Chapter 37 – Chapter 3: Silence – 2
… Do you still hate me?
Should I answer that absurd question?
If I could say ‘yes’ with all this shame, boiling anger, and my best effort to be insensitive, I would gladly do so.
But that alone is not enough.
“I’m sorry. Tia. Really… “I’m sorry.”
The man fell to his knees. And then she started praying with both hands.
“Sorry. Well, I was crazy back then! Sorry! I’m so sorry!”
I ask for forgiveness in a slurred voice.
There was no laughter.
If what he did to me back then was something that could be overlooked with such a light forgiveness, I wouldn’t have hated Uncle Posao from the beginning.
Probably even now, I would go to the general store with Ritz, laugh and talk with the man, eat ginger biscuits and read books together.
So I trusted and followed Uncle Posao.
I thought he was really like my dad.
“…”
It was a long time ago.
Just as this unpleasant feeling that remains in my body will not go away, those days will never come back.
Uncle Posao fell flat on the ground.
“Yo, I want to ask for forgiveness…” Tia…”
“Now that you’ve come?”
“Line… I wanted to apologize the whole time. But I can’t meet Tia… There’s always Ritz… Since there is no opportunity… Well, even now…”
Forgiveness?
I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.
Just by not reporting ‘that incident’ to the villagers, you have already shown the man the greatest mercy.
Thinking of the affection we had playing together and teaching each other.
Without even telling Ritsu, I decided to bury her in this chest until she died.
How much longer do I have to forgive?
“Please… Tia…”
Tia took her steps without a word.
She had nothing to say. She hasn’t changed at all.
Just, she decided not to think about anything.
It was time to take a step towards the bottom of the mountain.
Shoot—.
Suddenly the wind blew.
It was quite strong for a mountain wind blowing around evening.
As the branches sway in the wind, countless fallen leaves fall.
Red hair also flew around.
Caw-caw-.
It’s a strange feeling.
It’s so cold and bitchy.
The sight of a flock of crows flying up is creepy.
It’s dark everywhere and there’s a fishy smell of iron.
Tia, who was born and raised in the mountains, was sensitive to the warnings her mountains gave her.
For sure… I had this feeling of anxiety that something bad was going to happen.
Uncle Posao was the same.
He too was born and raised in the mountains.
He also noticed something and his face became frightened.
“… !”
When Tia looked behind her, she stopped breathing.
The sun has almost set on a mountain ridge far away in the darkness.
A shadow that was previously invisible was seen.
Small but prominent outline. They were not one.
Very large numbers appeared everywhere.
Very quietly and quickly.
She was coming towards this place.
Tia took a step back without realizing it.
“Person… ?”
Why is there someone coming down the mountain on this dark evening?
No matter how much you think about it, they were not people who came with good intentions.
Moreover, if the direction is towards ‘public contribution’.
Uncle Posao shouted softly.
“Say, bandits… !”
What the man said was right.
The scary weapons in your hands.
They were bandits.
“Ah…”
She looked back down the mountain again.
The people of Gongdae were preparing for camping as usual, without knowing anything.
Even the knight entering the tent.
Even the prostitutes clapping and singing.
No one noticed the danger that was slowly approaching.
It’s dangerous.
We must quickly inform Mr. Robert.
Crispy-!
Tia quickly turned around and ran down.
There is no point in running and talking.
She had to yell to let them know.
She took a deep breath and shouted with all her might.
“Mountain… !”
Tub.
Suddenly her mouth was blocked.
And with a strong shock, my body floated up.
Slurp!
It was buried under fallen leaves.
The unpleasant smell of rotting mushrooms.
A fat finger covering the mouth.
Uncle Po Sao covered Tia’s mouth and crushed her with his fat body.
He whispered urgently.
“Oh, no!”
“Ugh! “Eup!”
“We, the Lord, are going to die!”
It doesn’t work.
I need to let you know right away.
The people at the public offering center don’t know anything.
I struggled and tried to free the man’s arm, but he didn’t move.
It was so heavy that it felt like I was being crushed by a huge rock.
Shoot aaaaa—.
The mountain wind continues to blow.
The man shouted desperately.
“Number… There are too many. We should buy it and live… !”
“Ugh-!”
“Ritz… We have to save Ritz… !”
The moment I heard those words.
Rustling. Rustling.
Creepy footsteps were heard from above.
It was everywhere.
The ax grunted as it brushed against the tree.
Before I knew it, it was right nearby.
I was so scared that I couldn’t even breathe.
It’s crumbly. Pushseok.
The bandits are quiet.
However, it comes down the mountain very quickly.
The sound of fallen leaves being stepped on can be heard overlapping.
That… It was like the sound of the hem of the Grim Reaper’s robe being dragged on the ground.
Wow! Wow!
A man passed right by Uncle Posao.
They did not find Tia and Posao hidden in a pile of fallen leaves.
Just pass by and head down.
When the shadow of about 50 bandits came into view.
I realized it instinctively.
Even if Lobrt’s voice reaches you, one knight and five or six soldiers will not be able to defeat these numerous bandits.
And if you had just screamed there, you would have died without moving.
You can’t die.
Ritz is waiting.
I can’t die here.
I can’t die, but-.
Another death is slowly descending towards the tribute platform.
Even though I knew that, I couldn’t stop it.
I couldn’t scream and tell them to run away.
Please. Please run away.
To my horror, my tongue and body became stiff.
My heart was just pounding like crazy.
“Lalalala- lala-♪.”
I can hear the sisters’ beautiful singing from far away.
“Ugh… !”
Tears flowed.
When one of the bandits in front raised his arm, a black brand was revealed.
And in the man’s hand was a large bow that could only be used in war.
Crackling…
Pull the bowstring slowly.
The bandit next to me lit the arrowhead on fire.
Chi-ik.
There is a silence more terrible than death.
The winding protest is banging! At the same time as it is released.
“Uryaaa-!!”
“Aaaaah-!!”
The cries of barbarians echo through the mountains.
Everyone picks up axes and starts running towards the bottom of the mountain.
The people below looked up at the mountain.
Their eyes suddenly became colored with fear, as if night was coming.
“Aaaaah!”
I heard my sister’s single scream.
That moment.
It has become a father’s reign.
Something breaks violently.
In the dim light of the bonfire, the shadows of countless people quickly cross and disappear.
The singing voice was no longer heard.
Sigh.
Uncle Posao’s hand that was covering his mouth fell away.
I also let go of the arms that were holding my entire body tightly.
… But I couldn’t move.
Burning cart.
The sound of mules and horses running wild.
A scream of fear.
Even the mysterious cries of the bandits.
Tia could only stare blankly at the bottom of the mountain where everything was mixed up.
“T, Tia?”
“…”
“Tia! If you keep doing this, I won’t criticize you! “Geez, we have to run away now!”
The man grabbed his hand roughly.
Even as he was being pulled by that force, his ruby eyes reflected a tribute engulfed in flames.
The screams are getting farther away.
The light is fading.
That was the last sight of the tribute band that Tia saw.
* * *
I don’t know how long I walked.
I think I passed over her head twenty times.
My legs felt shaky as I kept going up and down the steep hill.
The night was quiet and dark.
Fortunately, the moon was bright.
I was able to move forward by relying on the pale moonlight.
I looked at the constellations and headed east, but I wasn’t sure.
There was no map, so I didn’t know where the tribute party had stopped, how big the mountain range is now, and how far it was to reach Deseo.
There was no way to know.
… In other words, it was shipwrecked.
Tia didn’t know where she was.
She just wandered away and walked towards where she expected ‘Deseo’ to be.
I left my luggage behind.
What remains… All that is on her body is a shirt and a pair of shorts, a short sword hanging on her belt, and a cloak covering her shoulders.
She fell into an unfamiliar mountain range with absolutely nothing.
This is the worst situation.
“Huh… Huh…”
Oh, I missed one.
There is also a pig struggling to follow from afar.
“…”
That guy… I decided to just ignore it.
Even now, I felt dizzy and felt like I was going to throw up, but I didn’t want to pay attention to that person.
“Whoa… Phew…”
But the man kept following me.
Even though I deliberately walked fast and increased the distance.
When I was sitting on a rock and resting for a while, it suddenly appeared, making an unpleasant breathing noise.
She is sweating profusely, giving off an unpleasant odor, and comes after me with a deathly expression.
She didn’t want to see that either.
When I felt like the distance was going to get shorter, I walked faster.
How many times did I repeat that?
“Ha-ha-ha-.”
My legs were so hot that they felt like they were going to explode.
Dawn was breaking in the distance.
I crossed this mountain range without sleeping even a wink.
I walked so hard.
Another hurdle was ahead.
It is a very high peak.
The slope was so steep that I had no idea how to climb up.
In fact, I had to force myself to come here.
I barely managed to walk by pushing myself as if I was whipping myself.
But now the limits are starting to be felt.
“Ugh…”
It was difficult to stand, so I leaned against a tree.
There was no strength left in my heated body.
I was so tired that I wanted to sleep like this.
“Ha…”
I couldn’t even hear the breathing of Uncle Posao, who had been following me so tirelessly.
Did I finally give up on chasing him?
I slowly closed my eyes, listening to the sweet sound of birds waking me up in the morning.
Cold sweat flows down the back of my head.
Gradually my consciousness became hazy.
Let’s close our eyes a little.
All you have to do is cross that peak…
Therefore…
