Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 331

331.

Everyone has at least one unforgettable memory in their life. For Alisa, a day from several years ago was just such a day.

Even now, she could vividly picture it whenever she closed her eyes. It was a scene of a woman lying in a musty, dark room. The woman was panting, as if in pain, and several people were coming and going, checking on her condition. When even the last doctor who examined her shook his head and left, no one remained in the room. Alisa could do nothing but squat down and gloomily watch.

“Alisa? Alisa, are you there?”

“Yes, Mom. I’m here.”

She groped and grabbed the thin, dry hand reaching out into the air and rubbed her cheek against it. The woman’s rapid breathing was gradually becoming intermittent. Even at her young age, Alisa knew exactly what this meant: the woman would soon breathe her last. After this, those affectionate eyes would never look at her again, nor would she ever smile gently again.

“Alisa, my sweet daughter. Remember this.”

A sad smile appeared on the face of the woman who had to leave her young daughter behind. She knew better than anyone how difficult things would be for her child after she was gone. So, she wanted to give her some hope, anything at all.

“You are a child loved by the earth. The plants and soil of this land are protecting you. They will be your friends.”

The cheek that touched her palm should have been the softest part of her face, but it was rough. It made her want to cry, but Alisa held back.

“You are never alone.”

Yes, I know, Mom.

Seeing her daughter nod, the woman slowly closed her eyes in relief. Her labored breathing gradually subsided until no sound could be heard. The sensation on her cheek gradually disappeared. Alisa desperately held onto the arm that was losing strength and falling. Unspeakable emotions raged within her heart. Tears streamed down, but there was nothing she could change.

No matter how much she shook her, the tightly closed eyes would never open again. Alisa stared blankly at the woman’s figure, growing colder before her eyes, for a long time.

Twenty-five years old. The pitiful life of a woman who had many more days to bloom ended so futilely. The fence that had firmly protected young Alisa also disappeared.

You never know what will happen in life, and the day of a person’s passing is not fixed. But twenty-five was too young to die. It wasn’t an accident, and she didn’t have any particular chronic illness. For a while, many rumors circulated about her sudden death. As a commoner and a former maid, just a concubine, there were too many who didn’t like her receiving the Count’s favor. There were rumors that the Countess was jealous and had a hand in it. There was no material evidence, but the suspicion was already certain. The Countess didn’t even actively deny the rumors. But that was all.

The Count chose his own and his family’s honor rather than trying to uncover the truth. He didn’t have such an affectionate heart for the dead mistress in the first place. Perhaps if Alisa hadn’t had special abilities, and if she hadn’t been loved by the villagers, she too would have followed the same fate as her mother.

Instead, Alisa was left alone. Thanks to being mindful of people’s gazes, she was able to live in the main house, but she had to live in the most secluded room. She was not allowed to eat with the Count and his family, nor was she allowed to speak to them first. But Alisa didn’t care. Her mother’s last words, which had become her will, sustained her.

You are not alone.

Those words were mostly true. Plants were always with Alisa. She was alone inside the mansion, but just one step outside, there were friends everywhere who welcomed her. The flowers and trees were always grateful beings that made her feel good and made her smile.

They bloomed beautiful flowers and fragrances in the way she wanted. They welcomed her fingertips more than anyone else, and they sparkled vividly as if rewarding her when she caressed them. Every time she felt them breathing beside her, she thought they were lovely and lovable.

But, but Mom.

Alisa brought her knees together and swallowed a light sigh. The village scenery was visible at a glance from the hill where she was sitting. The peaceful village, surrounded by lush forests, had such lush greenery that it was hard to believe it was built in the middle of the desert. The spot where she was sitting was also full of lush grass. If she reached out her hand, fresh new shoots would invariably touch her. When she swept the ground, she could feel the vitality of the grass between her fingers. Alisa smiled softly at the sensation of them clinging to her as if they were being spoiled. But that smile didn’t last long.

“Mom, I think I’m greedy.”

Alisa’s voice, as she muttered with a dry, hardened face, was sorrowful. The little child who lost her mother grew up alone and grew taller in a few years. As much as that change, the situation surrounding her was also changing from moment to moment. The kind villagers began to give her increasingly wary glances from one day on. Whispering followed her wherever she went, and if they even touched her, they would fussily shake off their bodies as if dust had gotten on them. Is that why? Even though the friends who were always with her were still by her side, she was lonely.

Am I really not alone? The deepening loneliness made her harbor questions in her heart that she had not been aware of until now. She frequented the forests and fields more often because she couldn’t bear the silence, but her condition didn’t improve at all. Rather, the more she did, the more clearly she became aware of the differences she had not recognized until now. The trees and flowers always showed the same reactions, regardless of whether Alisa was sad or happy. Because she couldn’t understand their language, Alisa didn’t know what they were thinking. Among those who shared the same perspective, body, and world, she alone was a stranger with a different appearance. No matter how long they were together, they could never become true kindred spirits.

Once a heart is negatively bent, it only plummeted at a rapid pace. As much as that, her futile wishes grew bigger and bigger. Every time she saw the Count’s family laughing cheerfully, every time she confirmed her place among them as someone who didn’t exist, she felt like her insides were burning and her throat was parched. She wanted to have friends and family who could communicate with her in the same language. She desperately needed someone who could share emotions, who could observe each other’s expressions and reactions and talk to each other.

Why was I born a human?

Alisa sighed quietly, muttering the question that no one could answer. I wish I had been born a plant. Even if I was just a blade of grass scattered all over the place, I would have been happier than ever. I could have lived my whole life without knowing these emotions. This feeling of being alone in the world, this terribly lonely and empty feeling.

“Hello.”

“……!”

At that moment, Alisa was startled and looked up at the sudden voice. She hadn’t even felt anyone approaching, but someone was smiling and looking down at her from behind. He seemed to be a boy she had never seen in the village before, but his appearance was not clear because he was facing the sun and was backlit. Alisa blinked slowly to confirm the identity of the other person. Just in time, the wind blew and the boy lightly swept up his hair. As the light that had been reflected changed with the changed movement, the shadows that had been cast began to slowly recede.

The first thing she recognized was the boy’s skin. Since it was a hot area, many people had dark skin, but even among them, the boy’s skin was particularly dark. Alisa inadvertently thought that the color reminded her of the chocolate snack her sisters used to eat. His disheveled hair was as black as if it had captured the night sky. But was it because he was receiving the light directly? Dark colors usually look dull, but the boy’s black hair seemed to shine more than blonde hair. It was so amazing and made her heart flutter that she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

But all of that was nothing compared to the shock she felt when she discovered his eyes. What was revealed between the boy’s dark black hair was a pair of dazzling golden eyes. The eyes, as if pure gold had been melted down, were like jewels that a craftsman had painstakingly crafted. Although she hadn’t lived that many lives, Alisa was sure that she would never see more beautiful eyes than those. When those fascinating eyes smiled at her, she unconsciously held her breath.

“Nice to meet you. You seem quite troubled?”

At first, she didn’t even properly recognize the softly delivered voice. It was only after she realized that he was talking to her that Alisa showed a belated sense of caution.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Just a passerby.”

“……Are you a traveler?”

It was a fairly large village in the area, but it was still a rural area. Everyone knew who lived in every other house. She had never seen a boy like this in this area. Therefore, Alisa assumed that the boy was a traveler. She had heard that a large merchant group had recently come from out of town, and she wondered if he was one of their group. The boy didn’t exactly deny that guess.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

After inadvertently making room next to him, Alisa inwardly clicked her tongue. She had been taught that she should be wary of strangers, whether they were adults or children, but she realized too late that she had given him her side too casually. It was a mistake that would never have happened normally, but for some reason, she didn’t think that the boy was dangerous at all. It must have been because of his gorgeous appearance. She never knew that beauty had such destructive power to easily break down defenses. She had heard that some monsters lure people in with their beautiful appearance and then eat them. She didn’t think that was possible, but now she thought she could understand.

‘……Could this brother really be that monster?’

There had been more frequent monster attacks recently. There weren’t any high-level monsters yet, but there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t come. The boy, whom she glanced at, was chuckling as if something was funny. His reaction was as if he had heard all of her thoughts, and her face turned hot. Even though there was no way that could be true.

“Maybe it’s because you’re a precocious kid, but this is a fresh experience. I’ve heard of fairies, but.”

“Huh? Wh-what?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

After lightly shaking his head, the boy stared intently at her. Alisa became embarrassed again because his gaze was somehow a little strange.

“Seeing it like this, it’s not as bad as I thought. I was wondering what to do until just now… Well, I guess it’s about time to collect it. Yeah, should I just let it flow like this? Yeah, I think it’s okay now.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“It means that you just saved this land.”

“??”

“Since it started with one person, it can end for one person. Ah, it’s just a soliloquy, so you don’t have to try to understand it.”

In fact, even if she tried to understand it, she couldn’t really understand what he was saying, so it was impossible from the beginning. Alisa slightly corrected her assessment of the boy: from a pretty brother who might be a monster, to a pretty brother who might be a little strange. The boy seemed to have read Alisa’s suspicious gaze, but he didn’t seem to care much.

“More than that, what were you doing here?”

“Huh? Ah, nothing…….”

“Hmm. It’s hard for every day to be always enjoyable. But to be lost in gloomy contemplation alone in such a bustling place is a little unfortunate.”

“……Bustling?”

“Look around. There are a lot of trees and grass. It’s hard to find a place with so much greenery in this area. It’s so lively that it’s overwhelming, don’t you feel that way?”

Alisa stared at the boy with a blank face. As he said, the forest surrounding this village was the largest in the area. Many outsiders admired this place. There were some people who expressed that it was noisy when they heard the sound of the branches swaying in the wind. But this was the first time someone had said things like ‘bustling’ or ‘so lively that it’s overwhelming’ to the surroundings. It was as if he was treating each and every one of them as living personalities. Even Alisa, who had regarded plants as friends, couldn’t quite do that. Alisa pouted her lips, feeling a sense of defeat even though her heart was pounding.

“Well, they’re just trees and grass. They can’t talk or move, so what.”

“Ah, you still don’t know. I’m not talking about that.”

“……If not that, then?”

“There are things that always exist where there is a forest. The true inhabitants of the forest that cannot be seen by ordinary eyes, but that everyone cannot help but acknowledge.”

The gently flowing voice was like reciting poetry. The boy whispered to Alisa, who couldn’t react properly because she couldn’t understand the meaning.

“They can move and talk. They sing and dance. Most of the forest’s vitality is led by them. You should have felt it by now, but your awareness is slow. Is ignorance hindering your perception? Well, this place is too rural.”

“What, what are you talking about?”

Her breath was burning with anxiety. For some reason, she had a feeling that she could find the answer to the question that she herself didn’t know she had. Alisa blinked, holding her breath. Seeing her like that, the boy smiled as if he had been waiting for it.

“Do you know what a spirit is?”