We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Peach and the Girl
This is a tale from a long, long time ago.
It was a day before mid-winter, the kind where snow still falls on the Heavenly Mountain Range even when the weather is clear.
It was a clear, moonlit night.
“Run!”
A villager shouted. But in the next moment, he died. To be precise, he was swallowed whole by a monster that suddenly attacked the village and perished.
The village, located on the mid-slope of the Dragon Peak, was instantly overwhelmed by screams of despair. In the darkness of night, jet-black shadows writhed. With countless legs scurrying, they attacked fleeing villagers.
Demons and slaves were equally preyed upon. The strong attempted to resist the monster, but were easily defeated and killed.
The monster was impervious to all magic and blades. The only option left for the people was to flee.
“Now’s our chance, hurry!”
A man urged his wife. Clasping their young child, she ran, screaming. The man, carrying as much as he could in his hands, followed after her.
“You slaves, you’re trying to escape in this chaos!”
A demon glared angrily at those who had fled from the dilapidated slave barracks. But in the next moment, he too was devoured by the monster. The man, more terrified of the monster that remained black even in the moonlight than the killing intent shown by his dead master, fled. Other slaves besides this couple had also escaped.
Clutching small bundles of belongings, they fled the village desperately. And they ran towards the Heavenly Mountain Range.
It’s over. This village will be destroyed. If we stay here, we will only be devoured by that monster. But even if they fled to the plains, there was no future. They would only be hunted again and forced to live as slaves.
Then…
Someone had once said that beyond the Heavenly Mountain Range, to the west, there was a peaceful world that would bring peace to the Human Race.
Amidst their despair, the people found hope and ran through the snow-covered Heavenly Mountain Range. But pursuers were closing in. The monster, which had completely wiped out the villagers who failed to escape, was now chasing those who had fled into the Heavenly Mountain Range.
With countless legs scraping, the monster burrowed deep into the Heavenly Mountain Range.
“Ah, it’s no use anymore…”
Those who ran out of strength were devoured by the monster, one after another. Nevertheless, the villagers ran. Barefoot, even with injured feet, they fled.
But one after another, people fell behind. The path was steep. The temperature was bone-chilling. They hadn’t even been given proper meals every day. Those with no stamina could no longer move, even in the face of death, and lost their lives.
The man, while desperately encouraging his wife, ran up the steep mountainside. In his wife’s arms, their child cried with all its might, as if asserting its life. But the couple too reached their limit.
“I can’t run anymore…”
To his wife’s weakened words, the man offered encouragement.
“Run. When the sun rises, we’ll surely be saved!”
It was a baseless statement. But he vaguely understood that the unnervingly black monster was a creature that lived in darkness. So, he thought, perhaps the monster would disappear when the sun rose. Encouraged by the man’s words, his wife started running again.
As person after person dropped out, the couple encouraged each other and fled. But eventually, their limit was reached. Hunger, pain in their feet. Their stamina completely depleted. Staggering, they finally collapsed at the root of a tree.
Ah, it’s no use. I can’t run any further. The man despaired. The bundle he held felt unbearably heavy. It contained necessities for survival, yet it was nothing but a hindrance. He saw that his wife was also gazing at the child she held with a sorrowful expression.
“You…” “You…”
They looked at each other sadly. But they didn’t have the luxury of many choices.
“We can have another child. But if we die here…” “Ah, my dear. Are you telling me to abandon this child?” “What else can we do! It’s for our survival!!”
If they continued like this, not only their young child but they themselves would die. In that case…
The wife hugged her child countless times, caressing it. The child, as if sensing its fate, cried out in sorrow. But the couple made their decision. They gently placed the child in the shade of the tree’s roots. It was a meager consideration, hoping it would be less likely to be found.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” “Come on, let’s go. Don’t look back. Run!” The man had also discarded his belongings. If he carried anything, he couldn’t run any further. Urged by the man, his wife started running. The man glanced back at his child one last time, then, with determination, he ran. The abandoned child continued to cry, seeking salvation. Crying, crying, screaming. But no hand reached out to save the child. Meanwhile, the sun rose. It might have been a small miracle amidst despair. The child, who had been crying and screaming noisily, was not attacked by the monster until the very end. As morning arrived, the child, who had cried all night, was exhausted and fell asleep. With a peaceful sleeping face, as if free from the anxiety and despair of just moments before. Those who, albeit late, had passed by the tree roots were briefly comforted by the sleeping child’s face. But no one attempted to hold the child. Even as they were comforted, and with a lingering regret, those who survived began to run again towards the depths of the Heavenly Mountain Range. Ah, poor thing. So cute and lovable. It wasn’t just humans who were comforted by the innocent sleeping face of the child. The young tree, which had lived its life in solitude, looked down at the child left behind at its roots and smiled at its pure sleeping face. And at the same time, it worried. The child would die like this. Perhaps from hunger, or before that, from the cold. As a blessing in disguise, the luggage the man had left contained not only food but also clothing for warmth. However, the young tree, being a plant, could not move its branches freely. All it could do was… The young tree, by sacrificing its long-lived soul, revitalized itself. And then, what happened? Even though it was before mid-winter, a single fruit ripened on the young tree’s branches. May this sustain your hunger. Even if the branches couldn’t move, it could intentionally drop the ripened fruit. Plop! The fruit fell into the child’s hands. It was a ripe-looking peach, so ripe that even someone without teeth could suck on it. “My, what a rarity.” Then, a miracle occurred. It was around evening. Two women, walking leisurely from the depths of the mountains, in the opposite direction of the people who had fled from the foothills to the mountainside, showed interest in the peach tree that cared for the child. “Well, well. Exterminating Evil Races is the least rewarding job in this world.” “Fufufu, it is quite rare to receive an emergency request from a witch, isn’t it?” “She is probably holed up deep in the Eternal Snowfield and cannot move, isn’t she? But, well. Thanks to her, I’ve made a favor with the witch. Besides…” Saying so, one of the women looked at the child who was curiously watching them. Perhaps sensing the mysterious presence of the two women, the child abandoned at the root of the peach tree had awakened. “To think that an Evil Race that has devoured about five surrounding villages would leave it uneaten.” “The survivor of this massacre is a single child. Would a witch consider this a miracle?” “It’s a miracle, of course. At least, for this orphan.” And then, the woman in the luxurious blue attire pointed to themselves. “We encountered this by chance while walking down the mountain on a whim. Isn’t this also a miracle?” “Fufufu, isn’t it so.” The woman with the peculiar coiled blonde hairstyle agreed. “Fufu, fufufu. Your Majesty, it is very cold here, isn’t it? Though this child miraculously survived, if night falls like this, won’t they freeze to death?” “Then, let’s do this.” Saying so, the woman in blue attire, who smiled like fufufu, crouched down, took out a thick blanket from the remaining luggage, and draped it over the young girl. Furthermore, she activated a technique that appeared simple yet was of a very high order. Then, around the young peach tree, a faint warmth spread. “With this, you should be able to bear fruit more easily, shouldn’t you?” “Ah, how grateful. Although you are capricious, I sincerely thank you for your kindness.” “Just a whim. A tree nurturing a human, how very rare. So, just a whim.” Leaving those words, the two women walked back down the mountain. “Ma…jo…” The child, holding the peach carefully in both hands, repeated the word the two had pronounced in the same way, looking at it with curiosity. Every day, one. The peach tree bore fruit for the child. The child survived by eating the peaches that fell into its hands every day. Miracles continued to happen. Although left exposed, the child was inexplicably never attacked by monsters or beasts. “Ah. Aah.” Abandoned by its parents, the child was not abandoned by fate. Saved by the peach tree, protected by the whim of two women, and watched over by the Heavenly Mountain Range, it survived. And so, the child grew up eating only peaches. Once the child could move on its own, it crawled around the peach tree. The peach tree, finding the child’s movements enjoyable, began dropping peaches not at its hands but a little further away. Over the years, the child grew further and could walk. The peach tree bore fruit every day for the frolicking child. Before they fell, the child would run under the ripening peaches. Then, it would skillfully catch the fallen peaches. It was a happy time for both the peach tree and the child. However, as time passed, the child grew even further. One peach was no longer enough to satisfy the child’s hunger. The emaciated child looked much younger than its actual age. Ah, if this continues, I will be killing this child by neglect. The peach tree lamented the current situation. Humans cannot grow properly on peaches alone. The next miracle occurred in the winter of the year after the child could walk. “What a miracle. It’s so warm despite it being winter. We fled to this mountain range on the witch’s advice, but I thought we were done for with this cold.” A man who had escaped from the demons and was traveling through the Heavenly Mountain Range reached a place where a peach tree miraculously grew. And in this place, warm like early spring weather, he encountered out-of-season peaches and a skinny girl. “Are you perhaps a peach spirit? No, that’s not important. Ah, to have lived alone in such a place. From now on, I will be with you?” “Ah? Uur.” The traveler, feeling pity for the girl, extended his hand. But the girl, with strong apprehension, rejected the man’s hand and clung to the peach tree. “Ah, I see. That’s right. You cherish this peach tree. Then, let’s do this. I will also find a place to live near here.” And so, the man found a place to live near the peach tree and began to live there. Initially, the girl was very wary of the man, but as they saw each other every day, her heart gradually opened. And she began to eat small amounts of the meat and vegetables the man hunted. The distance between the man and the girl narrowed. The man tried various things to attract the girl’s interest. The man was a sorcerer. He performed various miracles with his superb skills. Sometimes, he would draw a sword from the sheath with a beautiful red and black design at his waist and show it off to the girl. The girl seemed to think the man’s sorcery was a game and was delighted. She was captivated by the beauty of the bright red jewel embedded in the sword’s pommel. Slowly, the man began to teach the girl the basics of sorcery along with words. Time passed in a flash. The girl began to stay overnight at the man’s dwelling. The peach tree felt a little lonely, but that was a proper human life. Besides, the girl had not forgotten the peach tree’s existence. Even after she started picking wild herbs and eating meat, she came every day to get peaches without fail. The peach tree also bore fruit for the girl every day without fail. And more years passed. The man grew old, and the girl approached womanhood. And before long, the man’s presence was no longer seen. Ah, perhaps it was old age. Unlike plants, humans have far fewer springs. Surely, the man’s soul had burned out. Even after not seeing the man, the grown girl was seen often. But not every day anymore. Having tasted meat, and unable to grow on peaches alone, the girl expanded her range of activity to survive. On some days, she was not seen for many days. And before she knew it, she was seen less and less often. Still, it was good. As long as that child grew up healthy and lived energetically. Even after the girl stopped visiting, the peach tree continued to bear peaches every day. So that the girl could return anytime. Ah, yes. I shouldn’t ripen them right away. I should make many peaches ripen on the branches. The next time the girl comes, she will surely be surprised and delighted. From then on, the peach tree bore one peach every day, delaying the ripening period and increasing the number of fruits on its branches.
