She always respected her father.
To others, he might have seemed like an ordinary farmer.
But in the desolate land of the Volkanovs, he was the first to successfully cultivate wheat.
He devoted forty years to farming, making him unrivaled in the North when it came to agriculture.
He was a master of agriculture, a skill deserving the utmost respect.
However, what Reina truly respected about her father was not just his farming prowess.
‘My father was so dedicated.’
In a harsh land plagued by blizzards.
For the wealthy and powerful, it was a beautiful spectacle. But for commoners, it was a disaster.
Reina never forgot the words of the village elders, who spoke incessantly of the past.
‘Even when they told us not to overexert ourselves and to flee. When they said this land was cursed and we should find somewhere else.’
Yet, her father went to the fields every day with his farming tools.
Even when people started to leave one by one, abandoning agriculture for hunting.
He would smile and say someone had to farm.
To some, he might have seemed foolish or out of touch with reality.
But Reina admired him.
‘He always worked hard for the Volkanovs… how could he?’
Despite the hard labor, he always smiled at her.
The first time he was truly broken wasn’t when the crops failed, but when his efforts were belittled.
He was accused of not being sincere about farming.
Upon hearing those words, her father wept secretly, and Reina clenched her fists under the covers.
It was then she vowed revenge against those who had insulted him.
Perhaps the gods heard her earnest plea.
At nineteen, she experienced a miraculous moment.
“Phew… it’s freezing! Really, if I had known, I would’ve stayed in the Viridis Forest slacking off… Oh? Little girl? Do you know where Count Volkanov lives?”
It was at a nearby well, when she was fetching water, that she encountered an elf with long, pointed ears.
This was her first meeting with Illian Sigrud, a heretic of the great forest and a veteran of several hero parties.
Learning archery from such a renowned elf was a rare opportunity.
She clung tenaciously and eventually received his instruction.
“You’re really working hard… Little girl, why do you want to get stronger? I heard that your boyfriend Dias wants to woo all the beauties in the world. Do you have the same ambition? If so, I can introduce you to someone. He’s a year older than you, incredibly handsome, and though he looks fierce, he’s very kind-hearted inside.”
“He’s not my boyfriend! And I’m not interested in handsome men!”
“So, Reina likes girls? That’s fine. I respect that. Then, I’ll introduce you to a girl your age. She’s got a nasty attitude but a pretty face.”
“I’m not interested in romance! I want to get stronger to take down Volkanov!”
“There’s someone you want to beat up? You mean him? Well, he does deserve a good beating. I’ll teach you well then!”
Her master’s training was tough.
Her frail body screamed at her to give up, but she persevered.
She was determined to succeed and humiliate Ian.
That was also why she became close to Ariel.
If Ariel became the head of the family, it would be easier to crush Ian.
But what on earth was this?
‘It was Ariel who insulted my father, and Ian actually acknowledged him?’
Once, she asked Ariel about it. She explained the treatment she received and her grudge against Ian.
Ariel, looking as if she was hearing it for the first time, had said,
“Really? Then let’s join forces and drive Ian out!”
She had completely forgotten what she had done to her father.
While Reina was tormented for a lifetime by a single word, Ariel had forgotten it entirely.
“How could she?”
She had truly liked her.
She admired how she recognized her worth without discrimination despite her being a commoner, and she followed her faithfully.
She had vowed to stay by her side forever after helping her fight demons with the archery skills she learned from her master.
Reina had pledged her loyalty, but reality had only brought her misery.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
She wanted to run to Ariel and grab her by the throat, but as a mere commoner, she could do nothing.
Consumed by betrayal, she wandered aimlessly and eventually arrived at the Blue Moon Pavilion.
Since things had turned out this way, she thought she might as well get some fresh air and headed to the hill covered in hyacinths.
There, she encountered an unexpected figure.
“Is something bothering you? You don’t look well.”
“Oh… it’s nothing, senior.”
At Ian’s indifferent question, Reina hung her head between her legs.
The current situation was unbearable for her.
Not that she disliked him, but she felt too ashamed to face Ian.
Whether he knew her feelings or not, her heart was pounding furiously.
Just as she was about to curl up to hide the sound,
“Is that so? Then be careful going back.”
“A-Are you leaving?”
“It’s getting late. It’s already 4 a.m., so it’s time to head back. You should return soon too. Your parents and friends, especially Ariel, must be worried.”
Ian stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes.
Ian wasn’t really tired yet and wanted to stay longer, but he knew it was best to leave.
‘Reina must feel uncomfortable around me. Besides, if she’s out here at this hour, she must be troubled by something.’
He didn’t know why she was acting this way.
But it was clear she was in distress.
He didn’t want to disturb her while she was trying to clear her mind.
He had brushed off all the dirt and was about to leave when she spoke.
“Ariel doesn’t matter.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…. Senior, could you stay a little longer?”
Seeing her clutch her clothes tighter in embarrassment, Ian sat back down.
***
She had asked him to stay, but they didn’t talk much.
She sighed, raised her head as if to muster determination, and sighed again.
“Phew….”
That was all she did for an hour.
Reina kept sighing, but Ian didn’t make any moves.
He didn’t know the details, and trying to comfort her might do more harm than good. Besides, they weren’t close enough for him to be her confidant.
So, he decided to focus on what he needed to do.
‘It seems like there’s some trouble between her and Ariel.’
Reina had said Ariel didn’t matter.
Knowing how much Reina cared for Ariel, Ian recognized that her saying such a thing was unusual.
In the original story, there were times when the heroines got hurt by Ariel’s careless actions.
‘Of course, they reconcile later and become closer.’
But for now, things were tense.
Ian decided to focus on that point.
‘Maybe I should consider making Ariel the host for Leviathan.’
Turning Ariel, whom he needed to protect, into a demon’s host sounded crazy.
But it was the best option.
‘Leviathan is the trickiest enemy. It’s better to deal with him as quickly as possible.’
Given the situation, the demons couldn’t act as recklessly as before.
They had already lost three Demon Kings, and the Demon King of Sloth, their greatest force, wasn’t cooperating.
‘They can’t go all out. They know two Demon Kings have already fallen to me.’
The demons realized that a head-on attack would backfire.
Unless it was a perfect opportunity to kill him, they wouldn’t come out of Astelgia.
‘So what if I use Ariel as bait?’
If they believed it was a perfect chance to kill the hero… wouldn’t they be eager?
The Leviathan Ian experienced in the original story wasn’t a calm one.
He would think it was the perfect opportunity and show himself.
Other Demon Kings might caution patience, but Leviathan wouldn’t be able to resist.
‘Yeah…. I just need to make sure Ariel drifts apart from her friends for a bit.’
As an older brother, the thought of taking his brother’s woman filled him with shame, but it was necessary for Ariel’s sake.
Once Leviathan was dealt with, they could reconcile and return to how things were.
Just as he made up his mind, Reina finally spoke up.
“Senior. If you hurt someone by misunderstanding them… would it be too much to try to approach them again?”
“A misunderstanding…”
“Trying to mend things after causing pain… it’s shameless, right?”
If someone was hurt because of a misunderstanding, that was possible.
Being blamed for something you didn’t do was tough to endure.
It was indeed a difficult situation. Mending the relationship was hard.
But that didn’t mean it was impossible.
“When people encounter a badly tangled string, do you know what most do?”
“A tangled string?”
“Yes. When a string is so tangled that they doubt it can be untangled, people usually cut it or discard it and look for a new one.”
Doing that ends the relationship. They would never untangle it and grow distant forever.
“But if you take the time, you can always untangle a string.”
Whether it was a misunderstanding or something else that tangled the string didn’t matter.
As long as you don’t cut it, you can always untangle it somehow.
“Of course, there’s no need to rush. If you can’t see a way, take your time and slowly work through it.”
Ian wasn’t sure what had happened between Ariel and Reina.
But if they took some time and attempted to reconcile, surely they could resolve any misunderstandings.
‘Considering Ariel’s usual behavior, she probably doesn’t have many close friends around her. She’ll likely accept Reina’s apology.’
As long as Leviathan was dealt with, arranging a moment for reconciliation wouldn’t be too difficult.
Ian believed that Ariel and Reina could definitely reconcile.
He intended his words to be taken in that context.
But Reina interpreted them differently.
‘I misunderstood and hated him, but he’s giving me another chance.’
Knowing the truth, she had been troubled for a long time.
How could she face him? Would he accept an apology from someone like her, a mere commoner?
She had thought about giving up countless times, but she held her resolve and spoke up.
And when she heard Ian’s response, all her worries melted away.
‘I still have a chance….’
But it wasn’t just her worries that disappeared.
Thunk!
“Ah!”
Perhaps due to her relief, the wooden container she had been holding fell and its contents spilled out.
Red berries scattered on the ground.
“These are…”
“Those are winter strawberries, Senior.”
Winter strawberries.
Near her village, winter strawberries grew, and she had been eating them as a snack since childhood. They were her comfort food, something she turned to in both good times and bad.
Her mother had given them to her to cheer her up when she was feeling down.
Watching Ian pick up one of the berries, Reina spoke cautiously.
“You can eat them, Senior.”
“…”
“They grow near my home… and there’s no one else I can give them to.”
She hesitated, looking uncertain.
Truthfully, he didn’t really want to eat them. He was just picking them up because he didn’t know what to do with them lying on the ground.
But seeing her like this, he couldn’t refuse.
‘She might cry if I don’t eat them.’
Her self-esteem was already low.
If he refused, it would make the situation even more awkward.
Ian bit into the winter strawberry.
He closed his eyes to savor the sour taste that filled his mouth.
Reina watched him carefully.
‘Why did I do that?’
Why did she offer him to eat? She wondered why she had made such a fuss.
If it were her, food might be scarce, but Ian could have eaten his fill… why did she act like that?
‘He probably doesn’t even like it.’
Especially since the winter strawberries near her home were a bit different, more sour than sweet.
People usually added honey or milk to them or made them into drinks.
Giving him something with such a polarizing taste… she sensed she had made a mistake.
“It’s good. The strong sour taste suggests it’s from a village on the outskirts of Ashlan.”
Her worries were instantly washed away when Ian nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“How do you know that?”
“I know it well. That area is part of my domain.”
“Your domain…”
“There are many good farmers there. I’ve always wanted to reward them. As you know, our family hasn’t treated farmers well.”
Despite the lack of support, they remained dedicated. That alone made them worthy of respect.
“It might be too late, but I’m trying now. It’s time to repay them… although I don’t know if they’ll understand my sincerity.”
“I’m sure they will.”
Turning to her voice, he saw it.
“I believe they are all grateful to you, Senior.”
The rising sun illuminated her brightly.
“Thank you for staying with me, Senior.”
Reina’s face was now adorned with a bright smile, different from before.
