Chapter 8 – 3. My and Your Hut (3)

3. My and Your Hut (3)

Crack, crackle, pop.

As I came to my senses to the sound of firewood burning, the familiar wooden ceiling came into view. I wondered for a moment why I was here, then lowered my head at the familiar warmth I felt in my hand.

The blanket was oddly bulging. When I gently pulled it back with my other hand, a little one, covered head to toe in a blanket, was fast asleep, sweating profusely.

Blinking my eyes, I pieced together the sequence of events and let out a chuckle.

“So, you brought me here.”

Where did such strength come from in this small body? It must have been very cold, but it was impressive.

“Thank you.”

I reached out and gently stroked the little one’s head, but I couldn’t help but grimace at the sudden discomfort in my leg. My shin was in excruciating pain. No, even before that, the pain in my leg was shooting up to my pelvis.

Carefully, so as not to wake the little one, I pulled my arm out and lifted the blanket covering my leg. The exposed leg was in a terrible state.

I had fallen from a cliff onto snow, but my shin was completely snapped in half, and my knee was dislocated, reminiscent of a frog’s zigzagged leg. The knee could be forced back into place, and the broken leg could recover over time with a splint.

Yes. The broken leg and dislocated knee were not the problem. The real problem was…

“Poison…is it?”

The part of my shin that had already started to turn a faint blue, and veins ran like lightning across my pale lifeless skin. Yes, it was poison.

They must have used a particularly vicious poison, as the sensation in my toes was already faint. No, considering there was no pain below my shin, my nerves must have already died.

“They still haven’t given up on me.”

A bitter smile naturally formed. I wasn’t resentful. After all, it was my karma.

Having killed so many people, it was only fair that I was being hunted. But it’s been over 10 years, and they’re still looking for me.

“They’re really persistent.”

At this point, I had to commend their persistence. I didn’t know who they were, but they must have been searching the whole world for 10 years just to kill me.

But… I’m worried about this little one. If I die, this little one will be alone again.

“….”

But I couldn’t die with him. The little one is still young and has a bright future.

If he tries, he can do it. Even though he’s clumsy and lacks talent, he’s still a child with the will to get things done if someone patiently waits for them.

He may not become a knight or a hero, but he can at least become an ordinary farmer. The life that the little one has left is too precious to die here.

“Should I get up….”

It wasn’t easy to get up from the floor instead of a bed, but I managed. I thought I should do something about this leg first, so I forced my knee back into place, found a suitable splint, tore a piece of cloth, and wrapped my leg tightly.

The pain was enough to bring tears to my eyes, but I could bear and overcome this much pain. Because I was so familiar with pain.

I finished my makeshift treatment and limped over to the window. I had to be on guard, in case that hunter showed up.

I was looking out the window for a moment when I heard the rustling of the blanket, followed by a soft kick, and the kid called out to me.

“Nae!”

Worried that the hunter might hear his voice and come looking, I immediately responded to the kid’s call.

“What do you want.”

The kid, who had been staring at me with wide-open eyes, blinked rapidly like a startled deer. The sight of him with his pouting lips, tears welling up in his eyes, but somehow frowning to keep from crying was so comical that I forgot the seriousness of the situation and laughed.

“What’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Nae….”

Contrary to the kid’s determination, tears streamed down his face. Whether he was annoyed by this or not, he made a hissing sound and wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“Ah, ah…. ugh…. uh….”

“Oh dear, why are you crying again. Come here.”

I picked him up and tried to soothe him. When I sat him on my lap, my knee ached from the sudden weight, but I pretended to be fine.

And then…

“…How did this happen?”

At that question, I forced a smile and fumbled for an answer. I told him I slipped while returning from hunting a wild boar.

I lied.

The kid didn’t seem to believe me. After all, there was no wild boar around me, so it was hard to believe that I had been trampled by one.

I pondered for a moment whether I should tell him the truth. The kid, as if he had enough, nestled into my arms.

It seemed like he chose to trust me, not my words. He didn’t say anything more and just quietly nestled into my arms.

“….”

I was so grateful for that, so thankful for his consideration, that I almost cried. But I managed to laugh it off.

“You should be careful… You told me it was dangerous because it was raining and slippery, but Nae got hurt even though you said that….”

Even his complaints, made with his pouted lips, were so precious to me, and I had nothing to say. I, who had always talked back when scolded by my parents, couldn’t argue with the kid’s words.

“Jeez… when you say it like that, I don’t have anything to say. I’m sorry. You were worried a lot, weren’t you?”

“…Of course.”

“Alright, I’ll be more careful from now on.”

As I held the kid tightly, feeling the warmth in my arms, the kid snuggled into me.

“Mm….”

I’m glad I’m alive.
Really… I’m really glad.

With those thoughts, I held the kid for a long time.

After some time had passed and the kid had calmed down, he voiced a very practical concern.

“So what are we going to eat now… Should I go out and hunt?”

The kid, saying that, looked like he would dash out as soon as I nodded. But I couldn’t allow that.

‘We don’t know when the hunter will come….’

Fortunately, there was some salted and smoked meat in the storage, so I told him to use that. It was only enough for me to consume in a week if we only considered the quantity…

“That much?”

“Maybe it’s because the mountains are nearby, but a lot of wild animals come out. I caught one or two, and well, that’s how it happened.”

I lied again, worried that the kid might fret.
Upon hearing my words, the kid didn’t show a hint of doubt and nodded with a bright smile.

“I see…. Great! Then leave all the housework to me for a while so you can focus on recovering!”

I was grateful for the kid’s words, deliberately said to ease my guilt, even though the kid had been handling all the housework even before I got hurt. I chuckled and patted the kid’s head.

“Really? Can I even leave the cooking to you?”

“Uh….”

I asked half-jokingly. Since my hands weren’t injured, I could certainly cook if the kid brought the ingredients.

“It should be fine!”

I hesitated for a moment at the sight of the kid’s sparkling eyes and the ‘I can do it somehow!’ expression. If I were gone, the kid should be able to cook alone, right?

Hmm, as I was thinking this, the kid, who had been looking at me, sneakily averted their eyes.

“…Probably.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden loss of confidence. Right. Cooking isn’t that hard. I just have to teach.

“Haha! You can do it. I’ll teach you from the side, let’s do it together.”

“You can’t move yourself! Got it?”

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

From then on, I taught the kid how to cook, how to mend torn clothes, how to do laundry, and even how to tailor clothes to fit. I taught everything I had to learn by myself when I was living alone.

“Hehe, look at this! I just need to extend the sleeve this much, right? How is it? Did I do well?”

“You did well. Thanks to you, I can wear a shirt after a long time. I couldn’t hold a needle after my hand got like this. Thank you.”

“Hehe!”

Those times were so precious and happy, I wished they would never pass.

“Thank you. It’s comfortable thanks to you.”

*

Contrary to my wish, time cruelly passed. My leg’s condition worsened day by day.

Now, not just below my knee, I lost sensation up to my thigh. When I painfully unwrapped the bandage, my swollen, blue leg was revealed.

It wasn’t a joke, it was really as blue as the midday sky. Not only that, it was so swollen that it seemed too much to say it was just broken.

“….”

If more time passed like this, my broken leg would probably completely rot. I sensed the end was near.

Maybe when I fall asleep today, I might not be able to open my eyes for a while. Maybe when I fall asleep tomorrow, I might never open my eyes again.

Suddenly, I was scared.

I had thought death was nothing until now. Death was this terrifying.

“…Sigh.”

But I couldn’t show it. If I showed anxiety, the kid would get anxious too.

It was about time for the kid to return.

I carefully wrapped the bandage again. To lie to the kid today that I was okay.

I hid my wound.