Episode 74 Red Death (3)
Rainy and windy jungle.
The tents on the walls flutter noisily.
A bonfire was burning in the barracks.
The sound of hot breathing resounds above the bed, where the light is dimly reddening.
Alas. A girl who had just turned fourteen was lying there moaning.
Light spots on the skin. Red death! It was slowly eating away at the girl’s body.
Ahul’s brother Ahhun clung to Bikir with a contemplative face.
“I beg you, Bikir! Please save my sister!”
“…”
Bikir approached Ahul with his mouth shut.
Red spots on the skin Uncontrolled bowel movements Rising body temperature Joint pain Swelling in the neck, armpits and groin.
All these are signs of the red death.
“Why did this happen?”
“I went to the swamp to cut down trees for civil engineering work, and stop…”
Ahhun answered instead.
Aheul was probably infected when he went deep into the wetlands to cut down trees.
“What about a slave?”
Iyan asked with a worried expression.
However, since he has already fallen ill, there is nothing he can do about it even if he is Vikir.
Prevention is something anyone can do, but treatment is the domain of experts.
at that time.
Flutter-
The door to the barracks opened.
It was Ahheman, the sorcerer, who burst in.
As soon as he entered, he looked at Ahyul and Ahhun and raged.
“These bastards look good! They went around not listening to Grandpa’s words!”
Ahheman shouted as he splashed spittle on the face of the groaning Aheul.
“I was incited by the words of that imperial spy, so it’s cheap even if I end up like this! Everything will come back as I did!”
“Grandpa! Your words are harsh!”
Ahun jumped up and protested against Ahheman.
Pair-
But the only thing that came back was whispering.
Ahhun sat down with his cheeks stained red and couldn’t stand up again.
Ahheman looked down at Ahhun, who had fallen to the floor, with contempt.
“You’re nothing different from my mother and father. A worthless bastard.”
“…”
Eventually, thick tears began to fall from Ahhun’s eyes.
When Iyan sighs with an expression like ‘It’s a start again’.
“There is a cure.”
Bikir opened his mouth.
At that, Ahhemman snorted and Ahhun widened his eyes.
Ahheman left the barracks with Bikir’s chest pushed hard.
“Do you want to be fooled by your pranks again? This is a curse from the gods, so the only answer is to offer a sacrifice and raise the spirit. Now that this has happened, the chieftain will allow it.”
With the authority of the shaman until the end.
Whii-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-yi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i
The wind and raindrops come in through the wide-open entrance and wet everyone’s body.
Those left in the barracks were Iyen, Bikir Ahun, and the sick Ahul.
Bikir said to Ahun.
“First of all, take Aheul’s excrement yourself. Be careful not to touch your body. Also, sterilize the utensils you use with boiling water. And burn mugwort on a bonfire to drive away mosquitoes, fleas and bats around the house.”
“Oh, I see. Will that work?”
“You can’t just do that.”
Bikir turned to look at Iyen.
And he said a little earlier what he was originally going to ask for.
“Get me out of the water.”
At those words, Ayen’s expression hardened.
There is no discrimination against those who originally came from outside the country and became members of Balak.
They are free to go anywhere in the jungle, and inside the village, they can enter anywhere except for the chieftain’s barracks and the shaman’s festival.
but only one.
Going out of the water is strictly prohibited.
Balakin from a foreign country can go out of the sea only when two conditions are satisfied at once.
first.
Must have lived in the village for more than 2 years.
second.
Possibly had a relationship with an indigenous Balak and fathered three or more children.
Bikir failed to satisfy either condition.
However, despite this, Bikir is telling her to let her out of the sea.
“If you let me out, I will get you a cure for the plague.”
Hearing Bikir’s words, Iyen bit his lip.
Will Aquila, her mother and chieftain, grant this exception? probably won’t allow it. Because Aquila was a considerable principled person.
‘There’s a high possibility that I’ll throw away my sorrow.’
It is the sacrifice of a cow for the great.
But Iyen didn’t want to do that.
I didn’t want to see Ahyul, who always sang with a cute voice and took care of the laundry and cleaning, dying from vomiting and diarrhea.
……but. A more fundamental problem was making Iyan conflict.
Will Bikir ever return?
Strictly speaking, he is a stranger who was taken as a slave.
If Bikir is given freedom and allowed to go out of the sea, will he ever come back?
Until now, Vikir had roamed freely by herself, but it was within Balak’s realm.
If Vikir tried to escape, Balak’s search party and the wolves, who confirmed that they were empty that evening, would find him and condemn him.
Bikir wasn’t stupid enough to not know that.
However, getting a pass to go outside the floodwaters was a completely different story.
By the time you find out that he’s on a run that won’t come back for the rest of your life, it’ll be after you can’t catch him forever.
“…”
Iyen hesitated.
Hesitating was not her attitude.
In that brief moment, Iyan thought deeply about the mental factors that made her hesitate, and soon found the reason.
The process of looking into one’s own mind and discovering a part that one was not even aware of.
she raised her head.
The eyes were already stained red with the color of the bonfire. The difference is that unlike fire, it is moist with water.
“……go.”
The master’s order has been given.
* * *
Iyen did not report to Aquila. It’s only natural that she won’t allow it.
All responsibility was shouldered by Iyan.
Bikir ran through the floodwaters at night with the Pomerian on his back.
‘Anyway, this epidemic cannot be completely prevented by flood control work.’
Moreover, what about the other tribes that have not been flooded?
A more fundamental solution was needed to prevent the spread of the Red Death, to revitalize the empire, and to stop the Baskervilles.
…Clap!
Bikir crossed the river at once, stepping on the logs that were floating on the water.
Since there were a lot of things floating in the flood, I was able to run on the river, so the distance I moved was shorter.
Right then.
Bikir stopped abruptly on the river bank.
Shootaaaaaaa…
A night when it rains. A shadow spread across the water can be seen following.
Where Bikir looked back, Iyen, who was completely wet, was standing there breathing heavily.
“Why are you following me?”
When Vikir asked, Ayen stopped talking but fell silent.
“What am I following my slave?”
“Don’t follow me.”
“no.”
“I told you not to follow me.”
“I’m the master!”
Iyen shouted in a watery voice.
However, Bikir only draws a line once more with cold eyes.
“It’s unusual to say it three times, you know?”
“…”
“If you don’t follow me, don’t follow me.”
Seeing Bikir’s eyes, Iyen froze in place as if shocked.
“How could you look at me like that?”
A crying question is heard.
Bikir didn’t answer.
Then Iyen mumbled something with difficulty.
And out of many things, only selected and selected things came out of his mouth.
“Where are you going?”
“…”
“Wherever you go, tell me and go then.”
“no.”
“Why are you taking Pomeran?”
“…”
“…Can’t we leave the child alone?”
A sight where you don’t know who is the master and who is the slave.
……No Iyen, she knew from the start.
It was what I felt from the very first time I saw his languid face on stage when he was imprisoned behind bars by slave traders.
That I will live with him for the rest of my life.
In the pouring rain, Iyan suddenly realized that fact.
She said in a trembling, damp voice.
“Then answer this one thing.”
“……Something?”
When Vikir asked, Ayen held his breath for a long time before continuing.
“Are you coming back?”
“…”
A voice creeping in. Anxiety, nervousness, and depressiveness hang in the tone.
And this time, Vikir also responded quickly.
“of course.”
It was only after hearing those words that Ayen’s expression relaxed.
She let out a white breath of relief.
“Keep your promise.”
“…”
“Must be.”
Bikir nodded.
yet.
The hound runs through the dawn again.
The distant darkness in the dark clouds that swallowed even the distant winter.
And here is the owner who quietly watches her receding back from her seat.
