Chapter 86 – Chapter 3: Boy at the General Store – 2
As the sun begins to set, the shadow on the window moves quickly.
It became night, then morning, then day.
A day passed in welcome.
Tia appeared at the general store just like yesterday.
Posao, who was sitting, heard footsteps coming from outside.
I quickly got up from my seat and opened the door before Tia knocked.
“Hehe. T, Tia. Hello?”
“… Hello.”
Although she greeted the guest with a bright expression, the girl’s face was dark.
Even when you enter the general store and sit down on the chair.
Tia looked helpless and depressed, as if she was worried about something.
Posao, who was watching, asked cautiously.
“What’s going on? Uh, your face is dark.”
“…”
The delicate angel hugged her tightly.
And she told what happened today.
“… “Ruyev has disappeared.”
“Luev? What do you mean?”
“They say I haven’t been seen since morning. He probably ran away with Mari… Ritz did that.”
“Well, that can’t be possible. Why?”
“Because of what happened two days ago.”
Of course, Posao also knew.
At that time. Because he must have overheard Ruev and Tia’s conversation in the basement.
“Did Ruev just yell at Tia?”
“Yes.”
Posao walked up to Tia, who was lowering her head.
Say it as if you are trying to comfort him.
“I-I…” I’m not sure what’s going on… “Ruyev, I think you made a mistake.”
“… No. There is definitely something wrong with me.”
“But Tee, saying such harsh words to Tia… It’s even more wrong!”
Tia pulled up to her knees and buried her face.
The guy who was silent for a while called Posao in a low voice.
“Mister.”
“Uh, huh?”
“Tell me honestly.”
Brightly shining eyes look back at Posao.
“That… “You didn’t tell anyone, right?”
The guy gulped and swallowed.
And he shamelessly nodded.
“Yes.”
“At that time, it was me and Luev. And there was only him. But everyone in the village knew. How did this happen?”
“… “Who are the witnesses?”
“Ritz said he saw it, but I’m not sure. She probably made it up to protect me. As for Ritz… Because it’s always been like that.”
Posao cleared his throat and sat down next to Tia.
And he wrapped his big hand around his small shoulder.
“It’s too late, don’t worry about it. Tia.”
“It’s all because of me. If only I had paid a little more attention… If only the soldiers had been stopped before they got here… There was no need for Lu Ye to get angry when he was so anxious…”
“T-Tia, you did your best.”
Swoosh- Swoosh-.
Posao gently strokes Tia’s back as she crouches and sniffles.
I could only watch in silence.
The owner of ‘that hand’ is… It should have been me.
I am the one who will heal the wounded Tia before anyone else.
I should have understood and sympathized with that feeling first.
However, Tia was receiving healing for her wounded heart at a general store, not at her pharmacy.
It feels like her heart is breaking.
I tried to reach out and stroke Tia, but my hand was insubstantial.
The hand that was really touching Tia’s body was Posao’s hand.
What’s the use of regretting it now?
All I see is just… Illusion of the past.
These are things that have passed and cannot be caught.
“Huh… Black…”
“Don’t cry… T, Tia.”
“Well…”
“I will help you somehow!”
Posao explained that he has some connections in nearby villages thanks to having run a general store for a long time.
No matter how far I ran, I wouldn’t have been able to escape the area around Dragonez yet.
He said that if he wrote a letter right now and distributed it to each village, his whereabouts might be found.
It was a false statement.
If Ruyev had decided to run away in the first place, he would not have gone to the nearby village.
Even the statement that there is a connection is questionable.
How can Posao, who is an outcast even in the village, believe that he has connections outside the village?
Tia probably didn’t know that fact either.
It didn’t matter whether what Posao said was true or not.
For Tia… Just saying ‘I will help you’ hurt me even more.
The guy who stole the tears smiled weakly.
“… Thank you.”
Posao clapped as if he remembered something.
“Ahhh! That’s right. “I’ll give you what Tia ordered.”
A huge body entered the warehouse.
As it rustles, it begins to search for something.
After a while. What he brought with him, saying, ‘I took everything that was left,’ was a thick bag of medicinal herbs.
Tia was surprised when she opened her bag.
There was a lot of Mushurin inside.
She asked as Tia was dumbfounded by what she couldn’t believe.
“Oh my god. How did you bring so much?”
Hehe… T, Tia says you need it. Use some strength, I tried…”
Posao told a long story about his adventures in retrieving precious herbs.
As soon as he received the order, he bought a bundle from Taildon and proudly said that he bought three bundles for a large sum of money from a vendor who happened to be down at the market.
“Incredible… Uncle.”
“Hey, this isn’t a big deal.”
“Wait. I’ll give you the money right now. … “Oh.”
All that came out of Tia’s pocket was a single gold coin.
“Sorry. I forgot and didn’t bring any money. “I’ll bring it back tomorrow, so is this okay for now?”
“No, no!”
Posao waved his hand and refused.
“Well, just take it! Me… I don’t have to take money.”
“… Yes?”
“T-It’s because I want to help Tia. Real dog, it’s okay!”
“But Mushurin is very expensive, right?”
“Not a big deal. “Well, to that extent.”
Tia glanced down at her herb bag.
As a guess, it was worth more than 10 gold.
For Posao, who made a lot of money in Deseo, 10 gold would literally be nothing.
But on the other hand, Tia didn’t have much money.
What he brought from Deseo was not ‘money’, but only a few drops of Dienbus, which disappears when you drink it.
“I feel so sorry for my uncle. He also borrowed a lot of money…”
“Boo, don’t feel burdened! I am… “T-Tia, I’m willing to give it to you.”
And when I saw him laughing, I burst into tears and got angry.
Crazy guy.
Of course, you have to give money.
No, you have to spit out everything you have and offer it to Tia.
Everything was made by Tia.
The capital to start her business was earned through hard work in the arena.
‘Avan’, who looked after them reassuringly, was also moved by Tia’s goodness and helped her.
Crucially, it was thanks to Tia’s excellent speech that she was able to instigate the nobles and attract investment funds.
All that pig did was put a spoon on the table that was all set.
But why are you saying things like that, as if you were being generous?
Of course, the owner of the money you have is Tia.
… But.
My Tia is so kind…
I thought I didn’t even have that natural right.
Under the illusion that this was Posao’s pure consideration.
Her face blushes and smiles.
“Really?”
“Well, that’s right! “I won’t exchange money, you can take it!”
“Hmm-.”
Tia held the gold coin tightly.
It seemed like he just put it back in her pocket.
Chin!
Suddenly, he grabs Posao’s arm.
“Naaah-?!”
Then, with some force, he opened Posao’s large hands.
Kuuk.
A small, white hand and a large, black hand overlap for a moment… It falls.
There was a gold coin deeply embedded in Posao’s palm.
Tia grins.
“But what do you want me to give you?”
The moment you see a bright smile.
It came to mind.
A gold coin that was forced upon me when I came to borrow a bandage.
The coin was as bright and warm as the morning sun.
The feel of Tia’s hand was so good that I rolled it over and over again whenever I was bored.
The memories that we thought only we could remember…
It was on Posao’s hand.
Hehe… Ah, okay.”
Her thick fingers are covered.
Between the cracks of that bastard’s pitch-black hands that even invaded Tia’s chest… The golden light is disappearing.
… I feel like everything is being taken away from me.
Throwing her herb bag over her shoulder, Tia prepared to head out.
“Oops. And I don’t think I’ll be able to come down to the general store starting tomorrow. “I guess I can see what people think a little bit.”
“Hey, what about the medicinal ingredients?”
“So…”
The guy pointed towards the backyard.
“It may be a bit too much to ask, but could you bring it to my house?”
“Tia’s house… ?”
“Yes. You can come up through that road from before. Since I am away from home a lot, I think you can just leave Mushurin at home.”
Posao scratched his head.
“It may be hard, but do it, I will try.”
“And the code for the wooden door is…” Hmm…”
A look of concern briefly appeared on Tia’s face.
Right then.
Amazing words came out of Posao’s mouth.
“T-It’s Tia’s birthday, right?”
“… !”
The guy laughed brightly at the surprised look on his face as he asked how he got it right.
“For some reason, I thought that would happen… Is that the right answer?”
“Yes… That’s right.”
“Then the password must be February 2-.”
“… Ah, anyway!”
Tia, her ears turning red, hurriedly opened the door.
“Please!”
“Okay. Joe, be careful!”
The guy kept laughing as he watched the girl running through the yard.
By the time the red hair disappeared from sight.
The guy turned his head and muttered to himself.
“The one who started the rumor… Well, I almost got caught… Hehe.”
As expected.
Although I was sure.
It was this guy.
The person who spread the rumor to the village below that Ruev broke into Tia’s house…
It was Posao.
For some reason, I didn’t understand that it wasn’t our village, but the people of Taildon who knew about it first.
Tia and I suffered without knowing anything.
Hwaaaaak-.
The memory illusion once again moved on to the next day.
Posao was climbing the secret passage, carrying a bag of medicinal herbs containing Mushurin.
This steep road was hard for that fat guy.
Sit down a few times to catch your breath, then repeat the climb again while making a groaning sound.
After a long time of climbing, we arrived at Tia’s house.
“Hey, it’s hard…”
With sweat dripping down his neck, Posao guessed the code for the wooden door.
Dalgak- Dalgrak.
And the moment you go up the stairs and open the door.
“Kwaaaaahh-?!
Tia, who was naked while trying to wrap her neck, screamed.
“Neaaaaa?”
“I’m going out! No… Don’t go out… Anyway, close your eyes!”
“Uh… Oh!”
“Ugh-.”
While Posao closed her eyes, Tia hurriedly got dressed.
Of course, there was no way this dirty and ugly guy would honestly close his eyes.
You can see the eyelids trembling and the corners of the mouth opening slightly.
… It’s certain.
“Mister!”
Tia, who had finished putting on her clothes, urged loudly.
“When you enter a lady’s house, at least knock!”
“Paddle… Knock? I didn’t say anything like that…”
“There are signals that only we can understand. Even when I went to the general store, I used this signal to call him-.”
Knock. Knock.
With an unusual beat, Tia pretended to pound the air.
“From now on, we will knock like this to let each other know. “You understand, right?”
“Uh, uhm…”
“Just come in and take a rest!”
Tia’s light welcoming gesture.
Just like when he introduced the house to me, this is how he accepts Posao with an expectant face.
… I had no choice but to look.
