Resolve II

Bothered by her own smell, Carolyn wiped herself off before joining Teri for dinner. She was now much clearer about what she wanted to do in the days going forward, which meant she had to have a talk with him. She went through dinner faster than usual for their talk, but she still found it difficult to speak. She knew that once he had finished eating, Teri would likely point out her strange behaviour, but she didn't want their talk to start like that. This time, she had to take the initiative.

"Mr. Teri?"

"Yes, missie."

"I don't think I'll be able to learn from you for much longer."

"Is that so? Have you made your resolve?"

"Yes. I want to thank you for everything you've done for me since I've arrived at the village. If it wasn't for you, I,"

"You don't have to be so dramatic about it. I helped you because I wanted to see you live longer, so if you really want to thank me, then just follow through on what you want to do. And if you make it back in time, I want you to handle my funeral. I don't want to leave it in that city boy's hands."

Barely restraining her tears, Carolyn responded, "Yes!"

The next day, Carolyn made a trip to the village square to see Hanson. Word had already spread that Carolyn had run from the village chief's house while crying. Some had tried to find out more by interrogating Hanson and Rilis, but neither was forthcoming with information. Carolyn had gained quite a bit of popularity among the villagers, so they weren't willing to back down without learning anything. As a compromise, Hanson promised to do everything in his power to solve the issue.

Atla was the only one who tried to visit Carolyn, but Hanson had beaten her there, so she took Teri's advice and went home.

Carolyn's expression wasn't particularly bright on the way to the village square, but there was a steadiness in her footsteps that erased all doubts. Relieved that she was doing better, the villagers cheerfully greeted her.

"Oh Carolyn!"

"It's a fine morning, ain't it."

"Hey Carolyn!"

"?! Good morning, everyone."

Carolyn was slightly perplexed by their energetic greetings, but she still responded as best as she could. She received more questions about her well-being and if she had any recent troubles as she got closer to the village square, but Carolyn tried to keep her responses as neutral as possible. She was glad they were concerned about her, but the problems she had weren't the type that could be summarised quickly. Furthermore, although she liked the villagers, this was one of the topics she didn't feel comfortable talking with them about.

Carolyn kept her exchanges as brief as possible and hurried over to the village chief's house. When the entrance was only a short distance away, the door suddenly opened.

"Lyn!"

Dashing out of the house was Rilis, who wrapped her arms around Carolyn and looked at her with guilt-ridden eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that idiot husband of mine. I should've stopped him when he gave you such cruel news so insensitively. I've already scolded him, but if you want to beat him up, then I'll help you."

"Uh, Ms. Rilis?"

"I'm so sorry; you must hate me too and think I'm so shameless. Please tell me, what can I do to make it up to you?"

"No, no. How could I blame you for what he said? And he already came to apologise yesterday, so you don't have to worry about that."

"But how could his apology make up for making you cry? Please be frank with me."

"Well, that, how about we go inside first?"

As the two remained in an embrace and Rilis seemed to care little about who overheard her, they had attracted a lot of attention. It was also a rare sight to see Rilis acting like this, as she usually never did anything she would regret or need to apologise for.

"Oh, how stupid of me! Please come in."

Carolyn didn't resist as Rilis dragged her by her hand into the house, but she made sure to close the door behind them.

"I'm just so slow-witted! If only I was using my head properly,"

"Rilis."

"Eep!"

Carolyn's sudden embrace from behind shook Rilis out of her apology-driven rampage. Rilis usually had the dominant position in their conversations, but when she lost composure, it was easy for Carolyn to take control. The meek expression she had as Carolyn embraced her soft figure gave Carolyn an unfamiliar yet stimulating feeling. She wasn't sure where it came from, but Carolyn decided to follow her intrusive thoughts and gently blow on Rilis' earlobe.

"Mmm!"

Carolyn barely restrained a laugh as she released Rilis and went in front of her.

"Are you calm now?"

"Uh, yes. That sure was an embarrassing sight you got of me."

"No, it was a pleasure."

"Oh, you're here."

At this time, Hanson leisurely came down the stairs and saw the two facing each other. He still found it difficult to sleep, but he was able to get a few hours of rest, so he didn't look sleep-deprived.

"Based on what I heard, it seems Rilis was troubling you. Please forgive her; she always gets flustered like that whenever she thinks that she's made a mistake."

"No, I didn't mind that much. I didn't expect Ms. Rilis to have such a cute side."

"Lyn..."

Rilis' pleading tone only made the other two more eager to tease her. As the more experienced person, Hanson quickly shifted the topic.

"Ehem, did you come to make good on your promise?"

"There's that as well, but there's a favour I want to ask of you as the village chief."

"I see. Let's head to my study then."

"Very well."

Rilis had been worried that the atmosphere between them would still be strained, but she was relieved to see that they seemed to have grown slightly closer since she last saw them.

"Ah, Rilis, would you mind bringing us some tea?" Hanson asked.

"No problem. Make sure not to be mean to Lyn, you hear."

"I'll be careful. Thanks."

Hanson then led the way to his study room. Compared to when she first met him, Hanson's mysterious atmosphere didn't stand out as much, but he still appeared very dignified when he sat behind his desk. It was almost hard to believe that this was the person who was so troubled that he ended up fainting from exhaustion.

"So, as the chief of Noral Village, how can I help you?"

"I'm not sure if this is allowed since they never visited this village, but I want to hold the funeral of my parents here."

"You've finally made your decision then."

"Yes."

After learning of their demise, Hanson had also considered holding a private funeral, but he decided to wait until Carolyn suggested it herself. He believed that her parents would surely be willing to wait until their little girl was ready to move forward.

"I don't have a problem with it, but why do you want it here instead of your old village?"

"I thought about it, and while I plan to mourn for the villagers who were slain in that disaster, I don't want to lay my parents to rest on such bloodstained ground."

"I see. Have you decided on a date?"

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be more than a month away."

"Very well. It won't take long for me to make the preparations, so just tell me at least three days in advance."

"Thanks. And, can I ask for one more favour?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I want to return to my village."

"That won't be too much of a problem from a safety perspective, but are you sure? I've had the area tidied up, but it'll be quite different from what you remember."

"Still, I'm sure. You might think that it's wrong for me to assume responsibility, but as the sole survivor, I believe it's my duty to send them off."

"In a sense, I can't deny that it would be part of your duty."

"Hmm?"

"It's nothing. I'll need to gather some people, but it shouldn't take me more than a day or two to prepare for the trip."

"Thank you."