Nocturne of the Sleepless Black Magician

Fifty percent was a lie. Safi was surprised at how often she picked the wrong choice in a binary decision. This time too, she had drawn the incorrect answer. In the first place, it was bad that there were two pointed mountains.

The small black magician had heard the general location of the orchard from the rescue team boarding the covered wagon. North of the rubble town, after passing through hilly terrain, the mountains became deep. She was told there was a mountain with a pointed peak there. From the mountaintop, she could immediately see the position of fields spread along the river.

"This seems completely wrong..."

She had headed for a different pointed mountain. Far from an orchard, not a single tree grew there. There were no road-like paths nearby, rocks were exposed everywhere, and what lay ahead was a ravine.

Fortunately, she could see another pointed mountain from the summit. It was quite far away, with wasteland resembling desert spreading in between. Though it was troublesome terrain for wagons to traverse, it posed no problem for one who soared through the heavens. However, despite departing in haste hoping for the quickest possible rescue, she had chosen wrong and taken a detour.

Safi reached the orchard around the time the sun was at its zenith. No covered wagon was visible nearby, so it seemed she hadn't fallen behind.

"You came to help us? That's appreciated."

The couple was outdoors. They showed no sign of anxiety toward the peculiar young girl. They happened to see her arrive flying through the sky. Though small in stature, she was recognizable as a magician at a glance.

On the other hand, Safi was surprised, having imagined a family of four trembling with fear inside the house, terrified of monsters.

"Of course we're scared. But someone has to keep watch."

They were a stalwart couple. The husband held a large hoe, and the wife carried a small sickle. Though brave, confronting monsters with those was unreasonable. Reckless courage rarely brought desirable results and generally invited the worst situations.

When shown into the house, two children were sleeping in a corner of the kitchen. During the nighttime attack they had cried and wailed, and afterward remained frightened, unable to fall asleep until morning. The couple seemed determined to protect their children at all costs. Reckless courage always had reasons.

"I intend to stay behind alone."

The father said something unreasonable. Even when told that a wagon would soon come from the rubble town, he insisted he would stay while only sending his wife and two children. He had made up his mind and seemed absolutely unwilling to compromise.

"Fighting those creatures would be like throwing your life away. It would be better to flee for now."

"The harvest is near. In just a few more days, they'll ripen and be ready to eat."

"When they're ready to eat, the monsters might come to steal them again."

It was a back-and-forth argument. The seemingly gentle wife appeared to follow her husband's decision and didn't interject with opinions.

Furthermore, he said he couldn't abandon the chickens they were raising. In the ruined town, there was nothing to feed them, making it difficult to raise them there. He let slip that the town lacked everything and neither people nor livestock could live satisfactorily.

"Couldn't you move the orchard to somewhere closer to town?"

The answer to Safi's question was also interesting. The location where the current orchard existed was where plants and flowers grew quickly and fruits become sweet. It seemed related to the mysterious veins running underground, and he spoke proudly of how perfect it was for cultivation.

The conversation woke the children. A brother and sister, both rubbing their eyes while looking curiously at their small visitor.

"Hello."

The greeting was ignored. Perhaps the terror from last night remained—they clung to their mother and wouldn't let go. It was a somewhat enviable sight. This had been a family living peacefully until now. Though they hadn't been caught up in the war, they had now been struck by its great aftermath.

Was there a place for children in that ruined town? It seemed uncertain. Safi gently watched over the two small heads. She could picture them standing lost at the edge of piles of rubble. Even so, remaining at this orchard was reckless. They should retreat for now and devise the next best plan. That was settled.

The wagon's arrival was earlier than expected. They had driven the horse hard and come in a straight line. The contrast was striking between the rescue team with tense faces holding poor weapons and the peaceful orchard. Though everyone shared the same sense of tragedy, it looked terribly unbalanced to Safi.

"Don't be stubborn."

The orchard owner stubbornly insisted on staying behind alone, while the rescue team from town continued patient persuasion. It was wise to evacuate immediately. The monsters might attack again during this time.

"It's a town with nothing. Do you have the capacity to support a family of four?"

They were left speechless. It was a valid point. The ruined town had no capacity to welcome new residents. But they couldn't leave the father behind alone either. And losing the orchard would trouble the people working on reconstruction just as much. One source of valuable food procurement would be gone...

Magic couldn't create food. In that regard, Safi was completely useless and had no wisdom to offer.

After a while, they reached a compromise. They would pick the unripe fruit to use as chicken feed. Furthermore, the town would send horses every few days to monitor the orchard and help with cultivation. Once the currently growing fruit ripened, that would be the end, but it couldn't be helped.

The father, who was the last to board the covered wagon, gazed longingly at his fields.

Though she had a slightly bad feeling about it, Safi's exclusive tent was used instead of cages for the chickens. There were about fifteen birds in total. She had a feeling it wouldn't end with just white feathers scattered inside.

❁❁❁ From the Author 🔮 ❁❁❁

Though she was late after choosing wrong in the binary choice and had difficulty persuading the owner, the family rescue was successful. This concludes the orchard scene.

There's still time before evening, and Safi will make a detour. Around the ravine area... maybe she shouldn't have dawdled.

(End of Chapter)