23 The Four Tasks

<3rd POV>

At the foot of a mountain, behind a small wooden house, a young shirtless boy was hacking at some logs with an axe.

"HYAH!"

Swinging his axe down with great force, the boy managed to split the log onto two neat wooden piles. He had been at this for a while now, and while he couldn't split them perfectly down the middle, the boy managed to get very close for a beginner.

This young boy was naturally our protagonist, Fey.

'He said this was one of the tasks, but it feels more as though he's just tricking me into doing chores.'

Recalling the conversation that he had this morning with Urokodaki-sama, Fey could not help but feel he had been tricked. The day after he had attacked him, Urokodaki-sama had told him the following.

'Your mind is still tense from the event. Your heart jumps at any loud noises, and I can tell that you are paranoid. From now on, every day you are to wake up at dawn and meditate for an hour.'

Urokodaki paused for a second before raising his voice by an octave.

'You are not allowed to open your eyes or stand up. The moment you sit down, you will stay that way until an hour has passed or until I've called you. There is no danger here regardless of what you hear, feel, or think. Concentrate and focus on keeping an empty mind.'

Then Urokodaki walked over to the door and opened it.

'Next, you are to head out for a walk alone. You will meditate to empty your mind, and then you will walk through the forest to nurture it. Appreciate nature for what it is, and learn about what it is that you are protecting.'

He paused once again making sure that Fey was paying attention. Then Urokodaki walked over to the cupboard and fetched out a small journal before handing it over to Fey.

'One of my disciples keeps a journal with him, I want you to do the same. Let the journal reflect your thoughts and you, in turn, will reflect on the journal. I may at times also ask you to fetch me something in order to make sure that you are doing your task properly.'

Then he walked over to the closet before fetching a steel axe with an old and rough wooden handle.

'After that, you will come back and chop some wood. You will need to exercise and make sure that you stay in peak condition if you want to survive. This will also help you get through the winter.'

He placed the axe down on the table before pointing at an empty spot, behind the house.

'Familiarize yourself with that axe, because you will need to build your own house. If you want to learn under me, you will need a place to stay, there are already enough people living here.'

Fey had also noted the lack of space inside of the house. It was fine for one person to live comfortably, but Fey had seen three sets of bedding, one of which was occupied by a cute girl, who for some strange reason would sleep with a piece of bamboo in her mouth.

Fey felt that it was rather unfair that he had to make his own house, but he couldn't do anything about it since he did indeed come in later. It wouldn't make much sense to kick out the disciple who has been there the longest in favor of someone who is not even a disciple.

For now, though Fey was allowed to sleep inside, cramped as it may be.

Even though making his own house is a big ordeal, it was not Fey's fourth task.

After Fey was done chopping the wood piles that had been left behind by Urokodaki, he gathered them all in a bundle before stacking them neatly to the side of the house. Then he went inside in order to finish his fourth task of the day.

'I believe his words at that time were "You are to take care of her. She is ill and in a coma, as such, she cannot move or do anything. She is defenseless and cannot help herself. Become the hand that cares for her and let her teach you compassion, kindness, and patience"'

Thankfully Fey was only tasked to care for her for 2-3 hours, otherwise, he would never have the time to finish his other tasks and build his own house, for which he has no clue how to get started.

Once Fey was inside he walked to her side to check her temperature. He had been told not to worry about feeding her or changing her clothes, to which he was thankful because it would've been awkward having to explain it to her once she woke up.

If she woke up.

Her condition had remained the same for seven months without any signs of improving.

When Fey had first heard that he was awestruck. She looks no different than a regular teenage girl who had simply gone to sleep for the night. Her skin, while it is very white, looked healthy and soft. Her long hair black with orange-red tips and it looked as though she had taken very well care of it.

He had never seen her eyes, but he was told that they were soft and pink. She looked so healthy and normal that Fey felt it was unbelievable. The only weird part about her was the bamboo that was constantly in her mouth.

Fey had asked if he should remove it, to which Urokodaki gave him a stern no and a very fierce look as though warning him of what would happen if he tried.

Truthfully there was not much Fey had been asked to do. Only to change and wash her bedding, as well as make sure that she doesn't have a fever. Some time had already passed and he had mostly spent it staring at her beautiful features, which might've been enough for Fey at first but it was starting to get dull after a while.

Sometimes her thin eyebrows would furrow as though she was having a nightmare, which made Fey panic, but they would quickly go back to normal.

Having nothing else to do, Fey decided that he might as well spent that time telling her stories. He could vaguely remember that in his past life, coma patients could still hear their surroundings so it might be the same in this life.

Either way Fey had nothing left to lose, and so he started narrating a story about a great hero and his quest to find the magic elixir that would wake the sleeping princess up from her slumber.