Chapter 138

Lake Fortress’s chieftain Darika.

In his old age, he had forgotten who he was and had lost track of his relationships with those around him. While one might think this is what happens when you grow old, for Darika, there was a reason behind it.

Darika had one son.

His name was Baschal. Ever since ancient times, the northern peoples considered becoming a Northguard the highest honor, and Baschal was no exception.

Baschal was a fine Northguard with a solid reputation. With his skills and character, Baschal had become the next chieftain, supported fervently by the tribe members.

However, misfortune is bound to happen in any life, even without a Gumiho, and one day, while Baschal was out hunting to defeat a monster, he met his fate.

He returned as a cold corpse, colder than the northern chill.

The village fell into despair over the death of Baschal, their next leader, friend, and comrade.

Overcome by the mental shock of losing his son, Darika lost his sanity, and when he awakened, he had become the senile old man we see now.

In other words, right now, I am acting as Baschal’s long-time friend, Carami.

“Of course, a virtual friend.”

While it seems best to act as the person involved, the difficulty level of this acting is on another level. It starts with appearance, and there are TMI pieces of information that only the person would know.

No matter how much I might portray them, I cannot know everything. Although an important NPC in the story, since I am not the main character, memorizing everything is essentially impossible.

On the other hand, having a longtime friend gives you at least some leeway, and it offers some resistance to the distortion of memories.

There was a bit of awkwardness at our first meeting, but that posed no problem. After all, he is a senile old man. Any negative feelings he had toward me had already faded into the past.

With a pleasant smile, like I was a friend to his mother, I whispered to Darika.

My considerably heightened [Master Negotiator] skills worked wonders. Like hypnosis, I planted believable words into Darika’s mind.

“Chieftain, the tribe members have returned from their hunt. How about saying a word of thanks to them?”

“Yes, good work. Go inside and rest.”

“…Chieftain, why is that man here?”

“Jorn. Baschal’s friend Carami is here! I thought he was dead, but how fortunate that he’s alive! Where is that Baschal, who should be here with his friend?”

Though Jorn showed signs of fluster, he quickly fixed his expression.

“Chieftain, Baschal never had such a friend. That person is a slave merchant who has come to steal your jewels. Think carefully.”

“What? He’s come for my jewels?”

Darika looked at me suspiciously.

Darika, who had ignored everyone else’s words, listened carefully to Jorn’s. That meant he trusted Jorn to some extent.

But who am I?

Baschal’s best friend, Carami.

I am the son closer than any subordinate.

I began a story only “we” knew.

“It brings back memories. Every time we went hunting, Baschal always got into trouble and got scolded.”

“That’s because Baschal is a troublemaker. He never listens even when you warned him.”

“Yet whenever I played with Baschal, Chieftain would always make that furroot soup for us. I still can’t forget that taste.”

“Yes… that was so. Baschal loved that furroot soup, and I made it for him every day.”

Darika’s eyes shimmered with nostalgia as he recalled those memories. Then, he looked up, glaring fiercely at Jorn.

“Jorn! Carami is Baschal’s one and only friend, like my own son! How dare you slander him!”

“Chieftain. Everything he says is a lie.”

“Shut up! If you slander Carami any further, I won’t stand by idly!”

“…….”

Jorn finally closed his mouth.

“Get out of my sight!”

“Yes….”

“I have a foolish subordinate. I’ll apologize instead.”

“Haha, I must have confused you with someone else. We all make mistakes in life.”

“How can your heart be so kind? If only Baschal had inherited even half of that.”

The affection pouring from Darika’s eyes as he looked at me was palpable. In contrast, Jorn, who had received a warning from Darika, left the tent with a piercing glance directed at me.

I should leave in a bit.

If I went out now, I might die.

In any case, I successfully charmed Darika. Of course, I’ll need to come back periodically to inject false memories, but that’s no problem.

Still, there is one slight downside to this operation.

“Here, Carami. Try this. The winter potatoes are really sweet.”

Darika offered me something to eat.

But I felt like I was about to burst from all the food I had eaten earlier.

I smiled pleasantly, politely refusing.

“Haha, Chieftain. I’ve eaten quite a bit already.”

“What do you mean? I have no memory of seeing you eat anything. The Carami in my memory ate even more than you. Are you perhaps….”

“…Now that I think about it, I am quite hungry. I’ll gratefully eat it.”

“Yes, eat this too. And that too. Why are you so thin? With that body, you won’t survive the harsh north.”

An elderly woman who can’t stand her grandson being hungry + the crazy combo of a dementia patient leads to an endless cascade of food.

I slipped out of the tent just before my stomach was about to revolt.

***

I returned to the tent house.

A living space shared between myself and Asies. Despite all the winter preparations, when I was with Asies, the snow gently fell.

That’s when an uninvited guest arrived.

“I’m sure I warned you before I left. Don’t make a fuss in the village.”

It was the tribe leader Jorn.

He emitted a fierce energy as if he would draw a tomahawk at any moment.

It seemed he didn’t like me being favored by Darika. What a jealous fellow.

“What do you mean by a fuss? I merely reminded the chieftain of his fond memories. Thanks to me, he has laughed a lot.”

“How did you approach the chieftain? According to the guards’ reports, they had never seen you leave the tent.”

“Oh, that’s because~”

What’s the big deal?

I wore a stealth robe.

This is the item I use most effectively. It has excellent performance and, most importantly, it’s fun.

Didn’t we all dream of being invisible as kids? Passing through people invisibly is an exhilarating experience.

“It’s a trade secret.”

But of course, I had no obligation to disclose it. I lightly chuckled and placed a finger to my lips.

Jorn’s fist twitched momentarily, clearly very uncomfortable. If Asies hadn’t been there, that fist would have already been planted in my face.

No matter what tricks I play or how I openly taunt him, there’s nothing Jorn can do. Even if he were to tear the village apart.

Naturally, I have no intention of doing that.

Let him consider me a good slave merchant.

“You don’t have to worry too much. In the end, everyone will be happy.”

***

“How was the hunt today?”

The night sky of Isgangar was beautifully adorned with auroras and the Milky Way.

It was time to build camaraderie with Asies. Carami strolled around the outskirts of the village with Asies. There was no need for anything grand; they touched on small, everyday subjects.

Asies looked up at the sky, recalling the events of the day.

“It was… interesting.”

“What was interesting?”

“Everything.”

Everything was interesting.

The organized team working together in the hunt was fascinating, as was the sight of comrades laughing and chatting.

The scene where they celebrated after a successful hunt, the villagers came to celebrate together, all of it.

“But… I made a mistake. People… almost got hurt.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“But didn’t everyone return safely? That must be thanks to your hard work, Asies.”

Hard work…?

I’m not so sure about that.

“I just… felt like I had to.”

“Hmm, I don’t know what kind of feelings you had, Asies, but anything done with determination is a good thing.”

“Is that so…?”

“It is.”

I’m not quite sure, but if Carami says so, then it must be true. That’s what Asies thought.

As Asies walked, keeping her distance from Carami, she suddenly recalled what the other members had said.

“Is Lammi… a bad person?”

“Me?”

Asies nodded her head.

“People said… Lammi is a bad person.”

“Oh dear, someone is spreading slander about me.”

“Slander?”

“Of course. There is no one as kind as I am in this world.”

“Is that so…?”

“It is.”

Asies didn’t dwell on it this time. Whether Carami was a good person or a bad person, she had no particular thoughts about it.

“Tomorrow, let’s take some time to talk with Darika. You’ll have a different experience if you have a conversation with her.”

“Okay….”

“It’s getting colder now that night has fallen. Let’s go inside and rest.”

“Okay.”

On the way back to the tent.

Following behind Carami, Asies observed his figure. Every time she saw Carami’s steps, she would cock her head to the side in curiosity.

“Why does Lammi walk with his hands behind his back…?”

Both Asies and everyone else moved their arms while walking, yet only Carami walked with his hands behind his back.

This insignificant behavior that no one cared about sparked Asies’s curiosity.

“Oh, is this what you mean?”

Carami responded as if he hadn’t noticed while checking his hands. Suddenly realizing he was standing with his hands behind his back.

“I used to walk normally too. It’s a habit that I developed recently.”

“…?”

“It feels empty in my hands.”

When he was with Mirabel and Lin, he would hold their hands or have them close. Carami had grown accustomed to that, but now walking alone felt empty.

It was more comfortable psychologically to hold on to his own hands than to flail empty hands.

“It feels… empty.”

Asies checked her own hands.

She could understand what Carami meant by feeling empty. The moment she heard his words, Asies also felt a sense of emptiness.

“How do you fill this emptiness…?”

“There are various ways. Putting your hands in your pockets is one way, and walking like me with your hands behind your back is another. Well, if not that, holding hands with someone else. Although, that’s something you can’t do alone.”

Holding hands.

That was the suggestion Carami had offered, and it echoed most clearly in Asies’s ears.

What would it feel like to hold hands?

To Asies, who was not permitted even a hint of warmth, this was something she could never understand.

Asies unconsciously clenched her fist tightly.