ARC I: Where a Child Drifted
Chapter 6 — Warm Hands
We all sat near the fire. On my right side, the cook was sitting, and on my left, the woman. In front of me, the man sat quietly.
There was silence for some time, as if no one had any words left to say.
The cook poured a bowl of stew for me.
"I'm Karel. I'm a traveling merchant from the capital," he said, placing the bowl in my hands.
The bowl was warm, and my hands felt alive for the first time in a long while.
"The woman who made you cry—her name is Niki. She can be rough sometimes, but she has a good heart," he said, looking in her direction.
I looked at her this time, truly seeing her. She remained silent.
"And she's a warrior who uses her fists instead of a sword.
It's already rare to see a woman warrior, but one who fights with her fists? That's like finding a diamond on the side of the street."
He kept talking, and the mood around us slowly lightened.
I lifted the spoon, bringing it close to my mouth.
"Stop."
I heard the sound from my right.
"I forgot to tell you—the stew is too hot. And you just woke up, so take small bites. We don't know when you last ate."
He stayed there, explaining all kinds of things.
I couldn't understand half of what he was saying.
Confusion began to fog my mind, but he continued as if nothing was happening, not even looking anywhere.
"Ahem… ahem."
The sound of coughing came suddenly from in front of me.
Karel and I looked toward the sound.
"What do you want?" Karel asked, annoyed.
The man gave a sharp look and pointed at me. Karel followed his gaze and realized what he meant.
"Hey, why aren't you eating?" he said, the smell of food drifting near my nose.
"The food will get cold if you wait that long."
He looked at me with a pitying expression.
I lifted the spoon and took a small bite.
The spices hit my throat like a knife. I coughed, and tears filled my eyes.
The pain was intense—the food had gone down the wrong pipe.
"Hey, get him some water!" the man in front yelled, taking the bowl from my hands.
Niki poured a glass of water and brought it to my mouth.
I took a sip. The pain was still there, just as intense. My hands were shaking.
I drank more, and slowly, the pain began to fade. My tears stopped.
"Are you okay now?" Karel asked.
All of them wore complex expressions.
I took another long sip.
"I'm okay," I said in the smallest voice.
"That's good," the man in front said.
"Take your time. Start eating when you think you can."
He handed the bowl back to me.
"I guess this dumbass didn't tell you about me, right?" he said with a confident smile.
"I'm Phil. I'm a mage and the strategist of the group."
I knew nothing about magic except that mages were strong. I wanted to ask more, but my throat still hurt.
So I nodded.
My stomach hurt more than my throat now.
I took another small bite. This time it went down easily.
I continued eating, taking small bites and controlling my urge to eat too quickly.
My bowl was empty, and I still wasn't full.
Karel took the bowl from my hands, poured more stew into it, and gave it back to me.
The tension in the air had faded, and the cold atmosphere somehow felt warmer.