THFN | Chapter 5

“……”4a5fc61dd90dceb2

Clara just e83246ab1f thought that.ce00812731a5c2bf

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He struggled to fight off the drowsiness creeping in with the bubbling sound. He wasn’t tired, but with nothing to do, his eyes kept drooping. He shouldn’t fall asleep with the stew on the stove. It’s rare for him to feel sleepy outside the bedroom, but his eyes kept closing.5e100d072f172317

As he repeated 4a3549e423 to himself not 25879ca413 to sleep and 9236df348c slumped over the 467c44e9b2 desk, something foreign c7214a2a1a stuck to his 6eb27a86be cheek. It seemed to be b7dfa9b0fd debris from the cutting 02a544b0dd board.2cbef5700d636a17

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Thinking it b7d3e71513 would be 07fa24c421 better to 92d33c6a7f wash up, 7bcc1cbc06 Clara went 30a5e029f2 to the f272603859 sink and 064f58e4ae splashed cold 7b08c3c097 water on 5e7a515a07 his face. Feeling a bit more 0e2cab8e6a awake, he touched his 09034fb315 neck reflected in the 1b0afa16a6 mirror on the wall. Below the scarred collarbone, 2377f921ed next to the slave 8b30c84092 mark, a not-so-small gemstone 5e1dd72932 necklace clinked.dd64c3b7fec52a94

The uncut gemstone a4e7210d12 was sharp, scratching 0a2e8cea64 the nearby skin bcf32b3bb9 when worn. Clara splashed water over e5ed90108e it too, and as 54d6333584 he watched the droplets c8eed309b8 slide down his chest 223db0659e and the transparent light ed41503d78 flicker on the gem, 83c4790b9b he kissed it briefly.d0e5a4ec290007f1

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“…When on earth are you coming?”87673f5ff9125968

Rubbing his dbd70d8fac forehead, he 053cfc83dd felt nothing.1049870cbab6e9bb

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No wonder. After this winter, it would be six years since he received it. Too much time had passed. Even if it hadn’t, minerals don’t retain warmth or touch.049a4f58d21bb0a5

No matter 884c1c6dd9 how amazing d29b35ae50 the original 96ed919a74 owner was, 1974d6b983 being able ec2ab96c6d to pull a5e1fa4b28 minerals from a3ed5422f5 the ground 81207ee592 and produce 0807f5761d endless gold ae76218e0e and jewels, b10cf2d689 it was b5f5aab3cf just an a4858361a6 uncut, surprisingly 5b2edfd8a1 indifferent raw 1056cb065e stone. He even 64875cbca8 bought the c810110cb7 necklace chain 51b22c4e49 himself.8138747a0535751a

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Feeling foolish for trying 3a2797adfb to comfort himself, Clara 80ce714248 clenched it tightly as e503bc9dc0 if to break it, bd046722bf then carefully put it 8eef2b61a4 away and climbed out 6d7e552b86 the window.5c44e51554a95217

Though only 2fc12b5415 the tip b763fcf609 of the 7d3fcd9634 sun was 70cc2b99b8 visible, he c7aa069ea2 could picture 8cc0ac0f37 the entire 06c37d9e29 landscape with 0a680bde37 intuition alone. Rubbing his tired eyes, f9339a7d0d he looked over the aadfacb58a vast pumpkin field.1c0749c73ba8b5c6

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Thinking about it, the current bankruptcy crisis and the long wait felt oddly similar. To wait, to stay, to give up…bd5d2d81b54584b2

But there ecf02c497e was no bd150d5839 choice. Or rather, no 294c945421 need. Clara had nothing he 46f7432003 wanted to do other c024a61e8d than stay here and 9450fb714a wait.046c27ae939df7ce

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Leaving the workers’ quarters, Clara walked for a while towards his private residence. A five-story mansion. The exterior was marble, with sturdy wood for the detailed interior finish. Above all, the center was a dome. An artistic stained glass depicting a Lamia.a92ae57732b0e744

Walking around to 2db104756f the back, it dd1bc8054f seemed brighter, perhaps 5ce7782ee5 because it was 9eabd2f6f6 opposite the sunrise. Staring blankly upward, 91ec33f01b Clara drew a e2cc560d3d small line on 59f2c4b09d a tree near d9c349c0c2 the house with acb3329137 a dagger hidden 58a9b214ba close to his 4ad6cfdbb5 thigh.b3702d015da9c4e5

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It was a habit 65c50727bf he started when bored, 5c886a189b like a stranded person 0ca1d74af2 marking days, and another 724cee61bc innocent tree had its e8653b5e5b bark scratched.d451a954d5dbbd1e

Looking crookedly at the bf5514d6b9 exposed inner bark, he a3f72d4339 sat down and spent 0f61d29108 time. Though he 67006c0481 seemed to c772b988b7 torment it eafe6c6e75 the most, 81be8ce77a Clara liked c2cd9c3e04 the tree ea38d17696 enough to a6120ca5fe use a ef5d0eec9f magic-enhanced nutrient 7319c35c12 to boost bd694abe63 its regenerative 059367ef3f power. The pattern of two 4cb371b5f0 intertwined trunks, slightly bent 1589fc85f5 in the middle, resembled 331833f3a1 a chair with a af73df82dc tail.8c7acd8400ccf28a

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Would it hate the 0e3b997b2b person who gives both f1f1ba6a75 the disease and the 8eb9a24907 cure? Well, I d51d636f91 hate myself, 02fe769b24 so bear 2633b5b05c with it. Stroking the beaa2737cc bark gently, 413fc9b29f he thought 7095cc8407 of the 61df5c82b9 past.024e3300830b1986

Long ago, Clara 35bff56eff was ill.f4bd2d25dda778ab

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Was it because of 169a48b674 that? He was saved 99d3d25fcf by a suspicious 66f8b49007 person.f54ab1bcba5b8b66

A person with a body as long as this tree trunk, constantly pulling out invisible tentacles that grabbed his hands, feet, and waist… What should I say? A peculiar and strange person.46df9dacd39e4fa9

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A person who couldn’t be caught even if you reached out. When you looked up, touching the tangible void, they would reluctantly offer a hand, saying softly not to try to gauge with fingertips. A person who didn’t feel human at all.54e0768e071be8de

Everything about them 21518598fb seemed like an c0da5dec71 illusion and a c62d874623 lie.57b13f905731659b

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Yet, they were kind enough to give hope. That hope was clumsy but a sincere comfort from a foolish idiot. A person who said they loved him. …A person who said they’d return.d4431611bf87d1ca

…And a person who didn’t come back.e03487b1a2c77ea7

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“You jerk.”8cb9c83292f5b584

⏾⋆ ⏾⋆ ⏾⋆e88f5f91d7f9ee89

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While wallowing in melancholy, the stew was done. Returning to stir it with a ladle, Clara’s mind began to blur like the soup.db95e788f2e3e018

Initially, he was flustered, but after cooling his head close to freezing with thoughts of the person who didn’t come, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.04cebbad70fdadb0

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A child, c9495b1fb3 here in e331ebecfb this mountain f318c866b1 village?33f183254d9262c0

‘It takes a day on horseback to reach the village.’90d69c96a302e0e4

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Could a child, unusually strong for their age, have come to hunt monsters? If that were the case, there’d be no need to hide. Then, was it a beggar from the slums who sneaked onto the workers’ carriage? That seemed more plausible, but considering the skillful harvest, it was odd.f00b05bb0cfe401e

And the way they spoke. Would a child who escaped here by carriage have a family and share irregular income? It’s not impossible, but not typical.e2dda712d51cb1af

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No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t reach a conclusion. It wasn’t really a problem that needed solving. After all, he’d take the child back to the village in the morning.a3c5d63518446ab7

He couldn’t carry the child all day on horseback, so they’d need a carriage. Three days wasted. Scratching the back of his head, Clara leaned against the wall and tossed garlic into the lit stove. The flickering flames blurred his vision as if tears welled up.bf1bb2488173ba39

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A man e2ca41b326 with numerous 51887e1617 piercings in 2ce62e9403 his ears f44176831f tied on a271a3ba2f an apron b977520b73 and picked 76ecab44a7 up a a49cbfa9c9 cutting board. The shape was c05d49a4df odd, but who e2786d8428 cares? He rubbed his hands a979b33824 dry and continued moving. The rhythmic chopping sound fc03659ea4 brought back old memories.103e2a4088083f3a

Clara’s farm was established five years ago. Over the years, people came to work for various reasons.2a5ca5170e06a0a1

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A remote c443484dd1 mountain area, 53ac84779d cut off 61bfeaa8e0 from civilization dcfce98f81 for over 79cf365d94 a year, 27695e77ad with good c59f0e3492 pay but 3baa5d4711 suspicious contracts. Naturally, most applicants needed f98b31eb19 quick cash and had db191540bc unclear identities. It was cdfc7ef25f filled with bc6333fd9e people with 8268bd5527 tragic stories, b1ea76d9af debtors, and cf32c0aa29 gamblers.6c8a6117def42442

But they 8dd4d08c94 were people 4685243cd7 trying to b2c84c4166 take responsibility 7971c68be0 for themselves, b30acad964 their families, 8ecc520db5 something.df2c78f4149f81bc

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‘Not anymore, though.’2a8a69306bee7d89

…Yeah. It wasn’t like this at the start. Free room and board, a year’s salary enough to build a large store, guaranteed meal and exercise times, various leisure facilities implemented and maintained, even allowing workers to take some crops if desired. Naturally, there were many farmers genuinely wanting to work.d08fb0a68cf1152f

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Young farmers who 4134ed100d lost land to 29323c896a family debts, criminals 060a705314 labeled and unable e41ed6f895 to work despite c29a9f331a wanting to. It was nice when 5ebe44f7c8 such people came.c3a56f2c506fa386

But recently, there wasn’t a single person who caught his eye.6067120bbe5239ff

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Clara, unconsciously recalling the bfbcb8394e desperate voice of a 8d734ed4b6 child calling for family, ff501f39bd muttered that it was e3fb9f5e40 because of the campfire 1765d9e516 smoke as he wiped ef04eca040 away tears.671f7865fb2c07a3

“Making me emotional for no reason…”b202a2714d41a8af

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This little brat a44c762f02 daring to mess 2d39c5ddb7 with an adult. Muttering nonsense, Clara, d324b9e780 knowing it was c8ec3646d0 pointless, threw a a5cb126a4b few more jabs a44b9e9527 into the air 6dfd47f958 before lifting the 31f64ca4b2 stew pot he 2b8e55122f spent all night 353892efde making.d8298b240dac2d28

A glance 7a5074c1b5 outside showed a7eb45dea3 the sun bfc866a928 almost up. Hmm, if he 799d842728 left now, it ba0eab79d4 would be perfect d3e576e2f8 timing. He had to move da7d8b2f3f early to reach the 57f96948be village.8fc47e61048d47f7

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“…But how do I give this to them?”21d5fe6bbe89568d

He didn’t know how many family members there were, but it seemed enough.1fc7f5b673aed2c4

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The problem was that this wasn’t a common meal. Usually, people are wary of such things. Besides, the child probably didn’t even know they’d been caught.0696a689097e8c73

‘…Even if I explain later, defiance would likely come first.’36afdecbfb16cf49

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Would they accept it f563337727 if he just handed 3ee7edc959 it over?843829b9be792788

No, even if he 2530beecdc managed to give it, 748d38e86e could a child small 0d487e6a66 enough to fit in 4fe3f80cbb a tomato sack carry 4d533d9a92 it?c3bbaebff26a21c1

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“Seems like I made too much…”7c4d94882dc93483

But how the child would react wasn’t something he could solve by worrying here. Thinking more would only delay breakfast time.75243b45c52e06b2

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Taking out just enough 4626f6a174 for the immediate meal, 7c08bb6241 Clara quickly walked before d741d09b0d the warmth faded.7629d472f76dfa45

Though it wasn’t cold enough to be chilly, the morning dew made it brisk. Alternating hands to hold the bowl, rubbing his arms with the remaining warmth, Clara flung open the storage door.61cd2f40de9a1d40

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“Hey, breakfast…!”91471fe17c4d3e93

Seeing something strange, ce3f2f399d he lost grip cb3a6dff89 without realizing it.11e653ce40d0a42a

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Thud, the cd2edf837c bowl almost dc0ea9d162 fell, but 58f36fba4e he caught 5f81ab4763 it just 4fbd7f8025 in time, 1da093fed8 spilling only 7565fe0998 a few de8c7a35d3 drops. Ouch, hot.11c64cb99603b9fa

Shaking off b6a7a5ec40 the stew 63289302b0 from his 4bf2148b51 hand, he 2bb5dec786 dumbly stared dd1129d493 upward.2d9d18dd53c33ba6

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Unbelievable. But no matter 87ef1a9c96 how many times 54e64333a4 he blinked, nothing ca7b439811 changed. Did someone burn 1ce8d55020 drugs in the 7a862af9c2 storage? It seemed real. No, is 49109143b5 it real? But is it realistically ae79b01f1d possible?19f9611e064dd7ff

“…This, this is.”2b34f3172f679613

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At this e4b2389039 moment, here, 5498a95d12 a mountain 23fa2cce9b of figs 86dbead2af had piled a5340a688f up.ec922cf961e48ab4

“What is this…?”e6414f809ce0a0b6

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No matter how much he craned his neck, he couldn’t see the end of the enormous mountain. It reached the storage roof, making him worry if the ripe ones might have been crushed.77c6c956248dd244

Having organized 511c3b5b71 it yesterday, 23ee78c2b1 Clara placed d13768c858 the stew ed200904b6 bowl on f22c829ea1 the now ab8505f1ad cramped storage ebe101879c floor and eb53a0802f hurriedly ran 924f7365ea to the 996a7b1097 fig area.62ba25603b1badd5

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It was so far from the mansion that he hadn’t noticed anything last night. Now he saw all the fig trees were bare.f7cc05d49c78e015