"..."
Hearing that, the little girl only slowly stopped after making sure there were indeed no more sounds in the distance. But when she turned to look at Griseo, her eyes were still full of wariness.
"Um...?"
Faced with the little girl's vigilance, Griseo merely tilted her head slightly and looked at her with large violet eyes full of confusion.
"Y-you... who are you? Why did you help me?"
Looking at the cute little blue-haired girl before her, the little girl lightly trembled before asking in a hoarse voice.
The girl had long since stopped trusting anyone else... In her eyes, this scantily clad little girl who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere had to have some purpose in helping her.
But she did not think she had anything worth coveting now, so, filled with confusion, she simply asked.
"My name is Griseo... because I wanted to?"
In response to the girl's question, Griseo answered with a trace of uncertainty in her tone. Then, noticing the girl trembling, she slowly approached her.
"!"
"...Don't come closer!"
When she noticed Griseo approaching, the little girl was visibly startled and shouted in resistance.
"...!?"
But clearly, the little girl's resistance had no effect. What greeted her next was a soft, warm embrace.
"Mm, you're cold... Mr. Wolf, please."
After gently hugging the little girl, Griseo first remarked expressionlessly, then softly called for her Mr. Wolf.
As usual, after being summoned, the handsome golden-red giant wolf appeared without a sound. This time, he was also carrying a set of thick clothes.
"..."
Sensing something suddenly appear beside her, the frail little girl in Griseo's arms instinctively trembled.
Before she could react, Mr. Wolf draped a warm shawl over her shoulders...
"You're wearing too little. These are my clothes; wear them... I'll bandage your wounds later."
As she spoke, Griseo released the little girl from her arms, took the remaining clothes from Mr. Wolf, and handed them over.
"..."
Feeling the lingering warmth on her body and looking at the beautiful clothes offered before her, the little girl was completely dumbfounded...
It could even be said that from the instant Griseo hugged her, her mind had simply crashed, and she had remained in a daze ever since.
"...?"
Seeing that the little girl before her did not move, Griseo tilted her little head again, her violet eyes filled with confusion, as though she could not understand why the girl was not moving.
"...Thank you."
Stared at again by a certain little girl, the little girl gritted her teeth and accepted the clothes held out to her.
When Griseo saw her take the clothes, her large eyes brightened with delight.
Then, together with Mr. Wolf, she turned around to give the little girl space to change.
"..."
Watching the large and small figures turn around in perfect unison, the little girl held the clothes, her feelings growing even more complicated... After taking one last deep look at the two before her, she finally began changing clothes.
?;
Because they were merely pursuing a child laborer who had run away, there were not many people sent after her this time—only two.
And after Griseo had reminded him, Tyrant did not use any exaggerated methods this time. He simply and brutally removed the enemies' heads, using that method to silence the two noisy enemies forever.
After dealing with the enemies, Tyrant did not linger and returned directly to his little princess's side, silently guarding her.
Elsewhere...
"Something seems to have happened over there. I saw firelight..."
"I saw it too, but it disappeared quickly. What was that?"
The two Yetis not far from Griseo lowered their voices to discuss the anomaly they had noticed.
?;
"Let's not worry about what happened. It's almost time; we should meet up with Big Sis later."
"True. We should stay alert from here on out. Firelight probably means enemies."
"Yeah."
"Big Sis?"
Lois and the other girl looked at Yelena, who had fallen silent after hearing their account.
"It's nothing. You two can come back with me and meet up with the others. It's about time anyway." Hearing someone call her, Yelena raised her head, glanced over, then shook her head and spoke softly.
"It's normal for missions to fail. Don't take it to heart, you two."
"Yes, Big Sis!"
"Got it."
PS: Same as before, I'll try to finish the second chapter faster. Sigh... I hope I can sleep earlier today. It's too hard.
Trading and Reunion
After changing clothes, the little girl felt the long-lost warmth on her body and lowered her head, looking somewhat dazed.
Honestly, everything that had just happened still felt somewhat unreal to her, like a beautiful dream before it vanished.
"Mm, are you done changing?"
Noticing no movement behind her, the little tuft of hair atop Griseo's head swayed lightly as she asked softly.
"Yeah, I'm done."
Only then did Griseo slowly turn around and look at the girl behind her. She then discovered that her thick winter clothes fit the little girl very well.
"Mm... very pretty. The color looks nice too." As she spoke, Griseo raised her hand and slowly gave a thumbs-up.
"You still haven't told me what your purpose is. I don't seem to have anything worth taking from me."
?;
Looking at the cute yet blank-looking little girl before her, a complicated glimmer flashed through the girl's eyes.
"I already said it, because I wanted to. So, your name..."
As if she had not noticed the complicated emotions of the person before her, Griseo blinked her large eyes and asked softly.
"Alyona. Th-this is my name."
Staring into the little girl's eyes, which contained no unnecessary emotion, Alyona relaxed and accidentally gave her name. In the end, she could only add helplessly.
"Then, Alyona, let's make a trade. Trade the information you know and colors."
After seriously memorizing the girl's name, Griseo opened her mouth and proposed the exchange she had already thought of.
"...?"
Information was easy enough to understand, but the colors Griseo mentioned left Alyona confused.
"Mm. If you agree to the trade, Griseo will protect you. If you have enemies, I can also let you take revenge personally." As she spoke, Griseo turned her gaze toward the mine, clearly implying something.
"Really!?"
After hearing Griseo's words, Alyona suddenly grew agitated. She stepped forward, grabbed the little girl's shoulders, and asked anxiously.
The numb, indifferent expression on her face was gone, replaced by something somewhat savage and filled with hostility. Sorrow and hatred also surfaced in her pale green eyes.
"Mm."
Griseo, whose shoulders had suddenly been grabbed, nodded lightly, her large eyes full of seriousness.
She was a good child who kept her promises. Besides, she had already planned to deal with this mine.
There was just one thing that left Griseo somewhat helpless: Alyona looked like someone making a deal with an evil demon that collected souls.
When all she wanted was some colors and information...
?;
"If you help me get revenge... then even if it isn't worth much, this life of mine will be yours."
After receiving Griseo's affirmative answer, Alyona slowly released her hands and spoke as she prepared to kneel before her.
Alyona no longer wanted to agonize over the identity of this cute little girl in thin clothing, because it was meaningless.
If Griseo could help her take revenge, then even if the little girl before her was a demon, she would not care...
"?"
Seeing the person before her suddenly about to kneel, a huge question mark appeared over Griseo's little head. Once she reacted, she hurriedly grabbed Alyona and stopped her.
"Mother Aponia said that life is very precious. Only you yourself can decide and control your own life."
"Since you agreed to the trade I proposed earlier, then let's begin..." After helping her up, Griseo reached out like a little adult and patted Alyona's head.
"..."
Hearing the words beside her ear, feeling the touch on her head, and the warmth around her body, Alyona's nose suddenly stung and her vision gradually blurred...
How long had it been since she last cried?
Even Alyona herself could not remember clearly. It seemed that after her mother had been beaten to death while protecting her, she had never cried again.
Pain, hunger, and abuse had never made her cry again, but today, this tiny bit of warmth made her unable to hold back.
Noticing the mist gathering in Alyona's eyes, Griseo could only helplessly pat her head again, silently comforting her.
Then, once she saw that Alyona had mostly calmed down, she softly said, "Mr. Wolf, take us to those two big brothers."
After Griseo spoke, Mr. Wolf, who had been silently guarding beside them, moved soundlessly and carefully lifted both girls into his arms.
"Ah."
Although she had been prepared after hearing Griseo's words, Alyona was still startled when she was suddenly picked up.
Compared to her, however, a certain little girl was completely used to it.
After making sure he had the two little ones securely in his arms, Mr. Wolf silently moved toward the two Yetis in the distance.
"Let's go. We've finished investigating what we needed to."
"Yeah."
After checking the time, the two Yetis planned to head back. There was no point staying here any longer, and given the disturbance from earlier, remaining here might instead put them in danger.
But just as the two were about to leave, a huge black shadow suddenly darted before them at high speed.
The instant they saw the shadow, both instinctively gripped their weapons tighter. But when they saw the "things" in its arms clearly, they both froze, then cried out.
"Holy shit, little Griseo!"
"Holy shit, why are you here? Shouldn't you be back at camp?"
"Mm... good evening?"
Faced with the two astonished Yetis, Griseo thought for a moment, then greeted them expressionlessly in a calm voice. Of course, that calmness was contingent on ignoring the guilty flicker in her large eyes.
"Good evening my ass! Did you follow us all the way here?"
"It's so far away, and you actually followed us here! Do you know how dangerous this place is?"
"It's okay. Mr. Wolf is protecting me." As she spoke, Griseo lightly patted Mr. Wolf's arm.
Just as the two Yetis looked at Mr. Wolf and the other unfamiliar little girl, about to say something, a sudden sound from nearby made them both swallow the words that had remained unsaid.
Before you continue