Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Child Opened Her Eyes
Just moments ago, the child hadn't moved a muscle.
Now, she faintly furrowed her brow and began to slowly work her mouth.
‘...Is she waking up?’
I watched her intently.
Her thin eyelashes trembled faintly.
Soon, her eyes slowly came into view.
“......”
Her gaze was still hazy.
The child blinked slowly.
It seemed like her eyes might close again, or perhaps fully open.
Why was that?
Every time the child blinked...
Somehow, time itself felt like it was dragging on.
I held my breath and stared at her.
And then—
The blanket shifted aside,
and the child slowly raised her upper body.
With her eyes half-open, she very slowly turned her head.
Once toward the campfire,
once toward the ceiling,
and then...
Her gaze stopped, fixed on me.
Cloudy green eyes stared at me.
Eyes that had lost their focus.
They held no understanding or recognition yet.
But,
she was definitely looking at me.
It was the first time.
The first time this child had reflected me in her eyes.
Without thinking, I leaned forward.
“...You’re awake?”
I asked carefully.
Maybe this time I could hear her voice.
“......”
The child remained silent.
She simply dropped her wavering gaze and quickly curled up her body.
Her small frame trembled faintly.
“Cold?”
The child’s shoulders flinched visibly.
The curled-up child
trembled even more violently and huddled deeper.
I gazed down at her silently.
“Hmm...”
“......”
Silence was familiar.
But not now.
I wanted to break this silence somehow.
But,
what should I say?
No matter how much I thought, nothing suitable came to mind.
The silence stretched on.
The only sound was the crackling of the campfire.
It was strange.
For me, silence,
and the sound of the campfire burning,
had always been perfect triggers to revisit my memories.
But now,
that silence felt like a trap.
My thoughts kept stalling,
and for the first time, the pleasant campfire crackle grated on my nerves.
‘Why is this happening.’
First, I needed to escape this irritating silence.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then, I quickly sifted through my memories.
What do humans talk about?
How do they act when they first meet?
‘...Ah, right.’
I finally remembered.
“What’s your name?”
It was the best question I could come up with, but it was futile.
What came back wasn’t an answer—
just the child flinching and trembling.
A sigh escaped me naturally.
Even as a dragon,
I didn’t have the ability to know her name without hearing it.
‘What do I do in situations like this.’
Right.
I’d heard somewhere
that in some countries,
you have to give your own name before asking for theirs.
‘...A name, a name.’
It felt like another hurdle.
What should I say?
My true name was out of the question, obviously.
Some usable fake name...
Then—
A very old memory surfaced.
Slowly, my mouth opened.
“...Row. That’s my name.”
A name so distant from any memory of speaking it myself
or hearing it called by someone else.
Maybe that’s why.
It felt unfamiliar even to me.
“......”
The child slowly lifted her head.
But,
still no response.
‘Not this either, huh.’
I glanced down at her.
Our eyes met, and she quickly bowed her head as if fleeing.
Her trembling hadn’t stopped.
‘For now...’
I reached out toward the child.
“...Ah!”
The child recoiled in shock and backed away.
She wrapped her hands around her head.
I’d heard her voice by accident.
‘...Huh?’
Why was that?
Her trembling grew even more intense.
“Really cold?”
I picked up the blanket and draped it over her shoulders.
Her tense little shoulders slowly relaxed.
‘Looks a bit better.’
I turned my gaze to the fireplace.
‘The fire’s still going, but...’
Since she’s cold, I should add more wood.
The sun was almost fully set anyway.
I slowly stood up.
At that moment—
Something twitched in my arms.
‘Ah, right. The rabbit.’
I must have gotten used to it.
I hadn’t even noticed the rabbit in my arms.
I bent back down toward the child.
“Hold this for a sec. It might run away.”
I held the rabbit out to her.
Her eyes shook rapidly.
This time, she didn’t drop her head.
She just
alternated her gaze between the rabbit and me.
“Here.”
I lifted one of her arms and placed the rabbit in it.
The dazed child slowly wrapped her arms around it.
It was awkward at first glance.
And way too tight.
“Don’t hold it so hard. It bites.”
The child blinked in surprise.
Then,
she very slowly loosened her grip.
Thankfully, the rabbit didn’t run.
Its small front paws rested obediently on her arm.
I watched the scene for a while, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Good job.”
Her shoulders relaxed a bit more softly.
The firelight was gradually dimming.
A sign that it was time to add wood.
I carefully turned away.
I squatted in front of the fireplace and slowly pushed in more logs.
I fanned it a few times with my hand,
and the dying flames roared back to life.
Crackle, crackle.
The pleasant sound filled the cabin once more.
I glanced sideways at the child.
She was still sitting there,
clutching the rabbit tightly.
But—
her small, skinny shoulders were no longer trembling.
That was enough.
I stared blankly at the campfire.
Soon, a ‘gurgle’ rumbled in my ears.
“Ah, right.”
I must be too used to doing nothing.
Habitually,
without realizing it,
I’d pushed aside what needed doing right now.
The child must be hungry.
To make stew, I needed to heat water.
I checked the pot by the fireplace.
Late autumn season.
The water had gone cold, as expected.
“Gotta heat it up again.”
I picked up the pot with both hands and shoved it deep into the fire.
“......!”
I felt a presence behind me.
Something grabbed my clothes and started tugging.
I slowly turned my head.
It was the child.
Still hugging the rabbit tightly,
she looked up at me with trembling eyes.
I tilted my head.
“Can’t put the rabbit in yet. Water’s not boiling.”
Her eyes widened.
She shook her head vigorously.
Yet she kept pulling at my clothes.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
I wondered blankly, still holding the pot.
Then, staring at the unboiling water, I muttered,
“...Should I prep the rabbit first?”
The startled child shook her head even faster.
More frantically than before.
My brow furrowed.
Why bother with head shakes
when she could just speak?
I was getting a little tired.
“Ah, no way.”
I realized belatedly.
What this little one was trying to convey.
“You mean don’t put it in.”
The child nodded.
She hugged the rabbit tighter with one arm.
Yeah.
Now I got it.
‘She doesn’t like meat either, just like me.’
It was a shame about my efforts,
but I couldn’t force her to eat what she hated.
I’d been stumped on how to prep the rabbit anyway.
“Got it. I won’t.”
The child let out a small sigh of relief.
But only for a moment.
Her small, bony hand gripped my clothes even harder.
I sighed again as my clothes shook.
“I said I won’t.”
“......”
The child crawled over on her knees.
She’d been behind me, but now she was right beside.
Then, this time,
she carefully grabbed my forearm and tugged urgently.
‘Now what?’
My eyebrows twitched.
I was getting tired again.
I don’t like riddles or ciphers.
“What’s wrong.”
“......”
The child didn’t stop.
She just kept tugging with her small hand.
I glanced
at the water in the pot.
It was perfectly still, without a ripple.
To begin with,
a human,
especially a tiny child, couldn’t move me, a dragon,
no matter how hard she pulled.
But—
Her small hand didn’t stop.
She tugged at my arm persistently.
I let out a short sigh and asked,
“Hungry?”
“......”
“Not that?”
Then,
the child reached toward the fire.
“Wait.”
Humans
are weak to fire, unlike me.
I quickly pulled back and set the pot by the fireplace.
At that moment,
the child let out a ‘whoosh’ sigh.
‘...Huh.’
The child no longer reached for the fire.
Instead, she wrapped her small, frail arms tightly around my forearm.
“......”
I bit my lip.
Her whole body trembled from the effort.
Yet,
she held on.
As if she’d never let go.
Why was she
so desperate?
‘...No way.’
Was she worried I’d get burned?
I slowly turned my head.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
I stared at her silently, then spoke.
“It’s fine. I’m a dragon.”
“......”
Her arms didn’t loosen.
If anything, she pressed her forehead against my arm and huddled closer.
‘...Does she not know what a dragon is?’
Explaining would be a hassle.
Another long sigh escaped me.
The child flinched.
But she didn’t let go.
Not my arm.
Not the rabbit in her arms.
I pondered what to do,
then reached out and lightly placed my hand on her head.
“Got it. I won’t.”
Easier than explaining about dragons,
probably just put a handle on the pot.
“So let go now.”
I muttered softly and patted her head.
A moment later—
The child slowly lifted her face from my arm.
‘Just talk already.’
Even as I thought that,
my hand kept patting her head.