Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: The Green Lake
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“Someone stole my food! I know it was you! I know everything!”
The wife reached out toward the man sitting across from her, screaming at the top of her lungs. He seized her hand while apologizing profusely.
“Riselra, calm down.”
“Let go! I know he stole my stuff! Dad, Dad! Say something, Dad. He’s a thief.”
Not husband, but Dad. The wife, who had lost her memories, often called him a monster or Dad when she looked at him.
He had grown numb to it by now, but the first time he heard that title, it had shattered him inside.
“Got it, Riselra. Dad’s sorry. Dad will get it back for you, so just hold on a little. Okay?”
Gilliud pulled his wife’s small head into his embrace and stroked her hair. Then he let out a long, slow breath.
Hoo, hoo. His wife soon mimicked him. Even as she threw her tantrum, she began breathing slowly and gradually regained her composure.
“I’m truly sorry. We should have rented out the whole carriage to prepare for things like this.”
The man sitting with them must have been startled too. He had been told beforehand that his wife was ill, but he couldn’t have expected it to be this severe.
“No, it’s fine.”
Fortunately, he was a understanding and generous fellow. The coachman, who had been driving, spoke through the small window.
“I understand your situation, but please be careful anyway. If the horses get spooked and bolt suddenly, the carriage could tip over.”
“My apologies.”
The coachman pushed the wooden panel to close the window. He looked at his wife’s face. She seemed exhausted after her outburst.
“If you’re sleepy, get some rest.”
He sang a lullaby in a voice so soft it was barely audible. It was the lullaby his wife used to sing often.
He didn’t know where she had learned it from, but whenever he sang it, she fell asleep easily. It was probably the one her mother had sung at her bedside in her childhood.
Mother. A sudden headache struck. He placed his fingers on his temple and pressed firmly.
“Is something wrong?”
The man across from him asked. He shook his head. The headache vanished as quickly as it had come.
“Have some water at least.”
He was a considerate man. He didn’t refuse. His throat was parched anyway.
He wanted to wake his wife for a sip too, but decided against it. If she opened her eyes and started raging again, the coachman might yell at them to get out.
“Thank you.”
He handed back the leather pouch filled with water.
As the man took the pouch, his forearm caught his eye anew. It was the kind of arm where even calling it sturdy felt like an understatement.
When he had first seen him outside the carriage, he had seemed like a calm, ink-stained scholar type. But examining him up close now, he looked more suited to a club. No, perhaps a finely sharpened sword.
He couldn’t understand why such a thought had crossed his mind. Maybe he was just tired, and his brain wasn’t functioning properly. He didn’t desperately need sleep, but his mind wasn’t sharp either.
It was strange. Up until arriving in Tuwood—no, even before leaving the village—his mind had been clear. Yet now it felt hazy, as if he had pulled several sleepless nights.
“You look tired. Why don’t you rest your eyes a bit.”
“I’m okay. I can manage.”
“Better to sleep while the road’s still flat. Once we get a little farther, it gets rough, and your rear will ache too much to sleep.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s a carriage ride anyway. No point staying awake when there’s nothing else to do. If anything happens to your wife, I’ll let you know, so don’t worry.”
The man had a point. Lander had said the same. Stamina was key. And it wasn’t just for his wife. The caregiver needed to take care of his body too.
“Then I’ll close my eyes for a bit. Wake me without hesitation if anything comes up.”
“Got it.”
He stroked his wife’s head, which was leaning on his shoulder, then shut his eyes. A cozy sleep washed over him immediately.
* * *
“It really is green. Amazing.”
Inebil said. Lander placed his hand on the fence installed for tourists and gazed at the lake.
With the moon reflected on its surface, the lake truly shimmered green. Captivated by the mystical hue, he momentarily forgot everything and admired the rippling water.
“This lake is famous for two things.”
Guchi, standing beside him, said.
“First is how its color changes. They say you can’t help but marvel at the gradual shift if you watch it around sunset.”
“And the second?”
Inebil asked, tossing a pebble into the lake.
“It’s known for all the floating corpses.”
“Corpses?”
“They say a ton of people commit suicide here. Especially young women. Though that’s an old tale.”
“Now that you mention it, the lake’s color looks so gloomy. Even watching it makes me feel down.”
“Some say it has a devilish power that draws people in, but come on. If that were true, do you think the Empire would leave it alone? They’d drain the whole thing to find out why.”
He nodded reflexively. The Emperor was exactly the type to do that. How hard had that friend worked to gain the power to check the Assembly?
If some unknown force that could wield physical power lay dormant in this lake, just as Guchi said, they would have pumped out every drop of water and scoured the bottom.
“But why did women specifically choose to drown themselves here?”
“No idea. I only know it from rumors myself.”
“Do the people out there boating know about it? That this is a suicide hotspot.”
Inebil pointed, and a ferryboat came into view.
The ferryman stood at the stern, rowing with a long oar, while the passengers in back enjoyed their drinks. Some floated lanterns or flew kites.
“Death isn’t that shocking anyway. And it really is an alluring lake.”
Guchi said.
“Imagine them having fun, then a corpse bobs up beside them. That’d be a sight.”
“Why not just curse them out instead.”
He took a step back and watched the two bicker.
When Inebil fired back, Guchi brushed it off with sly nonchalance, and when Guchi chided her, Inebil countered with a snort.
They were two who grated on each other nonstop, calling each other annoying all the while.
“Quite the inseparable duo. You two would have a blast traveling without me.”
“What nonsense. Listen, Lander. If I had to travel alone with this woman without you, my ears would rot off.”
“With a young, pretty girl like me keeping you company, why would they rot? You should be grateful to me, mister. Got it?”
They refused to yield even an inch to each other. Better to stay quiet, or he’d get grumbled at from both sides.
After a while of trading barbs, the two finally fell silent and began watching the serene lake.
He pulled out his wife’s diary.
- They say some lake turns green at night. Not sure where, but let’s go when we find out.
He took in the neat handwriting with his eyes, then looked back at the lake.
Naria, it really is green here, just like you said.
What would his wife have said if she saw the lake? She probably wouldn’t have said anything—instead, she’d kick off her shoes and charge straight in.
She’d dip her hands in the water, sniff it, maybe even taste it. That was her personality: if curious, dive right in.
“I didn’t look on purpose. I just turned my head and saw it.”
Inebil said in embarrassment. He smiled and closed the diary.
“It’s fine.”
Inebil, who had been fidgeting, cautiously spoke up.
“Mind if I ask what it says inside? Don’t answer if it’s awkward. It’s just... your expression while looking at the diary was so intriguing.”
“My expression?”
“Yeah.”
“What about it?”
“It lit up with life. Your smiles always have this bitter aftertaste, but just now, it was purely bright, without a hint of that.”
“Was my face like that?”
“Yeah. I might not know much else, but I’m great at reading faces. Maybe from growing up on sidelong glances, but I can read expressions like nobody’s business.”
Inebil spoke excitedly, like it was a point of pride, but gradually lowered her voice and put pauses between her words.
“I’m really sorry about that time. I didn’t realize it was something so precious. No, even if I knew, I forced myself because I had to do my job.”
“It’s in the past. I understand completely. If our positions were reversed, I’d have done the exact same. You can’t just show an unidentified man’s possession—you’d have to confiscate it. For the safety of the people you’re protecting.”
“People you’re protecting.”
She mulled over the words.
“Who were the people Lander had to protect? Your wife was first, of course?”
“Fool that I was, I was too focused on other things back then to look after my wife. If I’d stayed with her more, I might have noticed her condition sooner and prepared.”
Inebil blinked, looking flustered.
It wasn’t the answer she expected, and she seemed at a loss for words. To keep her from apologizing again, he spoke first.
“What about you, Inebil? Pursuing strength isn’t just for self-satisfaction, is it?”
“For me... I realized recently that I really value a sense of belonging. I act like I can live alone just fine, but truthfully, I get anxious if I’m not tied to somewhere.”
“Everyone’s like that. Few can truly live in isolation.”
“That’s why I want the place I belong to be happy. It was like that in the mercenary company, and when I met Schilder too. I hope the people who take me in stay healthy and full of energy. For that, someone has to be the pillar. And if there’s anything disrupting our peace, it has to be cut down.”
Inebil stretched her arms out wide and let out a groan before continuing.
“Right now, I’m hopelessly inadequate to protect anyone, but someday I want to be like my master—strong, charismatic, warm. Of course, I want to protect you and the mister right now too. This little party is my place as well.”
“Appreciate the protection. But you know what? You’ve never once chipped in for food or any of the expenses.”
Guchi held out his palm and said. It was a gesture demanding payment.
Inebil spat into her own palm, then smacked his hand with a sharp clap.
Guchi stared at his saliva-smeared hand, then walked to the lakeside to wash it off. He could be heard muttering that she had no charm whatsoever.
“That’s his way of looking out for you.”
“I know. He knows better than anyone that it makes me feel less guilty. Isn’t it weird? We’ve only been together for about half a month, but he seems to know me too well.”
“Observing those around him closely is Guchi’s charm.”
“Charm, huh. Yeah, it is. But he’s too soft-hearted.”
“He’s a pure soul, unlike me.”
“To me, Lander seems pretty soft-hearted too. Or am I wrong?”
“If I come across that way, it means my cynicism has reached full maturity.”
Could a man who saw people as numbers ever be soft-hearted? What he had done during his military days stood at the opposite end of purity.
Just as he was flashing a meaningless smile at Inebil, who was staring at him intently—
A sharp scream rang out from the center of the lake. All the tourists’ attention snapped toward the middle.
(To be continued)