All of the walls that made up the interior of the home were made from simple gray stones. The flooring was comprised of dark-brown wood, designed with various strikes of different shades within it. Ultimately, the building’s design was quite straightforward, and perhaps because of that, it allowed Wyliame to naturally feel at ease.

“By the way, where exactly are we?” Wyliame asked Mya as she dragged him through the hallway with her eyes glued forward. “Are we in a kingdom, or some kind of town, or…?”

She shook her head as she glanced back at Wyliame. “W-we’re somewhere near Iyosa. Do you know about it?”

“Iyosa…? Where’s that?”

Just then, the two arrived at the door to Mya’s room. She reached out for the handle, opening the entrance to reveal a living space that shared a similar layout to the room that Wyliame had first awoken from. It had the same wooden table and chair in the corner, the same large, soft bed at the very back, and the same bright lamp that hung from the ceiling.

“Iyosa is the c-capital city of the Amber Kingdom,” Mya continued as she let go of Wyliame’s hand to walk over to the table, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. “Right now, we’re on the o-outskirts of the city…” 

The outskirts…? Wyliame thought as he began walking over to Mya’s bed. 

He proceeded to take a seat, glancing around the room in curiosity. The window beside the bed made gentle sounds of thumping as the blizzard from outside crashed its snow upon it. On the other hand, the warmth in the air circulated throughout the entire room, contrasting the feeling of loving warmth within the house with the destructive frost that fell from the outside.

Wyliame glanced at Mya, but as soon as they made eye contact, she instantly averted her gaze from him within the same second.

She’s still nervous even after holding my hand and dragging me here? Wyliame thought as he began laying down on the bed. For the next most awkward minutes that humanity had ever seen, the two children stayed silent, although Wyliame took this time to contemplate to himself.

Wyliame… Wyliame… so that’s my name, eh? Or at least, that’s what the goddess had called me. Even though I don’t have a single memory of my past life, I’ve still retained my personality and comprehension skills…

…

No, that’s a bold assumption for me to make. I don’t even know who I was previously. Maybe my personality right now is something that’s completely opposite to what I originally had. But still, wouldn’t that make me an entirely new person? 

…

I guess,  for now, I’ve just gotta focus on the present. My first goal would be to learn more about this world that I’m in. Maybe I’ll try asking Lorelia or Onas for more info about Cervos…

“A-anyways!” Mya suddenly began in a clear attempt to get rid of the awkward silence. “H-have you heard about Cervos?”

Oh? A surprisingly convenient conversation starter…? Why thank you, Mya!

“Cervos was the beast that used its magic to engulf the entire land in frost, right?” Wyliame asked, simply restating what he had heard from Goddess Emma.

Hearing that, Mya’s eyes lit up with sparkles. “Oh! So you do know about it!”

Well of course I do. It’s because I need to kill it… 

Abruptly, Mya stood up and began walking toward the bookcase beside the door. She began, “Cervos was born as a special wolf. It had an extra leg and was the only animal that could use magic. The land used to be bright, warm, and green, but Cervos became angry and used its magic to make the entire continent snowy. That’s why everything looks the way it does now.”

She pulled out a singular book with a brown cover, glancing back at Wyliame with a smile across her face. Her shyness had, for some reason, entirely faded away.

“Here, you can borrow the book!” Mya urged, handing it to Wyliame. It read, Cervos: The Tale of a Legend.

Wyliame nodded and smiled back at her as he grabbed onto the book. “Thanks, Mya. I’ll give it back to you as soon as I finish.”

Suddenly, from the other side of the house, Lorelia shouted, “Food is ready!” 

“Coming!” Mya called out. She turned back to Wyliame and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go!”

Leaving the book behind on the bed, Wyliame stood up and walked out the door along with Mya. In an instant, the mouthwatering smell of melted butter and juicy meats entered the boy’s nostrils, instinctively causing his mouth to water. He scanned the dining room, noticing the large, wooden roundtable in the middle with multiple dishes atop it.

“Hey there, Wyliame! I hope you enjoy my cooking!” Lorelia called out with a bright smile as she pulled out a chair for him. The boy walked over and took a seat while Mya sat down in the chair beside him, her eyes staring at the massive chunk of tender, juicy meat resting at the center of the table along with roasted vegetables on its side. 

“Wow! It looks so good!” Mya blurted out.

Lorelia smiled at her as she began passing out plates of creamy mashed potatoes to the two children. “Onas said that you two can get started without him if you would like. He’ll be back as soon as he gathers enough wood.”

Wyliame nodded at stared at the nourishments presented in front of him. “[Appraisal],” he commanded in his head.

 

<[Appraisal Activated]>

<Wolf belly: [Cooked]>

<Roasted vegetables: [Asparagus], [Cabbage], [Carrots], [Brussel sprouts]>

<Mashed potatoes [Cooked]>

<Water>

 

W-wolf belly?! His eyes widened with surprise. Hold on, I can’t judge yet. I’m grateful that there’s even food for me in the first place!

Wyliame turned over to his left and saw that Mya already had drool leaking from her mouth as she stared impatiently at the piece of meat in front of her. She glanced at him and noticed his stare on her, causing her face to turn a tint of red from embarrassment. Shyly, she wiped the drool off of her lips. 

Suddenly, Lorelia walked over beside Wyliame and closed her hands, overlapping her fingers together. “You’re not allergic to anything, right? Would you like to take the first bite?” she asked, her eyes filled with sparkle and enthusiasm- quite similar to how Mya had acted while she was talking about Cervos.

Wyliame nodded and replied, “Sure! It would be rude not to.”

He picked up the utensils from his plate and proceeded to reach toward the center of the table, slicing off a piece of the delicate meat. Immediately, juice began oozing out, and even more so as the knife continued rowing back and forth, seemingly melting the piece of meat off with ease. The scrumptious aroma of tender fats became stronger as it rose up into the air, the only downside being that its smell would be sucked into one’s clothes. Then, without hesitation or fear, Wyliame jabbed the flesh with his fork and brought it closer to his lips, eating the entire slice in one go.

The room became silent.

As he chewed, he turned over to Lorelia and noticed that her green eyes continued shimmering with anticipation. “So…? How is it?”

The boy swallowed the meat, bringing his head low as he did so. “It’s…” 

…

Suddenly, tears began forming from the corner of his eyes. “It's so good!” he continued. “The tenderness of the meat... the way the umami flavor engulfs my entire tongue as the juice from the meat traverses the entirety of my mouth with each chew... it's absolutely incredible!"

Realizing what he had just said, Wyliame covered his mouth. Oh, shit, I can’t use those big words, can I? I’m only a kid…

But it seemed as though Lorelia didn’t pay any attention to that. “I’m so glad you like it!”

Seeing how Wyliame described the dish, Mya couldn’t contain her hunger any longer and reached out for the wolf meat with astonishing speed, cutting up and eating the slice quicker than the eye could see.

“Hahahaha! I’m glad that you all seem to be enjoying your dinner!” Onas chuckled, appearing out of nowhere.

He closed the front door and began walking over to the fireplace to feed it with the many branches that he had gathered in his arms.

“Oh? You’re home already?” Lorelia questioned, walking toward him and taking off his coat.

“Yup. This should be enough wood for the fireplace to last the entire night. But man, I’m starving! Say, isn’t that the wolf that I hunted yesterday?”

Lorelia nodded as she laid his coat on the hanger beside the fireplace. “It’s your favorite meat.”

Onas’s face lit up as he ran over to the table in excitement, taking a seat and immediately picking up his utensils. “Thank you very much for the meal!” Within the same second, he began diving into the dish with as much eagerness as Mya.

And with that, the Elvaris family began enjoying their first-ever meal with their newest addition, Wyliame.

…

How lovely.

…

“Everyone,” Wyliame suddenly began, standing up from his seat to take a bow. “Thank you, I truly mean it. Thank you for giving me another chance at life… and thank you for saving me."

The elves all glanced at each other, then back at Wyliame with joyful smiles. “Welcome to the family!” Onas and Lorelia happily shouted out while Mya continued indulging into her mashed potatoes.