Ch.4The Cabin in the Woods (3)

The next morning, I carefully lowered my two legs from the bed to the floor.

Just a few days ago, my ankle had been completely twisted and my shinbone shattered, but now my leg had returned to its original form, leaving only large, grotesquely distorted scars.

I wanted to visit my sister’s grave, but whether this leg—which looked fine on the outside—could actually support me remained uncertain.

Ms. Milwood would probably try to stop me, but when I opened my eyes, she was already gone from the cabin.

I took a deep breath, put weight on my legs, and stood up.

“Gah!”

A sharp pain shot up from my shin like lightning.

Gritting my teeth, I slowly balanced my weight between both feet, and the pain gradually subsided to a dull ache.

“Phew, I… I can do this.”

Though I might not be ready to walk properly, just as she had said, I could stand on my own two feet.

That was enough.

I immediately took a step forward.

“Ugh, urk, argh, ungh…”

As if there were buttons on the soles of my feet that triggered groans, pained sounds escaped my lips with each step.

I walked gingerly, placing my feet on the ground as slowly as possible.

It must have looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care as long as I could walk.

With that awkward gait, I slowly approached the door and opened it.

Creeeeak.

The first thing I felt as the old wooden door opened was brightness. The dazzling morning sunlight pouring onto my cheeks felt so warm.

Perhaps it had rained overnight; the refreshing, cool air filled with moisture seeped into my body with each breath.

The chirping of birds sounded like beautiful songs.

It was a magical forest morning, as if the world was blessing me for having survived.

In this scene straight out of a fairy tale, my face suddenly hardened.

“…Let’s go.”

Just standing was challenging, and walking was already pushing my limits, so I couldn’t even consider putting on shoes.

If I sat down to put them on, I feared I wouldn’t be able to get back up, and my legs were still too damaged to balance on one foot while putting on shoes.

I slowly walked outside barefoot.

The cool earth cushioned softly between my toes.

*

I visited my younger sister’s grave, which the mysterious woman “Ms. Milwood” who had saved me had told me about the night before.

It wasn’t as far as I had expected.

From Ms. Milwood’s cabin, built deep within what was once a village but now ruins, it took less than five minutes even with my slow pace.

I had thought she might have placed my sister’s grave nearby out of consideration for me, but when I arrived, I found numerous graves and tombstones already there.

It seemed this had been the village cemetery.

I was a bit surprised, having expected my sister’s grave to be standing alone, but fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to find the freshly covered, soft soil.

I walked slowly toward Laila’s grave and whispered.

“…Hello, Laila.”

The thought that my sister was buried beneath made my trembling legs finally give way, and I collapsed.

Unlike the other graves in the cemetery, Laila’s had no tombstone or marker with her name.

Of course, Ms. Milwood would have had no way to learn Laila’s name.

I slowly reached out to touch the still-damp soil.

Without even a name, Laila must have been lying down here for over ten days.

I pressed my forehead against Laila’s grave and said:

“Did you see the weather this morning, Laila? It was amazing. It’s only now that I truly feel what it means to be alive.”

Though I heard nothing but the chirping birds, I continued speaking as if having a conversation.

“Still, I think it would have been better if you had seen this morning instead. Not me…”

My throat tightened.

This beautiful morning, blessed by the forest, should have been yours, not mine.

Ms. Milwood would surely have taken good care of Laila too.

If only I had been able to tell Ms. Milwood that Laila was collapsed somewhere in the forest before I passed out—if I had just said that one thing before losing consciousness—wouldn’t Laila have been able to keep her young life?

“…I’m sorry. I promised I’d protect you… I’m sorry… truly… Laila, oh Laila…”

No answer came.

Ah, how wonderful it would have been if there had been a response.

The truth is, I wanted to make excuses.

I wanted to explain that I really did my best, that I never abandoned you to die.

I couldn’t know whether Laila had died instantly in the accident or if she had slowly died throughout that cold night in the forest, ultimately meeting a miserable end at the teeth of wild animals.

All this useless brother could do was desperately hope that she had died peacefully before animals desecrated her body.

That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to make excuses at Laila’s grave.

After all, in the end, only I survived.

“What… what am I supposed to do now? How can I… how can your brother go on without you… Laila.”

I lay prostrate at my sister’s grave for a long time.

After some time had passed, I heard a voice behind me.

“Huff…”

It was Ms. Milwood.

“Ha… so you were here.”

“…Ms. Mil…wood.”

I slowly raised myself to look at her.

The cloth covering her face, especially the part covering her mouth, fluttered as it repeatedly expanded and contracted.

She seemed to be breathing heavily.

“Huff… ha, of course you’d be here. Why was I so flustered…”

She must have been startled by my disappearance.

It made sense that she would be surprised when a patient with legs that could break at any moment suddenly vanished.

Someone as kind as Ms. Milwood, who had nursed a complete stranger for over ten days, would naturally be concerned.

I bowed my head and apologized.

“…I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything.”

“…It’s alright.”

Ms. Milwood slowly regulated her breathing and wiped her cloth-wrapped forehead.

She seemed to be sweating.

She sighed once, then slowly walked to my side.

Looking at Laila’s grave, she clasped her hands together and bowed her head.

It was the prayer posture of the Goddess Faith.

After a moment of silent prayer, she raised her head and spoke.

“Laila… that was her name, right?”

“Yes…”

“What kind of child was she?”

“…A tomboy.”

“…”

“She was more energetic than boys her age. Never listened to what she was told… but whenever I was doing something else, she would quickly…”

“…”

“…Brother, brother, and follow me around.”

“…She must have loved her brother.”

“I hope she did…”

“…”

“…She wasn’t a picky eater. Do you know how rare a child who isn’t picky is? It would be harder to find than an Elder Dragon. A child like Laila.”

“…That’s true.”

“When she grew up, she would have been the most beautiful maiden in the country. She would have been busy rejecting clumsy proposals from all sorts of riffraff.”

“She was lovely.”

“Of course…”

For a long time afterward, I continued recalling memories of Laila, slowly revisiting our times together.

Throughout that time, she quietly listened to my trivial anecdotes about Laila and me, occasionally adding a comment whenever I paused.

Only when the sun was directly overhead did I finally stop talking.

It was time to go.

I couldn’t keep Ms. Milwood standing here all day, even if I wanted to stay.

“…I’ll come again. For real this time. I promise, I promise I’ll come again…”

“…”

“Wait for me, Laila.”

Thick clouds began to gather in the sky that had been fantastically clear just that morning.

Yet my mood was much clearer than before I had entered the cemetery.

Though it might have been too much strain on my still-healing legs, it was worth it.

The flood of sorrow filling my heart hadn’t subsided, but I could feel my soul—which had been drowning in grief, weighed down by guilt—slowly rising to the surface.

Knowing this, Ms. Milwood had silently waited for me.

I looked up at her and said:

“Ms. Milwood.”

“…Yes.”

“…Um, well…”

“What is it?”

“Uh… could you help me up, please?”

“…”

*

Ms. Milwood must have been quite shocked by my disappearance.

Thinking that I might be ready for some meat after eating only porridge until now, she had left early in the morning to hunt, only to return and find her patient had vanished without a trace—enough to startle anyone.

She had planned to scold me severely after finding me, worried I might be wandering lost in this maze-like forest on legs that weren’t fully healed.

But when she saw me prostrate before Laila’s grave, that intention completely disappeared.

Considering how I had walked from the accident site to this place with a body far more damaged than now, she must have realized how much I loved my sister, how desperately I had fought to not lose my last remaining family.

However, because my legs finally gave out, I couldn’t escape her scolding after all.

Carried on her back all the way back to the cabin, I could only smile awkwardly and repeatedly apologize as she berated me.

When we returned to the cabin, a large, undressed deer carcass lay on the table.

Seeing the bow and quiver scattered on the floor, I could tell how urgently she had rushed to find me.

It made me newly appreciate how kind and warm a person she was.

She turned around with me still on her back, then carefully lowered me onto the bed.

It wasn’t that I was light—she was strong.

Until now, hidden by her robe, I hadn’t noticed, but when carried on her back, I could feel muscles as firm as those of a well-trained warrior.

Of course, living alone in a forest like this would require some physical capability, but even considering that, her strength was above average.

She approached the deer carcass and said:

“It’ll take time to dress this properly, so if you want a proper meal instead of just throwing it on the fire, you’ll have to wait until evening. Thanks to someone making me waste time looking for them.”

“Ah, I’m… I’m sorr—”

“…No, it was good to hear about Laila.”

“…”

Ms. Milwood lifted the deer and slung it over her shoulder.

“I brought it inside to show you what I caught, but now there’s blood staining the table for nothing.”

“Ah… haha.”

“I’ll go dress it and come back. Don’t move an inch. You don’t want to be unable to walk for the rest of your life, do you?”

I nodded.

Ms. Milwood stared at me intently.

Even knowing how kind she was, her covered face made her seem slightly intimidating.

“…It’ll take five days to fully heal… no, to be safe, a week…”

Ah, she was looking at my leg.

I felt somewhat ashamed for having momentarily found her frightening.

After receiving such immense kindness that I could never repay, what nerve I had.

“In about a week, you’ll be completely healed. After that, you can walk or run as you please. Once you leave, don’t come back to this dangerous forest.”

“…Um…”

“…What?”

I cautiously asked her:

“Um… would it be alright if I stayed a little longer?”

“…What?”

Her voice suddenly cracked.

She stood frozen at the door, staring at me.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the cabin changed drastically.

Raindrops began to fall from the dark clouds that now filled the sky.

As the sun hid behind the clouds, the cabin quickly darkened.

The sound of rain, thunder.

Drops of deer blood falling one by one from the table.

The cabin that had sheltered me for days suddenly felt like the entrance to hell.

And that chill, creeping up from my toes.

The menacing aura I had felt when asking about her covered face ran down my spine once again.

“No.”

Based on the ten days I was unconscious and my experiences since waking, she had been an extremely kind and gentle person.

But last night, and now.

I witnessed her transform into a completely different character.

It felt like a mechanical device that, when switched, emitted a fierce and sharp energy with no trace of her usual self.

It was a strange sensation.

While feeling a chill that raised goosebumps all over my body, I simultaneously broke into a cold sweat.

“Please. I…”

“I don’t know your full situation, but I heard you lost all your family, so I can guess. You have nowhere to go.”

She cut me off harshly, her tone resolute, as if unwilling to give me a chance to speak.

“But this can’t become your new home.”

Even with her face covered—not even certain of the exact position of her eyes, nose, or mouth—I could clearly feel her glaring at me.

That invisible gaze alone paralyzed me.

Like a frog before a snake, even breathing felt cautious.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to look up.

“I… I’m not saying I’ll stay forever. Just a little while!”

The heavy pressure emanating from her diminished slightly.

“…How long?”

So a time limit would work?

Thinking back to her anger when I asked to see her face last night, it made sense.

If I were to live here permanently, no matter how careful she was, there would inevitably come a moment when I would see her face.

Even if by some luck I never encountered her face, I couldn’t force her to live an uncomfortable life covering her face forever.

I nodded and answered:

“You said it would take a week for my leg to heal… so after my leg heals… about 3 days should be enough! Maybe even less!”

“…For what purpose?”

As specific dates emerged, the oppressive chill rapidly subsided.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the cabin seemed slightly brighter too.

“…A tombstone for Laila. Or at least a grave marker. I want to make one for her.”

“…Ah.”

She made a sound as if struck on the back of the head, then took a step back from me.

At that moment, the heavy atmosphere dissipated.

“…I see. Hmm.”

“…I’ll hurry as much as I can. If my recovery is faster, or if I finish the grave marker quickly, I can leave earlier. Please.”

“…Alright, I understand. Since it’s difficult to return to this forest once you leave, it makes sense for you to make a tombstone for your sister yourself.”

“Th-thank you.”

She nodded, opened the door, and as she stepped out, said in a small voice:

“I’m sorry for threatening you.”

Threatening?

Was that merely a threat?

I stared blankly at the door through which she had disappeared, sweating.

Overwhelming charisma or something?

Is it possible to dominate one’s surroundings so completely with mere presence and tone?

The killing intent she emitted felt closer to the realm of magic.

Like illusion magic such as “Fear” that makes the target feel terror.

Yet there was no trace of magical energy anywhere in the cabin.

Judging by her hunting with bow and arrow, and her remarkably firm physique, she seemed closer to a warrior or archer than a mage.

What exactly was her identity?

Why did she go to such lengths to hide her face?

Perhaps she wasn’t human at all, but some kind of monster.

Suspicion tinged with fear gradually spread through my mind.