The Silent Cottage

Following the hopping Red Riding Hood girl, Kas learned from Nosa's account that ever since her grandmother died five years ago, she had lived alone in the forest, occasionally taking local specialties to nearby villages in exchange for daily necessities.

That exquisitely crafted red velvet hood had been bought from a warrior who had come south to plunder.

What puzzled Kas was how the seemingly delicate Nosa had managed to live in a forest filled with wild beasts.

Over two days of travel, he found traces of gray wolves, brown bears, Saber-Toothed Tigers, and even magical creatures. To live alone in the forest, Nosa would have to be a witch herself.

Night had fallen, and a moon missing one corner slowly rose. The dim sky plunged the world into silence as they finally arrived at Nosa's home.

In a clearing stood a two-story wooden house enclosed by a fence, its roof covered in dry bark.

Vines climbed the eaves like roses. Lilacs heavy with purple blossoms bloomed quietly in the yard, dotted with yellow-and-white pansies, giving the silent cottage a touch of sunlight-like vitality.

Nosa opened the wooden gate, took Seneya's hand, puffed out her little chest, and said proudly:

"Big sister, my home is really pretty, isn't it?"

"Aowu~" Seneya's voice carried surprise. Every girl dreamed of a cottage where she could escape reality, live quietly, and rest. Nosa's cottage looked like something straight from a dream.

Kas clearly had no eye for beauty. His initial assessment was that the cottage possessed almost no defense against intruders.

The gaps in the fence were too wide, making it little more than decoration. The windows were also too close to the ground, as if inviting passing beasts inside for a visit.

His gaze swept back and forth across the yard, hoping to find some strange trace, but all he saw were ordinary lilacs, pansies, and vines.

"Nosa, this house really is beautiful, but don't wild beasts ever wander in by accident?"

"No. Grandma left me lots of friends, and none of them will hurt me." Nosa tugged Seneya toward the vine-covered cottage, humming a cheerful tune:

"The long wind has awakened, and leaves whirl through the air

Moon waves light the river, the hazy gray mountains, in the farthest reaches of Landulas

We dance through the night, weaving ancient music

Hand in hand, our eyes meet,

Until the moon disappears, and gold pierces the mist

We hop and skip, chasing the rippling splashes in the lake..."

Seneya followed Little Red Riding Hood into the house. Kas asked the old thing for its opinion and received a disdainful, contemptuous glare.

"You stupid brat, you're a descendant of the Zagwell Clan. Why are you as cautious as a stray dog that's lost its master? Even if she is a witch, can't you just beat her to death with your fists?

Strong, solid muscles are far more powerful than witchcraft. Back then, I once punched a..." Ancestor seemed a little guilty. It looked around, then lowered its voice.

"I punched a southern wizard to death."

The old thing was all bark and no bite.

Equally contemptuous in his heart, Kas stepped into the house.

The furnishings inside were ordinary. In the center stood a stove built from stone and mud. In the cold Sorrow Mountains, autumn meant relying on the warmth of a bonfire to fend off the night chill.

The walls were hung with mushrooms, matsutake, and all kinds of wild vegetables. A wooden dining table stood opposite the stove, with several clean wooden bowls placed on it.

A crude curtain woven from dried grass hung at the far end. The bedroom lay behind it.

Nosa was busy washing the mushrooms and matsutake she had picked that day, solemnly promising Seneya

that she would make something far more delicious than Kas's roasted meat. Her little hands rubbed dirt and fuzz from the mushrooms in a wooden basin, and soon a fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead.

"Aowu~"

The Werewolf Lady's low howl brought Kas back to his senses.

He looked at Seneya's dissatisfied pink eyes and her long face, bared teeth and all. She was like the cat he had raised in his previous life, glaring at him in disdain as if saying, So you have other cats outside.

After coughing twice, he said, "Seneya, that's a lovely name. I'm starting to believe the old thing's judgment. You must be a Beauty."

"Aowu~" Seneya seemed easy to coax. A single compliment brought a smile to her eyes.

A satisfied hum came from her throat. She clasped her hands behind her back and gently swayed her shoulders.

"Sit down for now, Kas, Big Sister Seneya. I'll go upstairs and find some meat. No matter how delicious mushrooms are, nothing compares to the happiness of eating meat."

Kas assumed the meat Nosa meant was jerky, so he untied the pigskin bag he had been carrying.

"I have some smoked jerky from yesterday. It tastes pretty good."

Yet as Nosa passed by, she merely gave the twisted lump of jerky a rather disdainful look. "You're feeding Big Sister Seneya this? How embarrassing."

Kas was baffled. Which Rishiman People hadn't grown up eating jerky? Besides, after being cooked in mushroom soup for a while, jerky was practically no different from fresh meat.

"Meat, meat..." Nosa hummed a little tune as the thump-thump of her small feet on the stairs echoed through the house.

After a while, Little Red Riding Hood came back carrying several strips of fresh meat. She shoved aside Kas, who was taking up most of the long table by himself, and enthusiastically used a short knife to cut the meat into finger-thick strips.

Mushrooms, truffles, fern vegetables, and a chunk of dried cheese went into the hanging pot over the stove together with the meat.

Nosa narrowed her crescent-shaped eyes and stirred the pot with a slender wooden stick.

"Mmm, hmm..."

The aroma assaulted their noses. The fragrance of mushrooms, cheese, and meat filled the air, making Kas and Seneya swallow at the same time. They exchanged glances and smiled for a while.

Kas said with feeling, "After spending a whole day trudging through the forest, getting to eat a hot stew has to be the best reward."

"Aowu~"

Nosa called Kas over to help carry the tender fresh meat and mushroom stew to the dining table.

Kas easily carried the steaming ceramic pot to the table. The instant he lifted the lid, rising fragrance burst from within, overwhelming both his sight and sense of smell.

He swallowed with difficulty. Was this really stew? It smelled even better than beef bone soup simmered all night.

Nosa found three wooden bowls and spoons, filling each with stew. The bowl she handed Kas had the least meat and was mostly mushrooms, while Seneya's was naturally piled high with meat.

Kas did not care how much meat he got. He gripped his spoon, ready to give his starving stomach some energy, when Nosa suddenly said:

"You two eat first. I'm going upstairs to look for the map. If I wait, it'll be too late."

Kas nodded, sincerely grateful for Nosa's help. After the sound of the girl hopping upstairs stopped, he picked up his wooden bowl.

Holding a spoonful of rich broth, he looked awkwardly at Seneya across from him and said with a smile, "What is it? Can't you use a spoon? Do you need my help?"

Seneya shook her head and let out an aowu.

Morse, who had not spoken for a long time, sprang onto the table and said in a mocking tone:

"You brat, have you even forgotten the rules? When dining at a guest's home, the wife may only start eating after the husband takes the first bite. It shows that the husband trusts his friend and is willing to share that friendship with his wife."