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At the beginning of the month of God-Fish (October), with the lingering summer heat finally subsiding, I greeted the chuckling spirits darting around my pillow and the blankets on my bed, waking me with their playful antics. “Good morning. It seems that as the days grow shorter, there are fewer light spirits around,” I said, stretching lightly and sitting up.

The spirits, much like mischievous children, spilled out onto the floor, sliding down my body and the blanket as if they were slippery slides. “According to Pryui, regardless of how they looked, they must be high-ranking spirits since they keep their appearances so clearly,” I recalled with a smile.

Spring, six months ago—
On my quest to find sweeteners, I visited the Northern Frontier Village. It was meant to be a simple letter errand, but I came to know of the conflict between the villagers and the nearby elves. Things turned ugly, and I rescued a young elf girl (regardless of her actual age) named Pryui Shiel, after which I was invited to the hidden elven village of the Millennium Ramus to negotiate.

Fortunately, thanks to Uranus Kiohn, the village elder and Fairy King, who was also an acquaintance of my biological mother, we successfully made peace with the northern elves and established trade with them.

Later, a formal treaty was struck between Ms. Christy and Uranus. The human settlement near the Seraph Mountain Range was to be abandoned, the villagers relocated, and the ringleaders, Demelio and Damian, were to be stripped of their property and status, and then excommunicated from the Deva Kureha Faith.

Incidentally, the most egregious punishment was the excommunication. It was, in a sense, even worse than a death sentence. Being excommunicated by the Deva Kureha Faith meant that the sinner was stripped of all status, property, honor, and most crucially, their dignity as a human being. Facing such a fate, regardless of their wealth or status, even nobility and royalty would desperately throw away their pride, willing to grovel and rub their foreheads on the ground, just to beg for the revocation of this harsh punishment.

I wasn’t informed about the specific fate of the Barda father and son. However, according to Curtis, the butler, and one of the involved parties, since their humanity was essentially denied, it’s likely they were expelled from the country. The Northern Frontier Village itself was relocated to a distant new location, leading most villagers to either move there or depart with their families to establish new settlements. This left only a few astute merchants and those eager to communicate with the elves. Over the past six months, the village had almost entirely emptied out. Consequently, no one kept track of the former village chief and his son’s whereabouts, partly because nobody cared about them anymore…

Honestly, I was just making decisions on the spot back then, and looking back, I’m not entirely certain I did the right thing. The former village chief and his son probably thought they were acting in the village’s best interest. Maybe if they hadn’t faced such severe consequences this time, they might have come to realize their grave mistakes and repented, had we taken the time to explain.

“…now, it’s too late even for repentance.”

Sighing, I got out of bed and began preparing for my morning exercise routine.

Perhaps being caught up in an unforeseen event and altering the destinies of so many people had weighed on my mind. Maybe Ms. Christy refrained from telling me the pair’s ultimate fate, worried I might brood over it. Knowing her, that’s definitely the reason.

After getting dressed, I opened the curtains and began stretching in my room, contemplating my future plans to lift my spirits.

We’re in the thick of the farming season, and everyone in the villages must be bustling with activity. With the daytime still hot, it’s crucial to raise awareness about heat stroke prevention. The summer heat can suppress appetite and weaken the body, so preparing amrita and medicated baths for nourishment seems wise. I should consider returning to the hermitage for a few days to dispense medicines and tidy up. If allowed, I could also check the results of the fertilizer experiments in the Western Frontier Village. Additionally, we need to fertilize the fields that have been harvested. I’ll have to prepare some amrita and other medicines for the village and the orphanage.

Regarding the orphanage, it might be a good idea to create wax tablets for teaching the children basic math, reading, and writing. We’ve been using the ground as a makeshift blackboard, but that won’t be feasible in winter… Oh, and I mustn’t forget about firewood preparation. The trees in Tenebrae Nemus aren’t suitable for firewood as they’re generally fire-resistant.

Speaking of which, I expect Ashimi Asteri to arrive soon with more wines and maple syrup. He could’ve left these products with the merchants in the pioneer village, yet he personally delivers them to this mansion in Consul every three weeks. Despite his complaints, he’s quite disciplined. According to him, he comes “to bring Pryui back if she whines and wants to go home.”

Pryui, meanwhile, has fully adapted to town life. She recently even worked as a musician and waitress at Letindüte, our family-managed cafe, calling it “social study.”

With all these thoughts in mind, I gazed at the brightening eastern sky. The sun was about to rise, heralding a day where people engaged in their daily hustle and bustle. There was no time to linger on the past.