I nodded my head. His admission was the same as what I had observed while I was cultivating the herbs. Chief Mintaka seemed exhausted from admitting his long-standing secret. He put his trembling hands to his forehead and sighed heavily before launching into the history of the Galle Leaves.
“The Galle Leaves first came about as a complete accident. A woman from our clan, driven by reckless curiosity, began infusing the herbs she was cultivating with forbidden magic. As a result of her careless experimentation, a medicinal herb that changed colors unexpectedly sprouted. The village chief at the time decided that, no matter how effective it was, we couldn’t use herbs that were made in way that was contrary to our beliefs. However, that year, many in the village fell ill due to an epidemic. Forced into a life-or-death situation, we had no choice but to use the Galle Blue Leaf.”
“I’ve heard that story from the village elders. They told us repeatedly that this village was saved by Galle Blue Leaf,” Mirach chimed in.
Chief Mintaka nodded weakly. “Yes, many lives were saved because of it. But the chief at the time didn’t tell the villagers that magic had been used to grow it. If he’d been truthful, most of them would’ve refused to use it. As someone who was entrusted with the lives of his people, he had no choice but to keep the true origins quiet. At the villagers’ request, they continued to grow Galle Blue Leaf, but somewhere along the line, both Galle Red Leaf and Galle Gold Leaf also came into existence.”
“That’s the true story? I…had no idea…” Lukbar murmured, stunned as he processed the new information.
Chief Mintaka gave him a pained look before continuing, “I’ve always thought it would be better to bring this to light, as it would be impossible to keep it a secret forever. But, since I’ve always advocated for not relying on magic, how could I confess that a saint was using magic to grow the medicinal herbs that were a source of comfort and hope for the villagers? I knew it was wrong, I really did, but I haven’t been able to tell anyone until now!”
And just like that, Chief Mintaka had revealed everything that was in his heart. He fell silent, his face forlorn. But Mirach immediately rose from the chair he’d been sitting in and started interrogating him in a demanding tone.
“Father, is that really the truth? It’s a terrible betrayal to the villagers to keep something so important hidden for so long! No matter how difficult it may have been to say, you should’ve come clean!! Is there anything else you’re hiding?!”
When I’d explained to Mirach in the castle garden that I’d grown the Galle herbs by imbuing them with magic, he might have started wondering if they had been cultivated the same way back in his village. But knowing how he thinks, he must have dismissed the idea at first, figuring that it couldn’t possibly be true. Now, he was likely furious because he’d had so much faith.
When Chief Mintaka remained silent, Mirach must’ve realized he was on to something, because he pressed even harder.
“What really happened with the Galle Gold Leaf? Is it true that the Galle Gold Leaf this village cherished was uprooted and stolen away twenty years ago?!”
The question seemed to strike Chief Mintaka at his very core. His face contorted as he let out a loud groan.
“It’s…not true. It all started twenty years ago, no, twenty-three years ago to be precise, when an injured young man was brought to this village.”
“I already know that part! He stole our village’s Galle Gold Leaf—roots and all—didn’t he?!” Mirach bellowed over his father, but Chief Mintaka shook his head.
“No… That young man didn’t take the Galle Gold Leaf with him—he stole away my little sister.”
“Huh? Wh-what are you talking about?” Mirach stammered, looking incredibly confused.
Chief Mintaka hung his head like the entire world rested on his shoulders, “I had a little sister, and she was an excellent saint. Every evening, she would secretly imbue magic into the Galle herbs.”
“Heh. Sounds like this story is more convoluted than I thought,” Lukbar laughed dryly as he ran a hand through his hair, as if trying to dispel his growing unease.
Next to him, Mirach was staring wide-eyed at his father, like he didn’t want to miss a single word.
“The knowledge that a saint was required to grow the Galle herbs was a secret that was passed down from generation to generation in our family. Therefore, the village chief would always choose a woman with strong magical abilities to be his wife. If a daughter was born, she would go on to form a contract with a spirit and use her magic as a saint to cultivate the herbs.”
Since magical strength was passed down to children, it made sense that the village chief’s family would seek out women with high magical ability.
“However, twenty-three years ago, an injured young man who was brought to this village fell in love with my sister—so much so that he asked for her hand the day after they met. If you ask me, it was all quite intense. But the young man’s work and home were outside the village, so he asked if they could relocate to his hometown once they married. At the time, there were no other saints in the family besides my sister, so her leaving with the young man would’ve caused us a great deal of trouble. We needed her to marry someone in the village and care for the Galle herbs until the next saint was ready to take over.”
Chief Mintaka’s expression tightened, and his voice grew hoarse as he recalled the events that had unfolded twenty-three years ago.
“I told the young man that my sister wouldn’t be allowed to marry him, that she needed to marry someone from our village… And then, in a moment of desperation, the young man and my sister snuck away from the village together.”
Well, sounds like it was inevitable that they felt they had to flee, I thought to myself with a conflicted sigh.
“When they left,” Mirach’s tone was tense as he posed his question, “did they take all of the Galle Gold Leaf with them?”
Chief Mintaka swallowed hard before shaking his head again.
“No. They didn’t take any of the Galle Gold Leaf. The one who hid all the leaves that had just been harvested…was me.”
“…Excuse me?!” Mirach sputtered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lukbar demanded.
Despite Mirach and Lukbar’s critical outbursts, Chief Mintaka averted his gaze and continued to speak.
“With my sister gone, there was no one to imbue the Galle herbs with magic. I was afraid the secret of the Galle Gold Leaf would be uncovered, so even though I knew it was wrong, I hid them all!”