Donner, who was on the verge of death, was to be treated by a High Elf doctor.
“Why is your hand so injured?”
Cecilia wiped away the blood and bandaged it for me.
“This guy held my Sacred Sword with his dirty hands. Right at the tip.”
“That’s because you pointed your sword at me. This High Elf was the one who attacked first.”
If I hadn’t done that back there, Lorenz wouldn’t have introduced me to a doctor.
“My pure blood has been defiled by human blood.”
“Who, Cecilia, don’t misunderstand. You think so too, Blitz, don’t you?”
“Elf swords are somehow smooth and light, aren’t they?”
“What did you say, are you trying to insult me?!”
Cecilia let out a long sigh. By the way, I’m currently in an empty house that everyone has borrowed. It seems I was able to borrow a place to stay after returning to the village. I didn’t ask how they managed it.
“Hmph, a beast that doesn’t even carry a sword wouldn’t understand its value.”
“I don’t need a sword. Because I have my fingertips, I can feel the prey directly.”
Blitz showed off his sharp claws to Lorenz. They were well maintained, without any chips even at the very tips.
“What is that of yours? A dagger, like a woman would carry.”
“Huh? This? This is an Enchanted Sword. It’s real, you know. Touch it if you don’t believe me.”
How impolite. This dagger has saved my life countless times. Honestly, a sword isn’t just about length. Lorenz looked at me with a condescending gaze from above. I was annoyed that he was taking advantage of his height.
“It suits your short legs and long torso, like, ouch!! What are you doing?!”
Karubene poked Lorenz, who was nagging him, in the behind with his sword. Blitz couldn’t hold back his laughter at this.
“Enough with the talk, shouldn’t you be going to report to Aubry?”
“What do you mean, ‘enough with the talk’? I’ll leave this beastly smelling place without being told.”
Lorenz clicked his heels and left. What an utterly rude guy. Even though he followed me here on his own.
“Brother, more importantly, could you take care of that Siren?”
“Ah, Jagged Rock, were you okay?”
According to Karubene, he was seriously injured and on the verge of death, but somehow still breathing. He said he was sleeping in a room on the second floor of this house. I went to the room he mentioned.
“Hey, Jagged Rock, are you there? Are you okay?”
He was lying on the floor with the sheets. As I ran over to him, he slowly sat up. He was covered in bandages, but he was definitely breathing. I helped him back onto the bed.
“It’s me, the human Hiroaki.”
“Human… Where is this?”
Jagged Rock rubbed his eyes and tried to remove the bandages. I hurriedly stopped him, but he seemed uncomfortable with the unfamiliar dressing and tried to peel it off. The small bandage on a minor wound was removed. He needs one of those collars that animals wear after surgery.
“Don’t touch it. Endure it until it heals. Also, you must be hungry, so I’ll bring you something. Don’t touch it while I’m gone.”
I went downstairs and brought the stew that Pauline had made. He waited without touching it. On the floor. Why did he want to get down on the ground?
“Do you like the floor? Well, whatever. Here, eat.”
I thought he would thrash around more when he woke up, but perhaps he was different from other Sirens. There was a certain calmness about him. However, his basic nature hadn’t changed. He brought his nose close to the stew I gave him with a suspicious look.
Then, he simply stuck his finger in.
“Gah!”
“Whoa, careful!”
I was inches away from spilling the stew. Jagged Rock moved away and licked his finger. It looked like I had intentionally given him something hot and burned him.
“You have to eat with a spoon, you know. Here, with this.”
Jagged Rock sniffed the spoon I handed him and bit down on the handle. I was completely wrong in thinking of bringing stew.
“No, you hold it like this. And then scoop.”
When I tried to make him hold it like a spoon, he pulled his hand back and hissed at me. Reluctantly, I showed him how. He still didn’t seem to get it, so in the end, I gave him some that had cooled down.
He ate the cold stew on the floor, completely engrossed. He was like a dog that could use its hands.
“So, why did you save me? If you hadn’t told me about the bridge back there, I wouldn’t have been driven out of the flock.”
Jagged Rock peeked out from behind the plate he had licked.
“Companion died, killed by lightning. Scared, I am weak. Cannot go back.”
Was he scared after seeing his companion killed by Aurion? But I don’t think he’s weak. Perhaps seeing his dying companions reminded him of the faces of his loved ones. He realized that if things continued this way, more sacrifices would be made.
“Fight, no feeling. If die, go to sea. I cannot return. Go to sea alone.”
“No. What do you think I saved you for? You’re not weak. Live properly until you die.”
Jagged Rock stared at me with eyes that lacked whites. Then, he tilted his head like a parrot.
“This is tasty.”
I picked up the plate that was on the floor. It was licked clean, but if he was going to live, he would have to learn to use a spoon eventually.
