“Enough!!”
A harsh, angered voice rushed into my ears. I opened an eye towards a man whose arms were folded.
Sitting on the branch of a tall tree, I could observe the ongoing affairs through the window of a building down below. More than ten people gathered within the confines of a four to five square metres room, so the pressure was palpable.
Flamme may be hot all year round, but once it turns winter, it can get quite chilly at times. That was especially true for this village high up in the mountains. Despite the cold, however, the room was filled with heat.
“Stop being stubborn and follow your heart for once! Be honest yourself!”
In the back centre of the room, a young man was chewing out an older man.
The latter didn’t lose his temper towards the former. The elder kept his calm, even as the younger man leaned his face forward to confront him.
“I am doing nothing of the sort.”
‘Haah,’ came an audible sigh. The youth, annoyed at the other man’s flippant attitude, raised his brows in vexation.
“This pig-headed father…!”
“Should you really be talking to me like that?”
“If it’s respect you want, then act like you deserve it!”
The young manーWolf Kua Luccaーwas arguing with his own father, the Chieftain of the Kua Tribe.
I brought up a knee and rested my chin on it.
A small sigh slipped out while watching the seemingly never-ending quarrel between the parent and child pair.
“When will I get to go back…?”
Three days had already passed since I, a spy from the Kingdom of Nebel, had returned to this village located deep within the mountains of Flamme.
My role was to act as a liaison between the Kua and the kingdom, so it was up to me to escort the ones who volunteered to work for the princess back to the royal capital.
However, never mind the fact that we haven’t even begun to pack for the journey ahead, I could barely hold back another sigh when I realised we haven’t gone anywhere with the talks.
Without a doubt, it wasn’t easy for them to decide on the spot.
We were dividing the whole clan in half… If the worst comes to pass, then it could concern the survival of the clan itself. For an outsider who isn’t involved, never mind only three days, I could be spending a month here doing nothing for all I know.
However, I witnessed the whole incident with the kingdom’s tomboy princess with my own eyes. The Kua have recognised that they’d rather not be tied down nor rely on their old traditions any longer.
When they acknowledged the princess, they had also acknowledged this change.
You’re free to go and you’re free to stay. It should’ve been a choice entrusted to the villagers themselves.
This was a debriefing. Or to put it in other words, a statement of their determination.
‘Who will continue living in the village as before?’ and ‘Who will leave and serve the princess in the kingdom?’ Those were the only options provided. I had guessed that there would be some internal strife within those that couldn’t come to an agreement as a family.
But who could’ve ever thought.
Opinions were divided in all families, and a line between the two sides was drawn overnight.
“And all you geezers too! What’s with ‘I’m ready to bury my bones in this village’ bullshit? Are you seriously saying that!?”
Wolf cried out.
The current Kua clan was cleanly cut into two camps; the side with the elderly who intended to stay, and another with the younger folks that wanted to leave.
“Naturally. I’m not quite as young as I used to be, so asking me to leave my home now would be a problem.”
“He’s right. It’s impossible for an antique like me to go abroad this late in my life. I’d rather take it slow and spend the rest of my days living here quietly.”
After sipping his tea, another elderly man agreed with his father’s words.
“I’ve also been feeling under the weather recently, so I can barely walk.”
“Then who the hell was running around gathering all the materials needed for the medicine during that pandemic a while back?”
The man in his forties sitting diagonally behind Wolf murmured those words ironically, but the old man remained indifferent, citing, ‘Ah, my ears are so bad these days…’ He’s a tough nut to crack alright.
“You should know, best of all…”
The chief spelled it out.
“…this is what we want.”
A deep wrinkle engraved itself between Wolf’s brows towards the childish tone that his father took.
“…If that’s really your intention, then who am I to say otherwise.”
“And I’m telling you that it is.”
“Liar! I know you all wanna go. You just didn’t want to become a burden to Marie or something stupid like that, right!?”
When they heard Wolf’s shout, all the elderly men’s eyes widened before they began to laugh their hearts out.
“Do I look like someone that admirable?”
“I… don’t think so, but still-!!”
Seems it was hard for Wolf to back up his words then. I was dazed from the seemingly endless conversation and let out a big yawn.
My speculations were not that far of Wolf’s own.
Maybe the old geezers really thought they’d burden the princess.
There was no proof, but even if a total stranger were to look at the Kua’s work in Wind during the outbreak, anyone would know that these people were all pharmacists at heart, and that they sincerely adored and absolutely trusted the princess.
Not only did they hold faith in her, but she had also offered them both ideal jobs and a workplace. There shouldn’t be any reason to refuse such a deal.
Even though they were arguing about living abroad, this was a family of pharmacists that have travelled the world over. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to think that there’s a slight chance the chieftain was reluctant to leave the village, where he and his people had been living for generations, for another land…
But whenever I recalled the chief’s words, saying he would gladly travel to the ends of the earth in order to save lives, I didn’t feel like that was some random half-assed sentiment.
If that’s the case, then why’s he so insistent on staying behind?
The only thing I could come up with was that he wanted to ‘refrain from burdening the princess.’
She may be a princess, but even so, it will be quite the task for her to employ a hundred people all at once, let alone any more. Not to mention the Kuas were foreign citizens. ‘Difficult’ wouldn’t be an exaggeration just to provide necessities like food, clothing, and shelter for the clan.
The same goes for their jobs. Surprisingly, medical care involves a lot of manual labour. For the young ones it should be easy enough, but the same thing couldn’t be said for the older folks. Perhaps they thought they were doing the princess a favour, especially when their bodies would only continue to deteriorate year by year.
If you can’t do it, then wish them all the best from afar. Something like that.
“Ahh, enough!”
The sound of a door opening followed by an irritated voice interrupted my train of thought.
When I glanced over, I saw Wolf storming out of the room while fluffing his hair into a mess. Apparently, the discussion abruptly came to a halt.
When he found me on the tree, he called my name, ‘Crowe,’ and tossed me a bamboo water bottle. Sitting at the roots, Wolf unscrewed one of his own.
After giving himself a cheerful swig, he crudely wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“…It’s pretty horrible of me to make you wait so long, huh?”
Wolf, with his eyes closed after a long sigh, said in a quieter voice than usual.
“Totally.”
At my bluntness, Wolf replied with a chuckle. It was clearly directed at himself.
“Sorry. To be honest, I’d like to be able to send you home sooner if possible.”
The moment he said, ‘send you home,’ surprisingly, Nebel popped into my head. And Nebel wasn’t even my birthplace.
In fact, it had only been a few years since I was hired by Randolf von Wervard, the King of Nebel.
My birthplace wasn’t anything great.
It was anything but beautiful.
“Enough!!”
A harsh, angered voice rushed into my ears. I opened an eye towards a man whose arms were folded.
Sitting on the branch of a tall tree, I could observe the ongoing affairs through the window of a building down below. More than ten people gathered within the confines of a four to five square metres room, so the pressure was palpable.
Flamme may be hot all year round, but once it turns winter, it can get quite chilly at times. That was especially true for this village high up in the mountains. Despite the cold, however, the room was filled with heat.
“Stop being stubborn and follow your heart for once! Be honest yourself!”
In the back centre of the room, a young man was chewing out an older man.
The latter didn’t lose his temper towards the former. The elder kept his calm, even as the younger man leaned his face forward to confront him.
“I am doing nothing of the sort.”
‘Haah,’ came an audible sigh. The youth, annoyed at the other man’s flippant attitude, raised his brows in vexation.
“This pig-headed father…!”
“Should you really be talking to me like that?”
“If it’s respect you want, then act like you deserve it!”
The young manーWolf Kua Luccaーwas arguing with his own father, the Chieftain of the Kua Tribe.
I brought up a knee and rested my chin on it.
A small sigh slipped out while watching the seemingly never-ending quarrel between the parent and child pair.
“When will I get to go back…?”
Three days had already passed since I, a spy from the Kingdom of Nebel, had returned to this village located deep within the mountains of Flamme.
My role was to act as a liaison between the Kua and the kingdom, so it was up to me to escort the ones who volunteered to work for the princess back to the royal capital.
However, never mind the fact that we haven’t even begun to pack for the journey ahead, I could barely hold back another sigh when I realised we haven’t gone anywhere with the talks.
Without a doubt, it wasn’t easy for them to decide on the spot.
We were dividing the whole clan in half… If the worst comes to pass, then it could concern the survival of the clan itself. For an outsider who isn’t involved, never mind only three days, I could be spending a month here doing nothing for all I know.
However, I witnessed the whole incident with the kingdom’s tomboy princess with my own eyes. The Kua have recognised that they’d rather not be tied down nor rely on their old traditions any longer.
When they acknowledged the princess, they had also acknowledged this change.
You’re free to go and you’re free to stay. It should’ve been a choice entrusted to the villagers themselves.
This was a debriefing. Or to put it in other words, a statement of their determination.
‘Who will continue living in the village as before?’ and ‘Who will leave and serve the princess in the kingdom?’ Those were the only options provided. I had guessed that there would be some internal strife within those that couldn’t come to an agreement as a family.
But who could’ve ever thought.
Opinions were divided in all families, and a line between the two sides was drawn overnight.
“And all you geezers too! What’s with ‘I’m ready to bury my bones in this village’ bullshit? Are you seriously saying that!?”
Wolf cried out.
The current Kua clan was cleanly cut into two camps; the side with the elderly who intended to stay, and another with the younger folks that wanted to leave.
“Naturally. I’m not quite as young as I used to be, so asking me to leave my home now would be a problem.”
“He’s right. It’s impossible for an antique like me to go abroad this late in my life. I’d rather take it slow and spend the rest of my days living here quietly.”
After sipping his tea, another elderly man agreed with his father’s words.
“I’ve also been feeling under the weather recently, so I can barely walk.”
“Then who the hell was running around gathering all the materials needed for the medicine during that pandemic a while back?”
The man in his forties sitting diagonally behind Wolf murmured those words ironically, but the old man remained indifferent, citing, ‘Ah, my ears are so bad these days…’ He’s a tough nut to crack alright.
“You should know, best of all…”
The chief spelled it out.
“…this is what we want.”
A deep wrinkle engraved itself between Wolf’s brows towards the childish tone that his father took.
“…If that’s really your intention, then who am I to say otherwise.”
“And I’m telling you that it is.”
“Liar! I know you all wanna go. You just didn’t want to become a burden to Marie or something stupid like that, right!?”
When they heard Wolf’s shout, all the elderly men’s eyes widened before they began to laugh their hearts out.
“Do I look like someone that admirable?”
“I… don’t think so, but still-!!”
Seems it was hard for Wolf to back up his words then. I was dazed from the seemingly endless conversation and let out a big yawn.
My speculations were not that far of Wolf’s own.
Maybe the old geezers really thought they’d burden the princess.
There was no proof, but even if a total stranger were to look at the Kua’s work in Wind during the outbreak, anyone would know that these people were all pharmacists at heart, and that they sincerely adored and absolutely trusted the princess.
Not only did they hold faith in her, but she had also offered them both ideal jobs and a workplace. There shouldn’t be any reason to refuse such a deal.
Even though they were arguing about living abroad, this was a family of pharmacists that have travelled the world over. At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to think that there’s a slight chance the chieftain was reluctant to leave the village, where he and his people had been living for generations, for another land…
But whenever I recalled the chief’s words, saying he would gladly travel to the ends of the earth in order to save lives, I didn’t feel like that was some random half-assed sentiment.
If that’s the case, then why’s he so insistent on staying behind?
The only thing I could come up with was that he wanted to ‘refrain from burdening the princess.’
She may be a princess, but even so, it will be quite the task for her to employ a hundred people all at once, let alone any more. Not to mention the Kuas were foreign citizens. ‘Difficult’ wouldn’t be an exaggeration just to provide necessities like food, clothing, and shelter for the clan.
The same goes for their jobs. Surprisingly, medical care involves a lot of manual labour. For the young ones it should be easy enough, but the same thing couldn’t be said for the older folks. Perhaps they thought they were doing the princess a favour, especially when their bodies would only continue to deteriorate year by year.
If you can’t do it, then wish them all the best from afar. Something like that.
“Ahh, enough!”
The sound of a door opening followed by an irritated voice interrupted my train of thought.
When I glanced over, I saw Wolf storming out of the room while fluffing his hair into a mess. Apparently, the discussion abruptly came to a halt.
When he found me on the tree, he called my name, ‘Crowe,’ and tossed me a bamboo water bottle. Sitting at the roots, Wolf unscrewed one of his own.
After giving himself a cheerful swig, he crudely wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“…It’s pretty horrible of me to make you wait so long, huh?”
Wolf, with his eyes closed after a long sigh, said in a quieter voice than usual.
“Totally.”
At my bluntness, Wolf replied with a chuckle. It was clearly directed at himself.
“Sorry. To be honest, I’d like to be able to send you home sooner if possible.”
The moment he said, ‘send you home,’ surprisingly, Nebel popped into my head. And Nebel wasn’t even my birthplace.
In fact, it had only been a few years since I was hired by Randolf von Wervard, the King of Nebel.
My birthplace wasn’t anything great.
It was anything but beautiful.
