MasekiGurume 34 (1104 words)

Memories of The Magic Stones[1]
魔石の古い記憶[1]

「....」

In the dark, damp cave, how and why was he born?

He couldn't figure out why, no matter how much he thought about it.

After a few hours after he woke up, what seemed to be his ego had awakened, the first thing he do, was to check his body.

Other than that, all he did was lean his body against a rock.

「A, Ah....」

His voice's tone was low and dull, he felt terrible tired, his body feels so heavy, he's hungry, needed help, and scared. These are the only thoughts that run through his head.

「....Ara, sweetie. Are you alone?」

「....?」

「Arara, you don't even know any words yet huh. Nice to meet you. little skeleton-kun?」

Although he didn't even recognize himself, he was somewhat glad that he was no longer alone.

A woman appeared in front of him. She held a large staff in her hand and wore a black robe.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few stones.

「Ah......?」

「Come on, eat up. You must be hungry, right?」

He could guess instinctively. His body feels heavy, but he was hungry. With all the strength he had left, he took a bite of the stone she had taken out.

「I knew you'd be hungry. There's still plenty left. You can eat it all」

He took a bite of the stone with all his might. He couldn't taste it, and the stone he ate was falling through the bones. However, every time he bit into it; he felt a sense of satisfaction that he could not describe.

「Aah! Aa....!」

「Well, you're full huh? I'm glad」

Although he couldn't say a word, he could somehow express his joy.

There was no heaviness in his body that he had felt a moment ago. On the contrary, he felt very light.

「You are a slave's child, perhaps. There's no way a little child would be alone in a place like this. The cave collapsed after last night's earthquake, so he must have been left behind and turned into a demon」

The woman was saying something, but he could not understand what it was. The only thing he understood was that she was helping him.

「You poor thing. You've been left all alone」

She mouthed the words and hugged him. The sound of crunching bones echoed in the cave.

Although he didn't understand what she was doing, he felt a sense of joy. A strange, indescribable feeling began to circulate.

「Come on. Won't you come with me? I haven't decided on a place to go, but I'm sure it'll be less lonely than being alone......」

Then he followed the girls in her black robe.

With a crunching sound of bones, the little skeleton walked behind her.

＊＊＊

We left the cave and walked a long distance.

It took days to cross the mountain, days to cross the river, and days to reach the big forest.

「My stomach. Is full」

「You ate well, didn't you? Then let's get some rest for today」

When we arrived at a somewhat open area with no trees, they sat down to eat.

He, a small skeleton, covered himself with the stone she had given him. She, in her black robe, also had a large staff in her hand, which she propped up against a tree beside her, and she sated her hunger with a mouthful of preserved food.

Every time he ate one of the stones she gave him, he felt his body grow stronger and a little bigger.

Now he could understand the words she was saying, and he could say them himself.

「Tomorrow we'll be walking a lot again, okay? Get some rest and be ready for tomorrow」

Even a skeleton can regain his strength by resting.

As a small skeleton, he had very little energy. That's why it was important for him to rest every night.

「yes...!」

He replied in a faltering voice and lay down. He hoped that he would be able to travel safely with her tomorrow.

　He was a very good sleeper. She could tell immediately that he would be asleep within a few minutes.

「You've grown up so well in such a short time. Good boy」

She was stroking his head and talking to herself, what she was giving him was a magic stone.

There are several kinds of nourishment for demons to grow, but magic stones are the most effective of them all.

As an undead, he does not eat meat, so he basically eats magic stones.

What she gave him was a magic stone, which was quite valuable in general terms. However, it didn't take any special effort for her to get it.

In all her years of living, she had never had a family, and she had never had anything to look forward to in life.

In the midst of all this, she met a small skeleton. she felt a little sorry for him, and gave him a magic stone, which he bites into with all his might. When she saw him, he looks so cute that she asked him if he wanted to come with her.

She was surprised at how much she enjoyed traveling with him, even though it was only for a few days. Watching him eat made she feel happier than anything else.

Even though she is a demon, she is still a woman, and that is why she asked herself if she have motherly instincts in her, but she couldn't find an answer. But it's no lie that this is a "good time" for her, so she feels that this is a trivial matter.

「We'll have to keep walking tomorrow. Let's take a rest for now」

A journey with no fixed destination. That's what was this trip supposed to be, but she wanted to take the little skeleton to different places, so she continued her journey to a few places in her memory.

「Oh, that reminds me, I need to think of a name for him. What should I name him?.....」

It is meaningful for a demon to have a name; it expands its evolutionary future.

It didn't mean that they would become stronger just by having a name, but it was important in the sense that it would expand their future potential.

A small skeleton that is very important to her. She decided to give it a name.

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