213 Elbaf, Hilda

Lynch and Tom exchanged a glance, and Tom immediately understood.

With a flick of its tail, Tom pulled out a makeup box and sprouted six arms to touch up Lynch's appearance.

In just three seconds, the "shipwreck survivor" version of Lynch and the "beggar" version of Tom were ready for action.

"Ahem..." Lynch coughed deliberately, drawing the girl's attention.

Hearing the sound, she stopped crying and looked up, only to see a man who appeared even worse off than herself.

His face was pale and thin, his muscles nearly nonexistent, and his shaky steps made it seem like he might collapse at any moment.

Next to him was a small cat that looked a bit miserable, though its round belly hinted it hadn't missed many meals.

"Human? Cat!"

The girl wiped away her tears, her face lighting up with a bright smile. Her big eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the odd pair.

It was as if all the unpleasantness from earlier had been wiped away.

The girl had never left Elbaf, but she had heard stories of humans—a race said to be neither as tall nor as strong as giants.

They were her size—short—just like the man in front of her.

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Lynch staggered a bit, then collapsed as if completely exhausted.

Tom, catching on quickly, mimicked his master. With a dramatic kick of his legs, he flopped to the ground, letting his tongue loll out for effect.

"Humans! Cats!"

The girl gasped in excitement and hurried over. She carefully checked Lynch, then helped him sit up against the edge of the collapsed cabin.

"I've heard stories in the village about shipwrecked people washing up on Elbaf, but this is my first time meeting one!"

Her voice was filled with excitement as she continued, "You must be starving. Wait here, I have something delicious for you!"

She giggled to herself, then added, "Oh, right... you're unconscious. You probably can't even hear me."

Despite her clumsiness, the girl seemed thrilled to have someone to talk to.

Although Lynch was pretending to be unconscious, the girl kept chatting away, her cheerful voice as lively as a little squirrel's chittering.

After a while, the temperature around them rose. The girl had lit a fire and was cooking something over it.

"Ah! I forgot about the cat!" she exclaimed suddenly, running over to check on Tom. She sighed in relief when she saw he hadn't been snatched away by a wild beast.

"Kitty, your fur is so soft and silky~" she said as she knelt down to gently stroke him.

"I wish I had a kitten of my own."

Then, as if sharing a great secret, the girl leaned close to Tom's ear, who was still pretending to be unconscious.

"Let me tell you something, Kitty. You really need to lose some weight. Look at that round little belly! Big jungle tigers love to snack on chubby little cats like you."

Tom: "..."

'Calling someone fat right to their face—where's the courtesy? And am I supposed to just sit here and take it?'

Meanwhile, Lynch's eyelid twitched ever so slightly as the scalding hot soup the girl had made was poured into his mouth.

It's a good thing he's not afraid of being scalded, Lynch thought, because ordinary people might have been burned alive by this.

Pieces of what looked like potatoes were shoved into his mouth. Lynch could tell from the texture—yep, boiled potatoes.

This girl clearly has no experience taking care of anyone, he thought. 

He couldn't keep up the act any longer and quickly chewed and swallowed, fearing he might choke if he kept pretending.

"Ah, human, you're awake!" the girl exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

"Did you save me? Thank you," Lynch said, playing along. 

"My name is Lynch."

"My name's Hilda!" the girl replied cheerfully. 

"These are potatoes. They're delicious—eat them quickly!" She eagerly pushed the iron box filled with potatoes into Lynch's hands.

"I'm eating potatoes, but what about you?" Lynch asked, glancing around.

He noticed the iron box contained only three small potatoes—it was likely all the food Hilda had.

"I'm not hungry." As soon as Hilda finished speaking, smelling the aroma of potatoes, her stomach growled.

"I-I'm really not hungry," she repeated, trying to sound convincing.

"Let's eat together," Lynch said, placing the box of potatoes between them.

"Then... I won't hold back. Ah woo~"

Hilda eagerly grabbed a steaming potato and took a big bite. The rich aroma filled her mouth, and her eyes narrowed in pure delight.

'Girl, you're acting like this is the most delicious thing in the world,' Lynch thought with amusement.

'If I brought out the charcoal-grilled lobster, cheese shrimp balls, and bamboo tube rice from my storage, would you even survive the feast?'

The three potatoes were quickly finished between the two of them.

Sitting around the warm fire, Lynch broke the silence. "You live here, so are you a giant? Why are you different from the others?"

The girl poked at the fire with a branch, her expression a mix of thoughtfulness and sadness. "Have you ever heard of Elber's disease?"

"Elber's disease?"

"It's a rare condition unique to giants," she began. "A few hundred years ago, it was almost unheard of, but in recent years, it's become more common. Now, about one in every 50 children born in the village suffers from it."

She paused, staring into the flames. "Most children with Elber's disease don't survive more than a week. And even if they do, they grow up much smaller than normal giants."

Hilda hesitated before adding, "I'm the only one in the village who's survived Elber's disease. But... people don't seem to like me very much."

"It's just that I'm going to die soon. People with Elber's disease rarely live past 18, and my 18th birthday is in one week."

Hilda said this with a bright, happy smile, as if the impending end of her life didn't matter to her.

Lynch watched her in confusion. "You're about to die, and you've been driven out by the giants. Why are you still so happy?"

"Because my life is short, so I have to make the most of it," she said, her voice steady and warm. "My mother once told me that everyone loves my smile."

A cold wind swept in from the sea, making Hilda shiver. She hugged herself for warmth, then glanced at the fire as if it wasn't enough. 

Looking at Lynch with a soft expression, she asked, "Can I lean on you?"

With a slight nod from Lynch, Hilda leaned against his shoulder, sighing softly. 

She picked up Tom Cat, placing him on her lap, and closed her eyes with a satisfied smile, as if all her worries had vanished.

'Mom, Hilda has friends too'

Lynch looked at her and said, "You're going to die soon. Is there anything else you wish for? I can help fulfill it."

Hilda smiled faintly. "I want to visit my parents' graves. And if possible, I'd like to leave Elbaf in the last moments of my life. I've never seen the outside world, it must be so exciting."

Lynch nodded. "I'll help you. The outside world is full of excitement."

But before he could say more, he noticed that the tired girl had fallen asleep, resting on his shoulder.

"Tom," Lynch called softly.

Tom immediately pulled a blanket from his fur and gently covered Hilda.

To give her a peaceful rest, Lynch decided to let the giants have one more night of calm.

Anyone who knew Lynch would be shocked to see this. 

Especially those from the World Government.

The World Government has labeled Lynch as a devil, a villain, a murderer, and a tyrant. 

He is seen as a ruthless enemy. Yet, here he was, staying awake to protect a girl he had just met, who was nearing the end of her life.

"Go to sleep," Lynch said softly. 

"As long as I'm here, no one will hurt you."

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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