14 Third Lesson -Forgiveness-

I woke up.

Placing my hand on my face, I felt a wet stream of tears.

Ah...

How many years have it been since I last saw that dream?

I get up and tie my hair up, before preparing myself to leave.

"AHHHH!"

A scream?

The sound came from the direction where I've put my trap.

While heading there, I can't help but to think the voice sounded familiar.

When I arrive at the destination.

Ah...

It's Hildagea.

"...What are you doing here?"

She's being tied upside down by one of my traps that I've set for the monsters.

"Ah! Yaritsuke! Help me!"

I untie the rope that's being tied to a nearby tree.

She falls face flat onto the ground.

"Oi! That hurts!"

"Follow me. My house's this way."

---

"Sit down. I'll make some tea."

"Ah...OK."

"So? Can you tell me the reason why you are here?"

Handling her the cup of tea, I begin interrogating her.

"Erm...I heard from Iris that you live here, so I want to see how it looks like...

But isn't this house a bit too shabby? Even your house in our village isn't as bad as this."

"...Say more and I'll kick you out."

"Sorry."

"Shabby or not, this was my first and only house now."

"'First'? You've lived in this house before?"

"...Yes. Before we moved to the village, our family lived here alone in the forest."

"..."

"...And due to the nature of this forest, the house is pretty hard to find too, so it's perfect for avoiding any unwanted visitors."

"...Have you been...living by yourself...alone in this forest...all this year?"

"Yes. Like I've told you once before."

"...Have you ever considered going back to our village?"

"I...we don't belong there. Never have been. If we hadn't leave this place, if we hadn't decided to move to your village, then...then...They would have never..."

I'm crying.

The incident that day.

I don't know what happened, but I'm sure I was responsible for it.

These tears, it shouldn't be coming out of my eyes, but from the ones that had their loved one lost by my hands.

*slap*

A sharp pain goes through my face.

I was...slapped?

Shocked as I am, I look up to Hilda's face.

She's...crying.

"Stop saying that you're the only one that have to suffer!"

"...!!"

"We...had a very hard time after that incident. Because my parents were also gone, I had to live by myself too, you know?"

"I..."

I've always been thinking about myself, but I've never thought about the consequence I made for others.

She's right to be mad.

Then, the next thing she did caught me off guard.

She suddenly hugged me.

"But, it's because you were there that...I made myself a friend."

And seemed to have realised what she had done, she quickly released me, her face turned bright red.

"You may not know this, but...before you arrived, I didn't have anyone to call a friend. All of the kids in the village didn't want to play with me just because I was a girl."

...Oh.

Yeah, all of the kids in the village were all boy except for her.

"Do you remember the time we had a fight?"

Of course I do.

"...You ran away into this same forest, and got yourself lost in it."

Her facial expression changes into that of an embarassed one.

"Haha...But I was at that time surprised you were able to find me that quick. Now, I know the reason why."

"..."

"I was glad, you know? I though you hated me after the fight, but you ended up being the one to find me."

"..."

"...Hey, Yaritsuke. Do you want to go back to our village?"

"Why? I've already told you..."

"DO.YOU.WANT.TO.GO.BACK?"

"Urk!"

I can feel a very scary aura around her right now.

"...Yes."

"Then let's go!"

"Wait wait wait wait. Are we just going now?"

"Of course! What are we waiting for?"

Hey! Don't grab my collar like that!

Now I'm being pulled away.

As soon as she got out of the house, she turns around and asks me.

"Erm...do you know the way out?"

I can only sigh.

--------------------------

After a few minutes of walking, we've arrived back here.

My second home.

But...

Instead of the usual wooden houses I used to see, now almost of them have been replaced by brick house.

"Oi Hildagea! What's the meaning of this?"

"After that incident, we were actually fallen into poverty. But some merchants came by and help us out, and somehow we thrived from that and became richer than before."

"Ehh..."

This village used to farm as their main way of survival. Unfortunately, we don't really make much due to the weather here.

Then after that incident, they changed from farming into merchantry and actually made more than ever before.

After that we visited a few place that had changed greatly.

The people here when saw me greeted me like I hadn't done anything wrong, a few of them even gave me some sourvenirs as well.

Nothing makes sense anymore.

Evening.

It's time for us to go back.

I'm glad I decided to visit here.

This trip relieved some of the pain I've had for the past years, but it doesn't changed the fact that I've done horrible thing to them.

And what they have done to me and my mother...

For now, I'll put this away for another time.

The next thing I want to know is...

Who exactly am I?