The Seed Thief

Deep within the forest, where humans rarely ventured, stood an old house.

It was an ancient structure, its origins unknown, but it was clear that its occupant meticulously cared for it. The front yard boasted a neatly organized vegetable garden, laden with various crops, and a path paved with thin stone slabs led from the garden to the house. The path ensured that even on rainy days, one could walk without getting their shoes muddy.

The wooden steps leading to the entrance at the end of the path gleamed, polished with oil. While preventing rot was likely the primary purpose, the meticulous care extended to every corner of the railing, ensuring that no one would be pricked by a stray splinter.

The meticulous care wasn’t limited to the exterior.

The stone golem stood by the window, peering inside. The old window, once patched with wood, had been replaced with a glass pane. Now, the golem could see inside even without someone opening the window for it.

The room beyond the glass was neatly organized. The bed, barely large enough for two people, was covered with a crisp white bedspread, folded perfectly. Herbs, their fragrance lingering in the air, were drying on the wall. The bookshelf and desk were similarly tidy, every essential item in its designated place.

The golem, pleased by the sight, raised its arms.

[Master. Coming soon.]

Three nights ago, the Master’s human had visited. The human, whom the Master called “Er,” had arrived with various items: a new broom, a mop, blankets, towels, and more.

“It’s been a while. Have you been guarding the place well? I came to clean before Lulu arrived.”

The golem stomped its feet in response to his greeting, its way of expressing joy.

He and the Master would come to this place when the flowers began to bloom in the forest and the leaves turned a vibrant green. And they would leave when the creek water turned cold, too cold to bathe in. During that time, the golem would sit by the house, waiting for them. Loneliness was not an emotion the golem was capable of experiencing, so it simply counted the days and nights, patiently waiting.

It didn’t know loneliness, but it understood joy. Er had come and gone, so the Master would arrive soon.

The golem, after pacing around the house, turned its steps towards the forest. The Master had given it several tasks. One of them was to patrol the forest once a day.

“Walk the path I showed you once a day. That way, the path will be maintained and won’t disappear. And clear away any fallen branches. Got it?”

The golem never failed to carry out the Master’s orders. It was, after all, created to obey her commands. So when the Master returned and praised it for doing a good job, for making it easier for everyone to travel through the mountains, it would simply bow its head. That was all it needed to do…

The golem let out a groan and stomped its feet before entering the mountain path. A while later, rustling sounds came from the forest, and a scarecrow, its appearance rather grotesque, emerged. They waited a little longer, and the sound of rustling bushes came from the ground. The bone crow, its skeletal form intact, appeared as well. The golem pointed towards the mountain.

[Let’s go.]

The bone crow flapped its bony wings at the golem’s gesture. It really should have accepted the fact that it couldn’t fly by now, but ever since its creation, the bone crow never gave up on its attempts to take flight. The golem extended a hand towards the flapping crow. The crow, after a few more futile flaps, dejectedly lowered its wings and hopped onto the golem’s hand.

The golem lifted it onto its shoulder, but the crow, dissatisfied with the height, hopped up and down on the golem’s head, determined to reach a higher vantage point.

The golem looked at the scarecrow. The scarecrow, as if to say it wasn’t interested, turned and disappeared back into the forest. It seemed that the scarecrow wouldn’t be following the Master’s orders today either.

* * *

By the time the golem and the bone crow finished their patrol and descended the mountain, the sun was high in the sky. Heat waves shimmered above the golem’s stone body. The crow, perched atop its head, basking in the warmth, suddenly sprang to its feet and flapped its wings frantically.

The crow let out a harsh cry, one that might be mistaken for the roar of a monster from hell, and then tumbled from the golem’s head. It ran towards the house without looking back. The golem followed suit. After depositing the branches they had gathered from the mountain beside the path, it sprinted after the crow.

The golem’s footsteps echoed through the forest. And when it reached the house…

“It’s the golem!”

The young Master’s cheerful voice rang out.

As expected, the Master, the young Master, and the Master’s human were all there. The people the golem had been waiting for.

“Hi! Heinel’s here!”

The young Master, who looked just like the Master, ran towards the golem, arms outstretched. The golem carefully scooped Heinel into its arms and lifted her onto its shoulders.

Lulu chuckled, watching them.

“You’re getting better at controlling your strength. You used to hug me so tight when I was little that you broke my bones.”

“…!”

Ervandas, his face pale with shock at Lulu’s words, immediately looked at the golem and Heinel. Heinel, however, showed no signs of discomfort. She was sitting on the golem’s shoulder, hugging it tightly and showering it with kisses, asking how it had been.

Ervandas, watching the golem receive a barrage of kisses in his place, felt a mixture of jealousy and worry. At Lulu’s suggestion to go inside, he glared at the golem one more time and then entered the house.

Meanwhile, Heinel gave the golem an order.

“Mommy and Daddy brought a lot of luggage this time. It’ll take a while to unpack, so let’s go fetch water in the meantime!”

The golem responded with a single, loud stomp.

It had been several years since Lulu’s family started coming to this place. The young Master, who could barely walk when she first arrived, was now taller than the golem’s knees and old enough to run through the mountains without Lulu and Er.

“I’ll carry the water buckets!”

Heinel, sitting on the golem’s shoulders, drew magic circles in the air. Hailed as potentially even more powerful than Lulu, she had no trouble shaping magic circles with her mana, just like her mother.

“Ta-da!”

Heinel stretched out her hand after completing the magic circle, and the wooden water buckets stacked beside the house floated into the air. The golem turned and headed towards the creek. Heinel’s laughter echoed from its shoulders.

Arriving at the creek, Heinel used her magic to manipulate the water buckets again. But this time, things didn’t go as planned.

Lifting the buckets was easy, but filling them with water and then securing them without spilling was a different matter.

After several attempts, Heinel’s face fell.

“Mommy does it so easily…”

If Lulu had heard her, she would have retorted, “I couldn’t do it when I was eight either!”

The golem set the dejected Heinel down and then filled the scattered buckets with water. Once the eight large buckets were full, it stretched out its arms. Heinel’s eyes sparkled at the gesture. She moved her hands, and the buckets slowly floated onto the golem’s arms. After all eight buckets were secured, Heinel exclaimed,

“Stick! Now!”

With a flash of light accompanying her words, the wobbly buckets seemed to lock into place on the golem’s arms. The golem turned and headed back towards the house. Heinel, following behind, thought to herself,

‘This golem is the smartest one.’

The first golem Heinel had met was the one at the royal palace. A golem that had been created by a former Master of the Mage Tower, commissioned for a hefty sum, it was, in Heinel’s opinion, incredibly dumb. It couldn’t think for itself and could only follow basic commands from its master. Things like, “Lift this,” “Put that down,” “Follow me.” Expecting the palace golem to assist its master proactively or to understand and respond to its master’s emotions was out of the question.

‘Mommy’s golem is different.’

Heinel puffed out her chest, filled with pride for her mother. The strongest person in the world. And she was her daughter, with the same red hair. A color that only she and her mother shared in the entire palace. Daddy’s silver hair was also pretty, but Heinel loved her red hair.

‘So I can be like Mommy too!’

Heinel, her fists clenched, followed the golem with quick steps.

When they arrived back at the house, Lulu and Er, who had finished unpacking their luggage, were waiting for them. Lulu, seeing the golem and the buckets, immediately understood what had happened and cast a spell. The buckets, secured to the golem’s arms, floated into the air and poured their contents into the empty buckets beside the house.

“Hmm, maybe we should install plumbing this summer.”

Lulu rested her chin on her hand, looking at the water buckets. The royal palace had plumbing that allowed water to be accessed from any room with a combination of magic and technology. It would be convenient to install it here as well. As Lulu pondered, Ervandas embraced her from behind and said,

“Leave it. I’ll fetch water when we need it.”

“But it’s inconvenient.”

“But if we install plumbing, it’ll constantly drain your magic power, and you’ll have to worry about maintaining it.”

Ervandas kissed her cheek and continued,

“Spend that time with me instead.”

“But I’m already spending all my time with you.”

“It’s not enough, I need more.”

As Lulu and Er gazed at each other lovingly, exchanging words that would have made Calendus roll his eyes and mutter, “Crazy lovebirds…” if he were present, Heinel was still clinging to the golem.

‘What’s this?’

Her gaze was fixed on something sticking out from between the stones that made up the golem’s body.

It was a large feather. A brown feather with black wavy patterns, clearly an eagle feather. Heinel tried to recall the materials she had seen used to create the golem.

‘Was there a feather?’

She didn’t think so. Could it be…?

‘Is this Mommy’s secret?’

She had heard that while the basic materials for creating golems were the same, different mages would add different ingredients. The ingredients determined the golem’s abilities and personality.

“Hmm…”

Heinel narrowed her eyes, looking at the golem. She mimicked Lulu’s posture, resting her chin on her hand, and stared intently. The golem, sensing her gaze, turned its head. The moment their eyes met, the golem realized.

Its little Master was up to something. And it definitely involved the golem!

Feeling a sense of foreboding, the golem subtly took a step back. Heinel quickly changed her expression and smiled sweetly. The golem felt even more uneasy.

* * *

That evening, Ervandas prepared a lavish dinner for Lulu and Heinel.

Thick-cut bacon, not too salty, with sauteed onions, eggplant, and green beans. Roasted baby potatoes with a crispy, buttery crust. Sweet corn on the cob, creamy soup, and pickled cabbage and tomatoes that he had made with Calendus’s children in the palace garden. And in the center of the table, a basket filled with warm, sliced bread studded with olives, sundried tomatoes, and cheese.

“This looks amazing…”

Lulu gazed at the spread with delight. Heinel was just as impressed. After quickly washing her hands, she sat down across from Lulu and Er. With a brief expression of gratitude, the family began their dinner.

After the long meal, Heinel, having finished her cup of sweet cocoa, slipped out to the yard, leaving Lulu and Er to clean up.

“Whew, I’m stuffed.”

Heinel patted her protruding belly and sat down on the swing Ervandas had made. The golem, which had been crouching beside the house, stood up as she emerged. Heinel, remembering her plan from earlier, called out to the golem.