Why Is This Yours (7)

"The city's a mess."

Walking the main road of Down Fork with the townspeople, Rosamond took stock of what the city had become. It had fallen far from the place she remembered. Trash and dung littered the streets, and a foul stench hung in the air. The buildings were worn, dilapidated. Its geographic advantages still made it a commercial crossroads, but the vitality of former days had long since drained away. Over that bleak cityscape, Rosamond's vision superimposed the bustling Down Fork of the past.

"Um, my lady... the gentleman beside you..."

The man who served as both the citizens' representative and the guild master asked the question carefully.

"Jin. My new guard knight. And the hero who drove out those villains — the Holy Kingdom and the Wild Dog Alliance."

"Ohhh... is that so!"

Jin neither confirmed nor denied it. His role now was to protect Rosamond. Just because the townspeople welcomed her did not mean everyone would, and remnants of the Holy Kingdom or the Wild Dog Alliance might still be hiding somewhere in the city. He never let his guard down. He merely swept the surroundings with cold eyes. Because of that, the townspeople could not casually speak to Rosamond or draw near. A chill radiated off him.

"He's not as scary as he looks, so there's no need to be afraid."

"...What do you mean, 'not as scary as he looks'?"

"Who knows?"

As Jin touched his own face with a blank expression, the citizens' representative explained.

"Ever since the Holy Kingdom occupied us, Down Fork has only gone from bad to worse. Extortionate tax rates, neglected streets, a garrison that grew corrupt and lazy following the Holy Kingdom's example... It became a place that barely held on, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solely because it was a trade hub."

"It's serious. Far worse than I expected..."

Rosamond crossed the thoroughfare with her brows drawn together, turning over in her mind how to manage the city — how to bring it back to life.

Then, from a low spot along the roadside, a feeble mutter drifted up.

"Spare a coin, please... I'm so hungry..."

A beggar's plea. The townspeople who saw the figure lying flat on the ground clicked their tongues, as if looking at something filthy.

"...Here."

Rosamond, by contrast, took a few coins from her pocket. The townspeople stopped her as she tried to set them carefully in the beggar's basket.

"My lady. You must be careful. The Holy Kingdom issued a strict warning not to help this beggar. There were people who were dragged away for offering aid..."

"It's all right. They're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gone now."

"...Ah."

With a troubled, bitter look, Rosamond gave the coins to the beggar.

"...! Thank you, thank you! Hehe...!"

For someone living off alms, it was a rather cheeky laugh and voice. And a voice Rosamond knew all too well.

"Wow, this much...! Thank you so mu...ch..."

The beggar lifted her head, and her eyes met Rosamond's. The girl's words trailed off as she looked straight at Rosamond's face. Rosamond too froze in place, quietly studying the beggar's features. Her lips began to tremble. In a shaking voice, as if she could not believe it, she called the beggar girl's name.

At that call, the beggar girl answered in a daze.

"Lady... Rosamond?"

"Lo-Lottie, why are you... like this..."

"My lady...? Wait? Is this... a dream?"

The beggar girl pinched the skin of her face with a skeletal hand.

"It hurts...? This isn't a dream?"

"Lottie...!"

Rosamond pulled the stinking, filthy beggar into her arms. Even held in that embrace, the girl could not collect herself, her face vacant for a long while.

"Who is she?"

Jin asked, standing at the doorway. Rosamond sat beside the sleeping beggar girl. She no longer looked like a beggar. Rosamond had taken her in, washed her, dressed her in fine clothes, and put her to bed. With the grime gone, she was nothing more than a pretty young girl.

"...Loretta. My maid. Or perhaps I should say she was my maid."

Rosamond answered in a whisper, so as not to wake her.

"The day the Holy Kingdom stormed our house, she stayed by my side to the very end, saying she'd protect me. She told them to take her instead of me, sent me fleeing, and held the back door alone..."

Rosamond bit down on her lip. Jin shifted his gaze from her to the window. The sun had already begun to sink; it was a late afternoon steeped in dusk. A crimson blanket of light settled over the scenery of Down Fork.

"I'm so glad she's alive. So, so glad..."

Rosamond checked the sleeping Loretta's expression, then drew a smile of relief.

"How hard must her life have been... From now on, I'll have to do better, so nothing like this happens again. Jin."

She called to him in a low voice. The sunset streaming through the window painted her face in warm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠light.

"Thank you. Truly. Because of you, I was able to get Lottie back."

A courteous voice steeped in sincerity. Rosamond even dipped her head slightly. Jin, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waved one hand.

"What's all this. An employer bowing to an employee. I merely did my job. There was nothing worth thanking me for."

"Even so, gratitude is gratitude."

Rosamond lifted her head and smiled softly. That smile, and that thanks, felt utterly foreign to Jin. He and she were merely collaborators whose goals and interests happened to align.

"And people who actually know how to do their jobs properly? Pretty rare."

"Hmm... Well, I suppose I am rather competent in that regard."

Pfft. Rosamond covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

"I think I understand why Knox finds you so entertaining."

"...?"

Jin raised one eyebrow, as if he himself had no idea.

"Choosing you... I think it was the right call, in more ways than one. I'm glad it was you."

"You're too kind."

Rosamond smiled brightly, then looked out the window and asked,

"Where's Knox?"

"She was wandering around looking for a building she could use as a laboratory."

"Could you go fetch her for a moment? There's something I need Knox's help with. I'd like to stay by Lottie's side a little longer. Would you mind?"

"You don't have to ask. You can just order me. You're the employer."

"I'd still rather ask."

As if he couldn't win, Jin let out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠short laugh and a light sigh.

"Very well. I'll take that request."

"Mm. Thank you."

After Jin left the room, the sound of Lottie's soft, even breathing filled the space. Rosamond walked to the window and stood there.

It had taken so long. So very long to take this one step, and she had endured for so long. And at last, she had successfully taken that first step. Down Fork. She finally felt as though she had come home. Of the countless things that had been stolen from her, she had finally returned one to its rightful place. She had reclaimed it together with Lottie, whom she had feared she might have lost forever.

Gazing at the cityscape she had missed so dearly, a tingling satisfaction welled up in her chest. There was also that pleasant sense of release that comes after solving a great problem. But Rosamond reined that feeling in herself.

This isn't the end.

This was the first step. A second step remained, and a third as well. Once she had started walking, she could no longer stop. To stop was to lose, and to die. This was that kind of struggle.

I need to help Lottie recover...

Perhaps other members of her family were still alive somewhere. She would have to find them all and bring them back as well.

I have to protect Down Fork.

Until now, Rosamond had possessed nothing, so she only had to think about taking. That was no longer the case. There was no guarantee the Holy Kingdom would not attack Down Fork. And so, even as she stepped forward, protecting this place was now her responsibility as well.

I need to keep my head on straight. Don't get comfortable.

Rosamond gave her own cheek a light pat. Below the window, she could see Jin walking off on his errand. It was so unfamiliar and strange that she quietly took him in with her eyes. It was odd, somehow, to see Jin's figure occupying a landscape she had always known.

...What a curious man.

Ever since the Holy Kingdom had branded her and called her a witch, everyone had kept their distance. Everyone had shunned her. But Jin had not. He neither shunned her nor welcomed her. Witch or not, he was a thoroughly indifferent man. And yet — why was it that that very indifference felt so reassuring.

I'm so glad.

On the face that watched him, a smile she could no longer hide had already bloomed in full.

"Ugh... useless bastards, the lot of them."

The Holy Kingdom, which had administered Down Fork, had pulled a truly shitty stunt as they abandoned the place and fled. Namely: they had dumped out every last supply in every warehouse under the city's administration before they ran.

"These crazy sons of bitches. Unbelievable."

The outgoing party throwing a tantrum so the next owner couldn't use anything — well, that happened. There was a reason the phrase "erasing the predecessor's traces" existed in public office and everywhere else. But being on the receiving end of it was thoroughly infuriating. They'd dumped all the foodstuffs onto the dirt floor. They'd smeared livestock dung over the clothing and textiles...

"Ugh, darling. It smells weird in here. I can't go in."

"I've got a nose too. You think I can go in?"

"Should we just pretend we don't know and skip this one together?"

"A genius, are you."

On top of that, some warehouses were completely empty. They'd taken the stuff themselves, or hidden it somewhere else, or something of the sort...

"There's nothing here. I can't even tell what this warehouse was for."

"Right... There's a faintly bitter smell, though. Maybe they stored tea or spices?"

I was sorting through the warehouses with Knox.

"Let's put this one on hold for now and move to the next... Hiyah?!"

Knox's body pitched forward. I quickly caught her around the waist as she started to fall.

"Hup— hik? O-oh my, that startled me..."

Her voice sure changes in a hurry.

"Ahem, ahem. Thanks, darling."

"Don't mention it."

"But our darling is stronger than he looks, huh? Color me impressed."

"Couldn't do this job if I were weak."

Still, falling over out of nowhere on bare ground was a bit strange.

"I think something caught my foot."

Knox examined the floor where she'd nearly fallen. When she swept the dirt aside, a flat, reddish-brown board appeared.

"...What's this."

"Looks like a box?"

It wasn't a board — it was the lid of a wooden crate. A crate of rather luxurious-colored hardwood. When we cleared the surrounding dirt and opened the lid, a dense, bitter fragrance trapped inside came wafting out. Frowning, I looked inside and saw something that looked like dried herbs.

"Oho? Something this good, here? Did the Holy Kingdom bury it to come back for later?"

Knox seemed to recognize it.

"What is it that they'd go that far?"

"It's an incredibly expensive medicinal herb with excellent effects. It can't be cultivated, so it's hard to even get your hands on."

"A medicinal herb..."

"It's especially good for heart disease. I've always wanted to see it at least once, and I find it in a place like this?"

...Heart disease.

I checked the Status Window message that had come to mind a few days ago.

The southern fork. What was buried there.

Don't tell me... this is it?

I stared intently at the herb said to be good for heart disease.

...Would it be all right if I tried eating one?