Hope in Trust

I stopped myself before I could take a full step. We just finished battling each other. Nevertheless, he remained a stranger. Should I be following him?

He could have likely killed me if he wanted, but he chose not to.

I hesitated.

I was still recovering and wouldn’t be able to defend myself if he attacked again.

Those eyes. Those fierce eyes stared into my very being.

He smiled, exhausted yet content. Everything about him drew me in.

Then, an idea came to me.

I still needed to know where we were. Perhaps he could tell me. Even better, I could ask him to translate what Yrish wrote in the notebook.

Since he didn’t strike me as the kind who would turn against me, following him didn’t seem like a bad idea in the end.

I signalled him to wait and rushed to fetch my things.

When I came back to him, we began walking.

I tried recalling the words Yrish used when she asked me my name back in the forest. I hadn't picked up on them at first since I didn't understand her question, but they would be quite useful now.

Did it start with “ja” ? Maybe something like “jahar” or “jalar”?

It didn’t feel right, but it was the best I could remember.

I gently tapped on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned slightly and tilted his head back to look at me, without stopping to walk.

"Jahar?" I anxiously asked, pointing to him. I figured it was best to ask for his name first.

He stopped, turning to face me completely, slightly squinting his eyes. He didn’t seem to understand what I was trying to ask him.

“Jalar?” I tried once more.

His expression remained the same.

I had no further ideas about what the word may be, so I just stared awkwardly at him in silence.

The sun had yet to fall behind the horizon, but its light was slowly getting dimmer. The wind grew cooler, clutching my body as it whistled past.

Some seconds later, the man asked hesitantly, “Jalhere~?” as he barely looked at the ground before him.

That word rang a bell. It was most likely the same word Yrish had used.

I quickly nodded and attempted to repeat it to him.

“Jalere~...” I tried pronouncing the word but failed. “Jale… Jahere~… Jale~...”

He laughed as I tried saying the word, repeating it himself a few times.

After a few tries, I eventually managed to say “jalhere~” and asked him.

“Etaxuos,” he answered, grinning.

His name sounded different from the others I had heard, and the way it was spoken felt unusual. Was he not originally from here?

Perhaps I was overthinking it.

“Etaxuos?” I repeated, trying my best to say it correctly.

He nodded, smiling even wider than before, as if proud that I was able to say it.

I then pointed towards the town and asked him the same thing, “Jale-Jalhere~?”

He thought for a brief moment and responded, “Mida,” while looking at the silhouette of the town, obscured by the setting sun.

As he said “Mida”, I recalled it being shouted when we first arrived.

I wasn’t sure if it was really the town’s name back then, but I believed he had understood what I was asking him. Since it matched what had already been said before, I felt more certain it wasn’t just another misunderstanding.

This town’s name was probably Mida.

After taking in the beautiful scenery for a moment, he resumed walking towards one of the nearest houses to where we sparred. It was structured exactly like the others, but this one was most likely his.

If he had seen me training from one of the front windows, that would explain why he decided to approach.

He opened the door and held it for me to come through.

The house had a similar fireplace to the Old Man’s, but instead of being in the middle, it was in the far right corner.

Besides the wooden furniture, a real sword lay by the bed, and a table with two chairs sat in the middle. There were also two windows on the back wall, overlooking a garden on the other side.

It looked way less empty and brighter, with candles lit on top of the table.

To the right, there was a second door. Etaxuos pointed towards it and jerked his head, as if telling me to open it.

The wooden floor shrieked less than usual under my weight.

I peered inside as I opened the door. It looked like a bathroom.

A metal spillway ran from the back wall above a concave rock platform with drainage. Next to it, an elevated bowl jutted from a wooden box, likely a toilet.

Candles were attached to the walls by a metal piece.

He followed me inside the room and pointed towards the rock platform. He ran his hands over his head and torso, as if washing himself.

He then pointed at me and pinched his shirt, asking for me to give him mine.

I set my backpack on the floor outside the bathroom and leaned my spear against the wall.

I took my cloak off. Holding it over my right arm, I pointed towards the chairs. He nodded, and I proceeded to hang it on the back of one of them.

After taking my shirt off, I hesitatingly handed it to him. He smiled at me before turning around and leaving the house, closing the door behind him.

I paused and stared at the entrance for a moment.

What was he planning to do with my ragged shirt?

After today’s training, it was drenched in sweat. Was he going to wash it?

He had already left, so I had no choice but to believe in him.

When I turned around, I barely spotted him outside through a window on the back wall. I approached and peeked at what he was doing.

I parted my lips in surprise.

He was controlling a ball of water in midair.

It glimmered in the dimming sunlight, droplets glinting like tiny jewels as they fell off.

There really were more types of magic besides earth.

I hadn’t seen the start of the spell, so I didn’t know if he created the water or drew it from somewhere, but he was clearly controlling it.

“Does this mean that the other elemental types exist as well?” I questioned myself.

Water and earth were normally not the only types of magic. It was possible that others, like fire and wind, existed too.

However, it was clear that not everyone was able to use them. There would be no need to use stones to start a fire, as the soldiers had been doing since we left Tristte, or to carry water jugs if they were capable of creating water on the spot.

My body trembled with enthusiasm.

I was now certain there were other ways for me to get stronger. If I continued improving in combat with my spear and training to better control my mana, I could maybe learn to use magic as well.

I chuckled in disbelief.

I wouldn’t break my promises again. I wouldn’t let others die in my stead.

Tears began flowing down my cheeks as I recalled Yrish’s smile fading from her face and the weight of her corpse on my arms.

“I will be able to protect everyone!” I mumbled, my voice cracking as I focused on my shaky hand.

I didn’t know who I would have to protect, but even alone, I wouldn’t let myself break those promises again.

When I glanced back at him, he was in the middle of a chant, but he was speaking too low for me to hear.

As he finished talking, the water began boiling. Vapour was slowly being dragged by the wind.

He poured the hot water into a container to the side, connected to the wall, and I heard water splashes coming from the other room.

My shirt was hanging from a string attached to two sticks behind him. Given his skill with water magic, I trusted his methods and turned away. I headed to the bathroom and took off the rest of my clothes.

Water cascaded from the spillway onto the rock platform. Steam quickly filled the room, shrouding me in a soothing warmth.

I hadn’t felt this in so long. It was my first hot shower since arriving in this world. Until now, my longing for this warmth had only grown stronger.

There were no buttons or levers, but I could hear Etaxuos already inside, which likely meant the water would continue flowing until it ran out.

I took my time, engulfed by the calming warm current. The spots where the wooden sword had struck me prickled under the water.

The temperature gradually decreased, but it was still tepid by the end.

When the water stopped, I grabbed a cloth from a wall hanger next to the shower and dried myself. I dressed myself and left the bathroom.

Wood crackled, fire flickered, embers floating above it. The warmth and scent of burning wood reminded me of the Old Man.

Hearing the door opening, Etaxuos approached me and handed me my shirt. It felt warm and had been completely cleaned.

I grabbed my cloak and put it on. Looking at the rest of my belongings, I remembered I hadn't asked him about the notebook yet, so I swiftly knelt down beside my bag and took it out.

Etaxuos was already cooking dinner when I approached him.

I opened my notebook on the page Yrish had written and showed it to him. He looked at the characters for a bit and then shook his head.

He also didn’t seem to know how to read.

“Is most of this world illiterate, or just this region?” I couldn’t tell, with only two people to go by.

When I went to store my notebook, I looked out the window. It was already dark outside, and the moonlight reflected on the borders of the glass.

Craning my head to the side, I could faintly see smoke trails coming from the inn’s direction. They were already preparing dinner.

It would be better if I headed back.

I picked up my things and once again walked towards Etaxuos. I bowed my head, attempting to show appreciation for what he had done for me and tell him I was leaving.

He turned towards the front windows, and after probably spotting the smoke trails as well, he put down his wooden spoon to the side of the cauldron.

Placing his right hand on my left shoulder, he smiled and bowed as well.

I left his house and went directly towards the inn’s parking area.

I felt fulfilled.