Chapter 208:
Remorse and Retreat
Err…what an uncomfortable silence. Druid and Dolgas are both still as statues. What did Dolgas come here to do? He couldn’t have been running on this very road by coincidence, could he? No…that’s not possible.
The uncomfortable silence dragged on. I got the feeling that we would be stuck this way forever if I didn’t make a move.
“Er, Mr. Dolgas…is something wrong?”
“No…”
Uhh…is that all? Then is it okay for us to go? “Um, if you don’t need anything, we’ll be on our way.”
“No! Oh! Uh, it’s not like that. I, um…”
Something about Dolgas…seemed a bit off. There wasn’t a trace of his usual harshness. As I stood there, staring at him, it looked like there was something he wanted to say, but he was having a hard time getting it out.
I cast a cautious glance at our surroundings, and I saw there was a wooden bench a few paces away. Maybe Dolgas would have an easier time talking there? I looked at Druid, meaning to ask him about it…but there was an impressive number of wrinkles on his brow.
“Mr. Druid…you’ve got an awful lot of wrinkles on your forehead. You already had plenty before, but now you look even older… If the wind changes, you’ll stay like that.”
“Ivy…do I really look that decrepit to you?”
Druid massaged the wrinkles out. Maybe he was sensitive about that? I’d better choose my words more carefully around him.
“Yes—er, I mean no. You don’t look at all decrepit.” Darn it… It just slipped out.
“Honesty is a virtue, I’m sure.”
“Hee hee…” Let’s just laugh it off!
“So, uh…” an awkward voice cut in.
Oh, right! I completely forgot Dolgas was here. And hey, I actually remember his name today! Looks like I’ve finally got it down. That’s something to celebrate.
“Why don’t we all sit on that bench to talk?” I suggested to the brothers as I pointed at it.
“Well, Dolgas…what do you say?” Druid asked, his voice a little tense. Dolgas nodded quietly in response.
Oh, good. Now they can talk it out, brother to brother.
“Ivy, I want you to be a part of this.” Druid stared hard at me.
“Yes, please. I want you there, too,” Dolgas cut in before I could say no.
Wow…I never thought I’d hear Dolgas use the word “please” with me. “Okay, I understand.” We’re not going to sink into the nasty atmosphere Dolgas used to bring with him, are we? It’s scary when he gets like that.
When we all sat down on the bench, something seemed amiss. Isn’t this a weird arrangement to sit in? Why am I in the middle? Well, I guess it’s easier for both of them to talk if there’s a wall between them, so I’ll try my best to fill that role…
But rather than talking, the two remained silent.
Oh, come on. Say something.
“Mr. Dolgas?”
“Yeah?” Dolgas flinched, startled by my loud voice.
Mrrrgh…that reaction hurts my feelings a little. “Did something happen?”
“Not really… No, that’s a lie. So, it’s like this…”
“Yes?”
Dolgas’s eyes wandered, like he was searching for the right words. Meanwhile, Druid finally noticed his brother’s unusual demeanor. He looked surprised. Gee, a bit slow on the uptake, aren’t we?
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Druid and I gasped in unison. That apology came way out of nowhere. Did my ears deceive me? Was Dolgas…the infamous Dolgas…apologizing?
I pinched my cheek. “Ouch!”
“Ivy, what are you doing?”
“Er, nothing.”
Now Druid and Dolgas were both giving me confused stares. I was so embarrassed that I hung my head a little.
“I have just one really good friend…” Dolgas began.
Wow, he has a friend? I’m not sure why, but that’s reassuring to hear.
“He has three stars in the cultivation skill.”
Hmmm, so he’s obsessed with stars even when it comes to his friends? But wow, three stars…this friend of his does sound pretty impressive.
“We always assumed that if a person had a lot of stars, they could accomplish anything.”
Yeah, I used to think that way when I was younger, too.
“So when he decided to try and make crops grow on land that only grows ryce, I was supportive of him. I thought he’d get results right away. But…his skill was completely useless. Even with three stars, it meant nothing.”
Then why are you so obsessed with stars?
“But if I admitted his stars didn’t matter…I was worried that reality would break him.”
Wait a minute…was that why he’s been such a true believer in stars all this time? For his friend’s sake? Come to think of it, Druid’s father mentioned that most of the farmers who moved to those barren lands had already given up on their lives. That many of them had turned to crime or become slaves.
“And while my poor friend was struggling to barely make ends meet…you were pulling off big successful missions as an adventurer,” he finished, looking at Druid. “I felt like you were taunting me. Making a show of the fact that a person can still do great things with even a small number of stars. I felt so bitter that you were so successful while I couldn’t even help out my own best friend.”
I guess the weight of one thing after another piling up really got to him, so he hardened his heart to shut out the pain…and only made it worse.
“Whether a person has stars or not doesn’t matter… To tell the truth, I knew that all along. But I refused to admit it.”
So all that menacing chest-puffing…maybe he was only doing it to protect his ego. The guild master was right—he was quite the coward. That’s why he lashed out with anger so much. It was the only way he could deal with his feelings.
“But the strangest thing happened…he smiled.”
By “he”…I assume he’s talking about his friend?
“When he took a bite of the onigiri…he looked so happy. I hadn’t seen him smile like that in a very long time.” Dolgas suddenly stood up and faced both of us. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you both. I also owe you my gratitude.”
Druid and I gasped in unison. Dolgas had bolted away.
“Did you see Mr. Dolgas’s face? It was bright red.”
“Yeah…I’ve never seen him like that before. He was all wobbly in the legs, too.”
“Yeah.”
He had stumbled a little as he was running away. His limbs were probably giving out in embarrassment and nervousness.
“Um, Mr. Druid?”
“Yes?”
“What do you think Mr. Dolgas was trying to tell us?” I think I have a general sense of it, but still…
“Hmm… I guess that his friend who was stuck growing ryce was really happy when he learned he could eat it?”
Yeah, I guess that’s what he was trying to say.
“And then he wanted to thank us for making his friend’s failing rice farm a success.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought…”
Druid and I looked at each other…and burst out laughing. We could tell from Dolgas’s behavior that he was really embarrassed, but he could have at least explained himself a bit more clearly.
“Do you think it’s safe to assume…that he’s headed in a good direction?”
“I think so. Mom and Dad will probably be relieved to see it,” Druid smirked wickedly. I supposed it was hard for him to forgive his brother right away after the years of verbal abuse he’d suffered.
“Maybe you can all have a nice long talk about it after we get back from our travels. Brother to brother to brother.”
After a little time has passed…I just know they can patch things up.
“Yeah… I hope we can.”
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