Chapter 12
Alice didn’t have high expectations as she spoke.
Medical professors commonly said, “Patients lie.”
They claim they’ve quit drinking, that they’ve never been intimate with anyone other than their spouse, and that they take all the medication you give them without selling any.
Especially if it’s a characteristic of their body that has existed since birth…
…There was a long silence that felt a bit too lengthy to just endure. While pondering what to say, Cherry laughed.
“Haha, why so serious? Did someone tell you to come save the villagers?”
“Oh, no.”
“You surprised me by suddenly saying something strange. You’re doing well as long as you don’t start any fires.”
This seems to downgrade her from “the one who lit a fire at night” to “the one who started a fire.”
“I won’t start any fires!”
“Is this board okay to get wet? Do I need to come back later to apply more medicine?”
“No. Just keep it on until you heal. If it shifts or the splint bends, come back immediately. Don’t put pressure on your nose or blow it!”
“I want to sleep. Make sure to close the door properly when you leave.”
What an annoying patient.
‘Endure it. I’m the one who made her a patient!’
Turning to the side, Alice noticed that Adelaide had already started organizing the house call bag. Together, they left Cherry’s house.
“Thank you for your hard work, Alice. I’ll express gratitude on behalf of Cherry.”
“It was something I had to do.”
“And I want to mention that Cherry really tried hard earlier. It was her first time receiving treatment from a doctor.”
“…”
Considering the poor environment, it wasn’t surprising, but she felt compelled to ask this opportunity: where did they come from?
From a desolate land? From a collapsed hospital? Or was Nathan’s unpleasant speculation correct?
‘…Just endure it for now.’
Alice shouldn’t let her guard down just because Adelaide’s expression softened slightly. She tightly gripped the handle of her bag.
Now, it’s time to head back to the clinic, calm Nathan down—who’s probably sulking because he thinks I ignored him—and stay quietly holed up there for a few days.
At that moment, Adelaide spoke up.
“Would you like to have lunch together if you haven’t eaten yet? It would be even better if you could help with the cooking.”
It was an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Well, there are days when poor tongues and stomachs must be sacrificed two days in a row.
***
The map on the paper was gradually being filled in.
Looking at the crooked curves, Arno swallowed his curse. Damn it, it’s really hard to draw curves that are close to the actual scale.
[At the center of the village’s innermost area stands the clinic, with the single-story asylum buildings fanning out like a semicircle. The building closest to the village entrance is the management office, where Madam Adelaide resides.]
The clinic’s structure was such that it felt like it was being monitored by patients.
Feeling pity for the doctor who must have worked in the clinic during its days as a detention center, Arno began to jot down the residents of the detention center on the map.
[The building closest to the forest: a woman named ‘Cherry’ lives here, identifiable by her heavy red eye makeup. She seems drawn to light in the dark, almost like she’s compelled to chase it.]
‘Is she like a moth to a flame? Well, if I need to escape at night, I could use her to draw the residents’ attention.’
He also checked on Gon, a little boy who looked surprised and took a step back upon seeing Arno.
Arno knocked on other doors, introducing himself. It was a privilege of newcomers to brazenly call out and greet people.
After just three days, he would likely hear complaints like “Why are you just showing up now?”
‘But humans sure are incredibly wary.’
Although Arno didn’t make a good first impression, he knew how to soften his sharp gaze with his round face and charm built up over time.
If given about five minutes to chat, he was confident he could establish a friendly relationship by the next day.
However, most of the residents wanted to close their doors at just the sight of his eyes—like cats welcoming an unwelcome guest.
Only a few, like Cherry, were eager to engage.
‘As doctors say, there’s a high chance these are people who escaped from specific groups. This village was established about ten years ago… and the kids looked like they were in their early to mid-teens.’
What kind of group could they be?
Since there were children involved, it was unlikely they were criminals; that was preferable for Arno.
‘It would be nice if they were circus performers or slaves forced into labor. There’s no statute of limitations on that, so I might be able to contact their employer and gain some extra income.’
Arno meticulously noted down each resident’s characteristics on the map.
Having observed those wandering around during the day, it was now time to look around at the surrounding environment.
The jagged fence resembling animal teeth was only erected on the outer side of the village facing the continent.
Of course; on the opposite side lay a dirty coastline that looked uninviting from its very shape. No one would want to enter such a place even without a fence.
Arno briefly glanced between the coastline and the rules posted nearby.
[1. Ignore voices from people on the cliff by the sea. The more you listen, the more demanding they will become.]
‘What’s out there by the seaside that warrants such caution?’
One of the residents had mentioned earlier that “the seaside is dangerous.” That certainly wasn’t an outright rule against going there.
Arno’s curiosity leaned towards the sea.
‘Come to think of it, wasn’t there a big commotion about a massive cargo ship sinking around here ten years ago?’
There had been chatter about treasures from overseas sinking with it. Several colleagues had headed out to sea hoping to salvage treasure but mostly returned empty-handed; some didn’t return at all.
How could an amateur hope to retrieve treasure from a place where even a cargo ship helmed by a veteran had sunk?
Recalling that time, Arno decided to divert his attention from the coastline.
A place no one dared to approach, even after hearing rumors of treasure. If one were to be lured in solely by the danger and strangeness of it all, there could hardly be a greater act of foolishness.
‘So, what I need to check now is…’
As Arno advanced while rereading the rules, a man’s voice reached his ears.
“Hello, is anyone there? I have deliveries!”
Beyond the village’s boundary fence, he spotted a cart marked with the logo of a well-known mobile vendor. The delivery person, who came every ten days, was trying to peek over the fence without crossing it.
Arno quickened his steps toward him. He had many questions to ask.
***
Alice trudged out of the management office in the late afternoon, her stomach churning from the chamomile tea she had swallowed to erase the traces of an unappetizing meal.
‘I’m so tired…’
She had thought that by engaging in casual conversation, she could gather some information about the village and its residents, but Adelaide was several steps ahead. She didn’t even give Alice a chance to ask anything confidently.
‘I didn’t want to say this, but what is Professor Nathan doing here? He said he was here for research and medical volunteering, yet the clinic was only briefly opened at the start! I worked so hard cleaning it!’
‘Um, well…’
‘It seemed strange that someone who doesn’t even treat patients would call for an assistant, but after seeing you treat Cherry today, I understand now. He’s planning to offload the medical work onto you, isn’t he? Alice, you didn’t know you were coming here for that, did you?’
‘…I didn’t realize he had stopped treating for this long. He is indeed unwell!’
‘I gave him the benefit of the doubt for three days. I don’t expect anything anymore. It would be easier if he just said outright, “I have no intention of treating anyone!” Then I could comfortably criticize him.’
‘It’s a bit much to criticize…’
‘Then what are the water I deliver every morning and the supplies I bring him for? They should at least cover the cost of my complaints.’
‘…’
It wasn’t Alice’s fault, but she lowered her head in acknowledgment.
‘I’m sorry. Instead, I’ll work hard.’
‘Oh! That’s not what I meant. Oh dear… I’ve put too much pressure on you. I’m sorry. Would you like me to brew some tea?’
Fortunately, despite her terrible cooking skills—Alice had tried her best to help, but adding zero to any amount doesn’t make it positive—Adelaide was competent at making tea.
During their tea time, they exchanged only ordinary stories. The original detention center’s well produced salty water and was unusable. Fortunately, there was a stream with abundant water flowing from the mountain direction. If water ran low, they should go there…
Alice casually asked if there were fish in the clear water and ended up hearing stories about the fish living there, delicious fruits from trees, and animals.
‘In such an atmosphere, how could I bring up past topics?’
When their teacups were empty, the anger Adelaide had felt earlier that morning had significantly dissipated. She even handed Alice flour, jerky, and fruits as they prepared to return to the clinic.
“Professor, I’m back. For dinner tonight… Oh, Mr. Arno is here too.”
“I’m just Nathan Labouff’s errand boy, aren’t I? Of course, I have to drop by even if there’s no work.”
“Thank you so much. Do you happen to know how to cook?”
“Just simple things—like pancakes and soup?”
“You’re exactly the kind of person I need right now. Let’s quickly make something before Cherry comes running in again.”
Nathan didn’t bother coming down from the second floor until the two of them had lit the clinic’s old stove, cursed at the sudden puff of ash that filled the air, opened the windows, and caused all sorts of chaos while managing to cook something.
Arno grumbled, pulled out his notebook, and started jotting something down. It might have been a list of “extra tasks” to charge his employer for.
“This soup is good.”
“Mr. Arno made it.”
“I see. Better than just tearing off bread.”
Didn’t he think to express any gratitude?
Alice subtly gauged Arno’s demeanor; he seemed like someone who wouldn’t easily thank others.
Then Arno spoke up.
“Let’s leave the village tomorrow. I’ve called for an errand boy.”
His tone was flat as if he were saying ‘it will rain tomorrow,’ and it took Nathan a moment to process those words before he shouted back,
“Have you already forgotten what I said yesterday?”
