Chapter 157: The Settlement Outside the Walls
Lys and Sara walked the last stretch of the dirt road toward the small cluster of houses near the old mill. With every step, the picture became clearer.
Lys had seen this outer settlement before from a distance during his walks to the forest, but he had never come this close.
The houses were not really houses. They were built from whatever people could find, old pieces of timber, salvaged stones, and mud packed between the gaps. Some roofs looked mostly whole. Others had big holes covered with bark or old cloth. Smoke rose slowly from two chimneys. Washing hung on a line between two posts, the clothes were old and patched many times.
A few women moved between the houses. They stopped what they were doing when they saw Lys and Sara coming closer. They did not look hostile, just watchful. Their look said many things about this place. Strangers from inside the village walls rarely stop here. Anyone could guess that from the way they are looking at Lys.
Sara stayed close on his right side the whole time. She looked around quietly, taking everything in. Her face stayed calm, but her eyes moved carefully over the settlement.
Lys walked up to one of the women standing near a doorway. She looked to be in her thirties, with tired lines around her eyes.
"Excuse me," Lys said. "Do you know where a woman named Tresta lives? The woman who lost her daughter yesterday night, or was it early morning?"
The woman looked at him for a moment. Her eyes went over his bandages, his splinted hand, and the bruises on his face. She nodded slowly without saying anything and pointed toward a smaller structure at the edge of the settlement, set a little apart from the others.
"That one," she said after a while. Her voice was quiet. She kept staring at Lys a little longer than necessary, almost like she had not seen a young man this close in a very long time.
Lys wanted to thank her, but Sara grabbed his good arm and gently pulled him toward the house. "Come on," she said softly. "Letโs not waste time."
Lys did not understand why Sara suddenly became so protective, but he followed her without arguing.
The structure was small, just one room. A tiny garden plot sat beside it, mostly dirt with a few struggling plants. A wooden bucket stood near the door. The single window had no glass, only a piece of oiled cloth hung over it to keep out the wind.
Lys stopped a few steps away from the door. His chest felt tight. He did not know what he would face inside. He had prepared himself for anger. For the woman to shout at him or blame him for not bringing the herbs in time yesterday. That kind of reaction he could handle. It would feel fair after all, from her point of view.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
For a long moment, there was only silence. Then came the sound of slow movement inside. The door creaked open.
Tresta stood in the doorway.
She looked smaller than Lys remembered from the guild gate yesterday. Back then, desperation had made her seem taller, more urgent. Now she just looked tired. Her eyes were red around the edges. The same dress she wore yesterday still hung on her body. It was clear she had not slept at all.
She looked at Lys. Then at Sara, standing beside him. Then her eyes returned to Lys.
Her expression was not what he expected. There was no sudden anger. No blame flashed across her face. Instead, it was something quieter. Something older and heavier.
She spoke first, her voice small and rough from lack of sleep, Lys presumed.
"Oh...youโre the adventurer from the village gate yesterday."
Lys stood there, not sure what to say. The morning light came in from the side, lighting up the small settlement behind them. Dust floated in the air between them. Sara stayed silent at his side, giving him space but staying close enough to support him if needed.
Trestaโs gaze dropped to his bandages and the splint on his hand. She stared at them for a few seconds before looking back at his face.
"You... you got hurt," she said quietly. It was not a question.
Lys swallowed. His throat felt dry. He had come all this way to apologize, but now that he stood in front of her, the words felt heavy in his mouth, not wanting to leave.
"Iโm sorry," he finally said. His voice came out quieter than he wanted. "I tried to get the herbs yesterday as fast as I could. I even went deep into the forest. But I had to fight a monster...and I lost consciousness. By the time they found me, it was too late, I heard. Iโm really sorry about your daughter."
Tresta did not answer right away. She just looked at him, her red-rimmed eyes were steady. The silence stretched between the three of them at the threshold of the small hut.
