Chapter 12: Urduja

[3rd Person POV]

If a child, not even a year old saw and quivered in the sight of the abomination that suddenly displayed unprecedented power and might by just appearing and anticlimactically disappearing as if he just went and took a peek, what's more those who are already well developed right? Particularly, of course, adults.

And one particular adult, upon seeing the giant just right beside her home nation, went out of her house and ran with all her frail and delicate body's strength, to consult, request and beg for the help of the heroes of humanity.

_I shouldn't have done that... If only... If only I was not a coward...!_

As she ran, causing her breathing to have white fog caused by exhaustion, she regretted her decision, a decision that came out of nowhere, a decision that is just caused by a deranged form of love.

_But I am too poor! I can't even feed myself!_

She continued to run, but she tripped and hit her face on the paved road causing bystanders to look at her like a fool, somehow, someone tripped on super smooth ground, even hitting her nose and making it bleed, but she ignored all of the carriages' coachmen's disdain filled eyes and stood back up and continue her sloppy running

The lady named Mira is just a village woman, who is one of the many unfortunate souls who are deemed to be cursed by poverty their whole life, these people, especially the women who are deemed as useless choose to not bear or conceive any child to end their bloodline from suffering, men can be used in war, whilst women are rare to have any talents in fighting for their rearing is that of a domestic approach, this barrier between potential attainments is understandable for such a case.

She is the same, she just... gave in to the motto of you only live once and went to be drunk and spanked in the city nearby, little did she know that her wasting her life in alcohol will make her pregnant, what's more, terrifying is that, she doesn't remember being laid but her hymen is already gone, meaning her virginity is no more, taken by someone, not she even have a glance on.

As she said, she is too poor to feed herself and relied upon her friends for her party budget, thus she just didn't abort the child because of her maternal instincts but not because of motherly affection or anything else, at least that's what she thought she is doing, she has devised it so that after her pregnancy period, she will give the child to someone more willing and more capable of such responsibility.

But because of her identity, her identity as someone with barely any identity, someone who is not worth even a bat of an eye, she didn't find adoptive parents for her child, at that time she didn't think to approach the orphanage managed by one of the heroes as she can't just come to their door and say:

"Hey I'm abandoning my child, take care of her, bye!"

And go away with it without being punished by the people of the orphanage, a whore having sex during a drunken night and not taking responsibility for the consequences of her actions is unforgivable.

Tears started to flow out of her cheeks, as she continued running, hoping in blind faith to find someone in particular, someone that will bother to find a child of some villager, she doesn't have the power to do so, the system of the world is not favorable to anyone who does not use their strength so she who always dances around in bars has no hope to even fight and win against goblins, thus a hero, a hero that can contend with the monster that can kill her child that she had abandoned in the safest parts of the forest after nine months, immediately after birth, she would find a hero that can and is willing to save her child.

_Haah... Haaah..._

She started gasping for air, and also laugh inwardly to herself.

_AHA... AHAHAHA..._

As her tears continued to flow down, without her noticing the kilometers of distance between her village and the city, she slowly transversed, with just willpower to seek help to find her daughter, however, in her sloppy yet continuous and unstopping sprint, a self-loathing came crashing into herself.

_I... I have... I have abandoned my child because of my incapacity to rear her..._

She thought of such, as her footsteps started to slow down, her breathing getting heavy by the second.

_... And right now... I want her back... But also can't do so..._

She finally stopped running, exhausted and tired of herself and weakness, she halted just in front of the arc entrance of the city, her legs trembled, like a bowlful of jelly, her body dehydrated like preserved meat, her body weakened, like a dying lamb, she collapsed to her knees, like a broken maiden, her eyes flowed with liquid, like a fountain.

"Help... My child..."

She wants to scream, she wants to beg, she wants to do anything, put her body in the arms of any man, or woman even, she's willing to put her organs in the sale, she is willing to be a slave, contract a demon and sell her soul, anything and every method in existence, anything just to save her child, she doesn't need to be taken care of, she can just be ignored... She can just die, not just her child.

In the end, she is still scared of responsibility, she is still not willing to go back to the forest, maybe its guilt, but mostly, a feeling that she is not welcomed by the child she orphaned is etched, embedded deeply into her heart, causing her to not have thoughts of running into the forest and find her beloved, that she once abandoned.

She, who is a mother, though a useless one has this intuition that her child, in the forest, didn't die, she doesn't know how, but she knew that there is still hope, only if there is someone that will help her get her child... She doesn't even need to see her child again, just a confirmation or a sign that her daughter is safe, Mira doesn't want anything in return.

_Please... Someone..._

She muttered, but no help came, as she started to have a blurry vision, losing control of her body that is devoid of any strength, and slowly slumped to the floor.

"What do you, damsel in distress requires my help for?"

An androgynous voice came crashing into her ears, it was beautiful and handsome at the same time, one who would make males and females alike blush, but instead of being attracted, the voice came as a ray of hope for her... No for her child, she doesn't know if the voice is true or not if it was real or just a hallucination, but she held on to it nonetheless, as before she passed out, her mouth spoke a single name.

".... Ur... Du... Ja..."

And then finally, slumped motionless on the floor.

"It is me, minstrel... Oh, she passed out."

Urduja, the hero, or the heroine of the people, has come to her aid.

Some unknown time later, in a grandly decorated room, with king sized bed, and a giant window that is covered by giant curtains all of which have the color red with golden and black complementary colors, the room also has its room, yes, room, not drawer of clothes.

The room of clothes has many assortments in all people of the manor except the Heroine will not recognize, there is even footwear with the image of a man air walking.

Mira woke up, in pajamas, she doesn't have her bra, and next, sitting to her, Urduja who is similarly in pajamas.

Peeking at her white yet muscular thighs, Mira immediately went up off the bed, in instinct, and covered her chest part which Urduja just gave a little chuckle.

She did this, in instinct because...

"Well, as much as I want to, I don't want to take advantage of someone with so much high fever, much more that you have asked my help, right?"

Yes, as you see, she is a woman who likes women, it is not a bad thing, it is normal and not that of a big deal compared to Sophia's previous world, but, she's a Heroine.

Charisma, looks, popularity, prowess, everything a woman wants from their man is on her, so how can she not be flustered right?

"R-right..." Mira tried to regain her composure, and as Urduja continued to stare at her with her bronze-colored eyes, her throat suddenly gulped as she said.

"You're down for a week and my disciples have to take care of you while I have to attend to several matters, you know, hero and all."

Urduja sighed.

"Now, what may you want me to help you with?"

Urduja was very casual, making Mira guilty, Urduja is the hero with the most attachment to children, all of her disciples are beggars at one point but are now the top students of the academy and are all popular in their respective fields.

She knows what will happen if she mentioned what she did to her child, but, she had no choice.

"U-hmm you see... I... I, when I was drunk, hooked up with a stranger and Uhm...."

She started to stutter, causing Urduja's expression to turn serious, she started to have sweat beads on her forehead, and she braced herself for what is to come.

"And I got pregnant and left the chi-"

She stopped in her tracks, a suffocating pressure pressed down on her, no words, no movement, no nothing, the bed in between the two women was destroyed and Urduja's blade materialized in front of her as she grabbed it and jumped towards Mira, Mira cannot do anything, she accepted her fate, she knew that Urduja will help her child, at least, in the cost of her life, she has said her request to save her offspring.

However, as she resolved herself, she heard exploding sounds all over the corners of the room and when she opened her eyes to learn that she was still alive, she saw several of Urduja's students clinging to her as they frantically tried to calm down their teacher.

"Calm down! Calm down! Lady Urduja, the child, we will find her for you, we will!"

As if being afraid of hurting her students, she stepped down against her will, saying.

"You better do, you better do..."

Urduja silently muttered, staring with bloodshot eyes towards Mira who still stood frozen to the ground.

Her students already knew why Mira came here, one of her disciples has Esper powers after all, they also knew that their master, for some reason, is very fond of children and thus already know the outburst that she will do the moment she learned that someone who abandoned her child is to ask her for help.

And thus, they looked at each other, forgetting to find the child, the woman's memories date back at least a month ago, so finding her alive will already be a miracle, and they only hoped that her corpse will be in one piece. For surely, no one wants to ever witness the wrath of the Hero of the People.

[Sophia's POV]

In a dimly lit room with a ceiling of rocks, walls of rocks, beds of rocks, and ornaments with nothing but rocks, I am laying with bandages all over my body as I started to remember all of what happened to me and my subordinates, it all started seven days ago, the moment the giant disappeared as if the world is not worthy of its presence.

At that time, my mind was clear, that's also why I am so shaken as I immediately understood the meaning of that being's existence, its as if the world is saying that I am not enough yet, which I immediately realized to be true, after all, I am not even a year old and doesn't know bat shit about the outside behind the thick trees of this forest, and thus my first step is to become stronger.

Is it nothing complicated, I have to strengthen myself, after all, besides that, what can I do?

And thus I immediately proceeded to make my idea come true, if you don't remember, I have hypothesized and have proven through [Guide] that if it is simple enough for me, I can immediately learn the lowest version of elemental magic.

And thus I did, I circulated mana in my hands reducing some mana in my stats, and then imagined it being sand, which, after some effort (Because it seems like fire's my first element and is contradicting the earth element somehow), a notification resounded.

Notice [Continuous training has granted you the following Magic Skill: Sand Magic]

I ignored the notification and continued, second is air, same process, same results.

Notice [Continuous training has granted you the following Magic Skill: Breath Magic]

I snorted a little, breath magic of all things, but I continued nonetheless, with water, same shit, same results. Don't tell me it's spit magic.

Notice [Continuous training has granted you the following Magic Skill: Squirt Magic]

Goodness, it is decent this time. My mood is a little lifted already, but I need that little push, something like a unique ski-

No way...

Notice [Continuous training has granted you the Unique Skill: Observe]

NO FUCKING WAY!