Today, I have two pieces of good news.
One is that I’ve received a reward for completing my mission. Inside were canned food, bread, and meat. In this situation, having proper food like this was worth its weight in gold.
Of course, I had plenty of food. But I had no intention of eating it. Because it was all stuff that the Time Stop Breeding Uncle had stolen from others.
After I had cursed the Time Stop Breeding Uncle, it would be downright hypocritical for me to eat the food he had stolen. It felt like a classic case of “do as I say, not as I do.”
But I couldn’t just throw away precious food like that. So, I shared the stolen food from the Time Stop Breeding Uncle with the people who couldn’t get any.
Of course, I couldn’t just openly hand it out. If they asked where it came from, I’d have nothing to say. So, I stopped time and secretly distributed it. And then came the second piece of news.
“I lost so much weight! Hooray!”
Actually, this was the most important news. The Time Stop Breeding Uncle’s appearance? Well, let’s just say it looked like a pig that had doubled its size.
There was no way he looked human. He was closer to an orc. Yet, I had become that way. At first, I seriously considered just ending it all.
But no, I worked hard until now, and I didn’t want to waste that effort. Finally, I managed to shed the orc appearance. Of course, I still looked like a middle-aged guy with a big belly.
“Looks like that one hour of hell I went through paid off.”
Wasn’t it Iniesta the glutton? It took me a whole hour to catch him. That effort made me lose a ton of weight. Basically, my Time Stop Ability consumes a lot of stamina.
I had been sawing away at him for a full hour without rest. Naturally, it was tough. If I hadn’t gained stamina and know-how from frequently using the Time Stop Ability, I probably wouldn’t have lasted and the ability would have worn off quickly. Most definitely, I would have been dead. Clarence might have survived somehow. Darn lucky guy.
Anyway, feeling that lack of skill from that time, I was working hard on training today too. I had to at least be as good as a regular knight, if not someone like Clarence.
“Hey, mister! Mister!”
“What?”
“Are you still training?”
“No, it’s all done now.”
I answered while putting away my sword. I was deliberately trying to maintain a stiff tone, or else I’d slip into the Time Stop Breeding Uncle’s annoying way of speaking.
While I could keep that stiff manner, I could control myself to an extent. Suddenly, the little red-haired kid had grabbed my sleeve.
Looks like today’s training was over. It could be done later when I’m alone, but the kid would be alone without me. A necessary compromise, I suppose.
Honestly, I wondered if this was okay. I could barely take care of myself, and while I had some acquaintance with them, I was doing something I couldn’t take responsibility for. I pondered this multiple times.
“Wow, it’s snowing.”
“Is it already winter?”
“Mister! If the snow piles up, we can make a snowman!”
“…Yeah, let’s do that.”
But looking at the cheerful face of the little kid made me think that it didn’t matter one way or another. The kid was happily jumping in the snow while I watched.
“By the way, what time is it now?”
That thought suddenly crossed my mind. The game’s story was about the annihilation of the Royal Knights being rebuilt by the protagonist. Which meant the Royal Knights would be annihilated.
Surprisingly, there had never been detailed information about the previous Royal Knights. They mentioned how strong they were, but never how they were annihilated.
It was mentioned that they fell seven years before the protagonist joined the Royal Knights. Given the current situation, it must mean they had been annihilated some time ago or would soon be.
It would be nice if I could stop it, but unfortunately, I didn’t have that much power right now. Ultimately, I had no choice but to stand by. At that moment, the little kid suddenly stuck their face in front of me.
“Mister! You were lost in thought again, right?!”
“I was just thinking for a sec.”
“I haven’t seen you in days. Play with me too!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Now, the kid was climbing onto my back, rubbing their face on my head. I chuckled and hoisted the kid onto my back. It had been this way ever since I returned after completing the mission.
I suppose they were feeling really lonely from not seeing me for so long. I mean, considering their age, it made sense. I soothed the kid while we started walking toward town.
With the snow falling, the people were busier than ever. They pulled out their stored firewood and lit it up. They reinforced their tents to keep warm. Cold is always the worst enemy.
Especially when supplies were scarce. Speaking of which, I wondered how the kid’s home was doing. I’d seen it a few times when I distributed food, and it was in pretty bad shape.
“How’s your home?”
“It’s still holding up for now!”
“I don’t need to see it to know. Just come to my place.”
“Huh? But that’s…”
“Don’t turn me down. You’ll freeze to death like that.”
“Okay, okay…”
Maybe it was too cold, but the kid’s face turned as red as a radish. They were having fun playing in the snow earlier, so it was understandable to feel the cold. I hurried my steps.
Back at the cabin, I tossed the firewood I’d stored into the stove. And then I lit it with a torch. Soon, with a crackling sound, the firewood began to burn.
I had collected enough firewood to share, and I had food stored from working as a guard. With all that, I could cover one little kid. I pulled out a can.
“Eat this.”
“I-I don’t know if I should take something like this.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Huh?”
“Kids just need to be kids.”
At least that was sincere. Thanks to the food the Time Stop Breeding Uncle stole, I could take care of not just this kid but also others. At least it was useful.
Of course, I had no intention of defending the Time Stop Breeding Uncle in any way. The kid quickly opened the can. I nodded as I watched.
Thanks to the warm fire that blazed at the center of the cabin, warm heat filled it. After finishing the meal and zoning out while looking at the fire, the kid suddenly spoke up.
“Mister, can I ask you for a favor?”
“If I can do it, I will.”
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
“…???”
Suddenly?
*
Waiting is an unbearable pain.
Especially in situations where there’s nothing to do but wait for someone precious. That pain is multiplied. Little girls know the agony of waiting all too well.
One day, her mom said that if you pray earnestly to God, your wishes will come true. So, the little girl prayed. She prayed and prayed until her hands became like her feet.
But in the end, God didn’t listen to her prayers. Her parents never returned. More accurately, they couldn’t. The end of her pointless waiting was hell.
But today, they would surely come.
Today, they would definitely return.
Just wait until today.
Unrewarded feelings wear away and gnaw at oneself. And once again, the little girl was left waiting. The mister had gone out on his mission. She couldn’t believe it.
Could it be, no way, right?
That’s right. The mister promised.
He would definitely come back.
Only then did the little girl realize that sitting and praying was ultimately meaningless. Precious things must be protected with one’s own hands. Otherwise, they are lost.
[What are you doing alone?]
[Mister…?!]
[Yeah, I’m back.]
The first person to return, the one who rewarded her waiting. The little girl felt a surge of emotions well up. In her heart, there was only one person— the mister.
Crushing loneliness drives a desire for attention. And once she felt that warmth again, she became obsessed with it. Because she knew that coldness all too well.
The little girl never wanted to go back to that time. Surviving alone, praying uselessly, hoping in vain, and forcing herself to live day by day.
“I haven’t seen you in days! Play with me too!”
And the little girl’s desperate wish turned into action. She didn’t want to lose him to anyone. She wanted him all to herself. But the mister wouldn’t only look at her. It was only natural.
After all, he was a hero. The little girl knew. She knew that he was sharing firewood and food with others, including herself. So what should she do?
How can I get the mister to look at me? Just throwing a tantrum wouldn’t be enough. She thought and thought again. And finally, the little girl realized it. She just had to become strong.
“Mister, can I ask you for a favor?”
The mister, the incredibly caring and cool mister. But nobody knew anything about him. That’s why the little girl wished that others would never know.
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
When the mister was gone, that time was hell for the little girl.
Knowing that now, she no longer hesitated.
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