SS1 6.4 - Warrior Heart
As soon as the sun set in the west, I and Ariel started the preparation to cremate W 0-1. First, I put the portable crematorium I bought using my tablet next to the HMV. The portable crematorium would require lot of electricity to operate, but the APU in the HMV would handle it with ease.
The APU would keep generating electricity as long as the HMV had fuel in the tank. The only thing I had to worry was the smoke. The darkness of the night wouldn’t be enough to conceal it. Fortunately, thick fog always covered the cliff around Sierra Lodge at night.
After setting up the exhaust and put its end next to the cave entrance, I helped Ariel to put W 0-1 to crematorium box, fully naked. After that Ariel put a new set of folded clothes, BBQ ribs she spared from her lunch, and 3 kg each of cherry, grapes, and lychee.
Honestly, I didn’t get it why we put clothes and food together with a body we would cremate, but I was not stupid enough to ask Ariel about it. Not to mention, Ariel looked so solemn and tried her best to hold her sob, as she arranged her final parting gift for W 0-1.
Then, after reciting some kind of prayer, burning W 0-1’s face to her memory as best as she could, and gave her a last kiss on the forehead, Ariel gently said, “Berg, we can cremate Big Sis now.”
“Understood.”
Without further ado I helped Ariel closed the crematorium box and turned it on. Then, she sat before it and reciting some kind of prayer in whisper while sorrow filled her eyes to the brim.
As for me, I sat in a corner near the entrance and leaned my back on the cave wall. I didn’t want to disrupt Ariel’s prayer. I also had no idea how to console her. So, I chose to use my time to give the map of Sidra Forest another study. I planned to launch another hunt tomorrow and as precaution in case we found another nest, I build some mortar cellular packages.
And 90 minutes just flew like that, in silence, before the cremation finally finished. I immediately helped Ariel to put W 0-1’s ash to a container. She seemed in no mood to talk, so I helped her without saying a word.
Then, after closing the container in her hand Ariel turned her gaze to me, “I will climb to the cliff’s peak to spread Big Sis’ remains to all direction and we are done with her burial.”
I nodded before asking, “Do you need my help?”
“No, it’s too dangerous for you to climb the cliff in zero visibility.”
“Okay.”
Wasting no time Ariel left the cave, while I packed the crematorium box to my inventory.
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It took about 30 minutes before Ariel returned. We then put a thick layer of barb wire on the cave entrance before taking afternoon bath in turn. I take the first turn, while Ariel stood guard in the cave entrance.
First, I set up an improvised bathroom next to the HMV. Basically, it was 1.5x1 m roofless cubicle. It had HMV in one side, and wall made of raincoat and aluminum frame for the other sides. It also had a stool made of beer crate I layered with rubber mat.
I couldn’t flood the cave floor with water. Therefore, I used towel and hot water to wipe the dirt and sweat off my body, and replaced the regular soap with scentless antiseptic wipes. Once I had clean and hygiene body, I put fresh clothes and slipper on and stored my dirty clothes in the inventory.
Then, it was Ariel turn to take a bath while I guarded the entrance. This was her first time to have a bath in private with no one to bother her, so she was very happy. Even after the bath, she still had a big smile all over her face.
Then, we went to have dinner. As usual, we used beer crates we layered with rubber mat as table and stools. Then, I arranged a whole size of sliced loaf, fruit jam, grapes, melon seeds, and a jug of warm tea. We already ate a lot amount of protein for the lunch, so I decided we would eat something light for dinner.
“Let’s eat,” I said after offering gratitude for the food.
“Mhm,” Ariel gave me a brief reply before taking a piece of loaf slice and put strawberry jam on it.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Do you want to eat something with more filling?” I asked as I pour a cup of tea for her. “I can order a dinner set for you.”
“No, Ariel is not too hungry.”
“I see.”
It was pretty natural if Ariel still couldn’t fully have a peace with her sorrow of losing W 0-1. Unfortunately, I was useless in this kind of situation. No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn’t find comforting words I could use to console Ariel. Then, right when I thought we wouldn’t have another conversation for the whole night, Ariel suddenly turned her gaze to me.
“Berg, I can convert to your religion now.”
Big question mark instantly popped up in my forehead. “Why do you want to convert to my religion?”
“Don’t I have to convert to your religion after joining Shimon Family?”
“I never said that,” I casually replied.
“Are you saying I can stick with my current religion?”
“Absolutely,” I firmly replied. “Even if the founders are a pair of Jew sibling, Shimon Family is not only for Jew. We have people from other religion too. We even have non believer among us.”
“Shimon Family seems very nice,” Ariel said as curiosity was clearly visible in her childish face.
“To be honest, the family has too many annoying old men, and you can’t help but want to slap them as soon as they starts nagging on you,” I casually explained. “But in term of faith, we are very open-minded, and hold no rabid ambition to convert the whole world to our belief.
The thing that matter the most for the family is our willingness to look after each other. Just like that, and no matter how weird you are or how negative the world sees you, we will gladly receive you as one of our own.”
“Okay.”
“And if my father is still alive and here with us, he will be jubilant to have you as his daughter.”
“Really?”
I had a big smile as Ariel looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Really. You would be a daughter he longed for, in his old age.” After a short pause I added, “Two weeks before the time to give birth to my little sister, my mother had traffic accident. Both my mother and my unborn little sister passed away, and it hit my father very hard.”
“I see.”
Silence then enveloped us and I thought it would be the end of our conversation, but Ariel suddenly turned her gaze to me one more time.
“Berg, do a demi-human like Ariel can only become a monster hunter?”
I could sense a deep curiosity in Ariel’s tone, but I could also tell she was trying to distract me from my sadness. It seemed deep down she was a very considerate kid. I immediately looked back at Ariel with a big smile in my face.
“Who did tell you that rubbish?”
“People who trained Ariel.” After a short pause Ariel gloomily added. “They said it’s impossible for demi-human to master a craft other than monster hunting, and they say that a lot.”
“Believe me,” I firmly said. “That’s a freaking bullshit.”
“Really?”
I immediately took out a bowl of Japanese cherry from my inventory and put it on the table. “Do you know what kind of people who grows this cherry?”
Ariel tilted her head to the side before replying, “People who are really good at farming.”
“Yeah, but they are not always people who are really good at farming.”
Without delay I told Ariel about the unique origin of Japan. Legend said, one day a warrior god used his sake to wash his sword, and the droplets that fell into ocean became an island country called Japan.
As a country that was born from divine sake and divine sword, Japanese couldn’t help but carried the basic trait of those two in their blood. And so, they dedicated their life for two things, brutal warfare in weekday and drop drunk in the floor in weekend, and do the rest of their life in between.
However, one day shit hit the fan and they couldn’t wage brutal warfare as they please anymore. So, in their sorrow and frustration, those nuts warriors directed their warrior discipline and heart to other field like culinary, farming, technology, literature, movie, and many other things that moved their warrior heart.
Now, most Japanese spent their life for two things, pushing themselves beyond limit like a madman to craft something they love, or drop drunk in the floor when they want to put their mind at ease, and do the other things in between.
That was the origin of Japan I got from the damnable Watanabe. I got a feeling there was a serious inaccuracy on it, but his version was very suitable to encourage Ariel that she could develop craft other than monster hunting. Therefore, I chose to tell her this version.
“Japanese is a living example that when a true warrior put their life, mind, and heart on something, they will produce great result,” I casually closed my explanation. “And you are not exception for this nature.”
“So, Ariel can also excel in other craft other than monster hunting, like Japanese?”
“Definitely,” I firmly replied.
“Okay,” Ariel happily said. “Ariel will start learning wood craft whenever Ariel has time to spare.”
“Yeah, you should do that.”
“Ariel will also start drinking alcohol and learn how to drop drunk in the floor properly.”
Ariel added with a drop dead serious tone, and my eyes instantly widened.
“No, you can’t drink alcohol yet.”
“Why?” Ariel curiously asked.
“You need to wait until your 20th birthday before you can drink alcohol and learn how to drop drunk in the floor properly,” I sternly said.
“Do Japanese warrior also waits until their 20th birthday before they start drink alcohol?”
“Yes, even the strongest warrior in Japan drink alcohol only after their 20th birthday, or they will face serious legal consequences.”
“Okay, Ariel will also wait until my 20th birthday before starting drink alcohol.”
“Good,” I said while gave Ariel a firm nod.
Then, I taught her how to use her tablet to watch one of the most popular Japanese craft called anime. I picked D-Frag! as her first anime. It locked her interest right away. Then, she got totally hooked up after watching halfway through the first episode. She even had to try her best to hold her laugh several times.
‘Glad she like it. She really needs something to distract her from her sorrow, even if it’s only for a moment,’ I muttered before taking a breath full of relief.
*****
