3.5 Mylne Town: Town's Dinner

We had finished cleaning once it was dark outside. Unlike the cities within the walls of Eldiron, this town is not lit at night. The one exception is the heart of the city where the town’s dinner is held. From up here on the hill, I saw about a hundred and fifty people in the centre and some people were heading towards or away from the centre with torches.

There’s about thirty two houses scattered around here, not counting the windmill, the one we’re in and not the ones that look like they’re solely meant for farming and keeping cattle.

So that would mean about five people live together in each house. Perhaps, not everyone attends the town’s dinner, so that means the total could be around two hundred people here… That would bump up the people per house to six or more, wouldn’t it…

I realised I hadn’t looked through the windows that faced the back of the house we’re staying in, so I walked around it to look what’s beyond the other side of the hill. It was hidden behind the houses and the very hill I’m standing on earlier, but the farming fields stretches out far beyond my eyes could see in the dark.

Hikari followed me around the house and stood at an arm’s length. “Hisenko.” A ball of fire, similar to the one she used earlier, flashed across the field. The difference between the two spells is that this one lingers in the air and is far brighter. Thanks to her spell, we could see the fields a lot better for a brief moment.

“The spring harvest is not far away.”

I know absolutely nothing about farming, so I was quite surprised to hear that she at least had some clue.

“I guess we’ll be helping out with that then.” I was getting kinda excited, this would be another first for me after all.

“Indeed, but for now, let us join them for dinner.”

I looked at her and saw the bangs that normally hang over her eye patch be half stuck underneath it. “Your hair is a little tangled, want me to fix it?”

“If you would be so kind.”

Using nothing other than my index finger, I lifted the hair from behind the eye patch’s band that goes across her face. As soon as I let go of her hair, the band came loose and it fell to the ground.

I picked it up for her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” The moment I tried handing it back, I saw her bare right eye for the first time. A scar ran through her eye, starting somewhere at the bottom of her forehead and going all the way down to her cheek. Her eyelid hung low and the visible part—as small as it may be—is entirely white.

Instinctively, at least I’m sure it was, I placed my hand on her cheek. The moment I realised I did, I quickly retreated it.

“Uhm… Is your eye fine?”

“Mhmm. It has been like this forever, so I do not mind it anymore.”

I hesitated with giving the eyepatch back, I didn’t want it to seem as if I was indirectly telling her to cover her eye up. She, however, didn’t hesitate to take it out of my hand.

“We do not want to scare the people, do we…” She said as she tied it behind her head again.

“I understand, but I don’t think it’s scary at all.”

She turned around, heading to the other side of the hill. “You saying that more than suffices.”

I followed in her steps. “Would you mind if I asked you how you got it?”

“I would not mind you asking.”

The way she answered me should’ve told me enough, but yet I asked, “How did you get your scar?”

“I am afraid I cannot tell you that.”

Her delivery was terrible, but I could tell she was trying to make a joke. I simply laughed it off and caught up to her.

Now, en route to the town’s dinner, I was in for yet another first.

Walking through the empty streets again, every now and again we’d come across some townsfolk who would give us a friendly greeting. Then we arrived at the heart of town.

“Oh! You made it!” Igreine was once again in a good mood.

Behind her stood Dennis who was clinging onto her dress.

The feline commander is quite the shy one…

“Good evening,” the two of us said quite in sync.

“I’ve saved seats for you two, follow me.”

While we followed her through the masses—all seated on logs, standing at high round tables or even sitting in a circle on the ground—Dennis kept shooting glances behind him whilst still clinging on to his mother.

“Good evening, hero.”

That seemed to have broken the ice a little since he showed me a big smile—one that’s missing a tooth.

Once seated at a table, next to Igreine and Dennis on one side and a family of four on the other, we were served stew in a clay bowl. It wasn’t much, but it filled the stomach quite nicely. It was tasty, too.

Today I visited a town in the south for the first time, talked to southerners for the first time as well, I had never seen the inside of a windmill before, but after snooping around with Hikari, I had yet another first to scrap off the list. This town dinner is no different. And right now, I’m in for yet another one.

“Bottoms up, m’pal!” Igreine’s husband said as he bumped his wooden tankard against mine.
“Have you never had such a beverage before?” Hikari asked me as if drinking alcohol was a natural occurrence for her.

“No, have you?”

She shook her head. “I have heard that it is bitter. Perhaps it is better to drink it with big gulps so that the bitter taste will not linger as often.”

“…Are you sure? I think you’ll get drunk that way…”

“Ah, what’s it matter anyway! Good beer keep ya warm, keep ya fired up.” He pointed his finger in the air as he struggled getting the words out. “…And enough beer keep ya… Uh… it put ya to sleep!”

“R-right…”

As I held the tankard to my mouth, I shot a last glance at Hikari who was downing it faster than a man returning from the desert would finish a cup of water.

I guess I’ll have a sip… Bleh… bitter.

“That hits the spot, don’t it!”

“Sure does,” I lied as I drank it sip by sip.

After talking to the husband for a tad bit, I had noticed that Hikari went quiet a while ago. I looked at her and saw her cheeks had turned a little reddish. It was hard to tell under the distant torch light.

“Hikari… are you drunk?”

“Me? Jue bu…”

Huh?

“This little could not get one drunk… Lee-suh…!” She was speaking gibberish.

When nighttime was upon us, I carried the ‘I swear I am not drunk’ Hikari on my back. Without a torch to light the way, and much less a Hikari to use a fire spell, I had to navigate my way back in the dark. Locating the hill isn’t difficult in the slightest, but making sure I don’t trip over the unevenness of the road is a different story.

I guess no matter what challenge is posed, the end’s what matters most. We made it home in one piece.

After a little struggle with unlocking the door, I managed to open it and bring Hikari to bed. She lied down with her legs hanging over the edge.

“Wait, hang on,” I said, right before she could swing them under the blanket. “We need to take your boots off first. And your robe, too.”

“O-ooh! Of course.”

Instead of taking it off herself, she pushed herself up and stretched out her arms, nonverbally suggesting that I take it off for her. With utmost care for her long hair, I slowly lifted it off her. I was hoping she’d take care of the boots herself, but when I put her robe away, she was already stretching one of her legs out.

“This is the first time you’re acting like a princess,” I sighed.

“Lee-suh!”

“Hm?” I was already kneeling down, taking off her left one. “Hikari is princess!”

“Sure, sure.” The boots were easier than the robe, I must admit. “There, all done. Get some rest now. Good night.”

She was already out like a light, not that falling asleep in a heartbeat is anything new. When I tucked her in, it made me realise that I also need a blanket on the couch. I opened the closet next to the bed and took a spare one out. As I closed the doors of the closet again, I felt her hand pulling me by my shirt.

“What’s wrong?”

“Grandma Lin… Where are you going?”

Is she a sleep talker…? I took her hand and placed it on the pillow. “Good night.”