Chapter 9: The Girl With Nothing

After slowly finishing the water from the canteen and eating a few pieces of dried fruit, the girl seemed a little calmer than before.

Her complexion also appeared slightly better.

To reassure her, I tried moving to a spot a little farther away, with the campfire between us.

But the moment I shifted, she looked at me with unease.

It seemed she wanted me to stay nearby.

Letting out a quiet sigh inwardly, I returned to where I had been.

It would be troublesome if she hesitated at a time like this.

“I’m Edwin. You can call me Ed.”

I introduced myself slowly, using the gentlest tone I could manage.

I wasn’t even sure if she understood my language, but it was worth trying.

The girl appeared to understand and gave a small nod.

Though subtle, the gesture showed that communication was possible.

“And you? What’s your name?”

Next, I asked for her name.

But she said nothing and simply shook her head slowly.

What did that mean?

“I see…”

After a moment of thought, I tried again.

I asked simple questions, using gestures as well, but the girl could only produce faint sounds like “…ah” or “…eh.”

It wasn’t so much that her pronunciation was strange.

Rather, she seemed unaccustomed to forming words, or perhaps unable to speak for some reason.

Verbal communication appeared difficult.

Though she seemed to understand what I was saying.

The girl picked up a fallen branch and began writing something on the ground, using the firelight to see.

But the forest at night was dark, and her writing was unsteady.

I couldn’t read it at all.

“Sorry, it’s too dark to see clearly.”

As I said that, I gently placed my hand near hers.

She stopped writing and set the branch down.

Then I asked what had just occurred to me.

“Do you… have a name?”

Just like before, she slowly shook her head.

Seeing that gesture, I couldn’t help but look up at the sky.

…Good grief, this has truly become something troublesome.

I quietly looked at her again.

She seemed a little tense under my gaze.

In the firelight, I could now clearly see what I hadn’t noticed before about her condition.

Through the tears in her clothes, I could see abrasions on her wrists and ankles, as if they had once been bound by something, along with older scars that were still healing.

And these out-of-place, tattered clothes.

Could it be… that she had been kidnapped?

The Blackleaf Forest was vast and complicated.

Because it was a place far from prying eyes, it would be an easy hideout for such criminals.

If there had been a kidnapping ring’s base here, perhaps it had been attacked by that drake.

And amid the chaos, this girl had managed to escape…?

It was only speculation, but the possibility seemed high.

I quietly and slowly asked the question I most wanted to know.

“…Do you have somewhere to return to?”

This time, she shook her small head gently from side to side.

I thought so.

An orphan with nowhere to go.

Just like me.

I let out a long breath.

Inside, a great wave of emotion was surging.

It would be troublesome.

Without a doubt, continuing my journey with this girl would be far more troublesome than traveling alone.

The dangers would increase, and my pace would be disrupted.

…But.

I simply couldn’t choose to ignore a child with no home, abandoned alone in this forest.

The feeling that it would be a hassle was real.

But the regret of leaving this small life behind felt far heavier.

“Alright.”

I spoke slowly, putting my resolve into my words.

“For now, get some rest. Don’t worry.”

The girl seemed to understand, her eyes softening just a little.

“When the sun rises, we’ll leave here and head for the city of Norest.”

She nodded silently.

“From here, it’ll probably take four or five days on foot. Until then…”

I gently touched the pommel of my beloved sword.

“…I’ll protect you. You don’t need to worry.”

Not as a guard, but as a traveler.

And as someone who had once been an orphan himself.

After hearing my words, it was as if the taut thread within her snapped.

She nodded quietly, leaned slightly against me, and closed her eyes.

Before long, steady breathing could be heard.

She must have been utterly exhausted.

As I stared into the flames of the campfire, I lit a cigarette.

Watching the purple smoke drift upward, I thought about what lay ahead.

My carefree solo journey had only just begun, and already it had become a journey for two.

And not just anyone, but a girl who could barely speak and who had clearly endured something in her past.

Troublesome.

This had truly become troublesome.

In the distance, I thought I heard the cry of something echo through the forest.