Chapter 12 – Chapter 1: Last Summer – 2
Me and Tia prepared to climb the mountain.
There were many medicinal herbs to prepare to survive the winter.
When winter comes, all flowers and grass disappear. In the cold, people get sick more easily than usual.
So winter was the most difficult season for pharmacists.
It was important to collect as much as possible.
In the summer, even a single blade of grass that might otherwise be ignored must be raked up without passing by.
All medicinal ingredients collected in this way are dried or dissolved in liquid form so that they can be stored for a long time.
This winter… It seemed like it would be pretty harsh.
Unlike last year, the area around the village was becoming increasingly dry.
I don’t know why.
The reason I’ve been having so much trouble with medicine lately is because of this strange phenomenon.
I was planning to go a little deeper today.
It was to gather an abundance of various ingredients, but more than anything, it was because there was not enough medicine to give to the village chief.
“Tia, are you ready?”
“Yes!”
We headed into the depths carrying hiking robes and a large bag of medicinal herbs.
Now I’m used to crossing boundaries.
I remember all the paths I have taken so far.
Every time she took an unfamiliar path, Tia left knife marks on the trees.
I was able to easily find my way back by looking at the sign.
I passed so many signs and searched deep into the mountain. There is nothing to see.
She grumbled as Tia cleared away the leaves that had piled up at her feet.
“I can’t see well.”
It’s difficult.
The forest path was completely covered with fallen leaves, so I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
I walked around early in the morning, skipping meals, but there was no harvest.
Even though I was only looking at the floor like a mole, I couldn’t fill half of the herb bag.
Tia asked.
“Don’t they sell medicinal herbs at Taildon?”
“I already looked into it. They said they had nothing to sell because there was a shortage of stock there.”
“… “What about the general store?”
“There too. “Mr. Posao said he has to go somewhere far away, so he won’t be handling herbs for the time being.”
“Uhm-.”
I searched everywhere, but the situation was the same in other places.
They say they can’t sell it because they don’t have any herbs.
In the end, the only way left was to dig it up myself.
“I have to wander around until sunset. Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
That’s how we climbed the mountain.
Even though I was dragged into a boring job, Tia was very excited and helped her find herbs.
Even in this kind of work, he had extraordinary talent.
The bottom of my bag of herbs is still visible, but Tia disappears somewhere for a moment and when she reappears, she comes back holding a handful of herbs.
According to my ‘intuition’, I feel like it’s there for some reason.
I guess I was probably a rabbit or a deer in my past life.
After wandering around for a while, we got so deep that we didn’t even know where we were.
Tired, Tia lay down on a rock.
“Ugh-it’s hard-.”
Did he get so lost that the word ‘it’s hard’ came out of his mouth?
I really walked without stopping.
As a rule of thumb, I think it’s the deepest I’ve ever explored.
I raised my head.
There is a red energy in the distance.
The sun was slowly setting.
I opened the herb bag.
Other ingredients have been resolved to some extent, but there is still not a single medicine to give to the village chief.
As if someone had hidden it on purpose.
I felt impatient.
These days, the village chief has started to get weaker.
Every time I visited the hut, I saw noticeably thinner limbs.
The villagers could not hide their anxiety as the stubborn village chief, who seemed like he would live his whole life, suddenly became like that.
I often heard people ask what would happen if the village chief passed away.
It may not happen, but if it does happen, I, the ‘village chief’s son,’ will have to inherit the village.
The problem is that we are not ready for that.
There hasn’t been a baptism ceremony yet, and I haven’t even learned how to lead the village.
I don’t even know what I can do since I’m so young compared to the elderly.
“Tia.”
“Huh?”
“If I become the village chief… Will I be able to do it well?”
“Of course!”
It was a refreshing answer without the slightest worry.
“Ritz is smart, so she will definitely be able to do well. Even seniors trust and follow Ritz!”
“That’s because I make the medicine. “The village chief is a different story.”
“Um, I don’t think there’s any difference?”
Tia lay down on her rock and hit her feet.
“I think both the pharmacist and the village chief have the same desire to protect the village. “If I can just keep having that mindset, there won’t be any problem, right?”
“…”
“Also, there are many people around Ritz who can help you at any time! Uncle Marvin, who is good at working, Aunt Merid, who is good at cooking, and Ruyev, who is strong. And… “There is also a ‘me’?”
When we met her eyes, Tia grinned.
Hehe. Cute guy.
When I thought about it, Tia was right.
Brisden was not the village chief’s alone.
Didn’t the village chief also say that? Everyone in the village is the lord of this land.
For me, who knows nothing, the villagers are willing to roll up their sleeves and help.
“Tia. When I become the village chief, will you take charge of the pharmacy?”
“Me?”
“You are the only one who can read.”
“Uhm-.”
The guy frowned as if he didn’t like being bored.
I was just rolling my eyes with an expression of wanting to avoid being locked in the drugstore at all costs, and then a good idea suddenly occurred to me. Yay! And I got up.
“Good! “I’ll take care of the pharmacy!”
“Thank you.”
Tia shook her head.
“Yes-. Instead of me, a kid who looks exactly like Ritsu will take charge!”
“… What? A child who looks like me?”
“Yes.”
Tia came closer to my cheek with her shy face.
“… ‘Our’ child.”
What?!
“Hey, what, what, what! What… !”
“Kuhuh. Ah, haha-!”
OMG. Really, it was a real hit.
I quickly got up from her seat, leaving behind the guy who was holding his stomach and laughing.
“I guess you got enough rest because you’re making strange noises. “Let’s go back to work.”
“Yes-.”
Now is the time to finish.
I crawled all over her floor trying to get as much as I could before the sun went down.
I plowed through her leaves, kicked up her grass and moss, and carefully dug up her grass.
After finishing everything, we checked each other’s herb bags.
Thank goodness.
I was exhausted, but thanks to Tia digging up a lot, she was able to take a breather.
I felt like if I could save just one more week like this, I could barely get over the crisis.
It’s good news, though.
“There is no ‘Cheonjinju.'”
“Huh. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find it…”
If we can’t even find Tia, should we assume she doesn’t exist?
It would be perfect if I made medicine with Cheonjinju and gave it to the village chief. It was unfortunate.
Hwieeeeeing-.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from somewhere.
Fallen leaves on the floor and Tia’s robe flutter.
Caw- Caw-.
Even crows cry.
“The day is almost over. “Let’s go back now.”
“Um-.”
Tia thought about something, and then she pointed to one side.
“Ritz, let’s go a little deeper.”
“No.”
“For some reason, I have a feeling-! If you go in that direction, it will definitely be there!”
“No. Any more than this is dangerous. Let’s go back.”
She was about to turn her feet towards the village.
“Don’t worry! “I’m there!”
Tia proudly opened her chest.
And she placed her left hand on her scabbard, as if she could pull out her shortsword at any moment.
Since he is a ‘prosecutor’ with Priscola qualifications, does that mean he is okay with being an animal?
Tia was definitely stronger than me, so she had no worries about safety.
… But why do I feel so uncomfortable?
If I am swallowed by the darkness beyond that forest, I feel like I will never be able to escape again.
“Let’s go back.”
“Eh, you don’t trust me?”
Tia may have just thrown this out as a joke.
I had no choice but to stop him when he said ‘I believe.’
“No, it’s not that I don’t believe it…”
“Then why are you worrying! “I’m just taking a quick look over there.”
What… Is that so?
Even if a fierce wolf appears, Tia will easily defeat it.
This guy’s sword isn’t usually that sharp.
“Okay.”
We headed deep into the forest.
I was anxious and anxious, but as soon as I saw the scene that appeared, my worries disappeared like melting snow.
“Oh my god…”
As expected, Tia’s keen sense was the answer.
She came across a bush, and indeed it was full of various flowers, vines, moss, and mushrooms.
It is an enormous profit that makes up for the waste so far.
The guy crossed his arms and showed off.
“Lol-. Look! ‘If you are afraid of a little, you will not gain much’ -. 〈 These are the basic qualifications of an adventurer as written in World Adventure Book 〉!”
“Haha. That makes sense. “Let’s just take what we need and go back.”
I just picked up what I could see.
Now we have collected enough to last the winter.
If I fill up my herb bag and come here again tomorrow and dig for a while, I won’t have to come to the forest to look for medicinal herbs in the future.
So, I filled the bag with Tia step by step.
“Ah.”
A little far away, I happened to find a bright red flower.
This is the medicine I wanted to give to the village chief.
A flower that shyly sticks out from the ground like a red, round fruit.
Cheonjinju.
“You were here…” …”
I held my breath and approached and carefully swept away the surrounding dirt.
The slightly exposed roots looked huge even at first glance.
This is it.
This can cheer up the village chief.
Unable to contain my excitement, I dug down the roots with a trowel.
I used a lot of force to pull it out of the soil.
“It’s okay, Tia! Now go back…”
The moment she turns her head to put it in the bag.
Something bright red passed by in the darkness.
… What is it?
At the same time, my body froze in an instant.
It was an instinct that could not be denied.
I’m out of breath, unable to speak, and my head feels stiff.
“Ah…”
Grrrr
A huge body appearing in the dark.
An unpleasant odor passes through the tip of my nose.
Every time you take a step, the mountain shakes.
That’s right-!!!
While scattering the fallen leaves, that black mass… It’s running.
Why didn’t I know?
I definitely heard that bears live deep in the mountains.
The old lady and her aunts have been paying such attention to us since we were young.
Why did I forget that?
Gwaaagh-!!
The front foot rises.
At the same time, multiple screams were heard.
“Ritz-!!! No way-!!!”
Peook-.
Something inside my body is crushed.
I don’t know where I am.
The heavens and the earth turn over several times, falling here and there as they are swept away.
“… “Wow.”
When the blocked breath comes out again.
“Ugh… Wow…”
Sick. It hurts so much.
I feel like dying. No, you die.
I can’t breathe.
It feels like my stomach is full of something.
“Ah… Ugh…”
I could see blood through my blurred vision.
It feels like hot blood has been sprayed all over my body.
I can’t even move. I couldn’t move.
It hurts so much that I can’t even speak.
“Aaaaah-!!”
Tia screams from somewhere out of sight.
It was a voice filled with anger.
It’s a tremendous anger I’ve never heard of before.
Tia screamed like crazy, like an animal.
“Die! Die-!! Die… !”
Grrrr-!!
No, Tia.
I was wrong.
Please run away.
Her vision is becoming increasingly dark. I didn’t think anything of it.
I was just worried about Tia.
Even such thoughts are meaningless.
“…”
It becomes dark before my eyes.
