My idea had been immediately shot down. But even so, I couldn’t help but wonder if the god that Tia and her people worshipped had been given the name Amusehorn by the people of the outside world later on. But given that the myth involving the great god Amusehorn and the four other great gods who were his children had been passed down for hundreds of years, there was no real way to ascertain the truth of the matter.
“Anyway, that’s how things stand right now,” Ludo Ruu said. “We people of the forest’s edge will have to decide what to do with her ourselves. The leading clan heads will all be gathering tonight, so the Ruu clan is going to be taking charge of her, okay?”
Tia deeply furrowed her brow. “I need to atone for my crimes against Asuta, so I can’t go too far from him. Unless you are saying that those leading clan heads intend to take my life?”
“Huh? Like I said, that’s something they’re gonna be discussing tonight, but they won’t be able to make a proper decision if they aren’t able to see what kind of person you are themselves.”
“But I have to atone, so—” Tia started to argue further, but Ai Fa cut her off.
“Hey, you’ve said that again and again since last night, but just by staying near him isn’t accomplishing anything, so how exactly is what you’re doing atonement for your crimes?”
“If Asuta finds himself in danger, then I’ll save his life. And I can offer Asuta my assistance in all sorts of other ways too.”
“And what use can you be with such severe injuries?”
“The only issue is that Asuta won’t order me to do any work. When I tried to carry his things for him just now, he grabbed them from me instead,” Tia said, sulking.
That was true, but I really didn’t feel like asking Tia to carry things for me when she had a fractured leg that dragged behind her everywhere she went. She wouldn’t even let me separate from her to gather firewood, so I had asked Ai Fa to take care of that on her own today.
Tia had cleanly broken her lower right shin bone, which was being held firmly in place from her knee down to her ankle. The injury to her forehead wasn’t too serious, but even so, if she kept moving around like she was, her leg wouldn’t heal properly. And even the romu leaves she had been given yesterday to dull her pain must have been wearing off at this point.
As he looked down at the little girl, Ludo snorted and scratched at his nose. “Hmph. But Asuta’s gotta go work at his stalls, and you’re not allowed to enter town, so you’ve gotta stay behind either way.”
“No, I will stay with Asuta.”
“Oh no you won’t. If he brings you with him, Asuta will be considered a criminal. We’re not gonna let that happen.”
Tia then glanced my way, looking like she was on the verge of tears. “If I stay by your side, you’ll become a criminal, Asuta? In that case, you should take my life before—”
“We can’t do that until the leading clan heads make their decision,” I quickly said. “I’ll be back in the early afternoon, though, so could you wait at the Ruu settlement until then?”
“When is the early afternoon?”
“Um, I’ll be back before the sun hits the midpoint between its peak and when it sets. After that, I’ll remain at the Ruu settlement until the leading clan heads arrive, so we’ll be able to stay together until then.”
I’d been dealing with Tia constantly since last night, so I had a bit of a grasp on how to handle her now. The young girl stared up at me, looking helpless, and said, “Okay... I don’t want you to become a criminal, so I will endure it.”
“Thanks. That really helps me out too,” I said with a sigh of relief. Then I turned and found that Ai Fa had been watching our exchange with a displeased look on her face.
“When you stop by the Ruu settlement later, you can bring her along and drop her off then, okay?” Ludo Ruu said. “It doesn’t look like there’s any risk of her starting trouble, so that’s one less thing for me to worry about.”
Then, having completed his task as a messenger, he swiftly departed. Tia had never stopped staring at me while he’d been talking. It kind of felt like an animal had imprinted on me or something.
“This is terribly painful for me... I’ve committed two serious crimes, and I want to pay for them.”
“Hmm. But isn’t dealing with suffering another means of atoning? I’m sure that giving up your life can’t be the only way.”
“You say difficult things, Asuta... But I know that you’re thinking of what is best for me.”
As those mysterious red eyes remained fixed on me, I almost felt like her gaze was pulling me in. I couldn’t help but be secretly impressed that anyone could maintain such purity and innocence while growing up.
And then, a black stick was thrust into the space between me and Tia.
“How long are you two going to keep staring at one another? You still have work to do, don’t you, Asuta?” Ai Fa said.
“Oh, sorry... Wait, what’s with the grigee stick?” I asked.
“I grabbed it while picking up firewood. If she keeps dragging her leg behind her, she’ll cause her injuries to worsen.”
The grigee stick was Y-shaped on one end and looked like it had been trimmed down to serve as a crutch. The length was perfect for someone of Tia’s height too.
“My life will be gone soon, so why would you go out of your way to prepare something like this for me?” Tia asked.
“The leading clan heads are the ones who will decide whether your life will be taken. It’s unpleasant to hear you constantly saying things that make it seem like you want to die as soon as possible,” Ai Fa stated angrily as she thrust the grigee stick toward Tia.
Tia grabbed it with both hands and bowed her head deeply.