Chapter 3 (Part 6)

She thought it was a shower. It should stop after about 30 minutes.

But the rain showed no sign of stopping. The rain poured down, and the raincoat clung to her body, sending chills.

Even as her hands trembled, she didn’t let go of the rope connected to Viche. Viche, too, seemed to understand the situation and followed diligently without being stubborn.

Her body shivered, and the stream swelled fiercely. It overflowed right in front of her feet, and she trudged forward, stepping in muddy water.

A rumbling sound echoed, and suddenly a landslide began in the distance. Luckily, it didn’t reach her side, but the rain was still heavy.

Then Viche stopped. Viche seemed to want to go back, as he turned back the way they came.

“Viche!”

Even trying to pull Viche, he wouldn’t listen. She had no choice but to follow Viche, and a rock fell with a thud from where she had intended to go.

At the same time, water poured down in that direction. She hurriedly moved forward with Viche, and water flowed in front of her feet. She barely clung to the cliff with Viche.

Just in case, she tied Viche’s rope to a nearby tree root and held on tightly. She stayed tense like that for how many minutes.

The rain gradually subsided. The endless stream of water also began to calm down. As the rain stopped, the sun set.

She hurried her steps. She needed to find a small cave to rest in.

Her heart pounded with fear of wild animals nearby. She held a knife in her hand just in case.

Drip, drip, the sound of rain still echoed in her ears. It was the aftermath of the heavy rain, trickling down gently. Then the sound of wolves echoed. A chill ran down her spine.

Viche, too, seemed tense, perking up her ears. At the same time, a beast’s cry, as if screaming, echoed. The sound was close.

Viche sensed it too, and her pace quickened. Walking on the wet dirt path, she almost slipped but managed to support herself with the rope tied to Viche and walked briskly.

Then Viche stopped. Viche seemed to want to go back, as he turned back the way they came.

“Viche!”

Even trying to pull Viche, he wouldn’t listen. She had no choice but to follow Viche, and a rock fell with a thud from where she had intended to go.

At the same time, water poured down in that direction. She hurriedly moved forward with Viche, and water flowed in front of her feet. She barely clung to the cliff with Viche.

Just in case, she tied Viche’s rope to a nearby tree root and held on tightly. She stayed tense like that for how many minutes.

The rain gradually subsided. The endless stream of water also began to calm down. As the rain stopped, the sun set.

She hurried her steps. She needed to find a small cave to rest in.

Her heart pounded with fear of wild animals nearby. She held a knife in her hand just in case.

Drip, drip, the sound of rain still echoed in her ears. It was the aftermath of the heavy rain, trickling down gently. Then the sound of wolves echoed. A chill ran down her spine.

Viche, too, seemed tense, perking up her ears. At the same time, a beast’s cry, as if screaming, echoed. The sound was close.

Viche sensed it too, and her pace quickened. Walking on the wet dirt path, she almost slipped but managed to support herself with the rope tied to Viche and walked briskly.

Her feet kept splashing in the mud. It got darker, and visibility dimmed. Walking briskly, her foot suddenly slipped. She hadn’t realized she stepped on a stone.

In an instant, her ankle twisted, and she fell forward. As Viche approached, fast footsteps sounded, and Viche fell to the side. At the same time, a bright fire arrow was stuck beside her.

The black wolf, baring its teeth, hurriedly retreated from the fire. More fire arrows fell beside her. The wolf turned around and ran back in the direction it came from.

She exhaled blankly. The situation was so urgent that she couldn’t grasp it properly. Then, with the sound of footsteps, a stranger’s voice was heard.

“Are you okay?”

It was the voice of a middle-aged woman. As she hurriedly turned her head, a woman holding a candle approached her. The woman examined her and then looked at Viche.

“Fortunately, the donkey doesn’t seem to be badly hurt. Can you walk?”

She barely exhaled and nodded. As she tried to get up, her foot hurt. The woman noticed and extended her hand.

“It’s not far to the village, so we’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. By the way, it’s the first time a young person has come here. What brings you here?”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I came to gather good herbs. The place I was at had no herbs left.”

The lie flowed smoothly. She was disgusted with herself. The woman looked at her and smiled, speaking a little more warmly.

“You came at the right time. I’ve been feeling unwell lately and needed someone to help with the herbs.”

The tension eased a little. Leaning on the woman’s arm as they walked, she suddenly became curious.

“How did you come here in the rain and dark?”

“There’s a precious treasure you can get at times like this. But today was a miss.”

“I’m sorry. It was probably because of me.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s a stroke of luck to meet someone who can help with my work.”

“Thank you, for saving me.”

“I’ve been meaning to drive out the wolves around here anyway.”

The woman smiled and went down the path. As she said, the village wasn’t far. It was a small village. Smaller than Romseed Village, it was visible at a glance.

“Not many people live here. I’ve been here for about a year. Most of the people who were here went to Rodrica.”

She leaned on the woman’s arm and arrived at a small house. Fortunately, Viche followed the woman’s movements well. There was a small stable there. Inside, a donkey similar in size to Viche blinked and looked at them.

The woman left Viche in the stable and approached her. She quickly opened the door and extended her arm.

“You must be hungry. Come in.”

She cautiously stepped inside. The house was as small as it looked from the outside, and there was a familiar smell of herbs. Dried herbs hung on a shelf near the ceiling.

The woman approached with a small metal container from the table. As soon as she sat in the chair, the woman examined her ankle.

“It will be hard to walk for now. We’ll have to see how it is in a few days.”

“I’ll do anything I can to help.”

The woman looked up with a smile.

“Alright. Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t told you my name. I’m Kelle.”

Brienne’s face froze for a moment. Unable to believe it, she asked again.

“Kelle?”

“Yes, why? Is it familiar?”

“Oh, no.”

She hurriedly shook her head. Kelle seemed to examine her briefly, then stood up and handed her a container filled with mashed herbs.

“If you apply the herbs before bed, you’ll heal quickly. The air is good here, so the herbs are effective.”

She couldn’t bring herself to look at Kelle’s face and accepted it. Her hands trembled. Of all things, she met someone with a similar name to one of her creditors.

Of course, it might not be the same person. But such a name wasn’t common. She fiddled with the herb container, and a voice echoed from above.

“What’s your name?”

The voice was friendlier than before. She swallowed and lied.

“Briselle.”

The woman was silent for a while. When she looked up, she smiled and spoke.

“That’s a familiar name. Where did you originally live?”

Instinctively, another lie came out.

“I lived in Romseed. I originally settled there, but recently, I’ve been moving around because there aren’t enough herbs.”

The lies came smoothly, as if she had been trained. She wondered if she was becoming like her father living this way. It was terrifying to think about.

“Romseed is quite far.”

She sighed and nodded. Then Kelle opened a cabinet and brought out a thick cloth.

“Wash up first. You must be cold from the rain.”

“I’ll do it later…”

“No, your hands are shaking and you’re cold.”

It was true. Her body was shivering from the rain. She thanked Kelle and went into the bathroom she pointed to.