Chapter 44
The child dangled from Zakan’s hand.
Then spoke clearly again.
“Mom.”
Its small finger pointed in one direction.
It stared directly at us.
Its mother was there?
I looked over the child more carefully.
Messy hair.
Dusty cheeks.
It looked like a dirty stray cat living in the forest.
But now that I looked closely...
Something about its clothing stood out.
Wait.
The quality is actually very good.
The clothes were worn.
But the craftsmanship itself was excellent.
Especially compared to Zakan’s clothing...
Which was basically pieces of animal hide sewn together without any care.
The moment I noticed the quality...
I remembered our children.
Running around happily in clothes filled with holes.
I carefully took the child from Zakan.
Then set it on the ground.
“Little one.”
I pointed toward its clothes.
“Where did you get those?”
The child seemed less frightened now.
Its chest suddenly puffed up proudly.
It pointed toward itself.
Then shouted clearly,
“Mom!”
“...?”
Malko had recovered.
He scratched his stomach through the huge hole in his clothes.
Then laughed loudly.
“HAHAHAHA! This idiot only knows two things!”
He counted.
“Kyakyak and Mom!”
The child immediately lunged toward him.
“KYAKYAK!”
I stopped it.
Then asked gently,
“You mean your mother made these clothes?”
“Mom!”
The child nodded violently.
Its tail stood upright and swayed proudly.
“Hmm.”
I nodded.
“So you stole Malko’s bowl to take food to your mother too?”
The child raised its voice.
“MOM!”
...Is this conversation actually working?
The longer my questions became...
The louder the exact same answer became.
There was only one way to confirm anything.
“Fine.”
I pointed forward.
“Take us to your mother.”
The child nodded.
Then dropped onto all fours.
It began leading us deeper into the forest.
Surprisingly...
The route contained almost no signs of monsters.
Thorny bushes and rocks blocked the view.
It was an excellent hidden trail.
Without the child guiding us...
We never would have discovered it.
Even Zakan looked impressed.
“Interesting.”
He studied the path.
“I did not know this route existed.”
And wandering through forests was practically Zakan’s hobby.
We walked for a while.
Eventually...
We reached a large hill formed by the intertwined roots of an ancient tree.
Beneath it...
A small cabin appeared.
Its exterior blended perfectly with the surrounding terrain.
Several similar buildings stood nearby.
Most had collapsed.
It looked like an abandoned village whose residents had left long ago.
“Mom!”
The child became excited.
It pushed open the wooden door.
Then ran inside.
We lowered our bodies and followed.
The inside looked completely different from the rough exterior.
“...”
Zakan looked around.
“Very different from outside.”
I agreed.
The cabin was small...
But incredibly warm and neat.
Fine curtains had been carefully woven.
A textile mat covered the wooden table.
An intricately patterned carpet lay across the floor.
And...
In one corner...
A wooden loom stood.
It feels like an ordinary home.
For the first time since entering this barren Frontier...
I felt the warmth of a normal household.
Then...
Cough. Cough.
A weak voice came from deeper inside.
“Luna...?”
So the child’s name was Luna.
“Mom!”
Luna ran deeper inside.
We followed carefully.
On a small wooden bed...
A woman lay with a pale face.
She looked almost exactly like Luna.
Messy hair.
Beastkin ears rose from her head.
She coughed painfully.
Then noticed the huge strangers entering her home.
Her eyes widened.
She tried to sit up.
“W-Who are you?”
Fear filled her eyes.
Luna immediately buried herself in the woman’s arms.
The woman instinctively moved her daughter behind her.
Her body trembled.
Her gaze was especially fixed on Zakan.
I poked Zakan’s side.
“Zakan.”
He looked at me.
“If you stare at her with that terrifying face, of course she’ll be frightened.”
Then...
“Move back.”
“...?”
Zakan looked unfairly accused.
He had literally only been standing there.
But...
You look terrifying even when breathing.
I stepped in front of him.
Then spoke as gently as possible.
“You don’t need to be afraid.”
I pointed toward Luna.
“Are you this child’s mother?”
Then...
“We are barbarians from the Northern Rock Tribe.”
The woman stiffened.
“N-Northern Rock Tribe...”
Then...
“B-Barbarians...”
She still looked terrified.
But managed to speak.
“W-Why have barbarians from the north come to such a miserable place?”
She suddenly coughed again.
Her breathing became rough.
Sweat covered her face.
Then...
Something seemed to occur to her.
Her eyes widened.
“Ah...”
She looked toward Luna.
“Then perhaps the food Luna brought home yesterday...”
She immediately lowered her head.
Her body trembled.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Then again.
“I’m truly sorry!”
She spoke desperately.
“The child didn’t mean any harm...”
Her voice broke.
“Her mother was sick and starving...”
Then...
“Everything is my fault.”
So...
Luna really stole it for her mother.
Malko suddenly noticed something beside the bed.
“My bowl!”
He rushed over.
His wooden bowl had been thoroughly cleaned.
Malko hugged it to his chest.
Then glared at Luna.
I waved one hand.
“Forget the food.”
Then I looked toward the woman.
“More importantly...”
I frowned.
“You look extremely sick.”
The woman smiled weakly.
“Yes...”
She took a breath.
“We are beastkin.”
Then...
“The Cat Tribe once lived here in the Frontier.”
I listened.
“Our people gathered wild plants, spun thread, and produced cloth.”
Her expression became distant.
“But...”
I already knew.
“The Red Moon?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Her voice became quiet.
“We could not escape the flood of monsters and Demon Beasts.”
Then...
“Our people scattered.”
Her eyes lowered.
“Many died.”
She stroked Luna’s head.
“Now only Luna and I remain.”
Then she smiled sadly.
“But I do not have long either.”
She looked away.
“In the Frontier, it is not a special story.”
A bitter smile.
“It is very common.”
Then...
Suddenly...
She pushed away her blanket.
She struggled to stand.
Her body shook.
She dropped to her knees beside the bed.
“H-Hey!”
I reached toward her.
“What are you doing?”
But...
She lowered her forehead to the floor.
Her voice became desperate.
“As you can see...”
