Chapter 373 - Episode Nineteen - A Certain Story of the Doom Tribe's Past (4)
After that, Mea returned to her parents’ house several times, thanks to Dafne’s arrangements, but it didn’t always last long.
After all, Melzef was away from home most of the time, and her mother, Nelea, did not like to be reminded that Mea was her daughter.
In the beginning, her three older brothers, Darrell, the first child, were influenced by Nelea and treated Mea coldly, but from the time she was over twelve, he began to think and act for himself, and when Nelea was not looking, he would sometimes talk to her normally.
When Mea was fourteen years old, there was another time when she was living at her parents’ house for a while with the arrangement with Dafne.
But when Nelea learned that there was a rumor circulating in the village that Mea, the daughter of the chief, was a red stone and that she was hiding it, she screamed in the house, “I wish I didn’t have such a child!” This led to her being sent back to her relative’s house.
After that incident, Mea never spoke of wanting to return to Melzef’s house.
It was when Mea was fifteen years old that he arrived.
In the village square, there was a crowd of people waiting for their guest.
“It’s been ten years since we’ve had anyone from outside.”
“I’ve often heard that the demons around here are dangerous for Norcs, but I’m surprised you’re able to make it alone.”
At that time, Mea was also walking with Dafne through the village.
She spotted a crowd of people in the distance and blinked her big eyes.
“…… people from outside?”
“That person with a load is a peddler. There is nothing special about his appearance, so he’s probably a Norcs…… Ahhh, there are people like this sometimes, aren’t there? This bothers Melzef-sama.”
Dafne let out a sigh and put his hand on her head.
“Father is?”
“Yes, Melzef-sama is abiding by the past contract between the royal family and the Doom tribe. Because of our sins in the past, we have been subjected to a number of restrictions on our behavior by the Dinrat royal family. Some of them prohibit us from inviting unrelated people into the Doom tribe. However, it is believed that the law has long since expired, as the royal family has not interfered in hundreds of years.”
“I see ……”
Mea looked at the peddler and his cart with interest.
Dafne chuckled at the sight of this.
“Since we’re here, why don’t we go and listen to some stories? You might be able to hear some interesting stories from outside the village, you know?”
“Hmmm …… Mea’s good.”
Mea thought about it for a while and then shook her head.
“You don’t have to worry about me since this is your chance, you know? It’s true that Melzef-sama might nail me a little, but ……”
“…… So, then can Mea take Uncle Defne at his word?”
“Yes, yes! Of course! Come on, let’s go!”
Mea was taken by Dafne and listened to the story of the journey outside with the other Doom tribesman.
The peddler gave his name as James.
He was a nice young man with green hair that gave him a mature impression and an elusive smile.
He said that he had not come here knowing that there was a settlement of the Doom tribe, and that it was by chance that he had discovered the human village.
He said that he had already decided on his next destination, but that he wanted to stay here for a few days.
On the second day, Mea went with Dafne to hear more about the trip.
James knew things that Mea didn’t know and he was a good speaker.
Also, because he was not a Doom tribesman, he did not know the stone on Mea’s forehead or the circumstances of her home as if he did.
That was comforting to Mea.
On the third day, Dafne was busy, so Mea went to talk to James alone.
At that time, she told him that she liked books, and as they parted, he gave her a book as a gift.
The book was an amusing narrative account of the adventures of Edna Elbert, one of the few legendary adventurers and an excellent demonologist.
It was nighttime, and Mea was about to read by the light of a lamp, when a bookmark, tucked into a page of the book, fell to the floor.
“Hm, there’s something written on this ……”
It said, “When everyone around you is asleep, please come to the place where my wagon is”.
It seemed to be implicitly telling me not to talk to anyone about it.
After some hesitation, Mea went to James’ wagon.
Over the past three days, Mea had come to trust James and was longing for the outside world after hearing his stories.
She had an idea that maybe he could take her out there.
I went to the wagon and found James standing there.
It was completely dark and I couldn’t see his face.
“Uh, James-san, what the hell is this ……”
“I asked for it.”
The other person who had been standing in the shadow of the wagon appeared in front of Mea.
“…… Mother?”
Mea was unsure of what to say.
Her voice and appearance were that of her mother, Nelea, but Mea had no idea why she was here.
“Oh, um, this is ……”
“I don’t want you to stay in this village any longer. So I’ve asked James-san to take you to the city now. What do you think? It’s not a bad idea, is it? You’re not going to feel at home anywhere here, either.”
“What ……? Mea doesn’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Mea replied in dismay.
It’s natural.
I had thought that this might be the case, but I never thought that it would actually happen.
In the first place, the Orwells, who had taken care of her for more than ten years, even though she didn’t want to, her brother Darrell, who she hadn’t liked much in the past, but who had recently started sneaking out to see her with sweets, her father Melzef, and Dafne, who had always taken care of her. It seemed so insincere to disappear without greeting them.
“I’ve been quiet, but you’re vaguely aware of it now, right? Some people in the village think you are the reincarnation of a sinner from long ago. It’s just bad timing. People who don’t know what happened when you were born are saying whatever they want, and they are even saying that Melzef is hiding you. Because of you, the village is in danger of being divided.”
Nelea, in an exasperated tone of voice, hurriedly added.
Mea was stunned.
“Even Melzef-sama is annoyed. Of course, I am too. You’re really causing me a lot of trouble. Dafne-san seems to be paying a lot of attention to you, but he also thinks you’re a nuisance.”
“…… Um, I don’t know what’s going on in this village, Nelea-san. However, if you are ignoring her wishes and trying to scare her away, I can’t accept your offer.”
James, who could not see what was going on, intervened and told Nelea.
“…… James-san, Mea would like to ask for it too. Mea has been thinking for a while that maybe Mea shouldn’t be here.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
I could see James’ troubled face, even in the darkness.
“I see, it’s nice to see you being so understanding for once.”
“…… But please let me at least leave a letter for Uncle Dafne. If possible, it would be helpful if you could leave it somewhere natural, even if it is found.”
Nelea let out a troublesome sigh.
“Well, It’s okay if it’s that much. Now hurry up.”
Mea got a piece of paper from James, borrowed a lamp, and finally wrote a letter to Dafne.
When she finished writing the letter and handed it to Nelea, she noticed for the first time that she was carrying a thick book under one arm.
She had no idea why she had brought it here at all.
She was curious, but she didn’t think she would tell her if she asked, so she didn’t ask anything.
“…… I’m sorry for the inconvenience, James-san.”
Mea bowed her head, and James laughed and shook his head.
“No, Nelea-san has been a great help to me during my stay here. Besides, it’s a lot less boring than traveling alone. There are a lot of empty roads around here for a while.”
As they were about to board the wagon, Nelea stopped Mea.
“Wait. What are you going to do in the city with no money?”
“What ……?”
“I don’t care if I can get rid of you, but I don’t want to bother James-san. Take this with you.”
Nelea handed a bag of cloth to Mea.
When Mea gently checked inside, she found several necklaces and rings.
There were also some jewels lying around inside.
“Mother ……?”
“I’ve collected them behind Melzef-sama’s back, so he won’t notice if they’re missing. Go quickly.”
“Oh, yes ……”
She had no idea what Nelea was thinking when she gave it to her.
When Mea tried to turn her body, a hand pressed down on her shoulder.
“You can’t just show that bag to anyone. Okay? You should be suspicious of anyone who walks up to you with a smile on their face that they might have poison hidden somewhere. You have to find someone you can trust first.”
Mea tried to say something back, but fell silent.
She noticed that Nelea’s eyes were wet with tears.
“…… I’m sorry, this is all I can do. If it hadn’t been for my child, I wouldn’t have had to put you through this.”
Muttering softly, Nelea stretched out her arms.
However, before her hand could reach Mea, it was slowly lowered again.
“Ah, um ……”
“I’m sorry, but I need you to take care of my daughter.”
Nelea said in a cold voice, turning her back on Mea and the others.
There was no conversation between Mea and James for some time after the wagon began to move forward.
Mea didn’t know what to say.
There were so many things she didn’t know.
What was going on in the village, why her mother was crying, what would happen to her now?
After about half a minute, Mea was finally coming to terms with her situation.
She began to think about her future a little more concretely than before.
“James-san, um, what is the city like?”
“Well, to put it simply …… it’s a very lively place. And there are all kinds of people.”
“Mea never had a friend close to my age …… can I have there……?”
“Yes, I’m sure you will. Let’s see …… If anything, the key to making friends is to be cheerful and smile. You can also try inviting them out for a little fun.”