Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

TL/Editor: Yana/Gummy

Pointing to the small ship, the man looked over his shoulder at me and nodded.

“But this is a ship. Not a house.”

But…how did I know that it was a ship? I’ve never seen a ship before while I was defending the cornfield but unfamiliar words, such as the rudder and mast, kept popping into my head.

I stared blankly at the snow-covered ship as the man asked me to hurry. He led me by the hand to the small mountain. The rocky mountain was covered with flat rocks and green plants.

I picked up a stone I had never seen before. It was a strange stone, it was hollow like a snail shell, but the wriggling body was not visible.

【“Let’s enter”.】

When the man beckoned to me, the parchment appeared over his head again and disappeared.

I followed the man closer to the ship. He threw open the door wide at the outer edge of the stern. The door was made of a thick tin sheet that did not match the appearance of the wooden ship at all.

Warm orange light shone from behind the tin door. I stepped into the ship as if enchanted by the warmth.

“Asha! Asha!”

A thin voice from within made me stop. Asha? Asha is the name Cheneren called me when he looked at me.

A cozy room appeared with piles of books on both sides. It was a unique room with a waist-high stove built of bricks. Warm orange light filled the room.

In the gravel brazier, the wood was burning with a bright red flame, and the kettle, with its latch stuck, was emitting white steam back onto the flame. Every time the fire flickered, the shadows of the man and myself trembled restlessly on the wall.

The long table next to the stove was covered with a checkered cloth and tableware for two was neatly arranged on it.

On one side of the room was a large cabinet for storing food and spices. The closet was filled with so much food that was unreasonable for one person. The man was so tall and well built that I wondered if it was from the food.

The cupboard was cluttered with loaves of rye bread and cheese, and a basket full of eggs was visible as well. Thick bacon and sausages the size of my wrists were stacked in a glass display case surrounded by a white cloth. Vegetables such as potatoes and carrots were also plentiful.

Next to the cupboard was a dishwasher filled with clean cutlery, with polished ceramic bowls neatly arranged. I noticed from his household that the man was rather neat.

Turning to the right, I saw a long staircase upstairs. The floor in front of the stairs was covered with the hair of unknown animals. When my eyes reached the rug, the man turned the hide of the beast’s hideous face with his feet. Sharp fangs and lifeless eyes of the beast disappeared from my view.

【“Sit here”.】

The man beckoned to me, pulling his rocking chair up to the stove. I glanced awkwardly at the pillow on the rocking chair. The pillow would probably get wet from my soaked clothes.

“I’ll dry my clothes first and then sit down.”

When I refused, showing him my clothes soaked with snow, the man took off Cherenen’s fur coat, as if he was holding back. Then he tossed the coat onto a stack of books in the corner of the room. The neatly folded books collapsed, unable to bear the weight of the fur coat but he didn’t seem to mind.

【“I’ll bring you something to eat in a minute.”】

I sat in the rocking chair, wrapping myself in the blanket the man had given me. He took the kettle off the stove and poured the drink into the glass he held gingerly in his hand. A steaming light brown drink flowed in the glass.

“Do you want me to drink?”

I looked at him, pretending to drink, and asked. He nodded with expectation.

I hesitantly took a sip. For the first time in my life, a delicious drink flowed down my throat into the esophagus. The drink was sweet yet slightly bitter, and warm enough to melt the coldness that had spread throughout my body. The sensation of warmth spreading throughout my body was very unfamiliar.

【“This is your favorite pumpkin beer.”】

“…”

【“I made it myself.”】

The man moved his hands with pride, but I could not fully understand his gestures. Looking at the childish expression on his face as he waited for praise, it was clear that he was expecting my gratitude.

“Thank you. It is very warm and delicious.”

As soon as I muttered something unintelligible and pressed my mouth to the glass again, I heard a rustle upstairs. I’ve heard this sound multiple times in my life… It was the sound of wings flapping.

“Asha. Asha.”

A thin voice rang out from upstairs. As I blinked in surprise, a small bird flew out to me.

“It’s me. I am the one who saved you. Not him.”

The bird flew under the ceiling, speaking as if it was human. It was a cute bird smaller than my fist with a plump golden body and a short red tail.

“I saved you. Not him.”

I looked at the talking bird in surprise. I, like a doll, could not tear my eyes away from the animal, which clearly pronounced human words.

“Asha.”

The bird settled gently onto my shoulder, its beak caressing my cheek gently.

“Remember me.”

“…”

“Remember me… me.”

The bird caressed me on the cheek with its hard beak and whispered. Asha, Asha, remember me. Repeating the same words, flapping its wings while on my shoulders.

I looked at the man, turning away from the bird’s wings. The man looked down at me with complex eyes.

“My name is Asha?”

“…”

The man rolled his eyes and nodded hesitantly, looking embarrassed. He snapped a finger lightly, and the golden bird turned to the man.

“Elliot.”

This time the bird pointed its wings at the man and said. “Elliot, Elliot.”

I repeated the same and it tickled my cheek with its beak.

“Is your name Elliot?”

The man nodded at my question.

“Pita. Pita.”

The bird repeated the word, this time raising its head.

“ …and this bird is called Pita?”

When I asked, stroking the little back of the bird, the man named Elliot nodded over and over again. Then I turned to the table where the food was laid out.

I watched Elliot’s broad back as he put the ingredients in the basket. Pita stuck his beak into my glass and began to sip on the drink. The room became quiet when the bird quieted down. From time to time there was the sound of wood burning and Elliot cutting potatoes.