Episode 2: Because It’s the First Time.
Sitting quietly on the chair, he looked directly at her as if he had been waiting and was the first to offer an apology. Ar felt refreshed by this.
After dealing with people who recently barged into her home, broke her belongings, and hurled unpleasant words, this was the first time she met someone who entered silently and started with an apology.
Feeling not too bad, Ar listened to the visitor’s words.
“I saw you earlier, luring away the knights. You seem to know this forest well, don’t you?”
Of course, no one knew the forest better than Ar herself. Since her grandfather passed away, she took pride in claiming that her knowledge of the forest was unrivaled in the world.
“I’ve been waiting because I have a request for you,” the man said earnestly, clasping his hands and resting them on the table.
His neatly intertwined fingers, smooth and unblemished to the tips of his nails, caught her attention. His hands were as white and delicate as his face. And just as he opened his mouth to speak—
Growl.
Her stomach interrupted him with a loud rumble.
It occurred to Ar that it was long past dinnertime. After enjoying a brief moment of happy equipment maintenance earlier, she had been interrupted by unexpected, unwelcome visitors, which forced her into an unexpected midnight workout.
Having exerted herself without eating, it was no wonder her hunger was so acute. Eyeing the stew ingredients she had prepared for dinner, she asked the visitor:
“Want some dinner?”
***
Ar began tossing the stew ingredients into the pot she had prepared earlier.
The ingredients weren’t anything special. As usual, she mixed goat’s milk with flour and added a few chewable chunks. Cooking for herself meant there was no one to complain about the meal, and she had been eating just enough to fill her stomach without caring much about taste.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since someone sat in this chair.’
The chair hadn’t been used in ages. Though there was no one to sit in it, she had left two chairs at the table for symmetry. Having someone occupy the chair after it had been empty for so long felt strange.
Sharing the table with another person was something Ar hadn’t done since her grandfather passed away.
Ar never ate in the village. People disliked sharing a table with someone who worked in a trade involving animal carcasses like her.
Likewise, Ar saw no reason to endure their grimacing faces while eating. Instead, she would stock up on supplies during her village trips and return to the forest.
Although the village was some distance from the forest, she often ended up skipping meals while running errands, preferring to avoid the discomfort of eating in unfriendly company.
She Always Ate Alone
Ar found herself reflecting on the situation, gazing at the man sitting across the table.
The man sat awkwardly, clearly unfamiliar with the small, mismatched chair that didn’t suit his stature. He seemed out of place, staring curiously at the simple wooden tableware in front of him. The sight amused Ar.
With a touch of unexpected kindness, she placed a bowl in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said, lowering his gaze to the bowl and picking up the wooden utensils with an elegance that seemed out of place in her humble cabin.
It was evident that someone of his background would rarely, if ever, have encountered such food. He cautiously dipped the wooden spoon into the soup and tasted it.
Watching him eat with a surprising amount of enjoyment, Ar felt pleased and pushed the bread basket, warmed by the hearth, toward him.
The man noticed how Ar dipped her bread into the soup and imitated her movements.
Seeing him mimic her at her table made her oddly happy. Ar found herself quite liking this guest.
***
The warm meal came to an end. For the man, this rough bread, unseasoned soup, and the unconventional meal layout—where everything was served all at once rather than in courses—was a first.
When Ar served him tea immediately after the bread and soup, he realized that this was the entirety of the meal. He quickly expressed his gratitude, complimenting the food to be polite.
As they sipped tea, accompanied by some dried fruits Ar generously offered, the two began to converse.
“I just realized I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Leon.”
“I’m Ar.”
Leon hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t used to people addressing him so casually, especially given his noble status. At first, he wondered if this was her way of expressing displeasure, possibly because he was burdening her household. Wanting to clarify his intentions, he quickly got to the point.
“I’ve been separated from my group due to some circumstances. I’d like to stay here until they find me. I’ll compensate you, of course.”
Saying this, Leon retrieved a small pouch from his coat and placed it on the table. Inside the leather pouch were small, glittering gemstones that shone brightly under the dim light.
“This is an advance payment.”
Blinking.
Ar stared at the sparkling jewels with indifference, her expression unreadable, which made Leon increasingly uneasy.
‘Isn’t this enough to buy a commoner’s house?’ he wondered.
Perhaps the information he had been given about the local economy was outdated. Considering the dangers that might come with harboring him, he thought the payment was more than fair.
But as Ar simply stared at the jewels, unmoved, Leon began to suspect it wasn’t sufficient.
“If you let me stay until I reunite with my group, I’ll also provide as much gold as you’d like as an additional payment,” he added, trying to sweeten the deal.
Even with this promise, Ar’s expression remained unchanged. Leon began to fret over what more he could offer to gain her trust. Perhaps she was wary of him, a stranger, suddenly appearing in her home?
As Leon anxiously pondered, Ar finally broke her silence.
“Fine.”
Leon was startled by her straightforward response. In truth, Ar hadn’t given it much thought. As the master of the forest, there was little she feared, especially not within her own domain. Besides, she was curious about the first guest she had ever invited into her home.
“But I don’t need this.”
Ar slid the pouch back toward him. Leon, confused, tried to push it back to her.
“This is the rightful payment for lodging.”
“I don’t need it.”
Ar firmly rejected it. The sparkling gemstones held no value to her. For Ar, money meant copper coins, silver coins, and the gold coins she had only ever seen on wanted posters. She had no concept of the value of gemstones, seeing them as no different from pebbles by the river.
What Ar wanted was something else entirely.
“Do you know how to make braised meat?”
“Braised meat?”
“Can you sew?”
“Sew?”
Leon could only repeat her words dumbly. Ar asked him a few more questions, but he continued to respond like an echo, unsure of what she was getting at. Her gaze slowly turned cold, as if assessing a useless burden.
“….”
Sensing the situation turning against him, Leon scrambled to recover.
“I-I can cook!”
Of course, only in theory. His limited knowledge was from survival lessons during logistics training.
Still, Ar’s gaze softened slightly at his answer.
“Then start with that.”
Unbeknownst to Leon, Ar had already decided to put his labor to good use. After all, there was no such thing as a free meal.
“I’ll teach you other tasks as we go.”
For the first time in his life, Leon found himself conscripted into what felt like servitude. The experience was both novel and nerve-wracking.
Ar wasted no time, showing him around the kitchen, the backyard, and even the livestock pen. She clearly had plans to make him earn his keep starting the next day.
“Do you have a sleeping bag?”
“…All my belongings are with my group.”
In other words, he was penniless at the moment. Leon, clutching only his emergency pouch, suddenly felt a pang of humiliation.
***
Ar rummaged through the closet by the wall and pulled out a thick quilt.
“I’ve been feeling too warm lately, so you can use this.”
“…Thank you.”
For the first time in his life, Leon laid himself down on the floor. Today seemed to be full of firsts for him.
As he lay there, staring at the ceiling beside Ar’s bed, a peculiar feeling came over him. Was she keeping him nearby because she didn’t trust him, or was it something else entirely? The unexpected situation made him restless, but his exhaustion soon overtook him, and he fell asleep almost immediately.
Ar, however, didn’t fall asleep right away.
She wasn’t naive enough to let her guard down with a stranger sleeping just feet away from her, nor was she accustomed to hearing anyone’s breath but her own in the quiet of her cabin.
“….”
But as Leon’s calm and rhythmic breathing filled the room, Ar’s mind gradually began to drift. Clutching the dagger she always kept at her bedside, she eventually closed her eyes in peace.
***
Ar woke up the next morning with a small spark of anticipation—her guest’s presence promised a more interesting day.
The first thing she saw, however, was Leon still sound asleep beside her bed, utterly at peace.
“…”
Ar decided to let it slide. After all, someone like him—who seemed used to life in a city—would find it hard to adjust to the early mornings of the forest. Not everyone was like her, accustomed to the woods.
‘Might as well check the traps while he sleeps,’ she thought.
Ar stepped out to check the traps she had set in the forest. By the time she returned, the sun was well above the horizon. Her luck was good today—she had caught a snake. Calculating how much she could sell it for, she returned home with a satisfied smile.
“Ah, you’re back,” came a greeting as she stepped through the door.
Standing there, bathed in the morning sunlight, Leon’s golden hair shimmered with an almost otherworldly brilliance. Ar felt a brief, sharp pang in her chest, but it faded as quickly as it came, and she dismissed it as nothing.
“Good morning,” Leon greeted her with a sheepish smile.
It was only when she turned her gaze to the kitchen behind him that she understood his awkward expression.
What had been a perfectly tidy kitchen the night before was now a complete disaster. No other word could describe the chaos that had unfolded there.
Ar stared at Leon silently. She didn’t feel particularly angry, just stunned that so much damage could be done in such a short span of time.
Leon, misinterpreting her gaze, began stammering an explanation.
“I-I’m not familiar with where everything is kept, so… sorry about the mess.”
Ar wasn’t too upset. It was his first time in the kitchen, after all. Besides, she had already decided that the new laborer—who had caused the mess—would also be responsible for cleaning it up.
“It’s fine,” she said calmly, easing his visible tension.
Satisfied for now, Ar asked him to prepare a simple breakfast.
“Can you make pancakes?”
The flicker of uncertainty on Leon’s face gave her the answer before he spoke. Deciding it was better to discover his capabilities one step at a time, Ar resolved to help him.
“It’s your first time, so I’ll help,” she offered.
She showed him where the flour and mixing tools were kept, then took him to the chicken coop in the yard to collect fresh eggs. Leon followed her instructions attentively, nodding as she explained.
“I usually like to use goat’s milk in the batter,” Ar remarked. “But water will do just fine for today.”
Once all the ingredients were gathered, she expected Leon to start mixing. But instead, he hesitated, shifting nervously and stealing glances at her.
Finally, he spoke up.
“Um… how exactly does one mix the batter?”
Ar stared at him, dumbfounded.
“You don’t know how to mix batter?”
“I know how to cook!” Leon protested defensively. “I just… don’t know this particular method.”
Ar narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical, but she began showing him how to mix the ingredients. Leon struggled with her vague instructions, especially the use of “a little” and “some,” but he quickly got the hang of it.
To her surprise, he managed to produce a smooth, well-mixed batter.
“Good. Now it’s time to cook them.”
“…Cook?”
“You don’t mean to tell me you don’t know how to cook them, do you?”
“Of course I do!” Leon exclaimed. “I just… don’t know how to pour the batter onto the pan without making a mess.”
At this, Ar let out a deep sigh.
This guy definitely doesn’t know how to cook.
