Jean, the Darkness

第16話 Nagaref Village (1)

"We should say goodbye here. Please be safe."

"Yes, thank you."

The place where Tareq's unit was sent was on the outskirts of the village. From here, they plan to move south to join up with the front. Meanwhile, Jean and Sabadda search for Sahim in the town.

"I wish everyone good luck. Please be careful."

"Thank you, Mr. Jean. See you then."

When Jean said this, Naseem bowed his head towards Jean and Sabadda, then mounted his horse and rode away. Jean and Sabadda enter the village with their horses in search of a shelter.

"There was some damage caused by the attack."

"Yes, indeed."

Sabadda said as he looked around the village, and Jean nodded. This is because many buildings were destroyed.

"Most of the people in the village are old men and women, and very small children. I wonder if the men were loaned out to fight in the war..?"

"Maybe. But I don't know exactly. I mean, if we lose, can you imagine how the residents here will be treated?"

"Yes, I can imagine."

Jean nodded. Like Archia, who lost, there are no human rights. The status of Archia's citizens has become lower than a dog.

"What should we do with the horse?"

"There's an inn over there, so let's go check it out."

"Yes, Brother."

Sabadda said and Jean nodded. There was no one in the custody shop. They saw an inn in a quiet place, so they walked towards it. When they arrived in front of the inn, an old woman appeared.

"Who would be a customer at a time like this? We're at war right now."

When the old woman said this, Sabadda smiled bitterly and held Jean's hand.

"Hello. As you can see, we are brothers, we just arrived in this village and we had no idea we were at war."

"I see, I can't help it."

The old woman laughs and looks at little Jean, then at Sabadda.

"Even though you said you're brothers, both of you look different to each other."

"Oh, people say that a lot. He looks a lot like my mother, and I look like my father."

"I see."

The old woman put the horses in a stable next to the inn. Sabadda immediately filled a bucket with water and gave it to the horses.

"If possible, I would like to stay for three or four days."

"It's fine. But please pay in advance..."

"Okay. How much?"

"For three days, it's one gold coin and 80 Dali, but for four days, it's two gold coins."

"Then I'll make it four days."

"Understood."

The old woman led them to the inn and gave them the key. After paying the bill, Sabadda went inside the room with Jean. This is the room on the top floor, Jean thought as he looked around the room.

"If you're tired, you can take a little rest. I'm going to look around a little."

"Okay. I'll take a little break."

"I gave the old lady a little more money, so she'll get some drinks and food for you. If you need anything while I'm not there, just let her know.''

"Yes, Brother."

Jean nodded. Sabadda looked out the window and prepared his weapon. He went outside and then closed the door. Jean was left alone in the room for a while, then went outside.

"Hey, are you alone?"

"Yes, I am."

When the old woman called out to him, Jean nodded.

"I want some water."

"Ohoho, then I'll put it in."

"Yes, please."

Jean handed the water bottle to her, who happily filled it. Then she brought bread and sweets from the kitchen and placed them on the desk.

"Sit here, boy."

"Yes, Granny."

Jean obediently sat down and took one of the sweets the old woman had offered.

"Isn't your brother here?"

"He just went out."

"I see."

The old woman is looking at him eating sweets. He has bright skin and is very cute. He's good with words, so he probably looks a certain age, but he's small. He looked like a girl, the old woman thought.

"Do you know where your brother went?"

"Well, He said he's going to go find my other brother."

"Do you have another brother here?"

"Yes, I do."

Jean nodded.

"What's his name?"

"He is Brother Sahim."

"Sahim, I don’t know."

"Oh, I see."

Jean looked disappointed. Then the old woman smiled and patted Jean on the head.

"What's that on your back?"

The old woman noticed the half-moon sword on Jean's back. After drinking some water, Jean took another snack.

"My brother told me to take it. He said it's a family heirloom, but I don't know well about it."

"Heirloom..."

The old woman looked at Jean and thought about something. But Jean ignored her and took her next candy.

"Do you like sweets?"

"Yes, I do."

She asked, and Jean nodded.

"It was delicious! Thank you!"

Jean smiled, took the water bottle, and bowed to her.

"Ah, I'm going to sleep for a while, so if you knock on my door, I don't think there will be an answer. My brother has the key, so please don't worry."

Jean said and she nodded. Jean went straight into the room and locked the door.

When Jean opened the window, he found that the surrounding buildings of this inn were deserted. Jean thought it was even more suspicious because it was so quiet. Jean stuck out the window and looked around. Then he quietly went outside, put his feet next to the window, and climbed onto the roof. Jean thought the view from the roof was completely different from the view from the window.

When he looked down, he saw she was leaving the inn. Is she going to fetch water? , Jean thought, but he was wrong. She seemed to be heading straight for the center of the village, so Jean was quietly following her from the roof.

She headed to the market and started shopping. She bought some bread and some boiled beans. Jean looked around and then looked at her again. When she started moving, Jean moved, too. Then she entered a building. The location was not far from the market. Jean moved, looked around, and jumped onto the roof of the building.

Jean thought he couldn't see anything from where he was now. He looked down and saw that no one was there. Then Jean quickly climbed down from the roof to the window. He looked inside and thought it was a spacious room.

When Jean hears people talking, he listens carefully. However, the conversation was in a language he didn't know. Then Jean concentrated and memorized each word of the conversation. Then the conversation stopped and he saw the old woman exiting the building. Jean climbs onto the roof again and chases her, jumping from roof to roof.

She returned to the inn, Jean thought. Then he jumped onto the roof of the inn and entered the room through an open window.

"Where did you go?"

When Jean turned to the direction of the voice, he saw Sabadda sitting on the bed with a stunned expression on his face.

"Ah, I'm home, brother."

"Welcome back. So, where did you go?"

Sabadda said without changing her complexion.

"Hmm, I was chasing that old lady."

Jean said in a low voice, and Sabadda reached out for his hands. As Jean approached, Sabadda grabbed him with both hands and pulled him closer.

“Where did that old lady go?”

Sabadda spoke into Jean's ear, and Jean told Sabadda what he had seen and heard.

"...Elgouf Aviri Egur Sahim"

Jean said, and Sabadda thought about it.

"Did you remember that after hearing it only once?"

"Yes. But I don't understand what that means."

Jean said and Sabadda smiled.

"It means those children are looking for Sahim."

"Hmmm. What language did she speak?"

"It’s Tux language."

When Sabadda said this, Jean just nodded.

"So, should I consider that this village has already fallen into the Kingdom of Tux?"

"Might be so."

"I wonder if Mr. Naseem is okay..."

"He's okay."

Sabadda smiled.

"They are excellent assassins, so they can handle any situation."

"Hmmm."

Jean nodded.

"So, are we acting as bait from the beginning?"

"Hahaha, I can't believe it's bait."

When Jean said this, Sabadda smiled bitterly.

"Okay, Jean."

"Yes, Brother."

"People in the underworld are expected to fulfill their duties without complaining, no matter what role they are ordered to perform. It's fine as long as the target dies and we don't die."

Sabadda said softly into Jean's ear. The voice was so soft that Jean thought it was ticklish.

"Well, seeing things like this, Brother Sahim would probably have sent Evska out in a hurry."

"Evska?"

"It’s his bird."

"Oh, I see."

Sabadda answered and Jean nodded.

"What is Brother Sahim’s job?"

"He says he's an adventurer, but his real job is an information gatherer."

In short, he's a spy. Jean was a little surprised and just nodded.

"Jean, remember, what is our job?"

"Our job is to find Brother Sahim, release him, and bring him home. If it is impossible to bring him home, I will kill him."

"That's it."

Sabadda nodded.

"But I don’t know where Brother Sahim is?"

"That old woman and her friends know where he is."

"So, what do we have to do?"

"Keep an eye on that old lady and take action when needed."

"Alright."

"I'm going to look at a house near the market. I'll explore the area around it."

Sabadda thought about it for a moment and said so.

"Take care, Brother."

"You, too."

Sabadda said in a gentle tone. But he knows. This is undoubtedly a crucial job. As Sabadda is still an apprentice, he does not know whether he can complete this task.

Jean, who is 4 years old, is also an apprentice. In terms of experience, skill, and everything else, compared to Sabadda and others, he is still at the starting point. Sabadda honestly wondered if it was okay to involve such a small child. However, the orders of Zaid, the head of the Tareq family, are absolute.

"I'll find Jean, so if the need arises, it doesn't matter if you run away and hide somewhere. I'll find you, so don't worry."

"Yes, Brother."

"Okay, I'll go."

Sabadda nodded, left Jean, stood up, went outside again, and locked the door.

Jean was left alone and thought for a while on the bed.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door, and Jean answered.

"Boy, would you like to have lunch with me?"

Hearing the old woman's voice, Jean got off the bed and opened the door.

"Is it time for lunch already?"

"That's right."

She smiled.

"Let's eat together."

"Hmm."

Jean thought.

"My brother hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, I saw him earlier. He said you could eat first."

"Alright."

Jean hesitated in his reply.

"Okay. I'll make some more preparations and then I'll go downstairs."

When Jean answered, she smiled and went downstairs. After closing the door, Jean checked his weapon, attached his canteen to his waist, and then put his cloak on his shoulders. He left only the things in the room that were okay to lose.

"Hey?"

She was surprised when she saw Jean come down.

"Oh, I'm going out for a while after lunch, so I just got ready."

Jean said with a grin. She nodded and arranged several dishes on his desk.

"That's amazing, Granny."

"Hahaha, I just got a little excited."

When she said this, Jean sat down in a chair, surprised.

"Well, eat."

"Yes, Granny."

Jean nodded and looked over at the food on his desk. Then Jean took a piece of bread and ate it.

Jean remembered this bread was something she had bought at the market earlier, and began eating it with relish.

"Boy, this food is delicious."

"Uh-huh."

Jean nodded as he ate the bread.

"Shall I put it on a plate?"

"No, thank you."

Jean shook his head. Then he spooned out another dish and put it on his plate.

Jean thought this was also a dish she had bought at the market. Those boiled beans may look awful, but best of all, they don't have a poisonous odor, so they're safe, Jean thought.

"Delicious."

Jean munched on the bread and boiled beans. The old woman strenuously suggested some meat dishes, but Jean just shook his head without replying.

"Do you hate meat?"

She asked in shock, and Jean shook his head.

"I love meat."

Jean drank water from his water bottle and wiped his mouth. He realized that the tea she had served was poisonous.

"Thank you, Granny. I'm already full."

"You haven’t even eaten the grape leaf meat rolls yet."

"I'm sorry."

Jean shook his head politely.

"I've eaten too many sweets and I'm full."

"...I see."

She smiled and nodded.

"So, where are you going now?"

"I want to go to the market."

"Why?"

"Hmm, I want to buy some pants."

"You need money for pants, right?"

"Yeah."

Jean nodded.

"I have some money."

Jean showed him his wallet from his pocket. It looks like a hefty wallet.

"Do you know where the market is?"

"No, I don't know."

Jean shook his head.

"Then, shall we go together?"

"Is it okay?"

"Of course."

She answered with a smile. Then she left the inn with Jean and slowly headed to the market in the center of the village.