Chapter 123
Kay bustled about, bringing over teacups and a teapot. However, there weren’t enough chairs, so Ferrante had to drag over a small side table and sit on that instead.
“These are tea leaves I picked and dried myself. The aroma is really nice.”
As Kay said, the moment he put the leaves into the teapot and poured in hot water, a rich fragrance whooshed out and quickly filled the cabin.
“So how did my little puppy end up falling and spraining his ankle?”
Grandmother gently ruffled Kay’s hair. Kay smiled bravely.
“I tripped on a rock while I was coming here.”
“You should have been more careful.”
Her deeply etched wrinkles were full of concern.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing, really.”
“Even so, it would be better for you to rest for a few days and not go up into the mountains.”
“No, I can’t. Once the weather gets colder, it’ll be hard to gather the herbs that are weak against the cold. I need to collect as many as I can before then.”
Instead of replying, Grandmother let out a deep sigh.
Riette felt like she understood what that sigh meant.
She wanted to stop her grandson, but their situation didn’t allow it, so she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Watching the scene quietly made Riette’s chest feel tight, and she turned her gaze to the crackling flames of the stove.
She caught a glimpse of Ferrante’s profile. His pale face was tinged red by the glow of the fire.
His expression was stiff enough to be obvious. Riette found that surprising.
Just a moment ago, he had acted like the kindest, most innocent person in the world toward Kay.
Yet the moment they stepped into this house, the atmosphere around him completely changed.
What a strange guy.
That was how Riette summed up Ferrante as she blankly stared at the fire.
For a while, silence lingered.
The first to break it was Kay’s grandmother.
“Kay, don’t overdo yourself because of me. If it really comes down to it… we can sell the dagger.”
Though her voice was calm, Kay jumped to his feet as if he’d heard something unbelievable.
“Grandma, no! You can’t!”
“I know you’re not getting a fair price for the herbs.”
Kay’s eyelashes trembled anxiously.
“How do you know that…?”
“Every night after I fall asleep, you sigh deeply while going over the ledger.”
Kay clenched his fists.
“Grandma, that’s—”
“That’s enough. Let’s sell the dagger before the end of this week. Family heirloom or not, such things only have value when the people are healthy.”
Grandmother lowered her gaze to Kay’s foot.
“I don’t want my only grandson climbing the mountains with an injured foot.”
Kay said nothing more. He just bit down hard on his lip, then stood up and went outside.
One of his legs had already been bad to begin with, and the other had been injured today, so the way he walked out looked painfully difficult.
Grandmother watched his retreating figure, then turned to Riette and Ferrante.
“I’ve shown you something shameful in front of guests… cough, cough.”
“It’s nothing,” Riette said, waving her hands, but Grandmother weakly shook her head.
“I’m sorry. You went out of your way to bring Kay home, and all I can offer you is this tea.”
“We didn’t bring Kay back to be treated,” Riette said gently, trying to comfort her.
Grandmother’s pale lips curved into a faint smile.
“…There are still many good people in this world. If Kay could grow up around good people, he could become an even brighter, finer person… I’m just sorry.”
Cough, cough.
Covering her mouth as she continued to cough, Kay’s grandmother stared out the window with distant eyes.
“With a perfectly good ankle sprained like that, how could he think of climbing such a rugged mountain…?”
Once again, Riette felt a pang of pity for Kay’s situation.
The hills where the herbs grew were never easy to climb, and with an injured leg, it must have been even harder.
And yet, at such a young age, he had lived as an herbalist.
When she had seen his hands while he poured the tea earlier, they were covered in wounds. He looked far thinner than other kids his age, too—she wondered if he even ate properly.
“By the way, where do you two live? This is a cabin on the mountainside, and there aren’t any other houses nearby, so you’re not neighbors, are you? Once the sun sets, it’ll be hard to cross the mountain to go back.”
At her words, Riette turned to look at Ferrante.
He looked a little flustered as well.
They had followed the boy the spirit stone had led them to, and they couldn’t very well part ways here.
Kay surely held some clue that would help them learn the spirit stone’s name.
Just then, Grandmother offered kindly, a gentle smile on her face.
“If you’re tired, you’re welcome to stay the night here. It’s shabby, but there are rooms on the second floor.”
Her gaze settled on the small bag Riette was carrying.
“You look like travelers, after all…”
Indeed, Riette and Ferrante didn’t look like locals. Their cold-weather robes, and Riette’s bag packed for the snowy plains, made that clear.
Grateful for the timely offer, Riette nodded quickly.
“Yes, we’d be very grateful if you’d let us stay.”
Ferrante likewise murmured his thanks and agreed to stay.
“There are two rooms upstairs. Please choose one each. I’m not good at seeing in the dark, so I don’t think I can guide you up there.”
Smiling and thanking her, Riette was just about to head up the stairs when—
“Um…”
Grandmother’s voice stopped her. Riette turned back.
“I’m sorry to ask, but after you put your things away… could you please go and look for Kay? I’m worried about him…”
She fidgeted anxiously with her fingers.
Outside the window, the sky had already grown dark. Being so close to the mountains, it felt like night fell much faster than in the city.
Kay wouldn’t have gone far with his bad leg, but there was always the risk of wild animals. It would be better to look for him before the night grew too deep.
“Yes. We’ll put our things down and then go look for him.”
“Thank you. And please be careful—the ceiling upstairs is low.”
“We will.”
With Riette’s smiling reply, she and Ferrante went up to the second floor.
The ceiling was so low it nearly brushed the top of Riette’s head. Ferrante had to stoop slightly.
At least we get separate rooms.
If she had to share a room with Ferrante, it would be like sleeping beside an enemy.
Besides, if Evan ever found out they’d shared a room, she could already imagine the look on his face.
Riette’s gaze moved back and forth between the two doors facing each other across the narrow hallway.
Though with such flimsy doors, it felt like he could open them at any time…
She suddenly snapped her head toward Ferrante and glared at him.
“You’re not going to try to kill me again, right?”
“Not while we’re in the middle of the spirit stone’s trial.”
Hmm… It really did feel like the spirit stone might be watching them from somewhere. In that case, it would be hard to use any underhanded methods.
Still, Ferrante’s dark expression from earlier bothered her.
It seemed like seeing Kay’s hardship had reminded him of his own poor past, but the mood lingering this long felt excessive.
“What’s wrong with you?” she finally asked.
Ferrante tilted his head slightly.
“About what?”
“You’ve looked gloomy for a while now.”
With his hand on the doorknob, Ferrante paused briefly, then opened the door and stepped inside.
“Don’t worry about it.”
The door closed with a curt voice.
Riette clicked her tongue inwardly.
She didn’t understand why he kept withdrawing into his own world. They should have been focusing on solving the spirit stone’s trial.
Well, I guess that’s fine for me.
Shrugging, Riette went into her own room.
She needed to put her things down quickly and go look for Kay.
After setting her belongings aside, Riette headed out to search for him, her body feeling lighter. As she left, she glanced at Ferrante’s door—it was tightly shut.
Outside, Riette slowly swept her gaze through the darkness.
Maybe because they were deep in the mountains, it was far darker than the city, and she had to stay alert.
Normally, I’d use spirit magic to create light and illuminate the path.
Once you got used to spirit magic, it really was convenient in every way—she found herself missing it at moments like this.
I can’t believe I’m already feeling frustrated about not being able to use spirit magic after just one day here.
As she looked up at the sky, one person suddenly came to mind.
Don’t tell me… Evan is still standing out there in the snow, waiting for me?
No—it was very likely that he was. She needed to finish the spirit stone’s trial and get back out quickly. If Evan thought she had died again, he might lose control.
Growing anxious, Riette hurried her search for Kay.
He couldn’t have gone far.
As she wandered around the house, she suddenly noticed the sound of water cutting through the still night air.
Listening closely and following the sound, the splashing grew louder.
Soon, she discovered a stream at the bend of a hill.
The sound of flowing water cut refreshingly through the night air. Fireflies glimmered here and there in the darkness, creating a truly beautiful natural scene.
Splash!
Something fell into the stream.
Turning her head, Riette saw Kay sitting on a rock, blank-faced, tossing pebbles into the water.
“Kay?”
When she softly called his name, his amber eyes glimmered faintly.
“Big sister…?”
Riette approached him carefully, as if drawing near a timid wild animal.
“Your grandmother said she was worried, so I came to find you.”
At the mention of his grandmother, Kay’s face fell. For the first time, he looked like a boy his age.
A child was, after all, still a child.
“I was going to go back when it was time, but Grandma worries about everything…”
Then Kay suddenly lifted his head and looked at Riette.
“Come to think of it, don’t you and that brother have to go back to the village?”
“Ah… Grandma said we could stay the night, so we’re going to impose on your house today.”
Kay blinked.
“I see…” he said, then scratched his head awkwardly.
“The second floor is really small, and I don’t get to clean it often, so it’s probably messy…”
“For people imposing on you, just having a place to sleep is more than enough.”
Riette meant it sincerely.
She did have a little money in her bag, but this was sixty-three years in the past of the Truto Empire, and the currency was different.
In other words, she had no usable money.
If she couldn’t stay at Kay’s house, she would’ve had to sleep outside.
“You and that brother are really strange. You help someone you just met, and you speak so kindly… I think you’re the nicest adults I’ve ever seen.”
Riette’s conscience, having approached him with an ulterior motive, pricked her again—but it was also true that she genuinely cared about Kay’s situation.
Unlike her life as a noble, the lives of commoners were this fierce and harsh.
Of course, not every commoner lived like this, but it still made her reflect on herself.
While claiming to enact policies for the people of the Truto Empire, had she only been caring for them superficially?
As Riette berated herself inwardly, Kay’s hesitant voice reached her ears.
“So… um… there’s something I want to tell you, Big Sister.”
