Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: First Morning with the Child
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of the firewood burning away was still soft and steady.
I tilted my head to listen.
It was always a good sound, no matter when I heard it.
To me, whose preferences had grown hazy, it was one of the rare sensations I still found "pleasant."
Faint, warm, constant.
Calm.
Not noisy.
A regularity that quietly settled the mind.
Maybe that's why.
Even after countless years, I never grew tired of it.
Some unchanging things
can bring comfort simply by existing,
like the sound of this campfire.
"But today..."
Amid the crackling,
a faint, weak breathing sound filtered through.
"...She's still resting."
Whether it was a mutter or a check, the words slipped out.
I slowly opened my eyes.
I turned my head toward the child.
Her chest rose and fell gently.
Color had faintly returned to her face.
Her expression had softened compared to before, but her eyes remained closed.
Fainted, asleep,
or lingering somewhere in between—I couldn't tell.
But still,
she was breathing.
That fact alone kept me from leaving this spot.
Occasionally, I'd add more wood to the fireplace,
and when the wind blew strong, I'd press down the blanket by hand so it wouldn't fly away.
That was all.
What I'd done for the child.
Until the sunlight gradually grew brighter than the campfire, I sat beside her.
"...This is strange."
Another mutter escaped.
The moment I recognized it as such, a sudden curiosity swelled.
Unlike the usual times when I simply killed time, now I was doing all sorts of things.
Yet,
why did
time feel like it was dragging so slowly?
"It's been ages since I felt like this... Fascinating."
I carefully stroked the child's face.
It was cold.
She still didn't stir.
Just quietly exhaling faint breaths.
She's alive, right?
Since she's breathing.
For now, I'd go with that.
"When will you wake up?"
No answer came.
I hadn't expected one, so I let it be.
I turned my gaze to the fireplace flames.
For a while, I silently watched them burn.
"...The sun's fully up now."
Maybe because the roof and windows were broken in places.
The sunlight streamed in so vividly, it felt like being outside.
"It's dazzling."
I started to pull down my robe's hood out of habit, then paused.
Right.
My robe got taken.
I looked at my robe,
and the child wrapped tightly in it.
Under the bright sunlight, it hit me anew.
This child,
the more I looked,
"is filthy."
My robe must be dirty too, for sure.
I grabbed the hem and checked—definitely soiled.
A sigh escaped from the hassle.
I raised my left hand to use a spell, then thought better of it.
"...Guess I'll just wash it."
I slowly stood.
I stretched my stiff back languidly.
"The sunlight's warm, so the blanket should suffice."
Carefully, I reached out
and unwrapped my robe from around the child.
The moment I did—
Dust and fallen leaves clinging to the robe scattered like confetti.
Cobwebs thick with mites trailed after like threads.
"This is... worse than I thought."
I stared at the child impassively.
Face, hands, feet.
Even her hair was caked in dirt.
"...Oh, there's blood mixed in too."
Now I saw it—dirt mingled with blood.
I gently rolled up her sleeve.
The wounds weren't deep, but scars from long neglect dotted her skin.
"You really have rotten luck."
It should've been a holy knight skilled in healing magic or a priest who found you,
not an evil dragon like me.
Or an elf, maybe.
They care as little about other races as I do, so they probably wouldn't bother.
"Hmm..."
I examined the child again.
I tilted my head slowly.
"Waking up like this would feel gross, wouldn't it?"
The child once,
my soiled robe once.
I alternated glances slowly, murmuring softly.
"Maybe wash her along with the robe."
I gazed down at her, pondering seriously.
Then, an old memory surfaced, one I'd set aside.
It had happened before.
I'd picked up a life on the brink of extinction.
Small, white, fluffy.
A mystery creature covered in dust.
I'd washed it because it was dirty, and it died.
"Back then, I probably rinsed too hard."
The suds wouldn't come out.
I scrubbed, rinsed, resoaked, repeating for ages.
It did end up clean.
Just... not alive.
The child's chest was still rising and falling slowly.
"...Can't wash her that roughly, huh?"
I'd ground up my horn to feed her, after all.
Not that it was a waste, but I didn't want to squander the effort.
Besides...
If I'd gone this far to save her,
the least I could do was ensure she survived.
"That's responsibility, after all."
I lightly brushed back her hair.
It was tangled and rough, but not the feel of the dead.
"No dying this time."
For now, just wipe her down with a damp cloth.
How to properly wash a human...
I'd ask in a human village later.
Creeeak—
I opened the door carefully to avoid breaking it.
Sunlight warmly bathed the cabin surroundings.
The forest was much quieter than yesterday,
and the wind and leaves moved calmly.
I reached the well.
Slowly, I drew water into the nearby ladle.
"...Cold. Might not like it cold."
I lit a fire to heat the water.
I'm a dragon.
Cold and heat register only vaguely to me.
My body doesn't shiver in the chill
or sweat in the heat.
Yet I stacked firewood just to hear the campfire crackle.
"Don't know when she'll wake, so I should gather more wood."
The water boiled quickly.
Faint steam rose from the ladle.
I stirred it with a finger.
"...This warm enough?"
I returned to the cabin.
The child hadn't moved.
Tiny breaths.
Slow but steady rhythm.
"Sleeping well."
I left the brief impression and soaked the robe in the warm water.
Once, twice.
I soaked it thoroughly,
then wrung it out firmly by hand.
"Gotta wash it anyway."
Holding the wet robe, I sat beside the child.
Carefully.
Slowly.
I pressed the cloth to her face.
I wiped her forehead,
between her brows,
then down along her cheeks.
I traced her small nose and jawline, peeling away the dirt.
Then—
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Her brows furrowed.
"Ngh."
The child's voice, heard for the first time.
I froze.
I watched for a long moment.
"Eyes still closed."
I swallowed and spoke carefully.
"Does it hurt? You awake?"
The child remained silent.
Eyes still shut.
Probably
just a reflexive twitch.
"...Thought I was being gentle."
I rewetted the robe.
I carefully wiped her arms, the backs of her hands, between her fingers.
The dried bloodstains wouldn't come off easily.
This time, I didn't scrub.
"Learn proper soaking later and try then."
I lightened my touch even more.
Not too much.
So I wouldn't kill her this time.
Finally.
After wiping her feet too, I let out a long sigh.
"This good enough?"
Cleaning this little child
took more time than expected.
The sun was already high in the sky.
I glanced at the robe, freshly relieved of its first-ever duty.
Yeah.
Way too dirty. Toss it.
I rolled it up without regret and chucked it in the corner.
If something's trash, trash it right away.
That's always been my way.
I turned back to the child.
Most of the grime was gone.
She looked somewhat presentable now.
Still,
she slept on without waking.
"Do humans sleep this long?"
Silence returned.
The crackle of the fire filled the room again.
In the familiar quiet, a deflating chuckle escaped—just as the first response came.
- Grumble rumble growl
Regrettably, not the child's voice.
"Your mouth's quiet, but your stomach's loud."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
But soon, another dilemma hit.
"All I have to eat is..."
I opened the small leather pouch on my belt.
Inside,
were the gems and gold I'd stashed for snacks.
"Let's see..."
I rummaged through them one by one,
then picked the diamond infused with the most mana.
The moment I did—
a memory surfaced.
"Oh, right. Humans can't eat gems."
Something I'd learned recently.
Until then, I'd thought humans stocked them to eat too.
"Food as a staple instead of the delicacy."
Still fascinating to think about.
Eating something so inefficient without mana.
"Why can't they eat this?"
I carefully pried open the child's mouth.
Tiny tongue.
Even tinier teeth.
Out of curiosity, I poked them lightly.
They'd crumble if I squeezed even a bit.
"No wonder, with something this fragile."
I peered inside, murmuring in admiration.
Interesting.
Fascinating.
"What if I grind it to powder?"
I tightened my grip on the diamond.
It shattered to dust, fine powder settling in my palm.
I stared at the sparkling grains for a moment.
"Even I've never tried it like this... Edible?"
I slowly touched my tongue to it.
The gritty sand-like texture furrowed my brow.
"...Tasteless."
I shook my hand, scattering every last speck.
The mana inside must've fled the moment it powdered.
Now I got it.
Why humans don't eat gem dust.
No taste,
mana gone,
and the texture's awful to swallow.
"What now."
In the end,
do I have to make human staple food?
"...How do you even make that?"
I let out a small sigh, gazing at the sun visible through the gaping roof.