Donner was left at the clinic, and we returned to the empty house where everyone was staying.
Jagged Rock seemed to like the food, which was unlike anything he’d eaten before.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go get more, then,” I said.
As I left the room with a plate, he followed me for some reason. Was his injury already better? There was something animalistic about him, making it hard to read his expressions. He was gnawing on a wooden spoon, seemingly pleased with it.
“Ah, Hiro! He’s down! I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Piyo chirped, as he approached. Jagged Rock flinched away from Piyo’s overly enthusiastic approach.
“Hey, hey, you shouldn’t startle him like that,” I admonished.
“I’m sorry, but I’m just happy he’s better,” Piyo replied.
At the table, Blitz was devouring meat. He was quite a sight himself.
“Hey, don’t hog it all!” Nina complained.
“Shut up. I’ll hunt a deer for you next time. I haven’t eaten in three days,” Blitz retorted.
Nina pouted, her food having been taken. Keraino was also eating with his hands, eschewing cutlery. This was something a High Elf would likely dislike. I ladled fresh stew from the pot and offered it to Jagged Rock.
“Use the spoon to eat,” I instructed.
He snatched the plate and this time, he actually poked the spoon in. After checking the temperature, he began eating with his hands. He then spotted a fragment of meat that Keraino had dropped and popped it into his mouth.
“Speaking of which, why were you with humans?” Blitz asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looking at Jagged Rock on the floor.
“Bridge, teach place. Stop fight,” Jagged Rock mumbled.
“Huh? I don’t really get it, but you taught him how to cross over here? You were also injured by that archer? If I ever see that brat again, I’ll rip off his arm.” Blitz tossed the bone from his finished meat onto the floor. Jagged Rock picked it up and clutched it protectively. Because of his crude eating habits, Philiana and everyone else at the table had already left. Even Pauline was at a loss, holding her head.
“You need to wipe your hands. Don’t touch the chairs with oily hands. And you shouldn’t eat things that have fallen on the floor.”
When Pauline approached, Jagged Rock hissed defensively and ran away with the bone.
“…Really now, sigh.”
“Sorry about that.”
It was all my fault for bringing this wildling here. Still, Pauline wasn’t the only one tired. Honestly, I was incredibly exhausted. My own injuries had yet to fully recover. Despite being in a High Elf village, no one was treating me.
What was the point of light magic then? I didn’t want any more troublesome things to happen. I sat down on a chair and bit into a piece of bread, my first meal in a long time. I took out the compass given to me by the Mermaid Princess and looked at it. The needle pointed steadfastly in one direction.
“Um, what is this white rose that this compass points to?” I asked.
“That’s a giant magic stone in the Land of Sweets, of course,” Blitz replied.
…What? The Land of Sweets? Did Blitz just say that? Was I mishearing?
“The Land of Sweets?” I questioned.
“It’s just as the name suggests. Everything is made of sweets, and only small beings live there,” Blitz explained.
Huh? Suddenly nonsensical words were coming up. Hmm, I vaguely remembered someone saying before that the sinners on this island had all been transformed into cute forms. It was said that skilled mages, who were exiled from their homelands, gathered on the fated island.
Was the magic stone called the White Rose something they had created? And were the small beings descendants of those sinners who had their forms changed long ago? But how did that connect to the Land of Sweets? Just as I was about to ask another question, I heard the door bang open.
“Is your name Sharin? That’s a nice name! Hey, hey, marry me, I (cat-like speech)! We can live happily forever in a big house!”
Right, I had forgotten. I had left Orion with Sharin and headed towards Keraino. Sharin, having been pestered by him constantly from behind, had a look of extreme displeasure on her face.
“Don’t ignore me! What’s your favorite food?”
I felt an intense killing intent radiating from behind me. I signaled to Sharin to take that guy and leave. Foolish Orion didn’t notice.
“Get out now if you don’t want to die.”
“Hah, don’t be angry. I (cat-like speech) have reflected on my actions, okay?”
I heard the sound of a chair moving with a clatter. Well, I had saved him once, and I had no obligation to help him further.
“Hey, you little brat, what are you doing here?”
“Waaah, scary! You came to kill me (cat-like speech) again. This is traumatic!”
Orion hid behind Sharin. Sharin, meanwhile, was staring into the void with dead eyes.
“I said I was sorry. Are you still holding a grudge? So gloomy.”
Black clouds began to rise throughout the room, so I had to intervene. At least kill me *after* we’re gone, I thought. Sigh, why is everything so exhausting?
“Heh heh, hey Sharin, I (cat-like speech) will make you happy for a lifetime. Marry me, I’ve fallen in love. Huh? Why is a Siren here?”
I had apparently incurred too much resentment for them to stop me.
