Ch. 42

“Geenie, I’ll head down first, so make sure to wash thoroughly, even behind your ears,” Anel said while putting on her clothes.

“Yes!”

After resting, we had planned to gather for a hearty meal at sunset.

Shavel had promised to treat us once he received the transportation fee.

Originally, I wanted to explore the library, but the idea of delicious food was tempting.

Still, the most urgent thing was soaking in warm water and properly relaxing my body…

“Ahh, this is nice.”

My long golden hair floated atop the steaming water, stretching out in waves.

I had let it grow without much thought, and now it reached my waist, starting to feel a bit cumbersome.

Even wet, my natural curls remained intact.

My hair seemed to take after my father in this world, while my eyes resembled my mother’s.

I wondered how they were doing. Sometimes, I thought about them, but… that was all.

What I missed more were my parents from my past life.

Having two sets of parents felt strange.

I didn’t feel much connection to my family in this world, but I had three older brothers who adored me as their precious youngest sister. A daughter they cherished, yet one who had never truly called them “Mom” or “Dad.”

Despite that, they always missed me, sending countless gifts and letters.

And every time they did… it made me feel… more and more…

“I don’t know.”

Whenever my thoughts grew too deep, I would dive underwater, submerging myself entirely.

Was it because I had lived longer in my past life?

Seventeen years there, compared to only ten in this world—it was no wonder my past felt more real than my present.

But I would be here for decades to come.

“I don’t know.”

Just as the warm water made my body relax and sleepiness crept in, I sat up.

After roughly drying myself, I put on the clothes Undine had washed for me.

This was the fifth day I had been wearing this same outfit.

And today was the first time I had properly washed it.

With no time to clean my clothes properly, I had only managed to wash my hair occasionally.

The mercenaries weren’t particularly concerned with hygiene, so they never even went near the lake.

Draping a towel over my shoulders, I let Undine absorb the remaining water droplets from my hair.

Feeling refreshed, I stepped out of my room—only for Rai to dart toward me and coil around my waist.

If he stayed still like that, he could easily pass as a belt.

Rai was getting better at imitating accessories by the day.

Entering the dining area, I scanned the intimidating crowd for familiar faces.

Though, to be fair, the familiar faces were just as intimidating as the rest.

Still, knowing how they smiled made me feel a bit more at ease.

The first one I spotted was Kenta—his massive size made him stand out instantly.

As I approached the table where the mercenaries had gathered, one of them pulled out an empty chair for me.

“Wait, where did my chair go?”

A man, holding a frothy mug of beer, looked around in confusion.

Was he the chair’s original owner?

“Sit down, kid,” another mercenary said.

“Okay!”

Mercenary kindness was straightforward.

I hesitated out of politeness, but since he urged me to sit, I didn’t refuse twice.

The table was overflowing with food, mostly meat, with a generous amount of alcohol.

As I scanned the table for something to eat, a large slab of meat was placed in front of me.

A whole roasted piglet’s hind leg, glistening in a rich brown color.

For a moment, I wondered—was this how I looked in an ogre’s eyes?

“Is this for me?”

The mercenary who had been my previous experiment subject, Halk, had placed it there.

Had he forgotten what I did to him?

I blinked at him, but he responded as if I had asked something obvious.

“Of course, kid! You gotta eat well!”

“Thank you! Hehehe!”

The Shavel Mercenary Corps were good people, despite their rough appearances.

They were all a bit stupid, though.

Not that I thought that just because they gave me meat.

[Master, isn’t this the guy you experimented on by making water shoot up his nose?]

Rai’s words made me feel a tiny bit guilty.

[Shut up.]

[He got tortured, yet he’s giving you food? He must be either crazy, or the trauma was so bad that he developed selective amnesia! Write it in your experiment log!]

[You better shut it before I shut you down.]

[Master! What did I do?]

[You woke my conscience.]

Ignoring Rai, I dug into the meat.

I was starving, and this was the first proper meal I’d seen in a while.

There was no need for manners—everyone else was eating the same way.

As I buried my face in my food, I realized Shavel and Anel were missing.

“Auwuggawa?”

I tried to ask where they were, but the chunk of meat in my mouth made the words incomprehensible.

Somehow, Kenta understood me and nodded.

“Aguwaguga, gugaga.”

…I had no idea what he just said.

I barely understood my own garbled speech, let alone his response.

Deciding to swallow before speaking, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

It wasn’t Kenta.

It wasn’t Halk.

Who was—?

“Hehehe. The more I look at you, the cuter you get. You’re going to grow into quite the beauty, little one.”

A foul breath hit my face, too repulsive for me to even turn around.

The piece of meat in my mouth immediately dropped out.

“Pfft!”

“Oh….”

The chewed-up meat landed on the man’s face.

But despite that, my disgust only grew stronger.

More than feeling sorry, I felt violated.

“Ew! Noooo!”

“What’s going on?”

“What happened?”

“Kenta! This guy—!”

“W-What? I didn’t do anything!”

“Waaah!”

I threw myself at Kenta, sobbing.

Of course, the tears were fake, but with Anel gone, he was the best option I had.

The once lively Shavel Mercenary Corps fell completely silent as they turned their gazes toward me.

Everyone was still holding their food, frozen mid-bite.

And they were all glaring at the man who touched me.

The man looked desperately confused.

“I really didn’t do anything!”

“Liar! You suddenly grabbed my shoulder!”

“That little—”

SMACK!

Kenta slapped the man across the face with a massive lamb shank.

…That was unnecessary. Satisfying, but unnecessary.

“You perverted bastard! She’s ten!”

And just like that, the fight erupted.

As the man and Kenta started throwing punches, it spread across the entire tavern like wildfire.

Soon, it was a full-blown brawl between the Shavel Mercenary Corps and the sleazy man’s gang.

Hmmm. This isn’t my fault… right?

Mugs of beer went flying, tables were overturned, and the air grew tense with violence.

Sensing the danger, I cautiously lowered myself and crawled under a table.

[Master, are you seriously hiding after starting this fight?]

[I am NOT hiding!]

I peeked my head out slightly.

“You useless cowards, only taking escort jobs!”

“Ha! You’re just a loser who flirts with every woman and gets rejected!”

“You wanna say that again?!”

The fight escalated to a point of no return.

It was pretty clear now that Kenta and that man had bad blood from long before.

Which meant… this definitely wasn’t my fault.

[Master…]

[Don’t say another word.]

“Ow!”

My own parents never hit me!

I felt deeply wronged as I rubbed my forehead, but Shavel’s furious expression kept me from talking back.

“How is it that you cause trouble the moment we enter the city?!”

“I was just—”

“And you managed to set off two people who already hated each other?!”

“How was I supposed to know?”

“If you were going to make them fight, you might as well have joined in! Do you have any idea how much I had to pay in fines and damages?!”

Shavel’s glare burned hot enough to melt steel.

But I wasn’t about to just take the scolding quietly.

“Sniff… sniff… A-Anel! The captain is being mean to me! Huuuuh!”

“…Captain! You’ve gone too far!”

“What?! This brat caused—”

“That man already had a bad reputation for his wandering hands! Imagine how scared she must have been! If anything, Kenta deserves praise for stepping in!”

I buried myself in Anel’s arms, then stuck my tongue out at Shavel.

Of course, I made sure to do it where Anel couldn’t see.

Anel’s outraged voice grew louder.

“Captain, I’m disappointed in you!”

“But… but Kenta got arrested by the city guards—”

“Two grown men fighting is their responsibility, not a child’s!”

“Hrmm…”

Having been thoroughly scolded, Shavel looked like a sulking child—his expression eerily similar to Kenta being dragged away earlier.

Was he trying to earn sympathy points?

That kind of thing only worked for kids like me.

“That look won’t work! Apologize to Geenie!”

“Tch! That’s ridiculous—!”

“If you don’t, I might have to reconsider renewing my contract with you.”

“…What?”

“I refuse to work with someone who doesn’t share my values.”

“…I’m sorry, Geenie. Forgive me.”

That was a fast apology.

Hmm… was Anellia actually the secret leader of the Shavel Mercenary Corps?

I hadn’t been with them long, but a lot of the men seemed to follow her around just because they liked her.

Even Kenta was obvious about it.

Well, one thing was clear.

I had sided with the right person.

I clung even tighter to Anel’s waist.