On a dusky night, with two moons hanging high and their bright moonlight illuminating the surroundings, Gallad and those familiar with the forest's terrain returned to the farmstead after scouring the woods.
The faces of the search party, gathered around the table in the farmstead's longhouse, were streaked with dark smudges of soot from the torches they had carried for hours, mingled with sweat.
Gallad, with an exhausted expression, unfocused eyes, and a drooping head, was catching his breath when Roper approached and asked about the results of the search. Instead of words, Gallad shook his head wearily, answering Roper's question with the gesture.
Whispers from groups of people seated at separate tables, scattered at a distance, filled the air. Roper brought a cup of water to the weary Gallad and sat down, holding a large mug of ale in his other hand. He spoke to Gallad.
"It's pointless, Gallad. They're probably dead. That's why we can't find them."
"I wish we'd at least found one of Warren's shoes. How does a person vanish without a trace like that…?"
Gallad spoke to Roper in a voice heavy with fatigue.
"There was a pool of blood, wasn't there? Unless Warren suddenly decided to hunt a deer and hang it to drain its blood, that blood likely belongs to Warren or Celine. Or maybe both."
"That's what I don't understand… Why is there only blood? Where are their clothes? Their bones? How does a person disappear so completely? I… I just can't make sense of it."
"Just give it up. Searching the forest any further is a waste of time."
Roper tilted his head back, drained the ale in his mug, and stood up. With his free hand, he gave Gallad's shoulder a light pat. He stepped away briefly and returned carrying a large wooden cask of ale in his arms.
"I know you're not one for drinking, but have some tonight. A drink and a good sleep might clear your head. Think of it as medicine to cut away those nagging thoughts."
Roper tilted the cask, filling the cup in Gallad's hand with ale.
Though Gallad usually avoided alcohol, he quietly waited for the cup to be filled. As soon as Roper lifted the cask away, Gallad downed the full cup in one swift gulp.
"Thanks." Gallad said briefly, setting the empty cup on the table.
"Thanks, my foot! Want another?"
Roper lifted the cask again, grinning.
"Pour me another, please… I still have plenty of bad thoughts to prune."
"Easy now! You don't usually drink, so don't overdo it. Gulping it down like that will make tomorrow rough."
"I get it… when it comes to drinking, I'll trust you, Roper."
With a faint chuckle that broke his heavy breathing, Gallad accepted the ale Roper poured.
"Damn it. That was good ale, too."
Roper set his mug down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
*****
Late at night, a humming tune drifted through the air. It was Roper's deep, gravelly voice, humming a wordless melody of "mm-mm" and "hm-hm" as he walked along the farmstead's dark paths. After drinking with Gallad until their legs wobbled and their cheeks felt numb, they parted with sluggish waves and staggered toward their respective homes.
"Phew… I get drunk so quickly these days…"
Roper let out a heavy breath laced with the smell of ale, looking up at the moons hanging high in the sky. Perhaps due to the alcohol, his eyelids drooped halfway, and he had to strain to keep his eyes open. Sleep was creeping in. Maybe it was the pleasant sensation of the cool morning breeze soothing his alcohol-warmed body.
"Why'd you take the seeds, you bastard?! We celebrated your return home, and now what does that make me and Gallad?"
The anger festering in Roper's heart erupted into a loud outburst.
"Damn fool. Rotten scum. Son of a—!"
No matter what words he spat, a heavy weight seemed lodged in his throat, like a stone pressing down on his chest. The rising buzz of alcohol weakened his legs, but he stumbled a few steps toward a tree by the path, reaching out to lean against it.
The worry for his missing friend and the betrayal of the farmstead's precious seeds being stolen tangled in his heart, creating an indescribable frustration that tormented (Roper).
"Hoo… Tomorrow, I'll go with Gallad into the forest. I'll land a punch right in the face of that seed-stealing bastard… Damn it!"
He struck the tree hard enough to make a dull thud, then resumed walking. Deciding to leave tomorrow's worries for tomorrow, he began humming his deep, gravelly tune again, matching the rhythm of his steps.
"Yeah, yeah, they must've been nabbed by some bandits or marauders slinking into the forest! It's been a while since I split something other than wood. I'd better sharpen my axe tonight! Right! The axe for their skulls, and this fist for that damn seed thief, Warren!"
Roper raised his fist high, shouting. As his large fist blocked the moonlight, a heavy pain struck his head. A flash like lightning blinded him, and a stiff sensation gripped his neck and the back of his head.
"Wha… what… hey…"
Thud.
Before Roper could turn toward the presence he felt behind him, another dull sound rang out, and he collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
*****
"R… Roper… Can you hear me? Roper!"
At the sound of a familiar voice calling him, (Roper) struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, peering through bleary eyes to identify the speaker.
"Ugh… Gallad… why are you here?"
Roper slowly turned his head left and right, recognizing the familiar surroundings of his room, and spoke to Gallad.
"Well, look who's awake! After all that drinking last night, I figured the Queen of Thorns might pay you a visit, so I was bringing some herbal tea to your place this morning. Found you sprawled out on the path!"
Gallad spoke to the now-conscious (Roper), nodding toward a sack on a table across from the bed before sitting in a chair he'd pulled up beside it.
"Ugh… it's cold… It's coming back to me now. Some bastards hit me in the head from behind last night. Damn them, I nearly died—not from a cracked skull but from freezing on the ground all night."
Roper sat up in bed, wincing as the throbbing pain in the back of his head reminded him of the previous night. Shivering from lying on the cold ground, he pulled the blanket up to his neck.
"Who the hell… Why would they do that?"
"Probably those idiots following Rant. The same ones who scrawled 'Prosperity for All' on my wall before. They bashed my head to warn me to keep quiet about the seed sack we found in Warren's wagon."
Roper touched the bandage wrapped around his head, grimacing. As he ran his hands over his forehead and scalp, he flinched and froze when he reached the back.
"I heard about Warren's wagon, too… Even I can't believe a seed sack just happened to be there by chance…"
"Exactly! It was all planned with that lord! Urgh…"
Roper raised his voice, only to wince and shut his eyes tightly as pain shot through his head.
"If it hurts that bad, why not get Diara or Lisia to heal you with magic? I've applied some herbs and bandaged it for now, but…"
"No magic for me. If you rely on magic to heal, your body forgets how to fix itself. Your herbs are enough, Gallad."
Roper grabbed a pillow from beside him, propped it against his back, and leaned into it as he spoke to Gallad. After a long sigh, he closed his eyes briefly, then opened them as if remembering something and asked Gallad.
"Has Warren's kid woken up? If I came to after getting my head bashed, that little one must be awake by now, right? It just hit me!"
"I heard she's awake. I stopped by the longhouse where Diara was this morning before coming here."
"And? What'd she say? What'd she see?"
"Diara said whatever she saw must've been a big shock."
Gallad shook his head as he spoke.
"So… that means…"
"She doesn't remember anything. She just keeps crying for her mom since she woke up."
Gallad recalled the moment he heard about Lillu from Diara. The sound of Lillu's crying from the second floor of the longhouse still lingered in his ears.
"Ugh, nothing's going right… I thought once (Warren)'s kid woke up, we'd get some answers. Damn it, guess I'll have to sharpen that axe after all!"
Roper got out of bed, striding heavily toward the corner of the room where his axe leaned against the wall, and picked it up.
"Where are you going? And what are you planning to do with that axe?"
Gallad quickly stepped in front of Roper, who was heading out the door with the axe in hand.
"First, I'm gonna ask the bastards who hit my head why they left me lying on the cold ground last night!"
"You know who they are?"
"I've got a hunch! And to talk to those bastards, I'll need this!"
Roper gripped the axe's handle at its midpoint, showing it to Gallad.
"You take that with you, and you won't get any talking done. I know you're not one to back down, so how about you at least drink some of this herbal tea before you go?"
Gallad gestured toward the table, urging Roper to sit. Roper looked down at his feet, cleared his throat, and shuffled toward the table.
"Can't deal with that kind of pain at a time like this. Ahem!"
Roper cleared his throat again, sat down, propped his chin on his hand, and waited for Gallad to bring the tea. Soon, Gallad set a steaming wooden cup in front of him.
"It's too hot now, so let it cool a bit before drinking."
"Ugh, I'll have to wait a while with that smell. But does this damn gout ever get better? I'm too scared to drink or eat meat properly because of it… It's one inconvenience after another."
Roper scrunched his face as the steam from the tea irritated his nose and eyes.
"It can get better… Like I've said before, if you avoid alcohol and meat—"
"What?! Give up both of those? What's the point of living then?"
Roper's eyes widened as he shouted, but Gallad raised both hands to calm him and continued.
"Eat less meat and drink less alcohol, and drink plenty of water often. That way, the Queen of Thorns might pass by without noticing your feet."
"Hmph… I'm already eating less. After drinking, I guzzle water until it's practically pouring out my nose, but I'm still nervous."
Roper pushed the cup farther away, annoyed by the tea's scent as he spoke.
"What, scared the feet will flare up again? If you're that afraid of the Queen of Thorns, maybe cut out the alcohol. I won't tell you to skip meat since you need it for that build of yours…"
"Live without alcohol? I'm barely drinking as it is, and even that's not enough!"
"You're doing fine, so just cut back a little more."
Gallad slid the cup of tea back toward Roper.
"Ugh, what kind of herb smells like this…"
As Roper lifted the cup to his lips, he paused.
"Hm? Is that… smoke over there?"
He set the cup down and pointed past Gallad toward the window.
"Smoke? What…"
Gallad turned to follow Roper's finger. Outside the window, far in the distance, black and gray smoke rose in long trails toward the blue sky.
"Fire! That's gotta be a fire!"
Gallad moved closer to the window, opened it, and leaned out to look.
"If that smoke isn't from a fire, what is it? Let's go check it out!"
Roper stood, grabbing the axe he'd propped against the table. With his other hand, he lifted the cup of tea, tilted it back, and gulped it down swiftly.
"Gah! That's bloody hot! Let's go, Gallad!"