Chapter 22
Thinking about the past is pointless.
What I need to focus on now is reflecting on what Fiore left behind: the “curse,” “sin,” and “hunting” as metaphors.
…I should be doing that.
Instead of my cold reasoning, an unpleasantly lukewarm feeling lingered in my mind.
If Fiore’s choice was a consideration for an ignorant traveler…
Dismissing that thought is an easy choice. I could continue to dislike Fiore as I always have.
But the wallet he returned without even opening, and the clear water shimmering in the moonlight, stirred something in Alice’s heart.
“…Someday, I’ll ask.”
Avoiding a conclusion, Alice grabbed the handle of the bucket on the floor.
But she gave up immediately; it was impossible to lift it alone.
“I guess I’ll have to transfer it bit by bit with a ladle.”
It was a relief that Nathan was holed up on the second floor. Otherwise, he would have surely complained about why I kept opening and closing the door.
As Alice carefully scooped water into her washbasin, she swallowed a short groan.
“Ouch…”
She had forgotten about her cheek injury while focusing on her face, but it seemed she also had a wound on her shoulder. After being slammed to the ground by an adult man grabbing her hair, it was no surprise she would be hurt.
While cautiously checking her shoulder wound, a question crossed Alice’s mind.
‘Didn’t Fiore touch my cheek injury and then exactly touch this spot too?’
Was it just a coincidence?
He had come looking for Alice in a dark town, saying there was a “bad smell,” and he accurately identified the location of her injuries.
‘No matter how good someone’s sense of smell is, they can’t escape olfactory fatigue. Is it possible to detect the smell of blood for over an hour from when they found me until we parted?’
Clink, clink—clues rolled around in her head. This was far more suited to Alice than discussing some nameless emotion.
The moment that hypothesis brought out characteristics of other residents… someone knocked on the bathroom door.
“Who is it?”
“I’ve told you many times not to ask worthless questions. Who else would be here but me?”
“Professor.”
Nathan’s voice was cold.
“Alice. You didn’t do anything unnecessary, did you?”
“What do you mean by unnecessary?”
“Do I really need to spell it out? Think about it yourself.”
“……”
Both his words and tone were sharp.
‘I thought he would have gone to bed early since he said he was tired…’
It seemed that despite having a day soaked in blood, his mind remained sharply alert. Of course, Alice’s nerves were just as frayed.
“I brought water. There isn’t much left in the water container.”
“Are you blaming me now?”
“I’m just explaining the situation. Whether you feel responsible for it is not my concern.”
Even as she said it, Alice was a bit surprised. Oh, can I really speak to Nathan like this?
Nathan let out a hollow laugh.
“You… say some really strange things.”
“Anyway, nothing happened.”
The lie flowed out more smoothly than her sarcastic remarks; she found it almost remarkable.
“The moon was bright. It seems more comfortable for a woman to walk around here than in the city.”
“……Alice.”
“Yes?”
“Today’s errand runner incident wasn’t our fault.”
“……”
“This village is crazy. So… don’t look at me and Arno like we’re crazy bastards like before.”
“What? I’ve never looked at you like that!”
“Yeah, right!”
Bang! The bathroom door shook as Nathan hit it with his fist. The sound didn’t stop at one hit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“What, do you think I’m blind? You think you’re the only sane one here?”
“Professor! I’ve never thought that! Why are you acting like this? It’s not like you!”
The pounding stopped, replaced by heavy breathing as if he were trying to suppress his anger.
“…Alice.”
His voice had calmed down somewhat from its earlier excitement, but Alice still gripped the wooden bathtub tightly until her knuckles turned white.
Nathan hesitated for a moment before finally dropping just one sentence.
“There’s no peaceful solution like in fairy tales.”
“I know.”
“…I’m sorry. See you tomorrow.”
Click—a sound of sweaty hands releasing the doorknob echoed in the room. Slow footsteps shuffled away against the wall before finally disappearing completely.
Still, Alice didn’t leave the bathroom until quite some time had passed.
The refreshing scent of water and soap lasted only briefly; a faint fishy smell lingered from the medical tools strewn across the examination table—a reminder that today’s events would never be forgotten.
—
She woke up at dawn. Alice went back to put the bucket in its place. The well hill looked even more shabby in daylight than it did under moonlight, but Madam Adelaide’s meticulousness shone through in its neatly repaired spots.
Turning away from the well, what lay before her was a somewhat desolate village and what seemed like endless wilderness stretching out beyond.
On the opposite side, she could see the sea shimmering far away. The brown rocks rising like horns played hide-and-seek with the waves—almost like protrusions of a monster rising and falling.
Ten years ago, a cargo ship that sank near Reki must have met those rocks too.
‘It will be hard to leave through the sea.’
She confirmed yesterday how things turned out when leaving by land.
And digging their way out? That was too absurd to consider.
The quiz of ‘find a safe way to leave the village’ didn’t seem solvable at this moment.
For now, what was needed was to confirm the key concepts behind the problem.
“Ugh, this is boring.”
Cherry’s greeting was blunt and to the point.
Watching her blink sleepily with droopy eyes made Alice open her medical bag.
“I came to check your condition. Are you breathing okay?”
“I’m fine. Wait, didn’t you say not to touch my nose?”
“Doctors are exceptions. I’m going to apply some medicine.”
While diagnosing the injuries, Alice confirmed that there was no fever. Throughout this time, Cherry had quickly proven that she could breathe and speak without any issues by endlessly grumbling.
“Are you eating well?”
“Did you come to nag me?”
“Yes.”
“…Doctor, can’t you just relax and act like you look?”
“Isn’t it better than confusing others? Now, let’s check this injury too.”
As Alice checked the slowly healing wound on her face, she gently brushed Cherry’s hair aside. As expected, powder fell off in a flurry.
At first, she believed it was some kind of skin flakes she had never observed before… But if she emptied her mind of all preconceptions, didn’t it resemble moth droppings?
After finishing the treatment, Alice stood up.
“Can I use the bathroom for a moment?”
“No. You’ll just start nagging as soon as you see it.”
“I won’t say a word.”
“That’s not enough.”
Cherry smiled slyly.
“If you promise to praise me after seeing it, you can go in.”
“…Fine.”
Alice steeled herself and opened the bathroom door, quickly closing it again at the overwhelming smell of wet wood that flowed out like an avalanche.
The space was filled with leaves and branches piled high, with no proper ventilation.
“Do you never use the bathroom?”
“Praise first.”
“…Well, it looks… um… coastal. Those mushrooms sprouting everywhere are cute.”
“You can take them and eat them.”
“I’m not eating those.”
“How boring. I was curious about what would happen if you ate them.”
“……”
“Anyway, I don’t use the bathroom. It’s just a trash dump.”
Both the room and bathroom were like trash dumps anyway, but Alice swallowed that expression.
“Cherry, are you eating well?”
“I eat well. I ate yesterday too.”
What did she eat? During Madam Adelaide’s first dinner, only a brown liquid was on Cherry’s plate. The caramel they saw yesterday was still left on the nightstand. The difference from yesterday was that the paper wrapping had been removed, revealing a slightly crushed end.
“Cherry, when you eat caramel, do you crush it and mix it with water?”
“Yeah. It’s easier that way.”
“Don’t you have any favorite foods? For example… something you ate back in your hometown when you were little?”
“How can I remember my childhood? What’s good now is what matters”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Well, there’s not much difference between my hometown and here.”
It seemed there might be more to dig up about her hometown… But Cherry’s patience seemed to be running thin as she began to doze off while speaking.
“Do you have anything else to say? I want to sleep a bit… in a quiet place.”
“I’ll just ask one more thing. Are there any residents who have been unwell lately? I want to visit them directly and examine them when I have time.”
“Hmm? People don’t usually say they’re sick. You might make patients faster than finding them yourself!”
“Ouch… that’s harsh..”
“But there might be residents who are bored and on the verge of withering away, so let me tell you about those living nearby.”
Cherry wrote down the names of residents on the map Alice had been carrying for reference.
The closest resident was “Gon,” the boy they had met on their first day during Madam Adelaide’s dinner.
After thanking her, Alice left Cherry’s house, where she had started dozing off.
At the same time, a pencil slid across her notebook.
[Hometown environment is not different from here. Prefers dark and humid environments. Doesn’t wash but has no smell. Moth droppings. Prefers sweet things. Teeth seem fine but consumes liquid food…]
‘For now, let’s leave it at this and go find the next resident Gon.’
The problem that needs solving now is as follows: sinners rot inside if they leave this land. What defines a sinner is determined by the town’s residents.
Therefore, to solve this problem, I need to understand what kind of beings these residents are.
Gon’s house was surrounded by grass growing up to his chest, looking like an egg left alone in a bird’s nest. Alice followed the path made by trampled grass and knocked on the front door.
“Gon? Are you there?”
When she knocked twice, she heard rustling sounds from somewhere nearby as grass was being trampled roughly outside.
Alice quickly turned her head in that direction.
“Gon?”
