Chapter 3: I Reincarnated as a Villainess…and Ended Up Stranded (2)

“Among us, there’s a bad kid who snuck off and ate the emergency rations last night.”

Day two of being stranded in the forest.

My relief at waking up safely this morning was short-lived—because one of the apples we worked hard to gather was missing.

We’re a tiny group of just one person and one doll.

And I know I’m innocent, so the culprit is obvious.

“……”

Kiriel knelt with her arms raised high, accused of unauthorized snacking.

Instead of apologizing, she had the nerve to look utterly wronged.

For a doll, she sure has a lot of gall.

“Kiriel, did you eat the apple last night or not?”

“……”

“You’re not gonna answer?”

But Kiriel stayed silent.

Sigh… I was actually going to let her off easy if she just fessed up.

“Until you tell the truth, you’re not allowed to lower your arms.”

What, you think this is too harsh for just an apple?

Absolutely not.

I couldn’t care less about losing one or two apples.

We can always just pick more.

This forest is basically an apple buffet.

The real issue?

Trust.

This is about trust.

If I let this slide now, what happens later—like if we catch a wild rabbit or something?

She might just sneak off and gobble it up.

Fruit, I can live with.

But meat? Hell no.

Eventually, Kiriel made a remorseful expression.

She can’t speak, being a doll, but her range of facial expressions is absurdly detailed.

“You know you did wrong, right?”

She gave a reluctant nod.

Even though I scolded her pretty firmly, seeing her all pitiful like that made my heart soften a bit.

When I patted her on the head and told her she did a good job reflecting, she gave me a strange look.

“I’m starting to get sick of apples…”

Breakfast was—unsurprisingly—apples again.

They were plentiful and accessible, but that wasn’t the problem.

While they helped with hydration and hunger, a diet of just fruit wasn’t sustainable.

“…I felt it yesterday too, but there’s really no sign of human life, huh?”

After walking for hours yesterday, I came to one clear conclusion:

This forest was wild to an absurd degree.

That airship had exploded and scattered debris everywhere—yet no one had come to investigate.

Literally the only signs of civilization I’d seen were chunks of wreckage.

Going on another aimless walk today would be risky without food and water.

According to basic survival knowledge, humans can survive about 3 days without water and about a week without food.

Thanks to all the apples, that limit could probably stretch a bit.

Still, apples have no fat or protein.

Maybe some carbs… probably.

So could I technically survive like this?

Sure, maybe.

But that’s under the assumption I’d end up in an inn or a church—or a hospital—when things go bad.

Here in the wilderness, I needed to stay in the best shape possible.

No fats or proteins = a very bad time.

Same goes for lack of water.

“Let’s not wander aimlessly today. Let’s try to find a water source.”

That became today’s plan: securing drinkable water.

Where there’s water, there are fish.

And fish = delicious protein.

Whether it’s a stream, a river, or a lake—finding freshwater would solve a lot of problems.

Finding a safe hiding spot was also important, but after surviving one night with just a campfire, I felt that priority could wait a bit.

“I mean, there’s no way a little girl like me can escape this wild forest on her own, right? Don’t you think so?”

I asked Kiriel like I was trying to reassure myself.

Honestly, I was hoping she’d nod right away.

Instead, she pounded her tiny chest and struck a trust me pose with a bold expression.

“Heheh. Wow, you’re dependable.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

It gave me more courage than I expected.
Yeah.

I’m Lin Rosegarden—daughter of a powerful family.

Instead of trying to escape this forest all on my own, it made more sense to stay near the crash site and wait for a rescue.

How long had we been walking?

Eventually, between the thick trees, I spotted a large cave.

“…What the heck?”

We were looking for water and ended up finding a shelter first.

I was a bit dumbfounded, but honestly, I wasn’t complaining.

“Ooh… It’s bigger than I expected.”

The cave was surprisingly cozy.

Plenty of light filtered in, the floor was even, and it looked comfy enough to lie down on.

It honestly felt like nature had built me a starter home.

Fwoosh…!

I lit a torch I had prepared.

The slope wasn’t too steep, so exploring deeper was easy.

…Wow.

This cave is actually kind of amazing.

The light was dim, but further in, I found a narrow tunnel branching off.

It was tight, but I could probably crawl through it.

Most caves only have one entrance/exit, which is a drawback.

But this one?

This one had an emergency exit.

Perfect.

Yup!

Decision made!

This is our base now!

And I even noticed moisture in the air coming from another direction—could there be water?

Dripping from the cave’s ceiling, I saw water falling from damp stalactites.

“…Water…”

Following that path, we soon found a small pool.

A narrow stream trickled through cracks in the rocks, forming a gentle, clear pool under a shaft of light.

It felt like the world itself was telling me: Drink me. I’m clean.

With a smile, I scooped some into my hands.

The cool water ran down my throat, refreshing like mountain spring water in my past life.

Honestly, I thought I’d be suffering for days.

But I found water and a shelter this easily?

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“…Kiriel?”

Unlike me, Kiriel looked deadly serious as she stared toward the cave entrance.

BOOM…!

“Wh-What…?! An earthquake?!”

No… it wasn’t a quake.

It sounded like something massive stomping the earth.

Holding my breath, I crept toward the entrance.

A giant shadow loomed closer.

Soon, I saw what it was.

“Gasp…!”

A troll.

Yes. A troll.

In this world, they’re known for their monstrous regeneration.

They can regrow limbs in minutes.

And worse—

…Wait.

Is it looking right at me?

Grrrrrr…

I froze in fear.

The troll had noticed us trespassing.

Honestly, I knew this was a fantasy world.

I knew there’d be monsters.

But I hadn’t really accepted it.

Not deep down.

Because humans aren’t that tough.

At least—not me.

I kept convincing myself nothing bad would happen to me.

That maybe I’d run into a rabbit or something cute.

That if something dangerous did happen, I’d just fend it off with a fire spell or a stick.

I’d been hiding in delusion.

But reality was cruel.

This wasn’t one of those fantasy stories where the villainess lives in luxury.

No cozy beds.

No maids marveling at my modern knowledge.

No doting villain dad.

“Don’t come any closer!!”

All I had was a tiny doll—

—and a dumbass girl who hadn’t even made a spear to defend herself.

Fwoosh!

Thankfully, trolls fear fire.

Their regeneration doesn’t work well against burn damage.

I swung the torch with as much fake courage as I could muster.

Grrrr…

…It’s working?

He’s backing off!

Okay.

Calm down.

Trolls are strong, but dumb.

If I move in a circle and stay calm…

I shielded Kiriel with my body.

She quietly moved with me, eyes locked on the troll.

I tightened my grip on the torch and slowly circled.

Good troll… just back away, nice and easy…

I held my breath.

Trolls might be dumb, but they’re sharp when it comes to instincts.

Sure enough, the troll wasn’t watching me—he was watching the fire.

Just a bit more…!

But then—

“…!?”

I tripped.

Because I was so focused on the troll, I didn’t notice the uneven ground.
The torch slipped from my hand.

Worse, it rolled toward the troll.

“Ah…!”

I lunged for it—but it was too late.

The troll smacked it out of the cave with his giant club.

And then—
a sudden storm of wind slammed into him.

“…Huh?”

When I turned to see what had happened—

Kiriel stood with her arms out, conjuring wind magic.

Wait… what?

Kiriel can use magic?

BOOOOM!!

She launched a second, stronger blast.

It was no joke—like a hurricane in miniature.

“…?”

But the troll stood there, completely unscathed.

Kiriel looked shocked.

She didn’t realize it—but this was totally expected.

“Kiriel!”

Trolls can regenerate.

Sure.

But more importantly—

“This way! Hurry!”

—they’re immune to magic.

Kiriel froze in disbelief, so I scooped her into my arms.

The main exit was blocked, so I bolted toward the narrow tunnel.

A tight fit for a kid—so there’s no way the troll could follow.

“Kyaa!”

But this was the troll’s den.

Even a dumb brute knows his own home layout.

He hurled his club—
no, a whole tree—to block the exit.

There was still a gap, but trying to squeeze through would slow me down.

I had no choice but to run deeper into the unknown tunnels.

BOOM!!

The troll raged, swinging wildly.

Stalactites and rocks exploded behind me.

“Landlords in any world are the worst…!!”

Seriously.

In my last life, the worst they did was raise rent.

Here?

They try to kill you.

“Ugh…!”

I ran and ran—until total darkness surrounded me.

Grrrr…

The troll grumbled.

He couldn’t squeeze into the tiny hole I’d crawled through.

Even with night vision, he couldn’t see far.

With no sign of me, he gave up and trudged back to bed.

“Ugh…”

Meanwhile, I’d tumbled into a different tunnel.

“I-I’m alive…”

I looked up and confirmed the troll wasn’t following.

I sighed in relief.

“…Now where am I?”

The tunnel widened into a large chamber.

A beam of light poured through a hole in the ceiling,
and glittering micro-spirits danced in the air.

Beneath the light: a crystal-clear underground lake.

No other tunnels.

Just walls.

“Kiriel? What’s that over there?”

Next to the tunnel I fell from,
something white was lying in the corner—

“…Is that…?”

It was a skeleton.