章節 26: The Aftermath of a Tragedy
The quiet village lay in ruins, reduced to smoldering ash and charred debris. The once-vibrant streets now bore the marks of a horrific massacre.
It had begun with a raid by orcs, led by a cunning demon, who abducted several women. By sheer chance, a traveling youth had arrived, effortlessly defeating both the orcs and their demonic leader. Yet, this heroic act only set the stage for an even greater calamity.
The Flare's Hand, an elite unit of the Fire Temple, descended upon the village to eliminate the traveler, Hanachiru Uta, branding him a heretic. In their zeal, they burned the village to the ground, slaughtering most of its inhabitants in the process.
Among the ashes, one thing remained unresolved: the missing beef stew.
Fueled by his indignation, Uta had defeated the Flare's Hand, exacting vengeance for the stew he never got to taste. And now, with that chapter closed, he set his sights back on his original goal: the magical city of Alden.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm,~" Uta hummed a cheerful tune as he strolled down the road. His steps were light, his spirits high.
For Uta, the village, the slain orcs, the demon, and even the burned townsfolk were already distant memories. None of it held much weight in his mind.
Well, none of it except for one person: the girl who had made him a replacement stew.
"Umm… Are you sure it's okay for me to come with you?"
The hesitant voice came from behind him.
Turning, Uta grinned at the sight of Stella, the lone survivor of the Flare's Hand. Her crimson robe fluttered slightly as she tried to keep up with him, her expression a mix of uncertainty and awkwardness.
"Why not?" Uta replied simply. "Do you not want to?"
"It's not that I don't want to…"
Stella's voice trailed off, her gaze dropping to the ground. She wasn't accustomed to such casual kindness—especially from someone she'd been sent to kill.
Uta stopped and tilted his head. "You said you didn't have anywhere else to go, right? If you go back to the temple, you'll probably get executed or something."
"That's true," Stella admitted with a grim nod. "The Fire Temple doesn't tolerate failure. If I returned after failing my mission… well, I doubt they'd let me live."
The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. She had witnessed firsthand how the temple dealt with members of the Flare's Hand who returned unsuccessful. Her predecessor, the previous White Flame, had met a grisly end under similar circumstances.
"Then there's no problem," Uta said with a shrug. "Just stick with me until we get to Alden. Easy, right?"
Stella hesitated. The offer was tempting—more tempting than she cared to admit. But guilt gnawed at her insides. Could she really accept this after everything she had done?
"You can cook other things too, right?" Uta asked, breaking the silence. "Like… omelets? I'm in the mood for omelet rice today."
Stella blinked at the abrupt topic shift. "That's… your reason?"
"Of course!" Uta beamed. "Your stew was amazing, and I'm starving. So yeah, you're my chef now."
"…I see."
It wasn't kindness that motivated Uta to let her live. It wasn't forgiveness or even pity. No, it was something much simpler: he thought her cooking was delicious.
Stella sighed, the faintest of smiles tugging at her lips. "Fine. I have the ingredients for omelet rice in my bag. I'll make it."
"Yes!" Uta pumped his fist into the air. "Stella, you're the best!"
"I'm glad you think so," she replied, her voice tinged with resignation as a faint blush colored her pale cheeks.
That evening, under the canopy of stars, Stella prepared the promised omelet rice. The fragrant aroma wafted through their makeshift camp, filling Uta with anticipation. When she finally served it, his delighted reaction was immediate.
"This is amazing!" Uta exclaimed between bites, his face glowing with joy. "You're definitely staying with me now, Stella. You're too good to let go!"
Stella watched him eat with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. For the first time in years, she felt valued not as a weapon but as a person.
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," she thought, a small smile breaking through her usually somber demeanor.
And so, their unlikely companionship began—a once-lethal assassin and a carefree traveler, bound together by a shared appreciation for good food.
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