It was just when I was about to close up business.
"Hey."
A heavily disheveled voice came from behind me as I was checking the remaining quantity of herbs. I turned my head toward that direction.
A man with messy hair approached me, fiddling with his mustache.
I frowned and pulled my mask up a little higher. It was obvious at a glance that he was not a 'normal' customer.
“What’s going on?”
"I'm in a bit of a rush, so do you have anything good?"
"..."
I let out a sigh involuntarily. It looked like another drug addict had slipped in from somewhere.
I was someone who considered money quite important, actually, really important. However, I strictly stuck to my own standards.
If I had made money doing dirty deeds, I would have dealt with it long ago. I mean, I wouldn't have been hiding away like this just to sell medicinal herbs.
Gathering herbs all night and standing all day idly waiting for customers was a really inefficient task.
So I really hated those things that went around acting so out of their minds.
Usually, these drug addicts couldn't hide their wolf instincts. They claimed to like the feeling of transforming into a state that was neither human nor wolf while high on drugs, or something like that.
'He needs to be called a half-breed to come to his senses.'
I openly clicked my tongue in disapproval.
"There's no such thing. Go away. You've come to the wrong place."
"But... They said it was someone wearing a black cloak..."
He kept tilting his head, then hiccuped. A foul odor emanated from his mouth every time he spoke. It was a smell strong enough to penetrate my mask.
"It's not me, so just go."
I waved my hands wildly and frowned.
"Damn it..."
At my firm attitude, the man staggered in annoyance. Just then, his unfocused eyes met my hand.
"Hey, that ring looks expensive. It doesn't look like something you should have. Would you give me that instead?"
"I'm not selling it, so get lost."
"You're not selling it?"
"No. I am selling it. 50 million gold. Bring that to me, and I'll give it to you."
"That's an unbelievable price."
Since it meant I wouldn't sell it, I tried hard to hide that look of contempt.
But.
"You're not ignoring me, are you? How dare a salesman like you treat a customer like that? Do you think you'll do well in business like this?"
The drug addict swayed and approached me.
Here it is. The typical nitpicking of lunatics.
I looked around just in case. Perhaps because it was a secluded place, there was no one there.
'Then I guess I can go a bit further. He's crazy anyway, so he'll probably get confused whether it's reality or not.'
I put the basket down first. I had to get rid of this nuisance before I could go home.
I hated people who did drugs the most. The reason is simple and clear.
First, they were out of their minds; second, they always looked disheveled like that, tormenting my eyes; and most importantly, the third...
"I get it. You have a good item, but you don't want to sell it to me, right? Huh?"
He scratched his head with nonsensical words.
'Ah. I absolutely hate troublesome things.'
I looked around once more.
Well, there's no one there either.
I pulled the hand I had been hiding inside the cloak out. Then I released a very small amount of force.
“Ugh!”
The man let out a groan of pain.
Haven't you ever had that experience—getting dizzy after eating something cold?
I let just that much cold air flow into the man's head.
The drug-addicted man began to stagger. When one of his feet lifted off the ground, I waved my hand again.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the floor.
"Ugh!"
The man slipped as if to show off.
Thud!
Then, with a loud noise, the man fell backward. Ouch. As he fell, his pants ripped, revealing his underwear.
'Ah. My eyes...'
I wanted to hurry home and cleanse my eyes by looking at Zion and Rachel.
"I absolutely hate drug addicts."
I spoke without hiding my feelings of disgust. Then the man gasped and glared at me.
"You..."
"Eat this and go to sleep. I’ll give you a special charity."
I dropped the remaining herb beside him. It was one of the herbs good for insomniacs.
It was then, after letting out a mocking laugh, I turned around to go on my way.
“Oh. And.”
I stopped walking at a sudden thought.
"I'm not selling this ring; it's very precious. Well, if you bring 50 million gold, I'll consider it."
Fifty million gold was money that one could never earn in a lifetime of work. Even though it was given by Rachel, my enemy, it was the first gift I had ever received from the child.
Why would I sell that? I would never sell it.
I scoffed and walked away. As expected, it was dangerous outside the house. I should hurry back.
***
It was a time when I was on my way home, deep in thought about what to feed the children today.
'Come to think of it, how many days has it been since Rachel came here?'
Quite a long time has passed.
'By now, shouldn't the dragons be coming to the North?'
It was far too slow. The part in the novel about the older brother who hated Little Red Riding Hood felt like a lie.
'No, maybe they can't find her because we've been hiding in the forest.'
Uh, wait a minute, could it be that I look even more like a kidnapper because of that?
The thought gave me goosebumps.
I climbed the mountain thinking that I should be a kinder older sister to Rachel.
The further I went in, the deeper my feet sank into the snow. The blizzard was raging fiercely today. My hat was about to be blown off by the wind. It was when I was bending my head down, clutching the brim of my hat, that...
"..."
Suddenly, I felt a strange gaze.
'In a secluded forest, a persistent gaze.'
I racked my brain as I walked away, pretending nothing was wrong.
Did Little Red Riding Hood's brother finally come to find Rachel?
'No, if that's the case, he wouldn't just stand there staring.'
It would actually be cleaner for them to attack me first and then take Rachel away.
'It's not a dragon. Then what?'
To the eyes of the Southerners, who were sworn enemies of the North and the South, I must have been an extremely suspicious person.
"I heard a child went missing in the South. And I heard she's the Southern leader's sister."
I recalled what the passerby had said. If that passerby knew, then the other beastmen must already know as well.
'There is bound to be at least one shameless person who wants to make some money by kidnapping.'
So the purpose of this gaze must have been my house, not me.
After finding a house, he probably intends to take Rachel and try to make some money.
How on earth did they figure that out? I retold my actions up until now.
'That doctor bastard...!'
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no one else but that person.
How dare you run your mouth so carelessly in this field where trust is the foundation!
Having vowed never to do business with him again, I turned around with a wary attitude.
Since things have turned out this way, I guess I'll just have to be the kidnapper for now.
The safety of the children was a priority.
I picked up the apple I had put in the basket. As the cold air swirling around my body touched it, the wet apple froze with a squeaking sound.
I took out a stone that could easily smash a person's head and said.
“Come out now.”
***
Rachel slowly opened her eyes. The sound of the crackling campfire was gradually fading.
'It's about time my sister came home.'
Thinking that, Rachel got out of bed.
His older sister was an ice wizard, but she was weak to the cold.
'Shall I turn the fire up a bit?'
A creaking sound was heard from the hard wooden bed. It was then, just as Rachel was about to tightly grip the dying embers.
"...!"
In this cold place, she felt the energy of fire. It was not the familiar red fire.
It was a blue fire.
Rachel quickly stood up. It was just as she was about to kick open the door and leave.
"Ruby...?"
Zion, who had just woken up, called her name. She stopped moving to open the door.
"Where are you going? Older sister told you not to go out carelessly..."
“I have to go.”
"Uh?"
Zion asked back like a fool. Rachel turned her head toward him.
"I have to go to save my sister-in-law!"
Rachel said that and ran out somewhere. A snowstorm poured in through the door that burst open.
"Sister-in-law...?"
Zion stared blankly at the snowstorm. The winter forest visible beyond the door was still dark and silent.
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