TYHL 50

~Chapter 50~

“Hmph, do it.”

The gravekeeper said as he pinched my nose.

We were sitting side by side under a nearby tree.

“Hmph.”

I wiped my nose on his hand.

“Ah, your nose is so red.”

“Ugh.”

“Did you cry?”

I nodded slowly, and the gravekeeper smiled. Looking at his gentle face, I felt tears welling up again.

‘Is it because I got caught doing something bad?’

I didn’t even understand why I kept crying. The more I didn’t understand, the more the tears came.

But I don’t cry much, usually…!

“Yes, yes… sorry… ugh.”

“You haven’t cried enough yet.”

“But, ugh, who are you?”

“I told you. I’m the gravekeeper. See that hut over there?”

“Yes… amazing, ugh, amazing.”

“I don’t know what’s so amazing… Ah, I can’t stop crying. What should I do?”

Because of me, the gravekeeper couldn’t do his work and was stuck. He frowned a little, then sighed deeply, as if he had no choice.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s go to the hut. I’ll give you something to eat. Come on!”

“…Come on.”

The hand wiping the tears from my cheek was rough. It looked like the gravekeeper really worked hard at his job…

I held his hand and walked with him to the hut in the corner of the memorial. The old hut was a bit shabby, but it felt cozy.

‘Void said she was the old witch.’

She looked more like an angelic old woman.

“Ugh.”

I sat at the old wooden table and rubbed my eyes.

Crying made me feel like a real 8-year-old.

“Let’s see. Sweet things usually make you feel better, right? What would be good for a kid…”

The gravekeeper moved around, lighting a fire in the fireplace. A pot of stew was bubbling on one side.

Grrrrooo.

The smell made an odd sound come out of my stomach.

“You…”

The gravekeeper narrowed his eyes and I quickly wrapped my arms around my stomach.

“…”

Ugh, why is this happening?

Now I look like a crying kid because I’m hungry…

And so, I suddenly became a little kid eating dinner at the gravekeeper’s house.

“Ugh, this is spicy.”

The gravekeeper eagerly ate the spicy stew he made. He gulped down two cups of water already.

“Hey… you said you’d give me something sweet.”

“Spicy food is better for stress. And I heard your stomach growl.”

I pouted and looked down at the bowl in front of me. The red spicy stew looked like bubbling lava.

The gravekeeper laughed and handed me a spoon.

“Try it. I didn’t put as much hot sauce in yours, so you should be able to eat it.”

“Why don’t you just not put anything in it…”

“It’s delicious, I promise.”

I had no choice but to take a spoonful of the stew.

“Huh?”

“Delicious, right?”

“Yes! But it’s so spicy!”

I drank water repeatedly while still holding the spoon, not letting it go.

This intense taste. The taste of the world. The burning chicken taste of modern times!

We sat facing each other at the old table, eating the spicy stew, sweating and puffing.

“So, how do you feel now?”

The gravekeeper offered me some cold water.

I gulped it down and placed the cup on the table.

“Phew. Yeah. I feel like I’ve been reborn…”

I had forgotten this taste.

Cried a bit, ate something spicy, and now I felt clear-headed. As I happily patted my stomach, something was suddenly pushed in front of me.

“Wow, cocoa!”

“Does that mean you forgive me? For crying.”

“Yes!”

Actually, it wasn’t because of the gravekeeper that I cried.

I smiled happily and drank the cocoa. Sweet! Bitter! Delicious!

“It’s so round and cute.”

The gravekeeper, resting his chin on his hand, was staring at me intently.

“So, why were you at a place like that?”

“Um…”

I stopped drinking the cocoa and rolled my eyes.

“Anyway, I live here alone. There’s no one to talk to. Just tell me.”

His gentle voice flowed like honey.

“I’m the old witch. They say I don’t talk to anyone and eat the kids who come to the memorial.”

I thought of Void’s voice and tightly gripped my mug.

Normally, I would have just avoided the question and ran away.

‘It’s strange. For some reason… I can’t refuse.’

I didn’t want to run away now. It was like my desire to escape had faded.

I stared at the gravekeeper’s blue-tinged eyes. Sometimes, it was easier to open up to someone I didn’t know well.

“A little… something’s bothering me.”

“Really? What is it?”

“You know, people hate lies, right?”

“Generally, yes.”

My shoulders slumped.

“…Kids who lie are probably hated even more, right? They’d think I’m gloomy and sly…”

“Hmm, well, I think the ones who call kids like that gloomy and sly are worse. They talk about things they don’t understand.”

I glanced at the cocoa’s surface, and then continued with a sad tone.

“The thing is… I lied to a friend.”

I spoke about my situation with Leviathan, though I didn’t say everything directly.

“But my friend didn’t know anything and kept being kind to me, trying to get closer… It makes my heart ache every time…”

“I see. Your friend might get angry if they find out they were lied to.”

“Ugh…”

I knew it, but hearing it out loud hurt…

“But why did you lie? Did you want to trick your friend?”

“That’s not it!”

I quickly turned my head and said. The gravekeeper smiled warmly, his eyes gentle.

“That’s really… not it. I….”

I couldn’t fully explain. The frustration grew in my chest.

“It’s just… the situation couldn’t be helped…”

“You…”

A soft cloth appeared, wiping the cocoa drops from my hand.

“You really like that friend, don’t you?”

I sat there for a moment, thinking, and then slowly nodded.

“…Yeah. I really like them. They’re really important to me.”

I liked Leviathan, and I liked all of the Jebert family who treated me kindly.

But every time, I felt guilty because I knew this love wasn’t truly mine.

If they ever found out everything was a lie, would they still care for me?

To be honest, I didn’t even fully understand my situation when I came to the North with Uncle.

The secrets I made because of my complicated situation were now tightening around my neck.

“I don’t want to be hated…”

I was afraid of being abandoned, and my heart shrank to the size of a bean.

“Ahh, you little crybaby.”

The gravekeeper hugged me and comforted me as I began to cry again.

I cried in his arms for a long time. After a while, as my crying slowed, the gravekeeper gently wiped my face.

“Kid, what is it that you really want?”

His gentle voice and warm expression made me feel hypnotized. I wiped my tears and thought about it.

What did I want? Of course, it was…

“I want… to stay by that friend’s side. Always… without leaving…”

“Then why not just do what you want and not think about anything else?”

“Huh?”

When I blinked, more tears fell. The gravekeeper raised his eyebrows sadly and smiled.

“Right now, if the situation makes you unable to tell the truth, you can say it later. If you explain it slowly, I’m sure your friend will understand. That friend is a good person, right?”

“Sometimes they’re a good person, and sometimes they’re not.”

“That’s… a sharp analysis.”

The gravekeeper chuckled.

I looked at the hand wiping my face in a daze and asked.

“Do you think I can still be forgiven, even though I lied?”