Chapter 51
‘Maybe Fiore came to get rid of me?’
It was a thought that came to her late, but it seemed logical.
Isn’t it much more reasonable than thinking Fiore was so worried about Alice that he followed her like a child left by the water, only to appear at the most dangerous moment and save her like a miracle?
There’s no such thing as free salvation in this world.
A sharp anxiety and a tense unease came over her at the same time.
Alice had already drawn her own conclusion. In front of her, Fiore slowly stood up and answered her earlier question in a calm voice.
“Of course I know exactly what those things say! Don’t they always suggest joining forces with them to kill all the villagers? They say that’s the only way to break the curse.”
“You know it well.”
“Yes. After living together for ten years, it’s hard not to know. Sometimes, there are people who actually believe it and try.”
“Those who try…”
As expected, they must die.
Maybe Madame Adelaide punishes them herself.
Fiore replied as if he were just talking about the dinner menu.
“If they try, they try. Nothing changes anyway.”
“What?”
“In the past ten years, all sorts of people have done all sorts of things in Reki, but no one has ever threatened Reki. All they did was prove the truth that if you act like trash, you die like trash. If Arno was unlucky, he might have met that end already.”
“…”
“Reki will stay the same. Peaceful under Madame Adelaide’s rule, never aging, never growing.”
Fiore didn’t look happy as he said this. He looked as if he’d been preserved in that moment.
His lips curved again only when he looked at Alice.
“Did you think I was following you to kill you? To stop you from hurting the villagers because you believed what the wraiths said?”
“…Yes.”
She answered honestly.
She thought Fiore would laugh.
But he just let his lips droop and tilted his head.
“That’s harsh. What do you take me for?”
“I’m… sorry.”
“And what do you take yourself for?”
“What?”
“How could you hurt us? If a scrawny sparrow threatened to eat up the whole granary, would that be scary?”
“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? A sparrow?”
“It was just a coincidence that I came to save you. I ran into Arno this morning and stopped to say hello.. ”
“Why a sparr… ”
“Should I keep talking about sparrows?”
“…No.”
“Anyway, while we were talking, I noticed something strange. The usual idiots who make noise at the beach had all gone quiet. Arno was right in front of me, and there was no one else who would go to the beach.”
“…”
“So after sending Arno away, I wondered which fool had wandered down to the shore. Turns out, it was the smart one I know. That’s all.”
“I wasn’t completely unprepared!”
“Everyone has a plan. At least until the fight starts.”
“Ha…”
She sighed, but felt relieved. Arno was safe.
Fiore, who was overwhelmingly in control, had no reason to lie to Alice now.
Their journey, which had resumed naturally, stopped after a long walk when Fiore halted.
Ahead, someone’s footsteps splashed down the corridor. Fiore told Alice to wait for a moment and went out into the hallway alone.
Crash, thud, you beast… Soon, Fiore returned and his voice sounded even clearer.
“We’re getting close to the exit, so the trash is starting to come out.”
“Is that the end?”
“It’s not a normal exit, but this way.”
A moment later, Alice couldn’t believe her eyes.
This wasn’t just an “abnormal exit”… it wasn’t even an exit. It was a hole in the floorboards.
The waves shimmered in a color so deep she couldn’t guess how far down it went.
“It’s safer than it looks. You can get out to the farthest point from the cliff. But you’ll have to hold your breath for a while.”
“How long?”
“How would I know? I don’t need to hold my breath.”
“…”
“Isn’t it fun?”
“It’s not fun.”
“Don’t worry. If you pass out from holding your breath, I’ll do something really interesting to help you.”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask what that might be.
Anyway, whether Fiore truly wanted to save Alice or just get rid of a threat would be decided here.
When Alice took a deep breath at the edge of the hole, Fiore pressed close behind her and spoke.
“You’re thinking complicated things again, aren’t you?”
“…No.”
“You asked me earlier why I saved you. It was because I found it fun.”
“Fun?!”
“I’ve seen every kind of villager and outsider in ten years. It’s rare to find someone who squeaks when poked, like you.”
“…!”
Was he calling her a squeaky toy? And she definitely didn’t want to be treated as a grown man’s plaything.
She wanted to punch him in the jaw. But just as she was about to turn, Fiore wrapped one arm tightly around her shoulders.
It was a reassuring sign that they were about to enter the water.
But before they went in, Fiore spoke from behind her.
“And you’re a doctor. You treat people, ask about the villagers’ health. You’re the first ‘real’ doctor this village has seen in ten years.”
“Ah…”
“Maybe even the first in a hundred years.”
Alice understood right away.
Back in the detention center days, did the doctors assigned here really do their duty? Were they welcome among the sick prisoners?
“A real doctor…”
Her heart pounded.
Alice opened and closed her hands, trying to hide her feelings, while Fiore kept talking.
“I don’t know if it’s better than the capital, but if you decide to stay in Reki, Madame Adelaide will be thrilled. So will the kids.”
“…”
“Of course, it’s your choice. There’s no guarantee your mind won’t dry up in this peaceful place.”
“You mean, you might get so bored you start believing a boring woman is actually interesting?”
Fiore laughed. She felt his trembling against her back, and the sensation made Alice regret her joke a little.
“Let’s go.”
Both his arms wrapped tightly around Alice’s shoulders. It felt like being held by wet marble. But a little warmer.
And right before they entered the water…
“This isn’t important, but…”
Alice couldn’t answer, her lungs full of air.
“Next time… I’d like to quietly get a checkup from you…”
Deliberately, at that exact moment, the seawater closed over them both.
***
Wouldn’t it look suspicious to walk through the village soaking wet?
Fiore answered this worry with a short comment.
“You’re always soaking wet whenever I see you. Why worry now?”
She couldn’t argue with anything except to say it wasn’t every time.
Fiore wrung out her clothes for her. Just that made her feel like she’d lost ten kilos of weight.
“Thank you… I owe you again.”
“I’m getting tired of your thanks. How about next time I get in trouble and you come save me?”
“Don’t get in trouble.”
Fiore walked away after that pointless joke. Alice watched his back with mixed feelings. The shadows and spots of his body shifted under his wet, clinging shirt.
But she couldn’t stand still for long.
‘The professor will worry. So will Arno.’
A thought flickered beneath the surface of her mind, not quite rising.
Would they really worry? Even if they did, it wouldn’t be for her as a person, would it?
‘…I should tell them how Reki came to be. But I’m not sure if I should mention Calvin’s way to break the curse.’
Arno would probably love that solution. If she told him what Fiore said—‘If you live like shit, you die like shit’—he’d probably just scoff.
Alice hadn’t sorted out her thoughts yet when she opened the clinic door. She’d think while she washed up.
“I’m back…”
“Alice!”
Nathan, who was sitting in the hallway, jumped up.
“Are you alright? No, what happened to you? Come in, quick!”
“Yes…”
“Sit… no, don’t drip everywhere. Go to the bathroom. I’ll warm up some wine.”
She felt embarrassed for thinking he wouldn’t worry. His unexpected fuss made her laugh.
“What are you laughing at? You were gone so long… I thought I’d be left alone in this damn village again.”
“Oh, some things happened, but I’m fine. I have things to tell you, too.”
“Wash off that fishy smell first. You stink.”
“Okay. Let me just grab some clothes.”
Alice headed for the corner of the clinic that was basically her room. As she picked up her clothes and turned around, a question came to her.
“Where’s Arno?”
Weren’t they supposed to wait together at the clinic?
