"I've left Kusha in charge of the store all this time. As a token of appreciation, it's good to let her dress up occasionally."
"Oh, that's nice."
That morning.
While watching the couple getting cozy, I was helping Sedol get changed.
"It's a beautiful necklace."
"Really, that's quite thoughtful for Gomuji."
"I want my wife to be beautiful."
Gomuji had also bought a gift for Kusha.
He placed a very expensive-looking necklace with a red jewel around Kusha's neck.
According to Gomuji, he splurged a bit on it.
"Thank you, I'll treasure it. Keep spoiling me, darling."
"Yeah, yeah."
Gomuji gave a wry smile seeing Kusha caress the necklace and dance with joy.
Sedol was blankly staring at the two of them.
"Don't you want any accessories, Touri?"
"No, I don't really…"
"If you don't mind hand-me-downs, I'll give you some of mine."
They say women love accessories, but the way Kusha's eyes lit up was incredible.
It's probably because it was a gift from Gomuji that made her so happy.
"Touri, I think you'd look better in blue than red. Wait a moment, I'll share some happiness…"
"Ah, um, well…"
I don't really have any interest in dressing up.
Even putting on makeup feels uncomfortable to me because of my profession.
So even if I receive accessories, to be honest, it would just trouble me…
"Just leave her alone. Senior isn't into that kind of stuff."
"Oh really?"
"I still don't quite get it."
Gomuji, sensing my distress, came to my rescue.
This guy realized that I had no interest in accessories from the start.
Perhaps this way of sensing the subtleties of such things is what makes him a good merchant.
"What a waste. Touri always wears unfashionable clothes. It would be nice if she dressed up."
"It suits my modest lifestyle."
"It's fine. That's one of your good points, Senior."
Well, I guess my sensibilities differ from the average woman.
After giving me a slightly puzzled look, Kusha kissed Gomuji in thanks.
Gomuji returned the kiss, so I silently covered Sedol's eyes.
As usual, the morning's love-filled atmosphere was almost overwhelming.
"Today is a work day, so I'll be off first."
"Have fun, Touri."
"Bye bye Tou-chan."
I decided to retreat to work before I got exposed to their heat.
As if to escape from that happy, dazzling scenery.
That day, Gomuji was supposed to take care of Sedol at home.
I went to Anita's clinic to help with emergency examinations as usual.
Kusha, as the poster girl of Gomuji's General Store, was scheduled to work cheerfully today as well.
It was the usual, peaceful, and quiet day.
I smiled back at Sedol, who had been waving at me from outside the front door, and headed out to Anita's clinic.
────Without knowing I would never see that smile again.
Gomuji's General Store was originally a warehouse that had been renovated.
The location is right next to Gomuji's house. It was only a one-minute walk away.
The system works like this: a cash register is placed at the entrance to the warehouse, Kusha goes to pick up the ordered items and exchange them for payment.
It might seem risky to have a woman alone minding the store, but there was always a lot of foot traffic in front of the store. If a robber showed up, someone would likely come to help.
Kusha closed up shop early when the traffic was low.
Thus far, there hadn't been any issues with her managing the store alone.
"…It looks like you've made quite a bit of money."
"Yes, thanks to our customers."
That day, as always, Kusha was standing at the counter with a big smile on her face.
However, on this day she was in a better mood than usual, wearing the expensive necklace that Gomuji had given her that morning.
"How much did that necklace cost?"
"I don't know? My husband bought it for me."
"What does your husband do?"
"He's a traveling merchant. My job is to sell what he brings."
"Tch."
Seeing her smile, the customer inside the store clicked his tongue.
The reason is…
"You're hoarding quite unfairly, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
This customer had been indoctrinated by a radical thinker into believing that wealthy people were enemies who were destroying the country.
No, to be precise, this man was not a customer.
"How many innocent civilians do you think have died because of people like you?"
"Um, excuse me, sir?"
"Because you people live in luxury and excess."
From the beginning, he was one of the bandits who had come to Othello to loot.
***
It all happened suddenly.
A loud scream rang out in the peaceful village, followed by several gunshots.
"What on earth is going on?"
"…There's something ominous about this atmosphere."
At the time, I was working at Anita's clinic.
I stopped the examination to look outside the window and saw a man with a gun in his hand shouting something loudly.
"We are───, for the revolution───"
"───Bring out the village chief───"
It was a group of several dozen shabbily dressed armed men.
I could only catch fragments of their conversation from where I stood, but it sounded like they were demanding "money, food, and property."
"They're bandits… What should we do?"
"They're asking for the village chief."
They threatened passersbys and stuck guns in their mouths.
If they fired at like that, their heads would be blown off.
The faces of the threatened villagers are turning pale.
"Ah, oh no… Grandpa…"
"...!"
An old man walked over cautiously in response to the calls of these rough men.
I recognize the old man.
He was the husband of the elderly couple I had spoken with in Vanya before.
"…"
"In other words…"
The man exchanged words with the old man.
The elder bowed his head repeatedly, trying to negotiate something.
He is desperately pleading with the bandits.
"Ah!"
After a short exchange of words…
The armed man suddenly pointed the gun at the old man.
The old man's eyes widen and the man's lips curled into a grin.
"No, run, old man!"
Immediately afterwards, a loud gunshot rang out in the village and the old man's face was blown off.
A loud scream echoes throughout the village, and the headless old man collapses, powerless.
"This man───, if you do not cooperate with us───, we are ready to fight to the death against the enemies of the revolution───"
The murderer who had blown the old man's head off began his speech again.
The elder probably tried to refuse their demands for the sake of the village.
As a result, he was shot and killed.
"From now on, we will start collecting───"
The rough men, still armed, began to scatter and go around each house.
They then point guns at the residents and begin taking possessions from the houses.
They burned down houses that pretended not to be home, and shot and killed anyone who came out anyway.
"We will not tolerate cowardly people────"
It was unmistakably looting.
By killing the old man, they showed they were serious and quickly plundered the village.
Judging by how familiar they were with their methods, they must have looted many times already.
"I'll handle it if they come here. Touri, gather the patients and hide them in the back."
Anita's face was pale, but she said this and headed towards the entrance.
She intended to stand at the forefront as the head of the clinic.
In this emergency, the action I, a former soldier, took was…
────To crouch in the corner of the room, pale-faced and trembling.
"Eek, there's another gunshot."
"Who are those guys…!!"
I felt powerless.
Each time I heard a gunshot, my heart froze with fear, and I could only tear up.
There was nothing I could do against an armed group in my current unarmed state.
"…Gomuji."
The bandits outside eventually entered Gomuji's house.
They will surely rob his house of all its property and goods.
Gomuji is good with words, so I don't think anything terrible will happen, but I was still worried.
"Dammit, what the hell?"
To think that there would be bandits attacking in broad daylight.
What are the police and military in this region doing?
My legs are shaking so much that I can't move.
"It's alright, healer. If it comes down to it, I'll protect you."
"I-I'm sorry."
My complexion must have been very bad, because the other patients are worried about me.
Even though I should be used to dangerous situations as a former battlefield medic. I should be the calmest one here.
"…It should be okay."
No, that's wrong.
Perhaps it is because I'm a veteran of the war that I'm so afraid of the sound of guns that I can't stop trembling.
Knowing the horror of guns makes me overwhelmed with fear.
As a former medic, I know all too well how easily a gun can take a person's life.
────Oh, how pathetic.
With such self-deprecation, I closed my eyes and cried.
…Then.
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang out from the direction of Gomuji's house.
"…!"
"Touri?!"
I definitely heard it. A loud gunshot from his house.
Someone in that house may have been shot.
The moment I had that thought, my hips stopped shaking and I stood up.
"Sorry Anita."
"Wh-what is it, Touri?"
"I'm going to go and check on Gomuji."
"Hey, wait a second!"
I have a bad feeling and my heart is pounding.
A chill ran down my spine, as if something irreversible had happened.
"…I won't cause you any trouble!"
"Hey!"
I slung the black iron cylinder that Gomuji had given me over my shoulder and ran out of the clinic through the back door.
This is no joke. Smooth talking is Gomuji's forte.
Why was there a gunshot?
"…"
I ran. If anything were to happen to him, it was my responsibility to help him.
These peaceful months were thanks to him.
He's the one person I absolutely cannot abandon.
I ran behind a residential area while checking the enemy's position.
It's only been a few minutes since the gunshot. If it wasn't instant death, there might still be hope.
I kept my footsteps quiet so no one would see me.
I ran slowly to the back door of Gomuji's house—
"…Ah."
At the entrance of Gomuji's General Store.
I saw the familiar severed head of a woman, blood splattered everywhere.
It was Kusha.