Episode 3-a. The Flower That Reeks of Rotting Corpses. (4)
Breath hung in the air. Time had passed, and winter had fully set in, turning the landscape stark and barren. Most of the green leaves had fallen, leaving the bare branches swaying limply in the wind like discarded clothes. The sky, clear just yesterday, had turned overcast, now sprinkling tiny snowflakes.
Snow was falling. Pristine white flakes piled up on the ground, draping new garments over the naked branches. They blanketed roofs and fences in fresh white, announcing the change of seasons.
I stood there, gazing up at the snow-dusted sky. Things like this... they often stirred up old memories, sneaking up on me and leaving me melancholic. Even someone who ran relentlessly wasn't always steadfast of heart. Even with a clear goal, the steps didn't always keep coming.
Whenever I encountered these triggers that poked at my memories, I zoned out like this, lost in thought. The pure white snow settling on my face or shoulders was one such thing.
When was it? That winter when I was fourteen—it had snowed then, too. There was a woman who, even in her quite mature form, built a snowman with the innocence of a child. Back when she still spoke casually to me. She'd approach with a bright smile, ask if I was cold, and rub my hands against her cheeks.
The carrot and black beans for decorating the snowman. That ugly snowman. The memory of making our first one together always resurfaced whenever it snowed, making her face shimmer in my mind.
So I remembered it vividly. The gray ash-mingled snow swirling dully, and amid it all, the woman smiling and nodding at me. All those things grew sharper and clearer whenever snow fell, tangling up my insides in complicated knots.
Was it a mistake for someone like me to make that choice? What if I'd just given up the journey and stayed in the Empire? Could I have lived happily? If I'd only hidden my identity well and kept acting the same in the same scenery, wouldn't it have been fine?
In short, memories didn't brace your back—they kept tugging at your hem, trying to drag you back.
And...
"Whoa! Let's make a snowman!!"
"Waa~ Snow, it's snow~!"
Such heavy thoughts scattered like mist, drowned out by the voices filling the air around me. Arum Solis and the gals from the warm southern kingdom—Ollie and Charlotte—didn't seem cold at all as they rolled snowballs with gleeful eyes.
Plus, the straw-packed barn couldn't fully block the winter chill.
"Ugh... I'm a little cold, Ain oppa."
"Just wait a sec. I'll grab a blanket."
"Yeees... Ugh, I really hate winter...."
Tori cracked open the barn door and said that to me as I stood outside, shivering while clutching Yaki tightly.
I nodded with a smile and headed for the wagon. Truth be told, I couldn't afford to get swallowed by memories now.
I trudged through the snow piling up on the path. Maybe because of the Tebris situation I'd told them about, our plans had changed—Arum Solis and the gals were still at the barn, even past the deadline.
He always smiled brightly.
"Hyungnim, hyungnim! The villagers say the fruit harvest day's coming up soon—wanna go see?"
"...With all this snow piled up, does fruit even ripen?"
The view beyond the barn: the snow that started falling hadn't stopped, blanketing everything thick and deep in white. Any normal flower or tree would've dropped its leaves, let alone fruit.
"That's why it's such an amazing, mysterious flower, right? The villagers are already clearing the snow on the path to it!"
The blatantly mysterious, enormous flower apparently bore fruit regardless of the weather.
"Hmm, when does it ripen?"
"They say around tomorrow. Me, Ollie, and Charlotte are camping out tonight to watch! Aren't you curious how it fruits so fast?"
Of course, I was curious too, just like he said. I'd never seen a flower that fruited once a month, and it might even be useful for research.
But.
"Sorry, gotta pass. Looks like I'll be nursing everyone with colds."
"Ah... yeah, you're right. I lacked consideration, hyungnim."
The twins were hacking and clinging to each other; even Aberly, who'd been looking forward to it, was feverish and groaning in the straw.
Seemed like fatigue had worn down their immunity. I'd given them Aberly's potions, but colds didn't vanish overnight—the three were still whimpering.
I was coughing now and then, too. My bandaged arms still ached and stung.
At least Horn, thanks to dwarven toughness, had rested up fine and was just clucking his tongue.
"Tch, tsk... These weaklings. This is why humans are no good."
"You're feeding the twins warm porridge with that worried look—makes you look ridiculous, old man."
He was spooning it to the kids with a face full of concern.
"So what, you little shit."
"Pretty words."
"So what, you punk."
"Yeah."
Anyway, that's how it was. With the sudden blizzard and everyone down with colds, we couldn't push to see it.
"So go enjoy yourselves, and if you could snag some fruit on the way, I'd be grateful."
"Haha! Don't worry, hyungnim! We'll bring fruit and tell you all about the sight!"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Hey~ No thanks needed between us, hyungnim!"
Arum Solis left the barn with his sunny smile, and the noisy voices faded beyond the thudding door.
So what are we, exactly? Just folks who'd holed up in a barn together for a few days—barely acquaintances.
"Hmph, that guy's the type who thinks one shared meal makes a lifelong bond, huh?"
"...Yeah."
Horn seemed to think the same, tilting his head before spooning more porridge to the kids.
And I had to feed porridge to Aberly, who was too busy groaning.
Then.
The next day, when I opened my eyes, the smell of rotting corpses wafted in.
"...What the hell. Why's the flower smell reaching here?"
The twins and Aberly were still whimpering in their sleep, but Horn, sniffing the rotting stench like me, grimaced and sat up.
"What the fuck is this... shitty smell all of a sudden."
"Feels like the flower's scent. Doesn't it spread all the way to the village when it fruits?"
Maybe the monthly fruiting released the odor far and wide. I covered the kids' noses with thin handkerchiefs, while the old man spat with a scowl.
"Hoo... Didn't know it'd stink this bad. Smells like something rotted for at least a month."
"You ever smelled a month-old corpse, old man?"
"...At my age, it's harder to find what I haven't experienced, punk."
Ah. Bad question. My thoughtless words sometimes stepped on landmines, darkening Horn's eyes.
And now, his eyes were starting to sink into gloom again after that answer.
So I quickly smacked his cheek.
"...You finally lost it?"
"Ah... sorry."
Of course, that wasn't the right choice either.
Horn rubbed his reddened cheek, then pulled an axe from the straw.
"Fine. Hierarchy's important, like you said."
"No, wait...! Your eyes were getting all gloomy, so I just—"
The axe blade glinted as he raised it, whispering he knew the real answer.
"You're dead, you little shit."
"Ah, you fuck! You grumpy old bastard...!"
Horn shook off his gloom, eyes gleaming as he charged. I flung open the barn door and bolted out.
"Grumpy dwarf, huh? You speciesist prick, I'll kill you!!"
"Now you're deaf too, shit!"
Clang! Sword met axe in a ringing clash.
Even after centuries, this petty, narrow-minded dwarf's rage chased me.
Why wouldn't he just spill a bit about his past since we're companions? No idea why he always held back, making me slip up.
I thought that while parrying his axe blows one by one.