TCRDG 18

“Take me with you. I really wanted to go.”

“Of course. I’ll be there all the time now, so come whenever you want.”

Suddenly, Seniel stood up, staggered over to my side, and leaned on my chair, burying his face in my lap.

“What do you mean?”

“When I went there, the cabin was still intact. I’m thinking of opening a shop there.”

“…? But you can’t cook.”

“I don’t need to cook. I’ll sell drinks instead.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“How could you make such a decision without even discussing it with me? I’m really hurt.”

Still with his face buried in my lap, Seniel sniffled quietly.

I gently held him in my arms, still so soft and fragile in front of me.

“Unlike before, we can see each other whenever we want now. Just visit often.”

“…That’s nice.”

As he continued to cling to me, acting spoiled, Seniel suddenly lifted his head.

“But, sis. Will you be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m… really worried. What if someone dies after eating something you made… mmph.”

His eyes were already half-closed when he muttered that, and then he collapsed to the side.

“Seniel? Are you asleep?”

Leaving behind the bittersweet moment, I seriously debated whether I should give his forehead a flick.

They say drunk words are the truest.

“I’m not that bad, come on.”

Seeing Seniel worrying even in his drunken state, I wasn’t sure whether to be touched or insulted.

Feeling unfair, I gave his cheek a firm pinch.

As he collapsed to the side, his head bumped into Orbis’s.

“Asleep, they still look like kids.”

Who would believe these two once played major roles in the war?

Shaking my head, I pulled the blanket I had draped over Orbis and covered both of them with it.

“I’ll move them,” said the butler, who had been quietly waiting for the drinking to end.

But I raised my hand to stop him.

“Leave them. Let them suffer a little so they won’t do this again.”

“What if they catch a cold…?”

“It’s still summer. They’ll be fine. They’re both super healthy.”

Still worried, the butler stared at them, but I gently pushed him down the stairs and went into my room.

The next day.

After nudging the two still sprawled out in the living room awake with my foot, I started packing my bags.

I came with one bag but was now leaving with five, making me frown.

“Did I pack too much?”

Not really, but I did buy clothes and shoes to blend in better, and gathered a few things for the shop.

Since I was heading into the mountains, I had to take whatever I could.

Things like utensils and ingredients for the store could wait until after I cleaned up the cabin.

As I stared at the now-heavy bags, Seniel entered, yawning widely.

“Sis, how could you leave us outside like that? So mean.”

“Then don’t get drunk and fall asleep anywhere. In the future, I mean.”

“Tch. I’ll carry these, okay?”

With a pouty look, Seniel picked up two bags and walked out.

Orbis followed soon after, carrying some bags too.

“Sis, are you really going to open a shop?”

“Yeah. So come visit.”

“I’m so jealous. My childhood dream was to become a business owner. I’m seriously jealous.”

“You should do it too someday.”

“Actually, I have a plan. But it’s kind of embarrassing… I’ll tell you when we’re closer.”

I was about to tell Orbis that I probably wouldn’t live to hear that plan but just shrugged instead.

The butler helped carry the last of the bags.

“Thank you for everything. I had a really comfortable stay.”

“Please come by anytime. It’s my joy as an old man.”

Just as I was about to get on the carriage, I heard someone running toward me.

“Unnieee—! Wait up!”

“Eribel?”

She must’ve run from far away—her face was flushed, and she looked like she was about to collapse.

“Are you okay?”

“I thought… you might leave without even saying goodbye. I ran so hard…”

“Seniel will be here all the time.”

I pointed at Seniel, already sitting in the carriage. Her eyes widened briefly, but then she shook her head and looked up at me.

“Not oppa. You, unnie.”

Her big eyes quickly filled with tears.

“Are you really leaving?”

“Yeah. I was only a guest here.”

Unable to hide her sadness, Eribel burst into tears.

Remembering she lived with her grandfather without parents, I knelt to meet her eyes.

“I’ll write you letters. Come visit sometime.”

“Really? I can?”

“Yeah, but don’t come alone. Bring your grandfather or someone.”

“Okay! I’ll definitely come!”

Realizing this goodbye wasn’t forever, she brightened a little.

As I stood back up, Eribel handed me a basket she had been struggling to carry.

“You liked my eggs, remember? Since you won’t get to eat them anymore, take her with you!”

“Cluck cluck! Cluck!”

The chicken, calm until now, started flapping wildly like it understood her words and tried to escape.

I quickly grabbed its wings and stuffed it back into the basket, shaking my head.

“That’s your chicken. You raised it.”

“I have more. This one’s the youngest. Take good care of her.”

Her eggs were especially tasty. I’d probably miss them, so after some hesitation, I accepted the basket.

“Alright.”

“You have to write to me! Promise!”

Leaving the teary Eribel behind, I got into the carriage.

Seniel, already inside, burst out laughing when he saw the chicken.

“You’re really taking that chicken?”

“Cluck!!”

The chicken flapped its wings again.

It even had a ribbon awkwardly tied around its neck. It was funny and kind of cute.

Inside the basket were chicken feed and its food bowl.

“Is this your emergency food supply?”

Seniel smacked his lips while looking at the chicken, and it started flapping its wings again, trying to escape.

“Cluck cluck cluck!!!”

“Watch your mouth. I think it understands you.”

“Really? If you keep being noisy, I’ll cook you!”

The chicken immediately fell silent.

Seniel and I exchanged surprised glances.

‘Is that even a chicken?’

‘Is it some kind of transformed creature?’

Either way, it didn’t make another sound for the rest of the journey.

By the time my neck was stiff from sitting in the carriage for over a day, we arrived at Mount Allane.

We came as far in as possible, but the path ended there.

“From here, we have to walk.”

“I’ll carry everything. You just lead the way.”

Seniel puffed his chest, confident, but it wasn’t something two people could carry alone.

With the coachman’s help, the three of us split the load and walked into the forest, retracing our previous route.

The sky had been cloudy the whole way, and just as we entered the forest, it started pouring.

It quickly got dark, making it even harder to find the path than last time.

We were soaked, both hands full, and lightning began to flash.

“Sis, are you sure this is the right way?”

“Don’t you remember? There should be a cloth tied around here… Ah, found it!”

Thankfully, we didn’t wander too long before spotting the cloth tied to a tree.

We passed through the bushes until the cabin came into view. In this weather, it looked like a haunted house.

“Wow, it’s really here. I can’t believe we came back.”

Seniel looked emotional.

“The graves were out back, right?”

“Yeah. But we’re soaked… and it’s dark. Let’s visit them in the morning.”

“I’ll go now. You head inside.”

Seniel put down his bags and went toward the graves.

Standing at the door, I took out the key I’d gotten from the bank.

We hadn’t gone inside last time, so my hand trembled as I turned the knob.

Click.

The door opened, revealing the familiar interior of the cabin.

It had aged and faded, but it still held traces of the day we left.

Seniel and I’s room, even our parents’ room—everything was the same, bringing back odd feelings.

“There’s a lot to do. I’ll have to sort the stuff and clean…”

The dust made me cough, so I opened the window to air it out, but the rain and wind rushed in, so I quickly shut it again.

The coachman set up a spot to sleep and lit the fireplace.

I dried my wet hair and body with a towel and warmed myself by the fire, slowly feeling the chill fade.

“Sis!”

Seniel entered, walking face-first into a spiderweb.

“Did you pay your respects?”

“Yeah. But… can you really live here alone? It’s way deeper in the mountains than I remembered.”

Worried, Seniel inspected every corner of the cabin.

“I’ll bury barrier stones around. Wild animals might show up, and they’ll keep them out.”

Enchanted stones made from processed mana crystals were expensive.

Using them just to keep animals away felt like a waste, but I nodded to reassure Seniel.

After lots of nagging and advice, Seniel fell quiet when he looked into our parents’ room.

We considered sorting through their belongings, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

“Let’s leave this room alone.”

“Yeah… that’s probably best.”

So we left it untouched and sat in the living room.

“I’ll visit often. And write every day.”

“It’s a long trip. Don’t bother. Just focus on your training.”

That night, we reminisced and shared old stories by the fire.

When morning came, Seniel got back in the carriage and left with the coachman.

I returned to the cabin and, in the bright daylight, realized there was even more to do.

Cough.

I coughed again and opened the windows wide to air the place out.

Unlike last night, the sunlight poured in with a fresh breeze.

With a broom, I swept away the spiderwebs around the cabin.

It felt satisfying to clean even the ones Seniel had walked into.

“Cluck cluck—!”

“Ah, time to feed you.”

Right on cue, the loud chicken called out, and I handed it some feed, which it eagerly pecked at.

Watching it eat, I began to think about how I’d live from now on.