ALL NOVEL When I opened my eyes and kicked the door down, preparing for training while chewing on grass…
Well, I was trying to start another day that seemed as if it were churned out from a factory mold.
…If only this guy wasn’t in front of me.
*
I have no clue how long I’ve been holed up in these mountains.
All I could guess was, “It’s been decades, probably.” I have my reasons for speaking so vaguely.
“Hmm… let’s see.”
During the first year after entering the mountains, I dutifully marked the days.
The lines etched on the walls of my hut prove it.
However, after I found my footing in training and threw myself into it, my sense of time vanished.
I can’t keep track of time properly when I’m focused on something… Isn’t that what they say?
Maybe during my immersion in training, the so-called final boss of this world was already taken down.
Anyway, why am I suddenly talking about time that has already passed?
The reason is simple.
Since I entered this mountain, I’ve never encountered another person.
Even the bandits that usually pop up in stories don’t exist here.
If I had to guess, it’s because the creatures living in these mountains are terrifying enough to make anyone think twice about sticking around.
That’s true; I was trembling in fear when I first entered this mountain.
I even regretted stepping in here.
…Not because I’m cowardly, but I think anyone else would find it terrifying.
Think about it: the first creature I encountered in the mountains was a wolf three times my size.
Then there was the massive bear that stirred up a gale whenever it swung its forepaw.
Who wouldn’t be scared in that situation?
Even though I love fantasy, I’d get dizzy from the threats.
Someone might ask, “Why are you here then?”
Like I said, I regretted coming in here, cursing myself as I met each bizarre animal.
It was a mad rush for me to turn tail and run.
Except, there was something I overlooked.
I have a terrible sense of direction.
Plus, in my frantic escape, I had no idea where I was or where the exit was.
Well… that’s all in the past. Just memories.
Now, I’m living pretty well, aren’t I?
And I even got revenge on the animals that threatened me last time.
Their meat was a bit gamey, but it was edible.
…I feel like I’ve drifted a bit off topic, but anyway.
As I mentioned, this mountain is indeed dangerous.
So, there was no way there would be a person in front of me.
“Ha…”
But what is this guy doing, lounging in front of someone else’s house like that?
If his chest is rising and falling regularly, then he must not be dead.
‘…Who could it be?’
I squinted and examined his appearance.
“Black hair…?”
It’s rare around here, and it seems like he hadn’t had a haircut for a while, as it flowed down over his body.
The kid, looking like he hadn’t eaten in days, with scrawny arms and legs, dressed in a rag that was barely clinging to him…
How on earth did he end up here?
“Hmm…”
Considering the rare black hair, he might be a character pulled straight from a novel.
Typically, even if the protagonist doesn’t have black hair in such fantasy novels, at least the key players do.
Well, that’s just a guess.
‘What should I do…?’
I’m inherently a coward, so my actions are cautious.
I have no idea what butterfly effect could arise if I help this kid.
How have I managed to extend my life until now?
I’ve been hiding out in the mountains, living a pathetic day-to-day existence, trying to minimize my impact on the world.
But now, do I really need to take the big gamble of helping a character?
…But.
What if I ignore this kid and he ends up in trouble while I only worry about myself?
“…”
My deliberation didn’t last long.
Sadly, even though I’m overly cautious, I’m not cold-hearted enough to ignore a kid who clearly looks like he’s in bad shape.
‘…Once he’s feeling better, I’ll send him on his way.’
I’ll help him just that much.
Rationalizing my actions, I hoisted the kid on my shoulder to drag him into my hut.
“…He’s lighter than I expected.”
That realization made me think his condition might be more serious than it appeared, and I started to wonder if I should wake him up to feed him.
“No, wait.”
If he woke up and started flailing about, that’d be a hassle.
Deciding to strip off the dirty clothes first, I prepared to get him cleaned up.
“…Ugh.”
It might sound a bit inappropriate to strip a fainted kid, but I had to check for any injuries, and cleanliness wouldn’t hurt his recovery, right?
Getting him washed up is the priority.
“Is this a girl…?”
Looking at the unkempt hair, I worried a bit, wondering if he was a girl.
“Well, it shouldn’t really matter.”
After all, I’m a girl too.
So, with that rather casual thought in mind, I stripped the kid down and confirmed he was a boy, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness.”
If he had turned out to be a girl, I might have felt guilty, but…
Thank goodness he’s a boy.
I dampened a towel I had been carrying since entering the mountains and slowly wiped down the kid’s body.
“There are no injuries.”
I wiped him down thoroughly with a towel that I’d already used six times.
Focusing on the stubborn spots, I rubbed away the grime for quite some time.
“…Is this good enough?”
I pretended to wipe the sweat off my forehead as I looked at the now-clean kid.
“Let’s see… leftover clothes…”
I couldn’t leave him bare, so I should at least put something on him.
The clothes he had been wearing were in terrible condition, so I figured I’d lend him something I used to wear instead.
“Hmm, that looks fine.”
Now, aside from the messy hair, he looked presentable.
“If only that hair could be sorted out, he’d look really neat.”
Thoughts of “Should I just cut it?” crossed my mind.
But what if this world carries some Confucian notion of “Hair is another part of the body gifted by your parents”?
Sigh My fate really is something.
I gently washed him down and then set the transformed kid down on the floor.
“Ugh…”
As I laid him down, he curled up and furrowed his brow, probably because his hair was still damp and he felt cold.
“…I should give him something to cover up.”
I threw a few ragged cloths over him and let out a sigh of relief.
“This should be okay, right?”
I also didn’t pack actual bedding when I came to the mountain, so I was using a leather pouch I made stuffed with leaves.
It’s a shame it’s not a warm blanket, but…
Better than nothing.
More than anything, since the kid looks so comfy now, it’s probably fine.
“Wake up soon.”
I patted the kid’s head once before stepping back outside my hut.
Though he came unexpectedly, as my first housewarming guest, I should serve him something to eat.
There wasn’t anything in the house for him to eat, though.
So I dove into the underbrush, intent on hunting something for the kid to eat to regain his strength.
*
“Did I take too long?”
Looking up at the sky, I noticed the blue hue had turned a reddish tint since I went to hunt.
The kid might have been conscious for a while now.
“Tch, why does it have to be so far?”
Having to travel far to find something to eat, I never expected it would take this long.
“I should hurry back.”
-Thud!
After finishing the hunt, I dragged a creature twice the size of a bear toward the hut where the kid was.
*
The boy sat there with a dumbstruck expression, just staring blankly at the raging flames.
‘Did I… really screw up that badly?’
My sanctuary, my beloved’s nest. It was being devoured by flames because of me.
The house I lived in was burning because of me.
‘Is this really necessary?’
Beyond the collapsing pillars of the house, I can see an arm that once belonged to what was probably the boy’s mother.
‘Really? Is this how it is?’
In his hollowed-out gaze, his family was consumed by the violent flames.
“…”
This situation felt surreal.
“Is this the house the lord was talking about?”
“Yeah, it’s really blazing.”
Turning at the voice, I saw the knights and guards who were here to protect the village.
Their expressions showed no sorrow, no pity, no sympathy, no guilt.
“Tch, so why did you act up?”
Just cold stares regarded the flames like discarded trash, contrasting the consuming fire.
“…Acting up.”
Hearing the guards speak, the boy began to reflect on what he had done.
But…
“Why go this far…?”
His mind was still filled with questions.
“Um? What are you, you little brat?”
Definitely, that rude little brat was referring to the boy.
The boy was naturally fearless and voiced whatever came to his mind.
Adults often looked at such kids and called them honest or, in harsh terms, brats.
The boy liked being called that by adults.
Adults also would call him a brat and then hand him an extra piece of bread, which made him even happier.
His actions, thoughts, and values seemed to have been validated.
His mother also taught him that honesty was a virtue.
His father praised him for being confident and clever.
But…
“Hmph… why did it come to this?”
At this moment, the term ‘brat’ pierced the boy’s heart like a dagger.
“Tch… just think of it as getting mistakenly caught up in it.”
The guards continued to chatter, but their words didn’t penetrate the boy’s ears.
Money, taxes, land values—things far too early for the boy to understand.
And even though they said it was a lesson, it was incomprehensible by the boy’s standards.
As the guard continued speaking, the boy’s head spun with confusion, and a light dizziness settled in.
“Our family truly didn’t have any money, ugh…”
The boy was speaking the truth.
His family consisted of a father who hunted every day to gather food and a mother who took the game to market to sell for whatever higher price she could.
They earned with great difficulty, while not a morsel went in their own mouths—they saved all for the boy instead—a family that might not have had much but was rich in heart.
The guards, hearing the boy’s words, furrowed their brows and turned away their gazes.
“…You can’t openly rebel against the lord. It undermines authority.”
“Authority…?”
The boy didn’t understand that complex word.
He could only grasp it to mean something similar to pride.
“You shouted at the lord without fear… Tch, you’ve got to come with me. The lord has specifically called for you.”
So what the man was saying is…
Because of the lord’s lofty pride, their house was set ablaze?
Really?
Just because of his pride?
His parents had worked hard, selling their pride so they could feed him.
“Just follow quietly, and maybe the lord will at least show minimal mercy.”
The guard seemed to have given all the speeches he had to say and shut his mouth, extending a hand to take the boy away.
“Don’t touch me…”
Something unspeakable surged up within the boy as he roughly swatted away the man’s outstretched hand.
“What the hell?!”
“I don’t see anything I did wrong!”
The boy thought long and hard about whether it was wrong to shout out fearlessly, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
He was merely acting as he had been taught.
What he learned from his beloved parents.
“That bastard, that damn lord put his hands on my mother without a second thought. Isn’t that wrong?”
Always prioritizing family over himself.
Just as his mother cared for his father.
Just as his father protected his mother.
“I was just trying to stop that man because my mom looked in pain… Is that so wrong that it has to lead to death?”
No, he did nothing wrong.
The boy thought long and hard, concluding the one in the wrong was the damned lord here.
He was the problem.
“No, you’re also a bastard. You’re supposed to be a goddamn guard to protect us… Yet you just blindly listen to that jerk!”
The guards, everyone, were at fault.
“You’re not human.”
Those who hide behind and can’t raise their voices aren’t human.
“You’re just a damn beast too busy wagging your tail for your master.”
To the boy, that was no different from the beast living locked within their home.