episode_0050

Have you heard the myth that if you can’t have a long conversation with the opposite sex, it’s not because you’re not good at talking, but because the other person doesn’t find you attractive?

Because it was such a shocking theory to some, there are still many arguments about it to this day, but Remili, a girl who had spent most of her life in relationships with the opposite sex only in her imagination, was anxious in the chilly atmosphere like the early winter night’s wind, wondering what she would do if the ghost story in question were true.

“My daughter is the prettiest in the world. I don’t know if there’s another beauty like her~.”

Remili was absolutely convinced that she could never be defeated in terms of physical attractiveness. She had been told from the time she was a child that she was beautiful by everyone around her, and it must have been true, since her mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather, all of whom were very cultured members of the Kindle family, had said the same thing.

“… Did you eat dinner?”

I try to continue the conversation as if I don’t care. No matter what anyone says, I’m beautiful.

“Yes, what time is it?”

His short reply came back.

“Oh, right. That’s right. There’s no way I haven’t eaten it yet.”

She firmly believed that this time it was a bit of a stupid question, and that if she had asked a more proper question, the conversation would have gone better.

It was not true that Ray found her annoying as one of Remili’s pessimistic predictions had suggested. Rather, it would be more accurate to say fear rather than annoyance or contempt, and she could not have known that he was constantly trying to avoid offending Remili’s unruly and unruly feelings with useless words.

“Sigh… … .”

Remili tilted her head back with a complicated expression. Was this the end of her chance to interact with the opposite sex? She was starting to feel anxious as she felt regret with each step she took.

“The stars are so bright today… .”

Remili, mumbling something half-conscious.

“… … Hey, Remili, can you see the stars?”

When Remili looks down in surprise, she is met with Ray’s face, eyes sparkling.

“Huh? What… That’s basic.”

Remili could say with certainty that, despite the fact that the scouts were bragging about it being their specialty, finding directions by looking at the stars in the night sky was just basic knowledge for a special forces agent.

“Really? I also really like looking at stars. Do you see that star over there? It’s the one next to the brightest star. It’s called Agave.”

Remili turned her head in the direction of Ray’s face. She thought it was unfair to suddenly smile so brightly with such an innocent face. Remili kept her eyes on the night sky so as not to be caught with her flushed face.

“And next to him is Bennett, and over there in the distance… … Oh, where is it? Oh, over there. That little star that stands alone is Liatra. Right? ”

Ray believed that there were no bad people among those who liked stars.

“… I see. You want to be a fortune teller?”

Remili mutters.

“Huh? Ah, I lived in the countryside, so books were rare. I would occasionally look for and read all the books that came into town. I don’t know how many times I read the stories about stars, because they were so interesting.”

A country boy who talks about books and stars? Wasn’t he a creature that only appeared in fairy tales? Remili looked at him with disbelief, as if she was looking at a fantasy creature.

Remili felt as if her dream ideal had appeared before her eyes. To be exact, it would be correct to say that Ray himself had been fitted into her ideal type, which had either not existed before or was vague. The unidentified boy who had flown into her brain, which was still soft and untouched by men, and crashed into it, left a huge crater in Remili’s view of the opposite sex. Of course, it was drawn by crushing the Memer-shaped crater that had been there before. And the unpleasant tingling in her chest that suddenly came over her must have been because another woman had already taken her place by his side.

“Ageb and Liatra were originally lovers, but due to a tragic fate, they ended up living so far apart. They can only see each other once a year on a certain day. Isn’t that amazing? There are similar stories in this world… …Ah!”

Ray must have thought he had talked too much because he was so excited, so he quickly shut his mouth.

“Uh, uh… I just meant… that there’s a similar story in my hometown.”

Ray looked around, observing Remili’s expression as she stared at him with eyes full of interest.

“I see… . By any chance, where are you going to use that firewood? There’s no way the rationed firewood has run out already… … .”

Remili, who had no interest in romantic love stories set in the stars, changed the conversation to the pile of firewood that Ray was still holding tightly to both hands.

“Ah, the kids said they were cold, so I was going to give them plenty.”

“Kids… …? You two already have kids?”

Remili asked, her heart sinking.

“Huh? No, no, I’m talking about the sisters of the Songrad family that we rescued this time.”

Remili lets out a sigh of infinite relief. But soon she begins to question the fact that she has been relieved. If only they had already had a child, they could have at least gotten rid of their attachment cleanly.

“I guess those kids were really depressed because of their captivity. I took care of them in the dormitory for a while, and they quickly came back to life. They were whining for me to play with them until just now, and then they finally fell asleep.”

“The little things are already brightening up their faces… … .”

Remili grumbles softly.

“Huh?”

“I didn’t say anything…. What is that guy doing that you have to step in and move it?”

He began to hate Mila even more, even though she was not much better than him when compared from one to ten. The only thing that was better than him was that he had her.

“Ah… Milla? You must have had a hard time. You skipped the midnight snack and went in first, saying you had something to worry about. What the… … Milla has one or two things to worry about these days. And I can do this much by myself!”

“Ugh… .”

As if she understood the position of a woman working outside, Remili hated Mila, but was also jealous of the fact that she was the object of Ray’s devoted love, not sparing any sacrifice.

“Remili, don’t hate Mila too much. She’s a very proud person, so she sometimes speaks rudely, but she’s a meticulous and kind person.”

“When did I say I hated you? What am I… I’m not even a kid. Should I have just given you this much? Hurry up and go inside… … Be careful of the fire.”

Of course, Remilie knew that Ray Tan thought it would be good for them to get along well, but she couldn’t stand to hear him brag about his girlfriend any longer, so she curtly bid him farewell and walked away. Of course, she knew that if his ideal type liked a woman, there was probably a reason, but hearing it directly from his mouth was a pain on a whole other level. Remilie, whose side was freezing cold, kicked the pebbles rolling on the ground.

***

“Shhh! Look. Another wagon train. It’s definitely a bunch of bandits.”

The scouts, lying face down on the mountainside, watched an unidentified group passing through a narrow valley.

“This is already the third time, and judging by the fact that they keep showing up, I think I’m headed in the right direction. I have a feeling that their base will be revealed soon.”

Sarah whispered, having changed into a thick fur coat.

Falling apart

“Uh… Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Latia, who made a loud noise while trying to break a hard biscuit in half, awkwardly apologizes to the scouts who suddenly had their eyes on her. She looks down at the line of bandits passing through the valley again, just in case, but fortunately, they don’t seem to have noticed.

“What the… . Let’s search deeper again once all of those things have passed. ”

“Ouch!”

“Ouch!”

“*Sudden* Yes!”

After receiving another glare, Latia kept the biscuit in her mouth until all the bandits had passed, and only after the scouts began to move was she able to munch the biscuit soaked in saliva. While the other scouts were panting and groping along the dark mountain path, Latia jumped far away with her mouth full of food and waited for the rest of the team to catch up.

“Whoa… Haa… … … What’s going so fast about this?”

“Oh, it’s flat. Everyone, just hold on a little longer. The forest ends here.”

The scouts look at Latia, who is waving her arms at the bottom of the hill, with curiosity.

“Wait there! Don’t go out into the open! Ugh… My ankle keeps… … .”

“I know that much. *Crunch, crunch*”

Sarah reaches the edge of the forest and takes out a map from her bosom and unfolds it. They use the moonlight in the cloudless night sky to estimate their current location.

“Um… If it’s around here, you’ll soon see the Songrad Castle.”

A scout interrupts Sarah as she looks at the map.

“What is Songrad?”

The agents looked at her strangely, as if her question was a stupid one.

“… Are you serious? You don’t know Songrad? They’re the biggest family in the southern region. ”

“I said I came from a remote village.”

As Latia answered shamelessly, the agents reluctantly nodded.

“Really, … By the way, what’s wrong with your ankle? It’s swollen.”

Sarah looks down at one of the soldiers’ legs and asks.

“I think I stepped on the wrong foot on the mountain earlier. Ugh… .”

“Oh no… … I have to go back the way I came, but at this rate… .”

Sarah crosses her arms and makes a troubled face.

“Then let’s ask those people called Songrad for help.”

Latia speaks casually. Sera tilts her head and scratches her chin at her words.

“… … Why? What else… People are known for being rude, but I’m not the only one who doesn’t know that, right? ”

Latia asked, looking at the other members.

“No, that’s not it. Maybe if you explain the situation properly, you can get help.”

Sarah answers and gets up from her seat.

“Okay, let’s get on.”

Latia crouches down and gives her back to the injured agent.

“But what is so unsettling… … .”

Sarah mutters.

Knock knock knock

“Excuse me, is there anyone there? I’m just a passerby… .”

Sarah knocked on the firmly closed door of the Songrad Castle and shouted.

“What’s so desolate?”

“The lights are all off, and there doesn’t seem to be any sound inside the castle.”

Knock knock knock

“Excuse me. Are you there?”

After Sarah shouts several times, someone appears on the wall.

“Who’s that? What kind of guy is knocking on the door of Jackie’s kingdom?”

A woman with a vulgar accent shouts, her saffron hood clearly visible from down there.

“Uh, isn’t that… a thief guy… … ?”

“Why on earth are you in the castle… .”

The crew began to become agitated.

“What are you saying? I can’t hear you! Oh, are you guys trying to join our bandit group? If so, you should have been polite from the start… … . Tsk.”

A woman clicking her tongue while looking down at the scouts.

“The wagons that were moving from this direction… …. Are you saying that this was their base?”

Sarah gasped as the puzzle pieces began to come together in her head.

“I mean, Jackie and I, right? We eat together, wash together! We’re all one person! It’s better for me to look good first. Hehehee.”

Unlike the scouts who had guessed that the woman had been drinking heavily because her tongue was twisted, Latia felt that her accent was familiar and stuck in her ears. Of course, the woman on the wall was just a drunken native of the South, but it might have something to do with the fact that one of the derogatory terms for Westerners is drunkard.

“Captain, what should we do? If we get surrounded on this flat ground… … .”

The scout whispers to Sarah, sweating profusely.

“… … I have to go back, desperately. I have to make this fact known.”

Sarah said that with a very serious expression on her face.

“What are you guys talking about among yourselves… … . Hey, where are you guys!”