Chapter Nineteen: Ellie

"I am so hungry."

Growl!

Ellie clutched her stomach and looked around. As an orphan, she had spent her life pitifully begging and working for others in exchange for food.

Some people would pity her and give her food, while others would scold her. There were even those who would beat her the moment she got close to them.

Recently, she had noticed some evil stares from men. She had been so scared that she started hiding at night while cowering and searching for food like a stray animal in the morning.

Even the bandits kicked her and left her—maybe out of some kind of sympathy or perhaps because they just felt dirty touching her.

With her malnourished, stick-thin body, it was no wonder even bandits showed no interest in selling her.

"I will die at this rate," she thought, even wondering if she should go and beg the people who had saved the village.

But when she thought of the snake woman, the two goblins, and the elf… She just felt fear at the thought of being eaten by them—especially the two goblins, who looked terrifying and disgusting.

She had no courage to loiter around the village chief's house either, as she would simply be kicked away.

Fortunately, she was smart and had managed to survive until now. She had seen many fellow orphans like her die simply because they ended up somewhere they weren't allowed to be.

"Hello there."

Eeeiiiik!

Suddenly, a stranger called out to her, and she jumped in reflex. Normally, no one would call her; food was already scarce due to farming limitations, and no one wanted to take on a burden. She never expected anyone to even notice her, let alone speak to her.

"Y-y-y-yes," she stuttered, lowering her head as she answered.

Lan Sol felt pity just looking at her fidgeting and lowering her head.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"Eh?" She tilted her head and looked up reflexively.

But when she saw Lan Sol—the lord who had saved the village—her mind went blank.

"Eh? Ehh?? EHHHHH????" She wasn't just surprised; she was shocked.

With her mouth agape, she became even more fidgety.

Mistaking her actions for fear (as children would naturally be scared when called out by strangers, let alone when someone asks them to follow them), Lan Sol, aware of how his words might be perceived, crouched down to match her eye level and smiled brightly.

"I will provide you with food, shelter, and clothes."

If he had said that in the modern world, people would have thought he was a child trafficker and would call the police immediately. His words sounded similar to, "Follow me to the van; I have candy for you."

However, Ellie was more shocked than terrified.

She had been planning to beg him for food, but not only did he approach her first, he also promised to provide her with food, clothes, and shelter.

'Is he an angel?!'

She thought, wide-eyed.

'No, he must be a hero!' She corrected herself.

She never considered the possibility that he was deceiving her. What would he gain from deceiving her? If he wanted to take her, he could easily do so without asking or promising anything.

She was so weak, she knew she couldn't resist anyway.

Taking her silence as a rejection, Lan Sol pulled out some cooked meat from his inventory.

He always carried some for lunch.

"Wawawawaa!" Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, not even knowing how to respond.

And when she saw the meat appear so magically, her mouth watered.

"Here, eat this. You seem very hungry," he said, offering her the meat.

She took the meat reflexively, her hands used to grabbing food from others.

But her hands shook so much—she had never eaten meat before. She had always dreamed of tasting it, as it was considered a delicacy.

For someone who couldn't even get enough food to fill her stomach, meat felt like a dream come true.

'He is a god,' she thought.

Lan Sol's impression went from hero to god in an instant.

She tried to eat the meat, but her hands shook so violently that it fell to the ground.

"No!" Ellie screamed in horror as she watched the food drop to the ground.

She quickly picked up the piece of meat, stained with dirty snow, and without even wiping it off properly, she brought it near her mouth.

To her, who had eaten spoiled food before, the dirty meat seemed perfectly normal.

But Lan Sol frowned and snatched the piece of meat away from her.

"Ah!" Ellie looked at the meat being taken away in horror, thinking she had angered him by dropping the precious food and that he wouldn't give it to her now.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she braced for rejection.

But then, suddenly, a rich meat fragrance filled her nose.

"You shouldn't eat food from the ground. It's unhealthy," Lan Sol said gently, holding the meat near her mouth. "Say 'ahh.'"

"Ahh," she said without thinking, opening her mouth.

The meat entered her mouth, and she took a bite.

It was delicious. So delicious that she couldn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes.

"Huh?" Lan Sol, confused by her sudden crying, panicked. He didn't know what he had done to make her cry.

'If someone were to see me making a child cry, they'd think I'm a terrible scumbag!'

Of course, Lan Sol didn't care much about his reputation, but he still felt bad for making a child cry.

As an orphan himself, he knew how tough life could be, but even his already difficult orphan life was a hundred times better than this little girl's.

"Uh, don't cry. Here, eat more. I have lots of meat. Eat until you're full. Now, stop crying," he said gently, wiping her tears away.

But this gentle action caused Ellie to cry even harder, as she had never experienced such warmth from anyone before.

"It's… delicious," she said, smiling innocently through her tears.

To her, this bland meat was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten in her entire life.