Chapter 10: A New Name

Morning in the forest was eerily quiet.

If I strained my ears, I could just barely hear birds in the distance, as if yesterday’s tension and excitement had been a lie.

Sleeping in an unfamiliar place, and with someone beside me, meant I hadn’t gotten much rest last night.

Even so, my body felt somewhat lighter.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Beside me, the girl wrapped in the blanket was still breathing softly in her sleep.

Looking at her small sleeping face, it felt as though last night’s fierce battle had been nothing but a dream.

Careful not to wake her, I quietly sat up.

Over the cooled blanket, I placed my cloak on top of her.

Mornings were still cold.

I added dry branches to the campfire and rekindled the flames.

Soon the fire grew stronger, and I placed a pot of water over it.

While waiting for it to boil, I took out dried soup mix and dried meat from my backpack.

I tossed them into the pot to prepare breakfast.

Simple as it was, a warm meal was the greatest luxury.

Perhaps drawn by the smell of the soup, the girl stirred slightly as the savory aroma began to drift through the air, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Still looking a little drowsy, she blinked at me.

“Morning,” I said quietly.

I poured the finished soup into a wooden bowl and handed it to her along with some dark bread.

She looked hesitant at first, but after watching me eat, she slowly began to imitate me.

“No need to rush. Eat slowly.”

When I said that, she gave a small nod.

We ate breakfast in silence.

In the stillness of the forest, only the sound of us sipping soup could be heard.

As we ate, I looked at her again.

Her face still carried traces of childhood.

She was thin, but with proper meals during our journey, she would probably fill out a little.

And once again, the matter of her name weighed on my mind.

“Having no name… is inconvenient.”

I muttered it almost to myself.

Hearing my words, the girl showed an anxious expression.

Perhaps she was wondering whether not having a name was something bad.

She picked up a branch from the ground again and began writing something.

The firelight was weaker now, but with the morning sunlight, it was easier to see than last night.

I leaned closer and tried to decipher the letters scratched into the dirt.

They were messy lines.

“Ro… ro…”

I could barely make out that the first character seemed to be “ro.”

“Rou…?”

I tried sounding it out.

The moment she heard me say it, the girl nodded vigorously.

“Rou, is it?”

When I asked again to confirm, she opened her eyes wide and nodded firmly.

There was no mistake.

That seemed to be what she had been called.

“…Rou…”

I looked again at the letters on the ground.

Then I looked at her face.

(Rou, huh… That was probably what the kidnappers called her… It has a careless ring to it…)

I couldn’t very well have a girl traveling with me be called by such a name.

I closed my eyes for a moment to think.

Various thoughts raced through my head.

What to do from here.

Where to take her.

And first of all, what I should call her.

Suddenly, I remembered a story the Deputy Knight had once told me.

It was about a faraway land and a beautiful princess.

She had shining white hair and was both noble and kind.

That name slipped from my lips before I realized it.

“…Rowena.”

I lifted my face and looked at the girl.

She seemed puzzled by my sudden words.

“Listen. The girl named Rou no longer exists.”

I spoke quietly.

A shadow flickered across her face, mixed with confusion.

“She was eaten by a drake last night and disappeared in this forest.”

Her expression darkened.

She looked as though she herself had vanished.

“Your name… from now on, is Rowena.”

I looked straight into her eyes as I said it.

“I just gave you that name. Alright? Your name is Rowena.”

Rowena.

The sound of it felt clear and carried a quiet strength, unlike the rustling of the forest.

The moment she heard it, she caught her breath.

Then slowly, her expression began to brighten.

It was like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky—a bright, pure smile.

“Rowena is the name of a princess from a distant land.”

I smiled gently and softly touched her slightly dusty hair.

“She was said to be a lovely princess with hair so beautiful it shone.”

Hearing that, the girl touched her own hair.

She looked curiously at her thin, dirty blonde strands.

Perhaps she thought they were nothing like the shining hair of a princess.

“Now, finish your meal.”

I spoke gently and patted her head once more.

She still seemed slightly unfamiliar with her new name, but she nodded happily and resumed eating.

After breakfast, I put out the fire properly.

I buried the embers in dirt and made sure every last spark was extinguished.

For a seasoned traveler, wildfire was a far greater enemy than monsters.

I pulled my backpack to the front and tightened the straps.

The drake’s severed tail from last night was tied to my left shoulder.

It was heavy, but it felt wasteful to leave it behind.

It might sell as material, or perhaps… well, the reason didn’t matter right now.

“Rowena, let’s go.”

Calling her by her new name felt slightly ticklish.

Rowena reacted immediately and stood up.

She swayed a little, her footing still unsteady.

“It’ll be a bit heavier, but I’ll carry you.”

Even if she had recovered somewhat, her strength was far from fully restored.

Making her walk through this forest would be a burden.

And I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The drake likely wasn’t the only danger.

Holding my backpack in front, I lifted Rowena onto my right shoulder.

Her small body was lighter than I had expected.

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”

When I said that, Rowena obediently wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me.

The warmth of her small hands seeped into my back.

Alright, let’s go.

My journey had gained a new companion.

With a heavy load and Rowena on my back, I burst into a full sprint along the road through the Blackleaf Forest.