The language humans use was unfamiliar. It wasn’t that it was inferior or anything like that. Even compared to the Hangul I still remembered, it was definitely harder to learn. The pronunciation and the letters were strange.
It seemed difficult even compared to the words Mother taught me.
Perhaps not. The reason I think the words Mother taught me were easier is probably because they were the first words of this world that I learned from her.
There’s nothing to compare it to anyway, and even then, I never had a chance to learn advanced grammar or such.
…The reason I couldn’t learn was because of that bastard father.
“…Alterra? Are you having trouble concentrating? If so, just say so. It’s better to learn when you want to rather than forcing yourself.”
Although there wasn’t anything specific, it was true that my focus was slipping, so I accepted Myungho’s suggestion.
“…Then let’s take a short break. I’m getting bored anyway.”
“Even so, this is pretty impressive. Honestly, I thought you’d skim through a few pages and quit. But sitting down and studying almost until the end at once? Surprising, isn’t it?”
…What exactly does that guy think of me? I lightly kicked my shins with my tail and flung myself onto the straw bed.
I could feel some straw breaking apart and the hard sensation through my cloak. I could confidently say that this was worse than the leather bed in my cave.
The sheets were worn out, showing strands of straw through the gaps, and it wasn’t soft at all. Yet, how can this human remain so calm and trustful, living in such harsh and poor conditions?
Even in relatively affluent villages, people have looked at me greedily with glittering eyes.
While lying down with my legs crossed, I stayed silent. Unable to bear the silence, Myungho, who had been stroking the knee he hit earlier, suddenly asked me a question.
“Alterra. What was your mother like? No bad intentions here. It’s just that you seem to love her.”
Hmm. There’s no ill intent, so there’s no reason not to tell him. With one eye half-open, I stared at the crack on the ceiling and recalled what kind of person Mother was.
“…She was a gentle person. She spent almost all her time in her room doing complicated… research-like things. But whenever I went in, she didn’t get angry or push me away; she played with young me.”
“Research? Do you know what kind of research?”
I was too young back then, lacking knowledge and yet to awaken my powers, so there was no way for me to know. Still… right.
“Bright stones… and floating blue lights. That’s all I know. Somehow, she always seemed tense and tired. It didn’t take long to realize it was because of Father.”
“…That’s regrettable.”
“Still, every time she saw me, she would insistently tell me to survive. Even if she disappeared, she wanted me to think of this necklace as her and to live on no matter what.”
I tightly gripped the necklace. Strangely, whenever I hold the crystal, it feels like I can sense Mother’s warmth. Perhaps it’s because this crystal from her experiments is the one attached to this necklace.
“I see… I don’t really have anything to say about it, but… um. You’ve worked hard. And if you ever have something troubling you, let us know. You’re not alone anymore, we’re together now.”
Does he really have to say such embarrassing things? Ignoring him roughly, I pushed the bed with my tail and returned to Myungho’s side.
“I’ve rested enough. Let’s start again. We don’t have much left, so let’s finish quickly.”
We hadn’t rested for even a few minutes, but since I don’t need sleep, it was enough time to recharge mentally. Myungho seemed slightly surprised but soon opened the book and taught me the remaining words.
“…Well, this is the end of what’s written in this book. I thought it would take a solid month to teach you everything, but this was fast. Still, I’ll check if you’ve learned properly, so review as well.”
There were many pronunciations that didn’t come naturally to my mouth. How do people manage to speak these words without their tongues getting tangled?
“Tongue, teeth, sun, moon, earth, soft…no, water.”
It will take quite a while to get used to this. While practicing pronunciation quietly by myself, the door creaked open and Yuna entered.
“Myungho! The villagers are holding a feast to celebrate reclaiming the village. Can you help out? The village chief is busy preparing food, so I came instead. Akashi is roasting meat.”
“Oh, is that so? You can’t miss a feast. Alterra, the villagers are holding a feast. Want to join? Akashi is cooking.”
“That dirty and cantankerous magician? Does he even know how to cook?”
“He may be unpleasant, but his cooking skills are top-notch. He claims even the Demon King praised his dishes… though I don’t know if that’s true.”
A feast? These impoverished villagers are holding a feast?
Thinking I might have heard wrong, I glanced out the window, but sure enough, many humans were gathered, chatting lively. In the center, a whole slaughtered animal was being roasted.
They really are. The moment I saw it, I began to suspect whether they might have tampered with the food.
Especially since the one overseeing the food preparation is Akashi. Considering his eccentric behavior during the day, he doesn’t seem very trustworthy.
“Dislike…”
Uh. Just as I was about to say that, I swallowed the words that had reached the tip of my tongue. Whether I like it or not, I’ll have to spend a long time with these guys, and Myungho also asked me to trust the villagers a bit.
“Dislike…?”
Most importantly, I don’t think these weaklings can do anything to me. Even if I were poisoned, I could easily wipe out an entire extermination squad. A bunch of frail humans wouldn’t even be worth my effort.
“…I mean, sure. I’ll go. But don’t expect me to help.”
Since I contributed the most to reclaiming this village, it wouldn’t be fair to ask me to do more, right? It’s certainly not because of my shy culinary skills.
“Great! You’re coming? Good! Yuna, tell them I’m coming! Make sure to prepare something especially delicious for Alterra!”
“Understood! You! Be sure to set aside the best for Alterra!”
…I used to like feasts, I think. Since coming to this world, I’ve lived like a savage, avoiding such gatherings, so I’d forgotten.
An unpleasant noise. The voices of people filled with anticipation and hope. Faces smiling despite no guarantee that tomorrow will be better.
Myungho was also joining in their joy, laughing and enjoying the moment.
…I thought about getting closer, but stopped because my tail caught my eye.
Monsters don’t belong in places where humans live. As soon as I approach, their laughter will fade, replaced by awkward silence.
Though humans don’t like me, I enjoy the happy sounds they create. It brings back good memories from the past.
So, this distance is appropriate.
For both them and me.
Using the trees as companions, I enjoyed their actions and laughter. Before I knew it, the atmosphere had grown lively, and the food Akashi prepared was brought to the table.
It looks delicious. Is there a place for me here? While hesitating, Myungho called me over.
“Alterra! Sorry, I said we’d be together, but I left you alone… Ahh, um, could you make some sort of stand with branches? It’s getting hot…”
He was carrying a large piece of meat and a plate of food.
The sizzling juices dripping from the meat, along with the steam rising, made it look so delicious that my mouth watered just looking at it. However, since the juices were dripping onto Myungho’s skin, I made a proper stand so he could put it down.
“It’s fine. It’s better for them if I’m not around. Besides… is it safe?”
Regardless of how appetizing it looks, he might have added something strange.
“Don’t worry about that. The villagers are already eating plenty, and no one’s rolling on the floor or anything, right? Hold on, I’ll grab some fire.”
After saying that, Myungho hurriedly ran off and soon returned with glowing embers in tongs, placing them under the makeshift stand. The already delicious food became even harder to resist as it warmed up.
“Looks good, doesn’t it? Wait a little longer. I know a way to make it taste even better. Sprinkle… this… done. Now eat. Wipe your drool first.”
I thought I had been eating decently until now, but comparing it to what’s in front of me now feels like a sacrilege to this meat.
It’s still a bit too hot to tear into with bare hands, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Entranced, I grabbed the bone ends with both hands and took a big, rough bite.
The crust was crispy like a pastry, bursting with salt and spices with each chew. Inside, it was tender and juicy, balancing out any overly stimulating flavors.
“…Delicious.”
“Right? Akashi is good at cooking, after all. Eat as much as you want! It’s not abundant, but there’s still plenty left for you.”
With every breath, the heat from the food radiated out of my body. The perfect blend of spicy, greasy, and salty flavors opened up a new horizon of taste.
“Delicious, delicious!”
“Aahaha… that enthusiastic? Looks like it suits your taste perfectly.”
“More!”
“Alright, Akashi! Give me a few more of those! What? Too much work? You didn’t do anything during the fight! At least do this much!”
For the first time, I truly felt fortunate to have followed these guys.
