Chapter 5 – Chapter 1: Big House – 2
“Your house? If it’s your house… Aunt Sherry’s?”
“No-! “Big house!”
Tia’s house was located in the shadow of a forest at the bottom of a hill, near a stream.
The house was called ‘the big house.’
Simply because it was the largest among the houses in this village.
But unfortunately, no one lived there.
It is said that this is where Tia once lived with her parents.
Until her father went missing and her mother died of illness.
Afterward, Tia came to live with Aunt Sherry, and she heard that her big house was left abandoned…
“It’s clean?”
When I arrived, surprisingly, it looked fine.
Whoever took care of it recently removed all the vines that had covered the roof, and a new fence that had collapsed was put up.
Tia stood in front of the wooden door with ‘Anseer’ written on it.
Tia Antheer.
This is Tia’s real name.
In the old days, this house would have been called ‘Anthea Ne’.
Dalkakdalgak-.
Tia started fiddling with something in front of the door.
It was the ‘password’ for the wooden door.
Uniquely, the door had a groove in the shape of a plow, and it opened when conditions were met by moving a piece of wood inserted in it.
Of course, only Tia knew the password.
Crash. Kkeikik-.
When the door opened, sunlight flooded into the dark interior.
To be honest, she couldn’t help but be surprised.
The large house, which was almost like an abandoned house, was very neatly organized and even decorated in a cozy way, giving a sense of living.
On a small bed, shirts and shorts hung on the wall. And there is a vase of flowers by the window.
Lastly, the candle wax that melted and stuck to the stool, and the wide-open 〈 World Adventure Record 〉.
I realized it there.
The owner of such a neat room in our village… There is only Tia.
“Here… “Did you make it your home?”
Tia puffed out her chest as if showing off.
“Yes!”
“Why? “There’s Aunt Sherry’s house.”
“You can’t live on this forever. “I’ve renovated it little by little to make this my home from now on.”
She even renovated it herself to live in this old house where she lived with her parents.
Surprising. At the same time, it was so special.
“It must have taken a long time.”
“So I got hurt a little bit-.”
For some reason, the scars on my body increased, and I wondered why I kept bringing bandages with me. It wasn’t because of the training, but because I was fixing up this house.
If a girl can do the work by herself that needs to be done by several men.
How hard was that effort and hardship?
“Ritz. “Come here.”
I passed through the room and went to the back door.
A large yard with evenly compacted land appeared.
I thought they were going to make a vegetable garden here, but there was no such thing, and there was just a large cylindrical tree planted in the middle.
Ah, this… That’s it.
Tia pulled out a short sword and handed it to me.
“Catch it.”
“What about the right to veto?”
“Nothing.”
“As expected.”
“You’ve been confined to the pharmacy these days. “You have to move your body a little to be healthy.”
An inexplicable situation in which you are suddenly dragged to your childhood friend’s house while you are at work and are nagged at…
I think I fully understand how Uncle Marvin felt when he was ripped off by Aunt Olivia.
“Let’s see…”
I’ve held it before, but this short sword is quite heavy.
Did you say the name of her sword was ‘Rose Sabel’?
They say it’s a keepsake from Tia’s mother, who was an adventurer… Perhaps because she had small hands, the hilt of the sword was short, and the blade felt thinner than that of mercenaries.
Nevertheless, it certainly had sharpness and weight, so its power as a weapon seemed sufficient.
“Now, take a stance like this.”
Tia held her sword horizontally above her head, saying it was her basic skill.
She tried to follow along, but she didn’t like something, so she kept correcting it one way or another.
Why am I doing this in broad daylight?
It’s not about learning swordsmanship, it’s about just playing with Tia.
Thinking about it that way made her feel a little at ease.
It was a time when I lost my mind and just did what I was told.
“No! “No!”
Tia ran up behind me and wrapped her arms around me as if hugging me.
“You have to apply this much force! Otherwise, you’ll get hurt!”
Ah, Tia.
I really appreciate your kind guidance to correct my poor posture.
Kuuk.
There’s something touching my back, a strange feel, and it’s bothering me…
“Ritz. Are you listening to me?”
“Uh? Uh huh.”
“Like this. Screaming naturally…”
Kuuuk.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Tia has grown up too.
Although not as voluptuous as her aunts, this little pouch weighs down her shoulders, definitely making a statement.
What should I say?
The contrast between the hard sword hilt in her hand and the soft feeling pressing against her arm… It creates an indescribable feeling that is both pleasant and uncomfortable.
“Ha!”
I gained strength without even realizing it.
Hissing-!
A sharp sound that tears the air.
At the same time, Tia’s hot breath touched the back of her neck.
It has a subtle sweet apple scent.
Hot. It’s so hot it’s crazy.
It feels like the hot sun is burning my back.
Is it because I was swinging a heavy sword, or because heated blood was sprayed all over my body?
No. Let’s focus.
You have to get rid of distracting thoughts.
Apply firm force to your wrist and draw the sword sharply.
Wow-!
A wonderful trajectory was created.
Tia shouted in an excited voice.
“Wow! Look! You can do it! “It was quite plausible just now!”
“Whoa.”
“Good. Next time…”
“Ah, stop. Let’s stop. “It’s hard.”
“To-? Already? Ritsu should know how to protect herself at least! “I’ll teach you!”
“It’s okay. “I also know how to keep my body in order.”
She quickly got out and sat down on the steps in the backyard.
My heart was beating so fast that I needed to calm down.
She gripped her sword so hard that she couldn’t feel it in her fingers.
My back is wet. It feels like I just got rid of a year’s worth of sweat.
Tia opened her leather canteen, gulped, and wiped her mouth.
“Do you want a drink?”
“Okay.”
She was handed a canteen, and she drank it right away.
It was cold water freshly drawn from the stream.
As the excitement began to rise, her excited heart sank little by little.
I was about to close her cap and give it back when Tia’s eyes met hers.
The guy was staring at me.
“… Why?”
“Huh? Oh, no. “Nothing.”
Tia scratched her cheek.
That was definitely an action that was ‘nothing.’
Wow. Don’t you know how long I’ve been seeing you?
Hmm. I guess I was bored at the moment, let’s have some fun.
“Tia. “This winter is the baptism.”
“Yes.”
“You know, as a celebratory ritual, you drink alcohol and dance with your partner, right?”
“… Yes.”
“Who are you going to do it with?”
Tia’s eyes were slightly shaken.
It’s fun.
If you asked me the opposite, my answer was already decided.
Isn’t it natural? No matter how much I think about it, the most suitable person for me is only you.
On the other hand, even if you think about it from Tia’s point of view, I would be the only one.
It is a mischievous question that asks for an already predetermined answer.
Still, there is nothing more appropriate than this to pick on that guy.
As expected, the attack that caught me off guard was successful.
Tia looked embarrassed haha. She smiled and scratched her cheek again.
“Of course…”
That time when I was looking forward to what he would say.
“Also. “I wondered where she had gone, and she was here.”
Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind me.
When I looked back, I saw Ruyev walking slowly from inside the house.
“Ruyev?”
Why is that guy…
Are you here?
“How do you know this place…”
“What. Should I not know?”
Luyev sighed in annoyance and stroked his blond hair.
“I built half the fence in this house, and I made most of the furniture. If you don’t know this place, you’re an idiot.”
What does that mean?
Didn’t Tia remodel this house by herself?
So does that mean Ruyev helped?
… Probably so.
Ruyev walked all the way here as if he was already familiar with this house.
Tia crossed her arms dissatisfied.
“But don’t come into my house without permission.”
“Then why don’t you at least answer when I call you? “I’ve been walking around all day looking for you?”
“Looking for me? Why. What’s going on?”
“He gave permission to go now.”
“… !”
She was so startled that Tia opened her eyes wide and clenched her fists.
It was my first time seeing her face so excited.
“Really? The village chief? “So quickly?”
“Okay. Hurry up and get ready to go. Because it’s late.”
Suddenly, the two started talking about something, and Tia ran into her house with a very excited face.
“… “What is it?”
I can’t figure out what we’re talking about.
Tia and Ruev began to move diligently as if they had made a promise to each other.
Slurp- Chuck.
Tia fastened her belt and put on her short sword. She wore her hiking robe and boots tightly.
Now I see that Ruyev has roughly completed his preparations.
“Wait for a sec. What on earth are you guys doing?”
“Hey. Tia, didn’t you tell Ritz?”
“Oh! I’m sorry, Ritz!”
The guy looked truly sorry.
“I have a place I need to go urgently now.”
“Where?”
“Behemoth.”
“Behemoth?”
That was the name of a waterfall that can be reached far north after passing the mountain peak.
I’ve known the name for a long time, but I’ve never been there.
This is because Behemoth is outside the ‘line’.
But are you going there?
Since we haven’t been baptized yet, we can’t cross the line.
Tia nudged Luyev with her elbow.
“I spoke to the village chief today, and he gave me permission to go. And he told me that if I was going to go, I should go with this guy…”
“Ah… Really?”
“Yes.”
A suffocating and awkward air flows.
Of course, it is right for Ruyev, who knows the outside path well and has better physical strength than the elders, to go…
Even though I understood it intellectually, I felt very uncomfortable.
In the meantime, wherever we went, we moved separately, alone, in pairs, or all together.
But Tia and Ruev are going somewhere alone.
There has never been a case like this before.
Ruyev asked bluntly.
“What about bandages?”
“Ah, here.”
Tia took out her bandage from her pocket and handed it to Ruyev.
That… This is the bandage I gave you during the day.
The meaning of asking for two was to give one to that guy.
“There is no time for this. Let’s go quickly.”
Luyev suddenly grabbed Tia’s arm and dragged her outside.
“Ugh! Now, wait! Hey! “Don’t pull!”
“You said let’s go, man. “It’s late now, so where is the time to procrastinate?”
“Ah Okay-! “I got it!”
The voices of the two people become increasingly distant.
The door, which was wide open, was pushed shut by the wind.
Boom.
“…”
What is this?
Did you give Tia permission to cross her line?
Why did the uncommunicative village chief, who had never once let people outside the village, suddenly change his mind?
After taking a deep breath and thinking calmly, he seemed to understand the reason.
The person who suggested opening a village… It’s me.
The village chief simply believed and followed my opinion. There is nothing wrong.
And as expected, Tia was very happy.
She showed a very bright smile when told that she could step outside the line.
I am satisfied with that.
“… But.”
However… Why do I feel stuffy and stuffy?
