Chapter 8
From moving around busily, sweat beaded on her forehead. Hestia brushed aside her damp hair clinging to her face and finally let out a shallow breath.
“Phew, one more mouth to feed and suddenly there’s so much more to do. I’d better wash up quickly.”
She slowly undressed her sweat-soaked clothes and stepped into the stream.
Even though it was nearly summer, the water flowing through the deep forest was still icy cold.
But Hestia liked this feeling—almost painful, yet one that awakened every sense in her body.
It was like a solitary piece of proof. Proof that she was still a normal person, no different from anyone else.
Splash.
Hestia submerged herself completely, letting the water engulf her.
If only she could stop breathing for good. If only she could fall asleep like this, forever. And when she came back up… if only she could return to the world she once lived in.
She had made this wish countless times.
Puhah!
Hestia emerged from the water and slicked back her soaked hair. She gazed for a long while at the moon, still floating serenely in the sky.
She didn’t even feel angry anymore.
Over the centuries, there had been many times when she had cried and pleaded until she collapsed from exhaustion.
But now she understood. The gods don’t listen to the desperate.
And she… she was merely someone terribly, terribly unlucky—caught up in one of the gods’ cruel jokes.
Only after the feeling in her fingertips froze and her face turned pale did Hestia finally step out of the water.
Her once dark red hair, now saturated with water, shimmered with a pale golden-brown hue.
Was this what it would look like if moonlight had a color? Her pale, naked body reflected in the sparkling stream was eerily beautiful.
Hestia dried off under the summer breeze before pulling out clothes from the basket and getting dressed. Then, she took out a small bottle and began applying it carefully to every strand of her hair.
The moonlight-like golden-brown gradually deepened again into its usual dark red.
“This is the last of the dye, isn’t it? Even after all these years, this stuff hasn’t improved. Why do I have to reapply it every time I wash?”
With a weary sigh, Hestia leaned back against a large rock and blankly stared at the trembling reflection of the moon in the water.
“…I’m tired of this.”
Muttering the words like a reflex, Hestia closed her eyes.
As the night breeze gently dried her hair, something warm and soft wrapped around her body.
At the warmth, Hestia’s lips curled slightly as she began stroking the fur around her.
“Of course it’s you, Lu. There’s no one like you. Will you take me home later?”
In response, Lu licked Hestia’s hand.
“I’m really tired today, but I did a good job, so I’ll give you a reward.”
Lu perked up, wagging his bright yellow eyes and tail—until he suddenly froze, as if realizing something.
‘No! I can hold it in! I don’t want you to be tired, sis!’
Lu lay his head back on Hestia’s knee and closed his eyes.
“Really? Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
At Hestia’s amused question, Lu’s ears twitched in response.
‘…Fin said that to be a great spirit beast, I need to learn patience.’
His voice was weak, but his eyes stayed tightly shut.
“I told you. Sure, you did something wrong, but it was also something worth praising. So this is a reward from me.”
It had indeed been wrong for him to meddle in human life and nearly reveal himself. But had he done nothing, the young boy Theo surely would have died.
It wasn’t a situation where punishment alone would suffice.
‘Really… I can accept the reward?’
Lu slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Hestia.
His tail swayed side to side in delight, clearly reflecting his mood.
Hestia gave a gentle smile and silently placed a hand on Lu’s head.
And in that moment, where her hand touched his fur—
Fwoosh—
A brilliant light, like transparent sunlight, burst out between them, engulfing Lu’s entire body before quickly fading away.
It was the resonance that had formed between her and the spirit beasts since that day. According to Fin, this energy was called “life force.” Though it didn’t work with all animals or spirit beasts.
It only worked because of the “contract” that came with forming resonance.
It also allowed for mental communication.
But no matter how hard she thought about it, Hestia had no memory of making any such contract with them.
She had asked Fin, El, and Lu several times, but they all just clammed up with troubled expressions.
‘I feel like I could take you anywhere you want to go, sis!’
Lu sat up and wagged his tail enthusiastically, licking all the scratches on Hestia’s arms.
The very same scratches she had gotten on the way there.
“….”
Looking at her now fully healed arm, Hestia couldn’t hide the bitter smile on her lips.
She absentmindedly stared at her ankle in the moonlight.
She’d once received a small wound there during a battle with Linus.
Back then, she had no idea.
That the story ending with:
[Linus and Elinia vowed eternal love under the blessings of the gods and lived happily ever after.]
…would leave such a grim epilogue for her.
Ah. Would there ever be an end for someone like her?
With a bitter smile, Hestia gently patted Lu’s soft, glowing head.
“Give it about an hour. The herbs will be fully dry by then. Let’s head back after that.”
She leaned against a tree and muttered,
“I should visit the village tomorrow. I’m out of dye. And now that Theo’s here, I have to be more careful.”
Lu quietly curled up beside her, wrapping his fluffy tail around her to keep her warm.
“I don’t remember the last time I was this busy.”
Hestia wrapped her arms around the beast’s neck and leaned into him. She enjoyed the soft, warm, and fluffy stillness that seemed to freeze time itself.
Only when the moon began to wane and the faint light of dawn peeked through did Hestia slowly rise. She packed the dried herbs into her basket.
“The sun will be up soon. Let’s go.”
She handed two baskets to Lu to carry in his mouth and climbed onto his back.
‘Hold on tight!’
The moment Hestia settled in, Lu kicked off the ground and leapt forward. The scenery whirled past her, and her dark red hair whipped fiercely in the wind.
Thanks to him, they arrived home before sunrise. Had she gone on foot, she wouldn’t have made it until full daylight.
“Thanks, Lu.”
‘Hehe. Sleep well, sis!’
Lu disappeared with a cheerful farewell, leaving a warm smile in Hestia’s brown eyes.
As she turned to swing the door open like she usually did, she stopped herself and entered quietly, even holding her breath.
Creak—
Fortunately, Theo hadn’t woken up—the house was as quiet as when she had left. Afraid that she might wake him, she decided to leave the baskets for later.
“Maybe I should try to get some sleep.”
Hestia pulled the thin blanket off the table, draped it over her shoulders, and slumped into a chair, resting her head on the table.
Soon, the stillness returned, and Hestia drifted into sleep.
Birdsong stirred by the sunlight peeking through the window woke Theo.
“Hah…”
He let out a self-deprecating laugh. There had been times when he stayed awake three days straight to avoid assassins, yet he’d fallen asleep so easily now.
“Ah!”
Suddenly remembering something, Theo threw off his blanket and flung the door open.
The old door let out a loud metallic creak.
Scanning the room anxiously, Theo’s eyes soon widened in surprise.
“….”
His golden eyes, trembling with unease, gradually calmed. The shoulders that had tensed without his realizing slowly relaxed.
Theo, moving as quietly as he could, approached Hestia.
Next to her, a blanket had slipped off her sleeping form.
“You didn’t have to go this far…”
Guilt pressed heavily on Theo’s chest.
He picked up the blanket from the floor and gently covered her with it.
Perhaps from sheer exhaustion—or maybe due to a naturally dull temperament—Hestia remained fast asleep.
Theo hesitated. Should he wake her and tell her to sleep in a proper bed? Or just let her be?
Before he knew it, he found himself quietly studying her sleeping face.
“…Hmm.”
Without warning, Hestia opened her eyes—and Theo had no time to look away.
“Ah… You’re awake?”
Still groggy, Hestia just blinked slowly in response.
“…Linus?”
Staring into Theo’s clear golden eyes, she unconsciously muttered a name she had long forgotten.
Only after hearing herself speak did her hazy vision clear and sleepiness lift.
“Oh, it’s you, Theo. Did you sleep well?”
Finally, Hestia greeted him and stretched her arms to shake off her drowsiness.
There was no trace of tension on her face, as if she hadn’t just spent the night with a stranger.
“…It doesn’t look like you slept well, Miss Hestia.”
Theo watched her with a curious expression.
“Me? No, I slept fine. This was quite comfortable, actually. The worst was the time I had to sleep hanging from a tree.”
“…What?”
“Forget it. Anyway, you’re the one who looks unwell.”
Theo opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated, shaking his head instead.
His face suggested he had a lot he wanted to ask or say.
“…No. I slept well too.”
He shrugged and offered a simple reply, as if deciding to bury his questions for now.
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Hestia looked at him with a skeptical gaze, sensing there was more he wanted to say—but let it go.
“It’s true. I can’t even remember the last time I fell asleep so quickly.”
Theo’s voice was soft, almost like a confession disguised as an excuse.
Whether Hestia knew the truth behind his words or not, she simply reached out to him with half-lidded eyes.
She moved slowly, as if not to startle him.
