The Little Companion Of The Beast

Episode 8.

The lord hated to spit. He had to stop mentioning it, as it could backfire if he got involved.

“I will finish preparing the meal.”

The table began to fill up, beginning with the instruction to place forks and spoons neatly in order.

It was a meal that was somewhat formal, but it did not suit Taylor’s taste.

The long-awaited guest has arrived. However, the Staria that appeared after being cleaned up looked somewhat uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“flaw…….”

I can’t hear my voice!

Staria screamed, hoping that Taylor would notice her condition, but Taylor didn’t hear her.

“Aha, you’re thirsty.”

Taylor held out a half-filled glass of water to her on the table.

“Even if you’re very thirsty, drink slowly. Isn’t it the human stomach that gets indigested even if you only drink water?”

“Ahh! Eww!”

No, I lost my voice! Even when I get hit in the butt, all I can hear is a weird sound!

Staria desperately groped her neck toward Taylor and slapped her buttocks. She tried to convey her condition using all of her hand, foot, and eye gestures, but nothing came through.

“If you have any complaints, you should speak up. If you just lose your temper, I won’t be able to take action.”

Well, I said you can’t speak?

As much as Taylor was frustrated, Staria was also frustrated. What if I become mute forever? I was so anxious and scared that tears welled up in my eyes.

Taylor, who had little idea of ​​her condition, questioned the maids.

“Is this your doing?”

“How could that be? That’s how it was originally. We just washed it diligently.”

“Are you already going through puberty?”

No one understood my desperate feelings. When I was five, my throat had been badly swollen. Back then, it was worse than now, but I could still speak. What if I had a permanent disability? I was scared and frightened to think of it as just a voice.

This is what happens when you get stranded on a remote island. You barely managed to survive, but you were stranded alone. On top of that, you were seriously injured, so you were doomed to die. It was a time when the future was dark.

“You can’t even talk about a mayfly? You do all sorts of things.”

The head of Staria, which had been far away, was raised. The person who had come to rescue them by boat was surprisingly ‘him’.

Staria quickly walked towards Haska, who could understand what she was saying.

“Euuuuu, huuu, euuuuu.”

“I suddenly lost my voice and I don’t know why?”

Staria felt like the knot in her throat was loosening a little when Haska understood her exactly. She grabbed the only person she could communicate with and asked.

“Ugh.”

“How do you get back? Why are you asking me that?”

Hope was dashed as no one who could have lowered a lifeline had any interest in rescue.

***

Dishes from land, sea, and air were served one after another on a roughly decorated table.

The meat, which he had not seen in two weeks, was dripping with fat, but Staria couldn’t even pretend to hold a fork. It was because he had lost his appetite.

“This is the arginine fish that comes up the river to spawn at this time. It is full of eggs and is very nutritious.”

“… … .”

“If you don’t like fish, how about brown turkey? The meat is chewy and has a great texture.”

“… … .”

Taylor explained the recipe and suggested various dishes, but it was not enough to revive Staria’s appetite. No matter how hungry she was, how could she possibly look at meat when the road ahead was so dark?

“You were chased by unidentified assailants? Among my friends, there was a person who suffered from aphasia due to shock. He gradually recovered over time. I think Starria will be the same.”

Taylor’s assurances that things would be okay were of little comfort.

The events that had happened in the past flashed through my mind. Was it because I had been seriously ill? The child who had been holding on to the string of tension in order to survive let go of that string without realizing it.

He just sat there blankly. Then a cold voice came down on Staria.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to go on a hunger strike.”

When he turned his gaze to the table, there was ‘that person’ who was watching him as if he was not feeling well. Staria, who suddenly realized her situation, picked up a turkey leg and put it in her mouth to show off. Although she couldn’t taste it, she chewed it mechanically and swallowed it.

‘You can’t get kicked out.’

The maids who had bathed me were talking about how there were quite a few races that considered humans a delicacy. If I went back to the hut, it would be me, not turkey, that would be on the table.

For her, who could not defend herself, there was no safer place in the forest than a castle. Ironically, even in her relaxed state, her survival instincts still came into play.

Staria was eating food in a ragged manner. She was struggling to stay attached to the castle.

“You have a big appetite.”

Coloc.

Saredlin Staria coughed. It felt like her intestines were twisting and she was going to vomit.

Even if I don’t eat, I get a bad feeling. Even if I eat well, I get a bad feeling. What rhythm am I supposed to follow?

Suddenly, Staria missed the simple but cozy dining table.

The table was filled with ingredients that the mother had fried and boiled for her picky daughter, and Anton would secretly eat the food she didn’t like…

I was sad. The sadness that I had suppressed finally burst out. Once a dam breaks, it cannot be rebuilt, so it keeps flowing out again and again.

Every time Staria exhaled, a sob came out. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying, but her stimulated tear glands continued to well up.

Ttorr.

A teardrop rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand, but I was caught.

“Are you crying again?”

Staria, who flinched, shook her head vigorously.

“Is that snot running down your cheek?”

“Euuuuuuuuu.”

You saw it wrong, it’s sweat.

“Crybabies are disgusting.”

Even though I knew that there was nothing good to come from annoying him, I couldn’t stop crying.

Staria looked around with tearful eyes. She saw Taylor, who had been kind to her, looking pitiful and helpless, but she couldn’t just carelessly defend him.

There was no one on her side here. It was as if she had been left alone in a vast desert.

‘Stop it, it has to stop.’

Staria wiped the area around her eyes with the back of her hand and raised the corners of her lips. She did her best to prove, ‘I’m not a crybaby.’

“If you keep nagging, you’ll be expelled, do you understand?”

“Ugh.”

She nodded her head as if her neck was breaking and smiled.

Like a fool.

***

Perhaps because he had vowed not to drag it out, Staria was not kicked out of the castle.

Of course, there was a condition attached: only for the time being.

Even though I couldn’t speak, it didn’t affect my daily life. It was because no one tried to talk to her. The only one who could talk to me was Taylor, the butler, but he was so busy that I couldn’t even see his face.

It felt bad to be treated like a ghost, but there was something about giving me a place to stay and not letting me starve.

There were some surprising good points. Since no one cared, there were no restrictions on what I could do. As I secretly wandered around the castle, I naturally learned things.

First, meeting ‘him’ was much more difficult than seeing a shooting star. He mostly lives in caves and only stays in the castle for a certain period of time? He is currently in the castle but will soon return to the cave. It was a welcome sight for Staria, who would hiccup before greeting ‘him’ if she met him.

Second, the maids, who were called by numbers like 1, 2, and 3, were all capable. Sister number 1 could sew more than 50 stitches per second, sister number 2 could eat poison like seasoning, sister number 3 could hit a target while doing a handstand while blindfolded, and sister number 4 could tell the weather by looking at the sky whether it was going to rain or snow. The youngest sister had a bright personality.

Third, those living in the castle, including Taylor, feared and admired ‘him’. The stories of ‘him’s’ bravery that they heard were truly amazing.

‘With one roar from the lord, ten million will fall like dominoes.’

‘The back leg punch is stronger, isn’t it? That one punch can split the ground.’

‘Oh, if you haven’t seen the front leg attack you used to crush the mutant army, then don’t talk.’

It wasn’t an exaggeration or a boast. Didn’t Staria also vaguely witness ‘that person’s’ strength?

In other words, the area inside ‘his’ fence was no different from a fortress.

This made Staria reaffirm its commitment once again.

‘Even though it’s dirty and deadly, you have to stick around here. Your mother will definitely come looking for you.’