Forest Exploration
I racked my brains as fast as I could and came up with an answer.
“Ah… w-well, you see… I’m heading into the forest to forage for ingredients and do a bit of hunting.”
“My, what a hardworking young man. But then what’s this little coat for? It’s far too small to fit you.”
Think, think…
“Could it be… you’ve got a kid you’re raising? I was under the impression you were still a bachelor…”
“Uh… um… well…”
Think, Han Raon!!!
“Ah…! One of my regular customers’ children lost their favorite coat and was crying their eyes out, so I thought I’d give it as a gift.”
“Well now~ What a fine young man, living life the right way! You’re a real stand-up guy.
But tell me, young man—have you never thought of getting married?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, a handsome, refined fellow like you still being single is just hard to believe. I’d bet two silver coins that among your regular lady customers there’s at least one secretly pining for you.”
“Haha… thank you.”
I’m not really interested in romance, though…
“Haaah… My daughter’s a real beauty, you know. How about I introduce you?”
“No thank you, ma’am! I’ll be going now!!”
I set the payment on the counter and bolted.
Conversations like that always made my skin crawl.
“Hey, bachelor! You overpaid by five copper coins!”
“Just keep them~!”
I shot off like a rocket and headed straight for the restaurant.
Once those aunties latched on, turning them down was nearly impossible.
Back at the restaurant, I woke Riah and was in the middle of feeding her breakfast.
“Riah, I’ve got a present for you before we head to the forest.”
I spoke while keeping the coat hidden behind my back, watching her nibble at the breakfast I’d made.
“What?! Another present?!”
Riah’s eyes went round as saucers, shining with anticipation.
“Ta-da.”
I unfurled the coat in front of her.
“W…woooow…”
Riah’s mouth fell open in pure wonder.
“Amazing…! Mister Raon, you’re amazing…!”
“I even embroidered both our names on it.”
I knew a little needlework, so while she slept I’d secretly stitched the words
Riah&Raon
into the fabric. Embroidery took forever; I’d sweated through two whole hours just to finish it.
The moment she saw the lettering, Riah shot up from her seat in excitement.
“Wooow… I love it so much…! It’s perfect!!”
She took the coat and hugged it tightly to her chest.
Honestly, the coat was sturdy and warm, so it had cost a bit more than I’d planned. I’d fretted she might not like it… but she adored it, and that was a huge relief.
I’d earned a decent amount of money yet never had anywhere to spend it, which had been its own kind of worry. Thanks to Riah, I finally had a reason to open my wallet, and that felt surprisingly good.
“C-can I try it on?!”
“Of course.”
“Hehehehe…”
Riah beamed as she slipped into the coat.
“All done! How do I look?”
It was a little big on her, but it looked plenty warm.
“It suits you perfectly. You look really pretty!”
“Ah… hehe…”
Hearing that, Riah shuffled her feet in shy delight.
“Once we finish breakfast, let’s head to the forest…!”
“Yes!!”
Riah nodded with a bright smile.
“…In this bag?”
“Yeah. Climb in, and once we reach a quiet spot in the forest I’ll let you out. It just feels safer that way.”
“Hehe… Okay. This is gonna be fun…!”
Ever since Riah started living with me, she’d grown so much brighter.
I hope days like this can keep going forever.
“Hup…”
Riah opened the bag and wriggled inside with little grunts of effort.
“How is it, Riah? Enough room in there?”
“It’s bigger than I thought, Mister…! You can close it now…!”
I carefully buckled the bag shut and slung it onto my back.
“Comfortable, Riah?”
“Nngh… a little cramped, but I can manage…!”
With the backpack on and a gathering satchel in hand, I left the restaurant and set off toward the forest.
We passed through the lively market streets, then the quieter commoner district, and finally beyond the city outskirts. Following a narrow hillside path downward, a babbling brook appeared, and beyond it stretched a forest of gently standing trees.
I used the irregular stones jutting from the stream as stepping stones, crossed over, and at last entered the woods.
The scent of grass and damp moss. Willow branches trailing into the water.
“Riah, you can come out now.”
I slipped the bag off and carefully set it on the ground.
When I unbuckled it, Riah poked her head out and scanned the surroundings like a meerkat.
Pfft… so cute.
“Wooow…”
Surrounded by the smell of grass, cool air, and trees on every side, Riah looked utterly happy.
A smile rose to my own face without effort.
“Not cold?”
“Nope! Super warm…!”
She fiddled with the embroidery of our names on the coat as she answered.
“How does it feel, Riah? Being in the forest?”
“Hehehe… I love it so much…! Hehe!!”
Riah darted this way and that, bouncing with pure joy.
“Pffft… Riah, see those fruits hanging on that tree?”
“Tree? Ah! I see them!”
“That’s a Lumera tree.”
I pointed to the tree laden with pale silver-blue fruits.
I picked up a long stick from the ground and began knocking the Lumera fruits free.
“Lumera fruit is really delicious. I’ll pick some for you!”
With practiced motions I brought the fruit down. A gleaming silver fruit tumbled free with a soft plop.
“Wooow…”
I took a bite to taste it, and Riah’s eyes sparkled with the clear desire to try some herself.
“Pfft… Here, you can have the whole thing. It’s amazing.”
“Heh… Thank you for the food…!”
Riah sank her teeth into the Lumera fruit.
And then… her eyes went perfectly round.
“Mmm… Wow! It’s so sweet!!”
She polished off the fruit in delighted little bites and looked up at me, eyes shining for more.
“Want to try picking some yourself this time?”
Don’t just give a person fish—teach them how to fish, right?
Riah awkwardly gripped the stick with her slender arms…
“Hiiit… Why… won’t it… work…”
She strained and grunted, trying to reach the higher fruits.
“I’ll put you on my shoulders.”
I lifted her light frame onto my shoulders.
“Just tap them so they fall.”
Tap-tap. Tap.
Whoosh—
Thud.
“Wow, I picked it…!”
“Yep, that’s right. You picked it yourself. Want to grab a few more to take home?”
I set her down and shook the Lumera tree’s trunk with all my strength. Several more fruits rained down.
“Wooow…!”
Riah gathered every fallen fruit and tucked them into my satchel.
“Shall we go a little deeper?”
“Yes!!”
The way Riah grinned from ear to ear looked like pure, genuine happiness.
We walked hand in hand.
The deeper we went, the denser the thick oaks and beeches became; branches and leaves wove a canopy overhead so that sunlight only scattered faintly across the ground.
The smell of damp earth and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Riah seemed so content she started humming under her breath.
“Riah, see that? That’s an Eldmore Mushroom.”
I pointed to a massive mushroom two to three meters tall—taller than a person—glowing with a soft blue light.
“Huh? A mushroom that big?!”
“First time seeing one? When you go deep into the forest, Eldmore Mushrooms grow that huge here and there. Fully grown ones are edible, so you can eat them.”
“And that thicket over there is a Vernel bush. It’s covered in little tart pink berries. Want to try one?”
“Yesyesyes!!”
Riah shouted with a sunny smile, still holding my hand.
I plucked a round, blueberry-sized pink berry from the Vernel bush and handed it to her.
“Uum…”
“How is it? Good?”
“Sou… sour… ugh… but I still like it…!”
Riah said, pink juice smeared around her mouth.
Not quite her favorite, huh.
“Can I try the Eldmore Mushroom too?”
“Of course.”
I tore off a piece of the mushroom’s cap and gave it to her.
Riah chewed it with happy little sounds and smiled as if delighted.
“Oh, it has a unique scent—and it tastes really good…!”
“Pfft… Glad you like it.
Ah, and there’s one thing you have to be careful about. You mustn’t eat the small baby Eldmore Mushrooms. Those are toxic. Only fully grown Eldmore Mushrooms lose their poison.”
“Ooooh… that’s amazing.”
“Right?”
Exploring the forest with Riah somehow… made my heart feel warm and happy.
Into my otherwise ordinary life, this child named Riah had arrived and was letting me feel pure happiness.
After a joyful exploration of the forest, we returned and I opened the restaurant door.
“Boss Raon~ Give me some of that smoked meat~”
I sent Riah upstairs and threw myself into the busy work of the restaurant.
A few regulars and even some first-time customers.
It was the lunch peak, so people came and went in a steady stream.
‘Wooow… I love it so much…! It’s perfect!!’
I recalled the way Riah had leapt with joy when she received the coat.
‘How does it feel, Riah? Being in the forest?’
‘Hehehe… I love it so much…! Hehe!!’
And the pure delight on her face out in the woods.
Cooking in front of the hot fire was exhausting, but thinking of Riah gave me a little extra strength.
“Whew… so many customers today…”
Every table packed, orders piling up.
Guess I’ll have to burn myself out today…
“It’s a Blood Eyes!!!!”
Then a shout tore through the restaurant.
“Blood Eyes!! There’s a Blood Eyes in here!!!!”
What? Wait… Riah is upstairs…
I spun around and saw her standing at the bottom of the stairs, body trembling violently.
“I-I’m sorry, Mister… I n-needed to pee… but there was a snake in the toilet… I got so scared…”
“Ah.”
Just when I thought she was finally starting to be happy…
My breath caught in my throat.
“Blood Eyes?! Did you say Blood Eyes?”
“What? Blood Eyes…?”
“No way, it’s real? Look at those eyes—bright red!”
In an instant the murmuring exploded. People shoved one another, straining to get a better look; someone even picked up a stone from the floor.
“Ugh, a filthy Blood Eyes!!”
“She’s standing right there on the stairs!”
“Disgusting—she’s even wet herself.”
“Seed of calamity!”
With every spit and curse the air grew thicker. Breaths thick with rage and loathing filled the restaurant.
“Look! That restaurant owner!! He’s been hiding a disgusting Blood Eyes!!”
“The owner and the Blood Eyes—both rotten to the core!”
Their eyes blazed. Hatred poured toward us like a long-festering stench finally bursting free.
“You all know the new law, right? Turn that Blood Eyes over to the tribunal and you get ten silver coins!!”
“Ten silver? That’s enough booze for months!!”
Greed glittered in the crowd’s eyes. Someone already had a knife at their belt; another rolled up their sleeves.
“Perfect! Let’s tie them both up and drag them off!”
“Beat them black and blue—especially that Blood Eyes. Chop off her arms and legs so she can’t run!!”
A roar like a battle cry. The mob looked ready to surge forward as one and tear us apart.
“Good! Seize them!”
In that instant a stone sliced through the air and smashed into the wall with a sharp crack. As if that were the signal, the people charged forward all at once.