Chapter 8: Chapter 7

Episode 7

Theo looked down at his blackened fingers, then slowly shifted his gaze to the unassuming food that seemed out of place in the dilapidated hut, and then to Hestia, who was waiting for him to taste it.

A thought spontaneously sprang to mind.

“I wonder if…….”

“Huh?”

Theo looked up at Hestia, his eyes full of conviction.

There was a moment of silence as their gazes met.

“Are you a witch?”

“I‘m not a witch.”

The question and the answer came out simultaneously, without anyone saying anything first.

Despite Hestia’s adamant denial, Theo’s suspicions remained.

If she wasn’t a witch, she couldn’t explain the sphere that seemed to be possessed by something, and she couldn’t explain the food that seemed out of place in this environment.

Most suspicious of all was the fact that Hestia lived alone in a place like this.

“Believe me or not, that’s your choice, but if you want to stay here for a while, you’d better not mention the witch thing.”

Hestia scowled at him, looking genuinely offended. The warning in her voice was fierce.

“I still have nightmares about it to this day, how much trouble I got into back then.”

He looked away as if reminiscing about something in the distant past, his expression unchanged even as he mumbled unintelligible words.

“.…..I’m sorry.”

Realizing it was a rude question that would have angered anyone but a true witch, Theo apologized immediately.

He’d never done this to anyone before, and he felt bad that he’d spoken so casually.

“Hmm. If you’re sorry…….”

Hestia crossed her arms, a look of utter displeasure on her face.

Theo waited silently for Hestia’s next words, clearly feeling the tension and trepidation of his blunder.

Mate!

Theo’s head snapped up at the sound of cheerful applause from nowhere.

“No leftovers!”

Hestia smiled wryly and held up her fork.

Recognizing that it was for his good, Theo nodded vigorously, as if in response, and scooped up some horse liver stew and popped it into his mouth.

“What do you think, is it good?”

Hestia waited for an answer, her eyes twinkling at Theo as he wiped his mouth.

A moment of confusion flashed across Theo’s face.

“It’s …… delicious!”

Theo muttered softly, scooping up a spoonful of stew and shoveling it back into his mouth. Hestia smirked at the sight.

“You wouldn’t notice if one of us died eating, would you?”

“.…..die?”

Theo, surprised by Hestia’s mention of death, stopped eating and looked up.

“No, I meant how good it tastes.”

Hestia explained with a shrug. At Theo’s sudden reaction, Hestia could guess.

This boy had lived a life close to death.

“You shouldn’t use that word so casually.”

“I know. I’m sorry this time.”

Hestia meekly apologized and held the child’s gaze, feeling sorry for a child whose life was probably both similar to and the opposite of her own.

She may not have had a normal life, but she had a different view of death. He had willingly wished for death, and this child was fighting to stay alive.

Theo, too, caught Hestia’s gaze, his golden eyes sparkling.

Suddenly, Hestia recognized someone in her mind.

Someone like Theo…….

“.…..Wow, now I’m imagining things.”

But then Hestia spat out a self-deprecating laugh at the absurdity of her thoughts and shook the persona out of her head.

“Now, shall we begin the real meal?”

* * *

After laying out fresh bedding in the room by the flickering light of the candle, Hestia stepped out of the room with nothing but a thin blanket.

“Come on, get in, you’ll grow taller if you sleep early.”

She pushed Theo’s back into the room, who was waiting outside.

“Hestia…….”

Theo stammered, still not sure what to call Hestia.

“Where are you going to sleep?”

Theo’s question caught Hestia off guard and she started to leave the room without hesitation.

Knowing that the only place to sleep in this house was on the bed in her room, Theo didn’t want to play coy.

“Don’t worry about me, just go back to bed. I’m at work and probably won’t be back until dawn.”

“You’re going out at this time of night?”

As night fell, the cries of the wild animals howling with hunger grew louder.

The sounds were enough to send chills down Theo’s spine, so he was understandably surprised when Hestia suggested they go out.

“There’s a herb that can only be dried by moonlight, and I didn’t get to it yesterday because of someone. We’ve got a big family, and we need to work hard to make money so we can put glue in our mouths.”

Hestia gave a mischievous grin, too nonchalant for Theo’s concern.

Her tone was so lighthearted that a stranger to the situation might have taken it to mean that she was going to the next town for a little fun, where there was no danger.

“But it’s…….”

“What, you’re worried about me already? You’re not as caring as you look, are you?”

Hestia let out a small laugh, her eyes narrowing in amusement.

“It’s only natural that ……anyone would be worried about someone who would go out in a situation like this.”

Theo blew out a breath as if he’d gotten used to that look in Hestia’s eyes after all these years.

“I‘m going with another strong friend, so it’s okay, now go back inside and get some sleep.”

Hestia gently grabbed Theo by both shoulders and pushed him into the room.

Despite Hestia’s frail strength, Theo seemed helpless and complied.

But something caught him off guard.

“A friend?”

Theo turned his head at the word and looked at Hestia in surprise.

“What, you don’t think I have friends?”

“That’s not what…….”

“Don’t worry. He won’t say a word about you, and he’s a tyrannical friend who’s even less socialized than I am, so it’s okay.”@@novelbin@@

Hestia giggled to herself, not sure what was so funny.

Theo opened his mouth as if there was something more he wanted to ask,

“That’s ……. Take care.”

Instead of saying what I wanted to ask, I said something else.

He wanted to ask if he could trust this friend, what kind of person he was, and more specifically if he was a man or a woman.

It wasn’t just about her safety; she was also concerned for the safety of Hestia, who had been so good to her, after all.

But he had no right, no entitlement, no reason to ask such a thing at this moment, so Theo swallowed hard, unable to spit out the words.

“Okay. Bye.”

Unaware of Theo’s inner thoughts, Hestia tucked him into bed and pulled the covers over him.

“Good night.”

With a small whisper, Hestia blew out the candle, waved goodnight, and left the room.

A few moments later, the sound of Hestia’s footsteps echoed through the streets with a hiss, and Theo was left alone.

The boy rolled onto his side and curled into a ball, clutching the covers tightly.

He had only known Hestia for a day, but he was strangely comfortable with her. A vague, faint belief that she wouldn’t hurt him blossomed in his mind.

I felt an inexplicable sense of relief as she looked up at me with her usual light brown eyes.

She’d been told from a young age not to trust anyone, and she wondered how she’d let her guard down so quickly.

Was there something special about her? Or had she simply become comfortable with herself over a day?

Or was she as harmless as he felt she was, and he was just so relaxed?

I couldn’t make sense of my state.

“.…..It’s weird.”

Yes, it is. From the moment I met Hestia, everything was strange.

Her confident stride, her smooth white hands without a single callus, her casual gestures.

There was no sign of training in any of it, so Theo could only come up with flimsy excuses for why she’d made choices that her normal self would never have made.

“Hess, Tia.”

Theo murmured Hestia’s name low. He spat it out in the dim moonlight, the words scattering without a trace.

He’d woken up in a strange place and met her. I had never seen him before, but why did I feel an inexplicable sense of relief?

Maybe it was because of that relief.

It was here that I decided to put all my luck on the line…….

I had to survive, if only for the sake of those who had sacrificed their noble breath for my cheap life. The enemy must be close by, and I would not die for nothing.

“I‘d rather try my luck here.”

That was the boy’s decision. The words that left his lips were a will, a hope, a prayer.

Would the gods grant this prayer?

Theo’s eyelids fell heavily in the endless agony.

* * *

Hestia left the house, carrying two baskets in each hand, one full of herbs she had picked yesterday and the other full of something else.

One might cringe at the endless darkness of the forest path, but Hestia was unflinching, the sharp leaves and sharp thorns cutting into her tender skin, but she didn’t care.

Even as the eerie sounds of beasts great and small echoed around her, Hestia hummed to herself as if it were a joyous song.

How long had she walked?

It was only when her breathing became ragged that she stopped.

A small valley bathed in moonlight, with no trees to block the night sky.

The sound of gurgling water cooled Hestia’s right side as she walked.

“I need to gather herbs, pick tea leaves, make water to drink, and wash up!”

Hestia counted off the tasks on her fingers, and before she could catch her breath, she was back to her diligent work.

Time didn’t mean much to Hestia, so there was no reason to move so quickly, but the thought of someone waiting for her at home, worried about her, whether genuine or not, made her heart race.

“I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

Hestia busied herself, checking off one task after another.