Chapter 11 : The Second Girl (3)

“How is a commoner like you still alive here?” It was a sharp voice.

It was the kind of tone you’d expect from a noble lady as seen in the media—one that looked down on others with arrogance, tinged with the thorns of insecurity.

Even in her terrified state, the blonde girl, Lisette, seemed more desperate to confirm her own superiority than to accept her reality.

Watching her, I clicked my tongue internally.

Even in a life-or-death situation, she was still harping on about social status.

It made me realize once again just how deeply rooted the social hierarchy of the outside human world really was.

Or perhaps, that hierarchy was the only way that child could understand the world.

If someone as young as Lisette was already talking like that, chances were her parents had raised her that way.

That’s how I interpreted it, but Sori’s face momentarily hardened at Lisette’s insulting question.

However, she soon responded with a calm expression—though her eyes showed a bit of confusion.

“Because… I’m alive? Lord… gives me tasty food and lets me exercise…”

There was no further explanation.

Sori looked puzzled, as if wondering why she was being asked something she had already explained.

At that short and firm answer, Lisette was momentarily at a loss for words.

Perhaps she was flustered by the unexpected confidence (?) from a commoner girl she had just met.

No, it was more like anger and denial than mere confusion.

Lisette’s face turned pale again, and she suddenly stood up.

“That’s not what I meant! I… I’m not some sacrifice! I’m the daughter of Albrecht! I’m getting out of here!”

‘Hey! You said you’d get your limbs cut off if you went back!’

Whether she had lost her mind or not, Lisette screamed like a banshee and started running blindly toward the cave entrance.

Sori didn’t even have time to stop her.

Or maybe, Sori had no intention of stopping that stubborn noble girl to begin with.

Maybe she thought Lisette would only come to her senses after experiencing it herself.

I let out a deep sigh.

Charging out of the cave like that couldn’t possibly be safe.

The sun was already setting, and in these deep mountains, who knew what dangers awaited.

Especially for a child—she wouldn’t be able to survive out there.

So in the end, I have to step in again, huh.

What a pain.

“Sori… stay here.”

Just in case Sori tried to follow her, I stopped her first, then forced my heavy body up to chase after Lisette.

It’s not like she would get far anyway.

I’d catch her soon enough and drag her back into the cave.

And this time, I was definitely going to scold her… no, at least give her a firm warning.

But just as I was about to take a step toward the cave entrance—

“Kyaaa! Somebody help me!”

From just outside the cave, not too far away, Lizette’s desperate scream rang out.

That scream carried more than just fear—it was drenched in the shadow of death.

‘Told you so.’

I sighed again and peeked my head outside the cave.

“There’s no way the protection stone Father gave me would stop working… it can’t be…”

In the forest, where darkness had begun to settle, Lisette had tripped over a tree root.

She seemed to have been relying on something—maybe that very stone—but now she was scrambling backward in fear, trying to escape the wolves.

Several wolves with gleaming eyes surrounded her, closing in.

The wolves slowly tightened their circle, now casting greedy gazes at Lisette, who was frozen with fear.

‘Wolves, huh… this is getting annoying.’

I debated whether to let out a threatening roar or fire a warning shot with my flame breath.

But before I could make a decision—something unexpected happened.

Whoosh!

A small shadow brushed past me and darted out of the cave.

It was Sori! Even though I told her to stay here!

‘Why is that kid—?!’

Panicking, I called out to her, but she didn’t even look back, running straight toward where Lisette was.

Her speed… it wasn’t the speed I knew from Sori.

She moved like the wind.

“Yip?”

Even the wolves looked confused by the sudden appearance of a new prey (?) item.

But soon enough, they charged at Sori with even more ferocity.

Seeing that, Lisette screamed again.

I immediately moved, trying to save Sori.

There was no way her small body could take on starving wolves.

If I rushed in recklessly, I might end up hurting Sori too, so I was going to move carefully—

But as if to say she didn’t need my help, Sori showed incredible agility.

The first wolf lunged with bared fangs, aiming straight for Sori’s neck.

‘No!’

I felt my heart drop.

But instead of being scared, Sori calmly sidestepped the attack, letting it pass by.

Then, in a flash, she picked up a fairly large rock that was lying on the ground.

In the next instant, Sori spun her body with unbelievable speed and drove the rock with all her strength into the side of the landing wolf!

Crack!

The stone struck with a dull sound and lodged into the side, and the wolf’s squealing cry echoed.

The wolf fell sideways and rolled on the ground.

Whether it was knocked out from the shock, it couldn’t move anymore.

The remaining wolves froze at the sight of their companion being subdued in an instant.

In their eyes was confusion, and a wariness about the unexpected force radiating from that small human girl.

Sori, out of breath, gripped another stone in her hand and glared at the other wolves.

Where was that killing intent coming from in such a small body?

Her eyes were sharper than ever, and her whole body radiated the energy of someone ready to strike again.

The wolves hesitated for a moment, and perhaps judging that victory was impossible, they tucked their tails and scattered into the darkness.

It all happened in an instant.

Once the wolves left, the only sounds remaining in the forest were Lisette, crying on the ground, and Sori, standing beside her, panting.

‘…What… what just happened?’

My mind felt as though it had gone blank.

What did I just see? Sori… knocked out a wolf? This was the same child who couldn’t even do three push-ups just a month ago?

I knew that as she underwent more training, her capacity for it increased, and so I had noticed her growing strength.

But this… this was beyond anything I had imagined.

This wasn’t just improved physical strength.

Speed, power, reflexes, even instantaneous judgment and determination.

That was not something an ordinary human child could show.

…

‘What in the world is going on?’

The brief silence in the forest was broken by the groaning of the wolf still lying on the ground.

Sori, still holding the stone, was keeping her guard up, scanning the area.

The energy emanating from her small frame made it hard to believe she had just knocked out a wolf.

I stood at the cave entrance, staring blankly at the whole scene.

My mind wasn’t processing properly.

That… was, how should I put it, almost like an instinctive fighting ability.

A survival instinct triggered in an extreme situation? Or maybe something else entirely, something I don’t know about.

At that moment, Sori let down her guard and approached Lisette, who was still lying on the ground.

Lisette was sitting on the ground, staring up at Sori with a vacant expression.

Her eyes, looking at the girl who had just saved her, were filled with not gratitude, but shock, confusion, and a new kind of fear.

“Get up.”

“Ugh… Okay.”

Without a word, Sori extended her hand to Lizette.

Lisette hesitated for a moment as she looked at the hand, but then took it with trembling fingers.

Sori gently helped Lisette to her feet.

I snapped out of my daze and stepped out of the cave.

I needed to deal with the fallen wolves first.

“Ahh… Ugh!”

“Shh, the wolves might come back.”

As I approached, Lisette almost screamed again, but Sori covered her mouth and whispered softly.

Lisette closed her mouth and simply stared at me with wide, frightened eyes.

I approached the fallen wolf and checked its condition.

The bone where Sori had struck it with the stone was broken, and it was whimpering in pain.

I couldn’t bring a living one into the cave.

Without hesitation, I ended its life with a swift strike.

It was over quickly.

‘I guess I don’t need to hunt tonight.’

After all, this wolf would soon become food for my children.

I took the wolf by the neck and entered the cave first.

“We should go in too.”

“Do we have to go in? Really?”

Sori, almost dragging Lisette, followed behind me, reluctant to enter.

The cave was once again filled with an awkward, heavy silence.

Lisette curled up in the furthest corner of the cave, burying her face between her knees.

“There’s a protection stone… but why… why isn’t it glowing yet?”

She clutched the stone that seemed to be the protection stone, trembling all over.

She seemed to be in even worse fear than when she was surrounded by wolves earlier.

‘Should I comfort her?’

I briefly glanced at Lisette, then turned my gaze away.

Anything I said now wouldn’t comfort her.

It would probably just make her more frightened.

‘Huh?’

Sori was different.

She watched Lisette for a moment, then quietly moved closer and sat beside her.

Without a word, she just stayed there, silently offering her presence.

Lisette still wouldn’t lift her head, but her trembling shoulders seemed to calm down a little.

I felt a complicated mix of emotions as I watched them.

‘Sori… has become stronger, much more than I thought.’

That was a good thing.

It was exactly what I had hoped for when training her.

Dinner time came.

I cooked the freshly caught wolf meat.

This time, I paid extra attention to controlling the fire, so there was less smoke.

I placed the cooked meat in front of Lisette and Sori, but Lisette shook her head, not wanting to eat.

She still seemed to be in shock.

Sori glanced at Lisette, then took a small piece of her portion and offered it to Lisette.

“Eat, you need to eat to get your strength back.”

Lisette hesitated for a moment, but eventually accepted the small piece of meat and brought it to her mouth.

Then, she began to chew very slowly, mechanically.

“Is it good?”

“Mm-hmm…”

Lisette nodded at the question.

Seeing this, Sori ate her portion.

The meal ended, and night deepened.

The cave was immersed in the cold darkness and stillness.

I found a spot near the back wall of the cave and closed my eyes.

“Goodnight, Dragon.”

After the usual greeting, Sori lay down next to me, resting against my side.

But then, Lisette stood up.

She wobbled over to Sori.

Sori looked at Lisette in surprise.

Without a word, Lizette sat down right next to Sori.

Then… she tightly grabbed Sori’s arm.

It was a desperate gesture, like someone who had fallen into water and was clinging to a straw.

Sori, momentarily stunned, didn’t push Lisette’s hand away.

Instead, awkwardly, she seemed to offer her shoulder, allowing Lisette to lean on her.