Chapter 29

Chapter 29

“Ah. All men live in groups under the leadership of Old Man Lehijin. Old Man Lehijin is the head of the men. Just as Kiyan and Yaru lead a group of women, the Lehijin live separately with men over the age of five in their tribe.”

The tribe of Lehijin has always lived on the border with the tribe led by Kiyan, and thanks to this, they often come and go and exchange many things.

Lehijin said that he would send fertile men to Kiyan’s tribe. She later said that if the child born to a woman were a girl, they would raise it in their tribe, and if it were a boy, they would raise it to some extent before sending it to the Lehijin tribe.

Enya wondered if any of the boys Kiyan had borne were in Lehijin’s tribe.

“Children are made in the ‘Season of Spring’.”

The season of spring was a concept similar to Aquilea’s Day of Respose in Nervana Forest.

Kiyan’s tribes designated a special day, such as the Day of Repose, to spend a certain period of intercourse with the men of their brother tribe, the Lehijin. They called it the season of spring even though it was not yet spring.

“Spring is the beginning of everything. Spring is always the season when children are conceived.”

However, that was not the only secret to maintaining Nervana Forest, Fiarca added.

“Occasionally, when men who have separated from the surrounding tribes or men from other tribes who have lost their way come to visit, they become friends with them and give birth to their children.”

Listening to their strange lifestyle, Enya didn’t even know the sun was going down.

According to Fiarca, all members of Kiyan’s tribe were excellent hunters or warriors. The patterns engraved on their forearms were said to be tattoos they made while undergoing a harsh coming-of-age ceremony.

“Every member of Nervana Forest must be strong enough to protect the ‘daughter of the forest’.”

During the coming-of-age ceremony, she also shared a terrifying thing that everyone should be able to become self-sufficient by wandering through the woods alone for a month and avoiding the skull spider.

“So, does that mean that Fiarca also survived in the ancient forest for a month by yourself, avoiding the skull spider in Nervana Forest?”

Fiarca said proudly, showing the pattern on her forearm as if boasting those.

“Of course. What is a month? I did it over three months. Even if I look like this, I have the longest record after Yaru for surviving alone in the forest.”

Then, giggling, she pointed at Reyhald, a large man who seemed distracted by throwing stones at trees with Ihita.

“I can’t even compare to that kid. That guy is a kid who just went through the season of fall. Rumor has it that after barely over a month, he cried and grabbed Lehijin’s legs and begged to accept him.”

The season of fall was the word used to refer to their coming-of-age ceremony.

Right after those words were dropped, Reyhald, who had been arguing with Ihita and pacing in front of the tree, turned around and screamed loudly.

“Shut up, Fiarca! I won’t let you go if you talk nonsense to Enya one more time!”

The next moment, Fiarca raised her left little finger at Reyhald. It seemed like a Nervana style of swearing.

“That means I can kill him with my little fingernail.”

As she explained the bloody meaning of the swearing, she gazed at Enya affectionately again though Fiarca’s expression suddenly turned completely dark.

“…Of course, the coming-of-age ceremony in Nervana Forest also remained a useless custom after the last lost ‘daughter of the forest’ was not found decades ago.”

The expression on her face looked so painful that Enya didn’t dare say anything. Fiarca, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly lifted her head before gazing at her and smiled brightly.

Enya was a little surprised by her expression, which changed in an instant. As if the anguish from earlier had been washed away in an instant, Fiarca’s expression as she looked at her was filled with hope and joy for some unknown reason.

“Enya. I’m so glad I got to meet Enya like this. An unexpected…”

Fiarca suddenly shut her mouth and shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I was so excited Kiyan already begged me not to surprise you.”

Enya didn’t know what she was talking about. Still, one thing was certain…

She liked the people of Nervana Forest.

It wasn’t just because they were pretty much the only people she was close with. It was because she had the illusion that all the people of Nervana Forest were familiar people whom she had known for a very long time.

Fiarca’s eyes lit up, and she addressed Enya again.

“Enya. On the first day of this month, there is a purification ceremony performed by people from Nervana Forest. I really want Enya to come there.”

“…Purification ceremony?”

Enya blinked at the unfamiliar word.

Fiarca explained at once.

“We, Nervana Forest people, are different from ordinary people in the great plains or deserts. We slowly lose our own vitality once we get out of the forest. The purification ceremony is an essential element that Nervana people who have left the forest must go through.”

Enya was startled and waved her hand as her face turned red while shaking her head in refusal over and over again.

“No, why me at such an important ceremony…”

Seeing her reaction, Fiarca’s face immediately turned a dark color. Looking very disappointed, she took Enya’s hand as if pleading in a tender voice with a smile on her friendly face.

“It’s not even that important. For us, it’s just as natural a procedure as eating. I would be really happy if Enya would come.”

She was speechless at that.

“Yes, Enya! Think of it as just coming to play!”

Reyhald, who was playing with Ihita and small pebbles from a distance, shouted loudly as if a tree would fall. Eventually, Enya couldn’t think any longer and looked at them awkwardly before replying hesitantly.

“Th, then… I will ask Tarhan.”

At her words, Fiarca responded ferociously, raising her friendly eyebrows upwards.

“Tarhan? Aahh, are you talking about the deputy chieftain?”

Her eyes subsided when she spoke Tarhan’s name. Before they knew it, Reyhald was standing next to them with his arms crossed.

“I saw him, too. That damn strong-looking guy… I don’t remember seeing a scar like that before.”

Enya perked up her ears when mentions of Tarhan came out of their mouths. Even though she didn’t know why, she had a strange desire to know what they thought of Tarhan. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward him.

Even Fiarca looked down at her with strange eyes and muttered like this.

“Well, a man like that…”

Reminiscent of Aquilea’s competent tribal chief, Fiarca couldn’t hide the disapproval in her eyes but looked down at Enya while muttering in a strangely agreeable tone.

“It’s not like he’s not very convincing.”

Hearing those words, Enya’s cheeks blushed as she didn’t know if she should like it or feel bad about it.

It was strange. Only Ihita shouted at Reyhald in a strange atmosphere, as if she had been recognized by her family by introducing the man she loved. In her hand was a broken toy arrow that he seemed to have thrown.

“Hey! You coward, are you throwing it out there because you’re about to lose!”

It was that night.

Enya opened her eyes to a languid sensation. Someone was touching her legs, to be precise, he was carefully kneading her leg. Without guessing, she knew who he was.

Tarhan had finally come home while she was still awake.

Every time he massaged her legs, she smelled the pungent scent of the anesthetic extract. Her legs were tingling, especially around the left ankle.

“Tarhan…”

Even in her sleep, Enya groped for him in the air. Lately, Tarhan had almost lived in the smithy where fires spewed day and night to inspect weapons, so she didn’t know how long it had been since he came home at night.

A feeling of longing and indescribable satisfaction flooded over her.

“I’m here.”

He answered right away.

Even though the voice was quiet, just his presence so close made her close her eyes again. Only then did Enya realize that the man was applying herbs to her body.

“I’ll finish it soon. I haven’t done it lately.”

The man started moving his paused hand again.

Enya listened to him and unknowingly relaxed her rigid body. Her cheeks turned red.

In Aquilea’s troubled situation ahead of the war, Tarhan really was busier than any other man. Even Enya, who lived in his hut, couldn’t see his face properly. Even now, she didn’t know how long it’d been since she had seen his face.

Enya caught her breath trembling as she expected him to rush at her. However, the man was really only massaging her feet, contrary to her foolish thoughts.

Before long, Enya realized that his ‘haven’t done it these days’ was the ankle massage.

Her cheeks, which had been red at once, became even hotter. But really, as he said, she hadn’t gotten an ankle massage from him recently.

Normally, he never missed a single day to massage her feet, except when he was away from Aquilea for long-term hunting or expeditions. Her ankles would be so inflamed that they swelled up at the slightest step, and he couldn’t stand Enya’s ankle like that more than anything in the world.

If her ankles irritated her even a little or made her feel uncomfortable, he washed her ankles thoroughly with lukewarm water, applied medicine to remove the accumulated inflammation, and massaged her ankles countless times until they got better.

But, anyway…

Enya was a little shocked that this was the first thing that such a man did to her after seeing her in a few days.

“Uhhh…”

Contrary to her troubled heart, the legs he kneaded were instantly relaxed, expressing satisfaction.

As Enya bit her lip a little and twisted her body, Tarhan’s hand gripped her thigh as she struggled and tried to free herself.

—