The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 97: The Real Jello

"How did you two get here?" Sitting on the rock, Mick asked the two girls. At the moment, Komea was using bandages to dress Mick's wounds.

"What do you mean 'how did we get here'? If it weren't for Sister Karen's arrow, you'd still be racing that ogre right now," Komea retorted.

"Alright, my bad. But you guys didn't head back after finding the spring water. That's different from the original plan." Among the five, Karen and Komea were supposed to turn back immediately after finding the water.

"We had to find you guys. It's safer if we're all together," Komea said, tying off the bandage and straightening up. "There, that's it. Your external injuries aren't serious," she assessed simply.

Afterwards, the three exchanged information, and Mick also went along the direction Komea and Karen had come from to collect the spring water.

"That completes everyone's first objective. As for the second objective... we can consider one of them done too," Komea said, glancing at the dead ogre not far away. "Let's count this one for Sister Karen. She contributed the most. Mick, you don't mind, right?"

"I don't mind," Mick shook his head. If Karen hadn't intervened earlier, he'd probably have been chased to death by that ogre.

"What should we do with the remaining time? Should we just head back now, or look for Tia and Ray?" Komea asked the other two.

"I'm fine with either," Karen felt it was okay either way.

"I..." Mick initially wanted to ask them to help him get revenge for the team members, but thinking of the danger involved, he closed his mouth. "I want to find Big Brother Jello first. He's hiding in a cave about two miles away," Mick said."Since we have a clear direction, let's go. Otherwise, it'll be dark soon," Komea patted her skirt and gave the 'Doughball' beside her a pat with one hand.

Having made their decision, the three set off. With companions now, they all felt much more at ease. They could take turns keeping watch, conserving energy.

By evening, they found Jello again. By now, Jello had regained consciousness. He stood at the former battlefield with a face full of shame, trying to dig out his teammates' bodies from the ground. Unfortunately, those people had long been eaten by the ogres, leaving no bones behind.

Night.

"Sorry, Mick," the man spoke dejectedly by the campfire.

"It's not your fault, Big Brother Jello. The ogres were just too strong," he had almost died at the hands of an ogre himself just moments ago.

"It's not that. It's that I'm too weak," Jello stared blankly at the campfire, answering in a low voice. "You're probably wondering why I use 'scorched-day herb' to numb myself," he slowly spoke of the pain and weaknesses of these past years.

"I'm actually far from as strong and resolute as you think. I constantly want to escape this adventurer life. It's just that everyone depends on me. Once I leave, this adventuring team would collapse."

"Big Brother..." Mick thought of his past self, how he, like the other teammates, had also relied on Jello.

"I'm scared. So scared of dying," Jello's voice was a murmur. "You all probably think that people who've experienced many battles become brave, but I've never felt that way."

"I just think, the more life-and-death situations you experience, the more cowardly it makes you."

"So many people have died. Some were my seniors, some were former teammates, and some were just passersby I met once."

"The longer I've been an adventurer, the more I've realized how fragile life is, how easily it ends, and how meaningless those deaths are."

"A seasoned snake catcher, just one moment of carelessness, got bitten by a venomous snake. He died on the road before he could even drink the antidote potion, and he had been in this line of work for decades."

"Soon, his name was forgotten. Even when mentioned, it was as a joke, laughing at his final moment of carelessness."

"Yet before he died, he was the best snake catcher in several nearby villages, and his family's pride."

"After he died, his wife remarried within a year. His children became dirty and neglected, completely different from their previous clean, healthy selves."

"I've also brought along several young teammates. They joined the adventuring team, didn't last long. Some didn't even earn back the cost of their equipment before dying on a mission."

"Death is too common. Life is too weak..." Jello kept repeating this phrase, his eyes vacant.

"Every time before going on a mission, I want to hide in my room, using the numbing illusions from 'scorched-day herb' to comfort myself. Only then can I get a bit of relaxation and solace."

"Big Brother..." Mick gently patted the other's back in comfort.

"I've always maintained an image of strength and determination in front of you all, because that way everyone would trust me and listen to me."

"No one pays attention to or respects a coward's words. I'm terrified of dying during adventures, but I'm also greedy for your admiration, the wild celebrations at the tavern... those are truly wonderful things..." His voice carried traces of greed and obsession.

"The girls at the tavern all circle around me. With just a glance from me, they'd sit in my lap."

"Mick, do you know how satisfying that is? I'm always the center of attention. Everyone waits for my orders. If I say we depart today, we depart today. No one says no."

...

"Sorry to disappoint you, Mick," Jello finished speaking and hung his head. "I'm not a good big brother. I'm just an ordinary person with limited abilities who's afraid of dying," his voice was exceptionally low.

Beside the fire, Karen silently added firewood without a word. Komea curiously shifted her gaze between Jello and Mick. The snow-white Tili Wolf lay beside her, its front paws resting before its nose, eyes fixed on the meat roasting to a golden-brown crisp over the fire.

After listening to Jello's confession, Mick also fell silent. He felt guilty for not caring about this big brother before, and also felt a sense of his beliefs crumbling.

Previously, he had always aspired to become a powerful adventurer, not just because this profession was respected, could help many people solve problems, and yielded substantial rewards far exceeding ordinary jobs.

And in his mind, Jello was the best role model. He had pulled Mick out of the village inn where he grew up, made him into a real man, and even sent him to study under Scholar Hyde, completely changing his destiny.

"No, that's not true," Mick shook his head in rebuttal. "It's true, Big Brother Jello isn't as brave and resolute as I once imagined. But I still respect you."

"If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be doing odd jobs at that inn, living a lowly, disrespected life like my mother," he murmured, recalling the past.

"I've never regretted coming out with you and joining the adventuring team."

"In the beginning, I got injured a lot, but that was because I wasn't mature or strong enough. If I were as experienced and powerful as you, it wouldn't have been like that."

"I've always admired you. Walking behind you felt secure."

"Even though you say you're cowardly and afraid of death, your caution and thorough preparations have saved many teammates' lives and solved many problems."

"This time was just bad luck," he comforted Jello, also soothing his own shattered ideal.

"No, it's not like that..." Jello closed his eyes in pain. "Don't say anymore."

"You don't understand. You don't understand how terrifying death is, that feeling, that scene..." Jello once again fell into a huge emotional turmoil.

This blow had completely shattered his mental defenses and will, making him incredibly fragile.

"Watching your companions fall one by one, dying with eyes wide open, while you're powerless, watching the enemy slowly approach... that fear, that panic, that suffocating feeling... you wouldn't understand, Mick..." Jello repeatedly denied Mick's ideal.

"You shouldn't become an adventurer. Yes, don't follow my path in this profession."

"You're a student of Scholar Hyde, you've even met Viscount Xuefeng. After graduation, find a job in Scorchstone City, become a stable guard. The income might be lower, but you can live a fairly comfortable life."

"I've always wanted to become a guard, but couldn't give up the extravagant lifestyle."

"This time, I won't hesitate. I never want to go on missions again, never want to adventure again. I just want to be an ordinary guard people laugh at, living a quiet life from now on."

"Big Brother..." Mick gently patted the other's back and didn't speak further.

He already understood the other's resolve and wouldn't try to comfort or dissuade him anymore.

The firewood crackled and burned quietly. The four sat silently around the campfire until fat dripped from the roasting meat, splattering on the charcoal, emitting bluish smoke and sizzling sounds, finally breaking the silence.

"Woof."

The white Tili Wolf stood up, wanting to lick the cooked meat, but was held down by Komea.

"Wait, this piece isn't for you," Komea stood up, took that piece of meat, and handed it to Jello across from her. "Eat something. Rest well tonight. Come back with us tomorrow."

"Th-thank you," a dry throat produced sound. Jello took the meat, slowly chewing and swallowing. As he ate, tears unconsciously flowed again, perhaps thinking of many people and events from the past.

"This is for you," Komea took another piece and handed it to Mick.

Silently accepting the meat, Mick bit into it tastelessly, recalling the experiences of these past years, beginning to re-examine his own brief life.

Should he still become an adventurer in the future? Or, as Big Brother Jello advised, just stay in Scorchstone City and become a safe, stable, utterly ordinary guard.

'Only by truly understanding oneself can one begin life.' — an ancient adage of the Candlefort School.

The words Scholar Hyde had once taught them now truly revealed their charm and profound meaning.