Kyran made a makeshift stand to place the clay pot, where he transferred the preserved soup. The clay pot was one of the things his uncle Jared included in his pouch. He also sliced off some of the extra meat he took from the Theihorns and placed them on a stick to roast it. Of course, he already confirmed that Theihorn's flesh was not poisoned and was edible before roasting it.
He remembered that their meat was rich in nutrients that could help heal wounds faster.
Glancing at the girl at the corner who was obediently waiting for the food, Kyran could not help but frown slightly.
Now that there was enough light in the small space, he finally got a better look at the girl's condition.
Her clothes were white-now stained from all kinds of dirt- short-sleeve made in very thin material. It had small patches that seemed to come from repeated mending. Her pants were dark and also had patches here and there.
What Kyran thought to be filth on the girl's skin was actually bruises and dried blood. She was still filthy, and she did stink. He guessed that she had been here for some time from her state, and though she had not eaten proper food, she still needed to relieve herself.
Her dark hair, filled with grime, was not black but had a lighter color—either golden brown or dark blonde. And the color of her eyes, Kyran was unsure, given the lack of natural light, but it was definitely not black.
Lastly, his initial assessment of the girl's age might be a little off. Because she was too thin, he initially thought she was ten or twelve years old. But she might be younger or older.
Kyran did not plan to ask, though. He might have decided to come back, but he was not planning to associate himself with her. At most, he would leave her either in Nhadal or Leycombe. Or a town on the way to the west.
Anyway, that was the most Kyran could do for her.
'Right. Just in case forest beast comes here I need to put up a defensive array,' Kyran thought after he completed placing the sticks of meat near the fire.
He stood up and took out a scroll that he would place near the opening.
Rousing his magic energy, Kyran activated the array, and soon, a circular array with intricate calculation hovered vertically on the opening.
"Pretty."
'Hm?' Kyran frowned and looked at the girl.
To his surprise, the girl was looking at the array as if she could see it.
"You can see this?" Kyran asked.
The girl flinched and immediately covered her mouth. Then she averted her eyes before muttering, "I... can...not."
Kyran's brow twitched. She clearly said 'pretty' while looking at the array. Why did she have to deny it?
Once again, he wondered why anyone would abandon this girl in this place.
Kyran's brow creased as he diverted his attention back on the array.
If she did not want to say it, then so be it. It was not his business anyway.
Besides, he did not want to know her circumstances. He only came back to help her a little and because he needed a place to rest. He did not want to search for another place outside.
Yes, he could warp back in town, but he did not want to risk getting seen if he did. Not to mention having his magic signature detected by the army's magic detector. He could warp somewhere outside the Valley of Morte. Unfortunately, the only place that made an impression on him was the mutated Basilisk's cave.
What if the Basilisk was back in its cave when he warped? And it did not care whether he smelled dangerous and decided to attack him because it recognized him as its prey who escaped?
No.
Kyran could not risk it. He would have to stay in this place and recuperate before heading out.
As for the girl's business, he did not care. He was not curious because she was blind, yet she saw the array and even said it was pretty.
Yes. Kyran was not curious at all why she was left here of all places.
...
'Damn this meddlesome thinking,' Kyran cursed himself as he glanced at the girl again.
Since he decided to help her, there was no harm in asking a little about her matter.
He would only ask and not 'meddle' in it.
After fixing the defensive array on the opening, Kyran stood up and checked on the food.
When it was ready, he poured some soup on an empty container and took one stick of roasted Theihorn meat. Then he walked over to the girl.
The girl, smelling the pleasant aroma of the cooked food, could not help but drool a little. Her stomach also growled in anticipation, which made her flush in embarrassment.
Kyran knelt beside her and was about to reach for her hand, which was still holding her weapon but hesitated.
He hesitated not because he suddenly felt embarrassed but because the bruises and the dried blood on her arms looked terrible up close.
A terrible thought crossed his mind.
Was the girl also mistreated? From the looks of her bruises, it looked like she was hit multiple times when her old bruises had not yet healed.
At that moment, Kyran caught sight of a fresh wound near her ribcage. A chunk of her skin was peeled off from it, and it was bleeding.
It looked similar to how Byron's back got done after pressing his knees without deactivating his Void Armor.
Kyran suddenly remembered the Void Knife he threw.
'Don't tell me...' He felt a pang of guilt as he looked at the girl's expression.
The girl only reacted when she got hit. But though she was still bleeding, she did not show any signs of being in pain.
'Because she was used to the pain?'
The thought angered Kyran. And his reaction surprised him. Could it be that he was reminded of his little sister when she looked at this girl? They were nothing alike, though. Besides, Kyra was still a cute little girl. The one in front of him was older.
Or maybe, he had doubts that he could save his family. And when he failed, they might end up...
'Don't overthink, damn it.' He scolded himself.
He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts.
"Here," Kyran reached for the girl's hand and took her 'weapon', placing it beside her before he handed the bowl.
Then he took the meant-on-stick that he temporarily laid on top of the bowl and reached for her other hand to let her hold it.
"The soup might be too warm. Be careful when you drink it. The meat too," Kyran told her.
The girl nodded her head slowly and said, "T-Thank you."
Kyran stayed beside her, guiding her to locate the edge of the bowl. This way, she could drink the soup as well as nibble on the meat.
Even when the girl could finally eat by herself, Kyran remained by her side.
The girl sensed his presence, and she could not help but feel touched.
It had been a long time when someone had been kind to her. And that someone was her mother, a person related to her. But this person was a stranger. Yet, he showed such kindness. It was too good to be true.
She remembered her mother once told her that there would come a day when she would meet other people who would accept her and be kind to her. It made her wonder if this man might be one of them.
'No. Don't get your hopes up. He is only here to feed you, but he cannot... he will not save you.' She reminded herself.
After a few minutes of silence, Kyran finally spoke and said, "How did you end up here?"
The girl who was finishing the soup stopped abruptly from his question.
He saw her hesitation, so he waited. Patiently.
Finally, the girl placed the bowl on the ground and slowly relayed her story.
Contrary to what Kyran initially thought, the girl's stuttering was only caused by her nervousness earlier. Now that she warmed up to him a little, she was able to speak clearly.
The way she spoke also confirmed Kyran's guess that she might be older than his initial guess.
The girl explained that the people from her town planned to visit the cemetery, and her uncle suggested they could go with them to visit her mother's grave. However, while they were on their way, a forest beast attacked their carriage, and they got separated from the others. She lost consciousness during the commotion, and when she regained consciousness, she was already in this place. At first, her uncle was still with her. But then he told her he would look for help, and he left her with a weapon.
Before the girl could finish her story, Kyran realized her uncle had staged the 'attack'.
'But why go through all that trouble just to get rid of her? Why not just kill her then? Why did he have to leave her here at the Valley of Morte?' Kyran wondered.
Since he reckoned the girl probably did not know the answers to these questions, Kyran decided not to ask. Instead, he asked how long her uncle had left.
The girl paused before answering him with a number.
Based on the number she gave him, she stayed in this place for four days, more or less.
After a short pause, Kyran finally said, "You were abandoned by your uncle."
He did not sugarcoat his words because it was pointless. It was better to let her face the ugly truth than have false hope.
The girl's expression did not show any surprise nor sadness. She only lowered her head and smiled faintly while saying, "Yes. You're right."
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