Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: First Errand (2)
A narrow alley barely wide enough for two people to pass.
Before the children could turn and flee,
Loren and her mother swiftly positioned themselves in front and behind the kids.
The children's faces hardened in an instant.
Their frightened eyes darted between each other,
and one chewed on his finger restlessly.
Meanwhile, the village troublemaker shrugged his shoulders, feigning bravado despite his anxiety.
Even so, his gaze drifted toward Merthesia.
I could sense it in the boy's eyes.
A shallow hope that without evidence, they might just let it slide.
But—
There were ways to communicate beyond words.
Merthesia rummaged in her bag and pulled something out.
It was the notebook and writing tools I had packed for her.
Merthesia scribbled something quickly.
Then she showed it to Loren standing in front of her.
Loren's face crumpled.
It was filled with anger,
but beneath it lay worry for Merthesia.
Soon, Loren's booming voice rang out again, making me cover my ears once more.
"You little brats—!"
"…Ugh."
The children's shoulders flinched in unison.
Loren's mother offered Merthesia a handkerchief.
It seemed Merthesia had been crying.
Seeing that made my heart ache.
She was such a small, fragile child.
The kind who shrank under unkind glances
and welled up with tears at a single warm word. That was Merthesia.
Loren's mother knelt gently, matching her eye level.
"Sweetie, are you okay?"
"……."
A soft voice murmured low.
The handkerchief tenderly wiped Merthesia's eyes.
Meanwhile, Loren watched Merthesia protectively before glaring at the children.
"You can't say mean things like that to a friend! Especially not ganging up on her!"
"Sorry…"
"She can't talk! She's a mute! What does that witch hag know anyway!"
"…Witch hag?! You little—!"
The troublemaker's bravado quickly turned to regret.
Loren's clothing shop was in a narrow alley,
but the alley connected straight to the market, bustling with foot traffic.
Merthesia's flute melody and
Loren's thunderous voice that shook the alley.
Those drew people from the market one by one.
And among them—
"Derek, you rascal! What trouble have you caused now!"
"…D-Dad."
was the troublemaker's father, rushing from the far end of the market.
He owned the butcher shop we frequented.
Loren showed the man Merthesia's note along with a brief explanation.
"……."
"Give him a good scolding, sir."
Loren's words weren't even necessary.
His face was flushed beet red,
clearly furious to anyone who saw.
The boy's face, playful just moments ago, drained white.
"…Derek."
"It was just a joke…"
"There are jokes you can make and ones you can't!"
Why did everyone in this village have such loud voices?
My ears hurt, so I tuned out my hearing for a bit.
Soon enough, the kids would realize their mistake.
A moment later—
The two children's faces were streaked with tears from the man's shouting.
Their small shoulders heaved repeatedly,
and finally, they looked like they truly wanted to apologize.
Seeing their flushed faces cool, I refocused my hearing.
"Apologize! Say you're sorry!"
"…Sorry."
"…We were wrong."
"Not to me! To Merthesia!"
For the first time, I saw Merthesia's face clearly.
Her eyes were still a bit red.
As my brow furrowed at her pitiful sight, a faint voice reached me.
"…Sorry."
"I won't say it again…."
Sob-laced apologies barely squeezed out.
The butcher followed, bowing deeply to Merthesia.
"I'm sorry, Mert. It's my fault for not raising him right…."
"……."
"I'll make sure he never speaks like that again. Really, I'm sorry."
Merthesia slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes reddened once more.
But there was no anger or sadness in them.
After hesitating, Merthesia scribbled something else.
She set down the pen,
then reached slowly into her basket.
She pulled out two cookies and offered them to the still-sniffling children.
Along with a note saying They're delicious.
A brief silence fell.
The children hesitated before taking the cookies.
"…Sorry. Really sorry."
"Thanks… I'll enjoy them…."
The two popped the cookies in their mouths and sobbed quietly.
Merthesia nodded.
It wasn't spoken, but it was clear forgiveness.
The children could now understand things that held more meaning than words.
With that single nod,
their sniffling grew into full cries.
The noisy commotion ended.
The butcher sighed deeply and led his children out of the alley.
The kids turned back one last time, bowing slightly to Merthesia.
As the crowd dispersed,
Loren and her mother stood by Merthesia.
"You okay, Mert?"
"!"
"Look at those pretty cheeks all teary."
Loren pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and dabbed Merthesia's eyes.
Traces of swallowed tears lingered, but Merthesia's face was brighter than ever.
Loren smiled at her.
"How are you so mature, Mert? If it were me, I'd have kicked 'em where it hurts the second I heard…"
"Loren."
"Ahem, what I mean is, that was really cool, Mert."
Merthesia bowed her head deeply.
Focusing my senses, I saw her ears flushed red.
A chuckle escaped me.
I slowly withdrew all my focused senses.
There was no need to watch anymore.
Merthesia had handled it perfectly.
The errand wasn't quite done,
but Merthesia could finish it safely.
'Time to head back.'
As promised, I returned to the cabin to wait for Merthesia.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Merthesia could finish it safely.
…or so I thought.
As time dragged on uselessly,
regret over my past decision crept in.
'…She's late.'
Even if I wasn't watching,
I should have at least confirmed she made it back.
That would have eased my mind.
'Why did I….'
Times like this reminded me
I wasn't as wise as I thought.
I trusted Merthesia,
and I knew that trust was well-placed.
But….
I gazed out the window again.
Autumn sunlight lingered,
but even its warm glow was tilting away.
Frustrated, I opened the window.
The wind felt unusually cold.
Closing it didn't ward off the chill seeping into my body.
'If I head out now, it'll be dark…. What if something happened….'
It wasn't a light adjustment of the magic tool.
Scales prickled at the slightest thing, which was inconvenient,
but it let me monitor Merthesia more reliably.
Now,
I could only roughly pinpoint her location,
not track her movements like before.
My already cluttered mind filled with tangled worries.
Lost on the path,
tripped on a rock,
slipped like last time and fell off a cliff….
"Haa…."
I cleared my thoughts.
Dwelling only amplified the anxiety.
Proof: my feet were pacing before the cabin door.
Reason whispered.
She'll be fine.
Merthesia will return safely.
But greater unease stabbed at my chest.
'Just check she's on her way and come right back.'
I donned my robe and stepped out the door.
Under the slanting sun, the wind was decidedly chillier.
One step.
Another.
My footsteps on the path grew cautious yet quicker.
A moment later—
I reached Merthesia's location.
A mountain path not far from the cabin.
'Where is she?'
It was definitely nearby.
But no sign of Merthesia.
With the light setting, her position showed a bit fuzzily.
'Need to readjust.'
My head throbbed.
Anxiety sprouted, but I forced calm and scanned around.
That instant—
A presence from behind,
light footsteps crunching fallen leaves.
But I couldn't turn, frozen in place.
Wanting to believe yet unable to, emotions tangled.
Soon, the miracle became reality again, snapping me from my daze.
"…Row."
A bit louder.
A bit clearer.
My name, called in a
fragile voice swaying in the breeze.
Unmistakably Merthesia's.
My heart pounded fiercely.
It was strange.
I, who thought myself numb to stimuli.
This moment was different.
Perhaps I'd been
anticipating this voice far longer than I realized.
Slowly,
very slowly, I turned.
I swallowed.
Slightly tousled hair,
cheeks flushed from the cool autumn breeze.
Merthesia, clutching her basket with small hands, beaming brightly.
The child opened her mouth again, delivering another miracle.
"Ro…w…."
"…Yeah."
"…I'm…back…."
I gazed at her a moment.
Thoughts and emotions swirled chaotically.
I couldn't tell what expression I wore.
"Welcome back."
"……!"
I opened my arms to the child staring at me.
Her small feet quickened.
Soon, as she reached me, her tiny body flung itself into my embrace.
I hugged Merthesia tightly.
I stroked her back gently.
Still, I didn't know what face I made,
or how to react to her.
But—
Just like this.
A little longer.
Just a bit more, I wanted to hold her.