Chapter 3: The Black-Haired Boy
Lydia peered outside.
“…!”
Her eyes widened involuntarily.
There, collapsed on the ground, was a wounded boy wearing clothes more tattered than she had ever seen.
His black hair was in disarray, and his eyes were tightly shut.
“T-This is terrible!”
Lydia hurriedly stood up.
In her haste, she banged her head against the stair railing with a thud and grabbed her head, groaning.
Then, wobbling as she got to her feet, she said,
“F-First, medicine and water!”
And rushed to the kitchen.
She took a small cup and a water jug, along with a recovery potion she had prepared earlier, and headed back to the hole.
Rolling up her sleeves, she stretched her arm out as far as she could and placed the cup of water and the bottle of recovery potion outside the hole.
Murmuring “Please” to the rabbits, several of them hopped onto the boy and began bouncing up and down.
“Ugh… it hurts…”
The boy let out a faint groan and slowly opened his eyes.
Ruby-like red eyes were revealed.
He painfully pushed himself up and looked suspiciously at the rabbits hopping beside him.
Then, noticing the cup and the potion bottle placed at the base of the tree, he made a puzzled expression.
Lydia raised her voice.
“Um, please drink that! It’s medicine!”
The boy flinched, his shoulders trembling.
He looked around warily.
“…W-Who are you?”
“I’m inside the tree. I can’t get out, so don’t worry.”
The boy cautiously peered into the hole.
“…I can’t see anything.”
“It’s darker on this side, so you can’t see me. But don’t worry, that medicine is good.”
Hearing Lydia’s gentle voice, the boy picked up the cup.
He took one cautious sip, then gulped it down greedily, and after steeling himself, he drank the potion in one go.
Thank goodness, Lydia thought, placing a hand over her chest in relief.
“Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then wait just a moment.”
Lydia plucked an apple and rolled it out through the hole.
The boy caught it quickly, murmured “Thank you,” and began eating with enthusiasm.
Seeing that, Lydia felt relieved and lifted her face away from the hole.
While handing him water and apples as he asked through the hole, she fell into thought.
‘This child is human, isn’t he. I wonder where he came from.’
His features were very well-defined, his eyes large and adorable.
Though his clothes and body were dirty, he somehow seemed refined.
Since this forest lay along the border with the human kingdom, perhaps he had wandered in by mistake.
‘Does the human side not have magical beasts?’
She sighed, thinking she wished she could let him inside, but knowing it was impossible.
When the boy finished eating, Lydia asked him a question.
“Where did you come from?”
“…A house over that way.”
“Is it close from here?”
“…More or less.”
Lydia frowned worriedly.
She wondered if he might be attacked before making it home.
Just then.
She heard the boy cry out, “Whoa!”
Startled, Lydia peered into the hole.
There stood a small deer.
It gazed at Lydia through the hole with gentle eyes.
“Could it be… are you going to escort him?”
The deer lowered its head as if to say yes.
‘Thank goodness.’
Feeling relieved, Lydia called out to the boy.
“You should follow that deer. Would you like to take some apples as a souvenir?”
“…Yeah.”
Lydia brought several apples and rolled them toward the hole.
The boy stuffed his pockets full of apples.
Then, just as he was about to leave, he turned around.
“…Hey, can I come again?”
Lydia smiled.
She would be happy if he came again, but she worried whether it might be dangerous, or whether his family would worry.
“Of course you can, but won’t it be dangerous?”
“It’s fine.”
“I see… but make sure to ask your family properly first, okay?”
“…Yeah.”
The deer and the boy walked away.
Watching their retreating figures through the small hole, Lydia let out a sigh.
She felt just a little envious of being able to walk freely.
After the boy was no longer visible, she returned to her room.
Perhaps because it had been so long since she had rushed about like that, she felt extremely tired.
Then, as she flopped onto her bed,
“I hope that child makes it home safely.”
She murmured, and drifted off to sleep.