Chapter 119 - <8>
After seeing the group off before sunrise, Anna and Edward spent their time relaxing in the village.
"This is pretty boring, isn't it?"
Anna propped her chin on her hand, her elbow resting on her knee as she murmured the thought aloud. She was always used to having something to do, but in her current situation as a complete guest, there was nothing at all.
"That it is."
Like Anna, Edward let out a sigh. A rather strong breeze blowing through the valley rustled their matching braids—a style Anna wove for them both each morning.
In the last town, they had played the part of a grandfather and his granddaughter so extensively that having the same hairstyle hadn't seemed strange. But now, their roles had shifted to a former king and his attendant. She hadn't given a single thought to what people might think of their matching hair, simply braiding it as part of her morning routine. Edward hadn't said anything, so she figured it must be fine.
Since breakfast, the two had found nothing to do and were now just sitting idly on a fallen log that had been fashioned into a bench in front of their assigned hut.
The air, which carried the scent of red dust and was drier than in the Yuresla Kingdom, felt as if it had taken on a hint of moisture. She’d heard the rainy season was approaching, so perhaps that was why.
After making sure none of the villagers were looking, Anna created a sphere of water in her palm. Since she could draw on the power of water from the river flowing near the settlement, the spirits felt full of life. When they had traveled through the rocky, desert-like region, creating a water sphere had been out of the question, so this situation was a relief.
It was a spell she had first learned after arriving in Sears, so her control was still shaky. She'd been meaning to find ways to improve on her own, but she'd never had the time.
As she pondered this, juggling the water sphere in her palm as if it were a beanbag, she had a realization. I have time now, don't I?
"Ed-san, is it okay if I go to the place where Franz was practicing with his spirits the other day?"
When she asked, Edward gave her a quizzical look.
"Why? I don't believe there's anything there."
"That's exactly why I want to go."
As she insisted, a smile spread across Edward's face.
"If you mean a place with no villagers, it must have to do with spirit magic, correct?"
"Yes. I was thinking I'd like to practice."
When she put it so plainly, Edward smiled and slowly stood up.
"I shall go with you. I can at least serve as a target for your practice."
"What?! I don't need a target!"
"Don't say that. I'm bored as well."
Anna had a vague sense that Edward, much like herself, couldn't stand being idle. So, without further protest, the two of them walked side-by-side toward the deserted spot where Franz had practiced.
To avoid attracting attention, they stayed away from the center of the village and walked along the outskirts toward the river. They leaped over a series of rocks and waded through a knee-deep shallow, which should have brought them to the place where Franz had practiced using spirits and where Ritz and Edward had gotten themselves thoroughly burned.
But they never made it to that spot. And even if they had, it would have been entirely unsuitable for practicing spirit magic.
"Wow…"
An involuntary gasp of admiration escaped her lips.
"Hoh…"
Edward murmured in much the same way. In the not-so-shallow river, beastman women and children were playing happily as they worked. Among them were many who wore almost nothing at all.
Children splashed water, and the women laughed aloud. Droplets glittered in the sunlight, dancing joyfully in the air. Soon, the women joined the children, splashing and frolicking in the water with gleeful laughter.
Even though nearly everyone was close to naked, the scene was not lewd in the slightest; it was pure, radiant, and beautiful.
Long, curly brown hair that waved and tumbled, and pointed, wolf-like ears covered in fur that shimmered just as brightly under the spray of water. And though muscular, they were still feminine, incredibly tall, and had amazing figures. Their long, slender limbs were beautiful and captivating.
The children playing with them also had slightly different, more robust physiques than human children.
Unconsciously, Anna looked down at her own body. She was a bit more developed than the children at the orphanage, closer to an adult, but she was still a little childish, retaining a youthful roundness rather than a womanly figure. Even if she did grow up one day, she couldn't imagine ever achieving such a fabulous physique.
What you're born with is what you get. Envying them wouldn't change anything, so she resolved to accept that they were who they were, and she was who she was.
As she was thinking this, she turned her eyes back to the villagers enjoying themselves in the river, and a hand tapped her shoulder. Pop, pop.
"What is it?"
Thinking it was Edward, she turned around to find a beastman woman standing there. If she were human, she'd look to be in her early twenties. But since Lef, who looked to be the same generation as Ritz, was fifteen, she had no idea how old beastmen were.
What's more, she was taller than Edward. She wore a single, breezy-looking, short, one-piece dress. Her long legs, peeking out from under her skirt, were wet, as if she had just been in the river, and they glistened in the sunlight. Her bare feet, from the ankles down, were covered in fluffy brown fur.
It looks like she doesn't even need to wear shoes… Anna thought, despite the situation.
"Um…"
Edward's shoulder had also been touched, just like Anna's. The moment their eyes met, Edward gave a small, wry smile. She guessed he felt awkward about having been caught watching them in silence. She felt the same way, after all.
Even if they were all women, it would still be weird to be watched silently from the riverbank. Anna herself would feel a little uncomfortable if someone secretly watched her bathing in the river before a village festival. Even if it was another woman or one of her friends, being watched in secret was a bit unsettling.
Not that Anna was childish enough to bathe just because a friend told her, "I'm watching, so go take a bath."
As she was lost in such silly thoughts, she noticed the woman's large eyes staring intently at them. She shrank back, wondering if she was about to be scolded. But when she looked at the woman's face, she was smiling.
"Instead of just watching from over here, why don't you come play with us?"
"Huh?"
Surprised by the unexpected words, she opened her eyes wide. The beastman woman's brilliant brown eyes sparkled with a playful curiosity as she smiled. Her expression was less like that of a grown woman her age and more like that of an innocent child.
Judging by her tone, she wasn't angry. Unsure how to respond to the sudden invitation, Anna looked up at the beastman woman, who smiled brightly.
"The rainy season will be here soon, so we're enjoying some water play while we work. Once it starts, the river will swell and become dangerous, so we do it now while we can."
As she said this, she waved to her friends. From the river, everyone waved back. Unlike the people in the cities, the villagers here seemed easygoing, showing no embarrassment at being naked.
Even with the invitation to play, Anna hesitated, thinking it might be a bit embarrassing to get naked at her age. As she crossed her arms and pondered, she heard Edward speaking to the woman.
"Are you sure you don't need to get back?"
"I'm sure. Most of the work is done, and everyone's just playing now."
"In that case, would you mind telling us a few things? You see, we've come from the neighboring country and know nothing about your clan."
"Oh, is that so?"
Right, they were supposed to be gathering information to find an orb like the ones they had. Anna felt a little foolish for having completely forgotten. The journey had been so fun and full of novelties that she'd lost sight of her objective. Everything she saw and heard was a first, and being with her companions was just so much fun.
"I apologize for interrupting your fun. We would be grateful if you could spare us a little of your time, but what do you say?"
At Edward's calm, gentle, and gentlemanly tone, the beastman woman blushed slightly.
"Yes. With pleasure."
She's probably not used to being spoken to like that, so it must feel a bit ticklish, Anna thought. She herself would get flustered if she were looked at that way. As Anna nodded to herself in understanding, the woman turned back toward her companions in the river.
"I'm getting out, so I'll leave the rest to you all!"
Her voice was clear and carried well. The people in the river replied in loud voices as well. Their voices were as impressive as their physiques. Once the woman finished her exchange with her companions, Edward prompted her to sit. She nodded and sat, with Edward taking a seat next to her, and Anna sitting next to Edward.
For a former king and his attendant, is this arrangement correct? She wasn't sure, but Edward didn't say anything, so it was probably fine.
"What would you like to hear about?"
She looked at Edward with a smile, her eyes brimming with immense curiosity.
"Everything about your beastman clan."
"Okay."
"I am Edward, and this is Anna."
"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"First, I'd like to ask your name."
Prompted by Edward's gentlemanly tone, the woman nodded.
"I am Laisa. I am the fiancée of Lef, son of the Red Clan's chief."
For a moment, Anna couldn't process what she'd just been told. After replaying it in her mind, she cried out.
"Ehhh?! Lef's fiancée?!"
Laisa simply smiled, unfazed by her outlandish cry.
"Yes. That's why I came up from the river on behalf of everyone."
"I see…"
Anna let out a long sigh and nodded. But Lef… he was supposed to be fifteen… Edward was the one who voiced Anna's question.
"But Lef is only fifteen, having just come of age, is he not?"
"Yes. I am fifteen as well."
"What?"
She couldn't help but look up at Laisa. It was truly shocking that this woman, who looked so much older than Anna, was actually half her age. It made sense considering Lef's appearance, but with her impressive figure and mature expression, it was hard to believe her actual age.
"How old are you, Anna? By our standards, you look to be about six, maybe?"
She'd been judged to be younger than ever before. This meant the children playing in the river were much, much younger than Anna.
"Umm… thir—"
Just as she was about to say it, Edward covered her mouth with his hand.
"This child is sixteen in human years."
"Oh my, you're older than me!"
As Laisa's eyes sparkled with excitement, Edward leaned in close to Anna's ear so Laisa couldn't hear.
"You're playing the part of my human attendant. It's better not to say your real age."
Oh, right. Anna, whose motto was not to lie, always forgot she was playing a part.
"Is something wrong?"
Laisa asked with an expression far more innocent than her appearance suggested. Edward smiled and waved his hand as if nothing was wrong. Anna just shook her head silently, worried she'd say something if she opened her mouth. Unfazed by the suspicious-looking pair, Laisa continued her explanation with a cheerful smile.
"Our clan's lifespan is only about fifty years, you see. We come of age at fifteen, and by the time we hear the call of our forties, we pass everything on to our children and retire from hunting and gathering. We use the rest of our given time to pass on the knowledge we've accumulated and the traditions we were given upon coming of age to our grandchildren."
"I see."
Edward nodded deeply. Anna gave a small nod as well. She was currently thirty-one. In beastman years, she was already approaching retirement age. And yet, she was still a child. The beastmen would never reach Edward's age, and reaching Ritz's age was the stuff of dreams.
Perhaps their reverence for the Clan of Light wasn't just due to their ability to use spirits, but also because of this difference in lifespan. Suddenly feeling a gaze upon her, she looked up and met Laisa's eyes. Laisa smiled softly.
"That's why I'm so happy Lef is back. I've come of age too, so we need to get married and have lots of children."
Laisa said this as she clasped her hands together, full of determination.
"I definitely want at least seven children!"
"At least seven?"
That was a huge family. But Laisa responded to Anna's surprise as if it were a matter of course.
"Well, if you have seven, you can marry one off to each of the other villages as a husband or wife. And you can still have some stay in your own village, right? It's only natural."
"Huh? Why?"
"Huh? Are human villages different? If you don't have a lot, you can't keep a lot, can you?"
It seemed Anna's common sense and Laisa's were worlds apart, and they were both confused, unable to grasp the other's perspective. Seeing their predicament, Edward stepped in again.
"…Could you explain in detail?"
"Yes."
Laisa nodded and began her explanation.
According to her, the beastman clans were divided into six villages: Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Yellow, and Black, each with its own chief. All six of these clans together were referred to as the beastkin.
Closest to human settlements and living downstream was the Red Clan. In other words, the village they were in now was the Red Village.
From there, the villages were situated at regular intervals upstream. Laisa said it took a full day for her and the other beastmen to visit all the villages, but Anna figured it would probably take her several days on foot.
They had a long-standing rule that children born into the chief's family must all marry a child from another chief's family after coming of age. This way, all the chiefs were related by blood, creating a strong bond.
Marriages between different clans were also common outside of the chiefs' families, and while life was centered around the village, all beastman clans were united.
This was something rarely heard of in human villages.
In Vishnu, where Anna had lived, villagers would sometimes yearn for the city, go to Saradio, get married, and never return, but that would never lead to a friendship between Saradio and Vishnu.
Naturally, Laisa was also the daughter of a chief from another village. However, it wasn't a case of being forced to marry an arranged partner; they could choose the one they liked best from among the chiefs' children of a similar age.
"That's why I chose Lef and came to this village."
Laisa concluded with a cheerful smile. Anna, though in a completely different sense than Laisa, was fond of Lef as a friend, so she asked.
"What do you like most about Lef?"
She thought it might be a bit forward, but Laisa didn't seem offended and replied with a smile, looking a little embarrassed.
"…Lef was just… the most wonderful of them all."
Indeed, Lef was good-natured, big, and strong. But her next words made Anna's jaw drop.
"His mane is just so cute."
"Huh?"
His mane…?
"You can see it when he takes his shirt off, but the mane that runs from his hair down his back is just magnificent."
As Laisa said this with a dreamy look, Anna blinked several times before nodding slowly. Everyone has their own standards of value, so she supposed such things were possible. Especially since they were beastmen, they must have an appeal that only other beastmen could understand.
"He's manly, strong, and has a wonderful mane. And he's so gentle. I've loved Lef since we were children, so I hope the ceremony to decide the next chief ends soon."
Once that was over, Lef and Laisa would officially become husband and wife and live together.
Until now, she had felt that she and Lef were very close in terms of mental age, but in a few years, Lef would probably be a father. In a few years, she would probably still be a child, and marriage was a future that was decades away, if at all.
It was a very strange feeling. Like time was moving incredibly fast, overtaking her at a tremendous speed, leaving her feeling somewhat lonely.
Edward continued the conversation with Laisa while Anna remained silent.
"What work were you doing in the river today?"
"We were making mats. We soak boiled tree bark in water, then hang it outside for the entire rainy season to leave only the clean fibers. Weaving those fibers together is what makes the mats you were all sitting on."
"I see."
She finally understood what it meant to experience the difference in time. At the orphanage, she had watched the children grow up, but meeting the beastmen, who aged even faster, brought that reality home.
But she couldn't just stand there in a daze. This might be a trial the Goddess had set for her. The faith that permeated Anna's being told her so. And there were things she could do precisely because she lived for so long.
Like helping Ritz, who might live for much, much longer.
"Anna, what's a wonderful thing about human men?"
"Excuse me?"
Laisa had asked her a question, but she hadn't been listening to the conversation. When she looked up at her face, Laisa's eyes were overflowing with the pure curiosity of a child. That childishness made Anna so happy that her cheeks softened. She couldn't just say she didn't know.
"Umm…"
A wonderful thing about men… To be honest, Anna had no idea. As she thought about it, the face of one person came to mind.
"I suppose it's when they have big, gentle hands, and a warm smile. Oh, and someone who says the food I make is delicious."
"I see."
"That's just my standard, okay?"
"What about a mane?"
"Humans don't have those."
Naturally, the person who came to mind was her adoptive father, Anton. Next to her, Edward smiled and asked Anna.
"Do you think you'll be able to meet someone like that?"
His tone was so gentle it didn't sound like a joke, so Anna smiled back brightly.
"I wonder if I'll ever meet someone like my father."
"It seems there's already someone with big hands who says the food you make is delicious, though?"
At Edward's mischievous smile, she immediately knew who he meant. A person with big, gentle hands who, while exasperated by how long it took her to cook, always ate her food with gusto. Ritz. And though Edward didn't know, Ritz only smiled warmly at her.
"I see… so Ritz is like my father after all."
She nodded, deeply convinced.
"That's why I feel so calm when I'm with Ritz."
For some reason, Edward gave a wry smile. Then he muttered to himself.
"My, my, this will be a long road ahead."
"?"
Just as she was about to ask what would be a long road ahead, something cold fell on the tip of her nose. Water. They were far from the river, so it couldn't be river water. That meant…
She looked up at the sky, which had become overcast at some point. A huge black cloud, so large it was startling, was rapidly covering the bright blue sky. The sheer scale of the cloud swallowing the blue sky demonstrated the raw power of nature before Anna's very eyes.
"Whoa… when did that…"
She muttered as she stood up. A few large raindrops fell on her head.
"This is not good. It's about to pour."
Edward said the same as he stood up. The rain cloud rapidly covered the entire sky and began to drop large raindrops.
"The rainy season is starting."
Laisa muttered under her breath. But she was looking down slightly. There was a hint of doubt in her expression.
"It's earlier than last year, though."
"It's early?"
Her comment piqued her interest, and she couldn't help but ask. Laisa let out a small sigh before looking up.
"No, it's nothing. I just felt that way. The rainy season doesn't come on a set day every year."
"Hmm. I see."
"The first rain is always very heavy, so let's get back to the village right away."
Urged on by Laisa, Anna and Edward practically jogged back to the village. It looked like they would get quite wet before reaching the hut, but there was a large hearth there, so they could warm up without freezing. Besides, it was the beginning of summer. A little rain might be just right.
As she hurried along, Anna glanced back over her shoulder and looked up at the rain cloud. The merciless rain was bouncing off the ground like a mist. A light fog was beginning to cover the river where the village women and children had been playing just a little while ago.
They said this was the start of the rainy season here, but Anna had only ever seen such a sudden downpour during an evening shower back home.
It was a tremendous amount of rain, but she wondered if the three who went to the cave were alright.
That thought suddenly crossed her mind. Wasn't that cave a special environment that only appeared when the water level dropped? If so, wouldn't this rain cause the cave to flood?
She realized she had become so engrossed in her thoughts that she had stopped walking. In the pouring rain, Anna looked straight up at the sky. She could clearly see the raindrops falling toward her. That was how large the drops were.
"What's wrong?"
Edward, who had been hurrying ahead, turned back.
"It's nothing."
She replied cheerfully and picked up her pace again. All she could do now was trust the three of them and wait, and get back to their assigned hut before she caught a cold. That was all.
"Come, let's run."
Urged on by Edward, Anna broke into a full sprint toward the village through the worsening rain.