Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Monk Alex sprinkled fertilizer on the field.

“Hoo… The weather is nice. I was worried because it rained so much the day before yesterday, but thankfully it’s clearing up!”

He looked at the green plants that were growing well.

Among them hung unripe, wrinkled bell peppers. Alex smiled, looking at them with satisfaction.

“Grow well.”

It was when he carefully touched a bell pepper that he heard a voice.

“Father-! Father-!”

Startled by the clear voice, Alex turned his head.

Not far from the bell pepper field, a pristine monastery, seemingly newly built, was visible, and many children were playing there.

From children playing with wooden swords to children reading the Bible, to children lazily napping… all seemed full of energy.

One of the girls came running to Alex with a basket.

“Father! Father! Look at this! I picked so many!”

Looking at the girl smiling cheerfully, Alex couldn’t help but frown.

“Ah, Emma, you shouldn’t have done this. These are still unripe.”

“Yes?”

Alex shook his head, looking at the bewildered girl.

The result of months of effort was ruined by the girl’s good intentions. Alex was disappointed, but he didn’t scold her.

Rather, he saw it as a good opportunity.

It was time to teach Emma about bell peppers.

Alex stroked her hair and smiled.

“Look. It’s not even the size of your palm yet, right? And the color is yellow. If it gets bigger and the color changes, it can become a more delicious and nutritious bell pepper.”

“Yes? Is, is that so? I can’t help it. Can’t we eat this? Then I should throw it away!”

“…….”

Rather than being discouraged, her voice gained strength.

At that sight, veins bulged on Alex’s forehead.

“Emma! Did you do this on purpose…!”

“Ah, no! It’s not because I hate bell peppers! It’s just that it’s bitter and weird to chew… and it smells strange… it’s just… a little hard to eat….”

“…That’s what you mean by hate! Huh…! I don’t know why you say this delicious bell pepper is bad!”

Alex shook his head.

“Wait a little bit. I’ll pick you a delicious bell pepper that you’ll fall in love with! Let’s see… Ah! Here’s a ripe bell pepper!”

Alex smiled and carefully cut off a bell pepper with grafting scissors and handed it to Emma.

“Here, try it, Emma!”

“…….”

“…Emma?”

Puzzled, Alex looked ahead.

She was not there. The girl who had been there a moment ago was gone.

There was nothing where he had held out the bell pepper.

“……?”

Alex widened his eyes and looked around.

The lively children from a moment ago were nowhere to be seen.

The pristine monastery was unmanaged, with yellow mold growing on the dilapidated walls, and part of the wall had collapsed.

The field, which had been green, was withering, and the bell pepper that Alex was holding was withered.

“…Ah.”

A wave of nostalgic longing swept through him, and Alex realized one thing.

There was… nothing here anymore. Only he was left alone.

“…I, it’s dinner time! I’m so hungry, I need to quickly… go… and… eat….”

Alex shook his head, his voice trembling.

Returning home, he blanched the withered bell pepper in boiling water, sliced it, placed it on the table, and sat down in a chair.

He blinked and looked at the several plates on the table and the tasteless, bitter bell pepper slices on them.

“…Oh dear, I’ve prepared too much again.”

‘I must be getting senile! How much time has passed, but I still haven’t gotten… used to… it….’

He thought to himself.

Please, let me get used to it.

But on the other hand, a whisper came from the opposite side.

Please, don’t get used to it.

If he got used to it, he would forget the children, and if he didn’t get used to it, he would continue to miss and remember them.

Either way, Alex had no peaceful life.

“…I have to be firm!”

Alex picked up a piece of bell pepper with a fork and put it in his mouth.

It’s not over yet. There is hope. So he had to endure a little longer.

Even if it tormented him.

“…Ah, it’s… really… delicious! This bell pepper!”

Alex smiled.

It was delicious.

Even though it was just blanched in water, it was so delicious! It was great!

There was no salt or seasoning. There was no sauce. The bland and bitter bell pepper also had the ‘worst’ texture. Yet he ate silently.

He thought it was delicious.

He had to… think so.

He had to do that, or he wouldn’t be able to prove to the children who would come back that bell peppers were delicious.

“Ah, why did the children… hate… such… delicious things…? Haha. Ha… hahaha….”

Tears streamed down his cheeks along with sobs.

It’s painful. He wanted to get rid of this loneliness right now if he could.

But it wasn’t ‘time’ yet.

Knock! Knock!

Startled by the knock, Alex quickly wiped away his tears and jumped up from his seat.

“Ah! That’s right. I asked Yuan to deliver some daily necessities a few days ago!”

The gloomy look from a moment ago was gone. He stood up energetically and quickly approached the door.

A smile naturally appeared on his face at the joy of the visitor.

“I asked him to have dinner with me last time, but he refused because he said he was busy, right? I must ask him to have dinner with me today!”

Alex opened the door with anticipation.

“It’s been a while! Yuan! Have a meal with me today…!”

Alex stopped talking. And his eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe it.

“……?”

It was a little girl.

A girl with tanned skin, crimson eyes, and soft silver hair was at the door.

Her small body looked even smaller because she was wearing a deep hood.

“Ah….”

Alex was speechless.

The girl tilted her head, looking up at Alex.

Her eyes were filled with curiosity, as if she didn’t know what his reaction meant.

Alex muttered, reaching out a trembling hand.

“Em…ma?”

The girl… looked so much like the girl he knew.

***

“Wow! You surprised me! A big crow suddenly popped out of the forest, so I thought it was a monster!”

The man in his mid-30s, pulling a cart with a donkey, laughed heartily.

The cart had so much miscellaneous junk that there seemed to be little space to sit. The man in the crow mask and the hooded girl were occupying that narrow space.

“It’s cramped, isn’t it? Haha! But it’s better than walking, right?”

“…….”

Loki ignored the constant chatter of the peddler, a man named Yuan, and looked at the girl sitting right next to him.

The girl flinched as if she felt Loki’s gaze, but she didn’t do anything but lower her head.

‘…Has her wariness subsided now?’

After escaping the forest, Loki found a path.

It was a path that had been naturally created by many people moving. That meant that if he followed that path, he would find a place where people lived, whether it was a village or a city.

At that time, Sallet, who was following Loki, was still wary and kept a distance of about 15 feet [5 meters].

Before that, she had kept a distance of about 30 feet [10 meters] or observed from the trees, but she seemed to have realized that he was not harming her in the previous incident, and she was shortening the distance as the days went by.

As the two continued their subtle journey, they received help from a passing peddler.

At first, he only asked for directions to an inn in a nearby village, but the peddler Yuan waved his hand with a smile.

-A place to stay, you say? Hmm… it might be difficult! These days, this country is at war, so they avoid strangers. Besides….

Yuan pointed to Loki’s side with his finger. To be exact, it was towards Sallet, who was walking a little further away.

-Your wife looks very tired, so she needs to stay in a proper place! I happen to know a monastery, so let’s ask them!

Sallet seemed embarrassed by Yuan’s words, but Yuan forcibly pushed Loki into the cart with a bright smile unique to rural villages and gestured for Sallet to come too.

In the end, the two ended up riding in the same cart without realizing it.

He had to show some reaction, but he missed the timing because it was too sudden.

The moment Loki got on the cart, she was led by Yuan’s hand and naturally sat next to Loki.

“Wow! Thank you for saving me! The person who lives in the monastery is very lonely. He will be happy to accept you.”

Looking at Yuan, who was speaking brightly, Loki remained silent for a moment.

This place was the Kingdom of Ronia, the closest to the Frozen Earth. Currently, a civil war was taking place between the First Prince and the Second Prince for the throne, divided into the west and east.

The aftermath of the war easily affected neighboring countries.

Frequent wars worsen a country’s national power and economy. As public order becomes unstable, those who have lost their livelihoods are prone to corruption.

It was becoming common for bandits, looters, and deserters to roam around. Yet Yuan, who was in front of him, was treating Loki and Sallet with goodwill without any wariness, as if he didn’t know such a brutal world.

“…You are kind.”

“Yes? Ah, I hear that a lot. Thank you!”

“Don’t you usually distrust strangers? People with strange clothes like me would be even more reluctant.”

“Hmm, well! It is strange! Very! A crow mask… isn’t it too ominous?”

“…….”

Yuan was being too honest.

“But you know. Bandits know very well that there’s nothing to get by robbing these rural areas. No money, no goods! Only bodies.”

Yuan smacked his lips.

“So what we’re worried about are slave hunters or looters who kidnap people rather than bandits. If we get caught by them, we have no hope.”

Looking at Yuan smiling brightly, Loki opened his mouth.

“But you’re still helping us? You have too little wariness.”

“Hmm, I hear that a lot! They say, ‘You have the perfect personality to be scammed!’ Doesn’t that mean I’m naive? Haha!”

He’s positive.

In some ways, it’s a good personality, but it was a personality that caused danger in this world.

“Actually, didn’t I meet a robber a while ago? At that time, my belongings were completely stolen, leaving not even a single pair of underwear! Haha! Thanks to that, I’m working day and night these days to make up for the deficit! But I learned a lesson! If you meet a robber, leave your belongings and run away! Then at least your clothes will be left! Haha!”

…He’s fanatically positive.

Loki made an absurd expression in the crow mask and opened his mouth.

“But what’s the reason for helping us?”

People who have had a hard time tend to be wary. If you meet a really vicious robber, you could be kidnapped and sold into slavery.

At Loki’s question, Yuan smiled.

“Ah, that’s because there’s a saying that has been passed down from the Azelan Constellation [likely a religious order or philosophical school] since ancient times.”

“……?”

“Chapter 625, Teachings of the Envoy, if someone is in a difficult situation, help them unless it is an evil deed. Then their hearts will be saved… that’s what the monk usually says.”

‘Is he following the teachings of religion?’

Loki had vaguely heard about the religious influence of this continent.

But he didn’t know it would be this much.

“Besides, the crow look is so familiar.”

‘Familiar?’

Loki couldn’t help but be puzzled by his words.