# Chapter 10
“Then one day, a person from the village disappeared.”
With the man’s ominous voice, the background paper that had been painted clear sky blue was pulled out, and the stage changed to a dark night sky.
“That person went to the forest. Something must have happened in the forest.”
Another doll spoke with great agitation. The dolls gathered together and headed to the forest, but those who went never returned. The dolls remaining in the village were all trembling with fear. Amid this, another doll entered the stage, shouting:
“My child has disappeared!”
At those words, the watching children, including Rite, audibly gasped. It was a predictable story. There would be a monster in the forest, and that monster must have taken the people.
The dolls each spoke, but no clear solution emerged. During this, the old man doll from earlier appeared on the stage.
“A monster has appeared in the forest. The sleeping monster has opened its eyes because it’s hungry. It will devour people until it’s full and falls asleep again.”
At those words, a young-looking child cried out and buried their face in the arms of a sibling standing next to them. It seemed scary to some of the children. I glanced at Rite’s face. He didn’t look scared, but somehow appeared solemn.
“At the news that a legendary monster had awakened, all the villagers were terrified. The parents of the missing child could only shed tears. At that moment…”
When the narration ended, the protagonist boy doll walked to the center of the stage.
“I will defeat that monster and bring back the captured people.”
At the boy’s words, some people dismissed it as boasting and didn’t believe him, while others greeted him with thanks.
No matter how I looked at it, the story was strange. A young boy said he was going to defeat a monster, but why didn’t anyone try to stop him or offer to go with him?
The boy packed a small knife and a bag and departed for the forest. The stage background changed again to a dense forest. It was a white winter forest where snow had fallen.
“The forest branches grew thickly, blocking the boy’s path, but the boy cleared them all away with his knife.”
As the doll vigorously swung his hand a few times, Rite tugged at my collar. What Rite wanted to say was obvious.
“Arden, I want a knife too.”
“Not a real knife. But I’ll make you a wooden one instead.”
“Can a wooden knife cut trees too?”
“…Well.”
I pretended not to know, even though I clearly knew it couldn’t. With the man’s narration, Rite forgot about the knife for a moment and became immersed in the puppet show again.
The boy lost his way in the maze-like complex forest. He encountered various wild animals and fled, laid his tired body under a large tree and fell asleep, and even met a fairy.
The fairy that appeared in his dream told the boy the location of the cave where the monster lived, and thanks to this, the boy could safely reach the monster’s cave.
“The boy bravely approached the front of the monster’s cave. Then he called for the monster in a loud voice. ‘Monster, show yourself!’ But perhaps the boy’s voice was too small, as the monster did not appear. Let’s help the boy call for the monster together. One, two.”
With the man’s natural guidance, the children joined their voices. “Monster, show yourself!” The man encouraged the children’s responses several times, then continued the play with a satisfied face.
Finally, the long-awaited monster emerged from inside the cave. The monster had horns. A hideous monster with pitch-black horns.
As the monster appeared, I quickly looked at Rite. Though hidden by the hood, horns like the monster’s existed under that large hat.
Rite was watching the monster doll’s appearance with only interest, but I felt uneasy. This monster resembled Rite. Even knowing it was just a puppet show, I didn’t want to see the end of this story.
“Behind the monster, the missing villagers were trembling with fear. The monster laughed at the boy who had come with a knife.”
It was a nonsensical story. If it woke up because it was hungry, why were the villagers still alive? The fact that they were kept alive without being eaten meant that the monster hadn’t captured them to eat them. But the boy didn’t ask the monster anything. He merely charged at the monster with his small knife.
“The boy charged at the monster with his knife, but couldn’t pierce its hard skin. The monster tried to catch the boy with its large tail, but the boy’s running was faster.”
The monster doll writhed, but the boy doll evaded everything. The monster and the boy unleashed attacks on each other inside the cave.
Exhausted from the long fight, the boy threw his knife and fled outside the cave. The monster chased after the boy but couldn’t go outside the cave. As if afraid of the bright sun.
“Seeing the monster like this, the boy thought of one method. The boy took out a large mirror from his bag. The boy called out loudly for the goddess. ‘Artalis! Give me the power to defeat the monster!’ At that moment, Artalis, passing over the cave, spotted the boy and the monster and emitted a strong light. Artalis immediately recognized the boy with the kind heart.”
‘What a brave and good child. The sun during the day and the stars at night will guide you.’ With Artalis’s line, the light reflected in the mirror reached the monster standing at the cave entrance. The monster fell with a terrible cry.
“The monster fell into an eternal sleep, and the boy became a hero who saved the village, loved by all, and lived happily ever after.”
That was the end of the puppet show. It was an ending no different from what I had expected. The hero defeats the monster with the help of a deity and receives people’s respect. I questioned this seemingly obvious ending.
In the founding myth of Artalis, humans don’t appear alone. That’s because it was a country founded together by Artalis, who was human, and Noah, who was a dragon.
Nevertheless, in the stories of humans who worship Artalis, only humans appear. Monsters are always ostracized and portrayed only as targets to be defeated by heroes.
Is Artalis a god only for humans? It was also strange that only humans were detached from the food chain of eating and being eaten. The criteria for distinguishing between human and non-human was unclear.
Unlike my confusion, Rite seemed to simply enjoy it. Rite pulled at my collar and looked at me.
“Arden, I want a sword too.”
“…Okay. I’ll make you one.”
“Can I defeat monsters with it too?”
I recalled what Pini had told me the year I picked up Rite.
‘The castle’s astrologer made a prophecy.’
‘That monster will someday kill the emperor and devour this country.’
A monster born in the castle. Destined to become a traitor. A child abandoned for that reason.
“Why the monster?”
“I want to defeat monsters and become a hero too.”
I carefully stroked Rite’s head. I could feel the hard horns even through the thick cloth.
“No. I’d rather you didn’t.”
At my words, Rite opened his eyes wide. Why? Rite’s eyes, asking that question, looked pure and clear to me.
“You don’t need to be a hero.”
“Why?”
“The monster must have had some reason. For bringing people to the cave.”
“It was trying to eat them.”
“Then it would have eaten them already. Before the boy came.”
Is that so? Rite said, tilting his head.
“But, but Arden.”
“…”
“I want to be loved by people too, like the boy.”
When the only person he knows is me, who exactly does he want to be loved by? Is the desire to be acknowledged and loved an instinct?
I love you. I should have said that, but the words wouldn’t come out. Would I alone be enough for Rite? And after I die? Would Rite continue to grow rapidly? Then the day would come when he surpasses my age. My thoughts became a complex jumble.
I pushed away the thoughts that had no answers and opened my mouth. It was somewhat impulsive.
“Anyway, this kind of love…”
Won’t last long. I closed my mouth and swallowed those words inwardly. Without realizing it, my hand moved to my ear. I touched the small jewel attached to my right earlobe.
“Let’s stop here and go to the square.”
At my words, Rite nodded obediently. If he just listens to me well, like now, the child wouldn’t be swept up in that fate. I headed toward the square, deliberately suppressing my anxious feelings.
The end of the Founding Day was always the same. Before the sun, symbolizing Artalis, completely sets, wine and food are offered at the altar, and a wooden carved dragon egg is set on fire to send the smoke to the sky. When Markus poured wine over the flames, they grew even more fierce.
People began to pray individually as they looked at the smoke rising to the sky. Rite and I also watched the ceremony, blending in with the people.
The only thing I wished for was one thing: that Rite and I could live quietly without any trouble. But I wondered if it was right to pray to the goddess for this. I doubted whether Artalis would care for Rite, who wasn’t human.
Arden. At the sound of someone calling me, I lowered my head. Rite was looking up at me intently.
“Arden, now I know what a festival is.”
What does he mean? As I tilted my head in question, Rite immediately answered.
“It’s a day when everyone has a happy face.”
At Rite’s words, I looked around. Though it was a small village and these were faces I always saw, they were different from usual. Everyone was smiling. Relief that we had safely passed through the year. Faith that the goddess would watch over us. Such things were visible on their faces.
“So Arden should smile today too.”
Rite smiled brightly, raised his heels, and poked my cheek. At that touch, a small laugh escaped me. The corner of my mouth slightly rose to where Rite had poked. Only then did I realize that I had been frowning with my facial muscles tightly set.
It was foolish to be anxious over a mere puppet show. There was no need to believe in things like fate and gods. If I did my best, it wouldn’t be difficult to change the fate of one child.
‘Raising a child means growing yourself as well.’
It was a passage I had read in a book. I thought that perhaps I too was growing bit by bit, though not at the same rapid pace as Rite.
