A night has passed since I met Lena Ruthberg. It was quite surprising to know that she was a Holy Apostle.
The morning sun carried a gentle breeze with it. This breeze caressed my cheek and chilled me a bit. But thanks to Lena’s lap, I don’t feel cold at all since last night.
Currently, Lena is still sleeping, on my shoulders. Though I have my hammer, I could still carry her around my shoulder.
This was because last night, we didn’t find a suitable place to camp.
Normally, one would be staying at an inn in town during the night, but I was saving my Nuta. One night in an inn costs around 15 nuta, probably even more when it’s close to Goldoni. I only have a hundred nuta left so I can’t risk randomly spending my money when I’m so close to Goldoni.
I have to save some money if I want to start a life in Goldoni.
I don’t mind not sleeping and skipping dinner for 1 night, but it’s not the same for Lena apparently. She was tired because she was hungry.
She was stubborn at first. She wanted to stay up and walk with me, but seeing her stagger from being drowsy and the injury, I insisted on carrying her on my shoulder instead. Since she doesn’t have anything to eat at that time, I let her sleep instead.
Me on the other hand, I just ate whatever edible plant there was.
“Good morning, Arty.”
“You’re finally awake.”
After greeting me, she lets out a yawn and stretches both her arms and legs. Since she was kind of weak, I barely feel her thighs squeezing my neck.
“I’m really sorry for letting you carry me all night without rest.”
“Don’t worry. I have the vitality of a Minotaur and the nocturnal nature of an Elf. One night of endless walk is nothing.”
When I said that, she pokes my left cheek while looking at me upside down.
“You just lied. You don’t have the nocturnal nature of an elf.”
“If I put my mind unto it, I sort of have it.”
“Put me down. Also, your breath smells like grass.”
After putting her down, I stretched my arms and when I did, loud cracking noises reverberated. It was the accumulating stress of continuous carrying of my hammer and balancing Lena.
“That was loud.”
“I haven’t had a good one since I hammered steel.”
As I look at what’s ahead of the paved road, I could see the ivory walls of Goldoni and carriages in front of its gate.
“We’re close.”
“Yes, but let’s clean-up first on the nearby stream.”
Like she suggested, we head towards the nearby stream next to the road.
***
While we’re here, I lie by back on the grass under the shade of a tree to rest. I haven’t sat or rested for hours since last night so having to lie on soft grass feels like heaven.
Meanwhile, Lena is washing some of the dirt off that stuck unto her clothes when she tripped last night. Thankfully, it was just the outer layer. So for now, she’s just in her tight black clothes that nearly show her bodyline.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, I was just watching if you can remove that dirt over there.”
While I say so, I point the dirt stain on her clothe that she missed. But still, she noticed me staring.
After a while, I didn’t realize that I dozed off for a bit. When I came to, I noticed that Lena was finished cleaning her clothes and is letting them dry off the tree branch.
Not only that, she was nibbling on an apple while reading a book next to me.
When she noticed that I was awake, she puts down the book and then gives me some bread.
“Do you want breakfast?”
“Where did you get that?”
After I asked her, she points down to a carriage that’s leaving towards the gates of Goldoni.
“You could’ve just joined them you know.”
I told her while I take the bread she offered.
“You were asleep. I can’t leave a companion.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Despite barely showing any sort of emotion, she is quite a friendly girl. However, she’s way too trusting for a stranger like me.
“You must be thinking I’m way too trusting.”
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“You can read minds as well?”
“It’s all over your face. But, you allowed me to use my <
Oh right. Those eyes of hers got to my head last night. I guess when everything is exposed, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
Then for some reason, she was covering her thighs with her book and hand. When I look at her ear, it was kind of pink.
“Ah, so you know.”
“…it can’t be helped.”
Except that one, that’s quite embarrassing.
“How’s your wound?”
“I checked it earlier, it seems to be healing properly. At the least, I can walk by myself now. Running would make it throb painfully.”
“You chased the carriage, didn’t you?”
“I had to. Your stomach was growling while you were sleeping.”
Oh… I actually owe her.
Since it can’t be helped, I cut half of the bread and gave it to her. When I did, she looked at me with surprised eyes.
“You ran so you must be hungrier than me. You need to eat more. You’re a weak human.”
“You need to eat too. You’re huge.”
“I’m normal sized.”
“In Minotaur standards, yes. But in human, no.”
Hmm… that is true. I lived my life surrounded by Elves and Minotaurs. Humans must be generally smaller. Now that I think about it, I did notice a lot of small people on the way here but I never really mind it.
“Just take the bread. You need to eat because you have a wound.”
While I insistently put the bread on her hand, I stood up and went to the river. After scooping some water with my hand, I gargle it and then spat on the ground beside me.
“My breath won’t smell like grass now, would it?”
When I said that, she lets out a giggle.
After a while, her clothes finally dried up. It’s quite amazing that they dried up very fast.
As we headed on our way, I notice a lot of carriages and wagons passing us heading towards the Goldoni.
“Why don’t you just go ahead of me?”
“Why?”
Still, she doesn’t want to go first. Girls her size shouldn’t walk this far.
“The gates are still far. You’re just tiring yourself out.”
“Then why don’t you hitch on a wagon as well?”
“I have my hammer with me. I doubt the horses here can pull its weight. If there was a Ruby Rhino or a Brass Horned Bull pulled wagon, I might reconsider.”
“I see.”
After that, she falls quiet again.
I think I might’ve annoyed her from being so pushy. She’s just watching the wagons and carriages passing by us.
While we were walking, I found her looking at a large wagon that’s being pulled by a single young Brass Horned Bull behind us.
“No, that thing’s too young. Moreover, it’s already pulling something heavy.”
“I wasn’t thinking that.”
“Oh.”
“I just remembered what I wanted to ask you last night.”
She then looks up to me and looks at my forehead.
“You look mostly like a Mino, but you don’t have a horn. When does yours grow?”
“For a half like me, I don’t know. There’s no one else in the village like me who’s equally both a Mino and Elf.”
“…But do you want to know?”
When she asked, I inadvertently looked at her eyes. Her face is telling me that she knows something I don’t.
“What do you mean?”
As I stare at her eyes, I could see the golden lines starting to appear and glow.
“With my <
“You have that kind of power?”
“I don’t know. I want to test if I do.”
All of a sudden, she stops walking then grabs my arm and tries to pull me down.
“What do you want now?”
“I want to focus. Carry me.”
As she said, I drop on one knee to let her use it as a footing. After that, I hold her leg and then let her sit on my left shoulder while my hammer stays on the right.
“Be careful not to slip off.”
I continue walking as she starts whatever she’s trying to do, when I look at her eyes, the glowing lines in her eyes starts rotating furiously. Her face was completely focused on my forehead where my horns hypothetically would be.
This went about for a long while and I just keep on walking as usual. Though, I ignore the stares of the people in the carriages and wagons that pass us.
However, it seems that Lena is so focused that she doesn’t even notice the noise passing us.
Then out of nowhere, one of the carriages slowed down and matched my pace. Lifting the curtain from the inside of the carriage, a human girl pops her head out. When she saw Lena’s face, her eyes glow and a big smile on her face grows.
“Aunt Lena!”
When she called out, the lines in Lena’s eyes shatters and the golden glow disappears. Immediately, she turns her attention to the one who called her.
“…Palty?”
It seems that they know each other. Rather, it seems that they’re related too.
“Aunt Lena, are you finally going back home?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”
“Is that so? Then, who’s that giant man?”
With her little arms, the little girl tries to extend her arm out the window to point at me. But she then gets her ear pulled by someone inside.
Immediately, the rest of the curtains get raised and a middle-aged human woman shows her face.
“Apologies, my daughter is still learning proper etiquette with talking to people.”
“No problem.”
This woman doesn’t look like Lena, rather, only the kid named Palty looks like Lena. Maybe she’s the one who married into the family?
“Good day, Lyrel.”
“Good day, Apostle Lena. It’s good to see your safe return. Will you at least show your face to see father?”
“…I’ll see if I can.”
Though instant, I could feel some hesitation within that reply. I don’t know what’s happening in their family, but I’m not going to try and put my nose into it.
“By the way, who is this man? Why are you on his shoulder?”
As if she just realized it, the woman named Lyrel looks at me. It seems she found it odd that I’m letting Lena sit on my shoulder. Well, it IS weird to have someone use you like a mount.
“…he’s um… Arty…”
“I’m Arty, Lena’s friend.”
When I extended my free hand to Lyrel, she holds it with her small human hands and shook it. Because of that, Lena had to hug my head to not fall off.
“Why are you so big!?”
“Palty, Don’t be rude!”
Despite getting scolded, Palty continues to look at me with sparkling eyes with awe. Inadvertently, I reach out to her and let her grab my finger with her tiny hands.
“I’m from the proud race of Minotaurs.”
“That’s so cool! But don’t Minotaurs have horns?”
“Let’s just say that they’ll grow someday.”
“Can I see them!?”
“Palty, please don’t be rude to my friend.”
I was expecting Palty’s mother would scold her, but never from Lena. That was rather surprising.
With her leg, she pulls down my hand that was reaching out to Palty.
“Please, Arty, refrain from rousing my nephew.”
“I was just—”
“If she continues this behavior, she might grow up tomboyish. She’s a noble. She needs to learn how to reserve herself.”
“Okay…?”
Well, that came out of nowhere. Rather, she looks really annoyed for some reason. She’s sulking while looking ahead.
Looking at Lyrel, she seems very surprised while looking at Lena.
“You’re my friend, okay. My friend…”
Then out of nowhere, my stomach growled loudly. The sound surprise Lena a bit.
It seems that eating only half of the bread really wasn’t enough. I would eat some edible plants around here, but I can’t when there are too many people. That would be embarrassing.
“You should’ve just eaten the whole bread.”
“I’m fine. It’s not like I’m THAT hungry.”
Lena then turns to the carriage where her family is in. It seems that my stomach’s growl was really audible. They’re just chuckling while looking at me. Talk about refined.
“Lyrel, do you have any spare food with you?”
“Is jerky fine?”
While she asks, Lena looks at me with prying eyes. Even without her magic eyes, I could feel her stare.
“You don’t have to, really.”
“Jerky would be fine.”
After receiving the napkin wrapped jerkies, Lena pulls one out and presses one on my lips.
Though I feel reluctant, the smell of dried smoked meat truly is inviting that it’s making me salivate. I couldn’t turn down the offer and just took a bite.
“Thank you...”
“You’re welcome.”
Despite it being such an embarrassing moment, it was my first time seeing Lena smile.
-End of Chapter-