episode_0085

With bandits rushing forward with monstrous cries, and Uncle Joseph swinging his sword. The memory illusion dispersed. There was no need to see what happened next. Recalling how Uncle had entered their village with a bright smile, it was easy to guess the bandits’ ultimate fate.

So that was it. Tia had drawn Uncle Joseph in to resolve the situation in Deseo. That’s right. No matter how she thought about it, there was no one but Uncle. Although he had left Breezedon due to disagreements with the Village Elder, he was someone who loved this village more than anyone. It was because he loved it so much that he had suggested opening up the village to make it prosper. Moreover, Uncle Joseph was a war mercenary who had roamed battlefields in the past. The mere fact that he had survived countless wars made him no different from a walking weapon.

It was astonishing. Tia had believed that Uncle would solve everything. And it had indeed turned out that way.

“……” She looked down at the ruby ring resting solitary in her palm. The moment she saw the red gem, a shiver ran down her spine. If that was the case… Little Vincent, and the bar lady. The elite soldiers of the royal palace, Uncle Joseph. Even the Lord of Taildon, and the Lord of Goldburg. Furthermore, even the King of Deseo and its nobles. …Had everyone been played by Tia?

She covered her mouth in shock. At the very center of this vast, dark, and wicked conspiracy was… A red-haired girl from a humble mountain village. The one who had created a massive fog capable of overturning an entire nation was none other than Tia.

It was incomprehensible. Even though she had committed such a grand act, whether intentionally or not. Even though she had become bold enough to control the situation herself… Why was it that in Breezedon, she couldn’t do anything? Why did she live as if holding her breath, like an eternal sinner?

*Creak.* She opened the door and stepped out of Tia’s house. The cold winter wind greeted her. She looked up at the village atop the hill. Tia must have looked at the quiet and peaceful landscape of Breezedon from this very spot every day.

She gently knelt down. When her gaze aligned precisely with that of the girl who was shorter than her. Only then could she see it. Among the layered wooden cabins. Far off in the distance, at the very edge of the village, a single house with a chimney. That place… was her pharmacy.

A sudden thought occurred to her. Perhaps Tia had done everything for ‘her’. If it was only to save her… No matter how grand and terrifying the conspiracy that was formed. Even if she had to stand at its center. Perhaps she thought it would be alright.

“…Haha.” Yet, on the day Ruyef disappeared. She had locked Tia in her room and shouted at her. Tia had loved her so much. Loved her enough to throw away everything for her.

“Tia.” Then, the only person you could rely on here must have been her. *Thump. Thump.* Instead of going up the hill, she headed for a bush path that branched off to the side. This path was a secret passage leading to Fosao’s general store.

As she walked along the path overgrown with yellow weeds, fragments of the past slowly became visible. Illusions of Tia and Fosao were walking in front of her. Familiar voices could be heard.

“…It’s done now. I think it’s all over.” “W-What happened…?” “……” Ruby-like eyes looked up at the sky. “The soldiers who were chasing Uncle were found dead in the forest near Taildon.” “R-Really? How?” “Uncle probably took care of it…”

Tia, who had been wearing a lonely expression, returned to her cheerful voice. “Anyway, that’s not the problem! Congratulations on coming back to the general store, Uncle.” “Nghhh-! *Hehe.* *Hehe.* …Th-Thanks…” “Let’s go inside! We have so much to talk about, don’t we?”

*Pitter-patter.* The red-haired girl skipping lively, and the pig-like man clumsily waddling behind her. As she watched that scene, cracks began to form in her heart.

Upon arriving at the backyard, Fosao noticed that his general store had changed slightly. “T-The door is all broken…” Tia crossed her arms and let out a sigh. “The soldiers must have done it, they said. Well, what does it matter? We can just fix what’s broken.”

As she went down to the backyard, something caught her foot. It was one of the many piles of junk. “Seriously, Uncle, you should live while cleaning a bit! That’s why you don’t have customers. Even fewer women come here, too—” “Nghhh…” “Since Uncle is back, let’s finish the repairs together today. We’ll open the general store with a fresh start. How about it?” “S-Shall we…?” “Of course! Come on!”

Dragging the unconfident Fosao along, Tia went up to the general store. The door was already terribly broken, so there was no need to look for a key. The illusions of the two people disappeared into the general store. She followed them up to the general store. The door in the illusion had been completely shattered. Now, it was neatly repaired anew. Also, seeing that the lock was tightly secured, it seemed Fosao was currently away.

“……” She saw it. Where Fosao kept the key. Just as Tia had done, she bent down to the old flowerpot nearby and reached her hand in. *Clink.* The key was caught. She used it to unlock the door and entered.

*Ugh.* A musty smell stung her nose. This smell she could never get used to, no matter how many times she sniffed it. Her whole body twitched in rejection. What kind of conversation did Tia and Fosao have here then? What did they do? She slowly extended her hand and stroked Fosao’s table. Then, a memory illusion emerged.

“How does it really feel to be back home?” Tia asked, walking around inside the general store. It was truly an awkward sight. A strange feeling arose, seeing someone as bright as the sun moving about in this gloomy general store.

“G-Good. I even w-went to Tia’s house. *Hehehek*—” “…You shouldn’t answer like that.” That sulking face of hers was like a pure white angel. So innocent, like a young angel joking with a devil without the slightest suspicion.

Tia showed Fosao a bright smile. “Anyway, it’s a relief. We all returned safely, didn’t we?” “Y-Yeah! *Hehehek*…” “*Sigh.* By the way, not much has changed here. All the items are still the same.”

Tia bounced *hop-hop* between the display cases like a mischievous child. “Oh! This is paint! When I was little, I used this to secretly draw on Ritsu’s face while he was sleeping—” “Y-Yeah. *Hehe.* You remember… At that time, T-Tia, you were unstoppable—” “You did it with us too, Uncle! Why are you pretending you weren’t involved?!” “You guys also d-drew on my face and c-called me an ugly ghost…” “Oh, right! We did! I remember! *Pfft*—! *Ahahahaha*—!”

She wasn’t saying anything, but. Her heart ached. Tia holding her stomach and giggling, Uncle Fosao sweating as if feeling wronged, and her watching the two of them. …It was like going back to her childhood. They had often gotten along so harmoniously. But in their eyes, only each other’s faces were reflected. She wasn’t there. They laughed for a long time, reminiscing.

“Hmm— Shall we organize the general store now? Fix what’s broken. Clean what’s dirty.” “I, I don’t like hard work…” “Come on out here! I’m telling you, it looks good when it’s clean!” “Nghhh—”

Tia went out into the yard and diligently started pulling weeds. It seemed she was helping more meticulously than she managed her own garden. Fosao pretended to help with the work, but when Tia wasn’t looking, he would groan and stop moving. In the end, Tia mostly ended up doing the yard cleaning alone. Tia noticed Fosao loafing around instead of working, but she didn’t say anything particular.

“I, I… will g-go to the lower village for a moment… and come back.” “Okay—” Even if he made an excuse and left the general store entirely. Tia merely wiped her sweat away, diligently clearing junk and carefully setting things in place. Tia continued to clean alone without rest for a long time.

How much time had passed? “*Whew*—Done!” The red-haired girl stretched herself. And then she glanced around the cleanly transformed yard and smiled contentedly. Just then, Fosao, who had gone down to the lower village, came back up. He was carrying a bundle in his hand.

“Uncle! It’s all finished, so come on in! See, how is it?” “O-Ohh…” Fosao’s eyes widened. Of course, the general store had never had such a beautiful garden before, except for the very first time.

“Amazing… Y-You really are Tia!” “*Hehe*—Please praise me more. I worked so, so hard cleaning.” “H-How about this, then…?” A biscuit was caught in Fosao’s hand as he rummaged through the bundle. The moment Tia saw it, her eyes grew wide.

“Ginger biscuits!” “I bought them for you, Tia, for all your hard work. W-Would you like to eat them while resting?” “Hooray—! Yes!” Tia, having entered the general store, excitedly crunched on the biscuits. Fosao, on the other hand, didn’t touch the ginger biscuits at all.

As if in a good mood, she chattered away. “Ah, it reminds me of the old days. When I was little, Uncle, you used to read books to me, right? After finishing a book, I’d eat ginger biscuits and get a nice massage—” “Y-Yeah, that’s right…” “But Uncle, you had ginger biscuits prepared even back then. Why don’t you like eating them?” “M-My taste buds don’t match…” “*Heh*— . It’s delicious, though.”

Fosao turned his eyes. “T-Then… shall I give you a massage, like before? Tia, you w-worked very hard today too.” “*Mmm*—Sounds good!” Tia took a ginger biscuit into her mouth and obediently sat on the chair. He carefully began massaging her shoulders.

Before long, Tia’s face looked as if it would melt. “*Sigh*… This feels so good…” Fosao’s hands gradually moved down towards her back. He pressed firmly, almost enveloping Tia’s small body.

Then, at a certain moment. *Slide.* His hand naturally went down her side, then groped Tia’s lower chest. “……” She seemed slightly surprised. But she bit into her biscuit with a quiet crunch.

*Knead. Knead.* His large, dark fingers, tracing the outline of her chest, grew increasingly bold in their movements. Eventually, he grasped Tia’s entire breast. At that moment. *Thwack.*

Fosao’s hand stopped. Upon that hairy, lecherous hand, a pure white hand was placed. Tia brought her legs together.

“Uhm— Uncle… no more…” “W-Why, what’s wrong, Tia? We’ve d-done this before, haven’t we…?” “But… from now on, things like this… should be done not to me, but…” In a delicate voice, she feigned a refusal. “Please do it for the person who will become Uncle’s wife.”

“……” “Anyway! My shoulders feel completely relaxed thanks to you. Thank you.” “A-Are you finishing already?” To the bewildered Fosao, Tia shrugged as if it were fine. Unaware that this was her way of politely refusing without making the other person feel bad. Fosao merely blinked his eyes.

Tia lightly stepped down from the chair. “It’s gotten very late. Ritsu will be looking for me. I think I should head back up now.” “…Y-Yes, alright.” “And Uncle. Could you get me some Mushurin?” “Mushurin?” “I need it to make a recovery potion for Ritsu.”

He let out a foolish laugh. “U-Uh-huh. Of course, I should help you! O-Of course!” His answer was normal. Yes, only his answer was.

“Thank you!” The moment Tia, having conveyed her gratitude, turned her back. Fosao’s expression twisted into obvious fury. He was so angry that his chubby cheeks trembled. His face transformed into a hideous one. But that was only for a moment. When the angelic Tia turned her head back, he returned to his warm expression as if nothing had happened.

“Go back safely, T-Tia.” “Okay—!”