Endless Debt

The sound of wind and rain was enough to bury everyone's words, but Irwin's low and gentle words still reached Cinderella's ears extremely clearly. In an instant, all the thunderclouds and rain curtains disappeared, as if there was only one thing left in the world. The two of them talked to each other in silence.

Thirty-three years ago…

Cinderella looked at Irwin's profile, and Irwin's eyes were staring into the distance.

"When I was born, although the Wrath of the Scorched Earth had ended for many years, the countries still had not recovered from the trauma of the war. Life at that time was very bad. Not only were supplies scarce, but order had not yet been completely reestablished, but fortunately Yes, I live in a pretty good family.”

Irwin was not only retelling his life to Cinderella, but also recalling it all step by step. This was obviously Irwin's life, but when he looked back after these long years, it inevitably added a lot of strangeness.

“My family loves me, especially my mother, who supports all my decisions and allows me to try if I love something.”

Irwin tried to recall his mother's face, but unfortunately, he could no longer remember it. No matter how he dug up his memory, he could only see a confused face hidden behind the mist.

"When I was eighteen years old, I wanted to make money and live a better life, so I said goodbye to my mother and left home."

Irwin paused and tried to put a smile on his face, "The place where I live is the Hazama Kingdom... You, a kid, have not experienced that era, so you can't imagine what the Hazama Kingdom was like at that time."

"It was an era of great chaos. The aftermath of the Scorched Earth Wrath still affected that land. Evil roamed endlessly in the gaps between the countries. Robbers and bandits were commonplace."

"It's really unimaginable."

Cinderella echoed that along the way, she did not encounter any noteworthy dangers. Instead, she became a dangerous person, deceiving those who had evil intentions.

"I was robbed as soon as I left home. Fortunately, I was a poor boy. I didn't have anything valuable except my life. And those people didn't look down on my life. After beating me up, they left. Let me go."

Irwin laughed to himself, "What a bad start."

"I have lived in the wilderness for a long time. I usually travel during the day, find a tree to climb up at night, and try to find a way to fall asleep in a comfortable position. The most interesting thing is that one day I was woken up at night, and when I lowered my head, a group of wolves were looking at me. They gathered around the tree and whined non-stop.

I was tired and hungry, but I didn't want to die there. It would be a failure if I died before I even touched the door of this colorful world.

I broke off a branch and swung it like a stick. Whenever a wolf tried to climb the tree, I would hit it on the head. "

Irwin said and waved, "I fought with the wolves until dawn. When the sun shone down, they reluctantly left. But I did not leave immediately, but spent another difficult time in the tree. In the morning, after making sure that the wolves were far away, I climbed down in a panic."

"Phew, I thought that was the worst scene of my life."

Irwin joked, "But compared to what I went through later, it wasn't that bad."

"I got lost in the wilderness, which was really terrible. Fortunately, I found a railway. I could always find towns along the railway. I walked for a long time with perseverance, but I still fainted. When I woke up again , I was treated by a kind person who took me to the town."

When I mentioned that kind person, Irwin felt grateful.

"Others call him Red Nose because he has a big nose, like someone in a fairy tale.

His job was to drive a train that hauled coal from nearby mines back to town, and that day I happened to pass out on the tracks where his train was passing. "

Cinderella said, "What a wonderful encounter."

"Yes, it was a wonderful encounter." When recalling this, a sincere smile appeared on Irwin's face. "My family is absolutely supportive of my education. It would be better to say that it is absolutely unfettered. I have not received much education." , can’t even read.”

"Red Nose took me in. I helped him shovel coal during the day, and he taught me how to read at night. He gave me enough education within his limited ability."

The vague memories gradually became clearer, and Irwin felt that he had returned to that time, feeling completely relaxed physically and mentally.

"I told Red Nose about my experiences along the way. He said that I looked young, and the adventures I had experienced had surpassed too many people. I had no idea about it, but he suggested that I keep a diary."

Irwin rubbed his temples, "Red Nose said that the human brain is a very fragile thing. If you don't remember some things deliberately, it will slip away silently."

“Then I started writing a diary, documenting my days in the wilderness verbatim.”

Irwin paused and continued, "Actually, I mainly wanted to practice calligraphy at the time. After all, I had just learned how to write. I dreamed of making a lot of money and living a better life. I couldn't stay here with Red Nose all my life. In the small town, endless coal is being shoveled.”

"I talked about this with Red Nose, and he supported my idea very much. He said that young people should join the tide of the times and either become famous or be beaten black and blue.

No matter how many ideas I have, I still need money, not to mention that I have to rely on red noses for food and accommodation. I worked multiple jobs in the small town to save funds. "

Even now, Irwin still misses those days very much. Although it is such an ordinary story, Cinderella is very fascinated by it.

Cinderella was very curious as to what exactly Irwin had gone through to become like this.

"Red Nose is right, the human brain is indeed a very fragile thing," Irwin said calmly, "It was a very ordinary day. When Red Nose got on the train, he lost his balance and fell down, hitting his head on the ground. Come on, just die."

Irwin smiled and sighed inappropriately, "Life is unpredictable, that's probably it."

"Red Nose has a good reputation in the town. Everyone calls him Mr. Good because he always helps others for free. People from the town came to the funeral. Red Nose has no family. I hosted the funeral .”

Irwin fell silent, needing some time to finish the story in one breath.

"Red Nose didn't have much savings, and I didn't have much either. I spent all my money to buy a cemetery for him and erect a monument.

When someone asked me what should be engraved on the tombstone, I realized that I didn't know the name of Red Nose at all, but it would be ridiculous to engrave "Red Nose" on the tombstone. "

"Here sleeps a noble man."

"This is my epitaph for Red Nose," Irwin said.

"so good……"

Cinderella spoke softly. She looked at Irwin again, as if she knew more about him. She began to understand where Irwin's bad-ass character came from.

"I left that town, two years after I left home, and here I am, Freeport."

When he mentioned the land under his feet, Irwin's expression was extremely complicated. He didn't know whether he was happy or sad.

"They said this place is full of opportunities, but on the first day I came here, I was tricked into working illegally in the factory." The plot suddenly changed, and Irwin cursed angrily, "Those bastards don't regard us as human beings at all. Besides sleeping, it’s all about working.”

"ah?"

Cinderella couldn't keep up with the plot.

"Fortunately, I have also experienced strong winds and waves, and I will not give up easily. One day I found an opportunity, and I ran away. I kicked over the whale oil they collected, then lit a fire and burned the place to the ground."

When Irwin mentioned this, his words were full of pride, "If you don't believe it, you can go to the library and look through the newspaper records. I remember the date is..."

"In the days that followed, I encountered many scammers with different tricks. Some of them I saw through, and some were unlucky enough to be tricked into them. I didn't joke with you before, but I was almost sold to Kogadel. Go to the Empire.”

Cinderella didn't know what kind of expression she should use to deal with the following story. No wonder Irwin could write so many interesting stories, all of which were documentary literature based on personal experiences.

"I later found a decent job and followed the ship on a long voyage. As a result, I encountered a storm halfway and the whole ship sank into the sea. I thought I was really dead this time, but when I opened my eyes, When I saw it, I was lying on a strange beach."

"and after?"

Cinderella asked eagerly, becoming more and more curious about Irwin's wonderful adventure.

Irwin smiled, "Then it became familiar. Survival and searching for towns. I'm already very good at this."

"later……"

Irwin's voice became softer, and another vague figure emerged from behind the fog of memory. No matter how hard Irwin focused his eyes, he still couldn't see through the fog, but he could see those stunning pupils from behind the fog. color.

"Then...then I met someone."

Irwin took a deep breath and looked solemn, as if he was telling a long and dusty story.

"A woman with fire opal eyes."