episode_0088

There was a custom in the village of Lugeron where people would be abandoned in the dark forest when they reached a certain age.

This was to divert the monsters that appeared in the Dark Forest in a different direction, and in the case of men, they were abandoned at a late age when they were too old to work in the fields, and in the case of women, at an early age when they could no longer have children.

Perhaps because of these differences, when a boy was born, there was a celebratory atmosphere in the house, but when a girl was born, there was a funeral atmosphere.

Of course, this custom did not exist in the village of Lugeron from the beginning.

When the village of Lugeron was first developed, there were people who tried to join forces to fight monsters. However, after the strong young men died due to the monsters of a different level from those in other regions, the will to fight monsters in the village waned.

“Eram, today you will have to abandon the middle part of the dark forest.”

“Yes.”

So in the village of Lugeron, there was a profession called porter, not hunter.

After roughly understanding the geography of the Dark Forest and the monsters’ movements, I had to safely abandon the older villagers.

“It is very dangerous, so be very careful.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve already memorized the route.”

“Yes, since you have a good memory, I will trust you and leave it to you. However, since B.B. is still stubborn, don’t be overconfident.”

“Still?”

“Yeah.”

Eram sighed at his father’s words.

No one liked being abandoned in the dark forest. Everyone wanted to end their days and die.

But in the end, thinking about the safety of the village,

That was the fate of everyone living in the village of Lugeron.

Men who knew this well were abandoned without resistance, but women who were abandoned at a relatively young age put up strong resistance.

“I can still work! I can work!”

“BBC, stop resisting.”

“That’s right. Your daughters are very worried.”

“Be quiet!”

But this time the resistance was particularly strong.

Why is that? Eram thought deeply and turned her gaze to her young daughters.

‘It’s because they’re all daughters.’

Mrs. Vivi only had three daughters, and lost her husband to a monster that attacked the village last year.

Of course, she had to work to support her daughters.

But unfortunately she will be abandoned this year.

“I can do more work than John, so why am I being left behind?!”

“Calm down, calm down.”

“If you are worried about your daughters, don’t worry. The village chief has selected a good husband for you.”

“Don’t be a jerk! Do you think I don’t know how my daughters are treated?! Bullied, beaten! When monsters attack the village, they’ll be sacrificed!”

“……”

Mountain sacrifice is a way to fill the stomachs of monsters that have invaded a village and send them back to the forest before they can destroy the village.

The winter before last, Eram’s younger sister Ellis was offered as a mountain sacrifice.

I’m talking about the sight of my cute little sister, who always played with her brother while holding his hand, being pushed away by her father and eaten by a warbear.

Even though Eram wanted to forget the sight of his younger sister running away in fear, he still couldn’t.

“If that’s the case, will the next offering be filled only with your daughters?”

“What, what did you say?!”

“Stop it and accept it. Everyone has done it. You can’t get special treatment.”

“Profit… ”

Her face began to turn red with anger at the words of the village men.

She tried to resist to the end no matter what.

earth!

Eram struck him with a stone and knocked him unconscious.

“Eram? It’s too late. How can a porter be this slow?”’

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay, everyone’s done. Let’s go back.”

“Yes… ”

As the situation was resolved by Eram’s surprise attack, the village men began to leave, and Eram loaded the unconscious Aunt Vivi onto his back to be abandoned in the dark forest.

“Oh, no… My daughters will starve without me.”

“The village chief will take care of it. So don’t worry.”

“I don’t want to die yet… I don’t want to be abandoned yet… I can work. What about our daughters?”

“……”

The hardest thing as a porter was the moment when I had to abandon people.

“But what can I do?”

Eram knew better than anyone.

That this town cannot survive without abandoning someone.

Just as his father had abandoned his mother and sister, he too would one day abandon his father, abandon his wife, and eventually be abandoned himself.

It was a never-ending series of despair.

“If we don’t do this, everyone will die.”

There were two ways out of the despair of the village of Lugeron.

The only options were to escape the village through the paths swarming with monsters and beasts, or die.

As a porter, Eram kept a detailed record of when and where he abandoned people, and today he recorded the moment he abandoned Aunt Bibi.

Eram married Mabeli, the youngest daughter of Aunt Vivi.

Among the sisters, there was no man who wanted Mabeli, who was particularly ugly, and she was designated as the next sacrifice.

Was it because of the guilt of abandoning her mother in the dark forest with her own hands? Or was it because the last image of Aunt Vivi lingered in her mind?

Eram stepped forward and married her to save her.

That’s how I got a son and a daughter who I would never mind putting in my eyes.

After starting a family, he felt happy to be alive for the first time.

Of course, it didn’t mean much.

“Is this where my mother was abandoned?”

After all, neither his life nor his wife’s life will end in the same way.

However, the problem was that it was faster than expected.

“Knock knock knock… How was our mother at the end?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Just that.”

Even while being abandoned, Eram felt an indescribable emotion at the sight of his wife who never lost her smile.

However, unlike himself, Eram’s son, Farel, was displeased with his father’s actions.

“Father, mother?”

“I threw it away.”

“Why?!”

“Once the epidemic starts to spread, there is no end to it. It is inevitable for everyone.”

“There may be another way!”

“There is no other way from the beginning.”

“I don’t know about that!”

Farel, who was different from himself in that he had a strong will, was something that Eram was very worried about.

Because people like that die earlier than anyone else.

Eram hoped his son would not do anything stupid.

But contrary to his earnest wishes, a wind began to blow in the quiet village.

“Haa… Damn, if only I could use mana, this wouldn’t have happened.”

As hope blossoms in despair, a warrior visits the village of Lugeron, which had been surviving on being abandoned by others.

. . .

“Who are you?”

Visits from outsiders were not common in the village of Lugeron.

Not only were there no peddlers coming to this remote area, but to get here, you had to go through a forest full of monsters and beasts.

A handsome young man with a dignified appearance visited the village.

“My name is… Adventurer Ian.”

A man of strong physique.

A long sword attached to the waist.

The man, who looked like a knight to anyone, revealed himself as an adventurer.

But no one believed him.

Because the evidence of his sin remains, marked by scars on his face.

Even the charges were beyond imagination.

“Blasphemy?”

A thousand years have passed since the Age of Myths ended and the Age of Emperors began.

Although people’s belief in God is gradually fading, the fear of God still remains.

“What did you do that constitutes blasphemy?”

“If we talk about it, the story will be long.”

Ian avoided answering with a smile, and Eram didn’t bother to ask any more questions, seeing that bitter smile.

Eram, who had stopped caring about the stranger, said as he threw the sack of food he had left behind to Ian.

“I’ll give you some food to eat, so you can leave now.”

“Haha, can you let me sleep just for today?”

“No way.”

“You’re going too far. If you kick me out like this, where will adventurers like me grow up?”

“Do as you wish. Sleep on the roadside, or sleep in the forest. Oh, at least if you are going to sleep in the dark forest, sleep somewhere deeper. ”

It is a common custom to welcome guests from outside the area, but the village of Ruggeron had a very harsh environment for such customs to be maintained.

Consideration is only possible for those who have some leeway. Eram, who gave out food, was one of the kindest people in the village of Lugeron.

Of course, Ian, being a stranger, had no way of knowing this.

“Tsk tsk, what a strange town. No one is kind. Kind.”

“Oh my… I expect too much from a criminal.”

“Do you know who became a criminal by choice?”

“Isn’t it because of the sins you committed?”

“They’re a bunch of trash.”

“So, have you been falsely accused?”

“That’s right, I became a criminal because I stood up for my beliefs.”

“……”

Although it was a short conversation, Eram had already gained some insight into Ian’s personality.

As you can tell from his handsome appearance and frivolous speech, he is a scoundrel.

A person who lives and dies in the present rather than the future. This was the type of person Eram hated the most.

Perhaps the charge of blasphemy came about because he was being rude to the nuns of the religious order…

‘I wish it would turn off quickly.’

Everyone was interested in him as he was an uncommon stranger in the village of Lugeron.

Eram hoped that no unnecessary trouble would occur in the village because of Ivan.