I checked the herbs in the basket. Inside were the herbs requested by a regular customer.
Rachel glanced at the basket. I stroked Rachel's soft cheek and spoke.
"Your brother gave me a lot of money. Hmm. I'm going to meet a friend for a bit."
“A friend?”
Rachel's eyes widened at my words.
Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. After all, we were people who met almost every day to chat about trivial matters.
"Yeah. I'm just going to go talk for a bit."
"Umm..."
Rachel seemed displeased with something. She seemed half-asleep. I gently pressed down on Rachel's furrowed brow to smooth it out.
"I'll be back. Have fun playing with Zion."
I left the cabin with my mask tightly on.
"Have a good trip..."
With Rachel's voice, which had slightly subsided, the door closed.
Alright, last business trip, let's have a good time!
I came down from the forest with brisk steps.
***
Rachel stared quietly at the closed door.
"..."
She clearly remembered her brother handing her a bundle full of money. Her sister's face, beaming with a broad smile, was still vivid in jer memory.
'Surely that wasn't enough? Why isn't there any particular reaction? Business is still going strong.'
Rachel, who had been sitting idly on the bed, turned her gaze to the corner of the cabin. It was where Eve had hidden the money.
With a grunt, Rachel got out of bed and approached the bundle of money.
'...Did you think it would be covered up like this?'
All that was there was a cloth covering the bundle of money. Rachel lifted the cloth, thinking of innocent Eve. The bundle of money looked heavy at first glance.
'Surely you can't be satisfied?'
Rachel was impressed by Eve's incredible one-shot plan for life.
'Look at that ambition. That’s the kind of person my sister-in-law is.'
As the saying goes, there is no such thing as eternal satisfaction.
In that respect, Eve's greed was just right.
Rachel, wearing a proud smile, placed the cloth back on the bundle of money.
It wasn't enough money to satisfy her sister, but it seemed like her brother had successfully demonstrated his wealth.
'Now there are three left.'
Face, sex, warm place.
Rachel smiled proudly as she thought of Eve's ideal type.
However, something felt off. An inexplicable anxiety kept welling up from a corner of my mind.
'Why?'
Rachel frowned and recalled Eve's words.
My sister said she was going to meet a friend. A friend? To Rachel, Eve seemed to have more 'guests' than friends. Besides, she always went around with her face completely covered, so what kind of friend are you talking about...?
'No, wait a minute.'
I suddenly had a bad feeling.
Surely that friend... isn't talking about a boyfriend, is she? Is that why she went out even after receiving this enormous sum of money? Rachel's face was clouded with shock.
“It won’t work.”
Rachel muttered softly and got up.
If the imagination was true, something had to be done.
It was just as Rachel grabbed the doorknob of the cabin.
"..."
The gaze she felt was unusual. Rachel slowly turned her head.
As expected.
"...Ruby, where are you going?"
Zion was rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up.
Rachel frowned slightly, intending to hurry back before Zion woke up.
"I have somewhere to go for a moment."
“Where?”
“There is. A place like that.”
"I want to go to a place like that, too."
"..."
Rachel clamped her mouth shut at Zion's persistence. This is why she had intended to go before he woke up.
Eve extremely disliked Zion and Rachel going outside. This was because the outside was too dangerous.
But the one in danger was Zion, not Rachel. Who cares. All she had to do was attack anyone who dared to attack with fire.
'How should I do it?'
Rachel narrowed her eyebrows slightly.
Zion was too pure, even to the point of being overflowing with curiosity. It was impossible to even gauge how great the anger this innocent soul would bring about would be.
'But if I leave him behind, he's bound to chase after me. He might get lost.'
Then her sister would probably be terrified. If that happens, things will escalate.
Right. There was only one conclusion. Rachel let out a deep sigh.
"Instead, you have to stay right by my side."
"Yes."
“The sound is quiet.”
“Ugh!”
Rachel chuckled as she heard the spirited answer.
Great. Let's go find my sister-in-law!
The spirited footsteps of two little children adorned the winter forest.
***
“Eve!”
"Hi."
A man waved his hand in greeting. He was a regular customer who had commissioned the medicinal herbs. I adjusted my mask as if to respond casually.
He was one of my few regular customers.
What did he say again? I think he said he sold ice cream.
Anyway, he used to go out to do business in places other than the North.
Since merchants traveled considerable distances, they could often pick up a lot of various pieces of information about the empire.
He used to often tell me interesting stories he had heard.
For example, there were stories like meat-eating was trending among rabbits in the East, or tigers in the West going vegan for their health.
It was truly an amazing food chain.
"Did you get what you told me to get back then? I thought my neck was going to break waiting for you."
The merchant approached, making a joke.
“Yes, I barely got it.”
Saying that, I held out the basket I had brought.
"This is the last sale of the day, so I packed a special amount. You know this is practically a burlap sack, right?"
"What? Last chance to sell?"
The merchant opened his eyes wide in surprise. I shrugged my shoulders and shook the basket I was holding one more time.
"What? Aren't you going to buy it?"
"Hey, what's the rush? You said this is the last time; shouldn't we be able to catch up a bit? Is our relationship really that small?"
"Yeah. This is all there is."
I answered firmly.
"More importantly. You brought the information, right?"
"Ah, right. You mean the human world smuggling broker?"
I quietly nodded. Then the merchant said with a troubled expression.
"Eve. You know, right? That our Northern leader changed recently."
"Uh... hasn't it been quite a while? But why is the leader here?"
"The leader reportedly ordered a crackdown. Several brokers have been arrested as well."
"What?"
It was like a bolt from the blue. Why on earth would they intensify the crackdown at this particular time?
"Anyway, I think it will be difficult for the time being."
The merchant patted my shoulder as if to comfort me.
"We have plenty of time anyway, right? Let's wait just a little longer."
'That's because I don't have time!'
Frowning, I pulled my shoulder free from the salesman's grip. He grumbled about my impenetrable attitude, calling me prickly.
"That's right. Eve, shall I give you something nice? As a farewell gift."
The merchant who paid with money instead of information suddenly looked back at me.
"If you're going to say weird things, go away. I'm very upset right now."
"I'm just trying to comfort you."
The merchant let out a hollow laugh and rummaged through his clothes.
What he took out were three medicinal herbs with blue tips on their leaves.
"What's this?"
"It's a rare herb that can't be found in the North. Just so you know, people in the West are going crazy trying to find it."
"...Surely it's not medicine."
“That’s similar.”
“Crazy guy.”
I clicked my tongue in annoyance and waved my hand to indicate that I was done.
"Ah. I told you, this person is much more old-fashioned than he looks!"
Instead, he got angry and forcibly stuffed the herbs into the basket.
I narrowed my eyebrows as I looked at the herbs in the basket. The merchant smiled proudly and spoke boldly.
"Try it out later. You'll experience a whole new world."
"The new world is freezing to death..."
"Then you'd freeze to death in the north, wouldn't you? Would you die from the heat?"
I thought of Noelier and Rachel in silence.
'You could die from the heat if those siblings are around...'
I waved my hands to erase the grim thoughts.
“Go quickly.”
"Thank you for everything. Take care!"
He waved his hand and walked away from me. I found his smiling face simply annoying.
'A crackdown!'
You never even do this normally, so why did you have to do it of all things!
After tearing at my hair for a long time, I let out a deep sigh. One way or another, there was no immediate solution even if I writhed in pain like this.
‘Let’s go back.’
I walked slowly with my shoulders slumped listlessly.
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