episode_0081

Footsteps. Footsteps.

I headed for the door.

Tia said she went to the lower village.

I need to go down there now and tell her I was wrong.

I need to tell her I understand how difficult her time was to save me.

I will do what I can as the village chief for you.

I must swear to defend and protect you from the villagers’ scorn.

So please, stay safe.

Just stay in Teildon… without anything happening.

I’ll be there soon.

It was as I reached for the door to leave Tia’s house.

A throbbing ache!

“…!”

Suddenly, an unsettling sensation came from my fingertips.

It was as if something was grasping my ankle, holding me back from leaving this house.

A thick mist of illusions blocked my view.

I couldn’t see it, but I felt a heavy, stiff sensation.

A gloomy aura pervaded the entire house.

More than anything, a large fragment of memory was embedded in the doorknob I was trying to grasp.

I choked.

I just needed not to see it.

I just needed not to be pulled into the memory.

I knew there was no time for this.

I had to find Tia first.

But.

Why do these damned illusions keep blocking me?

“Ugh…”

Whoosh-.

The illusions poured into my eyes.

I didn’t want to see them, but they forced my eyelids open and rushed in.

I could see them even with my eyes closed.

I wildly waved my arms forward, but I couldn’t stop them.

“No… no!”

Why do I keep seeing it?

Is it because I can’t control this insane power?

No. That can’t be it.

I could only see the past by touching it, right?

I could choose to see it, right?

But the fact that I’m seeing this now means…

Flash!

I see it.

Tia’s face in a flash of light.

…As soon as I saw that face, I realized.

It wasn’t anyone else.

*I* wanted to see this memory.

The illusion wasn’t engulfing me.

It was because I wanted to see this moment.

I was seeing the memory itself, left in the space, without even touching an object.

My own heart was calling forth the illusions that permeated everything.

It began with… a single question.

‘What was Tia doing at that time?’

That night, why did Ruyef come out of Tia’s house?

The illusion of memory illuminated the truth for my futile question.

***

Inside, the air was filled with a cold chill.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the window of Tia’s house.

The owner of the house sat at a desk, reading a book.

I had thought the only book she would read was *World Adventure Records*, but its size was a little different.

It was a very old and tattered book.

Inside, I could see drawings of herbs, along with long descriptions and annotations.

That book was… *Herbalism Volume 1*.

Tia calmly read the book, muttering to herself.

After flipping through the pages for a long time and reading on.

Finally, as if she had found what she wanted, she slammed the book shut.

She rose from her seat, put on her cloak, and left the house.

I followed behind her.

The place Tia arrived at was the apothecary.

The apothecary was a mess, not properly maintained.

My belongings were scattered haphazardly, and even those were thickly covered in dust.

There were cobwebs everywhere, to the extent that it made one wonder if it could really get like this in just two months.

Tia began to clean up the messy apothecary.

She dusted off the scattered items with her hands and neatly arranged them.

She brought a broom and swept away all the cobwebs.

After finishing the cleaning, Tia went into the shed.

Here, only dust had accumulated; everything else was as it was.

She aired it out and cleaned it again.

As soon as she finished the simple cleaning, she opened all the drawers in the shed and counted the remaining medicinal ingredients.

Tia took out the necessary medicinal ingredients and rested her chin in her hand.

“Three days’ worth of Mushurin.”

It was an an extremely small amount.

Mushurin was very rare, and if its roots weren’t processed, its shelf life was short, making it an ingredient that couldn’t be stocked in large quantities.

Especially because processing the roots was very labor-intensive, it was an ingredient I didn’t handle much either.

However, this Mushurin was an ingredient in the ‘recovery potion’ Tia was going to make.

“…Still, I have to make it.”

She immediately began preparations to make the medicine.

She lit the fire and prepared the medicinal ingredients.

Tia disliked making medicine.

She had always avoided it, saying she wasn’t calm-natured and couldn’t handle delicate tasks.

But it was to the extent that it was impossible to think this was her ‘first time’.

She began to make the medicine with excellent skill.

Following the recipe written in the book step by step.

Finally, she created a recovery potion resembling the color of a strawberry.

Lastly, she transferred the medicine into a glass bottle, wrapped it in cloth, and carefully packaged it.

Tia excitedly headed to Auntie Sherry’s house with the completed medicine.

She bowed politely to Auntie, then carefully entered the room where I was lying.

“Ritsu? Are you awake?”

Perhaps it was because I had just woken up and had no energy.

I was fast asleep, unaware that Tia had come.

Tap.

Tia quietly placed the recovery potion next to the bed.

Then she gazed at my face and smiled.

“Take the medicine when you wake up. I made it for you, Ritsu.”

She kissed my forehead and returned home.

Winter days are short.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting, and dusk was approaching.

Without a moment to catch her breath, Tia immediately buckled her belt.

Where was she going?

She even took her Rose Shabelle and went outside the house.

Rustle. Rustle.

She headed towards the stream directly below her house.

She followed the stream for a bit, then stopped in front of a thick patch of overgrown bushes.

There was no path there.

It was barely visible, connected to a steep valley where the stream flowed, and even a dangerous cliff overgrown with thorny vines.

Suddenly, Tia fearlessly entered that place.

And she wildly struck the thorny vines scratching her arms with her Rose Shabelle.

Snap! Snap!

Each time she swung her sword, a path was cleared.

The Rose Shabelle was a memento from Tia’s mother, Helina, who was an adventurer.

Although this unique short sword was designed and made for combat.

It was also suited to an adventurer’s characteristic of pioneering rough paths, as it could easily cut vines.

Until the sun had completely set and the moon had risen.

Tia herself created this path that originally didn’t exist, pushing through the thickets.

The trees were dense, making it utterly dark.

Still, she continued forward, relying on the moonlight.

Each time she passed, she left marks on the trees and rolled dangerous rocks down into the stream below.

“Haa… haa…”

A fair amount of the path had been cleared, but there were still many obstructed areas.

She lifted her head. Night had already deepened. It was almost time for the patrols to appear.

Tia wiped away her sweat and returned home.

The next day was the same.

During the day, she made medicine and brought it to me.

As soon as night fell, she cleared the path.

I could see Tia’s face, worn out from exhaustion.

Yet, undeterred, Tia’s eyes, as she continued to make the path secretly from the villagers, shone more brilliantly than the moon.

When the moon hung at the edge of the sky.

Finally, Tia’s worn-out boots stepped onto an open area.

“…”

She wiped the sweat dripping from her chin and lifted her head.

A single house stood in the deep darkness.

That was… Fosao’s general store.

She had created a path that connected to the backyard, far from the main entrance, a path so hidden that it would be hard to find if one didn’t look carefully.

Tia cautiously approached the general store.

It seemed the owner hadn’t returned yet.

The door was firmly locked, and no light came from the windows.

Anyone could see that there was no one inside.

Tia carefully walked up and placed her hand on the windowsill.

Knock knock.

There was no answer.

Knock. Knock knock.

As if sending a signal, when she knocked two or three more times.

Surprisingly, a sound came back from inside.

“T-Tia?”

“Yes. It’s me, Mister.”

“Tia!”

A large shadow suddenly appeared from beyond the dark window and hurriedly opened it.

It was Fosao.

“Shhh-”

Tia put her index finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.

After carefully looking around, she whispered in a low voice.

“It’s been a while… Mister.”

“T-Tia… I missed you…”

“Me too.”

A glimmer of joy flashed across Tia’s face as she said that.

Fosao asked.

“W-What happened? Why… why did you l-leave a note telling me to hide as if dead…?”

“The situation has become dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“Deseo’s soldiers came all the way here. To catch you, Mister.”

“What?! W-W-What?”

As the terrified Fosao trembled, Tia gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Calm down. I’ll explain the details in a bit. For now, did you prepare what I wrote in the note?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Fosao showed her the silk pillow and thin blanket he was holding in his arms.

Tia nodded and gestured.

“…Follow me.”

Holding Tia’s hand, Fosao painstakingly climbed through the window.

And like a man and woman eloping in the dead of night, the two ascended the mountain via a secret passage.

Although time was pressing.

Tia led and pushed the panting, exhausted Fosao, climbing the path all the way to the end.

“It’s here. My house.”

The place they arrived at was Tia’s house.

She could finally let out a sigh of relief only after getting Fosao inside the house.

Fosao also collected himself after taking a long breath.

He asked in a bewildered voice.

“T-Tia. Explain it to me now… What happened? W-What was that path we just came through… and why did you bring me to T-Tia’s house?”

“Because it’s safe here.”

Tia opened the door to the underground storage.

She pushed Fosao inside, saying.

“Soon, the soldiers will come to your general store, Mister. You just need to stay here for a while… until they are ‘dealt with’.”

“D-Dealt with? Deseo’s soldiers… W-With what means?”

It was puzzling.

Because Tia’s tone sounded as if everything would be resolved just by waiting.

“I’ve made a plan. So you don’t need to worry, Mister.”

“But…”

“Leave the rest to me.”

It was a small but firm voice.

I remembered.

That was… what Fosao had told Tia when she left Deseo.

Fosao, having his own words returned to him, paused in a daze, then gave a hiccuping laugh.

“Alright… But c-can I, can I stay w-with you, Tia, in your house…?”

“You used to share a lodging with me. It’s fine.”

“Is that so… Heheheh.”

“Instead, absolutely do not come out of the underground storage. During the day, I’ll be leaving the house to make Ritsu’s medicine. But don’t worry too much, as I’ll make sure to provide you with food on time.”

“M-kay…”

The underground storage looked very narrow for a stout Fosao to stay in, but when he spread out his bedding and lay down on the silk pillow, it fit just right.

Before Tia closed the storage door. Fosao said while lying down.

“T-Tia.”

“Yes?”

“Are you… perhaps, going through something d-difficult? You look very tired.”

A startled Tia waved her hand.

“N-No! I’m fine! There’s nothing difficult.”

“…Really? Th-That’s good.”

Fosao grinned.

“If you’re going through something difficult… t-tell me. I’ll help you.”

“…”

Her red eyes trembled slightly.

The pale hand grasping the storage door also trembled.

She lowered her head for a moment.

Then she gave a faint smile.

“Thank you for always saying that…”

Click.

The door closed.

Tia hugged her shoulders and curled up on the bed.

Why was that?

From beneath the blanket, a muffled sobbing sound could be heard.