Chapter 75: The Old Woman and Red Clover (2)
Aajen felt a strange sense of fear.
It wasn’t just the steadily increasing weight on his back the deeper he went… nor the aged, gentle tone whispering near his ear.
“Won’t you keep going, young man?”
The tallic rasp of her voice vibrated in his eardrums, and the breath brushing the nape of his neck made him reflexively take another step.
At that mont, goosebumps erupted across his skin.
‘…She’s not human!’
It was instinct. The raw, primal reaction a living being has when its life is in danger.
But strangely enough, the thought “I should never have brought her along” didn’t cross his mind.
Splash, splash.
Aajen walked on—like a pilgrim enduring penance, silently pressing forward.
As he did, the eerie whispers from the old woman—like those of a demonic geoma—ceased.
“…”
But then, sothing else began to go wrong.
With every step Aajen took toward the far bank of the river, the water rose higher.
First to his waist… then over his shoulders… until it lapped at his jawline.
More than half of his body was subrged, and yet sweat poured from his forehead like rain.
Cramps rippled through his arms carrying the old woman, and his legs wobbled under the strain—threatening to give way even to the gentle current.
“Young man, put down.”
Then ca her voice.
“Leave behind. It’s fine. You’re already at your limit, aren’t you?”
The woman, who had clung to him like a cicada to bark, now spoke gently.
“You’ve done enough.”
Slip.
The limbs that had held him so tightly now loosened naturally, as though they'd never ant to hold him in the first place.
If Aajen gave even the slightest push, she would co off with ease.
Splash, splash.
But he didn’t stop. As if he hadn’t heard her, Aajen walked—and walked, and walked again.
He trudged forward with blind determination.
“Young man?”
In truth, he hadn’t even heard her voice.
Overwheld by anxiety, fear, obsession, and stress… his focus had narrowed entirely to a single purpose.
“Huff… huff…!”
In his dazed mind, a voice echoed.
Soone repeating the sa words, over and over again—
—If you encounter soone in trouble today, do everything you can to help them. With all your heart. With all your strength. Alright? You must! You must!
Lewin’s words rang in his ears, like a mantra.
—Then… this ti, please believe . No matter what.
And so, Aajen couldn’t stop here.
“…This ti, I must.”
He had to keep his word. His dazed eyes sharpened with focus.
When Lewin first pointed out his shortcomings, it had felt like soone had stord into the castle of his pride and torn it down.
Lewin had saved his life, rescued his father, and even risked his own life to fight evil alongside him…
—A favor or a grudge must be repaid tenfold! That’s the creed of the Clover family!
Aajen had believed himself to be a decent person—soone who repaid what he was given.
But when faced with reality, his ideals remained just that—ideals.
─A fair-weather opportunist who picks and chooses based on circumstance.
That was the true nature of Aajen Clover.
He was ashad. So deeply ashad, he couldn’t lift his head.
Ah…
And then he realized—how lacking he truly was.
He could hear the sound of his carefully built fortress crumbling. A frog finally escaping its well.
‘Why ?’
He found himself wondering—
‘Was I really soone who deserved to survive that tragedy?’
Buried deep beneath all the chaos, a long-suppressed doubt surfaced.
‘Why was I the only one who made it? Why did my comrades give up their lives for mine?’
Because he was the heir of the Clover Trade Company? Because he was the youngest?
Or maybe…
He didn’t know. No matter how long he agonized, the thoughts of the dead were forever beyond the grasp of the living.
So Aajen wished—
‘To beco a better today than I was yesterday. Better tomorrow than I am today.’
He wanted to be soone he wouldn’t be ashad of.
‘Even if only for those who died for …’
He wanted to tell them—those comrades who had sealed their lips and embraced death to protect him:
That the life he owed them would be lived with pride. That they would never regret saving him.
That he would beco soone worthy—soone worthy of Red Clover.
“Grrghhh!”
Even as the river reached his lips, Aajen growled and lifted the old woman higher onto his shoulders.
Then, legs on the verge of buckling, he stepped forward.
“Aaaaagh—!”
He would prove it.
That Aajen Clover was no longer soone who made the sa mistakes twice.
“Why won’t you give up, young man?”
The old woman, now puzzled by his desperation, asked plainly.
“I already said you could leave . You’ve done enough. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
“…”
Splash, splash.
Aajen didn’t respond. At that point, he barely understood her words.
His body was numb from pain. He was moving on sheer will.
“…Because I promised.”
“A promise?”
His reply was barely above a whisper.
“To help soone in need…”
Left foot—splash.
“This ti, for sure…”
Right foot—splash.
“To prove… myself…”
The old woman watched him in silence.
In her erald eyes, like a deep forest, emotions flitted one by one.
“Aajen Clover.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“Pass.”
And then it happened—sothing truly strange.
“I wanted to see what kind of soul this generation’s Clover child had…”
Her voice, once soaked with weariness and age, now brimd with youthful joy.
Her wrinkled hands smoothed into soft, pink skin. Her silver-white hair shimred into golden light.
The old woman turned into a radiant young lady with a bright laugh.
“You say the sweetest things, dear.”
The tattered rags she wore shifted into a deep green dress, elegant and flowing.
Whooosh!
A sudden gust whipped through the air, and the hem of her gown billowed high.
Shooooo!
The river, once rising and roaring, surged into the sky. In the blink of an eye, the deep water vanished—transford into a towering pillar of water.
Aajen’s eyes flew open. A miracle was unfolding before him!
“Co on now, let’s keep going, hmm?”
Sohow now beside him, the woman gave him a playful push on the shoulder.
“Uh, wha—?”
Stumbling forward, Aajen took several steps and collapsed to the ground.
“Congratulations, dear. You made it.”
Her voice was as warm as spring sunlight.
Aajen lifted his head dazedly…
Standing before him was a woman of dazzling beauty.
“Who… are you?”
He’d never seen her before. If he had, soone so breathtaking would have left at least an impression.
But for so reason, the mont he looked at her, sothing stirred within him.
Familiar.
A powerful déjà vu flooded him. His entire body trembled with it.
And he felt certain—that she felt it too.
“Wh-Who are you?”
Aajen asked, voice trembling.
A woman who appeared in this secluded place, could transform at will, and command nature itself—surely, she wasn’t ordinary.
“…”
But she said nothing—only smiled.
Then slowly, she raised her hand and gently cupped his cheek, caressing it like it might break.
Like she was morizing it.
“It was wonderful to et you, dear.”
So tenderly.
“My beloved Mothe’s child… I thought I’d never see you.”
“E-Excuse …!”
“This is my gift to you. It will help you.”
She gently pressed sothing into Aajen’s hand, and kissed his forehead.
“May luck be with you on your journey.”
And then—darkness.
“…Over here! Found him! …He’s unconscious—quickly!”
When he opened his eyes again—
“Hey! You awake?!”
“…Where am I?”
His lost companions—the mbers of Spero—stood before him.
“Whew! You disappeared so suddenly, you scared the life out of . …Well, at least you’re back.”
“Aajen! Where were you?! We couldn’t find you even with magic! Are you okay?!”
“…Are you hurt anywhere?”
Their concern showed in different ways. Aajen gave a soft smile.
Not a bad feeling at all.
“H-Haha. So, actually… I…”
He laughed awkwardly—he barely knew what had happened himself.
But just as he opened his mouth to explain—
“Huh? What’s this?”
He suddenly noticed sothing tightly clutched in his hand. Raising it up, he blinked in confusion.
At the base was a long, slender stem—deep red, like it had soaked up a rose’s color.
Higher up, five lush clover leaves encircled it like a corsage.
And at the top…
Shine!
A single radiant red flower. It glimred in countless shades of red depending on the angle, like a miniature sun radiating warmth and power.
“…Huh?”
Realization struck Aajen. His green eyes quaked.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably.
“R-Red… Red Clover!”
The rest of Spero’s eyes also widened.
Its beauty was so awe-inspiring that not a soul could speak.
“This is Red Clover…? It definitely gives off a mystical aura I can’t explain in words.”
“Beautiful. No wonder they call it the legendary flower.”
“Wow. I wonder how much that would sell for.”
“…Is your head filled with only dust and coins? Do you lack even a shred of sentintality?”
“What’s with the attitude? Everyone experiences beauty differently. Besides, rich boys like you wouldn’t understand the value of money.”
As Gale and Calix began bickering once again, Sercia sighed heavily and turned her gaze.
To the one most likely to put an end to their nonsense.
“Sir Lew—Lewin? Those two are at it again. What should w—…huh?”
“Eh? Where’d the brat go?”
“…Sir Lewin?”
But when they turned, he was gone.
They frantically searched the area, but as expected—
Not a single trace.
“Great. We finally find one guy, and now another disappears?! What the hell?!”
“I didn’t expect Lewin to vanish. Was he kidnapped?”
“Unlikely. Soone as strong as him wouldn’t be taken quietly. If anything, he probably left on his own for so reason. Might be a personal mission.”
“Hmm. That sounds plausible.”
As Sercia and Calix exchanged thoughts calmly—
“Grrrrgh!”
Gale, head lowered, couldn’t hold back anymore.
He didn’t really believe Lewin had been kidnapped either…
“IF YOU’RE GONNA LEAVE, AT LEAST SAY SOTHING FIRST, YOU DAMN SPONSORRRRRR—!”
His furious roar echoed far across the land.
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