Chapter 13

Three months after the incident, the situation had not improved, and autumn had arrived.

"Permit entry into the mountains in groups of three, with at least one hunter."

Complaints from the villagers, who feared they would not survive the winter, led the village chief to impose this condition as a last resort. As a result, hunters like Baldo were in high demand, and their household duties were neglected. Rio finished splitting firewood and peeked into the house through the window.

"Mom, I'm done with the firewood. Should I bring some to the kitchen?"

His mother, who was in charge of the kitchen, stopped her knitting, which she planned to sell in town, and nodded.

"Please do. Shira, help him."

Shira, a girl who sat beside her mother, silently knitting, nodded.

Rio had encountered Shira in the mountains and given her the temporary name of Shira. She had no reports of her being missing from any town or village, and his mother, despite their own struggles, had insisted on taking her in. This was one of the reasons why his father, Baldo, was constantly busy with hunting.

Shira came out of the house with light footsteps.

"...I'll help."

She said softly but fluently. Initially, Shira could hardly speak or understand words, but she showed an astonishing learning ability and now could handle daily conversations and even the reading, writing, and arithmetic taught by the village chief better than Rio. She actively helped with household chores, and his mother doted on her. It was only natural that a mother would prefer a well-behaved and cute daughter over a rebellious son.

Shira looked at Rio straight on. Her observant gaze, which remained unchanged, was the reason why Rio felt uncomfortable around her. Still, as her adoptive brother, he couldn't back down, even if he felt uneasy.

"Put on leather gloves to avoid getting pricked by splinters."

He showed her his own leather-gloved hands as he gave the instruction. Shira nodded and took a pair of leather gloves from a wooden box by the entrance, putting them on. They carried the firewood into the kitchen and stacked the rest behind the house when they heard a voice from the front.

"Excuse me. I'm here to say goodbye before leaving the village."

It was Furlau's voice. Over the past three months, Furlau and his companions had entered the mountains almost daily to search for the evil beast. Although they had no success, their sincere and steady efforts earned them the villagers' respect, and they were given an empty house at the edge of the village to stay in. The fact that the village, which lacked cash income, provided them with a house instead of a hotel showed the trust the villagers had in Furlau and his team.

Rio finished stacking the firewood, took off his leather gloves, and went to the front with Shira. His mother was trying to give Furlau and his companions some dried fruit, but they were refusing.

"No, no, we've been treated so many times. We can't accept a gift like this. We didn't even find the evil beast, and the deadline has passed."

"It's no trouble at all. You saved my husband from the evil weasel and taught my son swordsmanship. Please take this."

They continued to argue, but eventually, Furlau and his companions accepted the dried fruit. Furlau noticed Rio and Shira and called out to them.

"I plan to check on you occasionally, but the roads will be closed by snow during the winter, so I won't be able to come here. Be careful. And can you take care of Kari?"

"What can I do? I can't do anything."

Kari, as usual, was drinking, but he would occasionally visit Rio to observe his self-taught swordsmanship and then leave. Furlau smiled wryly.

"Just don't be rude to him. The rest is up to Kari."

"If you're that worried, why don't you warn him yourself?"

"Sometimes, words don't sink in."

With that, Furlau and his companions left, saying they had more goodbyes to make.

"Mom, I'll go buy some yarn. Can you watch the house? You can clean up if you want."

"Sure, sure. Have a good trip."

Rio threw his leather gloves into the wooden box by the entrance as he saw his mother off. Shira, who had been observing Rio, opened her mouth expressionlessly as she watched his mother.

"Sure, sure. Have a good trip."

"Rio! Shira is copying you. As an older brother, you should set a good example."

"Have a good trip!"

Shira shouted in frustration and fetched a broom from the storage room in the back of the living room. Shira, who followed him, took another broom and stared at Rio. Rio sighed and started sweeping. Seeing Rio's movements, Shira, who understood the purpose and method, also started sweeping. She was indeed smart, able to understand just by watching.

When they finished sweeping, his mother and father returned with a large load of supplies. There was some yarn, but most of it was food and fuel for the winter.

"Rio, Shira, help me move the supplies to the food storage."

At his father Baldo's request, they sorted and moved salted meat, pickled vegetables, dried vegetables and fruits, and nuts to the food storage.

"Isn't there more fuel than usual?"

"The lord's mage predicted that this winter will be cold. Even if it weren't, we need to keep torches burning all night if the evil beast appears. The village chief has ordered each household to stock up on extra fuel."

During the winter, the roads would be closed by snow, making travel to the town difficult. If the evil beast appeared, the village would need to rely on its own strength to hold out.

"What about the arrows?"

"The village chief manages them. Don't worry. They've been searching for three months and found no traces, so the evil beast must have changed its territory."

Baldo wrote the amount of fuel on a piece of wood, saying this to reassure them.

"I'll report to the village chief. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Got it."

"...Got it."

Shira nodded after Rio. Baldo looked at them and smiled.

"You're starting to look like Rio, which is a bit complicated. I hope you don't go through a rebellious phase."

"Cut it out. I'm already tired of being copied all the time."

"Haha. It means you're admired. Once you become rebellious, you'll be avoided, so try to act like a big brother now."

Rio glanced at Shira, hoping her rebellious phase would come soon. Even this attitude was observed closely, and Rio turned away. After Baldo left the food storage, Rio started putting away the long-lasting food. Shira, who had been helping without complaint, suddenly spoke.

"...Why do you put it away if you're going to eat it?"

"You don't eat it all at once."

"What about the underfloor storage, which is easier to access inside the house?"

"That's too small, and mice sneak in at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. Since it's important food for the winter, we keep it here so it won't be taken."

He pointed to the mouse traps.

"There's no place to set traps in the underfloor storage."

"...Important, so you put it away?"

"That's right."

"...Important, so you put it away."

She repeated it, nodding deeply as if she understood. She looked at Rio and smiled.