“Watch closely.”
Taeyon continued with a low chuckle.
“These are the people you saved.”
“The people I saved…”
Thinking of it that way somehow made his chest swell.
Even though it was a scene he’d just witnessed, it felt fresh and new again. People groaning as they moved building debris, the sound of saws cutting wood, the resonance of hammers constructing buildings, and even the faint scent of sawdust.
The people I saved are starting a new day so energetically like that. People who might have faced death!
“I want to help too!”
Kaniel shot up and sat on the windowsill.
“Huh…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Did something happen after I fell asleep yesterday? I have more mana than I expected…”
The mana he’d used a little over half of yesterday was now almost completely replenished. He’d expected it to take about four days to recover this much.
“No, nothing.”
“Really…? Hmm, I don’t know. I guess that can happen. Yeah.”
The Surface was still unknown territory to Kaniel. He decided to just remember that things like this could happen, and turned his attention to what he’d originally intended to do.
“Taeyon, I can use magic now. I figured out how to use it without it hurting.”
“Good. That’s fortunate.”
At the casual answer, Kaniel excitedly chanted his spell.
“I’ll show you. <Powerful force that reaches far away…!>”
Mana swirled and the magic was completed. Kaniel swept the building debris scattered on the ground with wind and gathered it all to one side. When the trash collected in one place, the people who had been cleaning were startled.
They soon discovered Kaniel sitting on the windowsill and waved their hands vigorously in greeting.
“You’re awake! Are you feeling okay?”
“Have you eaten?”
“Someone bring him some stew!”
“Thank you for saving us!”
Words of gratitude flowed out amidst the murmuring sounds. Kaniel felt embarrassed and shy, yet his heart seemed to thump loudly. He couldn’t define exactly what kind of feeling it was, but one thing was certain—he was happy.
Taeyon, who had risen and approached Kaniel at some point, whispered.
“Wave your hand.”
When he waved reflexively, the beastkin grew even happier.
“I feel like a hero…”
“To them, you are a hero.”
Taeyon answered firmly.
Someone might think the title of hero was being given too easily. But Taeyon believed it was very important to show people who saved others the results they had created, and to let them deeply feel what kind of act that was to others.
That’s why Oblyad Castle gave honor and money to the knights who went on subjugation patrols, and made the beastkin respect them.
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
At the firm answer, Kaniel didn’t know what to do with himself, then soon smiled brightly. His eyes sparkled like stars on his flushed face. Taeyon paused seeing that face, but couldn’t understand why.
Kaniel excitedly began helping rebuild the marketplace with magic. He lent his strength to erecting pillars, held signs while others nailed them, cut lumber, and such.
Taeyon sat back down in the chair and watched the scene.
“Huh…?”
After wielding magic like that for a while, Kaniel suddenly staggered and grabbed his head.
“Ugh…”
Taeyon strode close and placed his hand on his forehead to check for fever.
“What’s wrong? You don’t have a fever.”
“Ah, I used… too much mana…”
“…Pathetic.”
“When my mana gets low I start hurting, but I was so excited I forgot to check my mana level… Ugh…”
Kaniel grimaced at the squeezing feeling in his head and sat back down in the chair, slumping over.
Kaniel let Taeyon’s reproachful gaze as he clicked his tongue slide off him. If it had been yesterday, he would have shrunk back not knowing what to do, but now he didn’t care.
Because he was too happy helping the people he’d saved!
As he slouched in the chair grinning weakly like that, that rabbit beastkin from yesterday entered the room carrying a tray full of food.
“Please eat!”
Kaniel sat up happily. He’d been hungry anyway. Hadn’t he been starving since last evening? After all that hardship without eating anything, he had no strength in his body at all.
Kaniel rolled his eyes in bewilderment seeing meat stew, grilled meat, and steamed meat being placed on the table one after another. The rabbit beastkin saw that and was shocked.
“Oh, humans are herbivores? I thought they were carnivores…! Should I bring vegetables too?”
“Could you please…?”
Normally he’d eat whatever was given, but this was a bit too much. His body wasn’t in good condition as it was, and he felt like he’d get sick if he only ate meat.
The rabbit beastkin who left saying to wait just a moment soon returned with various vegetable sticks and sauce, a pile of leaves resembling lettuce, and vegetable stew.
“Here, I picked out fresh ones. Enjoy your meal!”
“Mm-hmm… Thanks.”
This time it was vegetables like a rabbit’s diet. It was somehow cute. Kaniel tried not to laugh as he picked up a vegetable stick and bit into it.
The rabbit beastkin, who had misunderstood that he was an herbivore, sparkled his eyes with joy then asked carefully.
“Um, but you were staggering earlier, why was that? Are you not fully recovered?”
“Well, I had recovered, but then I used magic again so I got bad again…”
At Kaniel’s answer, the rabbit beastkin made a horrified expression.
“Oh my! Hyung, rebuilding the marketplace just takes a little effort from the uncles and it’ll be done quickly. It’ll probably all be finished today, you know? You shouldn’t strain yourself doing things like that when you know it’ll hurt!”
“Yeah, I know. I just… got a little excited. Haha…”
There was nothing he could do even if he was told he was being childish. He’d felt like doing that at the time.
The rabbit beastkin made an expression like he had a lot to say, then soon sighed and turned around.
“Then please eat slowly.”
His expression seemed a bit doubtful until the very end, so Kaniel wondered if he should have told the truth. Until yesterday his eyes had definitely been full of respect.
He glumly picked up his spoon to start eating, when he caught sight of Taeyon’s lips curling up. When Kaniel narrowed his eyes and stared at him, feeling somehow emotional, Taeyon asked, feigning ignorance.
“Does our food not suit your taste?”
“…It’s not that. It’s just, humans are omnivores.”
“Beastkin are technically all omnivores too, if you want to get into it. They just have strong likes and dislikes.”
It wasn’t very convincing coming from someone who had been picking up only meat with his fork since he started eating. Looking at how the rabbit beastkin had prepared the food like this, it was clearly a matter of ‘you won’t die if you eat it’ at best, and they definitely ate according to the distinction of carnivore or herbivore.
“That’s why we don’t eat meat and vegetables separately like this, but cook them together.”
“Then the meat gets the vegetable smell on it.”
“That’s what makes it delicious though.”
Taeyon frowned as if just the thought seemed unappetizing. Beastkin seemed to be tremendous picky eaters.
Thinking that such a strong and mature man was a picky eater somehow felt kind of cute.
Kaniel grinned to himself as he soothed his stomach with vegetable stew. He didn’t forget to pick up meat too. When it felt greasy, he’d put the meat on leaves resembling lettuce and eat it, and each time Taeyon would furrow his brow with an expression like someone watching a person eat something inedible.
That’s when it happened, as they continued their meal.
With a knock, the door opened and a beastkin entered carrying a plate.
“Um… I heard you weren’t feeling well.”
What the sheep beastkin held out was food made by julienning potatoes, mixing them with batter, and frying them in oil. Kaniel received the plate with a flushed expression. It looked delicious.
Actually, since he’d been starving since last evening and the only food he’d eaten for several days was dry bread and rock-hard jerky, any food would have tasted good.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
The sheep beastkin left the room with a pleased expression.
“It would be better not to accept them.”
“What are you saying? They made it especially for me, so I should eat it.”
“If you say so.”
But after that, beastkin began entering one by one to hand over food and leave.
“Please try this too!”
“Cow blood pudding is the best when you’re weak.”
“You’re not lacking in meat, are you?”
“At times like this you need to eat fish.”
“Do you like eggs?”
When one table seemed insufficient, they even brought another table from a different room and set it up. Kaniel made a shocked expression at the rows of food lined up as if for a birthday party.
On the opposite side, Taeyon raised one corner of his mouth in an ‘I told you so’ smile.
“No, I didn’t think it would turn out like this…”
What am I going to do with all this, he thought, yet one side of his heart grew ticklish. It was troublesome, but at the same time he was happy and didn’t know what to do.
Was I someone this weak to people being nice to me?
The emotion he was feeling now and simply being touched by kindness were completely different feelings, but Kaniel couldn’t distinguish the difference.
Without realizing it, just intoxicated by joy and elation, Kaniel ended up overeating.
