot spring, scrubbing my skin clean.

I washed my hair too.

The refreshing feeling of all the dust and dirt washing away made me feel good.

The girl asked.

“Unnie, what’s your name?”

“I’m Tia. And you?”

“Chii.”

Chii was a girl with short brown hair and a face full of freckles.

Her pure smile reminded me of Marie.

She also seemed more active than Marie.

Chii said in a cheerful voice.

“Unnie Tia is the first woman who came from outside the village.”

“Really? Then do many men come to this village?”

“No. Fosao Ajeossi is also someone who came after a long time.”

From listening to her, it seemed Charrack village had always been like this.

A small village rarely visited by outsiders.

Chii said the reason was “because her mom and dad ran away from somewhere.”

It was easy to guess.

Joseph Samchon had said there were many people living in hiding all over the world.

Most of them were serfs who had fled due to the tyranny of their lords.

They were said to have settled deep in the mountains and lived secretly.

Charrack seemed to be a village formed in the same way.

“Are there any kids your age?”

“Yes. Pashu.”

“Pashu… you mean that boy who was with you?”

“Yes.”

“Any other kids?”

“No. I only hang out with Pashu.”

There were only two children in the village.

She said they weren’t siblings.

Breezedon was the same.

Although there were four of us, Ruyef and Marie were brought by Joseph Samchon, so originally, only Ritsu and I were born in the village.

Small mountain villages couldn’t help it.

In each generation, four or five would become friends and marry each other. That’s how they’d continue to have four or five children each time, repeating the cycle to maintain the village.

“It’s similar! I also have a boy who’s like a boyfriend, just like Pashu is to you, Chii.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’ve been together ever since we were born.”

“What’s his name?”

His name.

I closed my eyes and called out that cherished name.

“His name is… ‘Ritsu’.”