TCRDG 19

Chapter 19

“I need to eat something too.”

For now, breakfast was taken care of—there were still plenty of sandwiches the butler had packed.
But lunch and dinner were a concern.

Thankfully, since I had brought a chicken, I could eat eggs every day. That was a relief.

“Mom always used to find ingredients around and cook meals. I should look around too.”

If I was going to cook my own meals, scouting the surroundings was clearly the first step, so I headed outside.

There was no reason anyone would be around, but just in case, I remained as alert as possible while scanning the area thoroughly.

Inside the boundary stone, there weren’t even traces of animals.

What was unexpected was the number of signs that people had passed through.
They were all isolated traces, so it didn’t seem like anything to worry about.

“Good. If people have been here, that means guests might come too.”

After my search, I gathered weeds and twigs to start a fire.
Then I walked through the forest to see if there were any ingredients I could use.

Maybe because this place had been uninhabited for so long, a cute rabbit suddenly jumped out.

It twitched its adorable ears and stared at me. I smacked my lips unconsciously.

“Should I take you for tonight’s dinner?”

I seriously considered it, but I had vowed not to take lives in this place, so I let it go peacefully.
Every now and then I still felt the scent of blood clinging to me, and I wanted to wash that off—even if only here.

“…Guess I’ll just eat some greens.”

Looking around the forest, I found various edible plants, herbs, berries, and grasses.
It wouldn’t be hard to gather food for immediate meals.

I picked a basket full of greens for dinner salad and washed them clean in the spring in front of the cabin.

The water running from the spring was so clear and cool that I scooped some with my hands to drink—and was surprised.

“Even the water tastes good.”

No need to bother making drinks. I could probably bottle this and sell it.

After spending the whole day exploring the surroundings, I finished my dinner and lay down in bed early.
Outside, a heavy downpour had started in the early evening.

The sound of rain pounding on the roof became a lullaby as I closed my eyes.

But then—I sensed something in the distance.

‘Who is it?’

I was always on edge, so I thought maybe it was a wild animal. But as it got closer, I could tell it was a person.

I got up quickly and blew out the candle. Then, blending into the darkness, I pressed myself against the wall to observe.

Soon after, the window opened with a creak.

Someone leapt over it and entered the cabin in one smooth motion.

‘A thief?’

Meeting an intruder after only two days—it was absurd.

There was nothing worth stealing here, but I wasn’t about to let it slide. I grabbed a kitchen knife.

But instead of looking around, the intruder went straight to the sofa like he knew the place.

He even pulled out a blanket from beneath the sofa and covered himself with it.

‘There was a blanket under there?’

Judging by how practiced it looked, this wasn’t a thief—it was probably some drifter who had secretly been sleeping in my cabin.

The house had been vacant, so I guessed it wasn’t too strange.

I lunged at the man and pinned him down, holding the knife to his neck.

“A-Aaah! How did you get in here too?! Get back!”

The man turned pale, like he’d seen a ghost, and reached out his hand.

A white light glowed from his fingertips and enveloped me.

‘What the—?’

I was startled by the unexpected attack and considered dodging, but the light didn’t feel hostile—it felt warm.

“How can you endure that? You’re not a ghost? A-Are you human?”

“As you can see.”

I pressed the knife even closer to his throat and asked,

“Who are you? A mage?”

Among the few born with abilities, those with magical powers were especially rare.
Even working with a guild, I’d barely met any mages—so I was suspicious why one would be here.

“No, I’m a priest.”

“A priest?”

“Yes. There’s a temple not far from here. I serve there.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe that?”

Why would there be a temple deep in the mountains?
Temples are for prayer, and no one would come out this far.

…Then again, my parents had once run a store out here. Maybe it wasn’t impossible.

“It’s true. Why would I lie about something that’s easy to check? More importantly, what are you doing here?”

He was the one trespassing, yet he was the one questioning me—like I was the thief.

I moved the knife slightly. His face went even paler.

“P-Please put that down. It hurts.”

I rested my chin on my hand and studied him again.

‘Could be a disguise.’

I’d made too many enemies in Raven to not be suspicious.

He had brown hair, fair skin, and a rather ordinary appearance.
Handsome? Maybe. Or maybe not. He looked like a priest—but maybe not.

‘He’s really hard to read.’

But one thing was clear—he was weaker than me. I put the knife away and instead brought out a rope to tie his hands tightly.

If he really was a priest, I’d find out tomorrow. Until then, he’d stay tied.

“Harming a priest will anger the gods,” he said as he sat obediently on his knees, just talking calmly.

“This is my house. Catching a trespasser isn’t a crime.”

“Really? Since when?”

“Since always.”

I pointed to the land deed on the living room table.

He crawled over, picked it up, and his expression changed dramatically.

“I’m sorry. It was always empty, so I thought it was abandoned. I just happened to find it, and I slept best here…”

Well, it had been abandoned for over ten years. I supposed that was understandable.

I was debating what to do with him when I suddenly remembered my parents’ well-maintained graves.

“Did you see the graves behind the house?”

“Yes. They looked neglected, so I took care of them and prayed. I thought maybe the owner of this house was buried there.”

I had guessed someone was maintaining them—it was him.

His excuse for staying was flimsy, but he had done what neither I nor Seniel had managed to.

“Thank you. Those are my parents’ graves.”

I sincerely thanked him and untied the rope.

He looked at his hands with a pouty, sad expression.

“My hands are chafed… and my neck’s injured too.”

“Don’t be such a baby.”

“What’s your name? I’m Kaiden.”

“Rosia.”

“How old are you?”

“You?”

“I’m twenty-two.”

He was three years older than me, but I didn’t tell him my age so I could keep speaking casually.

“I’m really sorry for trespassing. I’d be freaked out too.”

“Good. Then don’t come back.”

I pointed to the door, thinking he’d gotten the message.

But Kaiden looked at me with pleading eyes.

“It’s so late. Isn’t it dangerous to leave now?”

“You got here just fine.”

“But the rain’s worse than before. Oh! Did you hear that thunder just now?”

Then why did you come all this way through the thunder?

When I still insisted he leave, his expression darkened.

“Truth is… I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“This is a mountain. There are wild animals… and sometimes even monsters.”

“Monsters disappeared after the Sealing War. Don’t lie.”

Kaiden slowly stepped closer and looked at me with teary eyes.

“Could I… maybe stay the night?”

I flinched at his words.
No one had ever said it like that to me before—it almost felt like a new kind of psychological attack.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s safer with two people. We can rely on each other.”

“No thanks. Get out.”

“Please let me stay. I’ll leave as soon as the sun rises.”

His shoulders trembled as he begged. I sighed.

‘What kind of temple raises a priest like this?’

To send someone this timid and delicate to a mountain temple—it was absurd.

I could usually tell if someone was lying by looking into their eyes, and right now, Kaiden looked like someone on the edge.

‘What’s chasing him?’

The expression in his eyes reminded me of myself ten years ago. I couldn’t bring myself to turn him away.

“…Fine. But don’t move a step from that sofa.”

“Wow! I knew you were a good person. My instincts are never wrong.”

Looking at his bright smile, I thought—he looked more delicate and innocent than me, a girl.

“I’ll sleep so well tonight. I feel safe knowing Rosia is here.”

He wasn’t even embarrassed to admit I was stronger.

“When the sun rises, leave. If not, that knife really will end up in your neck.”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

Leaving Kaiden outside, I went into my room.

Just in case he had any funny ideas, I stayed alert for a while—but he didn’t even make a sound.

He was fast asleep.