8. The Road Ahead
The torchlight grew closer, and voices could be heard.
Who's there?!
I was instantly wide awake, scrambling up like a vigilant cat, huddling behind a clump of dense foliage, ears pricked, listening intently.
"…really don't know what Master Yanis wants to do? In the middle of the night, having us search Woodward Forest for a fifteen-year-old girl…"
Damn, they're looking for me!
Has the commander lost his mind, to actually send a search party into the forest at night! Why, at this point, do these people still not want to let me go…
I squinted my eyes and peeked out cautiously, a squad of about seven or eight knights was slowly making their way towards me.
"Don't know. But I heard that during the day, Colonel Nick led his men to fight the Abyss here, could it be related to that?"
"Don't joke, what does a fifteen-year-old girl have to do with the Abyss! Besides, wasn't the battle over when we rushed over?"
"Master Yanis said, she's an extremely dangerous girl. Told us even if we find her, not to act rashly, to signal and wait for reinforcements, right?"
"How dangerous can a little girl be, don't be silly. I think, maybe some noble's naughty daughter wandered off."
The knights chatted idly, searching with their torches, and soon they were very close to my position below.
"…maybe. I'm going to take a leak, wait for me."
Suddenly, one of the knights came under the tree where I was hiding, took off his helmet and greaves, unbuttoned his pants, and started to relieve himself against the tree.
Damn. I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered something—I had thrown the leftover fruit cores down there.
It would be bad if they found them!
"Stop talking nonsense, who's daughter would come here for no reason. This is Woodward! The forest rumored to be haunted by a white dragon!"
"True… heh, what do you guys think this is about? Besides us, even the guys from the Seventh Army are here. Plus the Third Army that came first, the Church has mobilized the forces of three legions this time! What kind of girl requires the carpet search of three legions, the Goddess of Sin?"
The knight who had finished peeing shook himself off comfortably, putting on his greaves as he spoke.
"…don't joke about the Goddess, Duke. Go back and take your punishment."
"Yes, yes, don't be so serious, Captain, I was just speaking without thinking."
"Better to ask less about the Church's higher-ups, just follow orders."
The fruit core wasn't discovered, and the knights' figures gradually receded.
"But I heard, Colonel Nick seems to have been attacked by someone, still unconscious…"
"Could this girl be that assassin?"
"…enough, keep your voices down! Aren't you afraid of attracting some beast?"
"Captain, there are eight of us, what beast would dare…"
"Better safe than sorry."
"Didn't they say there's a white dragon?"
"You believe those rumors…"
…………
Only when I could no longer hear their voices did I finally breathe a sigh of relief, glad not to be discovered.
I really didn't want to fight and kill anymore.
But from what the knights said, it seems this search operation dispatched quite a lot of manpower, I need to be careful.
Colonel Nick… the knight leader who caught up with me later, his name is Nick… I thought he was as tough as the swordsman or the old man, but after a fight, I found that wasn't the case. His strength and speed were strong, but still within the range of normal humans, not comparable to that swordsman who was unnaturally strong, just more experienced in combat.
He didn't die, I thought he was a goner after that hit… I wonder if he saw my face.
But it doesn't matter, that swordsman knows what I look like too.
He not only knows my face but also knows what my body looks like.
Thinking of this, a hint of annoyance rose in my heart.
Really, what's wrong with me. It's just being seen naked, does a big man need to care about these things… could it be that not only my body has become female, but my thoughts are feminizing too…
…….I don't want to think about it anymore, the more I think, the more annoyed I get.
But those knights mentioned a white dragon… are there dragons in this world?
Thinking of the dragons in movies, soaring through the sky, breathing fire, I felt a slight longing.
It would be cool to be turned into a dragon, why did I turn into something like this? Forget it, I'll just catch one and use it as a mount when the opportunity arises.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize when I fell asleep.
…………
I slept through the night, and when I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
It was the heat that woke me.
Sitting up groggily, I rubbed my eyes and just sat there quietly for a while, not sensing anyone's presence nearby.
The knights must have given up after searching all night, right?
I stretched, picked a few more fruits to eat, and then climbed down from the tree, heading to the creek. The clear water reflected my face, and for the first time, I got a good look at my post-rebirth appearance.
My face, without any makeup, was clean and natural, almost too delicate to be real. My dark eyes were clear and bright, and my long black hair, reaching down my back, was like some kind of expensive silk. My mouth was small, and my eyes weren't the traditionally beautiful phoenix shape. The slightly drooping corners of my eyes added a touch of indelible melancholy to my face, easily arousing a protective instinct. Although I still looked young, there was already a hint of devastating beauty.
I saw a bit of Xiaoxi in this face.
"[Abyssal language] Have you been with me all along…"
I wish I had your strength to smile at life.
Suddenly, I understood the swordsman's hesitation. Any man would hesitate to strike down a face like this; I was even taken aback by my own reflection.
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl… Tsk. If no one mentioned it, who would think this is a monster that crawled out of the Abyss?
I clicked my tongue, feeling a mix of emotions.
The humid climate of the forest made me sweat, sticky and uncomfortable.
Might as well take a bath.
I took off my cloak, folded it neatly, and slowly unwrapped the cloth around my waist. The wounds had already started to scab over in just one night, and the bruising on my knee had subsided by evening; the recovery speed of this body was frighteningly fast.
I dipped my feet into the creek to test the temperature, and finding it pleasant, I jumped in with a "splash."
So cool, so refreshing.
"Giggle."
The water was only waist-deep, the coolness making me feel cheerful. I washed my body while humming a song in a language no one in this world could understand.
"…every time we fall down to the ground… we wake to it's blueness… though the road is long and lonely… i can with these two arms, embrace the light… hum hum hum, la la la la la…" (Itsumo Nando Demo from Spirited Away)
Forgetting the lyrics, I just hummed along, and after a while, feeling that splashing water on myself wasn't refreshing enough, I sat down in the stream.
The water flowed over my skin, the comfort making me close my eyes.
A new life has begun, what should I plan for next?
Who knows such things.
Living as a little wild person in this forest doesn't seem too bad. After all, there won't be Wi-Fi anywhere in this world.
What if I get bored after a long time?
I'll make a decision when I feel bored. I can wander around according to my mood, see more of this world. Then settle in a town I like, find a job to make ends meet.
I wonder if there's something like an adventurers' guild in this world, being a guild girl seems like a good choice. Meeting all kinds of adventurers every day, having a beer with them, listening to their stories.
If someone is in trouble, with my own strength, I could choose to join their team, help them through difficulties, and get the reward I deserve. If I don't use the black smoke, no one should be able to tell I'm a monster, right?
As long as I don't have children, I can do whatever I want.
Let me abandon those meaningless desires and pursuits of the past, and live well with this monster's body.
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