A knight and a young shaman from Billund’s side, and Giselle and Sir Daniel from our side decided to go out first and confirm that the war was over.
“See you later.”
“Watch your butt.”
Two people took the pillows I gave them and jumped into the pit. Soon the two disappeared into the darkness.
‘How long will it take?’
Elliot and she sat side by side, leaning against one wall of the den. People from Billund also sat in a huddle across from them.
“We are outnumbered and are in a position to be on guard…”
Elliot, who was glaring at those sitting across from him, muttered in a dissatisfied tone. It was because they were still watching us with wary eyes.
“It was so humid here that it was difficult to dry the firewood, but it worked out well.”
While they were having an endless snowball fight, four knights came walking on the ceiling from the direction they came from. Before long, they’re like, oops! They fell to the floor with a sound. What was in the men’s hands fell down. It was a piece of wood split like firewood. The men stood up, rubbing their butts, and gathered up the pieces of wood scattered on the floor.
“This precious firewood should not get wet.”
Those people didn’t follow us to this pit, so she wondered what they were doing, but they seemed to have been taking care of the huge firewood she brought to fight off the ants. Elliot’s gaze was not pleasant as he watched the men pile firewood in the middle of the cave and build a bonfire. But his eyes softened when he realized that she was lighting a fire for a shivering child.
Growling.
She got hungry again. She searched the bag, but there was nothing to eat, as the carrots she had given to the child earlier were the last. She looked up and smiled. Could it be that there are mushrooms hanging from the ceiling?
“Oh, it’s too high…”
She struggled to reach it even though she tried to stretch, but Elliot stood up quickly, cut the mushroom, and held it in her arms like a teddy bear. It’s as soft as a real teddy bear. But it was destined to be her dinner. She tore the mushrooms into long strips. A long sword would be needed to protect them, so she threaded a mushroom into a twist like a fish cake on the short sword she had. Then, as she approached the bonfire and roasted mushrooms, the man who was the child’s uncle clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“You borrowed fire and used it without permission.”
“Is this our firewood? Why are you using this without permission?”
“…”
“Even if you don’t have shame, you have to do it to the extent possible. For using someone else’s firewood without permission, instead of saying thank you, you are actually criticizing the owner.”
Elliot, who was standing behind her like a bodyguard, clicked his tongue as if to listen and scolded the man.
“This is true what the Grand Duke said.”
It was unexpected that the old woman took their side.
“Sorry.”
Everyone apologized, from the man who scolded her, to the father of the child, to the driver who collected firewood. Now the tense tension has clearly eased.
“What’s the matter? Are my older sister and older brother bad people?”
The child who was sitting on her grandmother’s lap, warming herself by the fire, watched the adults quietly and asked. She whispered, but it was all heard because it was a place with good sound. When the adults looked at us and did not respond, the child tilted his head, looking at us in confusion.
“But that angry brother, save Iannis from the bad ants.”
‘Are you angry bro?’
She looked back at Elliot and pretended to straighten her eyebrows with her index and middle fingers.
“Well, that Chakan sister gives Iannis something to drink, and that white sister from earlier is the one who took care of Iannis’s pain.”
He called Giselle, who had silver hair, his white sister. So cute.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
The old woman, who was quietly listening to the child, thanked them. It seemed that the suspicion that he was an assassin was slowly fading away.
“Would you like some of this?”
Meals start with the elders. When the edges of the mushrooms were cooked to brown, she sprinkled salt on them, sliced them with a penknife, and presented them to the old woman.
“It will taste good.”
The old woman took a piece of mushroom, let it cool down, and then gave it to the child. After all, a grandmother is a grandmother in any world.
“Grandma, please eat too.”
She cut another piece and handed it to him. Then she gave it to Elliot and put it in her mouth, but the old woman muttered in an uncertain voice.
“It’s definitely just the mushrooms and salt I know…”
“Oh, I know. It tastes different somehow, right?”
“That’s right.”
The old woman said it was hard to explain in words, but it felt like it warmed her heart.
“What is the secret?”
“Well. Everyone says that happens when I cook, but I don’t even know why.”
She gave her usual answer to a frequently asked question and ate mushrooms. After she finished eating, she tore off another piece and threaded it onto the dagger. While waiting for it to be baked, she talked to the old woman about various things.
“Hey Nice really likes her grandma. She and I were raised by my grandmother. I miss grandma.”
It turned out that the old woman was the child’s maternal grandmother. While they were exchanging trivial stories, the story about the old woman came up and Elliot, who had been quiet, intervened.
“Hildegard? That Hildegard?”
The old woman was actually a famous shaman from Billund.
“Then perhaps you are the famous evil of the Black Forest…”
“…Hazel, the good witch who didn’t do it.”
Just as the old woman was about to ask about her, Elliot interrupted her.
“Oh, I’m not that witch. I guess the rumor hasn’t spread here yet.”
She lied about her identity to Elliot and guessed what she said. She’s just a low-level witch who acted as a replacement for the evil witch who disappeared for some reason.
“Hmm… I don’t feel any evil energy.”
“Hehe, right? But is this the hideout your grandmother made?”
She looked around and changed the subject.
“By human power? It’s absurd.”
“I wondered if you did it yourself because you had magical powers.”
“This is not a place that can be created with magic.”
“I see. Then who made it?”
“It is the work of the spirits of the earth.”
“Earth spirit?”
It was said that this is a maze created by the spirits of the land in ancient times.
“It was originally their home, but humans living on the barren and cold land kept digging into this deep place and stealing minerals and plants.”
It was said that angry spirits turned it into a maze to harass humans. It was said that as time passed, the spirits left this place, humans no longer visited it, and it became a forgotten place.
“Wow, it’s like listening to an old story. But how did you know about this place, grandma?”
“It’s really an old story passed down through the family.”
So the old woman knew this place. When her family’s life was in danger, she thought that no one would find them if they hid in this maze, so she brought everyone to this fortress and threw herself into the pit.
“But how did you find this place?”
“We were just on our way to persuade the people still protesting in the east. I was just planning to sleep in this fort for one night, but I heard strange noises coming from the basement. So I came to investigate…”
She told her how she had ended up here and what trouble she had been through for the past few days.
“This is a story I can’t tell without tears…”
“It’s a story that needs to be told in front of alcohol. Come on, bring some alcohol.”
When the old woman ordered a knight to bring drinks and snacks, Elliot whispered in her ear.
“What magic are you doing?”
The name of this magic was ‘a person who grew up under a grandmother’. A knight who had disappeared somewhere appeared carrying a basket. Inside was a corked liquor bottle, several glasses, and dried meat.
“Oh, these are strawberries.”
Strawberry liquor made from strawberries picked here. It was very fragrant.
“Your Majesty, would you like a drink too?”
The old woman who had treated Eliot condescendingly at first now treated him like a prince and offered him a glass of wine. But he refused and asked her to do it.
“Don’t drink too much.”
She nodded. She knew she couldn’t trust those people yet.
“I’ll take this too.”
The old woman offered her some dried meat.
“What is this?”
“Earthworm jerky.”
“…”
She completely sobered up. If she saw this, she wouldn’t be able to get drunk even if she tried.
“Oh, I don’t eat meat…”
She politely declined and asked the old woman.
“But did the spirit make earthworms and ants large?”
The old woman frowned at him as if asking him what kind of nonsense he was talking about.
“Everything here is its original size.”
“Yes?”
“We have become smaller.”
“Yes?”
Everything that passes through the pit that enters it gradually decreases in size. Conversely, if you pass through a pit that goes out, the size increases. This was also said to be a prank by spirits trying to torment humans.
“It means suffering from the small creatures that have been trampling on you for so long.”
“Grandma’s grandson almost got hurt…”
“Of course, Iannis. If they stay far away from adults, they will be eaten by ants.”
“Ants are scary.”
She petted the shivering child as he ate the mushrooms she gave him.
“Then this explains why the air felt particularly sticky when it fell and that the falling speed was not fast.”
Elliot, who had been listening in silence, muttered. Oh, so that explains why the blanket and pillow that fell together were the same size as ours, but the firewood brought in by magic from above was the size of a log.
“Wait a moment.”
Elliot suddenly narrowed his eyes at her.
“Then the broccoli that engraved the rescue request and sent it upward with a movement spell…”
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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