- Episode 3
"......"
Dark blue eyes swaying and brown eyes like a deer looked at each other. Bella called him back in a trembling voice.
"Are you mad at me for grabbing you? I'm sorry, brother."
"No, I... not like that."
Estio kept his mouth shut, pretending he didn't see all the fantasies that had just passed. The biggest lesson he'd ever learned in his life was that he should never react in a situation like this.
I had to close my mouth and cover my eyes as if nothing had happened, pretended not to see or hear anything. Otherwise, it was clear that everything she had barely protected until now would crumble into a mess.
As Estio shut her mouth like a dead clam, Bella stared at him and handed him a glass of wine from the village chief.
"Come on! Congratulations on becoming an adult."
Seeing Bella smiling like a spring flower, Estio tried to calm herself.
'I didn't see it. I didn't see anything. After all, that's her life, and it has nothing to do with me, right?'
Even if the 'Prince' she chose this time was Estio herself, he didn't expect anything. It was because the eyes of the villagers, full of envy and jealousy, were glaring at him fiercely.
"Cheers to Selvia's grown-up children!"
wow
There was a roar of shouts, and there was the sound of clinking glasses everywhere.
Estio emptied his glass of wine as if running away from the sharp gazes and Bella's memory he had just spyed on through a supernatural ability.
He stood among the excited villagers, but no one gave him a toast. Even Estio himself had no intention of congratulating himself as an adult. He looked like that from himself, so he thought, of course, that no one would congratulate me.
No, Estio changed his mind. There was only one person.
"...Bella."
"Yeah, why?"
Estio was grateful for the kindness of the girl who listened to even the smallest calls. It was a sentiment that he would normally have just felt inside, but he became a little more honest due to drunkenness.
"thank you."
"What? I'm so grateful. I almost became a joke for being late, but my brother escorted me nicely."
Estio has only been caught by her, but Bella has even wrapped it up beautifully.
Lewis, who was watching Estio and smiling brightly at Bella, clenched his fists and suppressed his anger.
'That bastard, why did you suddenly put on new clothes like that...? It looks pretty expensive. Did you take care of that as a child?'
Lewis thought so and looked back at Estio's parents, but he also had a strange feeling. Their family was conversing with anxious expressions.
"Honey, have you ever bought clothes like that?"
"Where's the money in the house for that?"
"No, then where did he get those new clothes?"
"I must have borrowed it."
"Someone in our town wears robes."
It was a rural village where it was fortunate to wear even a proper dress. Most of the villagers were wearing clothes that were worn many times or inherited from yellow stains.
Among them, the clothes that Estio was wearing were exceptionally white and had a striking design. Lewis' eyes lit up as he saw their family sweating in a cold sweat because they couldn't make their son a thief at a village feast.
"Estio."
"?"
As Lewis placed his hand on Estio's shoulder, he could feel the skinny skeleton behind his robe. Lewis swallowed his sneer and asked him a sensible question.
"It's a design I've never seen before, where did I get the clothes from?"
"...I got a present."
"To whom?"
Estio hesitated for a moment as to what to answer. Seeing him bewildered, Lewis raised the corners of his lips sullenly.
"......friend."
"A friend, who is your friend? Were any of your friends rich enough to give you these clothes as a gift?"
"......"
When Estio couldn't answer, Lewis raised his voice so that he could hear the people around him.
"Be honest. Did you steal it?"
In an instant, all eyes around him turned to him. He was suddenly dressed in fancy clothes, and everyone was interested in Estio, who appeared unfamiliar.
In the meantime, everyone's eyes turned to him at the sudden suspicion of theft. Estio felt that his gaze was suffocating.
"......"
Suddenly memories of my childhood came to mind. The first time she didn't know that her own abilities were different from others, and she just said everything she could see.
Estio, who was only 6 years old, was called a 'cursed child' and was stoned by the villagers. The only reason he wasn't stoned to death was thanks to his parents, who wrapped him up in blood and begged for forgiveness.
The parents were equally reluctant to him, but at least no one could watch their child be beaten to death right in front of me.
In the end, Estio was sent up as if locked up in an attic in the snow that hated and feared him.
Seeing Estio's face turned white, Lewis was convinced of his theft.
"I haven't been able to see you at all these days. Did you go all the way to the city to look great today and steal it?
It has been more than 5 years since he reached puberty at the age of 14 that he had been holding his breath without being noticed. The method was too low to take issue with it, but no one raised a problem with that statement. Rather, he cast disgusting glances as if looking at dirty garbage.
"Well then."
"He's also an unlucky guy."
Estio stiffened as it was. He couldn't lift a single finger as if blood had drained from his fingertips.
The gossip of the people seemed to overlap with the stoning they had been subjected to in the past. He managed to roll his eyes and looked at Bella, who was standing next to him.
And despaired.
"......"
It was no different from the others. Bella frowned and looked at him with disgust in the scandal. A cold frost fell on the girl's face, like a spring flower.
"Harm."
It was then. At the same time as he heard a familiar thought wave, something flew towards him.
"Take it, monster-!"
wiggle.
He bowed his head to avoid it, but the grass ball that hit the branch above his head exploded, pouring out a lot of red blood that smelled fishy. It was chicken blood that the village children had collected to feed Estio when they learned that Estio was coming to the coming-of-age ceremony today.
The white robe that Tsuki had brought with him was covered in blood. The children clapped their hands as they watched Estio soaked in fishy chicken blood from head to toe.
"Wow! The cursed child has become a monster!"
No one stopped the action. Rather, it was Estio who had to be punished in this situation. He wiped the blood from his eyes with his hand. Then, instead of wiping it off properly, it spread even more.
My eyes were dyed red.
kick kick.
Laughter was heard from all over the place. The faces of his family could be seen among those who mocked and framed him. When his and her eyes met, the father turned her head and the mother went away, arm in arm with her sister. His eldest brother, Terry Ott, was glaring at him with contemptuous eyes.
Even his family did not reach out to him, who was framed and degenerated into a joke. Who could not laugh at him for ignoring his parents and siblings?
Estio later realized that the habit of 'I'm not expecting anything' was just a lie to comfort himself.
Actually, you expected it.
He thought, covered in chicken blood in the curse and pointing.
In this hometown where he was born and raised,
Where he will be-.
......none.
* * *
There was no way to prove guilt, but no way to prove innocence, so Estio was not punished, but he was forced to finish his coming-of-age ceremony in ridicule and contempt.
When he returned home, he washed the chicken blood all over his body and washed the soiled robes. And he put back the dirty rags he was wearing. Feeling like he came back from a dream, Estio laughed alone like his madman.
We laughed and laughed again, and in the end, we had a face that was as empty as a lake dried up by a terrible drought. The dark blue eyes that fluttered like deep sea water hardened coldly.
He prepared to leave immediately.
I didn't even have a proper bag, so I made a temporary hanging bag by stitching and stitching torn and holed clothes. After putting a worn-out blunt bag, an old and dirty blanket, a copper plate to prove my identity from the mayor today, and a still dry white robe into the plausible hang bag, there was nothing else to bring.
Estio came down from the icicle-frozen attic and left the house. He seemed to be a little colder when he came out.
It was already dark outside. The whole village was quiet like a lie that there was a feast during the day. He sneaked out of the rough fence, feeling like a stray cat.
I hadn't decided where I was going. I wanted to get out of here right now, no matter where I was. The voices and eyes of people who cursed and ridiculed him became thick ropes and had their necks tightened.
Estio just wanted to live.
The winter wind blew through his dark hair. Even the cold wind that seemed to cut skin was better than the well water that was poured to wash the dirt during the day.
Now, wrapped in a skirt of darkness and having to walk by the moonlight, was better than before when I was covered in chicken blood.
As he passed the familiar roofs and front porches, he felt his breathing gradually become easier. At some point, there was no house in sight.
As he climbed the hill along the hard mud road created by the mixture of ice and soil, he suddenly looked back.
A quiet village came into view without a single light. Somewhere in the village swallowed by darkness, there must be an attic where he lived.
no regrets He looked at the dark village and turned his back on it. He felt as if he had abandoned the village that had abandoned him this time.
As we climbed the hill, we came to three paths. As I was contemplating which direction to go, I saw a carriage with lights on from afar.
There was a procession of wagons at the top of the road just passing by. Fortunately, the procession owner did not pass by when he saw the man standing alone on the cold, dark night road. Thanks to the warm consideration of the merchant, Estio asked for his understanding and was able to get into the corner of the most rearmost wagon.
A black shadow poked out over the roof of the wagon. Estio, finding a pair of round pupils that glowed in the dark, slowly curved his frozen lips.
"Tsuki."
Nyaan-.
The black cat cried in response.
On the night of the coming-of-age ceremony, Estio left his hometown of Selvia.
- Episode 3
"......"
Dark blue eyes swaying and brown eyes like a deer looked at each other. Bella called him back in a trembling voice.
"Are you mad at me for grabbing you? I'm sorry, brother."
"No, I... not like that."
Estio kept his mouth shut, pretending he didn't see all the fantasies that had just passed. The biggest lesson he'd ever learned in his life was that he should never react in a situation like this.
I had to close my mouth and cover my eyes as if nothing had happened, pretended not to see or hear anything. Otherwise, it was clear that everything she had barely protected until now would crumble into a mess.
As Estio shut her mouth like a dead clam, Bella stared at him and handed him a glass of wine from the village chief.
"Come on! Congratulations on becoming an adult."
Seeing Bella smiling like a spring flower, Estio tried to calm herself.
'I didn't see it. I didn't see anything. After all, that's her life, and it has nothing to do with me, right?'
Even if the 'Prince' she chose this time was Estio herself, he didn't expect anything. It was because the eyes of the villagers, full of envy and jealousy, were glaring at him fiercely.
"Cheers to Selvia's grown-up children!"
wow
There was a roar of shouts, and there was the sound of clinking glasses everywhere.
Estio emptied his glass of wine as if running away from the sharp gazes and Bella's memory he had just spyed on through a supernatural ability.
He stood among the excited villagers, but no one gave him a toast. Even Estio himself had no intention of congratulating himself as an adult. He looked like that from himself, so he thought, of course, that no one would congratulate me.
No, Estio changed his mind. There was only one person.
"...Bella."
"Yeah, why?"
Estio was grateful for the kindness of the girl who listened to even the smallest calls. It was a sentiment that he would normally have just felt inside, but he became a little more honest due to drunkenness.
"thank you."
"What? I'm so grateful. I almost became a joke for being late, but my brother escorted me nicely."
Estio has only been caught by her, but Bella has even wrapped it up beautifully.
Lewis, who was watching Estio and smiling brightly at Bella, clenched his fists and suppressed his anger.
'That bastard, why did you suddenly put on new clothes like that...? It looks pretty expensive. Did you take care of that as a child?'
Lewis thought so and looked back at Estio's parents, but he also had a strange feeling. Their family was conversing with anxious expressions.
"Honey, have you ever bought clothes like that?"
"Where's the money in the house for that?"
"No, then where did he get those new clothes?"
"I must have borrowed it."
"Someone in our town wears robes."
It was a rural village where it was fortunate to wear even a proper dress. Most of the villagers were wearing clothes that were worn many times or inherited from yellow stains.
Among them, the clothes that Estio was wearing were exceptionally white and had a striking design. Lewis' eyes lit up as he saw their family sweating in a cold sweat because they couldn't make their son a thief at a village feast.
"Estio."
"?"
As Lewis placed his hand on Estio's shoulder, he could feel the skinny skeleton behind his robe. Lewis swallowed his sneer and asked him a sensible question.
"It's a design I've never seen before, where did I get the clothes from?"
"...I got a present."
"To whom?"
Estio hesitated for a moment as to what to answer. Seeing him bewildered, Lewis raised the corners of his lips sullenly.
"......friend."
"A friend, who is your friend? Were any of your friends rich enough to give you these clothes as a gift?"
"......"
When Estio couldn't answer, Lewis raised his voice so that he could hear the people around him.
"Be honest. Did you steal it?"
In an instant, all eyes around him turned to him. He was suddenly dressed in fancy clothes, and everyone was interested in Estio, who appeared unfamiliar.
In the meantime, everyone's eyes turned to him at the sudden suspicion of theft. Estio felt that his gaze was suffocating.
"......"
Suddenly memories of my childhood came to mind. The first time she didn't know that her own abilities were different from others, and she just said everything she could see.
Estio, who was only 6 years old, was called a 'cursed child' and was stoned by the villagers. The only reason he wasn't stoned to death was thanks to his parents, who wrapped him up in blood and begged for forgiveness.
The parents were equally reluctant to him, but at least no one could watch their child be beaten to death right in front of me.
In the end, Estio was sent up as if locked up in an attic in the snow that hated and feared him.
Seeing Estio's face turned white, Lewis was convinced of his theft.
"I haven't been able to see you at all these days. Did you go all the way to the city to look great today and steal it?
It has been more than 5 years since he reached puberty at the age of 14 that he had been holding his breath without being noticed. The method was too low to take issue with it, but no one raised a problem with that statement. Rather, he cast disgusting glances as if looking at dirty garbage.
"Well then."
"He's also an unlucky guy."
Estio stiffened as it was. He couldn't lift a single finger as if blood had drained from his fingertips.
The gossip of the people seemed to overlap with the stoning they had been subjected to in the past. He managed to roll his eyes and looked at Bella, who was standing next to him.
And despaired.
"......"
It was no different from the others. Bella frowned and looked at him with disgust in the scandal. A cold frost fell on the girl's face, like a spring flower.
"Harm."
It was then. At the same time as he heard a familiar thought wave, something flew towards him.
"Take it, monster-!"
wiggle.
He bowed his head to avoid it, but the grass ball that hit the branch above his head exploded, pouring out a lot of red blood that smelled fishy. It was chicken blood that the village children had collected to feed Estio when they learned that Estio was coming to the coming-of-age ceremony today.
The white robe that Tsuki had brought with him was covered in blood. The children clapped their hands as they watched Estio soaked in fishy chicken blood from head to toe.
"Wow! The cursed child has become a monster!"
No one stopped the action. Rather, it was Estio who had to be punished in this situation. He wiped the blood from his eyes with his hand. Then, instead of wiping it off properly, it spread even more.
My eyes were dyed red.
kick kick.
Laughter was heard from all over the place. The faces of his family could be seen among those who mocked and framed him. When his and her eyes met, the father turned her head and the mother went away, arm in arm with her sister. His eldest brother, Terry Ott, was glaring at him with contemptuous eyes.
Even his family did not reach out to him, who was framed and degenerated into a joke. Who could not laugh at him for ignoring his parents and siblings?
Estio later realized that the habit of 'I'm not expecting anything' was just a lie to comfort himself.
Actually, you expected it.
He thought, covered in chicken blood in the curse and pointing.
In this hometown where he was born and raised,
Where he will be-.
......none.
* * *
There was no way to prove guilt, but no way to prove innocence, so Estio was not punished, but he was forced to finish his coming-of-age ceremony in ridicule and contempt.
When he returned home, he washed the chicken blood all over his body and washed the soiled robes. And he put back the dirty rags he was wearing. Feeling like he came back from a dream, Estio laughed alone like his madman.
We laughed and laughed again, and in the end, we had a face that was as empty as a lake dried up by a terrible drought. The dark blue eyes that fluttered like deep sea water hardened coldly.
He prepared to leave immediately.
I didn't even have a proper bag, so I made a temporary hanging bag by stitching and stitching torn and holed clothes. After putting a worn-out blunt bag, an old and dirty blanket, a copper plate to prove my identity from the mayor today, and a still dry white robe into the plausible hang bag, there was nothing else to bring.
Estio came down from the icicle-frozen attic and left the house. He seemed to be a little colder when he came out.
It was already dark outside. The whole village was quiet like a lie that there was a feast during the day. He sneaked out of the rough fence, feeling like a stray cat.
I hadn't decided where I was going. I wanted to get out of here right now, no matter where I was. The voices and eyes of people who cursed and ridiculed him became thick ropes and had their necks tightened.
Estio just wanted to live.
The winter wind blew through his dark hair. Even the cold wind that seemed to cut skin was better than the well water that was poured to wash the dirt during the day.
Now, wrapped in a skirt of darkness and having to walk by the moonlight, was better than before when I was covered in chicken blood.
As he passed the familiar roofs and front porches, he felt his breathing gradually become easier. At some point, there was no house in sight.
As he climbed the hill along the hard mud road created by the mixture of ice and soil, he suddenly looked back.
A quiet village came into view without a single light. Somewhere in the village swallowed by darkness, there must be an attic where he lived.
no regrets He looked at the dark village and turned his back on it. He felt as if he had abandoned the village that had abandoned him this time.
As we climbed the hill, we came to three paths. As I was contemplating which direction to go, I saw a carriage with lights on from afar.
There was a procession of wagons at the top of the road just passing by. Fortunately, the procession owner did not pass by when he saw the man standing alone on the cold, dark night road. Thanks to the warm consideration of the merchant, Estio asked for his understanding and was able to get into the corner of the most rearmost wagon.
A black shadow poked out over the roof of the wagon. Estio, finding a pair of round pupils that glowed in the dark, slowly curved his frozen lips.
"Tsuki."
Nyaan-.
The black cat cried in response.
On the night of the coming-of-age ceremony, Estio left his hometown of Selvia.
