Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Picking Up a Young Silver Lion (1)
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I took care of the remaining zombies while the girl recovered. I didn't collect any byproducts from them. Now that I knew these were once someone's precious loved ones, I couldn't bring myself to do it. After performing a simple purification ritual, I buried them in the ground and offered a short prayer.
After that, I set up a [Forest Barrier] around the area and lit a small campfire.
Then I pulled out a lunchbox from my sub-space ring. All the commotion had left me starving.
Since time doesn't flow in the sub-space, the lunchbox was still warm.
The moment I opened the wooden lid, the aroma of roasted chicken and fragrant herbs wafted out.
The innkeeper really has some serious skills.
I took a bite of the rye bread slathered with wild berry jam and stuffed with cheese. The jam, cheese, and bread—all fresh and perfectly balanced—whetted my appetite.
Next up was the chicken leg.
Glazed with oil and sprinkled with herbs, the golden-brown drumstick looked utterly mouthwatering. No idea what technique he used, but the tender meat melted in my mouth the instant it hit my tongue. The seasoning was spot-on too—salty enough to make me crave a beer.
"Ah, maybe I should have one."
I'd gone through hell to get here, taken down six zombies, and subdued (albeit young) a silver lion.
I deserved a beer as a reward for my hard work.
I fetched a keg of beer from my magic pouch, buried it in the snow for a bit to chill, then poured myself a glass.
-Gulp, gulp, gulp...
I waited for the white foam to settle just a touch, then downed it in one go.
"Ahh... that's the stuff."
-Woof!
As if I'd forgotten about her, Aila barked loudly from the side. I pulled out the fresh chunk of meat and goat milk I'd asked the innkeeper for along with the lunchbox and served it to her, then kept drinking my beer.
As I was nearly finishing my glass...
-Grrrrumble.
"Hm?"
-Grrrruuumble...
That familiar sound.
I glanced at the girl leaning against the tree, recovering. She had her head turned away from me, pretending to sleep...
-Grrrrumble!
Unfortunately, her stomach had a mind of its own and ruined the act.
"Hungry?"
"..."
The girl kept her mouth shut tight, still feigning sleep.
She'd been wandering this cursed land for who-knows-how-many days under a curse, so of course she'd be starving.
Tsk, just say you're hungry. That's nobles for you...
'If I give her the lunchbox right now after she's been starving, it'll make her sick.'
Bingeing high-calorie food after prolonged malnutrition might feel great at first, but soon enough, the pain would make her wish she were dead.
'White rice porridge is best in cases like this.'
Hot steamed white rice porridge with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce.
But I couldn't get that here, so I'd have to improvise with some stew.
I scooped snow into a small pot and set it over the campfire.
'Let's see, with what I've got...'
I rummaged through my sub-space pouch. Since nothing edible for humans existed in the cursed land, I sifted through the ingredients I'd stocked up on beforehand.
Chicken, cabbage, carrots, oats...
Chicken soup it is.
I chopped the ingredients finely, tossed them in the pot, and let it simmer.
"Hey."
The girl was still pretending to sleep.
Embarrassed, huh?
Finally, as I approached with a bowl of soup, she opened her eyes.
-Grrrruuumble...
"Hungry, right?"
"..."
"Here."
Before she could say a word, I handed her the bowl and returned to my spot.
As I sat with my back to her, etching shamanic runes into arrows, I heard the faint sounds of her eating.
You'd think she'd devour it, but... nobles gonna noble. Maybe she's just got insane patience.
"Aila."
Figuring the girl had finished, I called over Aila, who was wandering nearby.
-Woof?
"Stay by her side tonight."
In the cursed land, where bone-chilling cold winds howled, maintaining body heat was priority one.
I'd already acquired [Cold Resistance], but the current [Silver Lion] was just an ordinary girl...
Aila got the message right away and plopped down next to her with her usual cheekiness.
The girl looked startled at first, but she seemed to like Aila more than me and soon leaned against her and fell asleep.
I paused etching runes into the arrows and looked up at the sky.
An enormous moon hung there, eerie in its size.
'What the hell is going on...'
It had been one bizarre night.
* * *
All things considered, taking down a good number of undead monsters had leveled me up. Sure, there'd been that unexpected encounter with the young [Silver Lion], but I had no intention of helping with revenge that wasn't my business. My goal was pure 'power-leveling.'
For the next two days, I deliberately hunted in areas mercenaries avoided, massacring ghosts, zombies, skeletons, and other undead. It wasn't hunting—it was slaughter. Naturally, my levels shot up fast, and I racked up a ton of valuable undead byproducts.
Just one problem...
"Huff, huff..."
Something annoying was tagging along.
The young [Silver Lion], that's who.
The [Silver Lion]—or Elizabeth Reinhardt, as it turned out—had been tailing me diligently ever since that day. Her skills were so laughably bad it barely qualified as tailing, though...
She was panting and struggling to keep up even though I'd dropped [Leaf Step] out of pity and was moving at normal speed.
'Guess it's about time to head back to the city.'
I glanced at Elizabeth, sweating bullets behind me, and let out a deep sigh.
That outstanding armor, sword, and looks—not remotely ordinary...
If she followed me into the city looking like that, everyone would peg her as the last scion of Reinhardt.
And her fate as Elizabeth Reinhardt? Obvious.
'[Silver Lion] would vanish for good.'
Even with her signature Reinhardt blonde turned silver, anyone in the know would recognize her.
There were still bounties out on Reinhardt remnants...
'No matter how you slice it, I don't wanna sell out a kid for cash.'
I pondered for a moment.
'...If I play this right, maybe I can make [Silver Lion Reinhardt] my ally.'
It'd cost some coin, but snagging a future [Silver Lion] as a companion was huge upside.
A [Silver Lion] who could make the entire empire tremble in fear.
'[Silver Lion Reinhardt] as my comrade—no, subordinate? That'd be sweet...'
Oblivious to my scheming, Elizabeth was catching her breath, her beautiful silver hair fluttering.
Yeah.
In this uncertain, dangerous world, running into a [Silver Lion] might just be a gift from the gods.
'Not like she'll stop tailing me anytime soon anyway.'
Once we were somewhat close to the city, I stopped and turned to her.
"If you enter the city like that, you're dead."
"...!"
I pulled a dagger from my pocket and handed it to her.
"Want to live? Cut your hair with this."
"..."
Elizabeth gripped the dagger resolutely and chopped off her hair in one go.
Not satisfied with a bob, she sheared it boyishly short before handing the dagger back.
"Good."
"..."
"Now, ditch the armor."
As if she'd expected it, she obediently shed the oversized plate that looked twice her size. Without it, she seemed downright scrawny.
To Elizabeth, who now looked like no noble lady but a proper street urchin boy, I laid out the final condition.
"Finally..."
"..."
"Abandon your name."
"What do you..."
"You think you can keep using 'Elizabeth Reinhardt'?"
"..."
I saw her bite her lip hard.
"You're 'El' from now on. No family name."
Orphans don't have surnames. Me, dropped into this world like one, was just Theodor—no family name.
"...Understood."
Elizabeth—no, El—finally acquiesced.
I wrapped her in a thick blanket and smeared some soot on her face for good measure.
"Don't say a word in the city. Someone might recognize your voice."
El nodded.
"Good, just like that."
We reached the city gates, ringed by towering walls. The guards eyed me suspiciously since I'd left alone but returned with a tagalong, but my tale of picking up a poor barbarian orphan plus a silver coin got us through smooth.
Before heading to the inn, we stopped at a monster byproduct shop.
I emptied my sub-space ring: five magic stones, skeleton parts, zombie bits. I hadn't realized the haul until I started pulling it out—endless piles. Even the merchant was stunned, and soon a crowd gathered, all gasping in awe.
"You... you took down all these monsters solo?"
The merchant, sorting the skeleton bones I handed over, swallowed hard.
"Yes."
"Alone? How?!"
"I'm a druid."
Gasps of "Ooh!" erupted everywhere.
Druids rarely showed themselves in the mortal world.
Plenty here had probably never seen one before.
"My mission is to return these abominations, defiers of nature's order, to nature's embrace."
I smoothly delivered my rehearsed line and flashed a warm smile. More gasps. Perfect—reputation boost secured.
I emptied the pouch and eyed the merchant. Used to money-grubbing mercs, he was touched by my "mission" talk, nodding eagerly with sparkling eyes.
"To think there's still youths this upright these days... No commission fee. Keep upholding that mission."
"Of course."
All for the money, money.
I pocketed the coin pouch with a fake smile.
"Oh, know a good blacksmith?"
"End of the alley, Iron-Arm Robert. Solid skills."
"Ah."
"Temper's foul, though."
He chuckled, pointing down the alley. Smoke billowed from the weathered smithy.
"Thanks, sir."
"Keep hunting? Come back here."
"Haha, will do."
I led El to the smithy.