Melancholy of the Wolf (3)
The name of the land of pastoralism is not in vain.
Even in Pulan, where the number of cows and pigs is overwhelmingly greater than the number of people, in the village of Toren, located in the deepest mountain valley, there have been many slopes in the past few years.
Since it is an aging village, there is no influx of young people.
It is full of work, but no one comes to this place to find work.
Therefore, it is only natural that when something good happens in one house, the entire village becomes uproarious.
The slope of one family is the slope of the entire village. It’s not particularly strange that if it’s only for half a day, rumors spread throughout the village and you and I congratulate you.
The latest thing that has stirred up the town is the return of Jenika Failover.
Yenika always returns home every vacation to get her face stamped, but especially this time she came home was louder.
The incident happened as soon as Yenika Failover returned home.
From returning to Pale Rover Ranch, changing into village girl-like clothes and washing dishes, to helping with the ranch work as usual, and eating a meal with her parents with sheep’s milk, cheese, and rye bread, everything seemed natural.
However, it showed a different color than usual.
Orte Failover, the owner of Failover Ranch, and his wife, Seila Failover, know better than anyone else their only daughter, Jenika Failover, whom they raised like a golden jade.
Nor is the fact that she is terribly bad at lying. The two of them, who have watched all of Yenika’s growth process for ten years, can see through Yenika’s psychology just by looking at her expression.
― ‘You seem to be worrying a lot lately, Yenika. Is it because you came down from the senior position? The second seat alone is really great.’
– ‘Yes?! Oh no! It’s unfortunate, of course, but… I’m not so depressed or depressed about it! Daddy too!’
Yenika, who had been vehemently denying Orté’s words while sitting at the table, is actively denying it and waving her hand, fearing that he might cause unnecessary concern.
This is your reaction when you tell the truth. It’s fortunate that he doesn’t seem to be stressed out because of his grades, but why does he seem particularly weak?
As if they were worried about someone, the couple stared blankly into space or sighed heavily, and the couple confirmed it several times.
― ‘Or what… Do you have a boy you care about?’
– ‘huh? No, what are you talking about! Dad, why the hell are you saying such strange and incomprehensible things! A boy who cares about me, if I say that, it’s like I’m having some strange thoughts! Seriously, Dad always does!
If…if I have time to talk about such strange things, I’ll go change the food! No, it’s something I have to do anyway… Anyway, don’t talk like that out of context! Wow, I’m surprised!’
Yes that’s right.
Watching Yenika’s reaction when she insisted on lengthening the word, the blamed Failover couple showed their displeasure.
Indeed, is it? Certainly, Yenika Failover was of that age.
The Failover couple are open about the rational side.
This is a rural corner where even a young man is unlikely to find a few if he searches every nook and cranny. Growing up working on a ranch in a place like this, Jenika was always worried that she would grow up to be a country woman who doesn’t know anything about the world.
The ranch is already short of workers, but the couple couldn’t control their excited hearts, wondering if they were even fishing for a man.
In the first place, the Failover couple have very low eyes on men.
No matter how flying and creeping Jenika was, she did not expect to attract people such as nobles of high status, talented wizards with decent looks, or people with a good reputation.
However, there is only a small wish that it would be good to be good at ranch work and dexterity. She would be deeply moved if she did not live in this village for more than ten years, become an old maid, and marry a strange person driven out of her age.
To think that such a Yenika has a romantic interest in a male student from Sylvania!
A sense of sweetness! It’s a sweet feeling!
The sweet three-letter ringing that you never dreamed of in this town that is falling apart. A sense of sweetness!
Like a pirate who found gold and silver treasure, Seila Failover turned on the light in her eyes and wrapped her arms around Jenika’s back.
Even considering that she is my daughter, Yenika Failover is a woman who has no reason for many men to reject her. Her appearance is of a dainty level, and she is not inferior in terms of ability, and in this day and age, such a simple and kind country girl is a natural monument itself.
Since there was absolutely no reason to refuse who the other man was, the meeting ceremony was already under way in the heads of the Failover couple.
Most importantly, what kind of person the other man was was left behind. He is ready to accept everything unless he is a really over-the-top human being. In the first place, if you are a Sylvania student, it feels like you have a minimum guarantee.
― ‘Yenika! Yenika! You’re finally doing something!’
― ‘Honey, don’t make a fuss… ! But by the way, which anime? If your parents-in-law are too hot-headed, is it a style you hate? Do you think you’d prefer something more classy… ? Do I have to redo the dress she wore to her wedding?’
― ‘Are you the type to shoot a bow? It was my romance to have a drink with my son-in-law and shoot some targets… . No, the alcohol will still come. I’d rather be a little manly than slender… how about… ?’
Even if you drink kimchi soup in a bowl, it is not this spicy. There is a degree to what a person is like a pun.
That’s how Yenika’s expression hardened in real time.
― ‘Oh, because it’s not! Why, why do you think so!’
― ‘Yenika! We know everything without even trying to hide it! So, what’s your name… ?’
― ‘Don’t tell me! Why do I have to tell you that!’
At the point where the answer, not ‘There is no such person’, but ‘I won’t tell you’ came out, Yenika had to admit the fact. She was, after all, a human being who was horribly incapable of telling a lie.
― ‘No, you can tell me something! Yenika! Do you know how hard this father struggled while taking charge of the Failover Ranch?! I wish there was such a thing as joy in life too!’
― ‘Oh, Dad… why so again… Make a fuss… ‘
― ‘It’s not bad to end your life like this by cleaning up cow dung and milking, but if you’re standing in this world with strong fists clenched and strong feet erect… One of the things I want to have is a man’s heart, a man’s life… ! So let’s just hear the name! Originally, a man should see a man, and he knows it well!’
– ‘it’s okay! That’s it! please! Lower your voice! Everyone next door will listen!’
As Yenica made a fuss and banged on the desk, Orte Failover let out a sigh with her muscular arms drooping.
– ‘okay… I mean that’s right… . then… I can’t help it… ‘
― ‘Honey, we’re eating our hearts out too. That Yenika can’t just have a kind and pretty heart forever… Puberty will inevitably come someday, so you made up your mind the day you gave birth to Jenika. Don’t be too heartbroken. It’s just that the promised time has come.’
– ‘I see… I guess… It’s a process everyone goes through. Will Jenika get angry when she mixes my clothes with hers because they smell like sweat? … . Although the preparation of the heart has already been completed… It’s so, so sad… Now I’m stuck in the corner of the room and I’m becoming a hoarse old man… Yes, this must be the twilight of life… It’s bittersweet and lonely… ‘
― ‘Why are you thinking so fast… ! I’m not, I’m not… !’
Seeing Orte’s tear-stained face, Jenika momentarily flinched and hesitated. Anyway, I can never say the name.
The moment the name is mentioned in this small rural society, it will be an instant for the rumor to spread throughout the village. I know it better than anyone else because it is Jenika who has lived in Toren Village for a long time.
However, when the couple’s intimidated expression continued to press on… Little by little cold sweats begin to flow out.
“Ugh… that…”
In the end, the good-natured Jenika hesitated and spat out the words.
“Wow, the bow… shoot well…”
Seeing Orté’s expression turn red, Jenika felt blood rushing to her head.
― ‘Oh, Jenika! I heard the news! I’m happy because it seems like I’m enjoying my school life to the fullest!’
― ‘Bring me to the village sometime! I’m going to pick up raspberry liquor brewed for over 20 years!’
― ‘Then I have to kill a whole pig!’
― ‘Can you do it with a pig?! Gotta catch the cow! I’ll search the whole pasture and catch the best quality ones, so if anything comes up, tell me!’
He didn’t say his name, but he was right about what he said anyway.
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There was no way the Fail Rover couple, who had been scolded, would not tell the villagers about this important matter.
After having a drink at the town hall and talking about the conversation with Ortega Yenika, who made the world feel better, rumors quickly spread.
By the evening of the next day, the village was already on a slope, and Jenika, who was walking around the village square with a basket full of fruit, was running hot on her face.
― ‘Oh, when he comes, be sure to stop by our Helken general store! I don’t have much to take care of, but… Well, if there’s anything I want to do with repairs, I’ll do it for free!’
― ‘If you’re from Sylvania, aren’t you from a pretty rich family or a noble? Not all of them are like that, but there are a lot of them! Yenika, you really made it! It’s the pride of our town!’
― ‘Yenika! Yenika! Yenika! Yenika! Jenika!’
― ‘Hey, it’s a good time! I also went around beating some guys in the city just 25 years ago… I miss you~’
After celebrating all day, Jenika declared to the Failover couple at breakfast the next day.
― ‘I want to go back to Sylvania tomorrow.’
It was like a thunderclap. It was Yenika who stayed for at least 15 days once she returned home, but she declared her return after only 3 days.
― ‘Mu, what’s going on, Yenika? I have to wait a little longer.’
– ‘me… ‘
Jenika, whose face turned red, spoke with tears in her eyes.
― ‘I can’t live here anymore…’ .’
For a ranch couple in a rural village, a delicate girl’s heart was too difficult to handle.
… It was a tearful thing.
*[ It reminded me of the old days ]
There is a fairly large lake in the center of the northern forest.
It is a truly amazing lake. The scale of the stagnant water was not great for a lake, but the water did not become muddy or rotten.
The stagnant water is bound to become cloudy little by little, as if someone is constantly purifying it… The water of the central lake always seemed clear and mysterious.
Especially in the morning, there is a hazy mist due to humidity, but the appearance of the lake subtly revealed through the morning sunlight is quite superb, as it looks like a scene from a fairy tale.
It seems that some students use it as a morning exercise course. Guys like Ziggs are especially regular customers.
Well, it’s morning then… It was now night, and the starlight in the night sky reflected on the water surface and shone dimly.
“Merilda’s Guardian Tree” grows on a small grassy island in the center.
If you sit there and look at the panoramic view of the forest, it is as if the night sky is also on the ground. This is because the night sky reflected on the Myeonggyeongjisu is neatly reflecting the starlight as if it were the sky itself.
From somewhere in the coniferous forest that stretches between the two skies, you can only hear the sounds of grass bugs that are unique to summer nights and the sounds of rodents moving in and out of the grass.
Summer nights are never quiet. It is distinctly different from the winter nights when you feel like you are left alone in the world.
It makes me think that even in this forest that seems to be full of trees, there are certainly a lot of things called life.
“Think of the old days?”
[It just happens once in a while. ]
Merilda was walking on the surface of the water. It is possible because the manifestation was released. Since the mana ran out, if it wasn’t for the power of the staff, it wouldn’t have been visible to my eyes.
Watching them walking barefoot on the surface of the water that reflects the starlight of the night sky, it seems as if they are stepping on the sky rather than on the water.
[You destroyed the Ross Taylor family a while ago. ]
“Smashed is a bit like the expression.”
[Well, how is it? It’s true. ]
Merylda lifted the hem of her skirt lightly on both sides and turned her body around in a swish.
[I don’t know what you might think, but to me, the Ross Taylor family is a family with a long history whose name has been heard for a really long time. ]
“I don’t think I’m different.”
[ well. Knowing its history and actually witnessing it are two different things.]
“That’s not even true.”
Looking at my acknowledgment, Merylda smiled, saying she knew that.
[Every time I see such a large group or group disappear, I feel that the times have changed again. What else should I say about this, because it feels very draining. ]
“hmm…”
[ Don’t you understand? ]
“To be honest, yes. I don’t quite understand.”
Merilda laughed and continued the story.
[I get the feeling that sometimes the times leave me behind. Is it because my life as a spirit has entered its twilight period? I often have bad thoughts. ]
entered the twilight
To that expression, I couldn’t reply for a while and had to organize my thoughts.
Merilda is a high-ranking spirit who has lived for a long time.
It is said that all spirits do not have a concept of lifespan, but this is a false fact.
There is no death due to physical shock or magical power, and no spirit can spend more time in this world than is allowed to respond to its magical power.
There is only one way to increase that allowed time. It just raises the status.
From a fluid spirit that emits magic for about a week and then disappears, to a lower spirit that can maintain its magic form for about a few years.
And as a middle-ranking spirit that can easily maintain its own life for several decades, and furthermore, as a high-ranking spirit that does not disappear even after living for hundreds of years.
However, no matter how powerful a spirit is, it must someday participate in the cycle of the present world.
There is no concept of death, but the concept of reduction to nature remains. It doesn’t seem that different from death, but I can cherish the hope that someday I can reconcile with the fluid spirit and start from scratch.
The life of a spirit is so long and so monotonous.
“Merilda, you…”
[Don’t get me wrong, I still have a long way to go. over a hundred years at least. ]
After saying that, Merilda smiled like a wolf.
[Why? Are you worried that you’ll be gone soon? Kuhuh. ]
“…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.”
[Wow, you are honest again in this strange part. You are the kind of person who has a lot of affection in secret. ]
“Whatever it is, you’ve benefited a little. I’m not that cold-blooded.”
Leaning against Merilda’s guardian tree, I blankly looked up at the sky.
“I just wondered what kind of change of heart had caused him to be so depressed. Now you know.”
[ depressed? I? ]
“If you pretend, you pretend. You’re depressed right now. Do I have to tell you that?”
Having a mind is the same for spirits and humans. And it’s my personal opinion, but I think the way the mind works is the same whether it’s a person, a beast, or a spirit.
The reason why Merilda looks particularly weak or troubled is similar.
“Humans are the same.”
I sighed and spoke.
It was a story that was equally valid both on the battlefield and in peaceful societies.
Young, young, full of ambition… All spirits like Mug see the ‘future’.
I became a middle-ranking spirit, increased my magic response, and increased the amount of magic power, and one day became a high-ranking spirit… While commanding spirits, he dreams of playing in the world with a powerful elemental sage.
However, live as long as you live… The spirits who are slowly approaching the twilight period see the ‘past’.
I met some elemental spirits, saw some humans, and went through a certain era.
The days I have lived and the days I will live in the future. If you weigh which of the two is more, you can easily find out what kind of person you are.
Those who have more days to live see the future, and those who have more days to live look back on the past.
This is the reason why a young man who has just graduated from college and an elderly gentleman about to retire cannot communicate.
A young man talks about the future, but a gentleman only talks about the past. After realizing the difference, the gentleman falls into depression little by little.
My story is coming to an end. After all, the times have left me behind.
Once you realize that fact, there are definitely times when you shed tears even just looking at the setting sun.
[He looks like Sylvania, that kid. ]
Suddenly, a story about the great sage Sylvania came up.
Even if you want to tell Merylda, who resembles Sylvania’s appearance more than anyone else… Realizing that we weren’t talking about her appearance, she shut her mouth.
Patriciana was a child who was immersed in her studies to the extent that she didn’t even know about the news of her bachelor’s degree.
[That great sage was also an eccentric who somehow devoted himself to his magic research, no matter how poor and difficult the environment was. ]
“So you hung out with him?”
[I just wanted to watch. Let me think about the old days. Although it seems like I’ve caused you some trouble in the process. ]
“It’s not even a big deal, so don’t worry too much about it. Tracyana came and took care of everything.”
Merilda smiled and tilted her head.
[As a result, it was a child with many different parts from Sylvania that I saw in the past. Well, of course not. A geek like that would easily appear again. ]
“I see.”
[ Okay. As you said, maybe I was a little depressed. ]
Merilda, her skirt fluttering open, stood on the water, looking up at the vast spiers of Sylvania. There are more than one or two spires rising up among the stars in the night sky.
The spiers of Sylvania, which can be seen from the lake in the northern forest, were buildings inherited from an eccentric wizard who was exiled to the island of Aken in the distant past.
Although the beginning was weak, it has now become the best educational institution on the continent.
Those futile years were very long, but if you go back in your memory and look back, it might come to mind as clearly as yesterday.
The memories of the past that Merilda had accumulated should remain in her memory until she entered her twilight years.
As I said, a person in his twilight years tends to live by looking at the past rather than the future.
The same goes for the memories that Merylda recalls as she gently closes her eyes. Even in her long life, the memories she would have kept without forgetting until the end. There’s no way they wouldn’t be special.
The days when I indifferently looked down at the panoramic view of Aken Island from the top of the right mountain.
Could it be the days when Sylvania was in trouble because of her accident at every opportunity?
The appearance of Sylvania smiling heartily with her hands on her waist was definitely… It’s not an easy sight to forget.
[After thinking about it, yes… There was no other friend like him. ]
Merilda, speaking in a low whisper, had a relaxed expression far from melancholy.
[Yeah, it was great back then. ]
It’s something you shouldn’t judge based on your facial expression.
*[ There is the corpse of the highest wind spirit. ]
The fact that his affinity with Merilda had gone up was evident without having to open the stat window.
It wasn’t affinity as a stat, it was simply because the feeling of sharing the sympathy between the spirits and the spirits was stronger. We went on this and that journey together, and we talked a lot, so it’s worth it.
Well, since I actually feel a little more friendly, the affinity as a stat will definitely go up. As a result, the spirit ceremony and the power of the skill will be more affected.
However, after having a deeper conversation with Merilda, what fell into my hands… It was information on a higher level than that.
[The position of the top wind spirit is vacant right now. Decades have passed, but no one has approached that stage. Only the corpse of the old highest-level spirit, which has turned into nature at the end of its lifespan, remains. ]
Merilda, who came to Merilda’s guardian tree and sat next to me, hugging her knees, spoke.
[In fact, it’s true that it’s a corpse. It’s a small lump of magic that looks like silk. There’s no way that a spirit has a corpse, but it’s a trace left behind when it disappears, so it’s pretty similar. ]
Merilda spread her palms toward the night sky and continued her story.
[If you get it, you’ll make great progress in your spiritual training. Sylvania finished her research and buried it, but I’ll give it to you if you want. ]
“Is there a sudden change of heart?”
[ just. It’s hard to find a friend like you. She is a very good friend to Ye Nika too, but if you ask if she is deep enough to confide in her, she isn’t like that either. ]
The highest wind spirit, ‘Tyrcalax’.
A giant bear-shaped spirit boasting a body the size of a mountain ridge… It was an existence of the past that can only be found in history books.
[However, it is not free. ]
Saying that, Merylda smiled sinisterly.
“I think you’re thinking about something else.”
[ Not at all. Like I said, I’m a bit depressed. I just thought it would be nice to relieve some of my depression. ]
“What more do you want?”
Merilda suddenly lifted her upper body, pulled on my tie, and whispered in my ear.
[ You know that Jenika likes you, right? rationally. ]
At the words that came crashing in, I swallowed a sigh.
[Well, it’s not like I couldn’t understand your busy schedule, but… You’ve become a bit more livable now, and since it’s your break, you’ve got some free time, right? ]
“What are you talking about?”
[I need to lose weight, now. ]
Saying that, Merilda swung her hand around the tie and spoke in a bewitching voice.
[I need to give Jenika a kiss before the vacation is over. ]
“…”
As I gazed at Merilda with a face as if ascending to heaven, Merilda brushed off her white hair and made a sly face.
[If that girl from the upper ranks settles down at the camp, it’s certain that Jenika will be pushed out of the fight. Before that, I have to make a fait accompli with a quick decision, so my heart will be a little more comfortable. ]
“…”
[ call? ]
Summer vacation was already over.
Before long, the students would slowly return to the bachelor’s degree.
I just stared at Merilda’s sly face for a while because of the ominous feeling that came over me for some reason.
