The Song Of Sword And Magic

Chapter 12: The Reunion

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Fern woke up again in the middle of the  night. It was pitch black outside, so he wasn’t sure what time it was. The hooting and chirping of owls and crickets intertwined melodiously. After putting on a coat, Fern stepped out of the house. The air was breezy, and the bright moon shone right at him. 

Being in this oasis within the swamp, he could see the twigs swaying along with the wind, hear the rustling of the leaves, the buzzing of the insects, and smell the fresh air. At that instant, he felt peaceful from within as he was able to cast away all his worries. He was starting to understand why these people might want to live here forever.

Then, he decided to take a stroll and unknowingly reached the river where he was captured by Allen. The river was flowing in a particular direction, and the moon had cast its glow on the grass on the riverbank. At that moment, a girl was seated on the grass and staring at the river. 

Fern carefully approached the girl, but she soon heard the footsteps on the grass and turned around in shock. Oh, it’s Bessie. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” he said with an apologetic smile. 

Bessie patted her chest, for she really freaked out. However, she still flashed a gentle smile at him. “It’s fine. Are you unable to sleep as well?”

“I just woke up from a long sleep.” Fern walked toward the river and crouched down before cleaning his face with the water. “I have to do this to make myself fully awake.”

“Do you mind having a chat with me?” Bessie patted the space beside her to motion for him to take a seat. “This is a special day for me.”

“Sure.” Fern took a seat on the grass and looked up at the stars. “The sky is beautiful. It’s as if I can forget about all my worries by just looking at it.”

“Yeah. I’ve always looked at the stars here on my own. I didn’t expect that I’d have company today.” The girl pulled a face at him. 

Fern smiled at her in response, but he didn’t know what to say, so he decided to remain silent. When he realized that she was looking at him with her gentle gaze, he immediately tried to change the topic. “Oh yes, what special day is it?”

“Special day. Ah, yes. It’s my birthday today.” Bessie rested her chin on her knees and stared at the grass. “After my parents passed away, I’m the only one who knows my birthday.”

Feeling bashful, Fern tried to console her. “There’s one more now.”

The girl raised her head to look at him. Her soft-looking eyes seemed to have the power of sucking him into them. Fern looked away, not daring to meet with her eyes anymore. “Why don’t I tell you about the outside world?” He wanted to distract the girl. 

“Sure.” The girl nodded gently. She didn’t seem like the talkative girl in the morning.

After they chatted for quite a while, Bessie became sleepy and decided to return to the village. Before they parted, Fern hesitated for a bit before saying, “Happy birthday, Bessie.”

“Thanks.” The girl’s face was as red as roses. Fortunately, it’s night time now, so he can’t see my face clearly. 

When Fern returned to his house, he heaved a sigh and thought, I shouldn’t have done that. I can’t give her anything, so why would I give her any hope? No! I should stop right here!

Three peaceful days had passed quickly. Under Bessie’s care and with the help of the special ointment, Fern’s wound had mostly recovered.

It’s time to leave, he thought.

***

After stepping out of the house, he realized that the sun was bright, and the morning breeze whisked across his face. The birds were flying around the forest. Everyone was focused on their own work. Everything seemed to be in order. 

At the moment, Bessie was doing some sewing with other girls as they were chatting among themselves and laughing shyly. When they saw Fern, they stopped talking and giggled. Bessie hung her head low and continued sewing. It then dawned on Fern that this was the kind of life he had always wanted. No… it’s not the right time yet. He sealed himself off again, leaving no chance for anyone to enter his world. 

“Bessie, I think I should go,” Fern stopped in his tracks and said slowly.

The girl raised her head at once, and surprise was written all over her face. Then, her gaze turned sorrowful. “No, you haven’t recovered yet…” She couldn’t even speak logically. “You should stay for a few more days… Or just one more day…” she said in a choking voice. 

“I’m sorry, Bessie.” Fern moved past her and headed for the elder’s house. Don’t look back, Fern. You can’t give her happiness. You’ll only harm her.

The girl started sobbing and her shoulders were shuddering. Her friends surrounded her and gave her consolation. As he moved away from them, he fell into a dazed state. It was as though reality and dream had intertwined. 

After that, Allen passed Dark Cloud back to Fern and gave him an ointment jar that was covered in rattans. “This is enough to last you three days. By then, your wound will have recovered, so you won’t need this anymore. Bessie was supposed to give you this, but she passed it to me and ran away.” Allen shot him a look as though the latter had done anything bad.

“Thanks.” Fern took the lead rope of the horse and the jar. His lips parted, but he was hesitant to speak.

The elderly man chuckled. “Don’t worry about Bessie. I’ll take care of her. It’s an experience she has to go through.”

“Thanks.” Fern nodded at the elderly man. “I can’t thank you enough for your help.”

The elderly man nodded in response. “Remember, don’t tell anyone what you’ve seen for the past few days. Otherwise, the tranquility here will be disrupted.” Then, he turned around and said something, after which a man passed a bamboo cage with a pigeon in it to Fern. “This pigeon will lead you out of the swamp. Sometimes we’ll have to buy daily necessities from Wet Port, so we have to rely on these birds to lead the way.” After a pause, he continued, “After you leave the swamp, it will return to us, so you don’t have to worry.”

“I had wanted to ask how I could leave this place,” Fern said with a bashful smile. 

After bidding farewell to the elderly man and the others, Fern was ready to go. Just then, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the crowd. Her ginger hair and the hem of her dress were swaying along with the wind. I should go, he thought to himself. After looking at the girl for one last time, he turned around and reached for the swamp. Just now, he could see the tears on the corners of her eyes. Don’t look back, Fern. Don’t look back…

***

In order not to come across any wolves again, he decided to walk in a different direction. With the pigeon’s lead and his own abundant energy, he easily reached the edge of the swamp. When he stepped upon the solid soil, the pigeon immediately turned around and headed back to the village. 

I still have to walk for a day to reach Wet Port, Fern thought. However, it’s evening now, so I’d better look for a place to sleep. When he found a suitable location, he got everything ready and climbed up to his hammock. After that, he took off his shirt to change his bandage.

His wound no longer felt painful as it was just a little ticklish. “This ointment is wonderful,” Fern muttered, praising the effectiveness of the ointment. “When I finish it by tomorrow, I should reach Wet Port. I wonder if they’re still waiting for me in the inn.” At that instant, he realized that he was once again engulfed in his worries. He no longer felt as peaceful as when he was in the village. Helplessly, he closed his eyes, but Bessie’s soft-looking face and crystal-clear eyes started flashing across his mind. The images of her different expressions kept switching. Sometimes, she was smiling, and sometimes, she was sorrowful. Gradually, he lost his senses. 

Niss was already used to visiting a particular shop on the main street to buy some dried fruits every evening. She would also ask the shop owner whether he had seen a tall mercenary with curly brown hair. The shop owner’s answer was the same on this day. Niss was starting to suspect that he had seen Fern, but he wanted her to keep buying fried fruits from him, so he lied to her that he never saw Fern. Dejectedly, she returned to Rose Inn. Rae was already waiting for her by a table. 

“If Fern still doesn’t show up tomorrow, we’ll need to change our plan.” Rae didn’t even need to ask to know that there was no news about Fern again.

“But…” Niss was reluctant to leave without Fern.

“There’s no but. Do you want to stay here forever?” Rae glowered at her. “If it weren’t because Fern told me to take care of you, I would have left a long time ago.”

Niss hung her head low without uttering a word. Both of them fell silent, and for quite a while, the atmosphere remained suffocatingly quiet. 

Eventually, Niss said, “Sorry. I’ll get myself ready tomorrow.”

“Okay. Let’s say if Fern still doesn’t show up tomorrow, we can keep going North to—” Just as Rae was talking about her plan, a voice caught Niss and her attention.

“Joseph, we haven’t met for a while. How are you?” A man was saying hi to the inn owner. It seemed that they were close friends.

Niss found the voice familiar. Isn’t this the voice that’s been on my mind for the past few days? Expectantly, she turned around to look at the entrance. Under the evening solar rays, a tall mercenary was stepping into the inn.

“Fern!” Niss couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. She charged forward to tackle him with a hug as her tears streamed down from her eyes. 

“Everything’s fine now. I’m here.” Fern smiled and stroked her head with his right hand. 

Rae tried to remain nonchalant, but her lips had unknowingly curved into a smile. “I thought you were not coming.”

“I almost couldn’t come.” Fern nodded at Rae, thanking her for taking care of Niss for the past few days.

Joseph smiled at them, not wanting to disrupt their reunion. 

***

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