Chapter 65: The White Witch of Rumpelstiltskin (4)

"Aren't they the same?"

"They're different!"

"Can't you use it as a substitute for a goat anyway?"

"The symbolism itself is different! What, didn't you hear about this in the liberal arts class recently?!"

"Recently?"

"Don't you remember?! In 'Life and Symbols 2', we had a lecture on 'Baphomet and Gnosticism'! We learned about the regional names and symbolic differences of Baphomet, and the differences and changes in symbolism between goats and mountain goats!"

Ella's irritated exclamation.

"Ah~ I don't remember, I don't remember. Anyway, even if I learn about symbols, I have no use for them. You and Serin nag too much."

What came back in response to her exclamation was something that would make a liberal arts professor's blood boil.

Ella was left speechless by her words, which were beyond her imagination.

"...Ah."

What more could she say here?

When she was saying she didn't remember such things and had no intention of memorizing them.

No matter how simply she tried to explain the differences between goats and mountain goats and their symbolism, this animal-like person would just let it go in one ear and out the other.

Ella gave up on explaining.

Instead, she made Lee Arin stand up and pushed her back.

"Huh?"

She opened the door without a word and sent her out of the house, then closed the door with a bang and locked it tightly. Then she walked unsteadily like a zombie to the sofa and lay down, feeling deeply satisfied that she had removed the source of her headache from her sight.

Bang bang bang!

"Rabbit! Open the door!"

Ella ignored the noise from outside the door and put on her headphones.

She listened to the song flowing from the headphones.

The Cossack Lullaby (Казачья колыбельная), which she had consistently used as a lullaby since coming to study in Russia, whispered in her ear at a volume that was neither too loud nor too soft, and the middle-aged woman's voice soothed her body and mind.

Her body relaxed.

Her breathing evened out.

Various distracting thoughts and reflections disappear, and her mind becomes blank.

She began feeling detached from the world as her body felt heavier.

She fell asleep.

*                     *                     *

Sleep, my beautiful baby (Спи, младенец мой прекрасный,)

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю. - Rock-a-bye)

I will tell you fairy tales (Стану сказывать я сказки,)

I will sing you a song (Песенку спою;)

So close your eyes and fall asleep (Ты ж дремли, закрывши глазки,)

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю.)

My angel, quietly, sweetly (мой ангел, тихо, сладко,)

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю.)

I will pray all day long (Стану целый день молиться,)

At night I will divine your fate (По ночам гадать;).

My angel, sweetly (мой ангел, сладко,)

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю.)

I will pray all day long (Стану целый день молиться,)

At night I will divine your fate (По ночам гадать;).

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю.)

Bayushki-bayu (Баюшки-баю.)

*                     *                     *

When Ella opened her eyes, darkness had settled.

And not just any darkness, but darkness fused with a cold chill.

Ah... I slept without turning on the heater...

She felt the cold air sweeping through her lungs with each breath and lightly blew out some breath. Along with a "haa-" sound, the breath she blew out had form, and with her enhanced body, she clearly witnessed the breath taking on a white shape before disappearing.

It's too cold...

She thought she should get up and turn on the heater, so she tried to raise her body to get up.

Squish.

But the moment she put her foot down from the sofa, she felt something squishy, and realized it was strangely warm and firm.

What is this...

She looked at what she was stepping on, still half-asleep and yawning...

"Kyaa!"

And ended up screaming.

A person.

There was a person lying in an outrageous posture!

Ella, startled out of her wits, called her familiar spirit.

"Ignis fatuus!"

Then a small spark appeared in front of her, and it changed into a spherical light as if it were a light bulb. The soccer ball-sized sphere made of white light floated in the air, circling around Ella as if to ask if she had called it.

As the area around the sofa was illuminated thanks to the familiar spirit, Ella looked down to check what she was stepping on, and eventually, she could feel the shock and fear she had felt upon waking turning into annoyance.

What she was stepping on was Lee Arin.

Lee Arin was sleeping on the bare floor in weather cold enough to see her breath, in the most comfortable posture and expression. Moreover, she was lying in a graceful pose as if having some kind of dream, which looked quite annoying to Ella's eyes.

Ella gently pushed away her familiar spirit that was acting cute towards her, and grabbed Lee Arin's shoulder and shook her.

"Wake up."

"Huh?"

Ella half-woke her and then helped her sit up.

Smack!

She slapped Lee Arin's defenseless back.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"I can't live like this!"

Slap!

"It hurts! Wait! Ella! Just a moment!"

"Do you know how startled I was?!"

Smack!

"Ow!"

"And how did you get in here again!"

"Stop! Stop!"

"And what! You're not really an animal! Why are you sleeping on the bare floor! Say something! Talk!"

Slap!

Only after slapping Lee Arin's back for quite a while could Ella calm down, and she made a frustrated expression as she alternately looked at her own palm that had turned bright red and Lee Arin's back that showed no trace of hand marks.

"Martial artists are really unfair... How can there be no marks at all... The person hitting hurts more... This doesn't make sense..."

"That's why I said to stop."

Lee Arin, who had climbed onto the sofa, grinned and massaged Ella's hand with one hand, while stroking her familiar spirit floating in the air with the other. Ella glared slightly at the familiar spirit that was obediently letting itself be petted and acting cute even though Lee Arin wasn't its master, and Lee Arin continued to stroke the ball of light as if to tease her.

"Our Wisp. Cute, cute."

Why did the annoyance that was welling up at this sight disappear in an instant?

Ella sighed, thinking that Lee Arin was like a cat that absolutely wouldn't listen, and asked:

"So... Frau Lee. How did you get in here?"

At her question, Lee Arin rather made a puzzled expression.

"Huh? You gave me a key last time, saying to come over anytime."

"What? I did? When?"

"When was it? You know, when the bear brought vodka."

"...Ah."

When the bear brought vodka.

With that one sentence, Ella could understand what had happened.

Not long ago, Lee Arin had come to Ella's house hand in hand with a bear holding vodka. She had a drinking party at her house, saying that the bear had brought vodka and asking if she wanted to drink together, and Ella had a glass of vodka out of curiosity.

And... she was able to experience what's called a "Blackout".

That's right.

Ella had blacked out after drinking one glass of vodka.

"...I don't remember anything after taking one sip. Did I do something then?"

She had thought she had just quietly passed out then...

Ella cautiously asked Lee Arin.

"It was the first time I saw someone talk in their sleep while drunk. I guess you shouldn't drink carelessly. Right?"

But what came back was Lee Arin grinning at her as if she were cute, instead of a clear answer.

Ella shouted:

"Tell me!"

"No."

"What did I do?!"

"Ah, I said no~"

"Tell me!"

"Then if you grant me one favor, I'll tell you."

Lee Arin said as if it was her chance.

"Get me a goat!"

"Ah, I told you I don't raise goats! It's a mountain goat!"

"So, a goat. Not a mountain goat, a goat."

"...What?"

"Anyway, you probably know more about animals than me~ So let's go get a goat together."

At that proposal, Ella pondered for a moment.

Should she go around with this animal-like person?

Or should she just suppress her curiosity and chase her away?

But the deliberation didn't last long.

"...Alright. I know a place we can go. But you have to tell me everything without leaving anything out."

It was much better to be briefly inconvenienced than to never know what she was curious about for the rest of her life.

Ella threw on some clothes and went out with Lee Arin.

To finish the job by getting the goat right away without wasting time.

*                     *                     *

"Thanks for getting me the goat! And even taking care of it! Thank you, Rabbit, seriously!"

"Enough with the thanks... Just tell me what I did..."

Ella sighed as she watched Lee Arin hugging the 7-month-old goat they had gotten from the farm.

This sigh was due to the mental fatigue from being dragged around by Lee Arin, as well as the physical fatigue from having to visit two farms.

Ah, I'm going to get dark circles. I should put on a face mask when I get back...

Ella wanted to quickly satisfy her curiosity and return home.

But unfortunately, Lee Arin seemed to have energy to spare, even overflowing, and dragged her to a cafe.

The reason was that she was grateful for getting the goat and wanted to buy her something to eat.

Lee Arin fed her cake, saying it's good to eat something sweet when you're tired, bought her juice saying fruit is good for the skin, and bought her a mascot doll sold at the cafe saying her house looked empty, and put it in her hands.

Ella ended up receiving a magpie doll that was big enough to hug with both arms, and had to engage in her chatter for a long time while hugging it tightly. Moreover, she had so many stories that they couldn't help but continue talking.

And by the time they finished eating the cake, the story of when she drank came out, so there was no time to be bored.

"...So you said to me. The house is big but too cold, you were with your master in Germany but now you're alone so it's a bit lonely. So I said, yeah. I said I'd come over often so give me a key. That's how it happened."

"...Uwaaa..."

Ella could keenly feel what embarrassment was while listening to the story of when she drank.

Her face had turned bright red, and she covered her face with both hands to hide her face that had turned as red as her eye color, but unfortunately, her hands had also turned red from slapping Lee Arin's back earlier, so there was no change in color itself.

Ella tried to change the subject to hide her embarrassment, and Lee Arin went along with it, so their conversation continued for quite a while.

Like that, they chatted excitedly until just before the cafe closed, and they decided to return to their respective lodgings.

"It's dangerous alone. I'll take you home."

Lee Arin said she would escort her home, saying that since she had brought her, she should take responsibility, and Ella walked the night road together with Lee Arin's escort while hugging the magpie doll.

While walking for a while like that.

"Oh? Tarot reading?"

They saw a street fortune-telling booth set up by the roadside.