Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Dreams
It had been a few days since the Beastmen settled in this place, and I had to say, they are doing pretty well.
They had built houses for almost everyone. Though they were just made out of wood, they were sturdy enough. They had also created many water resources using the lake water. I had given them seeds for fruits like apples, mangoes, bananas, oranges, and others, and they had made a very large fruit farm. Once the fruits grew, they would be able to eat as much as they wanted.
But still, we needed improvements—better weapons, and a long-term solution for clothing, as I couldn't keep making clothes for them forever. Most importantly, we needed strength. If a monster attacked while I wasn't around... that would be a huge problem.
I constantly used Investigation Zone to ensure there were no monsters nearby.
One more thing... Whenever I sat in the church, they would come to worship me like a god, bringing fruits as offerings.
"Ughhh, why do they keep doing this?" I sighed, lying down on the dirt square in the middle of the church.
[For them, you are their god and savior, so it's obvious they will worship you,] Aries said.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I replied.
Then, I heard a voice from the front.
"Lady Sumi, are you there?"
I looked up and saw Shein approaching. She saw me and said, "Oh, there you are."
I looked at her and made a question mark with my vines.
She came closer and said, "Can you come with me for a moment?"
I was confused but followed her.
She took me near the lake and suddenly stopped. I looked around, but there was no one.
"Huh? Why did she bring me here?" I muttered to myself.
Then suddenly, she turned around and screamed, "EVERYONE, ATTACKKKKKKKKKK!!!"
I was stunned.
"EHHHHH???"
From behind the bushes and rocks, a group of boys and girls jumped out, each holding something in their hands.
Then—SPLASH!
A water balloon exploded against me.
Wait—what?
They continued throwing water balloons at me, laughing. Shein joined in, giggling as she threw one at me.
They looked so happy...
"So, you guys want to play like that, huh?" I smirked.
Using my vines, I grabbed all of them by their wrists and lifted them into the air.
"WOAHHHHH!!!" They screamed.
Then—I dunked them into the lake water.
Again.
And again.
"Hahahaha! We were just joking, Lady Sumi!"
"Y-Yeah, please forgive us! Hahaha!"
"I can't take it anymore! Please stop, Lady Sumi!"
"Hehehehe... Water against water," I said
We played until the evening, and soon, everyone started returning home. In the end, only Shein and I remained, lying in a grassy field, watching the sunset.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Shein murmured.
I looked at her and nodded.
She turned to me.
"Hey, Lady Sumi... what do you want to be in the future?"
I looked at her.
"What I want to be in the future...?" I repeated.
She slowly turned her gaze back to the sunset.
"I want to be a merchant and open shops all over the world. I want to travel everywhere I can go," she said dreamily.
"...That's a wonderful dream," I thought.
I wished I could talk with her properly... There was so much I wanted to say.
"My father used to say that after he completed his job in the military, he would buy me soooo many gifts... but looks like that's never going to happen," she said, her voice tinged with sadness.
I looked at her but didn't know what to say.
Then, she continued.
"And about my dream... I think it won't come true either... because I'm going to die soon."
I was shocked.
She looked at me and smiled sadly.
"You already know, right? About my incurable disease?"
"What...?"
"How did she know?"
She slowly lifted her shirt, revealing cracks running across her body.
I was speechless.
"My mom knows about it too... She keeps blaming herself, saying that it's because of her and Dad that this happened. But I know they didn't do anything wrong. They just loved each other truly. I think it was my fate to be born with this disease," she said.
She slowly stood up and turned around.
"But I'm happy," she continued. "My mom will live in a good place, where she can eat healthy food and live a good life... and it's all thanks to you, Lady Sumi."
She turned to me, smiling.
At that moment, I couldn't say anything.
"Thanks for playing with us, Lady Sumi. Bye! I'll see you tomorrow!"
She waved and ran towards her home.
I stood there, watching her go.
Then, I spoke.
"Aries."
[Yes?] She replied.
"Are you sure there's no way to save her?" I asked.
[Positive. That disease can't be cured.]
"How can you say that without even trying? Let's go and find a way to save her!" I demanded.
[...]
I walked back to the church and started researching across my skills
"There must be a way..."
[I'm telling you, there's no chance of saving her,] Aries insisted.
"Shut up and help me!" I snapped.
"I am not going to let her dreams die just like that."
"I am going to save her—no matter what"