Episode 68. The Debt Woman
“The forest feels different than when I last came. Is this also your influence?”
At Lacrahan’s question, Bercheria looked around with a new gaze.
“I think so. My power applies not only to people, but also to plants and animals.”
“All life on this land is under your influence.”
“Yes.”
The cold weather made her breath seep out, but otherwise, everything was stable.
The grass beneath the snow was lush and green, and the trees exuded a sense of presence.
“This is my first time in the north, so it feels strange.”
As Bercheria walked forward, her hand lightly brushed Lacrahan’s. Bercheria reached out and gently grasped Lacrahan’s pinky.
When he looked at her in surprise, Bercheria shyly lowered her head.
Lacrahan intertwined their fingers, drawing her closer.
He clasped her hands tightly, lifting the backs of her hands and pressing his lips against them.
“When I get back, I want to hold a wedding ceremony first.”
Bercheria still smiled at him, oblivious to what she had done.
“That woman.”
Lacrahan pointed to the woman standing with Dipper.
“I saw her near the tower.”
“...Huh?”
"Your life up until now wasn't your fault, so don't worry. I'll be by your side, so nothing will happen from now on."
That was when Lacrahan gently squeezed her hand.
Suddenly, Dipper and the woman began to argue noisily.
"Shhh."
Lacrahan raised a finger at Bercheria, lowering himself completely and approaching them.
"Oh, that Emperor... I mean, come on! It was a completely incomprehensible remark."
The two men were once again sullen, their voices unintelligible.
Then a woman's voice was heard.
"Oh, so they'll imprison Lacrahan in the palace!"
"...?"
The two looked at each other.
"Did I mishear?"
Bercheria heard clearly.
She hadn't heard the previous conversation clearly, but it was clearly about Lacrahan, not Bercheria.
After that, Dipper and the woman continued to argue in inaudible voices until Dipper flew away on Muha, and the surroundings became quiet.
The two waited for the woman to leave.
Lacrahan pondered Bercheria’s question for a moment, then shook his head.
“Isn’t it more likely not?”
When Bercheria’s expression turned sour, Lacrahan tightened his grip on her.
“Because she doesn’t resemble you at all. There’s nothing in common.”
Lacrahan turned Bercheria to face him.
“Lacrahan! What if we get caught?”
“We won’t get caught.”
He then carefully examined her face.
“Look. Eyes, nose, mouth. There’s nothing in common. You’re so pretty, but she looks so unremarkable.”
Bercheria covered her face with her hand and buried her head in his shoulder.
The memories of her time imprisoned in the tower gnawed at her painfully.
Before she knew it, she could tell herself it was okay, that she had endured it well.
But now that she had seen the woman’s true nature, she felt so foolish that even that consolation was no longer possible.
“You were just a child.”
Lacrahan patted Bercheria's back as she leaned against him.
"That woman was wrong to take an innocent child and deceive her."
His voice stroked her chest, a powerful yet gentle voice.
"You did nothing wrong."
“The forest feels different than when I last came. Is this also your influence?”
At Lacrahan’s question, Bercheria looked around with a new gaze.
“I think so. My power applies not only to people, but also to plants and animals.”
“All life on this land is under your influence.”
“Yes.”
The cold weather made her breath seep out, but otherwise, everything was stable.
The grass beneath the snow was lush and green, and the trees exuded a sense of presence.
“This is my first time in the north, so it feels strange.”
As Bercheria walked forward, her hand lightly brushed Lacrahan’s. Bercheria reached out and gently grasped Lacrahan’s pinky.
When he looked at her in surprise, Bercheria shyly lowered her head.
Lacrahan intertwined their fingers, drawing her closer.
He clasped her hands tightly, lifting the backs of her hands and pressing his lips against them.
“When I get back, I want to hold a wedding ceremony first.”
Bercheria’s lips tingled for no reason, so she bit them with her gritted, white teeth.
“It’s okay if this marriage still uses me, and you can end it whenever you want, just like we promised.”
Lacrahan still wanted to be considerate of the fact that she wasn’t an ordinary person. She was the goddess of the weather, and Bercheria knew the weight of her name, so he hoped that he wouldn’t become an obstacle in the face of any variables that might arise.
“So, when I get back, will you marry me again?”
Bercheria took a deep breath. She pressed the back of her hand to her cheek, which had flushed at Lacrahan’s words. They had always crossed paths and met again, but from now on, they would walk together, hand in hand.
“I want to do that. Me too.”
The two of them were opening their hearts to each other, their hearts growing stronger. Then, suddenly, their eyes widened. Dipper was standing in the forest, talking to a woman. The two hurriedly hid. Where Dipper was was a place most people avoided.
“You don’t even come here often.”
When Bercheria looked at him, Lacrahan lowered his voice even further.
“It’s a troublesome place. It’s the furthest forest in the north, and the route is confusing, so no one goes there unless they have business in the border region. There’s no need to.”
“So you’re saying those two are together now, having taken a detour that they didn’t necessarily have to take?”
“For example.”
Bercheria’s eyes tightened. The last memory she had of Dipper was at the nest. The fact that Dipper, who had proposed to her, was secretly seeing another woman just a few days later weighed heavily on her heart. It wasn’t that she was trying to rob him of his freedom. Asking Bercheria to marry him despite having another woman wasn’t necessarily a normal pattern. And it wasn’t the typical human love that begins with a human’s face. It was a marriage between two gods.
‘What on earth is this plot?’
“That man is Dipper of the Kingdom of Contana. The god of the earth.”
“The Kingdom of Contana?”
Lacrahan tore his gaze away from Dipper and looked at the woman next to him. The woman facing him. He narrowed his eyes and examined the woman’s face intently, trying not to miss a single detail. He couldn’t understand it.
“What’s going on?”
Lacrahan rubbed his dry face, and Bercheria, anxious, leaned closer to him.
“What’s wrong?”
Lacrahan fixed his calm gaze on Bercheria.
“Listen to me without being surprised. Is that possible?”
He nodded.
“You said you saw me at the bottom of the tower, right? When you were young.”
“Yes.”
It was a memory from when she was very young, but whenever Lacrahan came, Bercheria would wave at him. She would even mutter to herself, “Thank you,” as he looked up.
“Every time you came, I waited. You were the only secret in my otherwise empty life. Even my mother didn’t know.”
Bercheria smiled, a smirk playing on her lips. Lacrahan opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't bring himself to utter it, so he bit it tightly. Isn't this sudden attack foul play?
"Ahem."
Bercheria still smiled at him, oblivious to what she had done.
“That woman.”
Lacrahan pointed to the woman standing with Dipper.
“I saw her near the tower.”
“...Huh?”
“She came in a fancy carriage, waving a fan. She said she brought you bread.”
Bercheria covered her mouth.
Slowly, she turned her gaze to the woman.
The woman who had come to her tower so far had only recently been a withered corpse.
“Perhaps that face is the real mother you’ve been searching for so long.”
Bercheria stared at the woman, her face slightly blank.
The woman in the ornate dress was engaged in a ceaseless exchange with Dipper.
“It’s a strange thing to say, but when you think about it, everything that’s happened makes a little sense. And Dipper too.”
But she couldn’t understand how it was possible.
Why were the two of them facing each other right now, in that place?
How did they get here, and how did they get up and down the tower?
Everything was a mystery.
Mother and the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Contana.
Bercheria's mind was growing more and more complex.
Kuwek.
Then, suddenly, a voice from the sky called out to Bercheria, and Bercheria naturally raised her head.
Lacrahan pressed her head down, forcing her to lean against the ground.
Soon, a giant shadow loomed over them, and Muha landed with a thud in the open space next to the woman. Muha nudged his beak, as if begging for a pat, as if it were a common occurrence. The woman smiled in annoyance and stroked Muha's face.
"Ha."
Bercheria was dumbfounded, speechless.
What on earth was going on?
Lacrahan nodded slowly.
"I think I know how that woman got to Bercheria's tower. How about you?"
Bercheria also burst into laughter.
"Muha."
Watching her mother climb the tower, Bercheria had always considered herself an invincible, a formidable person.
A formidable witch.
She believed she could never defeat her, so she simply had to submit.
There must have been a reason for her to climb up and down the tower that no one could reach.
But there wasn't. It was just luck.
Just as Bercheria had climbed the tower on a horse, she had simply tamed the large divine beast to ascend and descend.
The divine beast, hearing the divine word, would have needed Dipper.
As Bercheria tried to move, Lacrahan stopped her.
Bercheria covered her mouth.
Slowly, she turned her gaze to the woman.
The woman who had come to her tower so far had only recently been a withered corpse.
“Perhaps that face is the real mother you’ve been searching for so long.”
Bercheria stared at the woman, her face slightly blank.
The woman in the ornate dress was engaged in a ceaseless exchange with Dipper.
“It’s a strange thing to say, but when you think about it, everything that’s happened makes a little sense. And Dipper too.”
But she couldn’t understand how it was possible.
Why were the two of them facing each other right now, in that place?
How did they get here, and how did they get up and down the tower?
Everything was a mystery.
Mother and the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Contana.
Bercheria's mind was growing more and more complex.
Kuwek.
Then, suddenly, a voice from the sky called out to Bercheria, and Bercheria naturally raised her head.
Lacrahan pressed her head down, forcing her to lean against the ground.
Soon, a giant shadow loomed over them, and Muha landed with a thud in the open space next to the woman. Muha nudged his beak, as if begging for a pat, as if it were a common occurrence. The woman smiled in annoyance and stroked Muha's face.
"Ha."
Bercheria was dumbfounded, speechless.
What on earth was going on?
Lacrahan nodded slowly.
"I think I know how that woman got to Bercheria's tower. How about you?"
Bercheria also burst into laughter.
"Muha."
Watching her mother climb the tower, Bercheria had always considered herself an invincible, a formidable person.
A formidable witch.
She believed she could never defeat her, so she simply had to submit.
There must have been a reason for her to climb up and down the tower that no one could reach.
But there wasn't. It was just luck.
Just as Bercheria had climbed the tower on a horse, she had simply tamed the large divine beast to ascend and descend.
The divine beast, hearing the divine word, would have needed Dipper.
As Bercheria tried to move, Lacrahan stopped her.
"Not now."
Moving rashly like that could lead to another mistake.
"Deceiving someone like that, regardless of ability, shows a level of cunning. You must be careful."
Lacrahan placed a hand on Bercheria's back and held her still. From her perspective, the woman must have seemed incredibly ridiculous. She possessed all the power, while she was hoping for the luck of riding a divine beast. Lacrahan felt Bercheria's body tremble in his arms.
"It's unfair. I thought she was truly amazing."
"I know. But not now. We need to approach slowly and carefully so we can hold them accountable more firmly."
Knowing Lacrahan was right, Bercheria held back her anger. He slowly ran his hand down her back, as if trying to soothe her. The soft, warm hand caressing her back seemed to slightly subdue the anger that had been seething in her just moments before. She wanted to kiss him right away, but she knew it wasn't the time, so she held it back.
Sometimes, Lacrahan thought, if only he could go back in time, change Bercheria's entire life and rebuild it, making it free of all the injustice and pain. Bercheria deserved to be loved. How could someone so beautiful be abused, starved, and imprisoned in a filthy tower, forcing her to live a miserable life?
Lacrahan wanted to bring that woman back immediately and imprison her in a tower for life, not to mention make her suffer two or three times as much as Bercheria had suffered.
When Lacrahan looked at Bercheria, she smiled faintly, clearly concealing her complex emotions. That sight only made his heart ache even more. He wanted to hold her all day, rub her back, and tell her it was okay.
"Your life up until now wasn't your fault, so don't worry. I'll be by your side, so nothing will happen from now on."
That was when Lacrahan gently squeezed her hand.
Suddenly, Dipper and the woman began to argue noisily.
"Shhh."
Lacrahan raised a finger at Bercheria, lowering himself completely and approaching them.
"Oh, that Emperor... I mean, come on! It was a completely incomprehensible remark."
The two men were once again sullen, their voices unintelligible.
Then a woman's voice was heard.
"Oh, so they'll imprison Lacrahan in the palace!"
"...?"
The two looked at each other.
"Did I mishear?"
Bercheria heard clearly.
She hadn't heard the previous conversation clearly, but it was clearly about Lacrahan, not Bercheria.
After that, Dipper and the woman continued to argue in inaudible voices until Dipper flew away on Muha, and the surroundings became quiet.
The two waited for the woman to leave.
“Is that woman really the one who gave birth to me?”
Lacrahan pondered Bercheria’s question for a moment, then shook his head.
“Isn’t it more likely not?”
When Bercheria’s expression turned sour, Lacrahan tightened his grip on her.
“Because she doesn’t resemble you at all. There’s nothing in common.”
Lacrahan turned Bercheria to face him.
“Lacrahan! What if we get caught?”
“We won’t get caught.”
He then carefully examined her face.
“Look. Eyes, nose, mouth. There’s nothing in common. You’re so pretty, but she looks so unremarkable.”
Bercheria covered her face with her hand and buried her head in his shoulder.
The memories of her time imprisoned in the tower gnawed at her painfully.
Before she knew it, she could tell herself it was okay, that she had endured it well.
But now that she had seen the woman’s true nature, she felt so foolish that even that consolation was no longer possible.
“You were just a child.”
Lacrahan patted Bercheria's back as she leaned against him.
"That woman was wrong to take an innocent child and deceive her."
His voice stroked her chest, a powerful yet gentle voice.
"You did nothing wrong."
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