Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: My Old Friend (3)
Slowly, I set down the knife.
The clinking of dishes,
the gentle warmth spreading from the fireplace,
the first snow piling up softly beyond the window.
And this quiet time.
"...Nice."
Words that slipped out like a murmur.
Rakiss, who had been lifting his glass, shifted his gaze toward me.
"Row."
"Yeah."
"Do you plan to keep living like this from now on?"
It was a serene question.
But there was no way I wouldn't understand the deeper meaning from my old friend.
Gazing quietly down at the child, I replied.
"Until this disaster passes."
"......Yeah."
Rakiss smiled.
>A smile that seemed a bit relieved,
yet tinged with some bitterness.
"Then I'll drop by every now and then."
"Yeah."
"I'm looking forward to whatever dish you'll make next."
Rakiss's gaze turned to the child.
Watching her eat quietly, Rakiss soon wore a gentle smile and murmured softly.
"Yeah.... Really looking forward to it."
"......?"
The child, her cheeks stuffed full of pancake, tilted her head.
With her mouth full of pancake,
she tilted her head, trying to catch up with the situation.
A chuckle escaped me.
At that brief laugh,
the child whipped her head around to look at my expression.
I gently stroked her hair.
"......"
"I'll make more again soon."
"!!!"
The child nodded vigorously.
Rakiss smiled watching her.
His gaze slowly shifted.
The walls,
the ceiling,
the fireplace.
As if confirming something,
he took in the structure of the cabin one by one.
Rakiss slowly opened his mouth.
"The house... it's peculiar."
"How so?"
"The materials look new, but the style is close to the old ones."
"...Is it?"
Do humans nowadays,
change as quickly as their short lifespans?
A cabin discovered just a few decades ago looking like an old style.
It wasn't easy to understand,
but my old friend was surely right.
He knew far more about humans than I did.
"Right. I turned back time."
"...Huh?"
Rakiss's eyes widened.
A flicker of surprise passed over his face.
"The cabin was about to collapse. The child nearly got buried."
"...I see."
Rakiss looked at the child.
Feeling his gaze, the child lifted her head.
"......?"
"Must have been scary."
"......"
At Rakiss's words, the child stared at me intently.
Her eyes gazing at me softened slightly, and she very slowly shook her head.
Rakiss let out a small laugh at that.
"She's a sensible one."
"Yeah. Thankfully."
"......"
"...Right. You turned back time, Row."
Rakiss fell silent for a moment.
As if pondering something, he tapped the table slowly with his index finger, then leaned back against the chair.
And a sigh escaped his lips.
"Since you're using your power after so long, why not fix up your nest too?"
"Why my nest?"
"You're not asking because you don't know, right, Row?"
He hit the nail on the head.
I averted my old friend's gaze.
His words
were not wrong.
My nest,
my lair had been neglected for a long time.
Even knowing it was being eroded by time,
I hadn't touched it once since choosing that long rest.
I knew it too.
No matter how sturdy the nest,
if not tended to, it would eventually crumble.
But...
"...Too much hassle."
"That excuse again."
Rakiss chuckled and shook his head.
"Row. You're the most consistent guy I know."
"...I know."
"But..."
Rakiss's gaze turned back to the cabin interior.
With a relaxed smile,
my old friend, surveying the cabin, nodded lightly.
"You're changing bit by bit. Even now."
"...Am I?"
"Just look at this house. It's the first time I've seen you bring in stuff like this outside of your treasure vault, workshop, and library."
"Hmm..."
At Rakiss's words, I looked around.
The chair made with the child,
the drawings hung everywhere by the child,
daily necessities recommended by Hubert and Lauren,
the pile of books stacked for the child and today's purchases.
There was a lot,
it was cluttered,
and somewhat messy.
Definitely different from my nest.
"...Come to think of it, there is a lot."
"Right."
I nodded slowly.
Rakiss grinned slyly and continued.
"Your bedroom just has a stone coffin and a chair."
"That's enough."
"Yeah. You've always said that. Nice to hear it again after so long."
Rakiss looked at me for a long time.
In that gaze,
was the affection of an old friend watching me change.
Obvious enough for even emotionless me to notice right away.
"So, what about now?"
"...Now?"
"Yeah. Now, are you satisfied with this?"
At my friend's question, I slowly looked around the cabin.
Furniture filled with clumsy handiwork,
daily necessities settled in every corner,
herbs scattered everywhere and piles of books big and small.
A lot,
complicated,
crude.
I slowly turned my gaze.
The child who had almost finished her pancake,
the rabbit curled up by the fireplace.
I was fine.
I could live like this sufficiently.
Because it was familiar.
But—
"It's lacking."
"Oh...? In what way?"
"Need a more comfortable bed. The wooden floor must be uncomfortable for her too. And a device to use water indoors. Also..."
"Hmm, I see."
I slowly listed the necessities.
My old friend just nodded silently.
But his gaze was still affectionate.
As I finished speaking, Rakiss smiled leisurely.
"You need quite a few things, Row."
"Yeah."
"Alright. I'll provide some."
"You?"
Rakiss nodded with a smile.
"Humans these days have a custom of giving useful gifts when visiting an old friend or neighbor's house. Might as well follow suit."
"...Yeah. I'll gratefully accept."
"Haha, good."
"......"
The clinking of empty dishes sounded.
I turned my head,
and the child's plate was empty.
The child gulped down her milk and patted her bulging belly.
"......"
"Full?"
"......!"
"Good. Glad you ate well."
I lifted the child from the chair.
She glanced at me cautiously and pointed to the pile of luggage.
Clearly asking me to take out the art supplies that hadn't been unpacked yet.
I smiled and rummaged through the luggage.
"What do you need? Paper? Pastels? Paint?"
"......"
"Pencils and pastels? Here."
"......!"
The child beamed.
Crawling to the side of the fireplace, she sat next to the sleeping rabbit and began drawing while humming a tune.
I watched her quietly.
"...Might need a table too."
"A table?"
"Yeah. One sized for the child. Drawing like that must be uncomfortable."
"Haha! You're right."
Rakiss laughed heartily, shoulders shaking.
Enough to make the drawing child turn her head.
Rakiss stood from his chair and patted my shoulder.
"Then, shall I bring a table next visit?"
"No. Not that. ...By any chance, do you have compiled data on current humans?"
"I do."
"Could you lend me some?"
Rakiss narrowed his eyes at me.
There was interest mixed in.
"Come to think of it, you said you stopped by my cathedral to pray for that."
"Yeah."
"Sure. I'll gladly do it. I'll compile the materials you need and bring them soon."
"Thanks."
Rakiss crossed his arms and nodded.
Then he rummaged in his coat's inner pocket and pulled out a small, transparent crystal orb.
"And this."
"This is..."
"Call me with this if you need anything. Don't come praying at the cathedral again."
It was a crystal orb for contacting Rakiss.
Different in appearance from the one in my nest.
He must have brought it new for me.
Watching me examine the crystal orb, my old friend sighed lightly.
"Do you know how baffled I was?"
"Sorry. ...Ah."
"Hm?"
Mentioning baffled reminded me.
Just earlier,
something baffling I'd heard in the village.
And conveniently, the person involved was right there.
"Rakiss."
"What's up?"
"I heard something strange in the village."
"Something strange?"
I nodded slowly.
"An acquaintance said you're the god of abundance and life.... No, an omnipotent god, so your power isn't limited to one thing."
"...Haha, did they?"
"Yeah. How did that perception spread? Your divinity hasn't changed."
Rakiss chuckled wryly.
Shrugging leisurely, Rakiss spoke.
"Right, you're correct. My divinity hasn't changed. Still the same as you know."
"...Yeah."
"But a lot of other things have. That's why."
He slowly lowered his gaze,
looking at the child drawing by the fireplace.
"First, humans have changed, as you know."
"Yeah."
"Current humans aren't as intimate with gods. But they believe in gods more than ever."
It was hard to understand.
As I tilted my head slowly, my old friend added calmly.
"No need to try to understand. I'm just telling you it is that way."
"...Is it?"
"Yeah. Anyway, gods no longer live mixed among humans like before, and humans don't come to the divine realm anymore."
"......"
"In such a world, gods are like distant 'hope' or 'wishes' that are hard to reach."
I listened silently to my old friend.
Rakiss continued.
"That caused minor disputes among the gods. You know too, Row. A god's power grows stronger with faith."
"Yeah."
"So they competed for faith. To resolve it, they reorganized the divine realm's rules. ...That's the gist."
Rakiss shrugged and added.
"In that process, I took on many things too."
"Took on many things?"
"Some higher gods lent their names, and I shared faith with the lesser gods and such."
"How?"
It piqued my curiosity a bit.
But,
my old friend shrugged again and pointed to the fireplace.
The child drawing had curled up like the rabbit, overcome by sleepiness.
"...Ah."
"I'll drop by again soon."
"Yeah. See you next time."
Rakiss picked up his coat draped over the window sill.
"Yeah. See you, Row. And the child too."
"......"
"Take care."
My old friend smiled and nodded.
As he opened the door,
the midwinter night wind blew in.
Soon,
my old friend—
melted into the darkness and snow,
disappearing swiftly.
I gazed quietly at the spot where he vanished.
Then shifted my gaze.
Because there was work to do now.
"Alright."
"......"
I scooped the child into my arms.
Her slow breaths
tickled warmly against my chest.