< 125. In Search of the Scream (2) >
#125
“This is the village where I surrendered.”
It was definitely a scene I remembered. This was the village where Ronan killed someone turned himself in and was taken to the punishment unit.
Ronan slowly looked around. It must have rained the day before so there were puddles of water all over the streets. Ronan squatted in front of the puddle and checked his whereabouts.
‘…You could be mistaken for a beggar.’
Ronan laughed as he remembered what happened a little while ago. The clothes on his body were so frayed that the fact that they were covered in muddy water did not seem to be a major defect.
When I was wandering I always dressed like this. His face became slightly more sallow which seemed to correspond to the year he enlisted as a punitive soldier. He never expected that it would change not only his surroundings but also his body.
‘Everything is the same as then. ‘What was the name of the village?’
It was a fairly bustling village with well-paved roads and many pedestrians. At the end of the main road which extended far beyond the village there was a castle built.
Although it was a laughable castle compared to the imperial palaces of the archipelago it was a castle that could be regarded as such. Ronan seeing the family flag hanging on the watchtower snapped his fingers.
‘that’s right. It was ruled by Baron Dantel or something.’
I remembered being taken all the way there to go through the formalities of enlisting in the punishment unit. There was also a scene where the Baron who is usually busy playing came by and went on a rampage demanding that Ronan be killed with his own hands.
‘If the conscript officer hadn’t stopped him he would have killed that bastard too. ‘It’s a memory.’
It was not particularly strange as Ronan’s son was also among those he killed. Ronan who was recalling his old memories twisted his lips.
“What are you trying to show me this time?”
Ronan got up. He steeled his resolve and took a deep breath. The fragrant smell of baking bread hung in the slightly humid air.
Perhaps because it was a more powerful curse the image world seemed to be much more elaborately implemented. It was the same with Nimburton which I entered during the first week but it was completely indistinguishable from reality.
“What are you doing so dirty on the street?”
“If you don’t want to be beaten until you poop your pants just go on your way.”
“Hey…! This is why beggars these days…!”
Even the disdainful glances of passers-by who looked at him like a beggar seemed realistic. At that time Ronan’s eyes which were looking left and right stopped at one place.
“hmm?”
“Hehe eat a lot.”
A girl in her apron was crouching down. She was a small child who looked to be about seven or eight years old at most.
Every time he laughed his teeth with only the front teeth sticking out were revealed. But it wasn’t the little boy with missing front teeth that caught Ronan’s attention.
“Hmm?”
A big bastard was eating bread in front of the girl with her head stuck down. Her nicely curved tail was swinging from side to side of her. Ronan tilted her head.
“Where did I see that dog…?”
The slim back somehow looked familiar. The girl kept touching her while she was eating but she didn’t even kiss her so she was quite withdrawn. Then the dog who had finished eating the bread raised her head.
“Have you eaten everything? “He’s very kind.”
“…uh?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. He had no choice but to do so. His face was pointed like a wolf and his left ear was half cut off. It was impossible to confuse the blue eyes which were too wonderful to be stuck on a dog’s face. The dog started licking the girl’s face again after tasting her again.
“Ahaha it tickles!”
She never imagined that she would meet like this. Ronan who had been standing dumbfounded for a long time barely opened his mouth.
“…Sita.”
“month?”
The dog that was licking her girl looked back at Ronan. She was so stupid. The moment Ronan saw her blinking he was sure that the bastard was really Sita.
Sita’s aid riding on her shoulder and squealing. He wandered with Ronan for a little over a year and lost his life to poachers. In a way he was one of the culprits who enlisted Ronan in the punishment unit.
“Hey you…”
It was a reunion after decades. He was about to say something. A loud woman’s cry was heard from afar.
“Hey! Camilla! “I have an errand to run. What are you doing there?”
“Okay let’s go now!”
The startled girl stood up. Across the street from her a middle-aged woman was glaring at her her hands on her hips. Circumstantial evidence suggested that she was either the girl’s mother or her employer. The girl stroking her sitta for the last time ran towards the boulevard.
“Hehe I’m going. “Hello!”
She deftly navigated through the throngs of carriages and people coming and going. After regaining her appetite Sita quietly came and sat down next to Ronan.
“…how are you?”
“month.”
“Baby. “The owner is being beaten by a beggar but he just eats bread to make himself feel better.”
“Wolwol.”
Sita scratched her ears with her hind paws pretending not to hear her. Ronan laughed. She had forgotten for a moment that he used to be like this.
Although their wandering paths were quiet they traveled together but it was not a master-servant relationship. He was more of a personal companion who could take personal action whenever he wanted. He seemed to have missed seeing that even such a shameless appearance looked cute.
Coincidentally there was a butcher shop right next to it. Ronan bought a sausage with the coins he took from the pig and offered it to Sita. There are things to do anyway so there was no harm in having fun.
“I’ll give you this so help me.”
“month!”
Sita barked as if telling me to trust her. Ronan picked up a stick and switched the power source. Fortunately he didn’t have a sword but his abilities remained the same. Sparkling mana came up the tree branches.
“Find someone that smells like this.”
“month.”
Ronan let Sita smell it and then walked her away. Actually she didn’t think it would be possible to track her like this but that was none of her business. She just wanted to be with this dog.
Ronan and Sita walked through the village created by the image. After receiving her sausage and eating it Sita put her nose down on the ground and sniffed it intently.
There has yet to be anyone who can be called the culprit of the curse. Ronan who was looking at Sita’s back twisted her lips.
“Anyway…the fact that you’re alive means that it hasn’t happened yet.”
“month?”
Suddenly Ronan’s expression suddenly darkened. The incident that made him a punitive soldier occurred in this village.
“Even thinking about it again it sucks.”
Even though it was a distant past the memories were clear. The sixth day of Blue Pine Month. This happened when he became separated from Sita while staying in this village. The introduction began with witnessing the scene of a carriage accident.
A crowd of about a hundred people was gathered on the main street chatting. A colorful sadhu chariot was parked in the middle of the road. A woman who appeared to be her mother was sobbing holding something that looked like a sack that had been soaked in blood.
-Ahh! Aaaaa!!
It took Ronan a few seconds to realize it was a person. The child’s face and body trampled by her horse’s hooves were mangled beyond recognition.
Beside her Sita was dead with arrows stuck all over her body. It was four men and women who shot the arrows. They were giggling next to a young man who was kicking the driver’s shins for dirtying the carriage. The disgusting conversation was still pleasant to my ears.
-Why did you suddenly run that dog? Could this be the dog owned by that woman?
– I don’t know. Since I hit the nail on the head you buy the beer.
Among the onlookers no one offered a helping hand. Judging by his luxurious attire it seemed like the young man was a person of quite high rank. Ronan approached them slowly his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. One of those holding the bow rolled his eyes.
– ok? What is this beggar again?
I couldn’t remember much after that. The only thing he remembered was that when he came to his senses there were a lot of corpses lying around. The knife in his hand was completely broken and cut in half.
There were no more onlookers to be seen. The heads of young men and archers were rolling around at their feet. The kites who shot the arrows had tattoos of hooks symbolizing the poaching organization Caribolo.
-Caribolo….
It was after that incident that Ronan began to hate poachers. There were about ten corpses of men armed with armor lying around at the scene. Their armor was engraved with patterns similar to the flags on a castle in the distance.
He was a private soldier of a noble family. Only then did Ronan realize that the young man was Baron Dantel’s son. Ronan stomped on the young man’s head bursting it open and then picked up Sita’s body.
It was the moment when Sita was buried in the forest near her village and her steps were taken. The grass rustled and three or four village guards appeared. Terrified voices came out from their mouths as they aimed their spears at Ronan.
-Don’t move…! You monster!
Ronan threw away his sword without hesitation. He was taken into custody obediently and in recognition of his talent he was spared the death penalty and was sent to a punishment unit.
“shit.”
It’s been a while since I remembered a boring story. I don’t know how the image world will turn out but if no action is taken there is a high possibility that the accident will repeat itself sooner or later. Ronan shook his head.
“It’s not real anyway.”
If you move around with intention there is a chance that you can prevent an accident. But his purpose was not to play on the past.
Just like before all he had to do was wander around and when he found the culprit he would find it and cut it down. All you have to do is lure him in with sitaya sausages and stick around.
He said ‘I won’t die in real life either. ‘Because the future has changed.’
After Ronan’s return the empire was undergoing significant changes. As Nebula Clazier’s viciousness rose to the surface the noble world also experienced large-scale changes.
Nine out of ten incompetent people like Baron Dantel were deprived of their rights as lords. Accidents happen by coincidence so the girl would not have died.
‘So it has nothing to do with me.’
After repeating this Ronan took his steps again. The village built under the blue sky was extremely peaceful.
The smell of baking bread became even stronger. One step. Two steps. Ronan walked exactly ten steps and stopped in place.
“Fuck you.”
His feet wouldn’t come off as if glue had stuck to his soles. Even though he was in a bad mood he felt like he had to prevent the accident.
The problem was that I vaguely remembered the place but I didn’t know today’s date. At that time his familiar back came into view. Walking around with only the bones left was reminiscent of a water strider. Ronan’s expression brightened.
“aha.”
He was a boy who was in league with a pig that had been beaten by him. Ronan crept closer and put his arm around the boy.
“Yumma.”
“Hehehe! “You are!”
The water strider’s face turned pale. He struggled as hard as he could to escape but was unable to escape Ronan’s restraints. Ronan growled tightening his arms.
“shut up. If you don’t want to be beaten like that pig answer straight. “What day is today?”
“What is that all of a sudden…”
“How many days?”
“Wow…! Fu It’s the fifth day of Green Pine Month! huh! “It will be right!”
“what?”
Ronan frowned. It was the very day the accident occurred.
‘no way.’
The worst screenplay flashed through my mind. It may have been just an illusion but the body of the girl who gave Sita the bread looked similar to the lump of blood her woman was carrying.
‘Then the reason why this bastard rushed….’
Sita was not a mean person but she was someone who repaid the favors she received. Ronan suddenly realized that the outline of the woman who had called the girl was very similar to the woman who was crying.
Because I’m out of luck. Ronan muttered and threw all the remaining sausages in front of Sita.
“Wait here.”
“month.”
Sita calmly sat down and started eating the sausage. This was a really boring development. Ronan immediately turned around and started running towards the place where the accident occurred.
“No matter how cursed it is…!”
Fortunately it wasn’t that far away. The surrounding scenery passed by quickly. It was the moment Ronan turned the corner. As soon as the main road unfolded screams erupted.
“Aaaah!”
“It’s dangerous up here!”
A huge sadhu chariot was running down the main street. Compared to other carriages the speed was strangely fast. A coachman with his hat pulled down was spitting at passers-by.
“Hahaha!”
“Fuck.”
Ronan’s face hardened. No matter what it always catches people. In the middle of the street. About twenty steps in a straight line from the carriage the girl I had seen earlier was picking up the bread scattered on the ground.
“One…two….”
The distance to the carriage narrowed in an instant. The girl who belatedly heard the sound of her hooves turned her head.
“uh?”
A shadow suddenly appeared and covered the girl’s face. It was a shadow created by running horses.
“What is this kid?”
The coachman let out a curse as if he had found a troublesome rock. Of course she didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping. Ronan who had just reached the main street shouted with all his might.
“Fucking stop!”
But his voice was drowned out by the screams of the crowd. He was too late to save it himself. Ronan quickly assessed the situation and picked up a rock rolling at his feet. His arm disappeared from sight.
“ok?”
Bah! A rock flew in a straight line and hit the coachman’s head. Her coachman fell unconscious from her carriage. Wow. The sound of bones breaking rang out. The reins were pulled and the carriage’s course changed.
“Heeheeheehee!”
“damage!”
The startled horses started running wild. Although the speed slowed down a bit the distance was still too far to save the girl.
Could it be that I can’t find it this time? It was the car that made Ronan chew his lips. A shadow quickly jumped out and passed by him.
“Sita?”
“month!”
Sita ran like the wind and reached the girl in an instant. Her horse’s hoof was about to land on her head. Sita bit her girl by the nape of the neck and threw her down onto her street. Pow! Sita struck by her words flew far away.
“…!”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The flying dog’s body rolled around on the ground. The girl who barely saved her life ran to Sita.
“Dog!”
“Kkiiing…Kkiiing….”
Red blood was flowing from the bottom of Sita who was lying on the floor and giggling. Something broke in Ronan’s mind.
“you….”
It was a feeling I felt for the first time in a while. This is what happens when anger reaches its peak. It felt like bitumen was boiling in my stomach. At that time the carriage stopped in place. An irritated voice came from inside the room.
“Why stop? what’s the matter?”
Squeak – The fancy door opened and a woman got out of the carriage. She was very tall for a woman. She frowned when she saw her blood on her carriage.
“nastily.”
It was as if he was looking at a bug. Ronan seeing her face froze in place.
“what….”
“Tsk what is that beggar again?”
The woman clicked her tongue as Ronan’s eyes met hers. Her straight black hair reached down to her waist. Her outfit was different but it was clear she was someone he knew. Ronan’s mouth opened quietly.
“…senior?”
