18 - Purple Eye (with map)

I'm back. I'm back.

"I'm home!"

Welcome home. Mr. Toll, Miss Thora.

"I'm home?"

Good evening. What lovely guests you have.

Seeing the stinking being in Thor's arms, Euril, the landlord, smiles without raising an eyebrow.

He is a calm man who has not aged for decades.

The cats that followed him slipped in through the front door before receiving an invitation and started sniffing and exploring.

I'm sorry, they've gotten a little attached to me. May I keep them for a while?"

"Yes, please. Yes, I'll boil some water for you.

Thank you.

"Tor, where's the food?"

I'll wash you first. Sola, help me."

Yes, sir.

First, the vagrant child is taken to the kitchen by the drain.

Next, the child is stripped of the cloth-like material that is wrapped around his body and stripped naked.

"Do you have ...... on you?"

"Why are you stripping it off?　Do you still eat moo?"

"Let's get you cleaned up, Moo."

Yuril brought a tub of warm water, dissolved the tallow soap used for laundry, and dabbed the rags in it.

All that remained was for the three of us to scrub the rags.

"Oh, Thor, can't you remove the stain from her with ?"

"I looked at it earlier, but I couldn't come up with any background. It doesn't look like he's ever been around monsters before.

"I see... Well, let's do our best!"

The girl's body was speckled with layers of dust and mud, not easily cleaned.

The girl's body was speckled with layers of dust and mud, and it was not easy to clean her. The blackened water was repeatedly dumped out and carefully stroked and rubbed again.

The child, who introduced himself as Moo, looked at first as if he was curious, but then he realized that it felt good to be wiped with a warm cloth, and halfway through the process he closed his eyes and started to stay still.

She became quiet, so I washed her hair, which was mixed with dead leaves and sand.

It seems that the cat is flea-free, just like the cat I used to live with.

After some of the dirt was removed, the three of us rubbed them with seaweed soap for bathing.

The child, whose whole body was lathered up, giggled and laughed without changing his facial expression much.

After 30 minutes, the child was clean as a day.

She was about the same height as Thor's belly button, so she was no more than five and no less than ten years old.

She is not too thin for her life in the back alleys, and her body is well toned.

Probably, this is the result of Thor's continuous feeding of meat and bones to him for the past few months.

There were also some old scars here and there on his body.

Her freshly washed hair, smelling of soap, has regained its color and softness, shining golden and swirling.

A wide forehead, a slightly low nose, and a pretty mouth.

And the most eye-catching feature of all were her big purple eyes.

Combined with her eyelashes, which were turned up in high spirits, she looked as lovely as a doll.

However, since her facial expression has hardly moved since a few minutes ago, you might think that she is really a doll if you stand still.　

"You have pretty violet eyes, Moo-chan.

"Ah, that's a characteristic of the purple-eyed tribe."

"Shigans?"

"Just watch."

As soon as Thor moved the lamp closer, the center of the child's eyes became smaller.

When he pulled the lamp away, the child's eyes returned to normal.

"These guys can see in the dark," he said.

"Wow, that's great, Moo-chan!"

Perhaps understanding that he had been praised, the turtle child proudly puffed out his flat chest.

Then his belly made a lovely hungry sound.

"Shall we eat soon? Yes, Mumu, here are some clothes from my childhood, if you like.

"It's not Mumu, it's Moo-chan, landlady."

"Purple-Eyed Peoples' names have the same sound in succession. This one is Moo, so Mumu is correct.

In the Ziyan tribe, males use the same letter somewhere in succession in their names, and females usually put two of the same sounding letters together.

"So if it were true, the name would be Lelemme or Mummeme."

"Heh, why is it like that?"

"They have the blessing of Gigilo, the god of thunder. He must be praying to him."

"How do you like it, Tor?"

"Oh, you got it on right. It looks good on you.

Yuril brought a pair of cotton pants that only reached the top of the thighs and a hemp woven kantou gown, which was the perfect size for the child.

The child nodded his head in agreement, perhaps pleased by the praise.

Thor, holding Moo, who had no shoes, moved to the dining room with Sora.

Delicious-looking steam was already rising from the plates lined up on the table.

The pointed beak of the thigh meat was slowly browned in tallow.

To cover the dripping fat, it was garnished with sweetly sauteed onions.

There was also a stewed cabbage soup and a loaf of hard bread with raisins.

Perhaps Yuril was concerned, but only the children were served with honeyed porridge.

"Whew, I'm starving after a hard day's work!

"Bon appétit, landlady."

"Yes, please."

"Can I eat it?　Can I eat it?"

Thor nods, and the child lifts a handful of thigh meat and bites into it.

Yuril wrapped a white cloth around his neck, as if he had already anticipated the situation.

The child bites into the meat forcefully and swallows it after a few chews.

He swallows after only a few chews, and his face remains the same as ever, but his voice is louder.

"Delicious!"

"I see. Chew your food more slowly. No one's gonna take it away. Oh, and don't spill. Use the spoon properly."

"Oooh, thighs are great, Thor. Let's go hunting tomorrow!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot, Mr. Landlord.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I hunted a big caterpillar and got some meat. I left it in the kitchen.

"Oh, that's exciting. Mmm.

"Delicious!"

"Don't be in a hurry to eat, Sola. You'll get a lump in your throat. Here, water.

Yuril's eyes narrowed a little at the noisy table, which had not been seen for a long time.

Thor, who had hardly ever spoken before, was taking care of the girls as if he were a different person.

Thora is smiling all the time, eating her meal and not taking her eyes off Thor and the others.

The purple-eyed girl was eating with her purple eyes wide open, listening to the voices around her.

Yuril's eyes are downcast as he feels like he is not a part of the circle that the three of them have formed, like a family.

If only I had met them sooner.

The old woman sipped her cup quietly, clearly feeling the difference in the passage of time.

Yuril looks up and is mildly upset when he sees that Sola's eyes are directed straight at him.

To cover her surprise, the old woman smiled her usual smile.

"What's wrong?　Ms. Sola."

"Well... It's a little late for me to tell you this, but your ears are very long, aren't they? Are you ......?"

"Yes, I am ash-eared."

"I knew it!　You're from a different country. Well..."

At a glance, Thor opens his mouth with a look of amusement on his face.

The landlord was born in the north. He has long ears so that he can hear the sounds on the snow better.

"No, I'm just trying to make sure I don't miss any of Master Struzin's teachings."

"Oh, I see. Excuse me."

I'm just saying. Even the Gray Rabbit gets teased.

Stragin, the ice god.

She is the goddess of learning and exploration, and the patron goddess of the ash-eared tribe.

"I wonder if you know much about other countries, Ms. Sora?"

Yes, I don't know anything about it!

I'm sorry, I grew up in the countryside in the center of the country.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to teach you a few things."

"By all means, please!"

I guess the blood of a former teacher got the better of him.

After putting the knife and fork back on the plate and moistening his mouth with apple wine, Yuril began to explain in simple terms what this world is all about.

Once there was a large country in the center of this continent.

It boasted an advanced technological civilization, and its people lived a peaceful and prosperous life.

However, several hundred years ago, the country was suddenly swallowed by a huge hole in the ground and collapsed overnight.

Various monsters emerged from the "coma hole," plunging the people into endless chaos.

The people who fled the "Great Pit" gathered in a place called the "frontier" to get away from the "Great Pit".

Eventually, people who followed the teachings of the six great deities, who were endowed with the power of spirits, began to emerge, receiving their blessings.

The Ash-Eared Tribe, who worship the ice god Stragin and have long, pointed gray ears.

The Purple-Eyed, followers of the thunder god Gigilo, who have the eyes of a purple beast.

The Brown Horned Tribe, who worship the earth god Gaidaros and have brown horns on their foreheads.

The Midoriha, who revere Rohe, the wind god, and have green feathers on their heads.

The Blue Scale Tribe, who believe in Aluria, the god of water, and whose necks are covered with blue scales.

The red-tailed tribe, who follow the teachings of the fire god Rafalit and have short red hair and tails.

New nations are formed around the central kingdom by these six tribes.

The northern land of the ash-eared tribe, Stora, is closed off from the world by snow and ice.

Hakuri, the western land of the Purple-Eyed Tribe, blessed by the forest.

Grand, the land of the Great Mountains in the southwest, home to the Brown Horn Tribe.

The southern prairie of Reginalia, where the Green Feather Tribe nomads live.

The sea-loving Soukei people of the southeastern Triala archipelago.

The hungry sands of the eastern country of Zuma, ruled by the Red Tails.

The current central government is jointly administered by the six major powers.

Many people have been dispatched from each country, and they are cooperating with each other to restore the lost glory.

"Oh-hoho. I was wondering why there were people with horns and scales.

"Well, I basically never came to the countryside."

Many of the black-haired and dark-eyed Central Chinese live a subsistence lifestyle in mountain villages.

The only guests from the outside are government officials who come to collect taxes, or peddlers from their homeland.

Just as we were about to proceed to talk about the characteristics of each country, a child stopped moving with his face in his plate.

He had just been gorging himself on porridge at a frightening pace, but it seemed that he had run out of energy.

Mu is sound asleep.

Thor gently brushes a strand of hair from his cheek.

Ulille smiles at the unfortunate gesture and asks, "What's the matter with you?

What are you going to do now?　Dad."

He was probably teasing his children about being called Tor.

Thor scratches the bottom of his chin and replies seriously to his landlady's unusual light-hearted remark.

"Yes, that's right. At first I was thinking of just feeding him and kicking him out. But..."

But?"

"I thought I'd take care of him a little more."

In Thor's mind, he had an image of the man who had taught him how to hold a sword as a boy.

His teaching methods were harsh and unforgiving, but there was no doubt that he was indebted to him.

And he had the same purple eyes as the child.

Satisfied with the answer, Yuril silently offers his cup to me.

That day, until late at night, the lights in the dining room are not extinguished.