Facing Reality

As I walked into the square, there were a few more eyes on me than before. The white robes must have been drawing a lot more attention than I had before. Or they heard about the curse. Whatever it was didn’t matter all that much to me. I stared around at Ala Pena remembering that I relied on Eri’Sol for most of my ability to navigate.

Mrs. Erina’s shop was in the east part of the town I remembered, but that didn’t narrow it down nearly as much. A couple of questions for directions to the locals pointed me in the right direction. I hadn’t been too far off.

Once I reached the block it looked vaguely familiar. All of the black wood buildings really made it difficult to pick another apart. But the shop stood before me. I took a deep breath. This was never something I had to do before. Who has to tell someone that their friend’s dead? In this new world, that may start becoming a normal thing, I realized. Death was more common and casual here than in Japan. How would she take the news?

I stalled enough. My hand pulled on the door slowly forcing myself to accept my job. This was what would come with accepting quests. I couldn’t always deliver good news. Steeling myself, I looked inside to see that there was already someone speaking with her. There was a bit of relief that I could push it off.

It didn’t take long for me to enter and catch her attention. She motioned a wide waving hand, but then went back to her work. I didn’t get too close, but what I gleaned was that they brought in a set of kitchen tools and wear. Which made me wonder if even things like plates and pots held the same sacred regard as a tool did. If it did that really had to change the dynamic of purchasing something. Would a chair become sentient with a century of care? And what did that even look like?

“Minoru!” I snapped up from my thoughts. More time must have passed than I realized. The counter invited me as did the large woman behind it. “Look at yourself. You look like a proper hero now!”

I tried to present a smile for her, though it was difficult with my mind remembering the curse and the woman I saw consumed by it. We only saw the aftermath of what was most likely Miss Welinna. There was no idea how much she suffered. “Mrs. Erina…it’s good to see you again.”

She reached out and dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder pulling me forward suddenly. I staggered a bit in surprise as she forced me to look her straight in the eye. “That’s not what your face says. What happened, kid?”

My hands tightened up. It almost felt like she was squeezing my heart. I needed to say it. She needed to know. This wouldn’t get any easier. “There’s been an update with your request.”

Mrs. Erina firmly squeezed my shoulder, snapping me out of my haze again. “Let’s get you to sit down. I already was prepared for bad news. Just tell me what you learned.” I nodded. She really was an adult.

Behind the worktable that she used was a couple of stools. She pulled them out so that I could sit at ease. A warm smile came over her almost like a mother to a child. It was oddly reassuring considering that I felt like I shouldn’t be the one needing to be comforted. “Just start simply. Don’t worry, eh?”

“Right…” Taking another deep breath in, I tried to sort my thoughts together. There was a lot we learned, though not all of it was important for her. “We were unable to find Welinna and confirmed what you already had.” It felt like I was still stalling. “Everything else is speculation. I have no proof, but it seems like the most likely conclusion.”

“I understand. Continue.”

“You know about the recent troubles with people turning into trees and plants?” She nodded. “I learned that it was caused by a demon cursing the town. It’s been stopped, but not before a lot of people were affected.”

There was a clear sense in her eyes that she already knew where I was going. I could see a bit of bending of her shoulders in sadness even as she kept up an encouraging gaze for me to continue. “I can’t confirm who became cursed. But there was a tree we found along the route to Welinna’s house. I believe that was her. Unfortunately, the Markets didn’t know what it was in time and they ordered it to be removed. I think she…” I choked up thinking about it. I didn’t even know her, but seeing Mrs. Erina there just made the emotions bubble up.

She placed a hand on my arm. There was sadness in her eyes even as she sought to comfort me instead. This wasn’t how it should be. “Thank you for telling me. When someone goes missing for a few days, we already assume the worst. Most of us aren’t able to have the closure to know. I appreciate it. Truly.” Her voice asked me to look at her even as I wanted to turn away. It was the reality of her world. She was sad, but also accepted the truth.

I broke down in tears.