Escape from Nerville

[Nerville - Capital of the Country]

That was the name that appeared to Tenma when he checked the new guild profile that popped up as soon as he woke up.

Tenma had fallen asleep in his owner's arms. She had carried him all night to the nearest city. She made sure he was unharmed, and they settled in an abandoned house far from the city center.

For the moment, his owner had gone out to do some shopping, leaving Tenma to explore the surroundings.

The first thing he did was sigh after closing the popup window.

The images of the chaos from the previous night wouldn't leave his mind.

Betrayal...

The feeling was horrible. It almost made him throw up the breakfast he hadn't even eaten yet.

His owner had advised him not to think too much about it and promised to reward him with something she would buy along the way. All he had to do was stay close to that house.

................................

But Tenma didn't want to.

He felt tired of everything. The stress of being alive again just to suffer and die repeatedly filled him with nerves, often startling at any nearby noise.

Tenma wanted to find a way out.

And seriously, he thought about escaping.

Just the thought made his fur stand on end. He liked his owner; he had even intervened in the assassination attempt the previous night. He had also died twice because of her, as she had used him as a shield and as a bomb.

If he wanted to live a normal life, he couldn't stay with someone like that. If everything around him was going to be chaos and death, and even though he had the gift of immortality, it would be a life of eternal suffering.

Determined, he slipped out through the kitchen window, landing on the nearby grass. His paws trembled, but he told himself it was the right thing to do.

He looked around. There was no one nearby, and the nearest neighbor was probably far away.

He wondered where he could escape to. Someone he could count on. Someone who could give him shelter...

("It seems I'm not the only one who saw the potential as a guardian that you have within you.")

Miss Rotenmeyer!

Yes, that could work. If only he could find her again.

Tenma's tail wagged with joy, remembering the kindness and affection she had shown him. He immediately started running in the direction they had come from. But he gradually slowed down.

"... Which way... did we come from?"

His owner had carried him while he slept, so he hadn't paid attention to the path.

All around him were mountains, rocks, and grass.

He had to make a quick decision before his owner saw him leaving. He thought seriously, considering how his owner might think.

"If we came all dirty from the blood of yesterday's case... then we must have come through a route without people. That means..."

Tenma turned his head, looking at the nearby forest. He sniffed the ground and found a faint trace of his owner.

"We came through the forest!"

Tenma looked around one last time to make sure no one saw him escape. And quickly, he started running.

He ventured into the nearby forest, aiming to return to his hometown.

"Miss Rotenmeyer... please wait for me."