Chapter 10
Chapter 10
I waited patiently for the perfect opportunity.
The exact moment Sir Rekun left the territory for an inspection tour.
Sir Rekun was absurdly overprotective.
Whenever anyone tried to go somewhere, he would immediately make a fuss about it.
It was like watching a parent obsessively sheltering their child.
Well, considering Eden was Bellark’s final heir, it wasn’t impossible to understand…
But even so, he took things way too far.
And it wasn’t just me who thought that.
The territory’s residents felt the same way.
Part of that overprotectiveness was directed toward me as well.
Apparently, a four-year-old child had no reason to wander around outside.
Because of that, as long as Sir Rekun remained inside the castle, visiting the lake was impossible.
Hell, I couldn’t even leave the castle grounds.
So the picnic(?) with Eden only happened after half a month had passed.
Sir Rekun conducted territory inspections two or three times each month, so eventually the opportunity arrived naturally.
Maybe the gods were helping me.
Today also happened to be Bella the nanny’s day off.
Which meant escaping the castle wasn’t particularly difficult.
Step, step.
Even our footsteps sounded as cautious as thieves sneaking around.
One tiny little brat.
A young lord who had reached an “agreement” with me.
And two soldiers bribed by that young lord.
A group of four quietly headed toward Kaltenberg Forest through the castle’s back gate.
“Sera, Sir Rekun’s going to get really angry if he finds out. So we can’t stay out too late, okay?”
That was the first thing Eden said to me once we arrived at Bellark Forest.
“Okay.”
This time, I obediently nodded.
Just as Eden said, if Sir Rekun discovered this, chaos would erupt.
And wandering through the mountains late at night really was dangerous, so I had no intention of doing that in the first place.
What time did Sir Rekun usually return again?
On average, he came back from inspections around seven in the evening.
And the current time was exactly noon.
As long as we returned before five, there probably wouldn’t be a problem.
“Sera, where are you going~?”
“……”
But I still couldn’t let my guard down.
The final obstacle—the soft-hearted young lord—was still right there.
I could practically feel the back of my head aching from his constant gaze no matter where I went.
Eden seemed completely convinced he was my guardian now.
His entire mindset screamed: “I absolutely have to bring her back safely.”
“Is there somewhere specific you want to go?”
Oh, definitely.
But it was dangerous for children, so I planned to leave you behind here.
Even the guards Eden brought for my safety were variables.
Sure, they were basically an unorganized militia, but they were still troublesome enough to become obstacles.
And today was the long-awaited day of the familiar bonding ritual.
There was absolutely no room for interference.
The early bird catches the worm.
If you wanted something badly enough, you had to take initiative.
Dash!
I suddenly sprinted into action.
I spread a cloth beneath the shade of a tree to serve as a picnic mat.
Placed down the sandwiches the chef had prepared yesterday.
And finally, I brought out my secret weapon.
“Eden.”
“Hm?”
“Drink chamomile tea.”
“Ah, th-thanks?”
This wasn’t just ordinary tea.
What were chamomile’s effects again?
Something about easing headaches, reducing anxiety, and calming the mind, I think.
I had secretly stolen it from the stash Bella sometimes brewed for herself whenever childcare exhausted her.
Sure, it wasn’t a sleeping drug, so the effects wouldn’t be dramatic.
But combined with warm sunlight and sandwiches?
Even if he was a lord, Eden was still just a growing child.
Sleepiness was inevitable.
Technically, I was growing too, but I had spent the entire previous day sleeping in preparation for today.
Fourteen hours in total.
There was no way drowsiness would drag me under before evening.
Still, it wasn’t enough for only Eden to fall asleep.
“Guards should drink too!”
“Hm? Well then, thank you, little miss.”
The more sleepers, the better.
So naturally, I offered tea to everyone.
I insisted relentlessly too.
“Come on, it’s healthy for you,” and all that nonsense.
Pour after pour.
Man, if only this were alcohol instead.
“Jaden, doesn’t tea alone feel a little lacking? The weather’s this nice.”
“Even so, we’re technically on duty…”
That’s right!
I knew I could count on lazy guards like you guys—!
“This place is as safe as the territory itself. What could possibly happen?”
“Ahem, well… maybe just a little.”
Was this reality or a dream?
The guards unexpectedly ended up helping me.
My shoulders shook with excitement.
Drinking hidden rum in broad daylight technically counted as neglecting duty…
And honestly, I had no idea just how deep the lord’s authority had fallen…
“Sera, keep this a secret for us, alright?”
Why would I care about that?
I simply nodded enthusiastically at their request.
Drink up. Drink plenty.
I even made sure to encourage them.
“…Phew.”
Several dozen minutes later, the chamomile distribution was complete.
Soon after, I plopped down on the ground and stared toward the distant mountains.
I needed to act calmer and more obedient than anyone else so Eden wouldn’t grow suspicious.
For now, there was nothing to do except wait for everyone to fall asleep.
When staring at the mountains became boring, I occasionally blanked out while watching insects or flowers instead.
Time drifted lazily onward.
Random thoughts wandered through my head all day.
How the hell did I end up becoming a girl in this life?
What’s going to happen to me from now on?
Will I actually be able to survive around here just by swinging a sword?
What happens if the familiar bonding fails?
……
“Hwiit!?”
That was dangerous!
I almost fell asleep myself without realizing it.
I slept the entire day yesterday, so why was I sleepy again?
This little kid body was way too obedient to its instincts.
Anyway, what about the others?
I turned my head to check the situation.
“……”
…Did I get them all?
Thankfully, the only thing lingering through the forest was the sound of chirping birds.
Now’s my chance.
Rise with power!
“Hup!”
Still, better safe than sorry.
Poke. Poke.
Using a tree branch, I poked each member of the group to make sure they were truly asleep.
By the way…
They’re seriously dead asleep.
Was chamomile always this powerful?
Next time I needed to perform a covert mission, I should seriously consider using chamomile instead of sleeping drugs.
It was environmentally friendly and had no side effects.
There was no reason to avoid it.
“…Hmm.”
I did feel a little guilty though.
Would Eden get angry?
Sir Rekun definitely wouldn’t stop at just being furious either.
Still, I hoped they’d understand a little.
In my own way, I was actually being considerate toward Eden.
From everything I’d heard, centaurs were vicious creatures.
If I brought Eden along under the excuse of protection and something terrible actually happened, what then?
I already owed him my life.
If I caused even more trouble on top of that, I’d never be able to hold my head high again.
A life for myself.
A free life.
A life where I wasn’t controlled by others.
They weren’t grand ambitions, but they were still promises I made before arriving in this world.
And to achieve those things, I couldn’t afford to owe massive debts.
Because repaying them might force my own wishes aside.
As I’d said before—
Since I valued practicality and profit, Eden wasn’t exactly the kind of person I liked.
I was grateful, sure.
But the more I looked at him, the more frustrating he became.
In modern society, someone that absurdly kind would either get exploited constantly or mocked for being a fool.
And unlike me in my previous life, he wasn’t someone who “tried to be kind.”
That impossible level of natural kindness was basically a chronic illness.
There was no cure for it.
“……”
…Still, gratitude was gratitude.
He was frustrating, but I didn’t dislike him.
And I hadn’t forgotten that I owed him my life.
Just like citizens paid taxes to their nation, I figured I’d hand him part of my salary someday.
Even if the territory collapsed, I’d at least make sure he never starved to death.
Like some kind of pension.
So as someone freeloading under his roof, I shouldn’t cause massive trouble.
If someone had to die, better me alone than dragging innocent people into it.
And even if I couldn’t repay his kindness properly, I should at least avoid involving him in dangerous matters.
“Hm?”
Wait.
Haven’t I already dragged him into it?
If so, then this really had to be the limit.
Even this much already deserved gratitude and caution.
I shifted my gaze beyond the dense forest.
The remaining distance to the lakeside was roughly one kilometer.
Round trip would make it about two.
Running through mountain terrain like that in the body of a four-year-old would normally be difficult.
But then again, I wasn’t really normal for a four-year-old.
My body from my previous life had possessed absurdly high stats, so even this child body naturally had excellent stamina.
Though I was currently four years old, my physical ability was closer to that of a seven- or eight-year-old.
As long as I paced myself steadily, making the round trip shouldn’t be impossible.
And maybe, if things went well, the centaur might even give me a ride back.
Assuming I survived.
Gulp.
Tension rose within me as I imagined meeting the centaur warrior.
I had made it this far focusing only on the positives, but now that the moment was approaching, the possibility of death made my legs tremble.
Back in my previous life, I always chewed gum before important matches.
It was my way of calming myself down.
But there was nothing like that here.
Chew, chew.
So instead, I gnawed on tough rubber tree bark to soothe my nerves.
Backing down now would destroy my pride.
Rustle.
I unfolded the map I had secretly brought along and marched forward.
Since this wasn’t my first brush with death, the sensation wasn’t exactly welcome.
And I stumbled over rocks several times along the way…
“Ughhh—!”
But I gritted my teeth and pushed forward stubbornly.
If all you ever walked were ordinary roads and smooth paths, you’d never gain the strength needed to resist true disaster.
Of course safety was important.
But with the dark future of the territory practically guaranteed, I didn’t really have another choice.
This was the kind of situation where “failure” felt identical to “death.”
So I would choose the strongest insurance policy available to me.
The centaur warrior wouldn’t solve every problem.
But it would undoubtedly increase my chances of reaching a brighter future.
“Hehehe…”
Sweat poured from my forehead like rain, but repeating the fantasies from my dreams kept me going.
The trait that increased favorability by thirty percent.
The advantage that made familiars designated for bonding feel excessive familiarity toward the caster.
And then there was that “deep-hearted woman” title or whatever it was called.
I hated the name, but it still granted +3 charm.
Remembering all that gave me confidence.
With three advantages like these, I probably wouldn’t die.
And when I talked about death, I was only considering the absolute worst-case scenario.
Not something impossible.
Just something that shouldn’t be completely ignored.
It’ll probably work out.
Aside from the ending, most of my previous life had gone fairly well.
So stay focused.
“Haaah!”
As I exhaled hot breath, the lakeside finally came into view.
Honestly, arriving without incident felt strangely anticlimactic.
But no news was good news, right?
Besides, the main event hadn’t even begun yet, so letting my guard down could wait.
According to the books, centaurs were capable of speech.
Their intelligence wasn’t bad either, so I needed to try talking first.
Still, understanding the target’s situation came first.
I hid myself within the tall grass surrounding the lakeside.
And then, the sight reflected in my eyes—
The majestic centaur warrior standing proudly…
“Eh…!?”
My mouth fell open on reflex.
“Uh…?”
And it refused to close.
The centaur.
The centaur warrior I had longed for so desperately really was there.
A monstrous body towering well over three meters tall.
Terrifying muscles packed from head to toe.
Just looking at him sent chills down my spine.
If a monster like that became my ally, there was no doubt he’d be unbelievably reliable.
But continuing those fantasies no longer seemed meaningful.
Because the proud centaur warrior’s head had been cleanly separated from his body.
“…Who’s there?”
And the ones occupying the lakeside were dozens of knights clad in heavy armor.