<Episode 26>
What caught my eye was the supplies and food I had gathered with Henry.
Upon closer inspection, a large tablecloth was wrapped around the food basket from the dining hall. It seemed the person who packed it had been worried the food might spill.
'Nice.'
A competent person had been caught.
I happily set down the basket.
[How many kids are there?]
[About seven, I think.]
Seven... The food in the basket alone wouldn't be enough.
"Could you help me out a bit?"
I quickly asked the coachman for assistance.
"Yes, Saintess."
The flustered coachman hurried over and, as requested, pulled out only the food items.
"Wha-, doing-"
As I unpacked the food, moving a bit farther from the house, sporadic voices drifted over.
They must have been curious about what the now-silent me was up to.
I approached the shack again, found a flat spot, and spread out the tablecloth.
Then I took out only the 'foods likely to smell strongly,' like the bacon and stew from the dining hall.
But they had cooled considerably, not enough to waft a strong scent.
If they could see out from inside, maybe, but the shack had no windows. Would it seep through the door cracks?
"Kids. There's food outside-"
"What do you take us for, little kids?! Trying to lure us with food? Get lost!"
Ridge, was it? A sharp retort came from the clever child.
As long as that kid was around, this approach wouldn't work.
I needed to heat the food to spread the aroma and draw them out...
First off, no cooking tools. Sure, I could heat the wooden bowls directly over a fire, but most crucially, no hearth.
Gathering firewood and lighting it with matches... might take until dusk.
[Vesta.]
Recalling Agatha's recent mention of abilities returning a bit, I subtly called out to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth.
The power to maintain an unextinguishing fire in homes was something I'd made up, but she was still called the goddess of family and hearth.
Maybe she could help with something like this?
[Gasp, Do, Dorothy. Did you call me?]
Vesta popped out immediately, surprised by my summons—conversation with me was usually almost forbidden.
[Yes. Vesta! Could you light a fire?]
[Fire? Well... I've ignited the Blue Flame at the Temple before, but...]
Vesta sounded sheepish. As expected.
It felt like I'd touched a sore spot, and I felt sorry.
[Ah, sorry. I-]
[I'll give it a try anyway! It's a request from Dorothy. Our divine power has recovered quite a bit lately.]
Vesta spoke with determination.
[Thank you, Vesta.]
It was another moment of deep gratitude for how well the gods of this world supported me.
[To heat the food.]
[Hmm, making a hearth would be too much... Ah. Dorothy, try reaching toward the food?]
[Yes!]
[Grab the bowls.]
[Yes!]
I grasped the bacon and stew bowls, one in each hand.
[Here goes...!]
Vesta's tense voice rang out, and soon...
"Gasp."
"Oh my."
The coachman, who had been watching my odd behavior nearby, let out a gasp. I was just as startled.
[Wow! Success! The power really returned! Dorothy, you're the best!]
Vesta's joyful voice echoed in my ears.
[What... is this?]
I stared at the red glow inside my palms.
Flipping my hand slightly, a crimson light hovered over my palm.
It flickered as if burning... like flames.
At the same time, my hands gradually warmed. Not unbearably so—like the cozy heat near a fire.
[No place to light a fire. Even I use fire directly with my hands without a hearth 'here.' Dorothy, you're truly an amazing vessel. So cool!]
More than being an amazing vessel, I'd much rather live as an ordinary person...
My briefly uplifted mood from the absurd miracle sank, a slight wave of self-loathing rising.
But I snapped out of it. She had helped, after all, so I expressed my thanks.
[No, it's thanks to you, Vesta. Thank you.]
Even toward those on my side, I always voiced thanks and apologies properly.
To avoid getting on their bad side. That was my creed when dealing with gods.
And so, the warmth from my hands flowed into the bowls. They gradually heated up.
After a short while, faint steam began rising from the stew.
'Human microwave...?'
A useless thought crossed my mind as I wrapped the food with my red hands, the light heating the food and bowls.
'And it's portable.'
I even swirled my hand around nearby for no reason. The food heated faster.
'As expected, you have to rotate food to heat it evenly.'
"Sa, Saintess...! A miracle...!"
The coachman exclaimed in awe.
It felt modest for a miracle—just heating food—but I didn't want to shatter his感動, so I gave an awkward smile.
"Haha, surprised, right? A, a miracle. Wow. Please remember Vesta's grace."
Not forgetting the promo line.
Soon, the bacon began sizzling. A thick, delicious aroma rose, enough to make even me—who had just eaten—salivate.
"...Smells."
"Yummy smell!"
"Snap out of it, outside-"
"I'm hungry. Me!"
Rustling and commotion sounded from inside. I neatly arranged seven place settings on the tablecloth.
"Kids. It's just me and one coachman here. If someone wanted to take you, more people would have come, right? If you tried, you could overpower just two people."
I earnestly appealed. The noise inside grew louder.
"Let's go out. Sis is right."
"Kids, snap out of it!"
"Ridge. That sis brought me here. She's a good sis. For real."
I subtly picked up one bubbling stew bowl and held it near the door.
"Eek. Can't hold back 'cause I'm hungry!"
Bang.
Soon, the door flew open.
The kids who opened it were drooling. Their gaunt frames made my heart ache.
"Food... food...!"
Like zombies, they staggered out.
"Eat up, kids!"
I beamed and welcomed them.
* * *
[Vesta. Crank up the output more!]
[Can't do more, Dorothy! It might get too hot!]
[It's fine. I can endure it!]
The conversation grew urgent.
[Dorothy... You really...]
I could almost see Vesta shaking her head. I smiled at her.
[Heh. Can't be helped.]
[Got it. I'll do my best to adjust.]
And soon, the red light pouring from my hands intensified. Fortunately, my hands didn't feel hot.
[Not hot!]
[Because you powered up.]
She said proudly.
I quickly heated the bread with my hand and packed it into the empty basket.
Stew and bacon too. I heated diligently. No time to think.
The reason we faced this crisis was one: the kids' eating speed rivaled a battle.
'No joke at all.'
Heat pouring from my hands had me sweating profusely down my back.
"More, more...!"
"Bread, bread!"
"Cough, cough!"
"Water. Drink water! Then you can eat more!"
Seeing them devour so eagerly fueled my own motivation.
Rather than cold food, I wanted to give them hot and tasty, so I kept heating. But at some point, it became hard to keep up with their pace. There were seven, after all.
No, six?
"...This is dangerous."
While pulling a kid's hand away from mindlessly swallowing bread—saying 'stop, too much at once after starving is bad'—I suddenly noticed the girl standing blankly behind, muttering.
Too late; I'd been busy tending the six.
It was the girl called 'Ridge.'
"You guys, really won't listen!?"
Ridge shrieked in anger, but no one paid attention.
"Come over here and eat."
I spoke kindly to her, but Ridge scowled and turned, retreating into the shack.
If starving, she'd be weak to food's temptation. What a resolute kid.
"Please watch the kids so they don't overeat?"
I entrusted them to the coachman, who had been staring blankly nearby. Via Agatha, I'd confirmed he wasn't a bad person.
He nodded vigorously.
"Sa, Saintess's words, I'll follow of course!"
"Definitely! They could get sick."
"I have three kids myself. Don't worry!"
The coachman thumped his chest reliably. I nodded and grabbed a piece of bread, heading toward the shack.
The door was half-closed. As I nudged it open, a sharp voice rang out.
"Auntie, what's your scheme!? Human trafficking? Or taking us to beg as your gang?"
Ridge sat in the corner, glaring at me. Her eyes were fierce.
'Better not get too close.'
Judging so, I crouched at the doorway.
"Hm, less a scheme and more... I just want you to eat something delicious."
"Lies. They fell for it, but not me."
I could feel how harsh her life had been from that thorny response.
"Ridge."
"Don't call my name! Get out, scram!"
"Sorry. That... Just eat one bread. Okay? Please."
I extended the bread I gripped tightly toward her. Ridge's eyes wavered for a moment.
"Eat this and I'll go. Okay?"
"Won't ea-"
"Really. If you eat it, I'll leave right away. Won't come back ever."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Just one bite. Nothing weird in the food. Here, I'll try it first."
I tore off a bit in front of Ridge and chewed. Her eyes widened.
"See? Fine."
"...Yeah."
I approached slowly, treating her like a wild animal.
As I extended my arm with the bread, she stood—and snatched it in an instant.
I backed away and sat at a distance again. The moment I did, Ridge clutched the bread to her chest and nibbled it bit by bit. She must have been starving.
My heart ached.
[Dorothy. That kid... isn't ordinary.]
[Yeah. Even if tough, for her age to be that guarded—she's really sharp. How hard it must have been-]
[That's true too, but not just that.]
[Huh?]
[That kid isn't a commoner. She's a lost child from a noble family.]
[...Pardon?]
Noble family?
I widened my eyes and looked at Ridge.
