In the Ark, Starting as Griseo

"……"

Hearing this, the little girl, after confirming she could no longer hear any sounds from afar, slowly stopped walking. However, her eyes, as she turned to look at Griseo, were still filled with wariness.

"Hm…?"

Griseo merely tilted her head slightly at the girl's caution, then looked at her with her large, purple eyes filled with confusion.

"Who… who are you, and why did you help me?"

Looking at the cute, blue-haired little girl before her, the girl shivered slightly before quietly asking in her hoarse voice.

The girl no longer trusted anyone… In her eyes, this sudden appearance of a scantily clad little girl she'd never met must have had some ulterior motive for helping her.

However, she didn't think she had anything worth coveting, so she directly asked out of confusion.

"My name is Griseo… Because I wanted to?"

Griseo replied to the girl's question with a hint of uncertainty in her tone. Then, noticing the girl's trembling, she slowly moved closer to her.

"!"

"…Don't come any closer!"

Upon noticing Griseo approaching, the little girl clearly startled and then shouted with a resistant expression.

"…!?"

However, it was obvious that the girl's resistance was completely useless. What greeted her next was a soft, warm embrace.

"Mhm, so cold… Mr. Wolf, please."

After gently hugging the little girl, Griseo first exclaimed expressionlessly, then softly called out to her Mr. Wolf.

As usual, upon being summoned, the handsome, golden-red giant wolf appeared silently. This time, he was also holding a set of thick clothing.

"……"

Sensing something suddenly appearing beside her, the girl, held by Griseo, instinctively shivered, her small, frail body trembling.

Before she could react, Mr. Wolf draped a warm shawl over her…

"You're wearing too little. This is my clothing for you… I'll bandage your wounds later."

Saying this, Griseo released her arms holding the little girl and took the other clothes from Mr. Wolf, handing them over.

"……"

Feeling the lingering warmth on her body and looking at the beautiful clothes handed to her, the little girl was completely stunned…

In fact, from the moment Griseo hugged her, she had completely frozen and remained in a daze.

"…?"

Looking at the motionless girl before her, Griseo tilted her little head again, her violet eyes filled with confusion. It was as if she didn't understand why the person in front of her wasn't moving.

"…Thank you."

Being stared at by another little girl like this, the little girl gritted her teeth and took the clothes handed to her.

Seeing that the girl had accepted the clothes, Griseo's large eyes lit up with a hint of joy.

Then, along with her Mr. Wolf, she turned around, leaving space for the little girl to change.

"……"

Watching the two, one big and one small, turn away in unison, the little girl's feelings became even more complicated as she held the clothes. After casting one last deep glance at the two in front of her, she began to change.

?;

Since they were only tracking a runaway child laborer, there weren't many people pursuing them this time, only two.

And this time, after being instructed by Griseo, the Tyrant did not resort to exaggerated methods. He simply and brutally took the enemies' heads, silencing the two noisy foes forever.

After dealing with the enemies, the Tyrant did not linger and returned directly to his little princess's side, guarding her silently.

Meanwhile…

"Something seems to have happened over there. I saw a fire…"

"I saw it too, but it disappeared quickly. What's going on?"

Two Yetis, not too far from Griseo, lowered their voices and discussed after noticing the anomaly.

?;

"Let's not worry about what happened. It's almost time. We'll meet up with Big Sister later."

"That's true. We should remain vigilant. A fire likely means enemies."

"Yeah."

"Big sister?"

Lois and the other person looked at Yelena, who had fallen silent after hearing their account.

"It's fine, you two can just come back with me. It's about time anyway." Hearing someone call her name, Yelena looked up, shook her head, and said softly.

"It's normal for missions to fail, don't take it too much to heart."

"Yes, big sister!"

"Got it."

ps: Same as before, I'll try to write the second chapter faster, sigh… I hope I can sleep early today, it's too difficult.

Chapter 31: Transaction and Reunion

After changing into the clothes, the little girl felt the long-lost warmth on her body, her head lowered, her expression a little dazed.

Honestly, everything that had just happened felt somewhat unreal to her, like a beautiful dream before it vanished.

"Mmm, are you done?"

Sensing no movement behind her, Griseo's little ahoge twitched, and she quietly asked.

"Yeah, I'm done."

Hearing this, Griseo slowly turned around and looked at the girl behind her. She then noticed that the thick winter clothes she was wearing fit the little one in front of her perfectly.

"Mmm… you look beautiful, and the color is nice too." As she spoke, Griseo slowly raised her hand and gave a thumbs up.

"You still haven't told me what your purpose is. I don't think I have anything worth your while."

?;

Looking at the cute, albeit dazed little loli before her, complex emotions flickered in the girl's eyes.

"I told you, because I want to. So, your name…"

As if not noticing the complexity in front of her, Griseo blinked her big eyes and asked softly.

"Anya, th-that's my name."

Gazing into the little loli's emotionless big eyes, the girl's tension eased, and she accidentally revealed her name. In the end, she could only add helplessly.

"Then Anya, let's make a trade. You'll exchange what you know with colors," Griseo proposed the trade she had thought of earlier, after carefully noting down the girl's name.

"…?"

The information was one thing, but the mention of colors by Griseo made the girl a little confused.

"If you agree to the trade, Griseo will protect you. If you have any enemies, I can let you take revenge yourself." As she spoke, Griseo cast her gaze towards the direction of the mine, hinting at something.

"Really!?"

Upon hearing Griseo's words, Anya suddenly became agitated. She took a step forward, grabbed the little loli's shoulders, and asked urgently.

The expression on her face was no longer numb and indifferent, but rather ferocious and full of aggression. Her light green eyes were filled with sadness and hatred.

"Mmm."

Griseo, whose shoulders were suddenly grabbed, nodded gently, her big eyes filled with seriousness.

She was a good child who always kept her word, and besides, she had already planned to deal with this mine.

However, one thing made Griseo feel a little helpless: Anya's current state made her feel a bit like an evil demon making a soul-trading deal…

Even though she just wanted some colors and some information…

?;

"If you help me get revenge… although it might not be worth much, my life is yours."

After receiving Griseo's affirmative reply, Anya slowly released her hands and was about to kneel before the other person.

Anya no longer cared about the identity of the cute, thinly dressed little loli in front of her; it was meaningless.

If she could help her get revenge, she wouldn't care even if the little loli was a devil…

"?"

Seeing Anya about to kneel, a big question mark appeared on Griseo's small head. After reacting, she quickly grabbed Anya's arm to stop her.

"Mommy Aponia said that life is very precious, and your own life is yours to decide and control."

"Since you've agreed to the trade I proposed earlier, let's get started…" After helping Anya up, Griseo patted her head like a little adult, extending her hand.

"……"

Listening to the words by her ear, feeling the touch on her head, and the warmth of her body, Anya suddenly felt a sting in her nose, and her vision blurred…

How long had it been since she last cried?

Anya couldn't quite remember. It seemed like she hadn't cried since her mother was beaten to death protecting her.

Pain, hunger, and insults had never made her cry, but it was only this little warmth today that made her unable to help herself.

Noticing the mist welling up in Anya's eyes, Griseo could only helplessly pat her head again, offering silent comfort.

After seeing that the person's emotions had mostly calmed down, she softly said, "Mr. Wolf, take us to find those two brothers."

As Griseo's voice fell, Mr. Wolf, who had been silently guarding by her side, moved without a sound and carefully picked up the two of them together.

"Eek!"

Although she had been mentally prepared after hearing Griseo's words, Alyona was still startled when she was suddenly picked up.

Compared to her, a certain little loli was completely used to it.

After confirming that the two little ones in his arms were held securely, Mr. Wolf silently moved towards the location of the two Yetis in the distance.

"Let's go, we've finished investigating what we needed to."

"Mhm."

After checking the time, the two Yetis decided to head back. After all, there was no point in staying here any longer. Moreover, given the commotion from earlier, staying here might actually put them in danger.

However, just as the two of them were about to leave, a massive dark shadow shot in front of them at extreme speed.

The moment they saw the dark shadow, both of them instinctively gripped their weapons tightly. But when they clearly saw the "thing" in the shadow's arms, they both froze in place simultaneously, then cried out in surprise.

"Holy crap, little Griseo!"

"Holy crap, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the camp?"

"Um... Good evening?"

To the two surprised Yetis in front of her, Griseo thought for a moment and then greeted them expressionlessly and calmly. Of course, the premise of that calmness was that one had to ignore the flicker of guilt in her big eyes.

"Good evening... what good evening! Did you follow us all the way here?"

"You actually followed us this far! Do you know how dangerous it is here!"

"It's okay, Mr. Wolf is protecting me." As she spoke, Griseo gently patted Mr. Wolf's arm.

Just as the two Yetis were about to say something while looking at Mr. Wolf and the other unfamiliar little girl, a sudden commotion from not too far away caused them to successfully swallow their unsaid words.