Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Welcome Banquet and Rentt’s Origins 

At the center of the village, fire blazed in the town square. The tops of the wooden watchtowers were lit up, illuminating the darkness of night. Around the towers, tables covered with food cooked by the village women lined the outdoor area. 

Among the dishes were those that included roasted birds and beasts caught by the hunters, crude meals typical of a small village. Such cooking was seldom seen in Maalt. Not that Maalt was that urban—these types of dishes could be found there—but a real metropolis like the capital would never serve anything so simple. It had no class, they would say. An especially rare catch would be different, but it still wasn’t something they would eat on a daily basis. This village didn’t just eat hunted animals for feasts; they consumed them regularly. It was part of the village experience. 

The villagers were eating and chatting among themselves. I was the guest of honor, so many of them walked over to express their joy over my return. Many asked about the city. The young girls were curious about the latest trends, while the men wanted to know how beautiful the women were. It was pretty predictable. 

I’d bought trendy souvenirs in Maalt for the girls, so I took this time to hand them out. They had cost a pretty penny, but it wasn’t a waste. It made my return trips to the village more comfortable. Of course, I had gifts for the older women as well. 

I didn’t give much of anything to the men, but they thought nothing of it. I told them about some unchaste shops in the city and offered to show them around when they’d saved up enough money to visit. That always delighted them. They were simple folks, thankfully. 

I never frequented those establishments myself, by the way. That’s not to say I wasn’t interested, but I thought training was more important. Plus, you didn’t want to go to those places when you were exhausted. Of course, now that I was undead, it was out of the question. 

Lorraine came by while I was in the middle of this conversation with some young men. “Having fun?” she asked. 

They all turned red when they saw her. They stared for a while until they remembered what they’d been talking about, at which time they looked extremely uncomfortable. “Rentt, I think I’m gonna go talk to those guys over there. See ya,” one of them said. Then they all scattered like ants. 

Lorraine watched them flee and cocked her head. “Did I do something wrong?” 

“No, but we were discussing something not meant for women’s ears,” I said with a smile. 

“I get it. Though, I wouldn’t especially mind it. How innocent are these boys?” 

Lorraine was an adventurer, and most adventurers were vulgar men. She could hear discussions like this at any guild or bar. A woman wouldn’t be attacked if she intruded on one of these conversations, but she might be called some problematic things. However, Lorraine had been an adventurer so long she had grown used to it. In fact, she learned to fire back at them with even more vile language, so much so that she left newer adventurers speechless. It was terrifying. Certainly nothing I would ever say to someone. 

I never understood what was supposed to be fun about it, and when I overheard insults being thrown around, I assumed these people had nothing better to do. Not that I couldn’t be dragged into some filthy conversations when no women were around. But that was only because it was socially appropriate in those circumstances. 

“I guess the village men are pretty innocent,” I said. “Try not to mess with them too much. If you convince them all to go to the city, the village will lose half its population.” 

“What do you mean by that?” she asked. 

I wanted to tell her that the men who blushed and ran off did so because of Lorraine’s beauty, but she didn’t seem to follow. I could have been direct and said they thought she was hot; they might think they could go out with plenty of beautiful women like her if they went to the city. I didn’t know how to get that across without annoying her, though. 

“Well, never mind that, then,” I said and dropped the subject. Lorraine knew how to make crass jokes with men, but she was still oblivious when it counted the most. 

“Hey, now I’m curious. Explain,” she insisted. 

“That might be a bit difficult. If you must know, go ask Riri or Fahri. I’m sure they’ll know what I’m talking about. Oh, sounds like Jal and Dol are calling. I’ll be back,” I said and got myself out of there. I heard her shout at me from behind, but I pretended not to hear anything. It was the best solution I could come up with. 

“Yeesh, what’s with him?” Lorraine muttered. She was curious about what he meant, but there was no use thinking about it. That didn’t stop her from trying to figure it out, though. She thought for a bit but couldn’t come up with anything. 

“Oh, Lorraine, what’s wrong?” Riri asked. Fahri was with her, and they were both holding wooden cups. 

The drinks in the wooden cups only had enough alcohol for preservation purposes and could hardly be considered alcoholic drinks, but they were nice and sweet. This was Hathara’s specialty beverage. The men chose severely alcoholic drinks for themselves, but all the girls around Riri and Fahri’s age drank this. 

Lorraine, however, chose the strong alcohol for herself. Even that didn’t seem to affect her. She calmly asked Riri and Fahri about what Rentt had meant a moment ago. 

They appeared to immediately understand. “It’s because you’re beautiful, Lorraine. If a bunch of men go to the city thinking they’ll find women like you, it’d be a problem for the village,” Riri explained. 

“Hm, am I beautiful?” Lorraine asked. 

“Don’t go around asking women that if you don’t want to get smacked,” Riri said with a scary smile. It sent chills down Lorraine’s spine. 

“Sorry. But I never knew Rentt saw me that way,” she said. 

If Riri’s explanation was correct, then Rentt must have viewed her as beautiful. She never thought he paid attention to her appearance, so this came as a shock. In that case, maybe there could be something more between them. Lorraine was a bit disappointed there wasn’t. 

Fahri decided to offer her opinion. “Ren’s a little weird about these things. He can look at you in an objective sense and see that you’re beautiful, but I don’t think he knows what to do with those feelings.” 

Lorraine looked bitter. “How’d he end up like this?” she questioned half-jokingly. 

Fahri’s input seemed to strike the nail on the head. She had perfectly described Rentt’s personality. He could look at a woman and say if he found her cute or pretty, but he had no idea what the next step should be. He’d been like that for as long as Lorraine knew him. Never in their ten years together did he say anything flirtatious. He wasn’t a monk, and he had no reason to live a life of celibacy. She was the same in that regard, but she felt there might be another explanation. 

That was what had prompted Lorraine to ask. But for some reason, Riri and Fahri reacted gravely to her question. She noticed how their expressions grew darker. She suspected that she had touched on a bad topic. It was too late to take it back though, so she tried to casually change the subject. It was the only way she could think of to make them feel better. 

But before Lorraine could do so, Fahri spoke up. “Something happened with Ren a long time ago. I don’t think he’s ever been able to get over it.” 

Lorraine wondered what she meant but thought it rude to ask. 

“Right, but it’s not like anyone can change what happened,” Riri said. “He really ought to forget about it. Or at least move on with his life.” 

It sounded like there was some tragedy in Rentt’s past, but Lorraine still didn’t think it was her place to ask. 

“Lorraine, Ren was?” Fahri started, but Lorraine stopped her. 

“As much as I’d like to hear about this, I don’t think it would be right to discuss it while Rentt’s not present. Let’s hold off for now,” she said. 

“I see. Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Fahri replied and apologetically bowed her head. 

“It’s fine,” Lorraine said and vaguely shook her head. 

Lorraine didn’t blame them for mentioning it. They were worried about Rentt, so they wanted to tell her something that might help. She understood that. Whatever had happened left a deep scar in Rentt’s heart. Knowing that Lorraine was friends with him for so long, they presumably wanted to convince her to offer him some support. There was nothing wrong with that. In fact, it was normal to do so when worried for someone. But if Lorraine was going to hear about Rentt’s past, she wanted to hear it from the man himself. 

Realistically, as long as she wasn’t planning to go telling everyone, there was no issue hearing it from Riri and Fahri. Rentt was unlikely to have a problem with it either. But Lorraine was an adventurer, and you never looked into another adventurer’s history. It wasn’t an official rule, but it became common sense. Adventurers often had unpleasant secrets. Uncovering their pasts could unearth some dreadful things. The rule was based on that unfortunate reality, but now it was an act of kindness between adventurers. If Lorraine asked anyone but Rentt about a formative event in his past, she would never live it down. But this was something only adventurers understood, so communicating that to Riri and Fahri would be difficult. That was why she hadn’t been more specific when she’d asked Fahri to wait. Still, she felt bad about that. 

“I know you’re worried about Rentt and want to help, so don’t worry about it. Besides, I think I’ll ask him about it myself later. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, then that’s all right. If he doesn’t mind, then we’ll discuss it like any ordinary topic. That’s always how it’s been with him,” Lorraine said in a way she thought was nonchalant. 

Riri and Fahri thought Lorraine looked a bit excited. “You’re awfully close, aren’t you?” Riri asked. 

“I can see you have an unbreakable bond,” Fahri said. 

For a moment, Lorraine wondered what they were talking about, but after a bit of thought, she found that they were correct. “We are close, yes, and I suppose we have something of a bond,” she said. 

Lorraine had meant nothing more than that they were connected as fellow adventurers or friends, but Riri and Fahri seemed strangely disappointed to hear it. 

“Oh right, I was planning on showing off that illusion magic to everyone, if that’s all right. If it would scare the children and the elderly, then maybe I shouldn’t.” 

“I’d love to see it again,” Riri said. “I don’t think anyone would be upset by something so silly. Go right ahead.” 

“Wait a second, Riri!” Fahri cried. “They’ll think we’re under attack by a monster! We at least have to tell the mayor to inform everyone first!” 

Fahri was likely correct in this instance. A tarasque would never show up in these mountains, but giant skeletons weren’t impossible. They needed to inform the villagers that illusion magic was about to be used and that it didn’t pose any threat. Riri claimed it would be fine, but it still could be a bit much for children and the elderly. It might be best to point out that she could make sure some people couldn’t see it, in case of any fears it could cause heart problems or panic attacks. Lorraine informed them of this, and Riri and Fahri nodded and ran to Rentt’s foster father. 

Lorraine thought she should go with them, but they had looked at the cup in her hand and insisted that she stay where she was. They must have assumed she was drunk. The type of drink was easily distinguished by the shape of the cup, so it was clear that Lorraine had taken the stronger alcohol. Most of the villagers with this drink were stumbling around and looking like they could trip into a bonfire at any moment, so maybe their decision was only natural. In reality, the drink had little effect on her. Lorraine held her liquor remarkably well and seldom got drunk. Sometimes she acted drunk, but only to fit in with a drunken crowd, and even then her mind was sharp. 

“We informed the mayor! He says he’s going to tell everyone,” Riri and Fahri said as they returned. The mayor made his announcement soon afterward. He did an effective job relaying Lorraine’s warnings and declared that the event would take place where he was standing. Now Lorraine wished she had gone with Riri and Fahri to save time. 

As she began to walk to the location, Riri and Fahri attended her. 

“What is it? I appreciate having two pretty ladies all over me, but why?” Lorraine joked. 

“Well, we’re worried you might be drunk,” Riri said awkwardly. 

“I’m not the least bit drunk. I’m sure that means nothing coming from someone you believe to be drunk, but look, I can walk in a straight line,” Lorraine declared and demonstrated for them. 

They seemed surprised. “Even the largest adults can’t walk right after having a glass of Hathara’s strongest alcohol. I’ve never seen someone keep it together so well,” Fahri said. 

“Really? This is my fourth cup,” Lorraine replied. 

Riri muttered, “Are you some kind of freak?” 

But Lorraine finally convinced them she was fine, so they let her walk to the mayor on her own. 

“Maybe I really am a bit drunk,” Lorraine murmured to herself. She had presented Rentt’s battles with the giant skeleton and the tarasque again, but it was at least thirty percent flashier than her presentation to Riri and Fahri. The people of Hathara didn’t seem to have a problem with that; rather, they quite liked it. Many said they never thought Rentt was such a successful adventurer. Some said they would even propose to him if he still lived in the village. Maybe she overdid it, but it was too late to undo it now. 

Lorraine feared that Rentt might complain, but when she looked around, he was nowhere to be seen. She had thought he would want to witness her illusion magic with his own eyes, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Maybe he’d had enough of being treated like a hero. Particularly after this extravagant display, he might have ditched as soon as it ended so the villagers wouldn’t fawn over him. 

Lorraine looked around for anyone who might have seen Rentt. She spotted Riri and approached her. Riri saw Lorraine coming and complimented her on this latest portrayal of Rentt’s feats. After listening to the praise for a while, Lorraine shifted to the topic at hand. “By the way, Riri, do you know where Rentt is? I’m guessing he watched the show, but I don’t see him anywhere. I want to ask for his opinion.” 

“Rentt’s not here? Hm, I could swear I saw him a moment ago. Maybe he ran off,” Riri pondered, coming to the same conclusion as Lorraine. “Well, he must be somewhere. Just keep searching. If I happen to see him, I’ll mention that you’re looking for him.” 

“Thanks, please do,” Lorraine said and walked away. 

Riri now seemed much more receptive to Lorraine, as if they were close friends. Lorraine guessed that the people of Rentt’s village were quick to bond with others, much like Rentt himself. 

Lorraine spent a while searching for Rentt, but he wasn’t anywhere near the watchtowers. 

“Lorraine, are you having fun?” Ingo asked. 

“Yes, very much so. All the villagers are so nice and cheerful, and the food is delicious. I’ve also taken quite a liking to this,” Lorraine said and held up her cup. 

“There aren’t a lot of women who can handle those drinks,” Ingo pointed out, his eyes wide. “But I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. There isn’t much to do here in Hathara, so I was worried a city person would find it hard to fit in.” 

“Oh, it’s not so bad. In fact, there’s plenty here that you would never find in Maalt. It’s been an interesting experience.” Food and drink aside, Lorraine didn’t know of many villages like this one. As a scholar and an adventurer, Hathara piqued her curiosity. 

“Is that right? I don’t think it’s an especially interesting place, but I’ve lived here so long that maybe I wouldn’t know. By the way...” 

“Yes? What is it?” 

“It looked like you were looking for something. What do you need?” Ingo asked. 

Now Lorraine knew why he’d gone out of his way to talk to her. Lorraine was wandering around on her own, so he’d assumed she had some sort of problem. She appreciated his thoughtfulness. 

“Yes, I was looking for Rentt. I haven’t seen him anywhere. Do you know where he went?” Lorraine asked. 

“Rentt? You’re right, he doesn’t seem to be around. I wonder where he could be,” Ingo said and thought to himself. 

“You don’t have to find him for me. If you don’t know, then that’s fine.” 

“I have a guess as to where he could be, though. He’s probably somewhere over there, if you’d like to go check. We don’t want the guest of honor away from the banquet for too long.” 

Ingo pointed to the other end of the village. It was dark and difficult to traverse at this time of night, but only for ordinary people. Lorraine was an experienced magician and adventurer, so this posed no problem for her. She had many means of dealing with darkness, but this time she chose the simplest. She conjured up an orb of light. Ingo was a bit surprised to see it, but he knew that Lorraine was a magician, so he was quick to calm down again. That kind of courage was hard to come by in a small-town mayor. 

“I’ll go take a look, then. Thanks for telling me,” Lorraine said and walked off to where she was directed. 

Some time later, she stopped at a large building. It was possibly the largest structure in the village, albeit nothing compared to what Maalt and even larger cities had to offer. Judging by the decor, it appeared to be a church. 

“I don’t know what religion this is for, but I suppose even villages in the mountains still need places of worship,” Lorraine murmured. This church didn’t belong to the Church of the Eastern Sky, the Lobelians, or any other major religion, but that was typical of small villages. If they had local gods or spirits, they would turn any given building into a church as long as it was big enough. 

But Rentt was nowhere to be seen. If he went anywhere, Lorraine thought it was probably here, but maybe she was off the mark. Or so she thought, but then she sensed someone behind the church. It seemed that she was right after all. 

When Lorraine went around to the back of the church, Rentt was there, sitting on the ground. Lorraine looked at him and wondered what she should do, but there was no way he didn’t sense her at this distance. She extinguished her orb of light and boldly approached. 

She sat down next to Rentt. “Is this a graveyard?” Lorraine asked without looking at him. 

Rentt was staring at a gravestone. “Yes, my parents are buried here. I figured I should give them a visit.” 

“Sorry I got in the way,” Lorraine promptly replied. When reflecting on those who had passed, the presence of others could be a nuisance. Rentt was meeting with the dead, and Lorraine didn’t want to bother him. Nobody should interrupt that. 

“No, it’s fine,” Rentt said. He grabbed her arm as she tried to leave. “I’m guessing Papa told you I was here.” 

He must have meant Ingo, but earlier Rentt had called him “Dad.” Lorraine wondered if he consciously referred to him as “Papa” now because he was at his parents’ graves. If it was an unconscious choice, she thought it best not to dig too deep. 

“How did you know? You didn’t think I’d find this place myself?” 

“We’re pretty far removed from the rest of the village, and you know I’ve been hard to detect ever since I became undead. Even you couldn’t have found me on your own this easily. Besides, Papa knows I always come here when I visit home. This place makes me lose track of the time. I stay so long someone inevitably has to come get me.” 

Maybe that was why Ingo never mentioned this was a graveyard. If he had, Lorraine might have refrained from coming. But if what Rentt said was true, searching for him here was a common occurrence, so she had no reason to feel bad. Lorraine decided she might as well stay and took a seat. 

“Besides, as long as you’re in town, you should visit my parents with me,” Rentt continued. “You’re the best friend I have outside the village. I’m sure my parents would love to meet you.” 

“I see. Then don’t mind if I do,” Lorraine said. She kneeled before the gravestones and held her hands together in prayer. “Hello, Rentt’s parents. My name is Lorraine Vivie. I’ve been friends with your son for ten years.” She introduced herself and then talked about their memories together in Maalt. “Rentt and I will be seeing plenty more of each other in the future too. I pray you watch over us from the heavens,” she said in conclusion. 

“It really hit me just now how much we’ve been through together,” Rentt muttered. He’d experienced those events himself and had those memories too, but hearing about them from another perspective sounded strange. 

“You do have a tendency to get yourself in trouble. Compared to your plethora of recent problems, though, your old issues were the sort every adventurer deals with.” 

“True. I never thought I’d visit the graves of the dead while being dead myself. I was kind of looking forward to that.” 

“Why? How would it have been any different from before?” 

“I thought maybe I’d have the ability to see spirits now and could see my parents. But I was let down, unfortunately.” 

“Spirits? That would be difficult. It’s said that most souls pass through the Gate of the Dead without lingering in this world. There’s no way to summon them back, short of being a necromancer. But even in those cases, it’s unclear as to whether they’re truly spirits.” 

“Well, yeah, I know that. I wasn’t that serious. It’s fine,” Rentt claimed, but he looked a bit disappointed. He may have had higher expectations than he wanted to admit. 

“Sorry to bring this up, but weren’t your parents killed by monsters?” Lorraine asked, feeling it would be strange not to touch on the subject while they sat at their graves. He didn’t have to discuss it if he didn’t want to. If he didn’t, Lorraine was confident he would change the subject. 

“Yeah, they were,” Rentt said, less gravely than Lorraine expected. “They’d gone to a nearby village to sell our village’s special products. They were unlucky, to be honest. Normally they would’ve sold the goods to a traveling merchant who’d take them to the village himself, but he happened to be late. Winter was approaching, and we were in desperate need of money to buy necessities. That was why my parents and I, along with the mayor’s mother and daughter, went to the nearby village.” 

“The names of my parents are carved on their graves. My father was Locusta, and my mother was Melissa. Locusta had rugged looks and a strong build. I never thought we looked much alike, but my foster parents still say I have his eyes. As for my stature, I inherited more from my mother, but she was beautiful and popular. My parents had already been married a while, but men still jokingly proposed to her. She turned them all down, of course. 

“Oh right, and there was the mayor’s mother, my foster grandmother. Her name was Pravda. She resembled the medicine woman I’ve mentioned before. They were sisters, so maybe that should be obvious. The medicine woman would look just like her if her face was a bit more slender and a lot less wicked. But I guess that doesn’t tell you anything. I didn’t see her anywhere at the banquet, but if we go to see her tomorrow, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone’s first impression of Gharb is that she’s a cruel old lady, and if you spend some time with her, you’ll learn you were right to think so. Most of the village kids are afraid of her. She can be surprisingly kind on occasion, but enough about her for now. 

“We only brought such an old woman along because Pravda was to act as a representative of the mayor’s family. The mayor’s daughter came to watch her grandmother do her job. And she came because I was going too. We were close friends. Well, you could say we were sort of betrothed. My parents grew up with her parents. They were friends their whole lives, and they all wanted us to get married. I could have said no, but I was five years old at the time and didn’t think much of it. I did like her, though. Maybe I would’ve considered it when we got older, but instead, I can only wonder what might have been. 

“Anyway, that was our group. I thought for sure this would be a fun journey. Our destination was the closest village to ours, so given the distance, I don’t know if journey is even the right word for it. Regardless, none of Hathara’s horses had much stamina for drawing carriages, so the trip was going to take two or three days. As for the end result of that journey, I think you can already guess.” 

“Rentt, Jinlin, are you finished packing?” my mother asked me and the mayor’s daughter. Moving the luggage into the carriage was a job for my father and the young men of the village, so Jinlin and I didn’t have much to do. 

“Yeah, we’re done,” I said. 

“All finished! I’m ready to go any time!” Jinlin answered after me. 

“All right, then get in the carriage. Just about all the luggage should be loaded by now,” my mother said with a smile. 

Jinlin and I headed that way. She chattered as we walked. “Hey, Rentt, what do you think the other village is like? I’ve never been to another village before. I can’t wait!” 

I’d never been outside the village either, and neither had most of the village children under the age of ten. There could be monsters or thieves out there. Not that many thieves bothered to come anywhere near a remote village like Hathara, but some stray exiles made their living in the area. Monsters, on the other hand, attacked anyone regardless of the profit potential. Adults could flee from average monsters, but it was best for children to stay home. 

There were exceptions, however. If a child was expected to be a village leader in the future, their parents or other relatives would bring them outside the village while they were still young. Jinlin was one such case. 

My parents weren’t leaders of anything, and my father wasn’t from the village. He traveled for a long time before settling down in Hathara, and the villagers valued his experience. He was often picked to represent the village when it was necessary to travel outside it. And my mother wanted to come with him, so they couldn’t very well leave me behind (unless they left me with someone, as they had done before). But I was five now, and they thought it was time for me to get used to traveling. They hoped I would one day take my father’s place for these excursions. 

At the time, though, I was still a small child and couldn’t tell Jinlin anything. “I don’t know,” I said. “But it has to be scary out there. I hope we don’t see any monsters.” 

“You’re such a scaredy-cat, Rentt. Just say you’ll beat up all the monsters!” Jinlin shouted. She was a rough and rowdy type, the sort who loved to climb trees and play with toy swords. By contrast, I was an introvert and preferred to quietly play with building blocks at home. 

“That’s a surprise,” Lorraine said. “Knowing you, I thought you would’ve been waving around a wooden sword even back then.” 

“Not at all,” I replied with a bitter laugh. “Well, you’re not that far off. I started training soon after this. Anyway, that was the kid I was back then.” 

“A sweet, shy one?” 

“I also looked pretty feminine, but not because I was trying to. To some extent I still do, but everyone said I looked like a girl when I grew my hair out. I was also timid, and I was never one to go climb trees myself.” 

The way I remembered it, I had a womanly personality. I didn’t know if that had actually changed much since then, but I couldn’t imagine anyone looking at me at the time and guessing I’d become an adventurer. 

“That’s quite a shock. Well, your face may have looked feminine. But years of adventuring will harden a man, so I suppose that changed things,” Lorraine said. 

“So my face has the air of an adventurer, you say?” I asked jokingly. 

“It’s hard to tell right now, considering the mask,” she replied. 

“That’s too bad. Well, let me get on with the story.” 

“Oh, you’ll beat the monsters for us, Jinlin?” Pravda asked while Jinlin and I were talking. 

“Yeah!” Jinlin shouted. “I was playing adventurer with Jal and Dol the other day. They were the goblins, and I was the adventurer. I totally slayed them.” 

“Is this true, Rentt?” Pravda asked me. 

“Yeah. I was the receptionist at the guild,” I answered. 

Pravda cocked her head. “I think you have your roles reversed,” she muttered. 

Now that I thought about it, she was right. We played out the roles we wanted to, though, so nobody could complain—except Jal and Dol, who did nothing but complain. They always lost at rock-paper-scissors and didn’t get a choice. They were extremely predictable, so Jinlin always won. She was an oddly smart girl. As for me, I just did what Jinlin said, so I always won too. We were kind of conspiring against them, but it was fun. 

“Jinlin, monsters might be easy to beat when you play pretend, but real ones are fearsome,” Pravda lectured. “If we’re attacked on this journey, promise me you’ll run away.” 

Pravda always had a kind, peaceful demeanor, but on this one occasion, she sounded harsh. Considering the topic at hand, it made sense. 

Jinlin wasn’t often obedient, but she seemed to listen this time. “I know, I heard the same thing yesterday. I’ll be fine!” she insisted. 

“Rentt, I’d say the same to you, but I’m sure you’ll run away on your own.” 

“Of course. Nothing’s more important than your life.” 

“Good. For a boy, though, you’re not very ambitious. Jinlin, what is it you like about him?” 

“I like that he’s brave,” Jinlin answered. It was hard to see any bravery in me at the time, so Pravda was confused by her answer. 

A while later, she stared at me. “I don’t see it,” she said. “There is something interesting about him, but bravery? Well, if you say so. Now, it’s about time to depart. Let’s get on the carriage.” 

From the moment we departed that morning, the carriage moved nonstop until we reached our destination. Jinlin, looking blue in the face and rather ill from motion sickness, asked me if we had arrived. Despite all her braggadocio earlier, she had the most unexpected vulnerabilities. I had also never been on a carriage before, but I handled the long trip perfectly fine. Even now, I can read books on a carriage ride and not get sick. Our personalities suggested we’d have the opposite reactions, but the human body is hard to comprehend. 

“Yeah, we’re here, Jinlin. Are you all right? You can throw up if you need to,” I said. 

“I’m just fine,” Jinlin claimed while holding her mouth, “but I hope we can go outside and get some fresh air. Can we, Grandma?” 

“My goodness, you’re just like your father when he was young,” Pravda remarked. “Fine, go outside. But we’re about to unload the luggage, so don’t go too far.” 

Under normal circumstances, Jinlin would have explored around, but she was in no state to do that. We left the carriage and found ourselves at a loading dock for some company. It was so late that no other carriages were around. This was a small town, so few people would sell their cargo here regardless. The loading dock was small and mostly for merchants to load their wares. 

Thankfully, Hathara’s products went for a high price in any town. My father, thanks to his travels, also knew the value of goods throughout the region, so we could sell for an appropriate price wherever we went. If not, we would have made more traveling all the way to a city like Maalt, even considering the cost of transit. But that would also increase the chances of encountering thieves or monsters, so it had its advantages and disadvantages. Hathara wasn’t big enough to need that much money or resources anyway, to be honest. 

“Ugh, I feel awful,” Jinlin said even after we were outside. 

The loading dock was under a roof and didn’t feel very open, so I thought a more spacious area would make her feel better. “Jinlin, this way,” I said and dragged her with me. Not that far, of course, because I remembered what Pravda said. We could still see the carriage, at least. 

Now that we were in a more open location, Jinlin finally seemed to calm down. She took a few deep breaths and got over her motion sickness. “I think I’ll be okay now,” she said. 

“That’s good. Should we go back?” 

Jinlin looked dissatisfied. “We came all this way, though! I want to see the town! Let’s go, Rentt,” she said and dragged me around by the arm. 

“No! Pravda said not to go too far away.” 

“We don’t have to listen to that old lady. She’s always telling me what to do. Nothing wrong with making her worry sometimes,” Jinlin argued. Of course, I doubted she was serious. She looked more uneasy than angry, more pouty than hateful. 

Jinlin was the only daughter of the mayor, so she would one day be forced to lead the village. Looking back on it now, her upbringing must have been rough. Even at the age of five, she had a number of skills. She could read and write on an elementary level, and she knew all about the village’s special products, how they were made, and which families produced what. That could only come from a strict education. I would bet that she was often jealous when she saw kids her age running around having fun while she had to study. That would explain why she was so rebellious when she did get to have some fun. 

I was still young and didn’t think much about it at the time, but I had some idea about the conflicts in Jinlin’s life, so I found it hard to tell her no in earnest. I ended up attending Jinlin around the village. In hindsight, I should have stood my ground.

“You certainly are different now, but it sounds like you always had a tendency to get dragged into trouble,” Lorraine said. 

I agreed with her. “I never made my own decisions back then. I was passive and submissive, while Jinlin was the opposite, so that was how things often went. Nowadays it’s me getting myself in trouble, if anything.” 

My encounters with the dragon and with Nive Maris might never have happened if not for my strange curiosity. Considering my bad luck, though, maybe I would’ve just ended up in some other crisis. 

“Well, any adventurer is going to run into danger sometimes. That’s the nature of the job,” Lorraine said, trying to console me. 

It was true that danger came with being an adventurer. If you didn’t like it, then you picked the wrong profession. Surviving required some caution, and I thought I was cautious enough. If I died regardless, then I couldn’t necessarily complain. Adventurers lived on the edge. That was why they were treated as ruffians. 

“But, well, it’s not like I was an adventurer at the time. I should have stopped Jinlin.” 

The town was a spectacle to behold. Of course, it wasn’t even as big as Maalt, to say nothing of other cities. But to me back then, it was like I’d arrived in the big city. The stores carried all sorts of things my village lacked, the people dressed better than anyone back home, and the buildings towered higher than anything I had ever seen. 

Jinlin and I chatted about those buildings, wondering if nobles lived there and if the castles of kings were even larger. It was fun, and it reminded me of how small and irrelevant Hathara was. But it didn’t make me hate my hometown so much as it taught me about what else the world had to offer. 

I don’t know how Jinlin felt, but she probably thought similarly. Looking back on it now, I’m glad I could see the good sides of both Hathara and the city. Plenty of villages were destitute and difficult to survive in, but Hathara was livable enough despite its location. We were too excited to think about that at the moment, though. 

We were just beginning to tire from walking around when Jinlin asked, “Rentt, do you hear a voice?” 

“No, I don’t hear anything,” I answered. But a moment later, I heard a voice screaming for help. It was so oddly shrill it sounded inhuman. 

Surprised, I looked around to find the source. Jinlin did the same, but we didn’t find anything. 

“Maybe someone’s playing a trick,” I suggested. 

Jinlin shook her head. “No way! I know what I’m hearing!” 

The voice was actually loud and clear, and even if this were some sort of joke, the sound had to be coming from somewhere. We searched everywhere, and after a while, the voice got fed up and told us to look up. I hadn’t even realized we hadn’t done so, but humans seldom pay attention to what’s above them. 

We did what the voice said and saw a long branch. A little person’s clothes were caught on the tip, and they were dangling in the air. By little, I don’t mean they were a child. They were barely fifteen centimeters tall, almost like a toy. 

I was shocked, but Jinlin wasn’t. She knew what she was seeing. “Rentt! That’s a fairy! Mother says they almost never show themselves around humans!” she exclaimed feverishly. 

I wasn’t so exhilarated. “Shouldn’t we help it? It looks like it can’t get off.” 

“Don’t you get excited about anything? If I’d encountered a fairy when I was five, I would have been as jubilant as Jinlin. Like a normal child,” Lorraine stated. 

“Well, I was at least a little bit excited, but the fairy looked like it was in agony. I mean, it was screaming all that time, so I think I was being sensible,” I said. It wasn’t an excuse; it was the truth. 

“Well, when you put it that way, I understand how you felt somewhat.” 

“Right? Let’s move on.” 

“Oh, right. We have to help it! But how?” Jinlin said. 

Thankfully, Jinlin and I were children, so we were sincere in our desire to help. But the fairy was caught on the branch of a tall tree. We weren’t tall enough to reach it, and even an adult would have found it difficult. Still, someone taller would have a better chance, so I made a suggestion. 

“Let’s tell an adult,” I said. “Maybe they could reach.” That seemed like the best method. 

Jinlin agreed, so we tried asking some strangers in the area. In retrospect, that was a pretty dangerous move, but the town seemed friendly enough. We weren’t kidnapped, at least. But there was a problem. We tried to explain that there was a fairy dangling from a branch, but nobody understood. They looked at the branch but acted like they didn’t see anything. 

Now I know there are many types of fairies, some of which are visible to everyone, and some of which can only be seen by humans with mana. Neither of us knew that back then, though, so it made us feel like liars. We were certain it was true, but nobody believed us. 

It was sad for sure, but we refused to give up. The fairy was starting to tire out, so we had to save it fast. 

Jinlin saw the urgency before I did. “Rentt, I’ll climb up and save it!” she said. 

“Jinlin, that’s dangerous! Stop!” I shouted from below as she climbed the tree, but she didn’t listen. 

I wished she wasn’t so gung-ho about things, but she was great at climbing trees in Hathara, surprisingly so for a five-year-old. But she always climbed the same kind; she wasn’t used to this one. The trees in our village were short, and the ground beneath them was made up of dirt and grass, so falling wouldn’t lead to a substantial injury. The adults allowed it as long as they were present to make sure nothing happened. This tree, however, was completely different. It was extremely tall, and the ground below was hard so that carriages could cross over it. If a child were to fall, they could easily be injured. 

Regardless, she kept climbing. 

I should have called an adult. Since a child was now climbing a tall tree, it would have been easier to convince them to help. But I was a child too, so the idea didn’t occur to me. I just knew she was in danger and I had to get her to come down, so I kept shouting from the bottom of the tree. 

But Jinlin was too stubborn to listen. Maybe she was so focused on climbing and saving the fairy that she didn’t hear me. I was worried to death, but Jinlin’s climbing skills were hard to deny. After a few attempts, she got the hang of this new kind of tree. She pulled herself up there like a monkey, and soon enough, she reached the branch where the fairy was stuck. After that, of course, she was going to climb along the branch to get to the tip. Honestly, the branch wasn’t that thin. It looked strong enough to hold a child—but no more than that. Climbing on it was definitely dangerous, but Jinlin did so without issue. 

The crackling of the branch sounded wretched to my ears. I thought it would snap at any moment. As Jinlin approached the tip, it bent further and further. But she still kept going. 

She reached her hand out to the fairy. “Here, I’ll help you,” Jinlin whispered. She didn’t look at all afraid of falling, and in fact she seemed excited in a way. Helping this fairy was electrifying to her. 

The fairy saw her hand but appeared to be a bit intimidated. It was probably scared to be crushed. If you were the size of a fairy, a human child would be like a giant to you. Jinlin seemed to realize this and changed her plan, progressing further along the branch. She slowly pulled the fairy free, but just then... 

The branch snapped. 

“Jinlin!” I cried and ran to the spot just below her. I had no time to think, and it never occurred to me that this was dangerous and I should get out of the way. I just knew that Jinlin was in trouble and I had to do something. 

As Jinlin was about to fall, she grasped the fairy tight and held it close to her chest. She was likely trying to protect it. Fairies could usually fly, but this one didn’t have the energy to do so. 

Just before Jinlin hit the ground, I got right below her. But I was young and couldn’t catch her that elegantly. I was at least able to soften the impact of the fall, though. She fell heavy on my hands and chest. Unable to hold her steady, I collapsed. The sound of the branch hitting the ground was surprisingly quiet, but it was light enough to snap under a child’s weight, so maybe that was to be expected. 

Jinlin groaned in anguish as she lay on top of me. 

“Jinlin, are you all right?” I asked, pain rushing through my whole body. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt that much,” she answered. 

When I actually looked at her, she didn’t seem to have any serious wounds. That was when I knew I’d made the right decision. Next, I looked at myself. I wasn’t especially injured either. I had some scrapes and bruises, but nothing worse than what I’d gotten before from running around the village. 

“Never do anything that dangerous ever again,” I said. Maybe I should have yelled at her, but I wasn’t capable of that at the time. This was the only way I could express myself. I must have looked pretty sad. I was pretty enraged on the inside, but I wasn’t one to show my anger. 

“Yeah, okay. I’m sorry,” Jinlin replied. 

“Jinlin, you’re actually listening?” I asked, surprised. 

“Yeah, ’cause you’re mad.” 

“Well, I guess so.” 

“That’s why I’m sorry.” 

I didn’t know if my anger was the right reason for her to apologize, but as long as she acknowledged her mistake, it was fine by me. She said she wouldn’t do it again at least. 

I decided not to criticize her any further. “Okay, apology accepted.” 

“Really? You’re not mad anymore?” 

“Nope, but I might be if you do that again. Next time I say to stop, you should stop.” 

“All right,” Jinlin agreed. 

I stopped scolding her and faintly smiled. “So what happened to the fairy?” 

“Oh, right,” she said and opened her hand to reveal the tiny fairy. 

The fairy whined with pain. It was an inhuman voice, strangely resonant. The fairy was about fifteen centimeters tall, with light, colorful clothes and wings like a dragonfly. I thought it was a female, but some types of fairy were entirely genderless, so it was hard to say for sure. But she had long hair and looked like a woman. 

“Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?” Jinlin asked. 

“I’m fine! No injuries. Oh, right, I have to go!” the fairy said. She looked at Jinlin. “Thank you for saving me! I am Tilya! If we meet again, I will reward you somehow!” And with that, Tilya flew away. 

“Hey, wait!” Jinlin shouted, but the fairy was too fast. She was already out of sight. Fairies didn’t seem to have any strength, but they could go fast. 

“Darn, she’s gone. It looked like she was busy, though,” I said. 

Jinlin puffed out her cheeks. “I wanted to talk to her more! She could’ve at least repaid me somehow.” 

“Did you want a reward?” 

“No, I just?oh, whatever. We have to head back anyway.” 

“Oh? Time to go back, is it?” a woman’s voice asked. “Then I won’t have to drag you two back?” 

The voice was a bit hoarse, and it clearly belonged to an old woman, but it exerted a unique sort of pressure. We knew who it was, but we were scared to turn around and confirm. We had to eventually, however. 

After Jinlin and I looked at each other, we slowly looked behind us to see just who we expected. 

“Grandmother,” Jinlin mumbled with despair. 

It was Pravda, and she looked furious. “Children!” she shouted, making us stand up straight. “You don’t know your way around here! What are you doing running off by yourselves?! How many times do we have to tell you that it’s dangerous outside the village?! We don’t just mean the roads; there are threats everywhere! You could have been kidnapped! And there are lunatics who murder for fun! I only brought you along because I thought you were wiser than the average child, but you’ve betrayed my trust! Do you understand?!” 

She continued to lecture us for a long while after that. 

From her bed at the inn, Jinlin muttered, “I’m never doing anything like that again.” 

There were two rooms between us. My parents were in one room, and Pravda, Jinlin, and I were in the other. Pravda was already asleep, possibly exhausted from anger. At least in the end she was glad we were safe and hugged us both. My parents scolded us too, but I could tell they were already too tired by the time we got back. It was more of a brief warning than a lecture. I knew what we did was wrong, so that was fine. But Pravda was frightening, and that’s probably what made Jinlin regret it. 

“I think that’d be smart,” I said. “No more dangerous stuff.” 

“Right! I’ll wait until I’m grown up for that,” she declared. 

“What do you mean, when you’re grown up?” 

“Grown ups can go anywhere they want, right? So I’m gonna be an adventurer!” 

I was surprised. “Jinlin, aren’t you supposed to be the mayor? That’s what your mom and dad say.” 

“I don’t have to be the mayor right away. Besides, it’s not like it has to be me. I have cousins who can do it.” 

It was true that Jinlin’s parents could continue to run the village until they retired, and there was no reason her cousins couldn’t take over from there. It seemed like a good idea on her part. 

Still, something felt strange to me. “You don’t want to be mayor?” I asked. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I want to be an adventurer. I want to see the world. Did you know that the things we see in picture books are actually real and out there somewhere? There’s a whole bunch of interesting stuff, like waterfalls falling from islands in the sky, cities surrounded by water, and castles that disappear like mirages!” 

I know those are all real now, but at the time they sounded like fairy tales. Our village had nothing so fantastical, so I couldn’t believe they existed. 

“Those are just dreams, Jinlin,” I said. “You can’t daydream all the time when you have to study to be the mayor. Anyway, we have to get up earlier tomorrow, so let’s go to sleep. I’m tired.” I really was terribly tired, a feeling that I haven’t had in some time now. 

Anyway, it took me a while to get to sleep, but before that, I heard Jinlin one more time. 

“Geez, you’re dumb! I’m not going to take you with me, then!” she said. 

Wondering if she had plans to bring me along on her adventures, I finally fell asleep.