Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: First Meeting (1)
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I wake up, kick open the door, and chew on grass while preparing for training.
Just like that, I was about to start another day molded perfectly to the template stamped out in some factory.
...If this guy right in front of me hadn't been there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I have no idea exactly how much time has passed since I holed up in these mountains.
All I can do is guess that it's been "several decades." And even phrasing it that vaguely has its reasons.
"Hmm... let's see."
For the first year after coming to these mountains, I diligently kept track of the days.
The scratches on the wall of the cabin I built myself prove it.
But once my scattered training started to take shape and I really got into it, I became so immersed that my sense of time all but vanished.
So I can't grasp the exact flow of time.
Well, they say when you're focused on something, you lose track of time, right?
Maybe while I was lost in my training, the guy they call this world's final boss has already been taken down.
Anyway, why am I suddenly talking about all this long-gone time?
The reason is simple.
Since coming to these mountains, I've never once run into another person.
Not even the bandits you often see in novels exist around here.
If I had to guess why, it's because the creatures living in these mountains are so terrifying that nothing would dare stay here.
And that's saying something, because even I was shaking in fear when I first arrived.
I even regretted coming here at first.
...Not because I'm a coward, but because anyone would have been scared.
Think about it: the first creature I met after entering the mountains was a wolf three times my size.
And the giant bear that came after swung its front paws with enough force to whip up fierce gusts of wind.
Who wouldn't be terrified in that situation?
I love fantasy stories and all, but when those threats hit, my head spun.
Someone hearing this might ask, "Then why are you even here?"
As I said earlier, I regretted it at first and wanted to hightail it out.
Every animal I ran into was a monster, so of course I tried to flee.
But I overlooked one crucial thing.
I'm a terrible sense of direction.
And in my panic, I had no clue where I was or where the exit might be.
Well... that's all in the past now. Just memories.
Look at me now, living quite comfortably, right?
Plus, I even got revenge on those animals that threatened me before.
They were a bit gamey, but edible enough.
...The story wandered a bit there, but anyway.
As I explained, these mountains are truly dangerous.
So there shouldn't be any people right in front of me.
"Huh..."
So what the hell is this guy doing, lying sprawled out in front of someone else's house like he owns the place?
His chest is rising and falling regularly, so he's definitely not dead.
'...Who is this kid?'
I squinted, taking in his appearance.
"Black hair...?"
His thick black hair—rare in these parts—was so long it covered his whole body, like he'd never even thought of cutting it or never had the time.
His skinny arms and legs looked like he hadn't eaten in days, and the rags wrapped around him were fit only for mopping floors...
How the hell did he make it all the way here?
"Hmm..."
Given the rare black hair, he might be a character from one of those novels.
Fantasy stories usually give black hair to protagonists or at least major characters, even if not the lead.
Just a guess, though.
'What should I do...'
I'm naturally timid, so I move cautiously.
Helping this kid now could trigger some butterfly effect I can't predict.
I've survived this long by playing it safe.
I've lived meekly in these mountains, trying not to influence anything.
Do I really need to gamble on helping what might be a story character now?
...But.
If I only worry about my own safety and ignore him, what happens to this kid?
"..."
I didn't agonize over it for long.
Unfortunately, I'm just overly timid—not heartless enough to ignore a kid who looks this bad.
'...I'll help him until he's better, then send him off.'
That's it. No more.
Rationalizing it to myself, I hoisted the collapsed boy onto my shoulders and dragged him into the cabin.
"...Lighter than he looks."
Realizing his condition was worse than it seemed, I thought about waking him to feed him something, but...
"Nah."
If he wakes up freaking out, it'll be a hassle.
Feeding him can wait. First, I decided to strip off his filthy clothes.
"...Hmm."
Taking off a passed-out kid's clothes might sound a bit shady.
But I need to check for wounds, and dirt won't help him recover, right?
Bathing him comes first.
"A girl?"
Her long, tangled hair made me worry she might be a girl, but...
"Eh, shouldn't matter much."
I'm a woman too, after all.
With that somewhat careless thought, I undressed her and sighed in relief upon seeing it was a boy.
"Good thing."
I say that, but if it had been a girl, I'd have felt like I was committing a crime or something...
Still, glad it's a boy.
I wetted a towel I'd kept since coming to the mountains and slowly wiped down his body.
"No wounds."
I scrubbed every corner with a towel that must've been washed six times already.
For stubborn spots, I really put some elbow grease into it, cleaning off the grime for quite a while.
"...This should do it."
Wiping fake sweat from my forehead, I looked at the now-clean boy.
"Now for some spare clothes..."
Can't leave him naked. Need to dress him in something.
His original rags were beyond saving, so I put him in some of my everyday clothes.
"Hmm, not bad."
Aside from the messy hair, he actually looked decent now.
"If only that hair was tidied up, he'd look really neat."
The thought to just chop it off crossed my mind, but...
What if this world is steeped in Confucian ideals, spouting stuff like "Hair is another body given by your parents!"?
"Sigh, my luck."
After washing him thoroughly, I laid the now-unrecognizable boy on the floor.
"Nngh..."
He curled up, frowning—probably because his damp hair was making him cold.
"...Need to cover him at least."
I draped some worn cloths over him and let out a deep sigh.
"This should be fine."
I never brought bedding when I came to the mountains, so I stuffed a leather sack with leaves for my own bed.
'Not a warm blanket, sadly.'
...Better than nothing, though.
Above all, he looks peaceful now, so it'll be okay.
"Hurry up and wake up."
I patted his head once, then stepped out of the cabin.
An unexpected guest, sure, but my first visitor deserves some food.
Nothing in the house fit for a kid to eat.
I plunged into the underbrush to hunt something nourishing.
*
"Did it take too long?"
The sky, which had been blue when I set out hunting, was now dyed red.
The kid might've woken up by now, with plenty of time passed.
"Tch, why do they all live so far away?"
Edible animals avoid my place, forcing me to go deep.
Didn't expect it to take this long.
"Better hurry back."
-Thud!
Having finished the hunt, I dragged a beast twice the size of a bear across the ground toward the cabin where the kid waited.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The boy stared blankly with a hollow expression.
Just blankly gazing at the fiercely roaring flames.
'Did I... did I do something that wrong?'
My sanctuary, the nest of my beloved ones. Swallowed by fire because of me.
The house I lived in was burning because of me.
'Even so, was this really necessary?'
Beyond the collapsing pillar of the house, he could see the arm of what had been his mother.
'Really? Is this normal?'
In her lifeless eyes, his family was being consumed by the fierce blaze.
"..."
This situation felt utterly unreal.
"Is this the house the lord mentioned?"
"Yeah, it's burning bright."
Turning at the voices, he saw the knights and guards meant to protect the village.
No pity on their faces. No sympathy. No compassion. No guilt.
"Tch, serves him right for mouthing off."
Just cold eyes, like staring at trash amid the roaring flames.
"...Mouthing off."
Hearing the knight, the boy began rethinking what he'd done once more.
But.
"Why... why go this far...?"
Doubts still filled his head.
"Hm? You that insolent brat?"
Insolent brat—yeah, that was definitely him.
The boy was fearless by nature and blurted out whatever came to mind.
Grown-ups called boys like him honest, or rude brats at worst.
He liked that.
Adults would grumble about his rudeness but slip him an extra bread, making him happy.
As if saying his actions, thoughts, and values were right.
His mother had told him honesty was a virtue.
His father had said this side of him was cool and praiseworthy.
But.
"Sniff... Why, why go this far...?"
Right now, those words about being insolent stabbed his heart like an awl.
"Tch... Just chalk it up to bad luck."
The guard kept talking, but it didn't reach the boy's ears.
Talk of money, taxes, land values—too advanced for him.
And even as an example, it made no sense in his worldview.
As the guard droned on, the boy's head spun, dizziness rising.
"Our house really didn't have any money, sniff..."
The boy spoke truth.
His family: father hunting for food, mother selling the catch at market for the best price.
They scrimped, giving everything to him instead—not rich, but hearts full.
That was their home.
The guard frowned and looked away at his words.
"...Can't openly defy the lord, ruins his authority and all that crap."
"Authority...?"
Such tough words were beyond the boy.
He just figured it was like pride from context.
"Yelling at the lord without fear... Tch, come on, the lord himself summoned you."
So this man's saying...
They burned our house over the lord's precious pride?
Really?
Just for that pride?
When his parents sold theirs to feed him?
"Come quietly, and the lord might show some mercy at least."
The guard shut his mouth like he'd said his piece and reached for the boy to drag him to the lord.
"Bullshit..."
An inexplicable revulsion surged at the hand, and the boy slapped it away hard.
"This brat?"
"I don't see what I did wrong."
He pondered if yelling fearlessly was wrong, but no.
He'd just done as his proud parents taught.
What he'd seen and learned from them.
"That bastard, that damn lord laying hands on my mom—wasn't that the real wrong?"
Always prioritizing family over self.
Like his mom cared for his dad.
Like his dad protected his mom.
"I just tried to stop him because Mom looked hurt... Was that so wrong it deserved killing everyone?"
No, he wasn't wrong.
No matter how he thought, the damn lord here was the guilty one.
He was the problem.
"No... You're a bastard too. Guards to protect us, right? Then why just listen to that jerk and judge?"
The guards, everyone— all problems.
"You're not human."
Cowards hiding in the back, unable to speak up— not human.
"Just beasts wagging tails at their master, nothing more."
To the boy, they were no different from caged animals.
"Get lost... you bastard."