Knowing that, the village chief and executives had long given up.

Don’t struggle. Just quietly submit to death. If you resist, you will die horribly because it will disturb your mind.

“Teacher .”

At that moment, the village chief came to her.

“Although we’ve sent someone to the village you told us about, I’m not sure if it’s okay.”

The village chief still seemed unsure, as if he doubted whether the person who received the scorpion would come in time.

The village chief nodded.

Revealing the village’s secret that should be hidden like a life itself was itself a difficult decision for him.

Sharuti was convinced.

With Sharuti’s firm belief, the village chief managed to shake off his anxiety.

At that time, the village chief couldn’t have imagined what would happen two days later in a slightly different sense.
As the sky gradually began to be tinged with dark colors, Ren and Ashu returned to the village.

“Teacher!”

Expressing overwhelming emotions, Ashu quickly approached.

In the narrowed distance, Sharuti, bewildered and stumbling, was greeted by a bow from Ashu.

“Really, truly, how… thank you so much.”

Until this morning, he had convinced the disappointed adults in the village, leading to significant emotional changes.

“At that time, I was fortunate to meet the teacher. This time too, it’s fortunate that I gathered the courage to talk to the teacher.”

Behind Ashu, a large figure appeared.

‘Ren?’

Naturally, Ren, whom Sharuti thought would come to her side before Ashu, was standing a little away, not moving at all. The expression visible through the naturally loosened bandages on Ren’s face seemed unusual.

When Sharuti, who was concentrating on Ren, tried to squint her eyes, something suddenly appeared in her field of vision.

“……!”

Sharuti, who was focused on Ren, was startled when Ren, who was also observing her, flinched.

“Would you like to accept this?”

Upon closer inspection, Ashu was holding out a flower to her with trembling hands.

It was a flower with short pink petals lined with small flowers.

“I like this flower, and it’s also used as an herb. I found it on the way to the village. Um, I brought it for you, thinking of the teacher.”

Blushing, Ashu extended her hand a bit more towards Sharuti.

When Sharuti received the flower, Ashu’s face brightened.

“…….,”

No one saw Ren’s expression gradually sinking.

“This flower has the meaning of ‘beloved,’ but when it blooms in winter and the petals shorten, the meaning changes.”

Ashu gathered her courage and took one more step closer. Then, as Sharuti held the flower, she created a shape in the air as if wrapping Sharuti’s hand.

She still lacked the courage to reach her.

Lowering her gaze, Ashu whispered.

“I want to hold hands with you.”

“……!”

Smiling shyly, Ashu quickly stepped back.

“It’s the meaning I like.”

The end of her words trembled a bit. Avoiding Sharuti’s gaze, Ashu lightly touched her cheek with a graceful gesture.

A slightly awkward atmosphere hung between the two.

Then, Ashu gathered the last bit of courage, closed her eyes tightly, and said,

“Um, um! Teacher. If it’s not too rude, about your ideal…”

“Ashu! The elder is looking for you!”

Ashu turned her head with a bewildered look.

Swallowing a sigh, Ashu shouted, “I’ll be right there!”

After bowing slightly to Sharuti, Ashu left, shaking off any lingering feelings.

Staring at the flowers for a while, Sharuti raised her gaze. Then, before Ashu’s figure disappeared from her sight, she decisively stepped forward.

Though she was about to signal him with a nod, Sharuti changed her mind and called him softly.

“……Ren!”

“…….,”

However, Ren still stood motionless, not making a sound.

Sharuti approached him as if running.

“……Where does it hurt?”
Ren looked gloomy with a face that seemed to have a lot to say.

For some reason, his mood appeared low.

Sharuti tilted her head. Somehow, he seemed less expressive than when she had confirmed his safety during the day.

“If it’s tough, you can go in and rest.”

After carrying heavy provisions and climbing the mountain for half a day, he must have been tired. Considering his travels to various villages, he likely accumulated fatigue and faced many hardships.

With an apologetic and pitiful expression, Sharuti patted Ren on the shoulder.

‘He must have felt stifled with his face covered by bandages.’

She raised the hand holding the flower to properly untie his bandages, but Ren swiftly turned his head.

As a result, the bandages dropped to the ground.

“…….,”

Ren avoided her touch.

Misinterpreting it as rejection, Sharuti felt a small shock. For a moment, her chest was filled with a throbbing pain, and she withdrew her hand abruptly.

“Wait!”

“……!”

Her hand, holding nothing, was firmly held by Ren’s large hand.

When Sharuti instinctively raised her head, she saw the turquoise eyes that Ren had avoided, his eyes revealing remorse.

“I, I’m sorry. Just now, I was wrong!”

Ren immediately admitted his mistake with an anxious expression. His eyebrows furrowed, and the act of swallowing a breath seemed like an expression of regret.

Now the familiar emotions she knew came to the surface.

Feeling an odd relief, Sharuti weakened in her body. Then, suddenly, a sense of sorrow surged from her chest. Sharuti lowered her head and bit her lip tightly.

“What did you do wrong?”

Without looking at Ren, Sharuti muttered as if throwing the words.

It was something trivial that could be passed off as nothing.

Ren, whose mouth was sealed, said nothing.

“If you’re tired, rest early today.”

As Sharuti tried to turn around abruptly, Ren still firmly held her hand, preventing her from moving.

Shaking her hand with a whimper, Ren, with a gloomy expression, opened his mouth.

“Didn’t I tell you to drop the formalities with me?”

“……What?”

“Is it so difficult for you to talk to me? …Do you hate it?”

“No, what…”

Caught off guard by the sudden topic, Sharuti looked up at Ren in confusion.

A sense of resentment emanated from his eyes.

In response to genuine sorrow, Sharuti blinked her eyes quickly.

‘…Did I let my guard down because the watchful eyes disappeared?’

Rather than the short informal language she had practiced, the polite language she had used so far seemed more comfortable.

Sharuti quickly regretted it.

“But Ren, you don’t use informal language either!”

However, instead of dealing with each other’s right or wrong, unjust feelings emerged from their mouths.

For the same reason as Sharuti, Ren had nothing more to say and rolled his eyes in various directions.

“As I mentioned before, speaking casually narrows the distance and makes us feel much more comfortable with each other. So, um…”

Looking at Ren’s rambling, Sharuti’s eyes narrowed gradually.

Eventually, Ren sighed deeply.

The more he tried to justify, the more pitiful he looked.

With a conflicted or self-loathing gaze, Ren looked at Sharuti.

“Sorry, Sha.”

“So, what are you…”
“I didn’t realize the extent and crossed the line. So, um…”

Ren looked down at the flower Sharuti was holding.

Then, he lifted his gaze and gave her a bitter smile.

“It’s jealousy.”

“……?”

“Just jealousy. I acted childishly towards you just because of petty jealousy.”

Sharuti’s mouth slightly opened in surprise.