Chapter 4

"......Can I eat it?"

"Of course. Be careful, it's hot."

The girl looked at the thick slices of beef, the vegetable and milk stew, and the bread on the makeshift table, and swallowed hard.

When Reda watched her with a smile, she tentatively reached out, gripped the spoon, and gently brought the stew to her mouth.

"――――"

Her face showed shock as she continued to put the stew into her mouth one after another.

(She must have been really hungry.)

Next, she tore off a piece of bread, chewed it, and swallowed, then let out a big breath.

The next thing the girl set her eyes on was the freshly cooked, piping hot beef.

Since it was cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating, the girl simply speared it with her fork and brought it to her mouth.

"Mm,――, mmk"

The high-quality meat was so tender that she swallowed it in no time.

The girl, who had shown no emotion until just a moment ago, continued to eat with a bright face.

Reda, who had been watching her, decided to eat before the food got cold.

First, the stew had chunky, soft vegetables and the seasoning was just right.

Because she was tired, the saltiness seeped into her body.

Before she knew it, the plate was empty after alternating between the bread and the stew.

Then came the main dish, the beef.

"――Delicious."

The merchant was right to say "thank you."

The meat was of good quality, with just the right amount of fat, and above all, it was tender.

The more she chewed, the more the meat juices overflowed, making her want to eat more.

Before she knew it, she had finished everything, and the girl's meal was also complete.

"......Thank you for the meal."

"You're welcome. By the way,"

"......Yes?"

"Can you answer a few questions for me?"

"I understand."

The girl nodded tentatively in response to Reda's question.

It was understandable that she was still wary.

Reda tried to ask her questions without making her feel scared.

"Since we started with the meal, let's introduce ourselves first. I'm Reda Dixon. I'm an adventurer, and I'm thirty, but I'd be happy if you called me big brother. What's your name?"

"......I'm, Mina."

"Then, Mina. Do you have any parents?"

The girl, who introduced herself as Mina, weakly shook her head.

(I see. An orphan. Since there hasn't been a war recently, it's most likely that her village was attacked by monsters.)

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

Again, the girl shook her head.

"Hmm, how about you come with me?"

"――What?"

Mina looked up at Reda with a surprised face.

Reda smiled at her.

"I'm going to a town called Amrus, which is a bit of a walk from here, and I'll stop at a small town on the way. There might be someone who knows you. You see, I just can't leave a girl alone."

Struggling to find the right words, he scratched his cheek and continued.

"There are monsters around here, and it's dangerous for a child to be alone. We just met and don't have much trust or faith in each other, but how about we travel together for a little while?"

He met the girl's gaze and said what he wanted to say.

There was no way he could leave a girl alone in such an uninhabited place.

Even if Mina refused and didn't want to come with him, he planned to at least take her to the nearest town.

"......Is it okay?"

"Of course it is."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you being so kind to me when you don't even know me?"

Mina, speaking hesitantly, revealed her doubts with all her might.

Therefore, Reda responded with his true feelings.

"There's no great reason. I'm an adult, so I can't just leave a child like you alone. It's a simple reason like that. And besides,"

"......Because of that?"

"Wouldn't you want to help a girl who looks troubled unconditionally?"

There was no special reason.

If a child is in trouble, an adult should unconditionally lend a hand.

Reda has always done this and will continue to do so.

"That's why I want to take care of Mina for a little while."

Reda revealed his true feelings without looking away, and the girl nodded.

"......That's great. First, I want to treat your feet. They must hurt, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, but we don't have any medicine."

"Don't worry. I can use healing magic, so I'll fix them right away."

Actually, he wanted to treat her first, but he couldn't just touch her feet, so he tried to ease her wariness with a meal first.

"I'm sorry for making you hurt. Show me your feet."

The girl obediently showed him her thin feet, which he placed on his knee.

"Heal this child's wounds――Heal."

Warm light enveloped Mina's feet.

"Wow... It doesn't hurt anymore!"

While she was amazed, the bleeding feet were quickly cleaned up.

Reda was relieved that Mina, who was shining with the healing magic, seemed to have regained some of her energy.

After that, he gave her honey tea to keep her from getting cold, and when night fell, they decided to sleep together in the small tent.

"Good night, Mina."

"Yeah... Good night, Reda."

The girl, whom Reda had covered with a double blanket, finally showed a soft smile.

Reda, who had been worried that she might resist sleeping with a stranger, felt relieved.

The two of them snuggled up to each other and slept soundly until morning.

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