Chapter 47 – Chapter 3: Rotten Barn – 2
I ran straight to the accommodation where the man was staying.
I opened the front door roughly and entered.
Jump up!
The manager who was dozing woke up in surprise.
“What?!”
“Hello. I have someone I need to meet…”
“Person? Right now, there are only male guests. “Who are you meeting at this hour?”
“I have urgent business to run.”
I don’t have time for this right now.
The manager laughed with a strange expression.
“It’s called ‘business.’ Aha. Is that it? That?! Hehe!”
“Ahaha… Yes. That’s right.”
“You look pretty. “How much?”
“… Yes?”
“How much? Come to my room after work. My wish was to play with a cute girl like you. Hehe!”
What is this man talking about now?
“Oh that… That is… “No.”
It was that time.
Ouch!
Suddenly, a lady came out from the back door and grabbed the manager by the hair.
“How can this bastard be so mean to a child?!”
“Ugh! “Let go of this, it’s this woman-.”
“You have to die to come to your senses! Huh?”
I fell down hard, screams were heard, and chaos began.
It was better.
I just passed by and went up to the 3rd floor.
End room. That’s what they said.
At the end of the hallway was a luxurious door for really wealthy guests.
I pulled the door open without hesitation.
Slam! Slam!
Why, at times like this, the door is locked tightly again.
“Mister!”
I knocked hard on the door, but there was no answer.
“Uncle Posao!”
No way… Are you late?
I urgently looked around.
The room next door happened to be empty.
I quickly went in there and opened the window.
Hwiiing-.
Even though it was on the third floor, it seemed quite tall.
It’s a height that can cause serious injury if you fall.
But urgency took precedence over fear.
I put my feet on the window frame and looked to the side.
About seven steps beyond was Uncle Posao’s guest room.
When I saw a faint light coming out, it seemed like it was still there.
Chin.
I put my hand on the bumpy exterior wall.
Then, I pressed my body close to him and placed my feet on the slightly protruding area.
Take a deep breath and hold the protruding stone tightly.
Gradually. Little by little.
It climbed the wall and moved to the side.
Whiooooo-!
Suddenly, the wind blew, and her hair flew.
“…”
I wasn’t afraid.
There was a time when I climbed down a cliff from the mountainside to Ritz’s pharmacy.
That’s about it!
She stretched out her hand and grabbed the next window frame.
Then raise it to her feet.
I opened the window and went inside.
Tak.
I arrived safely at my uncle’s lodging.
“… Uncle Posao? Are there any?”
The inside was plain.
The bag is placed next to the bed.
The clothes he wore until today are scattered everywhere.
It seemed like nothing had happened.
However, the man was not visible.
As I looked around, I saw ‘another door’ on one side of the room.
She opened the door just in case.
The humid air hits my face.
At the same time, a faint lump of flesh was visible through the steam.
“Nooooo-?!”
The man sitting in the bathtub screamed in surprise.
“Mister… ?”
“T, Tia?!”
“What are you doing here…” Are you doing it?”
It’s ridiculous.
There are guys coming outside right now targeting you.
Where can you find time to take a leisurely bath like this?
“Well, he’s taking a bath…” .”
“Come out quickly! Quickly!”
“Naaah-!”
The surprised man hurriedly jumped out of the bathtub.
Water droplets splashed in all directions from the large body.
However… I was so urgent that I didn’t even think about it…
This guy was naked, right?!
By the time I realized that fact, it was already too late.
My eyes ended up seeing a hideous, large, hairy ‘thing’ hanging around under my enlarged thighs and wrinkled belly…
“Ah…”
It was so shocking that my tongue stiffened.
It was as if the gates of hell had been opened, a terrible sight that I never wanted to see again.
Uncle Po Sao couldn’t even wash his bath water and started putting on his clothes.
“W-what’s going on? Tia… Why…”
“Ah… That is…”
He shook his head to come to his senses.
“I’ll explain later. Just follow me!”
“Naaah?!”
I lifted my bag and led him by holding his hand.
I passed the manager and his wife who were still fighting and ran non-stop to the lodging I had set up.
The innkeeper asked.
“What is it? “Who are the guests over there?”
“It’s dad.”
“Aha. I see.”
After putting it around haphazardly.
I brought Uncle Posao to my room.
Boom!
As soon as I closed the door, I lost all my strength.
“Ha-ha-ha-.”
“Huuuk-huuuk-.”
We took a deep breath in silence.
I have no idea what is going on.
I guess it was the same for Uncle Posao.
He was staring into space with a lost face.
Only after calming down a bit was I able to tell the whole story.
He explained that he happened to overhear a conversation between some men and that they had no choice but to bring him in quickly because they were targeting him.
Uncle Posao bowed his head.
“Well, I see…”
“I think there are a lot of bad people in this town. “I’m worried, so I’ll sleep in my room today.”
“… Me, really? Is that okay?”
“Don’t worry. “If they come all the way here, I will kill them.”
I tapped the rose saber on my waist.
“Thank you… Tia.”
“You’re welcome.”
She decided that it was dangerous outside, so she decided to sleep like this.
I decided to use the bed myself. The man unfolded his sleeping bag and lay down on the floor.
We made sure to secure the door and close the windows and bolts.
A short sword was placed under the pillow to prepare for emergencies.
I made sure to prepare…
Thinking that bad guys were targeting us, I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep at all.
After tossing and turning the blanket a few times, Mr. Posao spoke to me from under the bed.
“T, Tia. “Can’t I sleep?”
“… Yes.”
“So do i… Hehe…”
“I could have slept in a soft bed, but now I’m lying on the floor, which is a shame.”
“Are you okay. Hi-Hi… “I like it better now.”
“Ugh. “I feel a little offended by what you just said.”
“Well, that’s not it…”
The man said in a dazed voice.
“I’ve been alone all this time… Nu, it’s been a while since I’ve been with someone.”
“…”
“So… T, I like being with Tia now… Hehe.”
I closed my mouth when I heard, ‘I was alone all along.’
What would it be like to leave the village and spend 20 years alone?
I couldn’t even imagine it.
I don’t know because I’ve never experienced it.
Because Ritz was always by my side.
It was like that even now, when I was away from Ritz.
Teacher Vienna, the prostitutes, Knight Lobrt, and the children of Charrak Village.
And Uncle Posao.
There was always someone around me.
I didn’t feel lonely.
But he lived alone for a very long time.
He neither married nor raised animals such as dogs or cats.
The only thing that remained was ‘the general store’ that I built with my mother.
How difficult was it?
If it were me… If you are hated by everyone and expelled from the village… It seems so sad.
Wouldn’t he have lived a sad life amid the despair and loneliness of being abandoned?
Without realizing it, I curled up under the blanket.
Of course it wouldn’t happen, but it was scary to even think about it.
Uncle Posao asked.
“But earlier… Tia calls me ‘daddy’, right?”
“… !”
“I am Tia’s father…”
“That was a hasty move!”
“So Tia is my daughter, she becomes my daughter? Joe, nice… Hehe.”
“It’s noisy!”
I threw the pillow under the bed.
“Ugh!”
“Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep. “Give me back the pillow.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
I lay down on the bed again and closed my eyes tightly.
Even when I think about it, I don’t know why I called Uncle Posao my father.
I’ve never seen my real father, and I don’t even know what a father is.
I’m curious.
What kind of person was my dad?
“…”
* * *
I opened my eyes.
Sunlight is shining brightly through the window.
The morning seemed to have gone by quite a bit.
“Ugh… Mister. Wake up.”
I thought I overslept, so I tried to wake him up too.
For some reason there was no response.
When I looked under the bed, it was empty.
“… Huh?”
I came to my senses.
Uncle Posao… Not there?
My heartfelt cold.
I immediately got up from my seat and opened the window.
The streets were quiet.
I looked around the room again.
The man’s bag, boots, or clothes were not visible.
What happened?
“…”
I feel empty.
At some point, when I opened my eyes in the morning, there was always Mr. Posao nearby.
With her clothes over her face, she snores loudly.
The guy who made a stupid face when I woke him up and always said, ‘Joe, good morning, Tia.’
It’s strange.
At first, I didn’t even want that guy nearby.
Because I suddenly can’t see it… I feel somehow anxious and afraid.
Did he just leave alone?
I packed my bags and went down to the counter.
“Didn’t a man leave in the morning?”
“Man? There must be at least one or two men.”
“… A fat person.”
“Oh, that person? He went to the stable a little while ago. “He said he would go first because he didn’t want to wake his daughter.”
“Thank you. “I’m leaving the room.”
Ugh-! Anyway, it’s annoying!
I ran straight to the stable.
People were crowded at the ticket booth where carriage tickets were taken.
Yesterday, the bakery owner said that there were a lot of merchants going to Deseo, and that was probably why the waiting line was getting longer.
That guy… You knew this would happen, so you made the first move.
I overslept even after hearing that story in person yesterday.
Ha. I can’t believe I can’t pay close attention to such small things and make mistakes.
I have nothing to say.
I walked closer to see where Uncle Posao was standing.
“Puh-ha-ha!”
“Tsk tsk… “It’s funny.”
People giggled as they looked inside the ticket booth.
It felt like something funny had happened.
What is it?
I stuck my head out and took a peek inside.
A sarcastic voice was heard.
“Two, two? Does ‘two, two’ mean two or two in total, giving you four?”
“Oh, no… That’s not it… Two, two digits…”
“What are the doo-doo digits? “There is no such place?”
“Puhahaha!!”
The guests laughed loudly.
There were also people holding their stomachs and falling asleep.
But I couldn’t laugh.
The man who is being laughed at by everyone… Because it was Uncle Posao.
“Do you know how to speak properly? “Tell me straight.”
“Two seats…”
“Oh, that sounded a bit human-like just now. “I finally escaped the beast.”
“Hey in front! Do it quickly! Because I don’t have time!”
“If you can’t even speak properly, get out!”
The ticket booth clerk seemed to have no intention of selling tickets and continued to harass the man by imitating his slurred speech.
Behind the scenes, criticism mixed with profanity pours in.
It seemed like it had been like this even before I arrived.
Uncle Po Sao’s face was pale, and she was still sweating.
The employee chuckled.
“But what about this – I can’t give you a ticket.”
“Uh, why… You just said there were tickets, tickets…”
“There are tickets to give to people. But it has to be carried on a cart, not a carriage, right? “If we put pigs on people’s carriages, we would be in trouble.”
People burst into laughter.
“Puhahaha-!!”
“That makes sense!”
“Okay, I’ll put it on a cart, so pay more for the freight.”
“…”
The stable worker casually flicked the ticket away.
The ticket flutters and falls at your feet.
The man bent down to even pick it up.
“Hey-. Are you really going to get into the luggage compartment? Fuck, you really look like a pig.”
“Puh-ha-ha!”
That was the last laugh I heard from the onlookers.
Before I knew it, I had pushed all the people out and was striding into the ticket booth.
I don’t know what kind of expression he had.
The only thing I remember is the confused faces giving me space.
Kwaang-!
I slammed my fist down on the stand.
People all fell silent.
The surprised employee took a step back.
“… “What is this bitch?”
He warned in a quiet voice.
“Apologize right away.”
