Ingram’s Lantern - Chapter 4

The touch of the fabric on her body felt good. There was no bad smell on her anymore. Asha turned her head around and looked down at her new clothes. There was a mirror in her room. She didn’t know it but, when she looked at the mirror, she found out that her hair wasn’t symmetrically cut on each side; its length was choppy at the ends, as if a mouse had taken a chunk out of her hair.

‘He said he would cut it prettily.’

Asha tried to ponder on her father’s words for a moment as she touched the tips of her hair, which had become short as a boy’s hair style. However, she soon shook her head to clear out all of her thoughts.

She went downstairs with a flushed face. In the restaurant on the first floor, Kiltz was already sitting at a table in the corner and was reading a book.

Even when Asha approached, he didn’t look back at her and just raised his head once. Then Asha carefully thanked him.

“Um, thank you for the bathwater and new clothes.”

“It’s nothing.”

The man turned the page of the book he was reading and said.

“Attractive clothes will give you a lot of trouble while moving around, and it won’t be very suitable for travel. I’m sorry, I only bought it temporarily, but please bear with it for now. Let’s stop by a nice clothing store later.”

Asha wore the new clothes, and for the first time since she was born, it was a much better quality then she had ever worn before. She shook her head.

“This is enough for me.”

Then I decided to speak out the words I practiced all the time during the bath.

“I’ll work hard to pay back this debt to you later.”

Kiltz’s face became strange.

“Debt?”

His gaze moved off the book for the first time. Kiltz stared at Asha momentarily, then soon turned his head back to the book.

He spoke firmly in a cold tone.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you don’t have to.”

I made a mistake. I think I made him angry again. Asha held her head to her arms. However, she couldn’t give up easily this time. She somehow had to let him know that she would pay off all debts.

Asha started to talk carefully again after noticing.

“I’m good at cleaning.”

Kiltz responded as if he was not interested at all.

“I see. “

“I think I’m also good at watching kids. Last time I took care of Mrs. Linda’s baby. So if I work as a nanny, I will be able to pay you back. But It will take a long time.”

“And?”

“And again, um… … What is there? Oh, I’m also good at climbing trees. I don’t know if it will help, but in the past—”

The loud sound of the book he’s reading, as it slammed closed, interrupted her words.

He said expressionlessly, “I’m offended to hear that from you.”

Asha wanted to cry. Seeing the child unable to hide her gloom, Kiltz shut his mouth as if he realized he had made a mistake again. He spoke cautiously as he swept his bangs nervously.

“That’s not what I mean…”

His words were not finished in the end because the employee, who found Asha, came up with a smile.

“After washing, your white face is just like a noble child. What would you like for food? Do you want to eat anything?”

Asha, who had never ordered herself food in a place like this, appeared to have rabbit eyes as she looked up at Kiltz. He raised his hand instead.

“I’d like something suitable for a child to eat.”

“Yes, appropriate. That’s the hardest thing.”

After scribbling things on the slip, the clerk winked at Asha.

“Hang in there. The food here is delicious!”

As soon as she heard the word rice, intense hunger came.

Until a while ago, I was nervous so I didn’t notice it immediately, but when I looked around, I saw people ordering food here and there. Asha had to press down on her stomach to try and stop it from rumbling.

The employee’s words were not wrong. Soon, a glossy roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and a warm bowl of soup with cream were placed in front of the two in turn. Asha picked up the spoon and put the soup in her mouth. It was fascinating to feel the delicious warm soup spreading into her stomach.

Kiltz dismantled the chicken with a neat skill, and then placed a large fat leg in front of Asha. She tried to use a knife after him, but it didn’t work out well because she wasn’t used to it. Asha was wary at first, but eventually she lifted the chicken leg with her hands. Savory juice burst in her mouth after she bit into the crispy skin of the meat.

I didn’t know there could be such delicious food in the world. Her father always told her that meat was tasteless and not healthy to eat, so Asha’s staple food mostly consisted of watery soup.

Asha bit the chicken with her little mouth. As she filled her cheeks like a squirrel and raised her head, Kiltz, who’s sitting opposite her, gave her a look. Under the yellow light, his expression seemed to be slightly softer than before.

“Is it delicious?”

“Ish dewishus (it’s delicious).”

Kiltz’s mouth twitched as the child inflated her cheeks and answered happily. He reached out over the table.

“Here, there’s something.”

His finger stretched out to touch Asha’s mouth and wipe something off. Ashamed of losing her manners due to the food in front of her, Asha fiercely rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand.

Then Kiltz said, wiping his hands on the napkin in a neat motion.

“So I went to the stable a little while ago. I was going to get a roofed wagon, but there’s not one available at the moment. I guess we can only hope it doesn’t rain as much as possible while we’re crossing the Prairie.”

Come to think of it, I think he also mentioned prairie during the day. Asha eventually asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.

“But what is a prairie?”

“Don’t you know the prairie of Nermaz?”

The largest meadow Asha knew was the low hill on the cliff where she met Kiltz.

Kiltz explained to her, who looked like she had never heard it before, “It is a vast flatland that occupies most of the territory of Nermaz. It is also a place you must go through to move from here to the continental mainland. No matter how fast you go, crossing it will take more than a month.”

“A month?”

“Because it is a prairie.”

Even after hearing it that way, I still couldn’t guess its size.

“There will be no villages or shelters available while crossing the prairie, so we need to prepare plenty of food and oil. Besides, recently there has been some news that monsters have been lurking there”

“M-monster?”

Asha’s face turned blue.

A clerk passing by, holding two beer glasses in both hands skillfully, suddenly cut in upon hearing Kiltz’s words.

“Yes. Recently, there has been an increase in the sightings of monsters in the prairie.”

She frowned slightly as if there was something strange.

“That’s not where the monsters originally came from. Thanks to that, it was serious business in Liez, but why would this happen suddenly? It is rumored that there will soon be a punitive force sent, from the country, to subjugate the chaos.”

The waiter, who was thinking hard, pointed to a group of men drinking at a table far away as if to show his point; he had probably guessed exactly why they were here.

“It seems like they are also crossing the prairie. How about going with them? They are merchants from Caldrogen that buy wool and leather, and they’re leaving in three days.”

Kiltz rejected his friendly offer.

“I hate noise.”

It was a cold attitude that would make listeners feel embarrassed, but the waiter laughed it off.

“Then, make sure to take at least one sheep. They seem to be carrying goats. When a monster appears, it is used as a sacrifice to throw to the monsters or something.”

Kiltz smiled as if he had heard a silly joke.

“We have our own countermeasures.”

Having said so, he opened the book again. The employee also returned to the kitchen with an empty bowl.

Asha stared suspiciously at Klitz’s white and straight hands, which seemed like they had stayed far away from ever doing difficult tasks. Compared to his hands, it seems that I even have more calluses. What kind of measures could he possibly have?

‘No way.’

A living offering. At that moment, a thought flashed past Asha’s head.

‘No way… … Is he talking about me?’

Asha’s face turned pale at once.

‘I think I’m right.’

Warm bath water, new clothes, and delicious foods I’ve never tried. If you think that everything was her last supper, it makes sense.

Asha clenched her fist under the table. It wasn’t that hard to imagine Kiltz throwing her in front of scary monsters and then leisurely leaving the scene.

‘You look like someone who will remain the same after that.’

He’s cold, and it doesn’t seem to have any affection.

“What’s wrong? “

As I raised my head, a faint question popped up over the man’s blunt face. The way he spoke, looking at Asha under the warm light, it felt even a little friendly.

However, for Asha, the man’s cruel attitude was still apparent.

‘I must not be fooled.’

If this is the real personality of this man, then this favor he’s giving me now is to coax me into a false security.

“it’s nothing.”

Asha forced herself to smile. Kiltz raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask further. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice what she had noticed.

He closed the book he’s reading and stood up. He had barely touched his food.

“It’s better to go to bed early today. It’s going to be a tough journey from tomorrow.”

Asha followed him up to the room, but she could hardly fall asleep. Covered in a blanket on a strange bed in a strange place, the girl trembled.

‘Should I run away?’

She thought about it dozens of times more, but if she escapes, Kiltz may return to her hometown to get the money back from his dad. Then her dad would be disappointed and maybe even hit her.

‘Or maybe he’ll kick me out… Then I’ll have nowhere to go.’

I prayed earnestly that tomorrow would not come, but the dawn came without fail. The dawn sky that can be seen slightly through the window was unfairly sunny.