Chapter Eight: Cellar Emotions
I…
Should I be grateful and thank her?
But that woman is nothing short of a villain.
She did those things, causing so many deaths…
Yet, she saved me…
Why…
I stood frozen in place, slowly, slowly tightening my fists.
“Who asked you to…”
Who asked you to save me…
But those words ended up stuck in my throat, unable to escape.
Because if she hadn’t saved me, the consequences… just thinking about it made every muscle in my body tense up, and I felt a wave of nausea creeping in.
I really am grateful.
Grateful that I didn’t fall into Angel’s hands, or the Church’s, that I didn’t lose my important memories, and didn’t end up as just another tool for the Church. That feeling, whether I want to admit it or not, is genuine, pouring from my heart out to my fingertips, and even to every single strand of hair.
I shook my head vigorously to stop myself from overthinking, trying to fling those tangled emotions out of my head for the time being.
So, how long have I been asleep…?
No idea.
I didn’t dare to ask the townsfolk. I had no clue how long I’d been away from the Western Continent, or when I arrived here… I should definitely have asked them.
Father, Mother, my brothers, and Viki…
They must have no idea that I’m already in the Eastern Continent…
And what about the end of the war in Silgaya, the Deity Body that appeared in Woodward Forest, what did the Church ultimately do about that battle, and my part in it…?
Did they cover it up or spread it far and wide…?
Would everyone think I’ve already died in that battle…?
My mind was in disarray, and the more I thought, the heavier my heart felt. I felt like I was drifting away, staring blankly, slowly making my way to the wooden table. I picked up the lamp, which had been sitting there for who knows how long, held it up to my eyes, only to find the wick charred black, though there was still some wax left.
So, I rummaged through the dirt hut for a bit and finally found a flint and some dry grass on the cupboard. After much effort, I managed to light the lamp, holding it high, lifting the wooden cover, and stepping onto the stone staircase that led to the cellar.
The steps were steep, extending downwards at almost a 45° angle, and the entire passage seemed like it had been carved out by human hands. The dirt walls were rough and uneven, and it was very narrow; even I had to stoop to make my way down.
If an ordinary person walked here every day, they’d likely misstep one day and “thud”—roll down and probably end up half dead… the passage was at least twenty meters long.
To keep myself from getting trapped in some pointless tangle of thoughts again, I imagined that woman tumbling down here, smashing her head open.
Once I reached the bottom of the steps, in front of me stood a decrepit wooden door, its rusty chain still hanging there, but the lock was already open. I held up my lamp and pushed the door inward.
Creeeak—
Stale air rushed out to greet me, and dust from above fluttered down. I frowned and brushed off the dust that had settled on my shoulder. As I stepped into the cellar, I suddenly remembered something and instinctively touched my forehead, glancing down at myself.
No horns on my head…
No wings on my back, either. I was wearing a coarse long shirt that looked a bit like the robes from the Western Continent, but with slight differences; the hem was split open and almost knee-length, and the shirt was adorned with colorful patterns that made it look dazzling yet cheap.
Of course, I was also wearing pants—loose-fitting long trousers with almost the same pattern, but still made of low-quality fabric. They were airtight and should offer good wind protection, at least.
I wasn’t wearing any shoes, my bare feet chilling against the cold ground. How did I miss that? This outfit was clearly changed on me after I arrived here…
Who did this!?
I suddenly felt alarmed, but then remembered the townsfolk’s peculiar attitude towards me—it had to be that woman…
“Tsk.”
I scratched my backside, only to realize I was completely bare underneath… um… what do I do about this?
Although the pants were windproof enough to keep me from feeling chilly, it was still a bit weird. I couldn’t exactly ask the townsfolk about it…
Plus, I should probably have bathed a long time ago, right?
With that thought, I lifted my arm, bringing my nose close to my wrist for a sniff.
Hmm…
The scent of lilacs was strong…
But aside from that, there was no other foul smell…
Is there a place to wash up here?
My head felt itchy…
I pouted a little, pondering all these thoughts while holding the lamp, and walked over to the nearby wooden table, setting the lamp down. Looking around, I noticed… wow, this place is actually really big, bigger than I anticipated, probably at least two hundred square meters… maybe more.
The cellar was cluttered with boxes and baskets, and there was a pile of discarded stones in one corner. Other than that, it looked surprisingly clean, even cleaner than the dirt hut outside. I spotted the bed I had been lying in earlier, which couldn’t really be defined as a bed. It was just a long platform made from flattened stones covered with a layer of cotton, surrounded by white curtains, probably to keep out bugs.
Heh…
I could actually stay here for a couple of days.
After lighting the lamp, the whole cellar brightened up, with a ceiling height of at least three meters, giving me plenty of space to move around. I could even practice swordsmanship here.
Too bad Captain Gray is gone…
“Ha—”
I sighed.
Forget it, let’s see those books first…
I stepped towards the bookshelf, and just then, I heard footsteps from outside the door. I turned to look and saw that little girl from earlier had returned.
“G-grandpa, let me… light… the lamp…”
The little girl had changed into a pair of pants and shoes. When I came in, I hadn’t closed the door, and now she stood at the entrance, nervously holding a torch. When she saw me looking, it was as if she was frozen in place, standing back a bit, on the verge of tears.
I nodded at her.
Then the girl shuffled in, nervously tiptoeing as she didn’t dare move closer to me, instead going to the other end to light the lamp on the wall, stealing glances at me, looking away as soon as our eyes met. Her cautious demeanor made me chuckle inwardly as I shook my head, casually picking up a booklet from the bookshelf.
“Um, um, big sister… sir…”
The girl spoke up again from not far away.
“Grandpa… told me to tell you that recently… some knights have visited the town…”
Just as I flipped open the booklet in my hand, I furrowed my brow upon hearing her words.
“Knights?”
“Yup… Grandpa said they… might want to capture you…”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Who…”
Noticing my serious tone, the girl shivered in fright and fumbled over her words: “I… I don’t know… I just feel like they don’t seem like good people… Grandpa, Grandpa said that since I’m still young, I should tell you this, and maybe you’d believe me… and want to hide in the cellar so those people won’t find you…”
What’s going on…
Has the Church already found this place!?
It can’t be…
“Grandpa also said to respect you, to let me talk to you more, get closer so you know we mean no harm… but… I’m scared…”
The little girl was at her breaking point, spilling all of her grandpa’s instructions without me even asking. Her voice quivered as she said: “M-mister, could you, could you tell Grandpa to swap me out for someone else…?”
