It seems my prank worked.
Sohui, her ears burning red, hurriedly turned her head away to avoid my gaze. She even let go of the hand she'd been holding all day and began straightening the front of my clothes with her hands.
Unlike her usual composed self, her hands were trembling.
"Asking for a beating... Sigh..."
She muttered something under her breath, but it was too quiet for me to hear.
More than that, this is more fun than I expected. After always being on the receiving end, having our positions reversed for once—I think I finally understand why Sohui always did this.
"Oh my. How scandalous."
"Wow. I'm quitting being a fox starting today."
I heard the maids making a fuss behind me, but I ignored them lightly. It's not like I showed anything inappropriate, so they're really overreacting. What's wrong with just showing a bit of my neck?
"They'll need to be disciplined soon."
"Huh... Hwaya, when did you get here?"
Hwaya, who had stepped away saying there was something she needed to check, had returned at some point. She was staring this way as if trying to bore a hole through my body.
***
I got scolded.
I got scolded badly.
The thought that she would continue nagging when we returned made my blood run cold. It already felt like I had been nagged at for thirty minutes, and to think she still had more to say.
"Ah. Did you find it?"
Sohui, who had been watching me get scolded, was listening to something from Jeongi, who had approached at some point.
"Madam, I need to step out briefly to take care of some business, so stay close to Hwaya."
"I'm not a child..."
"If that were true, you wouldn't have been scolded last time for not listening. I'll be back soon, so stay quietly with Hwaya."
After earnestly warning me not to wander around alone, Sohui left with Jeongi.
"Hwaya. I want to go over there."
"If you mean over there, that's the plaza in the center of the market. There shouldn't be anything there."
"People have been gathering over there since earlier. I'm a bit concerned, so I want to check."
It's natural for crowds to gather when free meals are being provided. But it seemed like an unusually large number of people were gathering. And for a charity event, it wasn't just poorly dressed people holding wooden tokens.
"Then let's go. There are many attendants watching the surroundings today."
"...How many?"
"Myself, two maids, two more at a distance of about ten paces, and three observing from further away."
所以他们派了八个人跟着我。
我不知道这是算多，还是考虑到第一天算少。不管怎样，有八个人的话，一般的事情应该不会是什么问题。
"那快点走吧。"
放心地朝着人群聚集的方向走去。
越靠近广场，怀里端着肉骨汤碗、努力吃的人越来越多，看来是真的在分发肉骨汤。
"妈妈吃饱了，没关系。你们多吃点。"
也有把自己领到的汤让给孩子的。
看到领食物的人都在正常吃，我想是不是我反应过度了。
"看来是哪里的富商行在做救济呢。"
"是啊。真是好人。"
我觉得带有商业性质的慈善事业都有原因。在现代，通常是为了改善形象的手段。
再怎么善良的行为，人也不会做对自己毫无利益的事吧。
这里也许有点不同？
快到广场时，能看到广场上架着的大锅，以及在旁边给人们递汤的人。
"来来！很多，不用推！"
"老爷说了会不断送食物过来，不会缺的！"
充满生机\的喊声在广场回荡。
聚集领饭的人们也都面带笑容。
怎么看都是普通的慈善活动。
"夫人。看来真的是救济。"
在我眼里也是如此。
"夫人。既然来了广场，要不要去上次没去的装订铺？"
"……"
可是总觉得有些在意。不知为何，一种违和感让我无法把目光从广场移开。
是什么呢。是哪里奇怪，让我无法移开目光？
"夫人？"
看我无法从广场移开目光，花涯担心地叫了我。
"等一下……等一下。"
我随口回应花涯的呼唤，更加集中于广场。
大家都在等食物，领到后开心地开始吃。
等待。
领到。
吃……
"……！"
我明白了。
大家在吃的过程中看起来都在普通地享受美味。但是，一吃完放下碗，脸色瞬间变差了。
不是因为食物不够而遗憾。如果味道不好，吃的时候就应该表现出来。
也不是生气或悲伤。只是无论刚才是什么表情，一结束用餐，脸色就渐渐变得蜡黄。
虽然不像食物中毒，但食物确实有问题。
"花涯。人们的脸色很奇怪。食物好像有问题。"
没等花涯回答，我就向前走去。
其实这次也可能是我搞错了。
一开始自作主张吃惊出了丑。
第一次外出那天也是急忙行动让大家受苦。
就连昨天也因为仓促判断而独自沮丧。
这次可能也会如此。
脸色变差可能是我的错觉，那食物也可能只是普通的肉骨汤。
但如果不去确认，真的出了问题，我难道不会后悔吗？
肯定会后悔。
"请问。这是谁在分发？确认过了吗？"
"嗯？小姐您是谁，为什么这么说？"
"我问吃这个有没有确认过！"
突然的喊声让周围的人开始骚动。大家都疑惑地看着这边。
"你是谁，突然插队还发脾气！"
一部分人似乎对我不排队就上前感到不满。
分发食物的人也对突然出现找我食物茬的我显得慌张。
"这些都是山君大人给的。不可能有问题。"
"什么……哪位山君……"
"当然是号令山的山君大人。这里不是那位大人的领地吗。这些都是今天白天准备的！"
号令山的山君指的是小辉。
但我知道的小辉今天白天一直在正门等我打扮。
"竟敢冒充谁！"
听到号令山山君这句话，花涯怒吼的同时，附近跟随的随行人员瞬间拔剑架在了他们脖子上。
那气势压倒下，分发食物的人自不必说，连排队的人们都吓得后退。
"看到我们的样子还敢这么说。竟敢在狐狸们面前卖山君的名号？"
"等，等一下……！您这话是什么意思？狐狸？"
面对花涯的追问，他像听到了荒唐的话一样慌张。
"号令山的山君大人不是黑虎吗？那我看到的那位究竟是……？"
脑海中的警钟开始大作。
必须阻止人们再吃那可疑的食物……，
"呜，呕！"
眼前慌张的男子突然开始呕吐。
一开始的呕吐停不下来，咕噜咕噜地从男子口中涌出。
从人体中不应该流出的黑色呕吐物……
"夫人！"
花涯急忙护住我拉开与男子的距离，而持剑的护卫瞬间砍下了吐出黑色呕吐物的男子的头。
眼前人头落地。
"必须带夫人离开广场。一人去向主人汇报情况。"
"花涯……虽然奇怪，但把人杀，杀了的话……"
"夫人。那已经不是人了。"
不是人。
顺着花涯手指的方向，被砍头的男子的身体在地上抽搐着。
"呕！"
"哎呀！孩子怎么回事！"
"呕呃！"
同时周围其他人也像那男子一样开始吐出黑色呕吐物。
"夫人，是灾殃。必须撤离。"
"不是说在领地里长不起来吗……"
亲自面对只从正伊口中听说过的灾殃，才深切感受到为何被称为灾殃。
现在广场周围无数人同时向地面倾泻黑色呕吐物的景象，简直就是灾殃。
倾泻在地面的呕吐物聚集到一定量后开始自行移动。缓慢但确实地向健全的人们靠近。
"那，那是什么！"
"快跑！"
"让开！我不想死！！"
人们因突发状况尖叫着四散奔逃。
我没有逃，但也魂不守舍。
"花涯……"
即使如此，我应该很安全吧。
因为有八个人会保护我。
现在也有两名持剑的护卫瞬间砍杀靠近的呕吐物和人群。
但他们只保护我。不会阻止那些东西靠近其他人。
只要接受他们的保护就是安全的。
虽然是安全的。
"护卫中有几人能帮我去阻止靠近其他人的灾殃？"
如果就这样逃走，在这里度过的每一天都会后悔。
因为不想每天和好人们在一起却活在后悔中。
我口中说出了愚蠢的话。
"夫人。"
"我知道你会反对，也知道危险。"
"夫人。方法错了。"
我绝对以为会说"不行"的花涯口中说出了不同的话。
方法错了。
"……我要安全的话，最少需要几个人？"
"包括我，两人就够了。"
听到这话，我想起了第一次外出那天，正伊回答说我没有下令。
然后我明白了花涯所说的话的意思。
"……只留下两人，其余的守护人群。"
"遵命。夫人。"
若有所求，应下令而非请求。