169 - 24 Hearts

Twenty-Four Hearts - Chapter 169 > Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archive 00169 Chapter 5. Wood and Iron Fearing the possibility of being pursued, they walked without rest from morning until afternoon. Compared to the jungle-like terrain of Rigen, the forest path they took was remarkably flat and pleasant, making the journey much easier. Thankfully, it seemed there were no pursuers either. Despite maintaining a vigilant pace, there was no hint of being followed. If the pursuers were using spatial magic, they should have arrived already, which would not have been surprising. On second thought, it seemed natural that there were no pursuers. The Gate had opened right in the center of the city of Uroon, and the theft by an elf was a trivial issue in comparison. It ranked low on their list of priorities. Even after closing the Gate, the city would logically be more focused on hunting down any hidden beasts, rather than recovering wounded victims and repairing destroyed buildings. Moreover, if any of the visiting nobles from across the continent had died, it would lead to significant diplomatic issues, making it a complicated matter with much to consider. In such a scenario, there would be no foolhardy effort to track an elf thief all the way out here. This was the belief they held, and it seemed that belief wouldn't betray them. "Hmm." Feeling that the elves and Arhil, who had walked all night, were starting to lag behind, Yuda stopped in his tracks and looked at Arhil. "Are you tired?" "…Yes, I'm a bit exhausted." Yuda took a deep breath, seeing Arhil unable to ask if they could take a break. Fresh air filled his lungs. Perhaps because he possessed a spirit sword, Yuda felt little fatigue. However, the elves and Arhil wore exhaustion plainly on their faces. "There's no choice. Let's rest here for a bit before moving on." "Is it safe? Won't they catch up?" At Arhil's words, even the elves with keen hearing nodded in agreement, looking uneasily at Yuda from behind. While their magic had probably recovered to some extent, they seemed to have lost much of their confidence from being captured by humans for so long. "It doesn't matter even if they do. I'll handle it." Having become a bearer of the spirit sword, Yuda was somewhat eager to test out his liberated skills on any pursuers. However, even without that motivation, with dusk approaching, resting here seemed a wise decision. "Everyone, let's relax and start again after resting a bit." At Yuda's confident words, several elves, who seemed to have been holding back, directly laid down or leaned against the tree trunks. It seemed they were quite exhausted, as some fell asleep right away. Watching them, Yuda took some firewood out from his Bag. He hesitated for a moment about whether to light a fire or not, but decided that keeping warm was worth the potential risk. He arranged the firewood in a circle, and one of the elves came up to produce a small, warm flame with their hand. With the familiar crackling sound of burning firewood, the elves gathered around the firelight. With around twenty people, it seemed three or four campfires would suffice. Observing Yuda creating campfires, other elves began to prepare spots by leveling the ground and gathering stones. They found the seemingly infinite supply of firewood that Yuda conjured fascinating, and as soon as enough firewood was accumulated, they started fires to warm themselves. Noticing their apparent coldness, Yuda also provided thick blankets. ‘Everyone must be getting hungry, so I should prepare a meal.’ Though simply offering fruit could suffice as a meal substitute, Yuda wanted to provide a nutritious meal after walking nonstop all day. Glancing at the elf beside him who had helped light the fires, he asked, "You eat meat, right?" "What?" Startled, she widened her eyes at the sudden question but soon gave a sheepish laugh, as if realizing she had overreacted. "We eat whatever: meat, fruit, you name it. We don’t really have specific dietary restrictions. While we generally prefer vegetables, it’s not like we survive on dew alone." "Oh, really?" "Yes! Most humans have the wrong idea, but we'll eat just about anything like anybody else." Brightly responding, she lit the final pile of firewood prepared by Yuda and returned to her spot. Yuda then fetched cooking tools from the Bag. "Really, it seems like anything can come out of there." Arhil, who had been resting, stood up and remarked. It was understandable he found it fascinating, seeing items like a folding table and pots continuously appearing from thin air. The elves, too, were gazing at Yuda curiously from the fireside. "When there’s everything, everything comes out." Humming a cheerful tune, Yuda removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. After washing his hands with a water bottle, he thought the elves might be thirsty, so he handed several bottles to Arhil. "Please distribute these to the elves." "Right away~" Without complaints, Arhil jumped up, taking the water bottles and distributing them among the elves. Finding a nearby stream or spring would have been ideal, but searching for one seemed bothersome. Contemplating what to prepare, Yuda decided to make a vegetable porridge. It was a bit cumbersome, but Yuda thought the elves would enjoy it and set about gathering the ingredients. He filled a large pot with water and added anchovies, kelp, and radish to brew a broth. A pleasant breeze accompanied the soothing crackling of campfires, and the gentle hum of elves chatting filled the air, creating a delightful atmosphere. ‘Music would make this even better.’ Yuda felt a pang of nostalgia as he remembered the music he used to listen to on his smartphone. The thought of music made him long to listen to it even more. He wished he could cook while humming along to a tune through his earphones, but that wasn't possible in this world. Settling for humming a melody from memory, Arhil returned from distributing water and struck up a conversation. "That melody sounds really nice. Do you know any songs?" "No, I only hum. I’ve never learned properly..." In this world, he hadn't sung many times. Arhil made a curious sound in response to Yuda's words. "Yuda, you have a nice voice. I think it would sound great if you sang." "If you insist, should I sing a song for you?" "Really?" "Yes." "But you can't tease me if I'm not good." "Of course not!" Excitedly, Arhil moved closer. Yuda pondered for a moment on what song to sing before clearing his throat and starting a gentle ballad. His voice spread softly, soothingly, regardless of gender, as it drifted into listening ears. Unaware of the elves' concentrated gazes, Yuda effortlessly sang while chopping pumpkin, carrots, and onions for the vegetable porridge. When he stumbled over the lyrics and ended the song prematurely, Arhil clapped enthusiastically beside him. "Wow! That was such a lovely song!" Encouraged by Arhil, some elves joined in the applause. Slightly embarrassed, Yuda scratched his head and offered a gracious bow. "Could you sing one more? Just one more, please?" "Hmm." "The elves are looking forward to it as well. Just one more song!" Though he worried unwelcome spit might fly into the ingredients, the encouraging looks from the elves prompted Yuda to indulge them with another song. Despite not being much of a singer in his previous life, Yuda found that this body allowed him to sing effortlessly. Even hitting high notes was easy, invigorating him to sing with more enthusiasm. Once the rice he’d prepared earlier was added to a large pot, he removed the strainer from the broth. He then sautéed diced vegetables and meat in a pan, added them to the pot, and began stirring with a wooden spatula. While making porridge could be tedious and require patience, time flew delightfully by with the elves as an audience and songs to accompany the process. As if enchanted by the music, Yuda checked the system message and discovered that the elves' affection levels had risen. Arhil's affection had also notably increased. "Wow! I've never heard those songs before. Where did you learn them, Yuda?" Full of curiosity, Arhil asked, her face alight with wonder. Yuda merely smiled in response. As the porridge was ready, he sprinkled chopped chives over it, stirred, and laid out wooden bowls and spoons on the table. He called the elves to come get their portions, suggesting they could return for more if still hungry. He also noted that they could add salt if they found the porridge bland. Though not extraordinary, the porridge would fill their bellies warmly against the cold weather. After distributing the porridge to the elves, Yuda set aside Arhil's portion and sat with her, back against a tree, to eat together. As they talked while eating, the topic of Lokshin came up. "By the way, it seems like Lokshin was really kind to the elves?" "?" Kind to the elves? Yuda wasn't so sure. At least, in his memories, Lokshin had always seemed rather cold toward the elves. However, perhaps he did things for them behind the scenes that Yuda wasn't aware of, evidenced by the kindness a female elf had shown him earlier. Surely she wouldn’t have been so friendly without reason. "You don’t know?" "Well, at least in my presence, he was quite candid, if not openly harsh." "Candid? What kind of things did he say?" Arhil appeared perplexed, and Yuda playfully leaned in, sniffing with an exaggerated motion. Startled by Yuda's sudden move, Arhil leaned away, scrunching her face. "Eek! What are you doing?!" Yuda chuckled before continuing. "He’d say something like 'You should wash, you smell.' That was typical of Lokshin." "Really? To the elves?" "If you don't believe me, feel free to ask them. I bet they'd confirm it." "Harsh..." "Well, perhaps his blunt nature came across as genuine to them. Better than being approached with a fake smile hiding ulterior motives, right?" Seemingly understanding, Arhil nodded thoughtfully, taking another spoonful of porridge. As she finished her bowl, she watched an elf return for seconds, her eyes serious as she looked at Yuda. "So, if we're honest with them, they'll be welcoming to us too, right?" She seemed eager to bond with the elves. Although her voice was a whisper, the elves’ sharp hearing likely caught her words. Oblivious to this, Arhil awaited Yuda's response with childlike hope. "Absolutely, just approach them slowly. They certainly don't dislike you, Arhil." They wrapped up their meal, tidying up the dishes when an elf approached Yuda. The elf’s face was familiar though they hadn't been formally introduced—it was the first elf Yuda had helped save. With an expressionless gaze, the elf looked at Yuda, who responded with a small smile. "Did you enjoy the meal?" "…It was good." "Glad to hear it. Do you have something you'd like to discuss?" Setting down the bowl, the elf glanced at Arhil before returning his gaze to Yuda, as if trying to read him. Holding Yuda's gaze intently, he spoke. "I'd like to have a word with you, privately. Is that okay?" "Go ahead and have your conversation. I'll take care of the cleanup," Arhil said with a smile, seemingly having overheard their exchange. At her words, Yuda nodded while transferring the remaining porridge into a container and placing it into his Bag as if it were a refrigerator. ---------= Author's Note --------- Hmm... it seems exams have begun. I offer my apologies in advance. I can't guarantee daily updates until next Wednesday. I ask for your understanding...