The Seed Thief

Ervandas quickly took out the paper from the pouch.

Unfolding the roughly folded paper, he saw the familiar handwriting–which he had not seen in a long time.

‘Hey, you crazy bastard. What did you mean in the letter? Write it in detail and send it!’

The curt and abrupt sentences would make anyone doubt if it was truly a letter written by the king.

“I guess it was conveyed properly.”

At the reaction he expected, Ervandas smiled happily and handed the prepared bait to the falcon. Then he descended immediately.

“Your Highness.”

The Deputy Lord approached Ervandas with sleepy eyes.

“Please have breakfast before you leave.”

“I already have. I’ll leave right away. But first, have all the things I mentioned been prepared?”

“Yes. I’ve made sure they’re all very healthy.”

The Deputy Lord replied, then he turned his head and looked at things Ervandas had repeatedly insisted on: the chickens in the large cage.

Last night, Ervandas had said he would leave as soon as the letter from the palace arrived and asked to prepare these in advance. It wasn’t just the chickens. Flour, sugar, butter, dried fruits, spices, and more.

The list seemed more like something a chef would request rather than a prince. Furthermore, according to the servants, Ervandas had also picked up a few cookbooks from the study.

He couldn’t figure it any further, but the wise Deputy Lord refrained from questioning him. It seemed the prince wouldn’t answer even if he asked.

“Farewell, then.”

“Are you really leaving right away?”

Without going through the usual routine of checking documents or conducting searches in surrounding villages, just like this?

“Yes. I need to be back by tonight. There’s no need for you to accompany me. I don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.”

Ervandas declined the deputy lord’s offer to see him off and climbed onto the horse awaiting him. He had promised Lulu that he would return by tonight. Hence, he had to hurry back now.

* * *

In the cage attached to the horse’s hindquarters, the chickens blinked their eyes and swayed as the horse moved. Ervandas urged the horse forward while checking the tightly secured baggage multiple times.

Being a packhorse, it couldn’t gallop at high speeds. But it couldn’t be helped unless he unloaded everything he intended to give to Lulu.

Once entering the mountain trail, Ervandas dismounted the horse and unloaded the heavy belongings onto his shoulders. Still, the roughness of the road caused the horse to pant and struggle.

“Sorry. Just a little further.”

Ervandas fed the horse an apple and stroked its mane to soothe it. Then he slowly led the horse off the road. The horse was confused but still obediently followed Ervandas’s lead.

Walking through a pathless forest was a challenging task. Moreover, it was summer, and the overgrown grass repeatedly hindered Ervandas and the horse’s steps. Before long, his back was drenched in sweat. However, instead of slowing down, their pace quickened.

After a while, Ervandas heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a stream running through the forest.

Setting down the baggage, he took a sip from the stream and gave water to the horse. Then, facing the depths of the forest, he let out a loud whistle.

The sharp sound echoed. After whistling a few more times, he eagerly gazed into the depths of the forest beyond the stream.

How much time had passed?

A heavy thud resonated, shaking the ground. It was the familiar sound of the stone golem. Accompanying that sound, a voice reverberated through the forest.

“Er!”

The moment he heard it, a refreshing coolness enveloped him, even cooler than the water he had just drunk.

“Er!”

Soon, the voice’s owner emerged from the forest on the other side of the stream. It was Lulu, perched on the shoulder of the stone golem. As soon as she saw Ervandas, she hurriedly climbed down from the golem and hobbled across the stream.

Without caring that her clothes were getting wet, Lulu clumsily leaped into Ervandas’ arms.

“Er!”

“I’m back. Were you well?”

“Yes, yes. I was good.”

Lulu buried her face in his chest and nodded frantically. Overwhelmed by her fervent welcome, Ervandas felt his empty heart filling up after the past three days.

“Just let me go for a moment. I’m all sweaty and dirty…”

“I don’t care!”

At the mention of dirtiness, Lulu lifted her head and exclaimed. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her cheeks turned rosy. When their eyes met, Lulu reached out and cupped his sweaty cheeks, then leaped up and hugged him around the neck. Just like always, Ervandas hugged her back. Without hesitation, Lulu pressed her lips against his.

Ervandas was surprised when her tongue entered, but soon, he entwined his tongue with Lulu’s as if he had been waiting for this. Her kiss continued, still awkward and inexperienced, yet filled with passion and intensity. It was a welcome that spoke louder than a hundred words, and he swallowed it all gladly.

They lusted after each other like lovers who had been separated for years, and only when Lulu gasped for air did they pull apart.

Ervandas murmured as he looked at the flowing stream.

“I wish I can do it right now.”

It was a place for bathing and there might be sharp objects beneath. It was dangerous and he couldn’t do it for long. And…

Ervandas glanced at the stone golem and the horse, who had a look, “What are you guys doing right now?” and let out a bitter smile.

Coveting Lulu would take a long time, so it had to be postponed until tonight. And before that, he had something to give her.

Ervandas said to the stone golem.

“Can you carry these for me?”

Seeing the piled-up belongings by the horse, the golem raised its arms without issue. Then…

“Hihihihing!”

It swiftly lifted the horse standing by the stream.

* * *

Ervandas quickly washed off his sweat in the stream.

After returning home, he noticed that the stone golem seemed to have taken a liking to the newly appeared creature, strolling around the grazing horse. However, the horse, perhaps intimidated by the golem that had lifted it before, cautiously kept its distance. Suddenly, a scarecrow jumped out of the forest, startling them. The horse let out a loud neigh and kicked the scarecrow away.

“Scarecrow!”

Hearing the sound of the tree breaking and Lulu’s shout, Ervandas wiped his face with his hand. Yet, a faint smile hung on his lips.

How he had missed days like this for the past three days.

He walked into the house and watched Lulu fix the scarecrow with her magic. Then, he left the things he had brought in the living room and went straight to the kitchen. His face hardened when he saw the table and countertop.

“Why.”

He muttered under his breath, turned his head to the kitchen door, and saw Lulu, who was watching him.

“Why didn’t you eat properly?”

He tried to speak softly, but his voice unintentionally rose. As a result, it took on a somewhat accusatory tone.

The food he’d set out had hardly diminished.

Ervandas was quite concerned about Lulu’s meals. When he first arrived, Lulu’s eating habits and meal conditions were lamentable. Not only did she eat poorly, but mealtimes were also inconsistent.

At first, he thought it didn’t matter what the witch ate or didn’t eat. However, a realization struck him when she handed him all the remaining food and stared at him with anticipation. No matter how evil this witch was, shouldn’t he share a little of God’s grace upon all living beings?

Regardless, since then, Ervandas paid attention to Lulu’s meals. The better he fed her, the more she changed. Her tangled hair grew shine, and her hollow cheeks filled out. Even her body, which had revealed ribs when he first saw her, gradually formed softer contours.

Every time he held Lulu in his arms and touched her plump body, he felt deep satisfaction.

Of course, the most important reason for ensuring she ate well was her health.

Though it had only been three days, the thought of Lulu not having proper meals during that time pained him.

Looking at Lulu’s face, he noticed a shadow beneath her eyes and hollowness in her cheeks. As Ervandas stared at her wordlessly, Lulu muttered in a small voice.

“It… doesn’t taste good…”

Taste bad? But he had put extra effort into preparing it more than usual. When Ervandas looked at her suspiciously, Lulu spoke in an even smaller voice.

“It didn’t taste good when I ate alone.”

“…”

Lulu bowed her head as if she had sinned, her fingers fidgeting.

Appetite is instinctual. Not just one day, but three. Ervandas couldn’t blame Lulu for not eating properly because he wasn’t there.

“My bad, I should have made it better.”

He felt a slight lump in his throat, but he casually replied. When he didn’t press further, Lulu’s face brightened, and she bluntly asked the question she had wanted to ask a while ago.

“By the way, Er, what are those luggages outside?”

In fact, while Ervandas was washing up, Lulu had tried to sneak a peek inside. But no matter how hard she tried to untie the tightly bound knots, her fingers only ended up hurting.

The objects in Lulu’s world hadn’t changed much since she became aware of the world. Everything she had was what the forest witch had left behind. Occasionally, she would acquire new items, but they were usually things that the townsfolk had lost or discarded in the forest. Of course, even those were only a few.

“Are you curious? Shall we open it now?”

“Yes!”

Lulu nodded, more enthusiastically than ever. When she entered the living room, chickens were roaming around the yard beyond the window. Beside them, the stone golem, and even the scarecrow hovering around them, watching them.

Although it was the most common creature in the village, seeing them properly inside the forest was an intriguing sight.

As Ervandas began to untie the canvas bags’ straps, Lulu stood closely beside him, her eyes sparkling as she peered into the bag’s contents. Worried that the straps might have come loose during the journey, he had tightly secured them, causing him to struggle for a while to untie them.

Finally, when the straps came undone, the items that had been packed tightly spilled out onto the floor.

“Wow!”

Lulu exclaimed in admiration, looking at the spilled items.

To Lulu’s eyes, everything was sparkling—clean clothes, unscratched metals and ores, and items wrapped in beautifully patterned paper.

Lulu couldn’t take her eyes off the ‘new’ things.

Ervandas roughly arranged the clothes he had brought onto the table. Then, he picked up the very first dress he had bought. It was a common dress the city women often wore in the summer, made of cool fabric with beautiful laces.

Lulu’s eyes followed Ervandas’s hand as he held the dress. Although she lacked common sense, Lulu could sense that the dress he was holding was meant for her. Surely Er wouldn’t wear that. And there was no reason to dress up the scarecrow.

“Is that… for me?”

Hearing the excitement in Lulu’s voice, Ervandas smiled and handed her the dress. As Lulu reached out to take the clothes, something suddenly crossed her mind, and she dashed to the kitchen.

“……?”

While Ervandas was puzzled by her sudden behavior, Lulu emerged, drying her wet hands.

“Why did you wash your hands?”

“Because I shouldn’t get them dirty!”

Lulu answered loudly as if he was asking something obvious. She cautiously took the clothes he handed her.

“Wow.”

A sincere exclamation escaped Lulu’s mouth as she held the clothes with both hands.

The forest witch had never been particularly interested in clothes, so the garments she wore were rough, outdated, and having become worn with time.