“Boritz. Are you humble or just incompetent?”

Her red lips curled up.

Was it because of the chilling gaze that dropped like ice?

Boritz, along with Susan and Franz, froze in their places.

“Why did someone as insignificant as a mere farmer accumulate so much debt?”

“H-How did you…!”

“This farm was owned by loan sharks just like Boromir, right? How long did you plan to hide it?”

Boritz spared no expense in researching crops.

It wasn’t just me who took notice of such a Boritz.

To those who knew nothing about the world, Boritz was a tempting prey.

“It seemed a bit strange. How did the thugs know that Boromir had stolen expensive herbs? Isn’t it exquisitely coincidental?”

“Who told you?”

“I trailed the owner of the herb shop, the only one you traded with. Not only did he deal with illegal goods, but he also seemed quite intimate with the people in the underworld.”

“He’s someone who genuinely understands me.”

Boritz replied, groaning.

His forehead naturally creased.

“You’re turning away from reality right now.”

“True. He’s the only one who genuinely listened to my story.”

“He probably indulged your whims. Trying to buy the finest herbs at a low price.”

“What?”

“You bought all your agricultural books, foreign seeds, and seedlings through him, right? You didn’t even realize you were being hoodwinked.”

“T-That’s impossible.”

Boritz took a step back.

As if realizing the fear of opening the lid of truth, like recognizing the deception and foolishness contained within it.

“While growing the best crops, you’ve become poorer and poorer. To the point where you can’t even buy paint for your younger brother.”

“It’s because I’m incompetent…”

“That’s right. Mr. Boritz is incompetent.”

“!”

“And, foolish and irresponsible.”

With his legs losing strength, Boritz slumped down.

The helpless Susan grabbed the collar of my clothes and shook me.

“Poor Boritz. He’s just been used by a bad person, isn’t he?”

“That’s why he seems like a fool.”

“Elizabeth, sister.”

“It’s irresponsible to see only what you want to see in your own world. Even if you pretend to be high and mighty, you’ll only end up as someone else’s prey.”

Boritz remained silent, withering as he stared at the fading purple flower.

“Don’t you understand yet? What’s important to you isn’t saving this flower.”

I gestured towards the flowerpot in front of Boritz.

I forcefully kicked it.

The flowerpot made a loud noise as it broke.

Dirt and fragments of the pot scattered everywhere.

As the withered roots of the flower were revealed, Susan and Franz turned around with shrugged shoulders.

“Oh, no…!”

Under Boritz’s black hood, thick tears fell.

I spoke to him as he trembled, moving the flower with his shaky hands.
“Crying, worried that a single flower might die. Until when will people turn a blind eye to starving to death?”

“That’s right! I’m incompetent. I still don’t have the ability to help people!”

As if in rebellion, as if in a scream, Boritz shouted for the first time.

“Then, do you think that ability will suddenly appear if you keep doing this?”

“No matter how hard I try, it doesn’t work. I’ve done my best. There are no crops that are cheap, easy to grow, and filling!”

“You’ve worked day and night, trying to create something that doesn’t exist.”

“I might not be able to climb the tree from the beginning. A poor farmer like me doing something even famous scholars can’t…”

“Stop whining!”

I scolded Boritz fiercely.

What Boritz needed right now was not a carrot but a whip.

A harsh whip to break through the shabby shell and make him be born anew.

“If you can’t do it, cleanly give up. If you can’t give up, then you should keep biting and hanging on until you can. How long are you going to whine like a child?”

“!”

“I said I would help you. Instead of clinging to that little pride of yours, what do you mean by throwing away all the opportunities and saying you’ve done your best?”

For a moment, a heavy silence filled the air.

Boritz, who had been sobbing, stopped moving his shoulders.

“That’s right. I’m lazy. Stupid, and just a person bundled up with pride.”

Holding a purple flower, Boritz muttered.

But he didn’t stumble as he did a moment ago.

There was determination in his fragmented speech.

He suddenly pulled down the hood that covered his face.

“But I won’t give up! I will definitely succeed!”

For the first time, I faced Boritz’s bare face.

I was speechless for a moment.

He had a face so beautiful that one might doubt their eyes.

‘What? Can a man be this beautiful? Was Boritz set up like this? He looks more like a farming fairy than a farmer, right?’

Even though his tears had made a mess, his beauty remained untouched.

Rather, his wet eyelashes and reddened eyes added a dizzying charm.

Thanks to Nikolaus and Douglas, I thought I was quite used to handsome men.

But Boritz was in a completely different league from them.

Olive-green hair flowing down to his shoulders.

Unbelievably fair skin for a farmer.

A figure that seemed to fly away with the wind.