Chapter 4 — First Meal

 

From somewhere, a delicious aroma drifted through the air. Mmm… what a wonderful smell. My stomach growled—I couldn’t wait to eat. What kind of meal would it be?

Noah carried over a large pot and began setting bowls around it. The knights gathered together—it was finally time to eat.

“Since little Yuuki is with us today, I thought warm soup would be best. Here you go, Yuuki.”

Noah tried to hand me a bowl, but my hands were so small I almost dropped it. Seeing this, the vice-captain held the bowl for me instead. I gripped the spoon with my tiny fingers and managed to scoop the soup into my mouth, bit by bit.

I was amazed—warm food could taste this good.

“Yummy!”

“Right? Here, try some of this meat too.”

“Thank you!”

The captain gave me a piece of meat. I tried hard to chew it, but it was too tough. I swallowed it somehow, but just that effort left me exhausted. The meat was as big as my face! Everyone else ate it easily, though.

“I’m tired…”

It was frustrating—I wanted to eat more, but I couldn’t. Mashiro happily gulped down the rest of my meat in one bite. Lucky Mashiro. Maybe when I grow bigger, I’ll be able to eat more too.

“Human food is surprisingly good. I’ve never tasted anything like this.”

“That meat came from the Big Air Bird Mashiro defeated earlier.”

“Oh, so that’s the one.”

The meat was from the monster Mashiro had slain.

“It’s rare to find a Big Air Bird in such a shallow forest. We were very fortunate,” Oliver said, smiling.

The knights seemed pleased—it really was lucky.

“Yuuki, how about some bread?” the captain offered.

“Are you serious? Yuuki struggled with the meat already. He can’t possibly eat hard bread. Please think before you act!” the vice-captain scolded.

“Is it really that hard? I ate it as a child.”

“Don’t compare yourself to him. Honestly, you…”

The vice-captain began lecturing the captain. I worried it was because I couldn’t eat much, but Noah reassured me.

“Don’t mind them. The captain always gets scolded by the vice-captain. We just pretend not to notice.”

Poor captain… I’ll cheer for him! But that bread really was like a rock—I couldn’t bite it at all. Yet everyone else ate it without trouble. Maybe it’s just because I’m small. Someday, I’ll be able to eat it too.

“Don’t force yourself. Eat slowly,” the vice-captain said kindly, holding my bowl while eating his own meal as if it were nothing. The knights ate with such speed and strength that I was astonished. They had three bowls of soup each, plus meat and bread, until everything was gone. Meanwhile, I only finished one bowl of soup. Well, I am small, after all.

After the meal, everyone sat around the fire, each busy with their own tasks. Liam polished his sword, Noah cleaned up, Matthew went out on night patrol, the vice-captain checked documents with the captain, and the captain tended to his own blade.

Full and drowsy, I fought against sleep. Surrounded by so many people for the first time, I wanted to stay awake longer. But the new world had tired me out. As I nodded off, the captain picked me up, patting my back in a gentle rhythm.

So warm… Today was wonderful. I made friends with Mashiro, met the knights, even rode on the captain’s shoulders. Noah’s cooking was delicious. I wonder what tomorrow will bring—I can’t wait.

Thank you, God, for sending me to such a joyful world. It feels like the best gift ever.

Thinking that, I drifted to sleep in the captain’s arms.

*****

“Good, good. I’m glad he seems to be enjoying himself.”

“If you had sent him to the right place from the start, he wouldn’t have been attacked by that monster.”

Lucas’s scolding was about to begin again. Ugh, here we go…

“Come on, it turned out fine. He looks happy, doesn’t he? So, let’s call it a win.”

“Honestly… still, that monster appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t supposed to exist in that forest.”

“Which means something is happening beyond our understanding. And yet you sent that child there…”

“I know, I know. I already apologized, didn’t I? Everyone yelled at me afterward too. Let’s leave it at that.”

“That child’s soul is pure. Left alone, it cannot shine. We must make sure he finds happiness. He is our future. This time, we must protect him with our blessing.”

“Don’t fail again.”

“I won’t. This time, I’ll get it right. This time for sure…”