Chapter 11: Picking Up the Young Silver Lion Part 1

I dealt with the remaining zombies while the girl was recovering. I didn't bother to collect any materials from the zombies. Having realized that they were once someone's loved ones, I couldn't bring myself to do it. After performing a simple purification ritual, I buried the zombies in the land and offered a brief prayer.

Afterward, I set up a [Wooden Barrier] around the area and lit a small campfire.

Then, I took out a lunchbox from my space ring. The various disturbances had left me hungry.

Since time stands still in the spatial dimension, the lunchbox still retained its warmth.

As soon as I opened the wooden lid, the aroma of roasted chicken and fragrant herbs wafted out.

Indeed, the cook's skills were remarkable.

I took a bite of the rye bread that was spread with raspberry jam and stuffed with cheese. The raspberry jam, cheese, and bread were all fresh and blended perfectly with each other.

Next was the chicken leg.

The chicken leg, roasted golden brown with oil and herbs, looked very appetizing. Whatever method was used, the tender meat melted in my mouth as soon as I bit into it. The seasoning was so well done that it made me think of beer.

Ah, should I have a drink?

Having made it this far was no small feat; I had also dispatched six zombies and subdued the "Silver Lion"(The young version of her, though).

I deserved at least a beer for all my efforts.

I pulled a barrel of beer from my space ring, buried it in the snow to chill, and after a short wait, poured the cooled beer into a cup.

-Glug glug glug…

I waited just until the white foam settled slightly and then drank it all in one go.

"Ah… that hits the spot."

This was the taste I craved.

-Waaf!

As if to remind me of her presence, Ayla barked loudly next to me. I took out the fresh meat and goat milk I had asked the innkeeper to pack with the lunchbox and set them out for Ayla, then continued drinking my beer.

Just when I was almost finishing the glass.

-Gurgle.

"Hmm?"

-Gurgle gurgle…

What was that familiar sound?

I looked over at the recovering girl who was leaning against a tree. She seemed to be pretending to sleep and turned her head away from me…

-Gurgle!

Unfortunately, her stomach was quite assertive in its demands.

"Are you hungry?"

"....."

The girl still feigned sleep and her lips were tightly sealed.

It was only natural for her to be hungry, having wandered the cursed lands for an unknown number of days.

Tch, if you're hungry, just say so. This is why nobles are…

I can't just give her the lunchbox right away; she hasn't eaten properly, and it could make her sick.

Eating high-calorie food suddenly after being starved can feel blissful at first, but soon becomes so painful it feels worse than death.

At times like this, plain white rice porridge is the best.

Warm white rice porridge with a little sesame oil and a sprinkle of soy sauce.

But as I couldn't get such a thing here, I had no choice but to make do with stew.

I scooped snow into a small pot and placed it on the campfire.

Let's see, with the ingredients I have right now…

I rummaged through my space ring. In the cursed land, there was nothing edible, so I searched through the various ingredients I had brought in advance to find something useful.

Chicken, cabbage, carrots, oatmeal…

I could make some sort of chicken soup.

I finely chopped the ingredients and put them in the pot to boil thoroughly.

"Hey."

The girl continued to feign sleep.

Was she feeling shy?

Finally, it was only after I filled a bowl with soup and approached her that the girl opened her eyes.

– Gurgle…

"Hungry?"

"....."

"Here."

Before the girl could say anything, I handed her the bowl and returned to my spot.

While sitting with my back turned, carving enchantments on my arrows, I faintly heard the sound of the girl eating the soup.

She could have devoured it eagerly… But a noble is a noble to the very end, huh? Perhaps she's just very patient.

"Ayla."

Thinking the girl had finished her meal, I called out to Ayla, who was loitering nearby.

– Kuung?

"Stay by her side tonight."

In these cursed lands, where bone-chilling cold swirled around, maintaining body heat was very important.

I had already acquired [Cold Resistance], but the current <Silver Lion> was just an ordinary girl…

Ayla quickly understood my intention and nonchalantly lay down beside the girl.

The girl seemed startled at first, but apparently preferring Ayla over me, she quickly leaned on Ayla and fell asleep.

I paused my carving on the arrow and looked up at the sky.

A large moon hung in the sky.

What on earth is happening…

It was indeed a strange night.

***

Despite everything that happened, having slain a large number of undead monsters, my level had increased. There had been an unexpected encounter with the young <Silver Lion>, but I had no intention of helping in what was not my own quest for vengeance. After all, my goal was purely "grinding".

For two days, I deliberately searched for a place where mercenaries did not go and hunted undead monsters such as ghosts, zombies, and skeletons. It was more of a massacre than a hunt though. Naturally, my level rose quickly, and I also amassed a substantial amount of valuable undead materials.

But there was one problem…

"Huff, huff…"

Something annoying had attached itself to me.

Specifically, the young <Silver Lion>.

<Silver Lion>, or Elizabeth Reinhardt, had been clumsily following me since that day. Her skills in tailing were embarrassingly poor…

Seeing her struggle to keep up, I disabled my [Feather Walk] and moved at a normal pace, yet she still seemed to find it overwhelmingly difficult to follow me.

"I guess it's about time to head back to the city.

I looked back at Elizabeth who was sweating profusely as she trailed behind and let out a deep sigh.

Her exceptional armor and sword, along with her appearance…

If Elizabeth, looking like this, followed me to the city, it would inevitably reveal her identity as the last descendant of the Reinhardts.

In that case, the fate of Elizabeth Reinhardt was all too clear.

The <Silver Lion> would simply disappear.

Even though the characteristic blonde hair of the Reinhardt family had turned silver, those who could recognize her would do so.

There was still a bounty on the remaining members of the Reinhardt family…

I don't want to sell such a young child for money, even if I could.

I found myself lost in thought for a moment.

…If I play my cards right here, perhaps I could recruit the <Silver Lion Reinhardt> as my companion.

It would cost some money, but gaining a comrade who would become the future <Silver Lion> was a tremendous advantage.

After all, the <Silver Lion> was a formidable figure who could make the entire empire tremble in fear.

Having the <Silver Lion Reinhardt> as my companion, no, as my subordinate would be extremely beneficial…

Unaware of my thoughts, Elizabeth was catching her breath, her beautiful silver hair fluttering in the wind.

Yes.

Meeting the <Silver Lion> in such an uncertain and dangerous world might be an opportunity given by the gods.

Well, it doesn't seem like she's going to stop tailing me anyway.

After we got somewhat closer to the city, I stopped walking and turned to look at Elizabeth.

"If you go into the city like this, you will die."

"….…!"

I took a dagger from my waist and handed it to Elizabeth.

"If you want to live, use this to cut your hair."

"….…."

As if she resolved herself, Elizabeth grasped the dagger and swiftly cut her hair.

She wasn't content with just a bob; she cropped her hair as short as a boy's before returning the dagger to me.

"Good."

"….…."

"Now, it's time to discard your armor."

As if anticipating this, Elizabeth obediently removed the armor she was wearing. The large armor that seemed to be twice her size, made her look quite tiny once it was off.

I then presented the final condition to Elizabeth who now looked more like a boy than a lady of a noble family,

"Finally…."

"….…."

"Abandon your name."

"What do you mean…."

"Surely, you didn't think you could continue using the name Elizabeth Reinhardt?"

"….…."

I saw Elizabeth bite her lip hard.

"From today, you're 'El'. No last name."

Orphans typically don't have surnames. Like an orphan dropped into this world, I too only had the name Theodore, with no surname.

"…I understand."

In the end, Elizabeth or now El, caved in to my words.

I wrapped El in a thick blanket and deliberately smeared soot on her face.

"Do not speak when we enter the city. Someone might recognize your voice."

El nodded in agreement.

"Yes, just like that."

We arrived at the city entrance, which was surrounded by towering walls. The guards, initially suspicious of me with a hump behind my back, let us in smoothly after I gave a plausible explanation of picking up an unfortunate barbarian orphan and handed over a silver coin.

Before heading to the inn, we first stopped at a shop dealing in monster materials.

I took out five magic stones, skeleton remains, and zombie materials from my space ring. I didn't realize how much I had gathered until I started taking them out; the amount seemed endless. The quantity was so surprising that not only the merchant but also the onlookers who had gathered around were continuously expressing their amazement.

"Goodness, did you hunt all these monsters by yourself?"

The merchant, who was organizing the skeleton bones I had given him, asked with a gulp.

"Yes."

"How on earth did you manage that alone?!"

"I'm a druid."

At that moment, exclamations of awe erupted from all around.

Druids are beings who seldom appear in the secular world.

There might have been people here seeing a druid for the first time in their lives.

"It's my mission to return those who go against the laws of nature back to the embrace of the natural world."

After smoothly delivering the line I had practiced many times, I gave out a cheerful smile. This elicited another round of exclamations. Good, this should help build my reputation.

After emptying my space ring, I looked at the merchant. Since he looked to be accustomed to dealing with mercenaries who only cared about money, he seemed genuinely touched by my talk of a greater mission and he nodded his head with sparkling eyes.

"To think there are still righteous young people these days… Alright, consider the commission waived. Please continue to uphold your mission."

"Of course."

It's all about the money, though

I pocketed the purse of money the merchant handed over with a hypocritical smile.

"Ah, could you recommend a good blacksmith?"

"At the end of the alley, Iron Arm Robert. He's skilled."

"Aha."

"But he's got a terrible temper."

The merchant pointed towards the end of the alley while laughing heartily. I could see an old forge from where we stood, with hot smoke continuously billowing out.

"Thank you, old man."

"If you plan to continue hunting, please visit us again."

"Haha. I will."

I then headed towards the blacksmith's with El in tow.