Ch.104Two Faces (4)

*

Pia disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

I had been ignoring her, thinking it would be difficult to talk with her in front of Silvia, and it seemed she had gotten upset.

Of course, Silvia wasn’t the only reason I kept ignoring Pia.

I was also confused about why the baby fox had transformed into a child, and I hadn’t yet adjusted to her changed appearance.

Moreover, her constant begging to play with her reminded me of Laila somehow, which made it even harder.

Thinking about how the Green Lady also had a human form, perhaps spirits become more human-like as they grow.

How fast do spirits grow? What are the conditions for their growth?

There was still so much I didn’t know, but since there was no immediate way to find out, I decided to focus on the matters at hand.

Thanks to the various items Silvia had brought, the cabin was starting to feel like a proper living space.

We now had various odds and ends, tools, and three sets of cloth clothing each.

While Silvia, who used to go around naked, and I, who was practically bare, had been no different from primitive humans, we could now clearly call ourselves civilized people.

Silvia seemed slightly displeased, as if she had enjoyed being naked, but she finally agreed to wear clothes after my desperate pleas.

Fortunately, thanks to my magic working properly, the unpleasant smell from the clothes had mostly disappeared, and wearing all three sets at once provided decent protection against the cold.

As a result, Silvia now went hunting for an hour or two during the day, and I spent my days cutting wood and making simple furniture like chairs and bed frames.

I decided to use the deerskin we had been using as a blanket as bedding for the frame, as I judged it couldn’t be processed into clothing.

Of course, it was a hard and uncomfortable bed with no softness whatsoever, but it was satisfyingly warm compared to sleeping on the bare ground.

Silvia supplied a small amount of leather every day through hunting, and I made one piece of necessary furniture each day.

I also occasionally repaired the armor made from the damaged leather clothes Silvia had brought.

It was a much busier life than I had expected, but having something to immerse myself in was a blessing in a forest with no entertainment or work.

Moreover, Silvia’s yearning expressions as she clung to me whenever I had a moment to spare, and Pia’s occasional appearances begging to be petted, also made this forest life happy.

They say anywhere can become home if you grow attached to it.

One day, two days, and then a week.

As time passed, just like Silvia’s old cabin, I began to grow fond of this flawed cabin.

*

“No.”

“Sister Silvia, I’m telling you it’ll be fine for just a little while.”

“I said no!”

One day, as the leather armor I was making for her was nearly complete.

Silvia and I had been arguing intensely since morning.

Pia, who had been purring contentedly while being petted by me when Silvia was away, fled to the inner loft when the commotion started, peeking out with just her head to watch our argument.

Silvia sighed and said to me:

“Do you have any idea how much magi is still out there?”

“No, I don’t, since I haven’t been able to go out.”

“Really? Then do you know how sad and painful it was for me to watch you dying, being corrupted by magi? You saw that firsthand, so you should know. Go ahead, answer me.”

“…Sister Silvia.”

The argument was about visiting a grave.

Living in a forest without a calendar, and having spent several months in the spirit realm, I had lost track of the exact date, but I could still roughly estimate the season from the weather, temperature, and the colorful changing leaves.

It was clearly early winter, just as the full winter was beginning.

Whether it was today or tomorrow, last week or next week,

I didn’t know the exact date, but Laila’s birthday was definitely around this time.

I told Silvia, who had returned in the morning after being away during the night, that I wanted to visit Laila’s grave for a while.

I could have left without saying anything, but knowing how anxious Silvia would be if I disappeared without a word, I deliberately waited for her to return.

However, Silvia wouldn’t let me go, even though I just wanted to pay a brief greeting to Laila.

“I know. Sister Silvia is doing this because she’s worried about me… how could I not understand that?”

“…”

“But she’s my sister. I won’t stay long. You can come with me if you want. I’ll just say hello and come back.”

“Ash… Laila is,”

Silvia started to say something but quickly closed her mouth and lowered her head.

I felt like I knew what she was going to say.

Something like, Laila is already dead, so forget about her.

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and spoke slowly, trying to maintain the kindest tone possible.

“I was fine for a few days before. This time it won’t even take an hour. I promise.”

“Outside is dangerous.”

“And I’m weak, I know. But I still have to do this.”

“I said no. There’s no other conclusion to this conversation.”

“But you go out every night!”

“Because I’m strong.”

Despite her resolute attitude, I ended up raising my voice.

“Why are you so adamant that I can’t go?”

“Are you really asking me that?”

Silvia firmly gripped my shoulders with both hands.

I had occasionally felt her strong grip when she held me before, but today her strength felt even more powerful than usual, as if it were crushing my shoulders.

It seemed she had been controlling her strength when touching or holding me normally.

I grimaced and let out a groan.

She looked at me, slowly shook her head, and opened her trembling lips.

“…I don’t want to. I can’t lose you again. I’ve… I’ve only just found you.”

“…”

“I know it’s frustrating… I understand, Ash. Why wouldn’t I understand… I also…”

“I’m not trying to go out because I’m frustrated.”

“I’m sorry… but couldn’t you consider my feelings a little more? If something were to happen to you…”

“…”

She was trying to persuade me with a voice tinged with emotion.

Her disorganized speech and manner actually conveyed her sincerity more clearly, making me want to listen to her as much as possible.

But I couldn’t.

Birthdays, various anniversaries, and then death anniversaries.

I feared that if I forgot one by one, eventually my feelings for Laila would fade from my heart.

If I compromised once, the guilt and longing for her that I should keep for a lifetime might gradually be buried in daily life.

Laila, who lost her precious life at such a young age.

With our parents no longer alive, if even I forgot her, who would remember that a lovely child named Laila Staff once existed in this world?

Despite her desperate plea, I slowly shook my head.

“I have to go, Sister.”

“…Even if I beg like this?”

Her words and expression seemed so fragile, as if they would shatter at the slightest touch.

How lovable it was that this woman, who could kill me with just one finger, was pleading rather than threatening or coercing me.

I slowly calmed my anger and took a deep breath.

Then I stroked her arms that were gripping my shoulders, gradually moving my hands toward her torso.

Soon, I gently embraced her waist and spoke in a quiet voice.

“You said we should become family.”

“…!”

“I now consider you my family, Sister Silvia.”

“Ash…”

“Because you’re my wife.”

“…Ah, yes. Yes,”

She nodded.

I slowly rested my head on her shoulder and continued.

“That means, in effect, that you’re also Laila’s family.”

“…”

“I know you’re worried about me. Thank you, really…”

Of course, I had expected she wouldn’t be happy about my intention to go outside.

I could sometimes see the memory of me dying from magi poisoning flashing in her eyes.

Although she never asked me anything about it, that didn’t mean she had forgotten the sadness and despair of that day.

But while I had anticipated her concern, I hadn’t expected her to oppose so strongly, which left me quite bewildered.

Nevertheless, I tried to calm my excited mind and convey my intentions firmly yet gently to her.

It shouldn’t be too unreasonable to ask my wife, even if she’s no longer in this world, to be fond of my little sister.

“The weeds… they must all be dead now because it’s winter. I’ll just dust off the tombstone, tell her how I’m doing, and come back.”

Silvia held me tightly without saying anything.

There was no word of permission, but seeing that she wasn’t outright refusing anymore, I thought I could persuade her a little more. I smiled and kissed her cheek.

“We’ll go together, say hello like that, and tell her that I’m in a loving relationship with Sister Silvia…”

“Ha, Ash, you really…”

“Imagine how much Laila would have liked you if fate had been just a little kinder to us.”

“…”

“Like I said before, she was such a kind and pretty child. She would have followed you around calling ‘Sister, Sister.'”

“…”

I could sense hesitation gradually appearing on her face.

“Maybe we could even stop by the river like before and take a bath? It would be very cold, but we could dry off quickly with fire magic,”

“No.”

Silvia’s face suddenly hardened.

A completely different, oppressive attitude from the pleading demeanor she had shown just moments before.

That terrifying aura seemed to surge forth, as if about to burst through her skin.

“Ash, no. You can’t go out.”

“Sister… Silvia?”

“You can’t go out. Absolutely not.”

I don’t know what I said wrong.

Was she worried I might catch a cold?

She changed in an instant, as if she had put on a completely different face.

Feeling like I had thrown ashes on a perfectly cooked meal, I said in confusion:

“But I have to go,”

“Ash.”

At that moment, her grip on my shoulders felt like it was burning hot.

No, it just felt that way.

She squeezed my shoulders as if she was going to tear them off.

“Ugh, argh, Si-Silvia,”

“You’re a good boy, Ash, so you’ll listen to me, right?”

“Sister, aaagh!”

“I won’t have to break your legs if you listen, right?”

“It hurts, it hurts! Sister!”

I fell to my knees from the extreme pain.

I struggled to remove her hands, but like a trap that had caught its prey, her fingers pressed harder into my muscles the more I struggled.

It felt like if she applied just a little more force, her fingers would tear through my skin and pierce my flesh.

When I screamed, Pia bared her teeth and crouched, ready to pounce on Silvia.

I stretched out my struggling hand toward Pia to stop her.

“Say it, Ash.”

“Aaagh,”

“Say you won’t go. Say you’ll listen to me.”

“Why, why are you doing this,”

“…No, you’ll definitely try to go secretly.”

I saw Silvia slowly raise her hand.

And the next moment,

My vision went black.

.