Lia
Galan walked out of the alley with the elven girl.
Draped in Galan's coat, the girl had been tightly gripping his hand ever since they came out, following right behind him as if terrified of being left behind. Her eyes darted around warily as she walked, drawing the attention of quite a few passersby.
Hey now, this makes things pretty awkward for me... It's like I'm abducting a neighborhood girl...
Galan clicked his tongue, his cheeks twitching for a moment.
He looked around the main street for a long time before finally stepping into a clothing store.
Rock did not have any clothes that a female could wear, but the long robe on the girl was already tattered and stained with mud, with parts of it gaping open to reveal smooth, white skin. Clearly, she needed a change of clothes.
Stepping into the shop, the surrounding cabinets displayed women's clothing in various styles.
Even in this world, fashion was highly developed, and many of the outfits could become seasonal bestsellers even if taken back to his original world.
"Are you looking for anything you like?"
He turned his head and led the girl to the wardrobe by the hand like catching a child.
The elven girl's expression slowly shifted from initial panic to fascination, her curious gaze sweeping across the vast array of garments. Despite being a long-lived race who had no idea how long she had lived, she currently acted just like a child.
Come to think of it, she's half a head shorter than me... I wonder if she knows Frieren?
Galan subconsciously raised a hand and patted the girl's head.
The texture was unexpectedly nice; her hair was very soft, just like a fluffy stuffed toy.
Feeling the sensation on top of her head, the girl froze for a moment like she had been electrocuted, then looked up, her watery eyes staring straight at Galan.
"Sorry..."
Realizing that his behavior was somewhat presumptuous, Galan self-consciously withdrew his hand.
Yet the girl did not seem to harbor any aversion, merely watching him for a moment before shifting her attention back to the clothes.
It seems I haven't been disliked... But after going through those events, she still seems quite shy, not having spoken a single word up until now.
The girl deliberated for quite a while before finally selecting only a simple white shirt. Galan noticed that she seemed to be mindful of the clothing prices; she merely glanced briefly at the more expensive items and paid them no further mind.
She is a child who tries not to bring burdens to others.
An indescribable feeling stirred in Galan's chest. Besides that shirt, he bought a few more well-fitting clothes according to her size along with a pair of boots.
The girl had been walking barefoot the entire time until now, and the soles of her feet were cut up by countless gravel fragments from the road, making it rather heartbreaking to look at.
After purchasing the clothes, the two walked out of the store and headed in the direction of home.
Watching Galan carry the sack full of clothing on his back while holding her sturdy hand, a faint glimmer of brilliance quietly sprouted in the girl's eyes.
Outer Suburbs
Although they were delayed for a long time at the checkpoint due to the elven girl's difficult-to-explain status, and coupled with the arrow wound on her foot making movement somewhat inconvenient—requiring Galan to carry her on his back for a very long stretch of mountain trail—the two still managed to return home safely before sunset.
This place was some distance away from Rogley, situated on a small mountain cliff above the forest, providing a broad view that made surveillance easy.
Pushing open the front door and taking some time to tidy up an idle guest room for the girl, Galan set about preparing dinner, leaving the girl to curiously look around the house.
Come to think of it, he had been hungry for half a day. He had thought that a trip into town would be quick and that he could stop by to buy some good wine and meat on the way back. As a result of all this commotion, the shops he wanted to visit had already closed, leaving him to make his dejected return.
The sun slowly sank outside the window, and darkness enshrouded the earth.
He expertly sliced a large basin of washed mushrooms and vegetables on the cutting board, the crisp sound of chopping echoing through the room.
As a Shadow Warrior, his years of living alone had forged superb culinary skills, and even a simple mushroom soup could be made flavorful. With the aid of some memories from his previous life, he selected and adjusted various seasonings, making it taste even more appetizing.
As the braised soup, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, boiled amid rising steam, a thick fragrance began to spread through the house.
"Gurgle--"
Hiding outside the kitchen door and stealthily watching Galan cook, the elven girl's stomach let out an uncooperative growl.
She had been hungry for nearly a day as well.
Although Rock had not abused her either, he was truly abysmal at taking care of people, sleeping off a hangover until close to noon and consequently forgetting to prepare food for the girl.
"Come and try some."
Galan forced out a smile that could still be considered kind, given that he usually always looked sullen and expressionless like a paralyzed face. Playing the role of an approachable, amiable big brother was still too difficult for him.
Even so, the girl obediently walked over to the pot, scooped a spoonful of soup with a small ladle, and tasted it in her small mouth.
"How is it?"
Galan suddenly felt somewhat nervous. Though he usually had quite a bit of confidence in his cooking, he had no idea whether an elf's palate might differ from a human's. If the girl found it so unpalatable that she spat it out or put on an indescribable expression, he felt like his martial heart would shatter...
The girl lowered her gaze, her lips moving slightly as if reminiscing.
"Delicious."
Unexpectedly, her very first utterance gave him such high praise, and his suspended heart finally settled down.
"Thank you."
She put down the ladle and suddenly looked at Galan with a deadpan expression.
In truth, he hadn't really done much—merely bought some clothes and rescued her from Rock's trashy den. Yet the girl seemed exceptionally naive, the sort of complete pushover who would easily trust others the moment someone showed her goodwill.
Hey, you really are going to get tricked and sold off looking like this...
The sudden expression of gratitude caught him off guard. He did not know why the girl had remained tight-lipped until now, but he did not deliberately pry either, wanting only to offer whatever help he could to this girl of tragic background.
"Um... What's your name?"
He hadn't asked earlier since the girl wouldn't speak, but now there seemed to be no constraints.
"Lia." She blinked her eyes, her gaze no longer so hollow, visibly regaining its radiance.
"If you have anywhere else you can go, you are free to leave on your own once your injuries heal. I can also provide you with some travel funds..."
He didn't think Lia would want to stay with a human who had captured her, so it was better to let her go. However, surviving out there without the protection of her tribe would not be easy. Still, he was no bleeding heart; going this far was already treating his conscience right, and he couldn't possibly account for everything for her.
"...Actually, I want to... Urgh--" Before Lia could finish, Galan clamped a hand over her mouth with a swift yet not overly rough motion, simply stopping her from continuing to make a sound.
"Shh--"
Something was approaching.
As an elite warrior, he keenly detected the commotion coming from outside the house. The adversary was extremely cunning, making almost no sound while moving, yet failed to elude Galan's ears.
He slowly released his hand from Lia's mouth, signaling her to stay put and not move. Then, hugging the wall, he silently slipped out of the room.
His battle-tempered hand drew a short sword from his waist. This magic short sword had accompanied its master through dozens of assassination missions, imbued with paralyzing and highly toxic effects, making it the weapon he wielded most adeptly.
"Hoo--"
This was the first time he had faced a threat since transmigrating, so a certain amount of tension was inevitable.
Through a dark crack, he spotted the enemies lurking in the darkness outside the house—two Lizard Demon Wolves.
Although they possessed the appearance of wolves, they unexpectedly had extraordinarily long tails tipped with sharp barbs capable of piercing armor. Furthermore, those tails could regenerate if severed, making them extremely tricky opponents to fight.
I usually deploy monster-repellent powder that monsters hate the most all around the house, so why would this kind of monster be attracted today?
Galan suddenly remembered the Purple Moon Dragon Grass, and realization struck him.
That item was an immense tonic for monsters. Although the box possessed preservation magic for the medicine, it did not completely mask the unique aura that enticed monsters.
Jeez, this is merchandise I fished out at the cost of four silver coins...
Watching the Lizard Demon Wolves draw closer to the house, their two pairs of blood-red eyes locked onto the front door, the enticing fragrance emitted by the Purple Moon Dragon Grass left them itching with impatience, yearning to immediately rush inside and devour it. Yet their keen instincts sensed that a hazard impossible to ignore still existed within this dwelling.
"Bang!"
The front door suddenly flew open, and a chilling arrow shot out fiercely amidst the gap, hurtling toward the head of one of the Lizard Demon Wolves. The decisiveness of its release and the mastery of timing were astonishing; had it been ordinary soldiers or low-tier monsters, they would have been entirely incapable of dodging this arrow.
Yet the Lizard Demon Wolf's reaction was freakishly fast. Though caught off guard and unable to evade completely, it still jerked its head to dodge the fatal strike, merely getting its eye blinded by the grazing arrow.
"Roar--!!!"
It cried out in agony, the roar saturated with overwhelming fury as it seemingly wanted to tear the archer to shreds right then and there. Since they had already been exposed, there was no need to conceal movements any longer.
Swish--
A phantom clothed in black tight garments flew out, leaping into the air to slash at the Lizard Demon Wolf that had not been shot. Although holding only a short sword, the majestic momentum made it look as though he wielded a heavy greatsword, or perhaps a meteorite plummeting from the skies.
Clang, clang, clang!
The fierce sword edge collided with the Lizard Demon Wolf's sharp tail barb in midair countless times within the span of a few breaths, the movements so swift they left only overlapping afterimages in the air. Despite being flesh-and-bone appendages, they were hard enough to clash directly with weapons made of refined iron.
You are indeed fast, but it's not enough!
Galan landed lightly, then burst forward in a forward dash, raising his sword to charge straight ahead with unstoppable momentum, resembling a heavily armored knight of the medieval battlefield bearing faith and glory, with only death and victory capable of halting his pace.
The tail barb, moving in tandem with will, pierced through the wind, seeming to meet the blow head-on. Yet right before the two were about to collide, Galan—while executing a full-force dash—twisted his body with startling control, causing the short sword to perform an uncanny, minor contortion before continuing its charge directly along the oncoming tail barb until it plunged into the Lizard Demon Wolf's head.
Purplish-red blood splattered out, but before it could even wail, Galan neatly dispatched it with a follow-up strike, severing its head.
The entire combat process did not even exceed ten seconds.
He flicked away the residual blood lingering on the short sword and walked toward the other Lizard Demon Wolf—the one struck first, which was now paralyzed on the ground.
That arrow had long since been coated with a deadly poison by him; once it entered the wound, even an elephant would die without a doubt. Therefore, even without taking a headshot, this monster was already dead meat in his eyes. Moreover, he had added plenty of anesthetic drugs to it, so after letting out that roar, it completely lacked the strength to move and could no longer affect the subsequent battle.
Swish--
With a raise of the hand and a fall of the blade, the monster's head was cleanly sliced off.
"Hoo--" Letting out another long breath, Galan felt somewhat helpless.
He had yet to fully adapt this body to combat; the physical specs of the Shadow Warrior were simply too overbearing. Even so, the combat power he could currently display was by no means inferior to most warriors, making dealing with this kind of monster a breeze.
However, if he were to face high-level greater demons on the tier of the [Seven Sages of Destruction] or a [General], he had no guaranteed assurance of victory.
Hopefully, he wouldn't run into them; otherwise, he might kick the bucket without even a chance to flee.
"I still need to train more; starting tomorrow, I'll do one hundred push-ups every day." As he secretly contemplated his future cultivation plan, he suddenly sensed that yet another monster was sneaking into the house from the other side, presumably attempting to steal that Purple Moon Dragon Grass in the confusion.
Not good.
Lia was still inside!