Chapter 33
“Sigona?”
Enya called her name in surprise.
Sigona had opened the door with a cloth-covered basket in her hands.
As Enya’s gaze traveled from Sigona’s red hair down to the basket, Sigona surveyed the wreckage inside the room.
The table shoved far out of place and the chairs knocked over.
Tarmin sprawled across the bench.
Enya clinging to him, one hand resting on his chest.
After taking in Enya’s damp, sweat-slick forehead and flushed face, Sigona quickly backed away.
“Sorry to interrupt. I’ll come back another time!”
Enya sprang to her feet and waved frantically at the closing door.
“N-No, it’s fine. Come in, Sigona!”
“No, don’t mind me.”
“It’s okay. We’re all done.”
All done with what?
Touching her burning cheeks, Sigona peered through the gap in the door again.
Contrary to her expectations, the atmosphere inside had frozen over like winter in Quaalid.
Tarmin sat up and said with a hard expression,
“Hey, what did you just say?”
His question was laced with anger.
Looking straight at him, Enya said,
“I meant exactly what I said. You ran away in the middle of our adventure.”
“I didn’t run away. I quit. I told you beforehand.”
“No, you just took the easy way out. You went off to some little lord’s town and spent your days tending a hunting ground…”
When he stood up, Enya’s voice trailed off.
Tarmin ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his friend, who barely came up to his shoulder.
“Fine, let’s say I did. So what? You won’t tell a runaway anything?”
As Tarmin approached with an intimidating air, Enya shrank her neck slightly, but answered him anyway.
“That’s right.”
“That’s right?”
Tarmin narrowed his eyes.
Outside the door, Sigona sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Seeing the collar and the mess inside, she’d thought they were playing some naughty game, but that wasn’t the case at all.
The atmosphere was so hostile they looked ready to start throwing punches at any moment.
Instead of trading blows, Tarmin curled his lips into a sneer and began to taunt her.
“Well, aren’t I sorry, being a runaway and all. Was it disgusting having to breathe the same air as me?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Seeing how hurt he looked, Enya seemed to realize she’d gone too far, but Tarmin’s sarcasm didn’t stop.
“You’re right. The Hero can handle everything in a flash anyway. What would a runaway like me know?”
“Taal.”
“Still, I don’t know why I’m even here. I won’t waste any more of the precious Hero’s time. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”
Tarmin unilaterally ended the conversation, brushed past Enya, and headed for the door.
Only Sigona noticed that Enya reached out as if to stop him when he turned his back on her.
Sigona quickly stepped away from the crack in the door and thought.
If you called it a thought, it belonged to the realm of conscious thought, but she felt it instinctively.
This was her chance to get a hunter on her side.
If she just let Tarmin go back to his cabin now…
When she’d held Enya’s hand, she’d noticed the ring on her finger.
The door opened.
“Sigona?”
Tarmin looked surprised to see her.
“Big brother.”
“Why are you standing out here in the cold instead of coming in… Oh.”
Tarmin scratched the back of his head, perhaps remembering how he’d been shouting inside just moments ago.
“Sorry you had to see that. The Hero’s inside, so go on in.”
Sigona frowned at the bitterness in his voice.
She stepped aside to let Tarmin pass, but didn’t go in herself.
She took a long, deep breath.
“Sigona?”
“Big brother.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Come inside with me.”
“What? Why?”
Instead of answering, she began pushing against his shoulder.
Tarmin panicked and tried to brace himself.
“W-What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? Did you really think you could leave for home after ending things like that?”
Tarmin looked troubled as he glanced between Sigona and Enya behind her.
He seemed determined to refuse, but Sigona had no intention of listening.
“N-No. Enya said she didn’t need me,”
“You’re not taking her at her word, are you?”
“She said she was fine, so—ugh, why is she so strong!”
She’d gotten a little used to handling all the strength surging through her.
As she pushed Tarmin through the doorway, she smiled faintly.
Her ideal type was a hunter who quietly bore the burden of a cursed fate, not Tarmin running away from it.
Inside, Enya watched the two of them with tearful eyes.
**
They decided to tidy up first.
They righted the chairs that had fallen over in the scuffle and moved the displaced table back where it belonged.
They threw the windows wide open to air the room out, then took the opportunity to get a broom and sweep up the dust.
Sigona just put things back in order and sat down, but Enya and Tarmin had already found rags and started cleaning, too.
Watching her big brother and big sister keep finding more cleaning supplies, she smiled softly.
If she left them to it, they might keep cleaning until sunrise tomorrow.
She called out to Tarmin.
“Big brother, that’s enough. Come sit down.”
“Sigona, don’t you think this window is filthy? I’ll just wipe this down.”
“It’s too dark to see. Sit down.”
“Look at this.”
“Do I have to force you to sit?”
“…I’ll sit.”
Tarmin sat down with a gloomy expression.
He’d already tried to quietly slip out the door several times, only to be caught by Sigona and dragged back inside.
Each time accompanied by a pitiful plea or some such.
Even knowing the hidden circumstances—that it was the power of Chaik—any man his age would feel awful being physically overpowered by a pretty young woman.
Next was Enya.
“Big sister.”
Enya, who’d been pointlessly straightening the shelves, looked over in surprise.
“Y-Yes?”
“Sit down.”
“Sigona, you came because of your condition, right? I’ll help you right nooow—aaah!”
Last came Enya’s scream as Sigona grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over.
Once seated on Sigona’s lap, Enya’s long legs left her feet dangling above the floor.
Sigona had her arms around Enya’s waist so she couldn’t get away.
Enya’s voice trembled with tears.
“W-Why didn’t you warn me first?”
“There’s no rule that says I have to warn you, is there? You looked soft, so I wanted to try hugging you.”
“This is humiliating…”
Hearing a snicker, she turned and saw Tarmin laughing.
Sigona thought that silly, carefree laugh suited him far better than sneering and sarcasm.
With both women looking at him, Tarmin cleared his throat, and silence fell over the table.
After a while, Sigona broke the silence.
“So, why were you fighting?”
No answer came right away.
Watching the two of them fidget in much the same way, Sigona smiled.
They looked different, but there was something strangely alike about them.
After a moment’s hesitation, Enya spoke first.
“Sigona, thank you for saving me on your way back from shopping.”
Sigona was taken aback when her name came up in a conversation meant to reconcile the two of them.
“Huh? Why are we suddenly talking about me?”
“I’m grateful, but I don’t think we’ll be going shopping together again for a while.”
“What?”
Tarmin frowned and said,
“Because you might get attacked if you’re with her?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh…”
Sigona sighed.
Enya placed a hand over her chest.
“This is a personal grudge of mine to settle. I have no intention of causing trouble for you or Sigona, Taal. I plan to finish it on my own.”
Tarmin’s eyes sharpened.
“So that guy wasn’t just a pervert after all. You think I—or Sigona—would just let that go?”
“I think big sister has a point.”
Tarmin stared at Sigona in shock.
He looked deeply bewildered by this unexpected betrayal.
“What? Sigona, are you saying we should just leave Enya to fight alone?”
Sigona shook her head.
“No. I want to help if I can. But wouldn’t my presence just become a burden to big sister?”
“Ugh. That’s…”
It was a thought Sigona could have only because she’d relied on Tarmin for years.
Tarmin wore a pained expression, as if he’d been stabbed.
Sigona continued in a calm voice.
“If I can’t be of help, maybe we could ask the guards to step up their patrols. If we filed a petition under the names of the shop employees, I’m sure they’d respond.”
Enya placed a hand on Sigona’s arm.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Sigona. But if we go about it the wrong way, we’ll only have to wait longer. I think it’s better to settle this quickly.”
“Is that so?”
Tarmin couldn’t argue with what Sigona said, but he waved a hand with a dissatisfied look.
“So I’m supposed to sit around twiddling my thumbs and watch? No way.”
“Taal.”
Enya called to him in a pained voice.
Sigona smiled as she looked at them, then asked,
“So, have you two made up?”
“M-Made up?”
Enya echoed in confusion, though she surely knew what making up meant.
“You two were fighting, weren’t you? It’s best to make up quickly.”
“N-No, Sigona. Rather than fighting, couldn’t you say we were just working out a difference of opinion?”
Tarmin looked awkwardly from one woman to the other as he spouted nonsense.
Sigona gave Enya a tight hug, then let her go.
A sweet scent wafted over her.
“No. Make up, then tell me tomorrow what we should do. Whether we’re going to fight together or do something so we won’t be a burden.”
Enya turned to look at her.
“Are you coming with us, Sigona? Didn’t you come because of your condition?”
“It’s not something that’ll kill me overnight, is it?”
“No, but…”
Sigona rose with a smile.
Those two were so clueless that she figured they needed at least this much of an excuse.
"I’ll hear what you decide after you’ve made up."
******