Chapter 29: First Winter (2)
by fnovelpia
As the door opened, the cold air rushed in all at once, forcing its way through the gap.
“……!”
The child in my arms flinched, startled, her body jerking slightly.
I gently wrapped my arms around her small shoulders.
“It’s quite windy.”
“……”
“You’ll get used to it soon.”
The child nodded.
As another strong gust blew, her cheeks quickly flushed red.
I quickened my pace.
The frigid air,
The white breath blooming with every exhale,
The slightly frozen texture of the earth beneath my feet—
Passing through that gap,
I spotted trees suitable for firewood.
‘The child could get crushed to death…’
I wouldn’t let that happen,
But there was no harm in being cautious.
I set the child down on a flat rock a short distance away.
“Can you sit here for me?”
“……”
As I placed them down,
The child looked up at me for a moment before pouting.
Soon after, her eyes filled with clear dissatisfaction, and she stretched both arms out toward me.
“Sorry, but no. It’s dangerous.”
“……”
“Once this is over, I’ll help you. Okay?”
The child hesitated briefly before finally pulling her hands back.
Bowing her head deeply,
She placed both hands neatly on her knees.
Her eyes still brimmed with discontent, but there was also a visible effort to accept the situation.
“I’ll be right over there.”
“……”
“I won’t go far. You know that, right?”
The child slowly nodded.
Good kid.
‘It’s a hassle— should I just get it all done at once…?’
I took off my robe,
Swung my right arm loosely, and leisurely approached the oak tree.
“Hmm…”
It wasn’t exactly an ancient tree.
Even the thickest of them would barely match the girth of a human torso at best.
I knocked on it a couple of times to check its condition.
‘This should be fine as is.’
After a brief hesitation,
I decided to stick to the original plan and only released the polymorph on my right arm.
If I misjudged the strength, it could shatter into pieces,
And flying splinters might hurt the child.
The shape of my right arm twisted.
Beneath the skin,
Smooth, sharp scales gradually pierced through and emerged.
In moments, my entire arm was encased in hard scales, returning to its original form.
“……!”
“Huh?”
The child sitting a little distance away widened her eyes in surprise.
With her mouth slightly open, she stared quietly at my right arm.
“Did I scare you?”
“……”
The child blinked a few times before slowly shaking her head.
Her expression…
Was less fear and more thick with concern.
That gaze was unmistakably checking if I was okay.
“It’s fine. It just went back to how it was.”
“……”
“…Or maybe not how it was?”
“……?”
“Originally, it was much bigger than this.”
I wasn’t sure if the explanation got through.
The child just kept staring at me intently.
I glanced at them once,
Then examined my arm, now released from Polymorph.
There was no need to keep it exposed for too long.
‘I should hurry.’
Still,
It was a relief.
That aside from the child, no one else was watching.
The reason I liked this forest the most was
That it was remote and rugged, so almost no one came here except us.
If that weren’t the case,
I wouldn’t have even considered releasing Polymorph.
While wandering, I learned something.
Most humans nowadays
See other races as strange and uncomfortable beings.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Like Dianoth, where my nest was—
A place that respected the history of other races,
Embraced their cultures, and accepted their differences.
But,
On this continent, such places were few.
The country we were staying in now was no different.
Here, it was still common to look at other races with wary eyes.
‘Well… it’s a hassle for the accepting side too.’
I turned my gaze back to the oak tree.
Once upward,
Once downward.
After staring at it leisurely, I gripped the base of the trunk with my right hand.
‘…A bit thicker than a human’s now, I guess?’
Still,
With Polymorph released, I could grip it as easily as holding a cup.
“Hmm…”
Should I uproot it entirely?
Or just crush it like this?
After a brief moment of hesitation, I applied a little pressure to my fingertips.
With a single loud noise,
The oak tree snapped straight into my hand.
As I gently released my grip,
Shattered pieces of wood fell at my feet.
Fortunately, no fragments flew toward the child.
That was enough.
“…Hm?”
“……”
I felt eyes on me again, so I turned to see
The child was staring at me with wide eyes.
“Why?”
“……”
“It’s fine. It’s light.”
I picked up the uprooted tree with one hand and moved it.
Where should I put it so the child wouldn’t get hurt?
I carefully set it down in a spot where it wouldn’t roll even if it lost balance.
“Being careful is exhausting.”
“?”
“How many more do I have to break…?”
It’s annoying,
But I should just come out at night when the child is asleep and clear them all at once.
I transformed my right hand back again.
The scales disappeared,
Returning to a human arm.
After draping my robe back on, I looked at the child.
“It’s alright now.”
“……”
The child, who had been sitting far away, reached out a hand.
A sudden stretch of the arm—
There was no sign of unease.
Rather, it felt more like an impatient urging to hurry.
“Sorry. There’s still more to do.”
“……!”
I had to break the tree into smaller pieces before bringing the child over.
‘The splinters could still fly.’
I simply pressed lightly to split the wood apart.
After all, the tree was weak enough to crumble at the slightest touch.
I smoothed out all the sharp edges and cleared the ground.
“Done.”
“!!!”
The child was still reaching out to me.
I stepped closer and approached the child.
The little hand that grabbed mine was warm.
“Will you help me now?”
“!”
The child’s eyes sparkled.
Clutching the box held against her chest,
The child carefully tried to climb down from the rock on her own.
I quickly picked them up and held them.
“Alright. Let’s go. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“!”
The child clenched her fist as if entrusting everything to me.
The sight made me chuckle.
I sat the child on a rock far enough away that wood splinters wouldn’t fly toward them.
It was a good spot.
Safe,
And just the right distance for the child to watch the demonstration.
“Watch closely.”
“…….”
“First, use your fingernails like this… Oh, right, human nails are too weak for this.”
“……?”
“I’ll do this part for you.”
I made a split in the center of the log, just wide enough to fit a hand.
“Now, grab the wood on both sides like this.”
“!”
“Then just pull your arms apart a little.”
The log split cleanly in half.
With a soft snap, the wood revealed its smooth inner grain.
The child’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Next… since it’s easier to handle now, just hold the wood with both hands and apply a little pressure.”
“?”
“Like this.”
The halved log split once more into quarters.
After repeating this a few more times,
A neat pile of usable firewood was ready in no time.
“Easy, right?”
“!”
“Want to give it a try?”
Excitement flickered across the child’s face.
She carefully set down the box she were holding and climbed down from the rock.
I made a small notch in the thinnest log.
“Here, try it.”
“!”
The child’s small hands cautiously gripped the wood.
Her fingers were far too tiny to wrap around it fully,
But that didn’t stop them from trying without hesitation.
“Mm. Hold it tight with both hands.”
“…….”
The child’s gaze grew serious.
Her lips pressed together firmly, and her breath seemed to still in concentration.
Slowly,
Carefully,
She spread her arms and applied force.
“……!”
The log shifted slightly, a faint crack forming.
Not bad for a first attempt.
“Whoa.”
“!”
The child’s head jerked up.
Her eyes sparkled with surprise and delight.
“The medicine seems to be working better than I thought.”
“……!”
“Since your body’s still weak, you don’t have to split it all the way.”
“…….”
“Good job. Thanks for helping.”
After finishing the splitting for them, I patted the child’s head.
Her shoulders twitched, then she leaned her cheek slightly into my hand.
Maybe it was the winter wind.
The child’s face flushed an even deeper pink.
“It’s cold, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“Alright. I won’t go inside. Let’s just finish this quickly and draw outside.”
“!”
“Still, you’re handling the cold better than before. That’s a relief.”
At this rate,
Maybe you can grow a little stronger before winter deepens.
‘Maybe I should change the medicine once winter passes.’
The child tightly clutched the hem of my robe.
“Hmm?”
“…….”
“Ah, go ahead and start drawing. I’ll take care of the rest.”
The child shook her head.
Then she pointed at the firewood I had split.
It was obvious—
She wanted to help.
A laugh escaped me.
“Okay. Got it. Let’s do it together.”
“!”
“Then, um… just a moment.”
I chopped the branches into shorter pieces so she’d be easier
for the child to hold,
Then neatly stacked them nearby.
“Instead of the firewood, can you organize these small branches?”
“……?”
“We need them as kindling.”
“!”
“Be careful not to hurt yourself.”
The child’s hands began moving busily.
The way she gathered the branches one by one in her tiny arms reminded me of a little squirrel.
“You’re doing great.”
“!”
The child beamed with a bright smile.
I gently patted her head.
“Good. Take your time. It’s a very delicate task.”
“!”
“Mm. I’ll hurry as much as I can.”
I turned back toward the pile of logs.
I could feel the child’s careful movements continuing behind me.
I quickly split the remaining logs.
And finally,
It was time for the drawing session the child had been longing for.
‘What should I draw…?’
While I hesitated for a moment,
The child glanced at me,
Then looked back down at the paper and slowly began moving her pen.
Meticulously.
Yet with deep seriousness.
“Hmm…”
Maybe I’ll draw the top of the child’s head.
It seems easy enough to sketch.
Round and small,
A head buried in a pure white hat, with only the ears peeking out.
‘I should be able to draw that much.’
I leisurely picked up my pen.
How much time had passed?
The soft scratching sound from beside me had stopped.
As I turned my head, I caught the child sneaking a glance at my drawing.
Her eyes were speaking.
What on earth are you drawing?
“It’s you.”
“?”
“…Why are you making a face like that’s impossible?”
In the silence, the child flipped over her own paper.
And then—
A strange, cloud-like shape and
Crooked, jagged lines shooting up haphazardly came into view.
“…What is that?”
“……”
“…Is that me?”
“!”
“…So that’s what I look like.”
How peculiar.
The child nodded proudly, her face beaming.
Her confidence was unwavering.
“Yeah, you did a good job.”
“!”
The child broke into a radiant smile.
The corners of her mouth nearly reached her ears, and her small shoulders shook with joy.
I reached out and gently tousled her hair.
“I’m thinking of going down to the village soon.”
“!!!”
“Alright, I’ll take you with me.”
The child nodded vigorously before immediately burying her face in my chest.
I hugged them back softly.
A small, warm presence seeped gently into my heart.
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