(Chapter unfolds:22)
And so, in that serene morning, the three of them lay silently for a while on the broken floor of the monastery. The little boy slowly stood up and walked over to stand before them.
"Thank you," he said in a small, soft voice.
"I thought I was going to die like all the others. In fact, I was certain of it. But that was when you two arrived. Thank you so much," he said, bowing his head.
"Hey, it's alright. Protecting someone's most precious life is everyone's duty," Haru replied.
The boy looked at the sword lying next to Haru.
"This... it really shocked me. There is power in this," he said, pointing at the blade.
"That's just how it is when it senses danger," Haru remarked.
"Also... don't tell anyone outside about what happened here, okay?" Haru added. "If you reveal everything, the Zek that escaped might come looking for you again."
The boy looked terrified upon hearing that.
"It's okay, just keep what you saw here a secret," Jinso reassured him.
The boy slowly nodded his head in fear.
"Let's go," Haru said, helping Jinso to his feet.
As they stepped outside the monastery, the sight before them was remarkable. Below in the village, the sunlight hit the houses, and the black curtains were all being raised. Though still fearful, people were finally coming outdoors.
They slowly began their descent down the hill toward the village.
"Do you think there will be any trouble now?" Jinso asked.
"Hey... we helped them, didn't we? There shouldn't be anything else," Haru replied.
The three of them entered the village together. From among the crowd standing there, the woman they had first met stepped forward. The moment she saw the boy, she ran to him and hugged him tight.
"Liji... you... you came back alive!" the woman said, weeping.
"Did you... did you save my son?" she asked them.
"Well... it's just..." Haru hesitated for a moment.
"No... we just found him in the forest," Jinso cut in.
Hearing that, the boy looked at them. He too remained silent, choosing not to reveal the truth.
"You people..." someone from the crowd asked, noticing Jinso's sword. "Are you... Sapahans?"
The two of them were startled. Nobaya had strictly instructed them not to let their identity be known to the outside world.
"No. We are just travelers," Jinso said, moving his sword behind him to hide it.
However, the woman stood there, observing everything very closely.
"Thank you for saving my son," the woman said.
Immediately, she began checking the boy's neck and body, a gesture that both Jinso and Haru noticed.
"They know something," Haru thought to himself.
Seeing Jinso's condition, the woman spoke up. "You shouldn't leave today. It's better if you go tomorrow."
She led them to her house, which was located a short distance away from the shop. The front of the house was decorated with various hanging ornaments strings of beads and other mysterious charms.
After seating Jinso in a comfortable spot, she went inside. A few moments later, she returned accompanied by a young girl.
"Samara... clean the wound on his hand and bandage it," she instructed. The woman then went back inside.
Samara gently took Jinso's hand to examine it.
"Ahhh..." Jinso winced.
"Shhh... stay calm," Samara said, without looking up at his face.
"How did this happen?" she inquired.
"It... well... it happened during an accident while we were traveling," Jinso stammered.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, slowly lifting her head to look at him.
She had pale green eyes and a fair, translucent complexion. Strands of her hair danced in the wind, brushing against her cheeks. The intensity in her gaze was so striking that Jinso found it hard even to blink. He stared at her as if his eyes were drawn by a magnet.
To snap him out of his daze, Samara intentionally let a drop of medicine fall onto his wound.
"Aaaahhh...!!!"
"Shhhh!"
"That... that really hurts!"
"Some medicines aren't like lies," she remarked as she continued her work. "They show their true nature."