Chapter 16: Lost

We left the village and once again stepped into the forest outside.

Following Uncle Hans, we ventured deeper and deeper into the woods.

“Rosa, was that person you encountered yesterday very strong?

How would you gauge his abilities?”

As we walked, Frey casually pierced a wild boar that leaped out from the bushes, then began questioning me about last night’s hooded figure.

But how was I supposed to answer that?

Even though I knew from Karin that Frey was aware I’d lost many spells and was considerably weaker, I really didn’t want to admit how pathetic I was now… I’d keep it vague.

“Pretty strong.

His movements were clean and efficient, and his knife throws were accurate… As an assassin, he’s definitely formidable.

As a mage, though, I can’t say—he never used magic.

All I know is that his dark aura was extremely potent.

He’s no ordinary person.”

That was all I could offer—an assessment of the hooded figure’s skills as an assassin.

If his dark aura was that powerful, his magic shouldn’t be weak either.

So why didn’t he use it?

“I see…

Then all we can do is fortify our defenses until the lord’s troops arrive.”

That was it?

I thought Karin’s highly-praised prodigy might come up with some brilliant solution… but that was just a standard approach.

I’d expected something more insightful…

A little disappointing, but I suppose we didn’t have much information to work with.

I’d keep my hopes up for Frey’s judgment.

“He certainly is strong.

Two people from our village have died already, and you’re the only one who’s survived an encounter with him and lived to tell us anything…

The late mayor and Yamak were both experienced adventurers, yet they died without anyone knowing how.”

Uncle Hans turned to look at me.

“So Rosa, don’t be too hard on yourself for feeling weak.

You’ve already done well.”

Huh, were my thoughts really that easy to read?

Truth be told, if he’d actually tried to kill me, I might not have survived either…

“Yeah, Rosa, you’re already this strong now.

Imagine how much stronger you’ll be when you grow up!”

Warren chimed in, trying to comfort me.

Too bad that encouragement only made me feel more depressed.

We chatted about this and that along the way.

After about an hour of walking, we finally reached a small river.

It flowed out from a valley between two distant hills.

The water glided along quietly, murmuring as it went, its surface smooth as oil with delicate ripples.

The crystal-clear stream sparkled like a silver ribbon unfurling at our feet.

The entire river was tranquil and breathtakingly beautiful.

“I’ll go wander around for a bit.

I’ll come back once you two are done.”

I didn’t really care since I used to be a guy, but still, I had to be mindful of appearances.

“Rosa, you won’t get lost, will you?

Why not just wait around here?”

Did he really have to be that worried about me?

I wasn’t a child.

“I won’t get lost.

I’m going now…” I replied with a frown.

“Come back in ten minutes—I’ll be quick.”

Aaaargh, so annoying!

This guy… His tone was like a nagging parent scolding a troublesome kid.

“Don’t worry about me!

Goodbye.”

I snapped back and stormed off.

He’d just praised me a moment ago, and now he was worried about my safety?

What was his deal?

Whatever—I had things to do.

I still needed to run more tests on my magic.

Yesterday’s experiments had only been cast at thin air, and I hadn’t even tried any illusion spells yet.

This time, I’d find some beasts to test on.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t disappoint.

And so, I roamed aimlessly through the forest.

The poor beasts here had no idea they were about to face a terrifying demon.

I toyed with them using all sorts of spells.

A Rage spell sent a pack of wolves into a frenzy, tearing each other apart.

I summoned a few zombies to brawl with a giant bear.

I used Levitation to make a snake writhe helplessly in the air.

Fighting mindless monsters was way more fun—humans with actual intelligence were way too troublesome.

Anyway, I kept playing happily in the forest, over and over again.

And then, predictably, I got lost.

Oh no, how did this happen?!

That trap had been right after all…

By the time I realized my surroundings were completely unfamiliar, it was already too late.

“No big deal.

I have Levitation.

Nothing to worry about…”

But when I floated up above the treeline, I was dumbfounded.

Everything looked the same—just an endless sea of green.

“H-how could this be…”

Unfortunately, there was a limit to how high I could float, and I’d already reached it.

There was no going higher.

What now, what now?

It’d been way over ten minutes already.

I was doomed.

They’d definitely remember me as a directionally-challenged idiot, and they’d have all the reason to treat me like a real little girl and keep me from running off…

Ugh, damn it!

No—I refused to accept that fate.

I had to find a way out, fast!

Resolved, I started moving through the forest while using Levitation to float along.

Unfortunately, floating wasn’t much faster than walking—it was about the same speed.

But it was better than nothing, and at least I’d conserve some energy.

Still, how was I going to explain myself when I found them?

Levitation, as the name suggested, was a spell that made things float.

It was known to be more tiring than walking, so people rarely kept it up for long.

The only exceptions were undead like liches, ghosts, and barrow-wights—since floating was their innate talent.

If I was seen, would they suspect something?

Better to float low, so it’d be harder to notice.

“Oof…”

In my slightly agitated state, I tripped over something on the ground—even though I was floating.

But there was a tree right in front of me, and I pitched forward, slamming right into it.

My luck was just awful…

“What the—damn it…”

I rubbed my forehead where I’d hit the tree and steadied myself in the air.

Annoyed, I looked down to see what had tripped me.

And then I saw a dead face.

Its eyes were staring straight at me.

“Waaaaah!”

A scream echoed through the forest.

I was so startled that my Levitation spell failed, and I fell flat on my rear.

Scared me to death, scared me to death.

I was already a coward, and I’d never seen a corpse before.

I hadn’t even mentally prepared myself, and now I had to see this… today was just the worst!

Wait—that dead face looked kind of familiar…

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