In the courtyard's small kitchen, a sneaky little hand cautiously pushed open the window and reached toward a plate of glistening food on the stove.
"Smack!"
With a crisp tap, Freya, who had been busy in front of the oven, noticed the intruder. She immediately grabbed a spatula and brought it down on the back of that pale hand, then planted her hands on her hips and scolded angrily.
"Habetrot, it's not lunchtime yet. No stealing food!"
"What are you making? I've been all over the Nameless Forest, and I've never seen anything that looks or smells this good."
Caught red-handed, the weaving fairy awkwardly hopped through the window into the kitchen. Her eyes remained fixed on the glossy, jiggling delicacy beside the stove, and she could not help swallowing her drool.
"Samael told me there's a special food among the Saxons called 'pudding.' It took me ages to recreate it using ingredients from the Nameless Forest."
Hearing Habetrot's unintentional praise, Freya eagerly picked up the plate and happily showed the crystal-clear finished product to one of her few friends.
She certainly had every right to be proud. The pudding before her closely resembled the kind Samael would taste in later generations, while here in the fifth century, even the Saxons themselves still had a rather vague definition of this traditional food.
Originally, pudding had evolved from something more akin to a bundle of ingredients mixed with blood sausage. Its main purpose was simply to fill the stomach, so its taste and appearance could easily be imagined.
Judging by the finished product alone, Freya's creativity in cooking had already surpassed that of most fairies. The accuracy of her recreation was so impressive that even Samael would have been amazed.
The sweet fragrance also stirred Habetrot's appetite, making her mouth water uncontrollably.
"It looks beautiful, but who knows how it tastes? Why don't you let me help you test it? Just one bite, meow!"
"No! This is for Samael!"
Freya firmly shoved away Habetrot, who was trying to mooch a taste, and declared it with complete seriousness.
The timid little girl she had once been was becoming increasingly confident and lively. Aside from still growing shy in certain situations, she was now much more willing to speak her mind.
"Tch, stingy! I'm your good friend!"
Feeling snubbed by her friend's favoritism, Habetrot waved her little fists in protest.
Freya frowned and thought for a moment before answering earnestly.
"You are a good friend, but Samael is my best friend."
Damn it. Her place in Freya's heart had actually been downgraded. How many days had she even known that guy?
Habetrot crouched on the floor and began drawing circles in frustration, her face full of resentment.
"I'm not talking to you anymore. If I wait much longer, the pudding will get cold, and it won't taste as good."
Freya waved goodbye to her former best friend.
Just before leaving, however, the little girl seemed to remember something. She turned back and casually reassured her.
"Don't worry. Once I deliver this one and confirm how it turned out, I'll come back and make some for all of you."
"That's more like it..."
Habetrot was easy to please, and her gloomy expression finally brightened.
"But you'll probably have to wait a little longer."
"Huh?"
"Quite a few people already placed orders. Let me count. Baobhan Sith, Barghest, and Mari-onee-san. I think there are three servings ahead of yours? I'll probably have to finish all of those before it's your turn."
"..."
Habetrot's mood, which had only just improved, sank again.
Just what place do I have in your heart, anyway? Damn it...
After their pleasant exchange, Freya carefully carried the pudding and scampered excitedly toward Samael's bedroom, looking like a butterfly dancing among flowers.
"Samael! Samael!"
He heard her before he saw her. Before the girl had even entered the room, Samael had already heard Freya's cheerful shouting and then saw a plate of pudding thrust right in front of him as she rushed through the doorway.
The little girl's gaze fell on her good friend, who was bent over beside the bed packing his luggage, and she froze.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah. Everything in the Nameless Forest has been settled perfectly. It's about time we set off."
Samael smiled as he packed several pieces of clothing he liked, along with some interesting local specialties he had collected from the Great Cathedral, into his bundle.
"What about Baobhan Sith, Barghest, and Habetrot?"
Freya stood there in a daze for a moment. She bit her lower lip and asked cautiously.
"Of course they're coming with us."
At those words, the little strand of hair sticking up from the girl's head seemed to lose all strength and drooped down. The eyes that had been so bright moments earlier dimmed once again.
After a brief silence, Freya seemed to think of something. She clenched the hand gripping the hem of her clothes, raised her small face, and asked hopefully.
"Then... when will you come back?"
With his back to the girl, Samael paused. A faint emotion stirred in his heart, and he helplessly shook his head.
"Probably... never."
Friends... leaving... never coming back...
Freya's body trembled. She looked like a battered doll whose soul had suddenly been ripped away, while wisps of black mist began drifting from her small figure.
"Sorry. There wasn't time for a proper goodbye, and only telling you now really is a bit sudden."
Samael tied up his bundle while apologizing in a gentle voice.
Friends... leaving... not coming back...
Freya murmured the words in a daze, lips pressed together, as though something inside her was gradually collapsing.
Then her dim amber eyes fell upon the pudding on the plate.
Light returned to them at once, while the black mist around her began to churn violently.
No... the pudding... hasn't been eaten yet...
Stay... I have to make my friend... stay...
Freya slowly raised her head, her eyes burning with intense longing.
I have to... keep my friend... forever!
Within the shifting shadows of the room, a slender hand slowly picked up a table knife. Step by step, Freya moved toward her good friend, who stood before the bed with his back to her, completely defenseless.
Clang...
The gleaming knife rose several times.
In the end, however, it slipped from her hand and fell heavily to the floor with a sharp metallic ring.
As the weapon dropped, the black mist surrounding her also vanished completely.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Tears streamed down the fairy girl's face. She stood rooted to the spot, covering her mouth tightly to keep herself from sobbing aloud, repeatedly apologizing to the figure before her.
Samael turned around and quietly looked at Freya for a moment.
Then he reached out with his thumb and gently wiped the glistening tears from the little fairy's eyes, letting out a helpless sigh.
"Why didn't you ever ask whether we planned to take you with us?"
"..."
Freya stopped crying and stared blankly at Samael.
There was no blame on his face, only quiet warmth and a trace of affection.
"Silly girl. We're not Muryan. How could we possibly leave you here all alone?"
"Wahhh, Samael, I'm sorry! I almost hurt you! Freya is a bad girl! I don't deserve to be forgiven!"
As if she had lost everything in an instant, only to regain even more, Freya threw herself into Samael's arms and burst into tears.
"Don't be silly. If I left behind such a capable little housekeeper, where would I ever find another one?"
Samael smiled faintly and gently stroked the little head buried against his chest, whispering softly.
"Go get ready. We're leaving together."
At last, after crying out all the fear and unease in her heart, the fairy girl broke into a smile through her tears.
She nodded firmly, then got up and hurried back to her small room to pack her things.
Samael watched Freya walk away, having forcibly halted her own transformation into a Morse through nothing but the kindness at the core of her nature.
He rose and walked to the table, picked up a spoon, scooped up a portion of the crystal-clear pudding, and placed it in his mouth.
Closing his eyes, he slowly savored it.
After carefully finishing every last bite of the result of her hard work, the Ancient Serpent picked up his luggage and stepped out onto the porch.
He looked up at the mist hanging overhead, never dispersing even for a moment, and a complicated emotion passed through his eyes.
Shaking his head, he murmured quietly.
The Nameless Forest, the Realm of the Fairies. It really was not a land where kindness could easily survive.