Chapter 76

Chapter 76. The Old Woman in the Tower (1)

After breakfast, Jimant, unable to endure Luna’s nagging any longer, shook his head and went upstairs to his room to pack his things.

While Rene and I sat leisurely at the table, waiting for him to come back down, we ended up receiving guests we had already expected might visit at least once.

The ones who opened our front door beneath the slightly late morning sunlight, bowed their heads, and stepped inside were none other than Huria and the Lizard Men.

I could understand the Lizard Men, but I had no idea about the Huria.

“I am glad, you are safe.”

That was the first thing Kan the Lizard Man said after opening the door, looking around, then lowering his gaze to Rene and me.

At his words, Rene and I gave him faint smiles.

Kan turned his head and glanced at the Huria man standing silently behind him with his arms crossed, looking down at us with an indifferent gaze.

The man frowned slightly, closed his eyes, then slowly opened his mouth.

“My name is Reyamo. I have come here as the representative of the clan living in this forest because there is something I wish to ask you.”

Rene and I looked at him for a moment.

He was a Huria with a handsome face and hair that fell all the way down to his waist.

Reyamo?

I studied his face for a moment, and Rene, who was seated beside me, spoke.

“What would you like to know?”

“I wish to hear the whole story. What did the king say when he came here?”

At that, Rene turned to look at me.

I rose from my seat, looked at them, and slowly opened my mouth.

Then I appropriately mixed what I had told Exel last time with what I had read in the book earlier, explained it to them, and held out the Dragon Heart wrapped in a towel toward Kan.

After hearing my story and receiving the Dragon Heart as proof, Kan began staring silently at it.

That Huria named Reyamo looked at the Dragon Heart for a moment, then turned his head and began glaring at me.

Unlike Kan and Aruma, who had been so dispirited by the matter that they seemed to have no interest in anything else, he narrowed his black eyes and stared fixedly at me.

I looked up at him for a moment, then merely gave him a small smile.

When he saw my smile, he frowned and turned away.

“Very well. Though the promise could not be kept, if the forest can still be saved, I will be satisfied with that.”

After leaving those words behind, he went outside first.

RUSTLE~

I watched his back and gave a bitter smile.

At that moment, Kan, who had been fiddling with the Dragon Heart beside me, its shape slightly changed, handed it over to Aruma beside him (Aruma looked extremely tired. It was probably because of Luna’s medicine) and spoke.

“Where did they go?”

“They went back home.”

Kan bared his teeth slightly, then raised his arm, which was wrapped in woven plant leaves and tree stems, and slowly furrowed his brow.

“They ran away. Bad, human, bastards.”

I smiled brightly at his words.

“Are you going to chase them?”

Kan turned his head, looked for a moment at Aruma, who had taken out the tree root Luna had given him from his pocket and was stuffing it into his mouth, chewing noisily, then at the red jewel in Aruma’s hand, before shaking his head.

“What, was, stolen, has, returned. The, price, for, their, wrong, will, be, given, directly, by, the, king. We, no longer, have, any, duty, to, remember, our, promise, with, him.”

Kan lifted his head and looked up at the ceiling. Then he let his shoulders droop weakly.

“Sad. We could, not, keep, our, promise, with, our, Lizard Man, king.”

He was creating an atmosphere that the chieftain of a clan should absolutely never show (though he already seemed to have retired).

So Aruma looked at him for a moment, then gripped the Dragon Heart tightly.

I wore a bitter expression, and Rene looked sorrowful as she watched them.

Was something that would be forgotten and ignored in an instant so precious to them?

That was what I thought as I watched them.

And for their sake, I decided to say something Rene had only managed twice in her life, but that I had said countless times.

“He said this before he left.”

Kan’s head quickly lowered.

Watching his eyes widen with hope, I opened my mouth in a slightly solemn tone, a faint smile on my face.

“My children, who were born from my grave and have remembered your promise with me until now. Thank you.”

I ignored the bitter smile Rene wore beside me.

Kan and Aruma stood before me, their eyes round as they stared at me. If I had to say so, the sight was rather amusing.

The startled face of a lizard, truly.

After hearing my words, Kan looked back and forth between me and the Dragon Heart in Aruma’s hand for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Is that true?”

“Of course.”

Ignoring the even stranger look Rene sent me, I said it with perfect nonchalance.

For some reason, Kan looked pleased as he turned away from us and spoke.

“I must return to the clan. Farewell.”

With that, he walked outside.

Aruma looked at the Dragon Heart for a moment, then immediately followed after him.

I stepped outside to see them off, but they were already walking deep into the forest without once looking back.

As I stood there with my arms crossed, blankly watching their backs, Rene slowly walked out beside me and opened her mouth while keeping her gaze forward.

“You are very good at lying.”

“It was a lie meant to make everyone happy.”

“Does drawing stripes on a pumpkin make it a watermelon?”

I lowered my head slightly at her comparison and smiled.

“No, it does not.”

“Then?”

I raised my head and looked at Rene.

She had probably already guessed the meaning behind what I had said to them.

And the proof was that her pretty face was looking at me with a slightly mischievous glint in her eyes.

I reached out and took Rene’s white hand, which was a little distance away from me.

It was warm.

I brought her hand to my cheek, closed my eyes, and slowly opened my mouth.

“I hoped their troubled hearts would settle a little. They remembered their promise with him for nearly four hundred years, but in the end, they could not keep it. I wanted their bitter hearts to feel even a little more at ease.

That is why I lied. Of course, they and I are not friends, but would it be enough if I said it was because I wanted to try to become their friend?”

“Friends made with a sincere heart last longer.”

“It was not a false heart.”

I opened my eyes as I said that.

Rene gave me a bitter smile, then lowered her hand, slipped it into her skirt pocket, turned around, and walked back into the house.

Since I had been holding her hand, I ended up following her inside with my hand tucked into her pocket.

“Did your pocket tear open?”

That was Luna, who was sitting in the hall, having appeared at some point, leisurely holding a teacup.

Rene released the hand she had kept in her pocket and refused to let go of.

Watching her smile, I was finally able to pull my hand out of Rene’s skirt pocket.

I rubbed my hand and looked at Rene, and Rene smiled gently before walking over to Luna and sitting beside her.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

Luna set down her teacup as she said that.

But Rene looked at her with a gentle smile, like a mother waiting for the answer of her adorable daughter.

So Luna frowned slightly between her brows, tilted her head a little to the side as if to avoid her gaze, and opened her mouth.

“If you are asking about the conversation just now, then I would take your husband’s side. He told a little lie for everyone’s sake, so what is wrong with that?”

Rene smiled faintly after hearing her words.

She herself had said something like that to me twice before.

Rene turned her head, looked back at me as I stood some distance away from them with my arms crossed, and spoke.

“I think I understand a little how the Lizard Men felt when they heard your words.”

I gave a faint smile, uncrossed my arms, and walked over to stand behind her.

Then I placed both hands on her shoulders and looked down at the crown of her head.

Seeing her tilt her head back and look up at me, I smiled softly.

“I love everything about you.”

Watching Rene’s face brighten beautifully, I smiled with my eyes.

And if someone nearby had not stopped me, I almost would have kissed her.

“What fine behavior in front of a child.”

I raised my head in surprise and looked at Luna.

She was fiddling with her teacup with her fingers, resting her chin on one hand and looking out the window, with only her eyes turned toward us.

I lowered both hands from Rene’s shoulders and scratched the back of my head with a sheepish laugh.

Rene gave a faint smile as she looked between Luna and me, then rose from her seat, gathered the empty teacups on the table, and carried them into the kitchen.

“I should wash the dishes. Han? Would you bring in some firewood for the fireplace from outside?”

“Ah, all right.”

I nodded to her and was about to turn around.

Then Luna looked down for a moment at the tea left half-full in her teacup, drank it all in one go, and followed Rene into the kitchen.

“I will help too.”

Hearing Luna’s voice from the kitchen, I walked outside with a faint smile on my face.

What fine weather.

The sky was blue and high, and the sun was shining just as it had yesterday.

Mm, aside from the air having grown a little chilly, it was decent enough weather.

If things continue like this, we might be able to see snow by the end of this month.

I turned with a cheerful smile and went to the pile of firewood stacked against the side wall of the house.

Then I walked over to the place where some of it had already been taken, gathered an armful of firewood against my chest, and stepped into the yard. Just as I was about to turn back toward the house, the armory came into view.

I stopped for a moment like that, looked at the armory, and gave a small smile.

So? Is this the kind of thing you wanted to see?

-Yes. I wanted to see, at least once, the smiles of those who were happy.

Not the crazed smiles of those drenched in blood and screaming like evil spirits, but the peaceful smiles of those steeped in happiness.

I see.

I turned my head again and entered through the door I had left open in advance, carrying the firewood in my arms.

In the hall, Jimant had come downstairs with his backpack and was locked in a staring contest with Luna.

When I came in, he sighed as if in despair and let his shoulders droop.

He waved his hand up and down at Luna and opened his mouth.

“Forget it, forget it. Damn it! I will go, all right?”

“An excellent decision. A brilliant choice. Wise, even. Now, I packed your lunch in advance, so take this and hurry up.”

As Luna said that, she held out a large cloth bundle placed on the table to Jimant, and Jimant accepted it with a bitter expression.

I watched them for a moment, then set the firewood I was holding down near the fireplace and approached them.

Jimant looked at me and said with a hollow expression.

“I never realized before that it felt this miserable to be driven out.”

I could not find anything suitable to say to that, so I merely smiled, and Jimant interpreted it on his own.

He turned around to cram the packed lunch basket in his hand into his large backpack, and I looked at Luna.

She had changed into outdoor clothes, probably to see Jimant safely(?) out of this forest.

Luna stood with her arms crossed, looking at Jimant in a haughty manner, then briefly turned her gaze to me and opened those small lips.

“I will go out for a bit.”

“All right. Be careful.”

At my words, Luna lifted the corners of her lips and smiled.

Well, monsters did not attack dark elves.

It seemed my words were not something she needed to take too seriously.

I interpreted Luna’s smile that way and simply gave her a small smile.

Meanwhile, Jimant succeeded in cramming that large packed lunch into his backpack, slung it onto his back, and adjusted the straps a little.

“I had meant to rest for a few more days before leaving, but I cannot do that because of that one’s hounding. I have caused you a great deal of trouble during my stay. How much do I owe for the room?”

“It is fine. Put it toward your travel money. You repaired our window yesterday, so we will consider the room fee paid with that.”

“Oh? Are you sure that is all right?”

I smiled at his words.

“Of course.”