LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 2
Sure, here is the translation:
—
Indeed, Gordon was mumbling about the wizard, and Karem finally got to witness Catherine Marigold Atanitas using magic.
“Hey kid. Age and name.”
“U-Um, Karem. I’m 10 years old!”
“Catherine Marigold Atanitas. Remember to show some respect and address me properly.”
And the first magic that the boy, Karem, witnessed was truly amazing.
It was just a simple flick of the fingers.
With that alone, the surrounding corpses, flesh, and puddles of blood froze completely.
Gordon was always grumbling, yet despite his complaints, he was very eager to clean up the scene. Of course, Karem could guess why Gordon was so diligent.
In the past life, it was only natural for the dead to decay and return to the earth according to the laws of nature.
But the continent of Europa, being what it is in fantasy, meant that even unattended corpses could transform into incredibly dangerous monsters.
The so-called undead monsters. There was a risk that those left unattended or wrongfully killed could turn into undead.
Proper funerals were a given, and even when circumstances were difficult, they burned everything to prevent the undead from appearing.
Therefore, Karem eagerly moved to stoke the campfire that Gordon or Catherine had prepared beforehand.
After all, it was only natural to burn dozens of corpses right away, and fortunately, there was a forest nearby, along with plenty of broken wagons useful for firewood.
“But Gordon.”
“Come on, just call me by my name. No need for titles. I’m just a serf like you.”
“Then, Gordon?”
Gordon nodded and tossed a frozen corpse into the large campfire.
“Good. Anyway, if you have any questions, hurry up and ask. We’ve got a pile of corpses to burn.”
“We’ve got wagons and mercenaries, but there’s not a single horse, huh?”
“Ah, horses?”
Karem’s question was valid. Surely, they wouldn’t have made the workers or mercenaries pull the cart filled with cargo, would they?
Karem often saw merchants riding in with carts once a week, and naturally, it was the horses that pulled the carts.
Of course, sometimes therunners, bipedal birds often seen in games, would pull carts too. But there were none of those around in this attack scene.
“Sigh. Griffins are absolutely crazy for horse meat. They might be planning a family feast.”
“Family feast? They attacked with more than one griffin, didn’t they?”
“Four in total. Our foolish employer secretly stole griffin eggs and was transporting them.”
As he said this, Gordon pointed to a relatively intact cart with his finger.
Unlike the other carts, this one was so crushed that its shape was barely recognizable.
Karem knew what a griffin was.
The fantasy beast or monster, larger than a bear, possessing the upper body and wings of an eagle and the lower body of a lion — he had only seen it in pictures in his previous life and heard stories about it in this one.
But wait, griffin eggs?
“So, we got caught up in the anger of the griffin family who lost their babies?”
“Well, the job went to hell. Only two of us survived. But there’s at least one good piece of news.”
Good news? What good news could there be when the mercenary’s job has failed? Karem frowned as he tilted his head, and Gordon’s weary expression brightened as he smiled brightly.
“It means all these dead folks and the stuff on the cart belong to us.”
“Huh? Us?”
“Of course. Even if the wizard here and I tried to take it all, there’s no way we could carry such a load.”
Saying this, Gordon grabbed Karem by the shoulder and spun him around toward the campfire. There was a pile of weapons and leather pouches stacked neatly.
“When did that pile build up?”
“Of course, I used my breaks while moving the corpses to gather them. But you’re in luck.”
“In luck, you say?”
“Well, unlike me, who started with nothing on bare ground, you can start with a solid financial foundation.”
Gordon lightly patted Karem’s chest as if to congratulate him. Indeed, he was right.
A 10-year-old runaway serf with no connections or assets wouldn’t have many options even if he went to the city.
There wouldn’t be many people looking out for him. It was only natural that settling down would be incredibly difficult, and worse luck might lead him to fall into a criminal organization.
Although it felt a bit unsettling since it was stuff found next to a corpse, Karem nonetheless said, “Is that for sure?”
“Of course—Wait!?”
Whoosh—Bang!
As Gordon quickly ducked, a lump of ice flew past him like a bird.
It was Catherine.
The wizard glared at Gordon with disapproval as she froze the puddle of blood.
“Teaching a little kid such things, are we?”
“Oh, Madam Mage. Did I say anything wrong? You’ll be taking your cut too, won’t you?”
“Of course, that goes without saying.”
Catherine replied confidently, unfazed by Gordon’s irritation.
“Just like people eat bread, wizards consume gold like water, so I have to keep a close eye for opportunities.”
“Then why?”
“If the things I need to deal with melt away while you’re messing around, I’ll have to do it all over again.”
Catherine pointed with her finger at the frozen debris that someone across the campfire was so desperately waiting to be removed.
Anyway, since her words weren’t wrong, Gordon started grumbling again as he moved the corpses, and Karem began gathering firewood from the nearby carts.
Ultimately, what he was entrusted with was simply to gather firewood to burn the corpses.
At least, it was easier compared to moving frozen bodies and pools of blood like Gordon.
Around the time the sun inclined at a diagonal angle past the hour, thanks to Gordon’s efforts, all the corpses were finally cleared away.
Of course, that didn’t mean the work of those remaining was all done.
As Gordon began collecting the cargo from the carts, having searched through the belongings of the deceased beforehand, Karem soon joined in.
Inside the wooden boxes piled among the wreckage of the carts were assorted pieces of wood, stones, and plenty of rusty scrap metal—basically trash.
As Gordon, slightly disappointed after checking all the boxes, was flustered, Karem, together with Catherine, headed towards the last cart that was less damaged.
“Oh, that cart is for groceries.”
“Grocery cart?”
“Yep. Though the pay for the job was meager, they provided food.”
“So, they stole griffin eggs, but at least they properly provided meals?”
As Catherine said, the cart with its wheels curled in had plenty of groceries packed inside. Karem suddenly thought this might be a fantasy merchant’s cart.
One of the small containers held half a dozen apples, alongside a few bundles of sausages, hardening barley bread, various packages of jerky, and rusks piled high.
The other wooden boxes were filled with turnips, carrots, celery, cabbage, onions, and garlic, while around them lay various cooking utensils—a collection of pots and frying pans, as well as large cheeses of different colors scattered about.
When Karem opened a wooden box the size of a jewelry box that was hidden in the corner, inside were several lumps of butter coated abundantly with salt.
And watching those, Karem suddenly recalled that he hadn’t had lunch yet.
“Um, speaking of which, it’s been a long time since lunchtime.”
“Well, we had a lot of cleanup to do. Do you want to munch on an apple or something?”
“No, first I want to see what we have—”
Just then.
Grumble—
A quiet but clear cute sound emerged.
If you had to compare it, it was like the sound of water draining from a sink. Specifically, it was the sound effect of a hungry stomach demanding food.
Karem, in the midst of growing and working hard, figured the sound had not come from his own body.
Therefore, the remaining person was obvious.
“….”
“W-What is it?”
“Sir Atanitas, would you like to have an apple or something if you’re hungry?”
Karem parroted back Catherine’s earlier words.
It was half a joke mixed with sincerity, but after hesitating for a moment with a pause, Catherine raised her hand and clenched her fist.
And with that, she punched the little brat.
“Take that.”
Bam!
“Ouch!”
Karem felt a piercing pain at the top of his head but didn’t protest.
After all, teasing her was the right thing to do.
But quite certainly, her belly growling was perfectly reasonable.
After all, not only had lunchtime passed long ago, but they were also involved in the arduous task of rescuing a griffin family, so Karem had been feeling his stomach tighten for quite a while.
And that was the same for Catherine, who had cutely voiced her hunger, and Gordon, the one who had done the most hard labor.
“Since it’s come to this. Let’s have a proper lunch, though late.”
Karem bent down and picked up pots and frying pans.
“Aah, this cool and heavy sensation. It’s been a while.”
“Well, I can’t cook, so let’s leave it to Gordon—”
“No, I’ll do the cooking.”
And Karem felt Catherine’s stare on him almost instantly.
When he turned his head, he could clearly see the question in her gaze: “What on earth is this serf saying?”
In that case, there was only one thing Karem could say back.
“Ah, Sir Atanitas. Since we have plenty of ingredients, just try eating it this once and see.”
In this life, Karem was a serf, but in his past life, Garam was the man who grilled meat when others were enjoying it.
Most importantly, Karem’s hands itched as soon as he laid eyes on proper cooking tools for the first time in ten years.
—