We enjoyed sightseeing in Yukimachi Village for a short while.
After returning to our lodging, Sharin came back after some time. Apparently, Hakukyo had woken up. Tit was still sleeping, and Vivio was busy curling her hair with a curling iron, so I headed to the hospital alone. Besides, it would be best if those two didn’t come. I couldn’t afford to be kicked out of the hospital. Vivio, in particular, was too curious. It was amazing she had lived this long considering that.
In the hospital room, Hakukyo was sitting up and waiting quietly. I was relieved that we could have a proper conversation. It would have been terrible if he had acted out like during the task.
“How are you feeling?”
“It seems I was brought to the foot of the mountain. I shouldn’t really say this, but thank you. I would have died if you hadn’t.”
Did he know it himself? How painful must it have been to live knowing he was going to die?
“Why didn’t you do anything if you knew?”
“Wouldn’t you know if you stepped into that place? The weak are discarded there. I wanted to be a son until the end, even if we weren’t blood-related.”
Was it solely for pride? Certainly, as the chieftain’s son, he had to be strong and wise. He probably chose to live strongly until the end rather than showing a pathetic display of weakness.
“Your mother gave permission for you to be treated down the mountain.”
“Wh-what? That’s right. I couldn’t just take you out without permission.”
For a moment, his expression was hesitant, yet he seemed to be holding something back. I relayed the promise Tit had made. This time, his eyes widened in panic.
“A-are you saying that guy said that?! Wh-what is he thinking, that’s absurd! Questioning the chieftain could have gotten him killed!”
“Even so, he did it because he wanted you to live and mustered the courage.”
Hakukyo looked down, seemingly lost in thought. Various emotions must have been surging through him like a muddy stream.
“What has he done? Then, his family is also a hostage. To do something like that without permission…”
“He said you were a star of hope.”
“A star of hope?”
“He said you were amazing because it’s a difficult world for men to hold high positions.”
Tit was trying to forge his own future, even risking his family’s lives. And somehow, I felt that the chieftain himself was also trying to change. He seemed to have doubts about a matriarchal society, but he couldn’t just concede to it in front of his companions.
Perhaps the youngest son had changed the heart of a noble woman. By touching him, she probably realized the potential of men for the first time.
“That I’m amazing? Well, in this world, women must not cry and men must be obedient. It seems to be the opposite in the world you live in. What a curious story.”
“You know about that?”
“Hah, it’s good that I hid and read books.”
I explained that he needed more treatment. As expected, he was intelligent and understood, saying he would stay still without causing trouble. Not causing trouble—that was the important part. It seemed women were just too wild. Wait, I think my own thoughts are starting to be influenced by them.
The next day, I visited the hospital room with Vivio and Tit. Of course, after they promised to be quiet.
“Ah, Lord Hakukyo, good day. Are you, are you well?”
“Ah, I must thank you, Ambassador of Diplomatic Relations. It seems you’ve been doing more work than I expected.”
Tit beamed, praised by the person he admired. I asked Vivio, who had become quite fashionable overnight, why she had appointed Tit as the ambassador.
“That’s because I needed someone who could take some records and was free. I remembered Hakukyo had two sons. Honestly, anyone would have done. I had intended to have you all die.”
That’s right; Hakukyo had intended to abandon us in the blizzard. Still, saying “anyone would do” is a bit rude, isn’t it? He saved our lives at the risk of his own.
“I apologize for what I said. By the way, Tit, what happened to you? Have you gone strange in appearance too?”
“No, this is called makeup. You wouldn’t understand it, with your brain stuck in a past era. Look at how stylish I am.”
I thought I saw a twitch in Hakukyo’s temple. “Now, now,” I intervened. It would be terrible if they started fighting here.
“You have a week. Recover quickly, or your family will die.”
“I understand that. Hey, don’t tell me you brought that weird thing back with you? Are you listening to me!”
Vivio pretended not to hear and left the hospital room. Incidentally, I later heard that Tit’s speech impediment was due to a tongue injury. In the mountains where medical technology was not secured, the only treatment available for children was cutting the underside of the tongue. However, it went unnoticed and was simply attributed to developmental issues.
