Ch.37Corpse Collecting (4)

When it comes to goose dishes, foie gras might be the first thing that comes to mind, but I’ve never handled such high-end ingredients, and besides, Silvia had already disposed of all the organs during preparation.

Since the innards had already started to rot after being left out overnight, they wouldn’t have been edible anyway.

But goose is also famous for its delicious meat.

The fatty, plump flesh was not only appetizing, but the rendered fat also allowed me to crisp up the outside perfectly.

I could feel my mouth watering as I cooked it, even though it had been a while.

I carefully placed the roasted meat on a wooden plate from the cupboard, then added a couple of sage leaves for garnish and drizzled a sauce made from wild berries, garlic, and honey.

The aroma of sage mingled gently with the rich scent of the fat, creating a mouthwatering smell.

Though I certainly couldn’t match my father’s skill, I felt quite accomplished being able to imitate this much with limited ingredients.

“Silvia, it’s ready.”

“Hmm, I’ve been incredibly hungry just from the smell while you were cooking.”

“Yes, I’d say I’m quite confident about today’s dish.”

“Good, let’s eat. It was hard to wait.”

Silvia smiled as she sat at the table.

I placed plates in front of her seat and mine, then sat down.

As soon as she was seated, she immediately picked up her fork and took a bite of meat. She really must have been struggling to wait.

Well, she hadn’t eaten dinner yesterday, and we’d skipped breakfast today, so it made sense that she was hungry.

Silvia chewed the meat with a happy smile, placing her hand against her cheek.

I couldn’t imagine a clearer expression of approval, but I still found myself asking.

“How is it?”

“…”

Silvia, who had been chewing silently, suddenly stood up and went outside the cabin.

I was confused by her abrupt action, wondering what had gone wrong, but she quickly returned, opening the cabin door.

In her hand was a bottle of cheap wine.

Cheap, but one of the few precious alcoholic beverages in this forest.

“Sorry, it just seemed too good to eat without this.”

“No, that’s wonderful.”

“Do you like wine?”

Silvia asked as she walked toward the cupboard.

Come to think of it, this was the first time we’d be drinking together.

During our farewell drinking session before I saw her face, only I had drunk while she kept her face hidden.

The alcohol she brought out then was slightly better quality than this, which means that day was truly special.

It also meant she regretted parting with me, and that meeting someone had brought her great joy.

I too, despite being forced to remain here amidst so much misfortune, was happy to be with her.

I wonder why I was looking forward to drinking with Silvia now more than the better wine we had then.

I answered with a broad smile.

“I do like it.”

“…”

Silvia, who had been walking to the cupboard, stopped abruptly upon hearing my answer.

Then she turned around very slowly.

Her red eyes sparkled as they looked at me.

“Silvia?”

“…I just realized. We don’t have wine glasses in the house.”

Silvia slowly turned back and sat at the table, looking at me.

After countless evening meals with her—too many to count—my eyes had already grown accustomed to the dim light dependent on candles.

Perhaps that’s why I could notice Silvia’s already flushed cheeks.

And we hadn’t even started drinking yet.

She pulled out the cork using just her thumb and index finger, then rested her chin on one hand and looked straight at me through half-lidded eyes as she spoke.

Somehow, her face took on a sensual quality.

“We’ll take turns drinking. Is that okay?”

Before waiting for my answer, Silvia put the wine bottle to her lips and took a sip.

The wine seemed to be more than half full, as she didn’t need to tilt her head back and kept her eyes fixed directly on me before slowly closing them as she removed the bottle from her lips.

A drop of red liquid formed between the bottle and her lips before dripping onto the table.

Her moist tongue quickly darted out to catch the liquid that had formed on her lower lip.

“Haaah…”

Silvia exhaled through her nose as she slowly opened her eyes.

Though she probably hadn’t intended it, her half-lidded eyes were incredibly alluring.

Two sparkling red rubies beneath her slightly lowered eyelids were looking straight at me.

I quickly averted my gaze.

I must have been staring too intently without realizing it.

The way she had gently held the small bottle opening with her lips somehow seemed so seductive and beautiful that I felt my face heating up involuntarily.

Silvia extended the bottle to me with a faint smile.

“The food is so good that even the wine tastes better—I can’t even think of it as cheap anymore.”

“Ah…”

“Try it. Quickly.”

I took the bottle as if entranced by Silvia’s urging.

The mouth of the wine bottle gleamed in the reflection of the orange candlelight.

Being cheap wine, the container wasn’t of particularly good quality either.

It had a cloudy, rough texture with many impurities.

Despite being nearly a defective glass bottle, somehow the part where her lips had touched beautifully reflected the warm light of the gently flickering candle.

I slowly brought the wine bottle to my mouth.

There was a sloshing sound, and the sweet liquid moistened my lips as it flowed in.

It was definitely cheap wine.

There was no distinctive aroma beyond grape and alcohol, and it was excessively sweet to mask the low-quality grapes and various additives.

But that made it better.

Honestly, I couldn’t say I didn’t notice it was cheap wine as she claimed, but rather, this inexpensive sweetness pleasantly lingered in my mouth.

Perhaps it wasn’t just because of the wine.

Her lingering presence on the bottle’s rim…

Suddenly overcome by inexplicable embarrassment and shame, I couldn’t bring myself to look at Silvia’s face and closed my eyes tightly as I took another sip.

“Ahem…”

An exclamation typical of drinking sessions escaped my lips without intention.

It was surprisingly satisfying, more than I had expected.

I stared blankly at the bottle before giving a slight smile.

I couldn’t imagine a clearer expression of approval, but she still asked me.

“How is it?”

“…”

Silvia chuckled as she waited for my answer.

Opening my eyes slightly, I saw her resting her chin on both hands, watching me.

I quietly handed her the bottle and murmured softly.

“It’s better than I expected.”

“Isn’t it?”

Silvia’s lips moved.

Her face showed that she wanted more of a reaction.

I knew what she wanted wasn’t simply an appreciation of the wine’s taste.

I could tell from that mischievous smile on her face.

Of course, I had many thoughts running through my mind as well.

“…Ahem.”

But I quietly picked up a piece of goose meat and ate it with my head lowered.

I didn’t have the courage to say things like “It tastes better drinking with you” or “Your lips…” out loud.

“…”

Silvia was staring at me intently.

Even with my head lowered, I could feel her burning red gaze.

I tried hard to avoid that intense stare, rolling my eyes around.

After a while, Silvia let out a small snort and took a drink from the bottle.

“Hmph.”

“…Eat quickly, the meat is getting cold.”

Silvia slowly traced the rim of the bottle with her lips before setting it down.

Each of her small movements caused the atmosphere in the cabin to fluctuate greatly.

Somehow, my mood was changing too.

Was the wine improperly stored and over-fermented?

I wasn’t particularly weak with alcohol, but my face was burning up after just one sip.

I strongly felt that I shouldn’t drink any more here and now.

The atmosphere, the feeling, and the intoxication all suggested that something dangerous might happen if I wasn’t careful.

In truth, the most dangerous thing was my own desire, secretly hoping for that dangerous thing to happen and feeling drawn toward it.

I spoke to Silvia as she neatly wiped her lips with her sleeve.

“Silvia.”

“Yes? What is it?”

I decided to change the subject immediately.

Fortunately, I had something to tell her.

“…So I was wondering. Did you happen to see where the carriage that Laila and I were riding in had fallen?”

I shared with her the thoughts I’d had at Laila’s grave.

Silvia was the one who had found and buried Laila’s body.

I still vividly remember that terrible sensation of Laila slipping from my arms as the carriage tumbled down the slope, rattling violently.

But no matter how far my sister was thrown, she must have landed somewhere near the accident site.

Silvia tapped the end of the wine bottle with her finger as she answered.

“Yes, I know where it is.”

“Then… could you take me there?”

“…What?”

I nodded.

That carriage accident was the beginning of all this.

I felt that if I saw the place where Laila died again, I would likely collapse and wail, which is why I wanted to go alone if possible.

But unfortunately, there were several problems with me going there by myself.

First, I couldn’t remember where it was.

That’s understandable, since it was in the middle of the forest at night when I couldn’t see a foot in front of me.

Moreover, I was dying with my body twisted in agony, and I had used every last ounce of mental strength and physical energy to drag my rag-like body toward the light.

Naturally, I had no capacity to pay attention to or remember the surrounding terrain.

The second issue was the luggage.

Perhaps the carriage contained not only burial goods for Laila but also other useful items.

Of course, given the urgent situation we were fleeing from, there was unlikely to be anything special in that carriage, but in this forest cut off from civilization, even one refined object was precious.

Even the lamp that broke on the way to this cabin would have been a valuable item here.

A finely crafted small box, the coachman’s whip and water bottle.

If possible, I even wanted to salvage the wheels if they were intact.

And obviously, I couldn’t carry all those things by myself.

“…I can go, but Ash… are you really okay with this?”

That’s what Silvia asked.

I knew well what she was worried about.

Seeing the place where my sister died wouldn’t be pleasant.

Even now, recalling the memories of that day sent chills through my body and raised goosebumps.

The sensation of death that my body remembered before my mind did.

And there was another sensation that immediately came to mind when thinking about death.

The rough breath approaching me in the darkness.

Teeth and claws longer than my palm and harder than my shinbone.

That chilling howl resonating from deep within, filled with rage and greed.

The final reason I couldn’t enter the forest alone was fear.

“Haha… I am scared…”

“…Ash, it’s still dangerous to let you go into the forest.”

Thanks to her training, I could now cast magic quickly, but I still froze up whenever I entered the forest.

Just like during that first training session when I burned all the rabbit burrows, I would lose control and scatter magic everywhere.

Of course, it might be considered an improvement compared to when I encountered the bear and could do nothing but wait to die.

Casting magic meant I was at least putting up some kind of fight.

But magic that couldn’t accurately target the opponent was just flailing about.

No, in fact, I might not even manage that much.

If I were to face a bear again, I would probably just tremble helplessly, exactly as I did before.

Before that incident, I used to venture into the forest without fear, but now I didn’t dare go anywhere alone in this ruined village except for the cemetery and the riverbank.

I was still the weakest being in this forest.

And I was well aware of that fact.

But still…

“Even so…”

“I’m sorry, Ash…”

“Even so! I want to do everything I possibly can for Laila right now… no, I must! Now that… I can’t even bury her with our parents…”

“Ah…”

“This useless brother… all I can do now… is just this much…”

“…”

“And if you come with me, Silvia… I think I can do it.”

If this was all I could do for my poor, kind sister who never had expensive toys or clothes in her short life, and who never once whined about it, then the situation was different.

Especially if the strongest person in this forest would be by my side.

“Hmm…”

Silvia sighed softly as she considered.

I didn’t know what she was thinking, but somehow I didn’t feel like I would be refused.

Now that I would be living here forever, she wouldn’t ignore my desire to pay more attention to my young, pitiful sister’s final resting place.

She, who had wanted to become my family, wouldn’t turn away from something meant for Laila, who was my family.

Silvia took her hand off the bottle and tapped the table.

After a moment, she slowly spoke.

“Alright, it’s about time for some ‘corpse collecting’ anyway.”

An ominous phrase came from Silvia’s mouth.

“Corpse… collecting?”

.