I had spent the day working the fields in the morning and fishing in the afternoon. After dinner, Neneva headed to the bath to wash off the day’s sweat.
Graymond and I sat in the dining room, slowly sipping tea. Steam rose from our cups, swaying gently in the stillness. Outside the window, the darkness had already deepened, and the chirping of insects overlapped in a layered chorus from the shadows.
"Graymond, take this."
I placed the vial of ointment I’d prepared that morning on the table. Graymond’s eyes widened slightly as he reached out, his wrinkled fingers gently lifting the bottle.
"Is this... medicine?"
"Yes. It’s an ointment for your back pain. The effects only last for two or three days, so don’t be afraid to use it generously."
"Are you quite sure?" he asked, looking apologetic.
"Don't worry about it. This was the condition for my stay, after all."
"...In that case, I shall gratefully accept it."
Graymond gripped the vial, staring at it intently. Silence filled the room. It wasn't an awkward silence, exactly.
Through the quiet, I began to hear the breathing of the various creatures lurking around the house. Even in an environment like this, the Dusk Hollow Wetlands had its own ecosystem. There were insects, and trees and plants grew thick. Fish swam in the putrid waters of the swamp, and wild birds circled above to hunt them.
And humans, too, lived here.
"Lord Walt, do you not find it strange that anyone would live in a place like this?"
Graymond asked the question as if he had read my thoughts. His voice was flat, carefully stripped of emotion.
"I do," I admitted. "It feels out of place for such a grand mansion to exist here."
"..."
Silence followed. Graymond seemed to be weighing how much he should tell me.
"This mansion... is the property of a certain Prestigious Lineage..."
"I’d gathered as much. But why build a mansion in the Dusk Hollow Wetlands—in a place known as the Poison Swamp?"
Another silence. Outside the window, an insect chirped as if to urge him on.
"I am told this mansion was built over two hundred years ago. It began when a certain child was born into that Prestigious Lineage. That child... was an Illegitimate Child. When the First Wife learned of the child's existence, she flew into a rage. I heard she intended to kill the newborn baby."
"That’s horrible..."
Graymond’s face twisted in pain as he continued.
"The Father somehow managed to appease the First Wife. Eventually, she told him: 'If the baby lives somewhere far from the Royal Capital, I will spare its life.' The Father... had no choice but to accept those terms. And so, this mansion was built in the Poison Swamp under the First Wife's instructions to serve as that baby’s home."
Graymond looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.
"And the baby?"
"They died soon after, I believe. They couldn't endure this environment and fell ill..."
"..."
Neneva’s face flickered through my mind.
"Since then, whenever an Illegitimate Child is born to that Prestigious Lineage, they are brought to this mansion. Forced to live while breathing the Miasma of the Poison Swamp, young lives have been snuffed out one after another... and yet, this evil custom still continues to this day."
"Meaning... Neneva, too?"
"Yes. It was about ten years ago that the Young Lady’s existence became known to the family. Since then, she has been separated from her Mother and forced to live in this house."
I felt a surge of heat beneath my skin. How could such a blatant absurdity be allowed to happen?
"She doesn't need to stay here, does she? There aren't any guards. Why doesn't she just run away?"
"The Young Lady’s Mother is being held as a hostage. If the Young Lady were to flee this mansion, her Mother's life would not be guaranteed. In fact, a Familiar occasionally comes to scout the grounds..."
"What the hell is that..."
It was the worst. The absolute worst. Driving someone to their death without ever getting their own hands dirty. The person who had ordered Neneva to be torn away from her mother was likely living a life of leisure, never feeling a shred of guilt. It made me sick to my stomach.
"By the way, Lord Walt—who exactly are you?"
The atmosphere around Graymond shifted.
"I’m just an ordinary Herbalist."
"No, that is not true. The Young Lady’s intuition sensed that you are a special existence. You cannot possibly be a mere Herbalist."
His eyes held a piercing strength that didn't seem possible for a man of his age.
"...I don't really know who I am myself. But it’s true that there are parts of me that aren't quite human."
"Just like the Young Lady. The only reason she can survive here is because of that Mysterious Power. I, too, have lived this long only because I receive its benefits..."
Graymond spoke as if reflecting on their years spent in the swamp.
"When did Neneva’s power first manifest?"
"Immediately after she arrived at this mansion. Surely, it was God’s Will. But back to the subject—"
I couldn't brush him off after all. As his tone changed, so did his expression.
"Did you not visit this land for some specific purpose, Lord Walt?"
"I came for rare Herbs—"
"I am not talking about that. I am asking if your true purpose lies elsewhere. The Young Lady said it was 'fine,' and I believe her. However, there are things that simply do not sit right with me..."
I felt the pressure of his gaze, and my body stiffened. Time crawled by in the heavy silence. Even the insects outside had fallen quiet, leaving the dining room devoid of sound. How was I supposed to—
Footsteps broke the stillness.
"Why are you two just sitting there in the dark?"
Neneva appeared in the dining room, dressed in her nightgown. She tilted her head curiously.
"Oh, my apologies. I was starting to nod off."
"Old Man, you should go wash up and get to bed, too."
"Yes... quite right. I shall do that."
Graymond picked up the vial of ointment from the table, shot a quick glance in my direction, and stood up.
Once Neneva was sure Graymond had gone to the bath, she came over to me, her red eyes narrowing.
"Was the Old Man happy about the medicine?"
"Yeah."
"Thank goodness! He's getting on in years, so we have to take care of him."
"You're right."
I answered absentmindedly. Neneva seemed to be getting sleepy herself; she gave a quick "Well, goodnight" and headed upstairs.
I was left alone in the dining room.
Listening to the insects, I ruminated on everything Graymond had told me. My purpose was to find a way to seal the Fragment of the Evil God while hiding from the Shield of the Sky. There was no doubt that Neneva was the key.
"Man..."
Neneva’s circumstances weighed heavily on me. Her own family wanted her dead, yet she kept living. She clearly believed that if she just endured, she would see her mother again one day.
"A Job, huh..."
Neneva had said: "If I turn fifteen and get an amazing Job, maybe I’ll be able to see my Mother again." It was a wish that would almost certainly never come true. I didn't think the people who wanted her dead would ever allow it. They would just keep waiting for her to die, just like they had with all the others.
"What can I even do?"
The Fragment of the Evil God could wait. At that moment, my heart wasn't focused on the mission at all.
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✨New Work✨
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"The Long-Lived Being Living in the Room Next Door Doesn't Know I'm the Reincarnation of the Man She Was With 300 Years Ago"
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