Vol.5 Ch.106- A Little Bit of Shopping But With a Surprise.

"You can't go around attacking people who try talking to you. You understand this, right?" I asked her.

The little girl nodded her head meekly. Well, at least she understands that much. Varnir attempted to speak to her; apparently, she had gotten so annoyed that she threw a candle at him. Thankfully the candle wasn't lit or anything but it still smacked Varnir right in the forehead.

Man, that guy… he is going to have some severe brain trauma after all these repeated blows. I wonder if light magic can fix that?

"Listen, you don't have to tell me your name. Can you please tell me some things about you? Do you have any family? A mother? Father? Someone I can find for you? What about that man who carried you to me." I asked.

I was carrying her again, so she turned her head slowly towards me and stared at me blankly. I could see the tears welling in her dark blue eyes as she dug her nails into my shoulder. "No…no, please…do not cry," I begged.

She sniffled loudly, and her small body started jerking as she tried to hold back her sobs. "N…n..no…" she muttered in between barely suppressed sobs.

I see. She has no one. That man was probably just trying to help her. And it cost him his life.

Judging by her condition and demeanor…she has probably been a slave her entire life. Maybe even born into slavery. So there is a good chance she has no recognition of her own mother.

If I were to take a guess based on her facial features, she is probably half Human. And well if that's true…I'd rather not think about it. It won't change anything for her.

I was getting some unsavory stares from people, but I didn't blame them. I must have looked very suspicious, even more so since I was carrying a sobbing child. I had showered in the dorms, and Varnir gave me a spare set of casual clothing to wear. It was just a simple green shirt and gray pants. It wasn't my finest look, but I prefer this over looking like a bloodied psychopath wandering the streets.

Varnir had told me there was a tailoring shop in the back of the market district where I could take her to find some clothes. It was one I had never been to, but I was familiar with the brand.

But before that, I figured I would do something about her general appearance. Of course, I couldn't change how she looked physically, as that would take months to alter. But I could at the very least do something about her uneven haircut and unkempt razor-sharp nails.

I don't see how anybody is going to be able to help her hair either…it's cut down to the scalp in some places. Sylvia can increase her hair growth later but even she can't fix this. This girl is probably going to have to cut it all.

While walking around, I was getting used to the unusual looks, but now I found myself being stared at…differently. I couldn't help but notice there were a lot more women around in this area for some reason. Even the few guard patrols that gave me stink eyes were mostly made up of women. A weird sensation was ticking at the back of my tired mind…

It feels like I don't belong here…

As I was nearing the street, one of the guards told me to visit a salon for women. I figured this was going to be my last attempt to get her name, and she has calmed down a bit… I mean, she isn't death gripping my shoulder anymore.

"I can't keep calling you 'girl' or 'child.' Do you have a name? Even a nickname is fine," I asked as gently as I could in the Beastmen language.

"Girl...Idiot…Slave?"

I swallowed the spit in my mouth and suppressed my anger. I wasn't angry at the child, just the people who did this to her—the same people who put me through hell.

I need to be very careful about this…

"Those are not a name. The days of you being a slave are over, and nobody will be calling you those things again. Your family…did they ever give you a name?"

She sniffled and wiped her face on my shoulder. "Mom…called me sweetie…" she spoke into my shoulder, muffling her voice.

Also, not a name…why would…oh. You wouldn't name something you didn't plan on keeping around. But she has a mother?

"Your mother, can you tell me about her? Do those men still have her?"

"G—g—gone…" She immediately started bawling.

I quickly snaked into an alley and held her tightly as she continued crying. I couldn't be sure if she just didn't know if her mother was alive, but the way she is making it seem…it appears her mother isn't with her anymore. It appears I have another reason to hate those bastards. I let out a frustrated sigh and turned to the grouping of footsteps approaching me while summoning my adventurer tag.

"You right there, stop…" the guard stopped talking for a moment as she gave me a once over.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

One of the other guards cleared her throat and stepped forward. She was wearing red and white robes, so I imagined she was the mage for this particular squad. "We have reports of a suspicious masked Elf carrying around a crying child. What's the meaning of this? Why do you have such a small child with you? What's—"

Her partner grabbed her by the shoulder and tried whispering in her ear. However, she clearly didn't know how to control the volume of her voice when whispering in front of an Elf. Nevertheless, I had no problems hearing their conversation.

"Look at that Ruby tag. He must be the famous adventurer that killed an adult Wyrm in the City-States. We should—" Her conversation teetered as she noticed me listening in.

In total, it was a grouping of four guards, three soldiers, and one mage. They were all Human, and they were all female, which seemed to be a constant for this part of the market for some reason. Looking back at it…the number of women in the area compared to men seems to be awfully disproportionate.

Either my silence or their realization of who I am seems to have put them on edge. Before, they seemed relatively passive, but now they were resting hands-on pommels, and the mage was watching me closely. I stood at my full height and made sure to put myself in between the girl and the guards. If things were going to get violent, then I had no choice but to defend the two of us.

The lead guard awkwardly adjusted her shoulder, making a loud noise as her pauldrons scraped against each other. The three soldiers wore leather armor with a cudgel attached to one side of their belt and a gladius to the other. It was only the squad leader that had any metal armor.

"Where are you taking that girl?" the leader asked me.

"To get a haircut," I answered blandly.

She narrowed her eyes at me and let out a deep breath. "Why does that child look sick? What are you doing—"

"Making assumptions when you have no context of the situation might lead to a very… serious misunderstanding," I interrupted.

The guards shifted nervously as they gripped their handles a bit tighter. I had no intention of fighting these people. They had done no wrong, and perhaps I'd been a little too…aggressive with them.

They are just doing their job. I'm mentally drained, and I do not have the capacity for this right now.

"What's your relationship to that girl?" the mage barked.

I let out a sigh and relaxed my posture slightly. "Listen, I've come to this side of town on Princess Laurena Maxwell's recommendation. This child is the daughter of an acquaintance of hers. I'm merely escorting her to two locations and bringing her back to Forward University upon the completion of our errands," I lied.

It wasn't a complete lie but a necessary one. Hopefully, Lauren won't be angry that I dropped her name like this…

I didn't like lying, but Sylvia did tell me that sometimes it was worth it in these situations. I want to de-escalate things and bringing up the first Princess's name might do the trick. Or it may backfire.

"And why would some suspicious man be doing the bidding of Her Majesty? She has plenty of attendants to do her bidding," the lead guard said while unsheathing her gladius.

The mage made eye contact behind me and took a knee. "Sweetie, why don't you come here so—eh?"

Her sudden surprise was warranted….and so was mine.

Something small had grabbed ahold of my leg, and I found the little girl tightly gripping my pants with her tiny little fingers. She was even purposely not digging her nails into my skin this time around as she glared at the soldiers. She must have felt my gaze, so she looked up into my masked face.

For the first time, I didn't see any fear or uncertainty in those blue eyes of hers.

One of the other guards tugged at her leader's arm. "Let's go, Ma'am. I think there has been a misunderstanding here…"

"I uh…okay…" the lead guard muttered. "Refrain from causing any more problems, Sir. And get that child some help, please."

"Of course. Thank you for your concern," I said with a slight nod.

I waited for the guards to leave the alley and for her to release my leg. I bent down and gave her a little pat on the head, and she didn't seem to resist me. "Thank you for that….uh…"

She really needs a name. I can't keep calling her girl or child all the time.

"Listen, you might not have a real name which is fine… but you should come up with one. I'll call you by whatever name you choose. How about that?" I suggested.

She nodded her head and extended her arms toward me. I picked her up carefully, and we continued on our way.

—

"What have you done to this poor child's hair?! What kind of idiotic monstrosity are you?!" the woman shouted at me.

I let out a defeated sigh. "You are making an ass of yourself for assuming. If I did this to her, why would I bring her here to fix it…and what do you know about hair…you don't have any…" I grumbled.

I am being tested today. Unfortunately, the world is aligning against me, and I'm about to lose my composure.

The Dragonkin let out a loud gasp. "Sir! That was rude of you!"

"Yeah…and assuming that I abuse children is also rude," I argued.

The woman running the shop was indeed a Dragonkin, the first I've seen since crossing the mountains. It appears that this region was far too cold for them to live in, even with modern accommodations. But this Dragonkin seemed…different.

Her scales were a uniform snowy white, which was odd. So far, all the Dragonkin I've seen have had a seemingly primary color to their scales along with some kind of accent color that was usually around on their head or at the end of limbs. So a single color on her scales was odd to me.

She must be a descendant of Ice Dragons or something. Wait…how did Dragonkins even come to be? Did Dragons mate with other races? Or…eh…

Her eyes were also inky black. I could barely make out the vertical reptilian slit in her eyes. The only reason I knew she was a woman was because of the silver horns growing out from the top of her head. Only female Dragonkin had horns.

"Yes, well, it appears that you are mistreating this young girl. You are clearly not her father. I'll be contacting the guar—"

"I've already spoken with them, so it's no use. Listen…I've had a very long few days." My voice was tired. I'm tired, and I'm starting to get frustrated. "I am assisting this child, not hurting her. If I was mistreating her, why would I ever take her to a place like this to get help? And as you can see…she clearly has no problems with being around me," I said while she awkwardly moved towards my leg again. It would be some time before she could walk normally…just like it was for me.

Although she couldn't see my eyes and the Dragonkin was the one looking down at me, I met her gaze. "So, can you help her or not?"

The Dragonkin's dark eyes drifted between the two of us as she let out a snort. "Doubtful. I can do a lot, but I can't fix those patches. I can cut it down to the lowest point, but that's it," she said, disgruntled. Then she pointed a long scaled finger at me. "Also, you better be taking care of her hair! This kind of damage to her head and hair is unacceptable!"

"I'm aware. I know how to take care of long hair…" I grumbled.

Not like I can fix her hair and scalp in one night…who does she think I am…

I kneeled down again till I was face to face with the girl. "Listen, I want you to make the decision for yourself. We can either cut your hair all the way down to the scalp or to the shortest part. Which would you prefer?"

The girl scanned my mask, trying to discern my words. She mouthed some things to herself that I didn't catch and weakly shrugged her shoulders and gazed off towards the floor.

I sighed. "That won't do. This is your first big decision…maybe your first decision ever. I want you to choose. If you don't… you won't be getting the rest of that soup tonight."

Of course; I was going to feed her…I'm just trying to coax her, is all…

She snarled at me for a second and exposed her long canines to me. Her little cheetah tail swayed back and forth behind her but eventually, she pointed to a spot on her head, the place where her hair was the shortest.

"Her nails need to be trimmed. Actually, she just needs everything done, don't worry about the cost. Can you also cut her hair to that….point…please?" I muttered while turning around. The entire boutique was staring at me. Maybe thirteen women in total were watching me with wide eyes and surprised expressions.

"Okay…sure, I can do that," the Dragonkin muttered. "Come here little one—"

The girl hissed and smacked the Dragonkin's hand away. The lady recoiled in surprise and gave me a look of surprise. I let out a small involuntary chuckle as the child continued to death grip my leg once more.

I gently removed her fingers from my leg. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be sitting here the entire time, watching you. I promise."

She reluctantly let me guide her forward towards the Dragonkin again but didn't accept her hand of assistance. Watching her hobble towards the wooden chair was painful, but she managed without anyone's help. When the little girl sat down, I felt her eyes bore into me, and I realized she never once stopped watching me.

It was a long process…I did ask for everything, but I wasn't expecting it to take over an hour to do everything. The haircut was the shortest part… and even then, she was given a complete hair rinse. They cut her nails and then painted them. It was amusing watching the child trying to select a color from all the available options, but she ended up picking a light orange.

They also scrubbed her feet with whatever they used along with a whole plethora of things I didn't quite understand. It took a team of three employees, which bothered the child immensely, but she didn't try fighting them. If anything, she didn't appear to be as skittish around women.

Disgusting what those bastards did…

She wobbled towards me on shaky legs, so I bent down to support her. "You look adorable."

A faint smile spread across her face, but she quickly returned to her usual blank expression. Her hair had been buzzed down, but she was young enough that it didn't look awful. I imagine she would have looked more herself with long hair, but it had to be done. Perhaps I could get her a small hat or something.

"Here, I've put together a small package for her. You better make use of it, and you had best come back to me when her hair returns to normal," the Dragonkin hissed.

"No promises. I may not be around when that time comes, but I'll make sure to forward the message, and I will use the products. What do I owe you?" I asked.

The Dragonkin crossed her large arms across her chest. "Nothing. Everything has already been paid for."

"Huh? Who…" I looked back out at the shop and everyone was watching me again with faint smiles. I gave them all a nod and graciously accepted the bag. "Thank you, Ma'am. I'm sorry for the earlier…outburst."

"It's fine. Just keep your end of the deal, Sir," she huffed.

Are all Dragonkin like this?

I picked her up again, and the two of us left the store. I sent the bag with the supplies into my storage ring and figured I would look over them later. I wasn't sure if putting random chemicals or substances into her hair and skin was a good idea, but if it were just soap, then it wouldn't hurt.

"Feeling better?" I asked. She nodded and let out a tiny yawn. "Just one more stop, and we can head back."

—

Silver Wolverine Tailoring…

It was nearing the evening now, and the streets were bustling with people. The festival was right around the corner, so people were making preparations for it, setting up temporary wooden stalls and various kinds of decorations. It was the worst time to be out and about…

But at least this shop seems relatively empty. And I know why.

These kinds of clothing stores were fronts for The Keepers, the underground anti-slavery organization that had once attempted to take me out of Ostela before I was recaptured…getting everyone there killed or captured as well. So I was surprised to see one in the center of the capital for the only country in the world that has banned slavery, but now I see why.

I could hear the laughter of children inside as mothers scolded them. It was a place for people to work and live. If I had been successfully transported here…there is a good chance I would have been amongst these kids at one time.

I opened the door to the establishment, and the faint smell of leather and oil tickled my nose. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked straight at me. Seeing so many kids here, all smiling and healthy, brought a smile to my face as well.

It means The Keepers are doing their jobs. They are helping people.

"Another masked Elf?" one of the children muttered.

I raised my eyebrows at the boy but a muscular built man from The Dunes strode up to me with a gentleman's smile. He was bald, and his head was completely scarred. It looked like a combination of blade wounds and animal scratches. His arms were tattooed with the same black ink I'd seen on the Professor and Adrian, and it seemed to snake up to his neck.

"Good evening, Sir. How may I be of assistance?" he asked with a deep voice.

Wow, the first person to greet me with respect. Good man.

"The forest requires tending," I responded.

His eyes went wide with surprise, but then he narrowed them. The arm behind his back slowly slid towards his concealed weapon. He may have the general appearance of a gentleman, but this guy is clearly a trained warrior.

"That is a very…very old response. We haven't used it since—"

"Your branch in Ostela was attacked? I'm aware. I was there after all. Unfortunately, I was never told the new phrase, so I apologize for the fright. Please, relax. I need some assistance with the child," I said.

His hand slowly dropped as he looked at the child I was carrying and the Ruby tag hanging from my neck. "I see…she was clearly a slave until recently…what happened?" he asked cautiously.

"There is a problem you and your organization should be aware of. How about we talk a little while you get her some clothes? I'm thinking a few sets of undergarments…some day and night wear…and maybe something for when winter rolls around."

The man raised his eyebrows at me. "That is… a lot…are you caring for this child currently?"

"For now, yes. I'm hoping to find her a home, and I'd rather she have things of her own.," I asked of him.

The man nodded his head slowly. "Perhaps it can be done. But let me hear what you have to say first, Sir. My name is Gilumune, and yours is?"

"Voker."

—

"I see…this is…most unfortunate. Knowing those scum are so close to home is bad…very bad. I'll have to alert our associates immediately and ensure the safety of the others," Gilumune grumbled.

"Yes, please do. The last thing I want is a repeat of what happened in Ostela."

"You said you were there…from what I was told, nobody made it out alive. Were you…" he trailed off.

"Yes, I was. I managed to…regain my autonomy some time ago."

Gilumine gave me a complicated expression. "Ah…too..nomy? What?"

"Never mind…just know that I know, okay?" I said.

Gilumune grunted and shrugged his large shoulder. "If you say so. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Voker."

"Mhm."

The two of us continued to talk about random things as we watched the employees assist the girl. She was measured and was even allowed to pick what color fabrics she wanted. Every time something was suggested to her, she would look at me for approval, but I would just shrug at her.

I wanted her to get used to making her own decisions, even if they were as small as picking a color for a shirt. I was hoping since she was still young she would adapt quickly to change… the longer she stayed in her current state of mind, the harder it would be for her to come out of her shell. If she was to be adopted by a good family, then she couldn't be standoffish or aggressive like she is now.

Of course, it's not her fault. Anyone who blames her for her demeanor deserves a swift punch to the throat. She had no control over her situation…until now.

"How does she look, Sir?" a High Elf woman asked me while gently nudging her towards me.

"As beautiful as ever," I said in Beastmen so she could understand me.

She gave me a placid look, but her tail swishing side to side gave it away. She looked adorable in her pastel yellow sundress. We opted to provide her with relatively simple clothes considering she would hopefully outgrow them in a few months.

I paid in advance for her to come back to this place when the time came so she could get an updated wardrobe. But for now, things should be fine. She now has a proper set of undergarments along with things to wear during the day and night.

She is already looking better. It's amazing what a fresh pair of clothes and a little bit of care can do for somebody.

Gilumune cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "Now then, the final piece."

He bent down while pulling something out of his pocket which made the child growl at him. He let out an awkward chuckle and smiled wryly at her. "Calm," he said in very rough Beastmen.

At his words, she backed down and gave me a fearful look. I nodded at her, and she reluctantly allowed Gilumune to approach her. Gilumune had a piece of soft orange fabric, and he began wrapping it around her head. While he was wrapping her head, he looked over at me. "This is a garment worn by women in my country to avoid the intense sun. Although there is no worry about the sun here, perhaps this will help her in other ways. I shall show you how to do this. And…done…"

Gilumune took a step back and gave himself a literal pat on the back after finishing. He had managed to wrap the cloth around her head and even made space for her little cheetah ears to poke out. "Perfection. You like?" Gilumune asked her in Beastmen.

She caressed the wrap around her head and nodded at his words. She was suppressing another faint smile, but her teeth were starting to show. He let out a hardy laugh. "Ahaha! Good… good…" Gilumune turned to me, and we shook hands. "Thank you again, Voker. Do come back if you can not find this little one a home. We will gladly assist her and you."

I scooped her up into my arms once again and gave everyone a friendly wave. "Thanks, Gilumune, as well as all of you."

Too bad we could never accept that. Jessine can hunt down people whose blood she has drunk or smelled before. If I were to release her to them…it would just be a repeat.

The children along with everyone, returned my wave as I walked out of the store. "Are you feeling better?" I asked her.

"Yes…" she whispered.

That's good. Now it's time to go home so I can—

"Voker? What in the world…"

I turned around to face the familiar voice. It's only been a few months since I've seen Bella, and she hasn't changed a bit. She was still wearing the usual amount of clothing…which isn't very much. But, at least her surprised look was refreshing.

"Bella, it's good to see you," I said with a nod.

"You too but Voker…what are you doing? Who is that girl?" she asked me.

"Long story short, I helped her out of a bad situation," I said with a sigh. "I'd prefer if you didn't ask about it. But I heard you didn't go on the quest with Veme and Sylvia? Why's that?" I asked while motioning for her to follow me.

Bella had a sad look in her eyes. "Ah well…I had some things to attend to. I finally got some good news about my brother."

"That's good, but you don't appear all that happy about it. Not what you were expecting?" I questioned.

She scoffed. "No…it's exactly what I was expecting. That moron has a knack for getting caught right when it matters most… all because he decided to help someone. I wish he would just help himself… or at least give me enough time to go and find him…"

"You have a brother? I wasn't aware…I thought you mentioned that you were separated from your family?"

Bella kicked a pebble across the ground and let out an annoyed huff. "I was. Well, we were, my half brother and I. By the time we could get back, our parents were gone…so we just decided to do our own thing. I've never been recaptured, but my brother… has multiple times. Last I heard, he got caught in The Mists, and I hadn't heard from him since."

What?! The odds…no way…

"Bella, is your brother named Sorn?" I asked quickly.

Her eyes lit up, and she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Wait?! Yes! How do you… how do you know that? Did you—"

I grabbed her hand and interrupted her hysterical rant. "Relax, Bella… but yes… your brother once helped me out of a bad situation. I can't say his help ended up being good for me…but he did try and help."

"Was he an idiot? Like dense as a rock? Talked in short sentences and all that?" Bella was speaking so fast that it was hard to hear her.

"Yes… that does sound like him. Although I don't know if I would call him an idiot…" I mumbled.

"Well, he is! Where was he?! Was he in the City-States? I heard he was last in Sandervile!" Bella asked me while grabbing me again.

"Bella…please…you are scaring her…" I hissed. Bella brought her hand back sheepishly and gave me an apologetic nod. "Sorry…" she muttered.

"It's okay. But I last heard he was a slave for the Viceroy of Ostela. He was dead center in the capital and even had paperwork to pass into the lower and upper city," I told her.

Bella let out a low growl. "Of course he does! If he has so much freedom, why not try and escape! Gah! Stupid! Stupid…stupid…" Bella petered out and, with a tired expression, looked up at me. "Thanks…you're the best…Kaladin," she said with a slight wink.

"I try. And can you please not say my name aloud?" I said with a hint of annoyance.

"It's fine. She can't understand us, can she? What's her name…she's adorable," Bella said while getting closer to her.

"I wouldn't—do that…"

Once Bella was in striking distance, the girl lashed out and gave her a light slap to the face. She tried clawing her, but without nails, it wasn't very effective. Bella let out a gasp of surprise, followed by a boisterous laugh.

"Fierce little kitty, aren't you?" Bella said in perfect Beastmen. Then she looked over at me. "She was a slave, huh? I can tell…I saw a lot of little girls who act like her."

"Yes… she was."

Bella let out a satisfied grunt and a devilish smile sprouted on her face. "Take good care of her, Daddy…" Bella said with a snicker.

"Daddy?! I am not—"

"Voker? Bella? What are you two doing here?" another familiar voice asked me.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Bella asked while looking at both of us.

"Of course, he's my student," Professor Garrison answered. He re-adjusted his glasses and looked at the girl I was carrying but shrugged. Then a look of understanding washed over his face. "Ah… adventuring, I assume?"

Bella gave me a pat on the back. "Yup. What? Afraid I was out with another man already?" she said with a coy smile.

The professor just let out a chuckle. "With him? He wouldn't be able to walk afterward."

Huh? My ability to move on my own is just fine, and I have no intentions of losing it anytime soon.

"Wait, how do you two know each other?" I asked, confused.

Bella grinned at me and slowly licked her lips. "Well…I did have that news to attend to but that wasn't the only reason I stayed behind. Why go hunt monsters in some stupid forest when I can just hunt some bigger game here?" Bella said while slinging an arm around Professor Garrison.

I looked at the Professor while he shrugged and scratched his beard. "I see… are you two…together then?"

The Professor's eyes went wide. "Wow there…such strong words there, Voker… be careful."

What's with that reaction? His face…is he red? Why is he embarrassed?

Bella let out something that was in between an evil laugh and a girlish giggle. "Oh yes…yes indeed…"

"Stop giving him the wrong idea…we were very specific about this before—"

Bella stopped the professor with a single finger to his lips. "Shh…it's fine. Just let him imagine…"

I don't want to imagine anything.

"Mmm…" the professor hummed as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I will be taking my leave now. See you in a few days, Professor," I said hurriedly.

"Catch you around, Voker!" Bella shouted from behind me.

While walking away, the girl gave me a confused and concerned look that I just decided to ignore. Some things are better left unsaid.

I was expecting a lot of things, but those two being together was not one of them. And what are the odds of Bella being Sorn's sibling? Small world.

I turned on my heels and called out to Bella. "Wait a second."

Bella raised an eyebrow at me. "Mmm?" she hummed.

"There is a quest in the guild under my name. Would you mind looking at it?" I asked her.

Bella's eyes went wide, and she nodded. "Sure. I'll give it a look next time I show up."

I nodded at her and gave the two a wave goodbye. My quest was awfully sensitive and was pending on some more information. However, I could trust Bella to complete it.

And what better way to find a person than using a Beastmen?

---

"You need to slow down, or Varnir won't be making you anything else to eat…" I grumbled.

She stopped shoveling the soup into her mouth and slowly put the spoon back into the bowl. She gave me an annoyed look but actually started eating slowly again.

Today has been a long day…hell, the last two days have been too damn long. I need to sleep, even if it's only for a few hours. I'll put her to bed, and then we can wake up early together and see Bowen.

Hopefully, Sylvia will be home early as well so we can get her healed and then help her be where she needs to be. I imagine Bowen will be able to find her a suitable home while getting her some valid paperwork…paperwork…paperwork requires a name.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Have you thought about your name? Tomorrow we are going to see another one of my friends who will help you. But you are going to need a name…"

She stopped mid-bite and let the spoon flop into the bowl. "No…" she muttered.

"Okay…do you…want to sleep on it? Come to a decision in the morning? Or do you need more time?" I asked.

"No…"

"No? No, what?" I questioned.

She averted her eyes for a second, then looked back at me. She stared at me for a long time before letting out a deep breath through her nose. "No, you! You…you can give me a name…okay?"

"What? You want me to give you a name? I mean… are you sure? This is important…your name is a very special thing. But why me? You don't want a stranger to give you a name, right?" I argued.

"No stranger…please…" she mumbled with a sniffle.

Ah, come on…don't cry into your soup…

"Just wait…I can think of something…uhhh…" I said quickly before she started the waterworks.

A name for a little girl? Myla? Wait no that's already a name I know. I don't know…do I just give her a common name or something? Samantha…Susan…wait what are even common names in this world?

The tears started dripping from her eyes as she looked at me expectantly. She was holding back her sobs, but it was only a matter of time.

She's a Beastmen…Beastmen names? A cat? Muriel! Wait, no that's bad…I can't do that to her or myself.

Cheetah? How about Chee? No, that's dumb. Chet? No…gah maybe I really am stupid.

Mia? Mmm…not bad…but not right either…ah man…this is hard. It appears that naming another person is not such an easy task…this is going to be her name for the foreseeable future unless it's so bad she decides to change it.

This is too much…but I can't really say no to her…Myla…Mia? Mila?

"How about… Mila?" I asked.

"Mila?" she mumbled out loud. "Mila…"

"Do you like it? I can—

She didn't repress any emotions for the first time as she gave me a genuine ear-to-ear smile. "Mila!" she said excitedly.

I let out a small chuckle. "Mila?"

"Mila!" she shouted again.

"Yeah…Mila…" I said slowly. "Why don't you finish eating dinner…Mila."

Apparently, this was the go-ahead for her to grab the entire bowl and drink it in one go. A valuable technique that probably saved her life until recently. She licked her lips and belched while giggling to herself.

Well…I can't be a stick in the mud all the time. She is just having a good time. What's wrong with that?

"Alright, Mila, it's time for bed. I also need to get some rest, so if you need me, I'll be out—"

"No…" she squeaked.

"No…what?"

"No…" she repeated.

"No, as in you don't want to go to sleep, or no, as in you don't want me to be out here?" I asked to clarify.

She yawned so wide her jaw twitched, and her eyes began to get glossy. "No…" she mumbled.

Well…I need to go to sleep, and so do you. So maybe I'll just move a chair or something into my room.

I scooped her up into my arms from the chair, and I didn't even manage to get halfway to my room before she was snoring. She had managed to pass out in under a second upon being picked up.

She must be exhausted. These last few days have drastically changed her life, and things are probably only getting more hectic from here on out.

I was confident The Chapter of Despair knows I am here now. If Sylvia can smell my blood from a mile away, then even a lesser Vampire like Jessine should be able to track me. And I know for a fact she can hunt me down using my blood…it wouldn't be the first time.

Jessine and Alnwar were competent and cautious individuals. From what I could tell, they never interacted with the main force except for large-scale operations. There is a good chance the two of them are here… in this city or just outside of it. I have no idea to what extent Alnwar can change his face using his dungeon item… he may already be in this school.

But I don't see that happening. Bowen wouldn't allow that to happen, and I'm confident Bowen is a far stronger fighter than Alnwar… at least I hope so.

Well, whatever… it's for future me to deal with. First, I need to get some sleep. I laid Mila in my bed and unwrapped her head carefully so as not to wake her. But I highly doubt I would do that even if I started tossing spells around. The snoring coming from her made me think she was some kind of old man…I'm not even sure if old men snore this loud.

Guess that just means she is finally relaxing.

I went out to grab a piece of the sofa to move into my room when I stopped myself. I was just going to place it into my ring, but I let out a tired grunt mixed with a bit of frustration.

My entire ring was full of the corpses of monsters and a giant green crystal…

I really should have dropped all those bodies off in the center of the village. I just wasn't thinking about it, as my priorities clearly indicated that it didn't matter. Maybe I'll just drop them off at the cafeteria or something…wait then they might use them in the food…disgusting…I'll take them out back later and burn them.

I removed the green crystal chunk, and it fell to the floor with a loud thud. It shook the plates, and the surrounding furniture, and I winced for a moment, thinking I had woken Mila. Thankfully going into my room showed me she was still sound asleep.

With my bed set and the green crystal back into my ring, I let out a satisfied grunt as I plopped onto the couch. My room was still relatively empty, so the section of the couch fit without issues.

It didn't take long for sleep to claim me.

---

And it didn't take long for me to be woken up to the sounds of screaming.

Mila was shouting and rolling around in my bed, frantically tossing around the sheets. Still groggy from being woken up, I rushed over to her, but I was rewarded with an elbow to the jaw for my attempts.

I felt the magic seal on my mask break momentarily from the blow. I quickly secured it back to my face before the changing effect began. I looked back down at the bed in hopes that Mila didn't see anything, but she was still thrashing around, her eyes shut tightly.

I placed my hand on the bed to steady her, but I recoiled as I pressed into the wet sheets. It was dark in my room, so I quickly lit a candle with some fire magic, and I couldn't help but feel awful.

I'm not sure if it's because of her nightmare or what's happened to her, but this is downright depressing…probably both.

I wasn't exactly sure what to do with a person who was like this, but I figured having her scream her lungs off while rolling around in her own urine wasn't going to help her, so I shook her awake. Mila's fearful eyes opened up quickly as she looked at me. I could see the exact moment when the realization of what had happened settled in.

Tears were rolling down her eyes, and her little body was wracked with sobbing. "I'm soorrryy…" she cried over and over again.

I used the blanket to wipe her down and picked her up from the bed. "It's fine, Mila…it's okay…this isn't your fault."

"I'm sorry! I'm—"

"Stop, Mila… just stop. There is nothing for you to be sorry about," I told her. "None of this is your fault. Just remember that, okay? Those men…the people who did this to you, are to blame."

And I'll make them pay for the both of us.