It was the next day.
Aric let out a soft grunt as he bathed in the morning sunlight.
Using the same white cloth, Lilia had bound him to her back tightly, his frail body lightly bouncing with every step she took.
Resol had left the previous day, taking most of the money he found in the house, and Aric was certain the man was not coming back anytime soon, much to his relief.
Soon, Lilia had reached a clearing. All around, were makeshift stalls. Constructed from uneven wooden planks and tied with white clothes, Aric winced at the various merchants shouting at the top of their lungs.
That was when Aric's brows rose at some nearby fruits. Some fruits, on initial observation, had some similarities with those on Earth, but they were far stranger on a second look. Like a banana with its outer peel looking like crystal. Another looked like a spiky orb; its lustrous skin might even make someone mistake it for metal.
But what truly captured his interest was a fluffy, cloud-like fruit about the size of a melon. Aric's mouth watered as he watched a group of children take bites from the fruit and their faces lighted up with joy as golden honey like juices dripped from their chins.
'I am eating that when I get teeth…' Aric vowed as he momentarily lost focus, a bit of drool escaping his lips and splattering across Lilia's back.
'Oops.'
He quickly tried to wipe the saliva off Lilia with the cloth, sighing deeply as he turned to her.
His expression turned to a frown.
Lilia walked with her head down. Her shoulders were stiff, occasionally shivering as she silently walked across the market. People glanced at her, the women with pity and few of the men with...
'Disgusting…' He bit his lip, burying himself into Lilia's back.
Lilia finally quickened her pace, clutching the basket in her hands tighter as she weaved through the market square. Soon after, Aric stared at a modest shop at the far end of the clearing. Behind the counter stood an elderly woman, her wrinkled hands sorting through a basket of herbs.
"Lilia," the woman greeted warmly, looking up with a kind smile.
Lilia smiled back and her face relaxed for the first time that day. She placed the basket on the counter, the old lady taking it as she filled it with plants as the two exchanged conversation.
Aric, of course, didn't understand a single thing they spoke. Instead, he shifted his attention towards the various items on the shelves.
Not long after, Lilia took the basket, full of herbs, back, handing a few coins to the old lady.
'Hm... Money. I wonder how that works here.' He suddenly grimaced. He needed to know everything about this world, and the scarcity of resources irked him.
'It's not fair! Isekai MCs are supposed to be born into noble families or homes with libraries! I got dumped in a godamn forest!' Aric sighed as Lilia began to walk off.
***
'I wonder how much longer is she going to go...' Aric thought idley as he rested his cheeks on Lilia's back. After the market, it seemed Lilia had somewhere else to go.
'Ah.' Lilia halted as Aric looked front.
In front was a temple of sorts. It was neither too big or too small.
The temple was constructed from textured blackstone, though it looked extremely weathered; while, the walls displayed carved figures, which were almost inhuman and contorted in shape.
The temple's design bore a faint resemblance to classic Indian temples.
Lilia walked in.
The interior was shrouded in dimness, the only light coming from small, flickering candles mounted on the walls. The air was cool and carried a faint earthy scent mixed with the aroma of incense.
Aric's eyes wandered. The scripts were intertwined with primitive cave paintings and their symbols were deeply etched into the stone.
Lilia shifted the cloth that was holding Aric to her back and then put him down gently. Her eyes searched the length of the hallway for somewhere to sit. Aric followed her gaze and saw women sitting on the cold floor, most of them with children about his size.
Some of them looked at Lilia when she came in, their faces showing a bit of curiosity. As quickly as it came however, the emotions vanished as they averted their gazes.
'Oh...?'
Lilia's footsteps slowed as Aric stared at the center of the hall. There was a statue of a butterfly...? No, upon closer inspection, Aric realised it was a moth. The statue was craved out of the same Blackstone as everything else, its wings however were embedded with a series of vermillion stones.
Bending near the statue, Lilia closed her eyes while her lips quitly moved.
"Bybesiu cins Nyra kjnkjf..."
After a moment, she rose and moved to the thick pillar beneath the statue. crouching down, she leaned her back against the cold stone.
Then, she adjusted her position, cradling him close and singing softly under her breath. Her voice was like a lullaby, carrying a warmth that contrasted with the chill of the temple.
Aric felt her body shift subtly, sharing her warmth with him. His eyelids grew heavy, his tiny body succumbing to exhaustion. As the distant hum of voices and the flickering torchlight faded around him, he nestled into her arms and let sleep take him.