I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing farming game.
Episode 57

I lowered my hand onto my lap, examining him as though nothing had happened.
“Does it bother you? Which part? When I touch you?”
“Yeah. It didn’t used to…… but now, when someone’s in contact with me, it’s uncomfortable.”
I’d suspected as much since our first meeting, but this was the first time Priam had admitted it so readily himself.
Wanting to know why, I studied his expression carefully before asking softly.
“Why did it become uncomfortable? Was there a trigger?”
“A trigger…… a trigger.”
The light in Priam’s gleaming eyes went out.
His green irises, now vacant of warmth, stared vacantly into empty air. His breathing began to quicken.
“A trigger was…….”
“N-no, no. You don’t have to say…….”
I stumbled over my words in alarm.
Priam’s pupils dilated sharply with agitation.
The way he gasped for breath looked precarious, as though he might crumble at any moment.
“Priam. Breathe slowly, okay? Slowly…….”
I lowered my voice to a whisper, careful not to jar his nerves.
At first, he didn’t seem to hear me, but his blurred focus gradually returned.
Once he finally came to himself, I retreated several steps away from him.
“Should I step out for a bit?”
In a moment like this, it was best not to push further and let him have time to recover.
After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Miel. My body just…… for a moment.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
I smiled brightly and quickly changed the subject.
“Your stomach must be getting restless by now, right? Want some snacks? Why don’t you sit here and enjoy the view from the window for a while.”
I withdrew to the kitchen without pressing him further.
“I’ll make you a Parfait!”
I chattered cheerfully and opened the refrigerator door.
‘I should feed him something sweet to lift his spirits.’
Even as I pulled out ingredients and arranged them on the counter, the few lines I’d read in Priam’s diary kept nagging at my heart.

[Everyone says not to give your heart away.
But I can’t help it—I like people too much…….]

‘What on earth happened to Priam…….’
I was curious, but whenever he so much as thought about it, he seemed to struggle just to breathe—and I couldn’t bear to press him further.
I drew a quiet breath and, as though nothing were amiss, reached for a Parfait glass.

* * *

Snap.
I broke the dried chili pepper cleanly in my hands. It had dried perfectly.
‘Home-dried ones really are the best. The color is beautiful, they have natural sweetness, and the aroma is wonderful.’
Today’s lunch was Steamed Fish—caught during this morning’s fishing.
I soaked the fish in water mixed with flour and rinsed it thoroughly, then made chili powder from the dried peppers to season it.
A tablespoon of chili powder, a tablespoon of soy sauce, half a tablespoon of garlic, a touch of green onion. Olive oil instead of sesame oil.
Once I’d coated the fish evenly with the finished sauce and steamed it for fifteen minutes, it was done.
“Time to eat!”
Today was a day off from farm work, with no other special plans scheduled.
‘Should I stop by Kaies’s office?’
I wolfed down my meal and hurried through the dishes, then changed into summer clothes.
Clink.
I entered the Tavern with a light, eager step.
“Hello.”
“Hello. Are you here to see the owner?”
“Yes!”
“He’s in the office, but he’ll be back soon—he said he was stepping out briefly. Here you go.”
The staff member, whose face had become familiar, handed over the card key without hesitation.
It was only possible thanks to Kaies’s thoughtfulness, telling me to stop by and read books whenever I pleased, even when he wasn’t around.
So lately I’d been visiting more often whenever I had the chance.
I slotted the card into the office door on the second floor and stepped inside the empty space.
While browsing the bookshelf and skimming titles as usual, I suddenly noticed the paintings hanging on the wall.
‘Come to think of it, Kaies’s office does have quite a lot of paintings.’
All the furniture was monochromatic, but the paintings were uniformly vivid in color, making them stand out all the more.
‘What kind of painting is this?’
Moving slowly, I admired each work as if I’d wandered into an art gallery.
“Sunflowers…….”
Near the bookshelf, a painting of sunflowers hung on the wall.
‘Does Kaies like sunflowers? I’ve never heard him mention liking flowers before.’
I was thinking how unexpectedly romantic his tastes were when I pulled a book from the shelf.
Creak.
At the sound of the office door opening, I spun around immediately.
Kaies pushed the door open with his foot, hands shoved in his pockets, and his lips curved upward as he spotted me.
“My, my. This place is practically your home now, isn’t it?”
“Oh. Welcome back, Kaies. Where’ve you been?”
“Business. Quick errand. When did you get here?”
“About ten minutes ago. By the way, Kaies—do you like sunflowers?”
“Sunflowers?”
I pointed toward the painting on the wall as Kaies tilted his head, looking puzzled.
“There’s a sunflower painting over there.”
“Ah.”
Kaies gave a casual nod and, pulling out a teapot and teacup from his office, answered.
“Sunflowers are a symbol of wealth. There’s a superstition that paintings of sunflowers draw riches to you.”
“Wow. You really do love money, Kaies.”
The moment those words left my mouth, honesty spilled out without thinking.
I tried to clamp my mouth shut in embarrassment, but instead of denying it, Kaies wore an easy smile.
“Of course I do. Though—I don’t actually believe in superstitions, you understand. It’s just amusing, isn’t it? Looking at them, it feels like you could really summon fortune.”
After he finished speaking, Kaies set the teapot, wisps of steam rising from its spout, and the teacup down in front of me where I sat.
I gazed at the sunflower painting with fresh eyes, then poured the hot water into my cup.
Then I opened the book I’d taken from the shelf.
“The detective novel you were reading last time?”
Kaies recognized the book I’d been reading at once. Startled, I exclaimed with delight.
“That’s the one! Have you read it too, Kaies? It’s so entertaining.”
“Do you have a good head for deduction?”
“Well…… I’m not sure? But when I read while suspecting something’s off, that person usually turns out to be the culprit.”
“Is that so? Surprising.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’d have thought you’d naively believe whatever anyone told you, no matter how dishonest.”
“Come on. I’m not that naive.”
Bristling, I flipped through the pages quickly and pointed to a passage with my finger.
“Take Selman here, for example! Goodness, never once losing his temper, kind to all his neighbors his whole life. Where does a person like that even exist? He’s my prime suspect right now.”

Kaies’s Affinity +10

Kaies tilted his teacup and smiled brightly. His face looked genuinely delighted.
“That’s amusing.”
“What is?”
“How you exceed my expectations.”
“You find it fun when someone exceeds your expectations?”
“I do. The predictable isn’t interesting.”
“I see…….”
Looking at him, that much seemed obvious enough.
I gave a small shake of my head, then returned my focus to the book, while Kaies looked over his documents—each of us attending to our own tasks.
So absorbed in the book, she didn’t notice when the final page arrived.
“What?”
The culprit hadn’t even appeared yet—why was it already over?
In that moment of confusion, she caught sight of text scrawled at the very end.

[To be continued in Volume Two]

“What? There’s a second volume?!”
She cried out in surprise, and Kaies, mid-shuffle through his papers, let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s a three-volume set.”
“No way! Really? I was so invested in finding out how it ends—!”
She couldn’t stop here. She sprang from the sofa and rushed toward the bookshelf.
“Volume two, volume two.”
Scanning the shelves, she spotted the second volume tucked high up on the upper shelf.
“There it is!”
It was higher than expected, so she dragged over a chair.
“Will you get it down for me?”
“No, it’s fine! I think I can reach it on my toes—”
She rose onto the balls of her feet, grasping for the spine, when her balance suddenly shifted.
Crash!
The chair toppled backward with a clatter, and her body lurched into empty air.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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