Chapter 311 – 74. Up to a Hundred. (One)
Spring has come.
It is a very gentle spring breeze.
Green grass grows in the field, and I hold hands with my brother and sister and go around to dig up new shoots to eat.
Our house is poor.
I don’t remember ever having a full meal.
If you are very hungry, drink water. If you fill your water boat full, you will feel less hungry.
There are many children besides us in the fields and ditches.
Everyone is my friends
They are poor friends too.
Still, I’m happy. Everyone in the family is happy.
Sometimes relatives also come to our house.
But uncles are scary.
He is a relative, but he is a high-ranking person.
Parents use honorifics to uncles and bow their heads.
We also bowed our heads with honorifics to our uncles.
Then the uncles say that they are good children and give them candy.
We want to eat that candy and keep snooping around our uncles.
We heard some really great rumors a while ago.
“They say there is a flying ship in the middle of the sky!”
A ship that flies!
However, the doubtful older sister did not immediately believe the older brother’s words.
“Don’t lie. How can a ship fly through the sky?”
“No. Uncle John said he saw it!”
“You’ll be kicking it. Naive.”
But I prayed that my sister would be wrong, my brother and Uncle John would be right.
Uncle John is an outsider.
Uncle is a one-armed man. It is said that he was once a famous mercenary, but quit because his arm was cut off.
So the uncle goes around the continent and sells all sorts of odds and ends. The villagers saw such a man and called him a peddler.
Village children often listen to Uncle John’s story.
Uncle knows a lot.
Especially the story about mercenaries is fun.
“The world is very wide. Compared to the size of the continent, the eastern part is as small as a snot. So if you want to become an adult, you have to go all over the place.”
Then, all the children shouted that they would definitely go to the capital when they grow up.
But the parents didn’t like the uncle who said that.
They said that if you leave the village, everyone will die or come back sick.
My parents didn’t like Uncle John either.
But my brother and I like Uncle John.
The uncle is knowledgeable and kind. And he loves children.
Uncle John said he had children like us.
The old man’s eyes looked very sad when he said that.
But you didn’t elaborate further.
When spring arrives, uncles often visit.
My parents go somewhere every night.
We saw through the window some village elders going somewhere.
Then we pretend to be asleep and secretly get up and play.
And when my parents come back, I pretend to sleep again.
Sometimes parents tell us
We were born into the wrong world.
But me and my brother and sister didn’t understand what that meant.
“We have to go to a world where there is no pain.”
Except for being hungry, I’m happy.
But the parents don’t seem happy.
So I’m sad.
I think it’s because I ate even what my parents would eat.
Uncles no longer give candy.
Even if I say hello, they just glance at me and don’t accept me.
I was afraid of those eyes and ran into the room.
– When will that day come?
– Sooner or later. Move when the time is right.
– All right.
Uncle John is nowhere to be seen.
It’s sad that I couldn’t even say goodbye.
My brother was also sad.
“Let’s go out to the big world someday! That way you’ll be as smart as Uncle John! Also, be sure to see the flying boat!”
“Is it real? A ship that flies!”
“There is! Obviously there is! Uncle John is not one to lie.”
So I decided to believe it too.
The days are getting warmer.
In the field, the grass grew very quickly.
Cows and sheep eat only grass and grow well.
A while ago, a calf was born next door.
But the calf died shortly thereafter.
People cursed at the end of the world.
We played war games in the mountains and fields.
Everyone was looking for the strongest and coolest branches.
The older brother took a nice branch and swung it like a sword. I was envious of it because it was so cool.
We caught rats, birds, rabbits, and snakes.
The village brothers caught everything well. And we roasted it and ate it.
I’m happy.
But the house is always dark.
Parents always have dark faces.
“We were born into the wrong world.”
Why is it wrong
I don’t know.
But since your parents are like that, you’re probably in the wrong world.
When we grow up, we will be able to understand our parents.
Then one day, my parents pack their luggage with a happy face.
I wore the cleanest and best clothes, and I took out all the grain I had saved for the most important day.
We decided to go on an outing.
All the villagers go on a picnic.
It’s a festival day.
All the village children were excited.
Me and my older brother and sister all laughed and sang.
My parents laughed too.
I am very happy.
The happiest person in the world would be me.
Today is the happiest day.
We left town.
But, strangely, I suddenly felt strange.
However, the happy song quickly relieved my mood.
I guess I’m a weird kid like my sister said.
Today is the happiest day.
We keep walking.
Through fields and mountains
And I slept in the field.
When I ask where I am going, I go very far.
There is a very nice place.
Kids are happier.
We also ate meat.
Even though I ate a lot, no one said anything.
My parents laughed and stroked our hair.
I wish every day was like today!
But after several nights, we kept going.
Kids are tired now.
My brother and sister are tired too.
But my parents didn’t stop.
I cried because I wanted to go home.
Then my parents slapped me on the buttocks and yelled at me not to cry.
“I’m going to a world without pain! Smile! I mean laugh!”
My butt hurt so much that I cried harder.
My brother hugged me.
My brother was hit instead, but he didn’t cry.
So we got to the city.
The city was so big and nice that it couldn’t be compared to the village.
The kids all jumped wildly.
But we didn’t go into the city.
We got into a carriage there.
I saw a carriage come to town from time to time, but this was the first time I had ever ridden it.
We rode in a carriage and went somewhere.
The city has moved away again.
“Don’t worry. We are going to a better place.”
Can there be a better place than here!
My older brother and I thought we might see a ship flying in the sky.
We went far again.
Spent the night several times.
I wanted to go home, but I didn’t say anything because I was afraid that my parents would get angry again if I said such a thing.
Both my brother and sister wanted to go home.
All the children wanted to go home.
But every time I said that, my parents hit me.
There are better places. Why?
I don’t even know how many days have passed.
Anyway, it was a very long time.
I’ve never been away for so long.
Now it’s scary and I hate it.
But if you have a flying boat, you can put up with it.
And we landed in an unknown place.
There were neither cities nor villages.
It was just a field.
It was not much different from the fields near the village.
There were no flying boats.
I stopped crying.
My parents slapped me on the butt again to stop crying.
So I insisted on going home.
“You damn bastard! Damn you bastard!”
My brother hugged me again.
My parents beat my older brother.
They said that children who do not understand even their parents are not needed.
I told my parents not to hit me.
So I was right too.
And I walked again.
The village elders muttered strange things now.
My parents muttered the same thing.
He did it for us too.
We murmured something similar.
I just pretended to be having a hard time.
We soon came to a place where the trees stood terrifyingly.
There were uncles.
The village elders prostrated themselves in front of their uncles.
Children also fell.
Me, my older brother, and my older sister also prostrated themselves. Otherwise, I felt like I was going to die.
Uncles took us into the scary forest.
My parents laughed strangely.
His eyes were red and bloodshot, and saliva flowed from his mouth.
And you kept smiling. It was scary.
It was night soon.
Strange animal noises continued to be heard in the forest.
I was scared and threw myself into my brother’s arms.
However, I was tired and quickly fell asleep.
But suddenly someone blocked my mouth.
I struggled in amazement, but my strength was so great that I could not scream at all.
“Hey, uncle. Uncle John. Hey, it’s Uncle John. Are you okay. Won’t you make a sound? Right? Nod your head if you understand.”
It was Uncle John!
I quickly nodded.
I held my breath and made no sound.
Uncle woke up his brother too.
My brother didn’t even make a sound.
My sister also woke up. Fortunately, my sister didn’t make any noise either.
“Guys. Uncle, let’s go together. Hurry. There is no time.”
“What about mom and dad?”
“I have to go with my uncle. Otherwise, it will be a big deal.”
Uncle John said urgently.
But my sister said she would not go.
My brother and I wanted to follow him.
I wanted to go to the wide world with my uncle.
“Let’s go, boys.”
We took one look at the sleeping people and followed behind the man.
“Never look back. Understand? Just follow me until the end, okay?”
But suddenly I heard a sound from behind.
It was the sound calling me and my brother.
“No! Can’t go! If you go, you die! Guys! Uncle, you have to follow me!”
I hesitated for a moment.
But my brother grabbed my hand and dragged me.
“Follow me! Hurry!”
“Brother, Mom and Dad are calling us.”
“No!”
The older brother continued to follow the uncle.
I was upset and sobbed.
It was strange.
We kept running.
Then he stopped and looked back at us.
“Hey guys, take this.”
Uncle John handed the paper to his brother.
“We have to send this to Vermandois. Go see Lord Granzo or Lord Allen. Understand? Promise me you won’t show it to anyone! Hurry!”
“Yes… !”
“Tell me again. Where did you say who?”
“Be, of Vermandois, Granzo… !”
“Right, well done.”
The smart brother memorized it at once. I had to say it several times before I could barely memorize it.
“Must be. Promise me. Make an appointment with your uncle. You can’t trust anyone in the East. Understand? Be sure to go to Vermandois!”
“Yes, mister!”
“You guys keep going that way.”
“What about you?”
“Uncle, Uncle… !”
Uncle John seemed to choke.
“Old man counts to one hundred and goes to catch you guys. In the meantime, you guys are running away. Understand? Do you know how to count to a hundred?”
“Yes!”
But I couldn’t count to a hundred.
“Go now! One, two…”
When the old man counted, we ran as fast as we could.
I looked back in the middle.
Uncle John beckoned us to go.
My brother and I kept running.
How far did you run?
We left the forest.
The moonlit fields were beautiful.
But the forest was scary.
The voice calling us is now gone.
But my brother and I kept running.
Are you still counting numbers?
“Hyung, be, Vermantia’s, was Kranjo, right?”
“Grenzo Danju of Vermandois!”
“Oh, right!”
My brother was really smart.
“By the way, what about mom and dad? Who is your sister?”
Then my brother grabbed me by the shoulder and said.
“Tom. Do you believe me?”
“Huh!”
“We are going to see the flying ship.”
Ah!
“Let’s go see the flying boat, Tom.”
“Only us?”
“Yeah, just us.”
“Mom and Dad?”
“We see first, and tell them we have! You don’t believe in Sarah with your mom and dad. Right?”
“Oh, I don’t believe you.”
“We believe, don’t we?”
“Huh!”
“So, let’s see first! Understand?”
“… Wouldn’t it be a lot of scolding?”
“If you come after seeing a flying boat, you won’t be scolded! Do you believe me?”
“… Huh!”
“Yes, nice, Tom.”
So we decided to go see the flying ship first.
“Oh right! Uncle John?”
“Uncle John will be back soon too. You haven’t counted to one hundred yet. One hundred, that’s a huge number!”
“I see.”
My brother stroked my hair.
“Come on, let’s go to Vermandois.”
“Huh!”
I was scared, but I gathered my courage.
It’s with my brother!
Ah.
After waking up, Alloa lay on the bed and sobbed.
With all the poor children of the land,
And for Uncle John—
