The girl who had lost consciousness regained her senses a few minutes later.
“Heretics….”
Mumbling in her sleep, she subconsciously remembered her bright yellow gaze. As her eyes, which seemed almost inhuman, scanned the surroundings, Seonjang Monk immediately thrust a spoon towards her.
Now was the chance while the girl was still dazed.
The enticing aroma of food wafted back and forth right before her nose.
“Rice….”
The mouthwatering scent of warm white rice blended with the salty fragrance of fish fillets laid atop it.
Grrr—!
The girl’s stomach rumbled.
Had she ever had a proper meal?
No.
More often than not, she was stuck eating poison mushrooms, spoiled food that made her vomit, or gave her terrible stomachaches.
Swoosh—
The girl instinctively grabbed the spoon before she could even think.
“Good. Take it slow and eat.”
With the monk’s soothing voice that felt like a lullaby, she began to chew her food.
And just like that, she swallowed.
“Huh…?”
It was sweet.
So sweet and delicious that tears welled up in her eyes and saliva pooled in her mouth.
It wasn’t until the warm rice slid down her throat that she jolted back to reality!
“Oh! No! I won’t do whatever you ask for just because you feed me!”
Oh no!
In the underground, enjoying a delicious meal usually meant being asked for something unreasonable in return.
There were requests that were difficult to handle even with her abilities.
Such occasions often ended with her having to sacrifice a vital organ as the price for a wish, or even whole limbs disappearing.
Mia had no intention of accepting any such unreasonable requests in her current state!
Just as the girl was about to step back hesitantly…
“Isn’t this enough? Get up. Let’s go eat together.”
With the monk’s words, the door swung open as if waiting for that moment.
And then, an irresistible aroma began to waft in from beyond.
Huh…?
Was the air this sweet and tasty?
This type of scent was something she’d never encountered before in her life.
Sniff, sniff.
Before she knew it, she was subtly lifting her head, moving her nose to follow the smell.
Gulp.
Her salivary glands went wild, producing so much saliva she didn’t even need to drink water.
Unable to hold back any longer, the girl cautiously looked at Seonjang Monk.
“…What can I do to help?”
Her resolve wavered.
If she could eat that food, then perhaps granting a small wish might not be such a big deal…?
Yes.
Hadn’t Mia herself said that one should eat enough, on time, to be full?
Seeing her unusually relaxed inquiry, Seonjang Monk chuckled warmly.
“Oh, little one. My request is for you to eat.”
“…Huh?”
Eating is the request?
The girl stared blankly with her mouth agape.
This was, after all, the first time she had heard such a request.
“Come on. I’m getting thin as well. Let’s go eat together.”
Could he be serious?
He wouldn’t be dragging her back to the underground like this, would he?
Doubts bubbled up, but the girl’s reaction was honest.
She wanted to experience that warmth and the delicious, savory taste once more.
Subtly, the girl rose and followed Seonjang Monk at a safe distance.
Though it seemed she was still full of caution, maintaining her space behind him, Seonjang Monk was pleased.
He had kept the area empty for a long time, worried that the girl might faint again.
The monks had no choice but to change their mealtime, but no one complained.
After all, it was only natural for the adults to be considerate when a small child hadn’t been able to eat properly.
“Here, it’s your food.”
At the traditional-style table, Seonjang Monk pulled several bowls in front of the girl.
“…T-this is all mine?!”
The girl exclaimed in shock.
Isn’t this too much?!
“Haha, you need to eat a lot when you’re growing.”
It was distinctly odd.
In front of Seonjang Monk were just a bowl of soup, rice, and some green, yellow, and white garnishes.
But in front of the girl was a soup and rice that were double the size, with beautifully arranged, perfectly cooked white fish fillet laid out without a trace of grease.
Indeed.
The monks had prepared fish so meticulously that even a magnifying glass would be needed to inspect the bones thoroughly.
Could I really eat this?
No one would doubt the effort put into this meal laid out before her.
Comparing it to the slop that was usually served in her bowl made her feel guilty.
“Hey, why are you just sitting there? You waiting for this old man to starve to death?”
“Oh! No! I’ll eat!”
No matter what, she couldn’t let an old man go hungry!
In the end, the girl, who had been cautiously observing, began to carefully scoop up her rice.
She had her eyes on the fish fillet, but feeling guilty, she took a spoonful of plain rice first.
Even that was a blessing.
The warmth enveloping her mouth and the nutty aroma made it impossible to stop eating.
So this is what the heretics had been feasting on!
No wonder so many people fell into heresy!
Sniffle—
She took a sip of the brown soup, feeling adventurous.
It was slightly spicy, yet sweet and savory.
“Go on, eat up! What flavor do you expect out of just sipping miso soup like that?”
In the end, Seonjang Monk couldn’t just sit idly by.
Swoosh—
He heaped a mountain of rice on her plate, placing a piece of pristine white fish as large as his finger on top.
“Ah— open wide.”
“Huh?”
As he stuffed the rice into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up.
“Haha, now isn’t it stuck in your throat? Just drink the soup like this.”
Without missing a beat, he demonstrated by lifting the miso soup and gulping it down like broth.
“Mmm, mmm—”
Unable to swallow the rice whole, the girl followed suit and downed the miso soup.
Gulp—
“Ah…!”
It was hot.
But… it was delicious.
This soup balanced the richness of the fish.
Is this… food?!
The heretics… are amazing…!
The girl’s spooning quickly accelerated.
She hurriedly scooped rice and grabbed meat.
Her eating became almost mechanical, repeating over and over.
And then, it happened.
“Poison!”
The girl erupted in panic.
“Poison? Little one?”
It wasn’t that some crazy chef had mixed poison into her food.
It was simply that the enoki mushrooms Seonjang Monk had mentioned caught her eye.
“That’s poison! You can’t eat it!”
She recalled all too well the pain she had endured from eating that white mushroom!
No matter how suspicious the old man seemed with his heretical demeanor, she couldn’t let him eat poison!
In a flash, she reached for the chopsticks and snatched the enoki mushrooms from Seonjang Monk’s bowl, throwing them onto the table as if they’d turned into cockroaches.
Her disgusted gaze was just the icing on the cake.
“Haha… ahahaha…”
It was a situation he had never expected, leaving him flabbergasted.
How could such a cute and innocent child be subjected to such experiences?
“Are you worried about me?”
“If I eat that, I’ll get really sick! I might even die!”
He had laughed so much that tears started to well up.
And it wasn’t just him.
“Cough, cough! You… you ate poison? Quick, to the emergency room…”
“Calm down! Seonjang Monk! Your blood pressure!”
The monks who had been eavesdropping eagerly from the other side of the door were now shocked and staggered back.
Some were shocked by the fact that she was consuming poison.
Others were taken aback by her innocence for not even being able to identify mushrooms.
Meanwhile, the girl was utterly bewildered, unable to grasp why the others were coughing and wheezing.
No way… did they all unknowingly eat poison too…?!
Wringing her hands and feet in distress, she seemed ready to bolt at any moment.
Seonjang Monk finally managed to stifle his laughter, raising his chopsticks.
“Little one, this isn’t poison.”
To further prove his point, he nonchalantly picked up the enoki mushrooms sprawled on the table and tossed them into his mouth in one go.
“Whoa!”
The girl froze, hand extended in an effort to stop him.
But it was already too late.
The sound of him crunching the mushrooms echoed with abandon.
Now she really needed to wish for the poison to vanish…!
The trembling shoulders of the girl were as if she might spring up at any moment.
“Did you see? This is an edible mushroom, and it’s perfectly fine to eat. And we shouldn’t waste or leave behind food that everyone worked hard to prepare.”
Unfortunately, Seonjang Monk did not grasp the girl’s underlying feelings. He thought she must have understood well enough by now. With a proud smile, he dramatically began to eat another enoki mushroom.
At this point, rather than believing the enoki mushrooms weren’t poisonous, the girl assumed that Seonjang had some kind of special ability.
“Truly, these heretics…”
They couldn’t possibly be an ordinary, cunning group. How could he eat poison and still be fine?!
With those thoughts swirling in her mind, her guard was only heightened.
True to her disregard for Seonjang’s earlier words, after the meal concluded, her bowl still had plenty of soup and rice left.
“Mmm.”
Seonjang felt a mix of satisfaction and discomfort at that fact. Leaving food behind is a sin, but at least it was a relief that the girl had eaten her fill.
“Little one, why don’t we go for a walk now that you’ve finished?”
After all, he was the one who had over-prepared the meal, so he had no reason to blame the child.
Instead of commenting, he called upon the girl, who had a rather full belly.
He could assist with his healing abilities to ensure she wasn’t suffering from any discomfort, but that was a secondary option. It was best for her digestion to get some movement after a hearty meal.
“…Together?”
“Yes. The scenery nearby should be quite lovely.”
“Is that a request?”
The question felt oddly chilly, but it wasn’t meant as an order.
“Yes.”
Only after his affirmative did the girl quietly rise.
“Please wait a moment at the door. I’ll tidy up the tableware.”
“Yes.”
If there were any issues with the girl, she could resolve them gradually while living together.
Once he confirmed the child had disappeared beyond the door, he called for the monks who had insufficient training.
“Did you all know we were here?”
“Tsk tsk, with all that ruckus outside, it would be more strange not to notice.”
Under normal circumstances, even an elderly monk like Seonjang would have done the tidying up and washing himself. But after accommodating the girl, he believed the monks needed some education, given how overly excitable they were acting.
“Would anyone care to eat the leftovers…”
Before Seonjang could finish his sentence,
“I will! I’ll eat the leftovers.”
The scrawny Doyun Monk enthusiastically stepped forward.
These days, even the two kids who had left them had tiny appetites, often leaving behind side dishes.
Although it was a different child, seeing a similar outcome made his heart ache unexpectedly.
“I’ll tidy up what’s left of the table as well.”
Seeing his reddened eyes, it was clear he was struggling with his emotions.
“Ah…”
Seonjang knew he was suffering from the pain of losing a child. He had thought time and training would ease that pain, but it seemed meeting this girl had brought about some kind of change.
Normally, he would have admonished that one should separate personal feelings from duty, but at that moment, Seonjang just nodded silently.
It was a sign he entrusted the clean-up to Doyun.
*
After the happy mealtime passed, as Seonjang followed the girl out, he was engulfed by an inexplicable emptiness amidst the darkening mountainous landscape.
“…I too, am lacking in my training.”
It was like having gained a granddaughter, and the shared laughs over the meal awakened the realities he had tried so hard to forget.
How many children like her had perished due to his inability?
There were children who could have lived happily like this.
Indeed, even if there was a situation that led him out of the temple, he should have found a way to utilize his abilities somehow.
Having abilities yet failing to use them was ultimately borne out of selfishness and complacency.
“Ah…”
Seonjang paused to look up at the lonely moon in the night sky.
At that moment, the girl walking ahead, who had been maintaining her distance, quickly sensed something was off.
That sigh…
And that expression.
It resembled a response from people who had come to request wishes from her.
“…Do you have something on your mind?”
That must suggest she was indeed troubled.
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