Chapter 10

A naked girl stared intently at Rio.

Her emotionless deep blue eyes were vaguely focused on Rio, but the girl showed no sign of trying to cover herself.

Unable to bear the silence, Rio opened his mouth.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here..."

Contrary to his words, Rio couldn't take his eyes off the girl's entire body.

It wasn't out of lust. It was because it was impossible for a girl to be in this remote forest without any clothes.

Most importantly, the girl seemed to be about the same age and build as Rio.

In other words, she matched the description of the person who had injured the evil ape.

Though she didn't have any weapons, she wasn't someone Rio, who was already battered, could let his guard down around.

While remaining cautious, Rio waited for the girl's reaction.

However, the girl only stared back at him blankly, giving no response, which only added to the eerie atmosphere.

Rio steeled himself and began to observe the girl's entire body.

He didn't recognize her face. She wasn't from his village, nor from the neighboring village. If there were a girl as beautiful as her, she would have been well-known.

Her slender limbs and thin shoulders didn't seem like those of someone raised in the mountains. Her skin, as white as snow, had no blemishes, only a bit of mud on her feet.

It was hard to imagine that she had come from anywhere without a single scratch or even a bit of dirt, considering how often children got scrapes from branches and thorns, as the village doctor often complained.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Rio asked the unresponsive girl.

"What's your name? What are you doing here?"

While he felt like a pervert for asking such questions while staring at a naked girl, he couldn't feel at ease until he knew her background. He hesitated even to turn his back.

The girl observed him expressionlessly, as if studying him. Rio wished she would at least cover herself, but she showed no sign of doing so.

The uncomfortable silence continued.

Realizing that he wouldn't get a response from the girl, Rio felt at a loss.

He didn't sense any hostility from her, but the situation was strange. There was no other conclusion to draw.

Leaving her here wasn't an easy option.

Rio checked the position of the sun and took off his coat.

"At least put this on. Honestly, I don't know where to look."

When Rio threw the coat at her, the girl stared at it blankly without any reaction. She slowly picked it up with her hands and looked at it expressionlessly, as if she had never seen clothing before.

"Do you know how to put it on?"

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Rio asked.

The girl shifted her gaze from the coat to Rio, observed his clothing, and then put her arms through the sleeves.

Relieved that she had at least covered herself, Rio checked the position of the sun again.

There was still time before sunset, but considering the effort needed to start a fire, it was difficult to move on. It would be even harder with a barefoot girl.

Rio decided to set up camp here.

"Do you know of any place around here where we can hide?"

He asked, but the girl only observed him blankly without any response. Knowing this, Rio started picking up branches.

He picked up as many dry branches as he could, occasionally glancing back at the girl to stay alert.

The girl remained in the same spot, observing him without any sign of helping.

After struggling to start a fire, Rio began to roast a deer leg he had brought, cutting it off the bone with a stone.

"Are you going to eat—wait, dangerous!"

Seeing the girl slowly reach out to the fire, as if drawn to it like a moth to a flame, Rio quickly pushed her hand away.

The girl didn't protest, just held her hand and looked back and forth between the fire and Rio.

Rio sighed, pointing at the fire.

"Don't reach out; it's dangerous. Understand?"

He warned her as if speaking to a young child, but the girl remained unresponsive.

Feeling frustrated, Rio sighed and changed his thoughts.

He cut a piece of well-cooked deer meat from the bone and offered it to the girl, then gnawed on the rest with the bone still attached.

The meat, not having been bled, had a strong iron taste and was flavorless due to being just roasted.

It wasn't delicious, but Rio felt satisfied as it was his first meal in a day.

The girl, mimicking Rio, was chewing on the deer meat.

"Chew properly, okay? ...No, I sound like an older brother."

Realizing he had started taking care of the girl, Rio scolded himself and returned his gaze to the fire.

From her reaction, this girl was probably not the one who had injured the evil ape.

Worried about reaching the village, he looked in its direction. The village was on the other side of the mountain, and he couldn't see its condition.

Rio himself was battered, and the girl, wearing only his coat, was half-naked. It wasn't wise to wander aimlessly in the forest.

Feeling a gaze, Rio looked to the side.

"What?"

The girl's face was right next to his, her deep blue eyes observing him without emotion or restraint, almost drawing him in.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from upstream.

Turning his head, he noticed two glowing eyes peering from the bushes.

"!?"

Reactively, he pushed the girl away as a beast leaped out from the bushes.

Before he could identify it, Rio threw the deer bone and activated his body enhancement.

The large wildcat, illuminated by the fire, knocked the bone away with its right front paw and leaped at Rio with its hind legs.

Rio grabbed a branch he had collected for firewood, used his left hand to push off the ground, and swung it in a reverse diagonal.

However, a single branch wasn't strong enough to stop the wildcat, and it broke easily, allowing the wildcat to pounce on him.

But the wildcat, seeing the sharp stone in Rio's left hand, dodged to the side.

"You read my move!"

Rio gritted his teeth and held the stone at the wildcat.

Though sharp, it was just a stone. The distance was close, and Rio's left ankle was swollen, preventing him from making a proper step.

His feint failed, and Rio, while glaring at the wildcat, thought of a way to turn the tide.

The wildcat glanced at the vulnerable girl but decided that the injured Rio was an easier target, slowly circling to his left side. It was intelligent enough to exploit Rio's injured left foot.

As Rio tried to turn his body to face the wildcat, he winced in pain.

Seizing the opportunity, the wildcat leaped at him.

Suddenly, a man stepped silently from the side bushes and slashed the wildcat's neck with a thin sword in his left hand, severing its head.

The man, with an empty right sleeve flapping in the night breeze, turned to face Rio.

"...Kairu"

Surprised by the unexpected arrival, Rio called out the man's name.

Kairu, seeing Rio, sighed deeply.

"Even though all the men in the village are out searching, you're here enjoying the night forest with a cute girl."

Frowning, Rio noticed the girl had somehow sat down next to him.

"No, wait! I don't really know this girl! It's not what you're thinking, Kairu!"

"Hurau! Over here! I found them. They were roasting meat over the fire and enjoying themselves with a girl."

"Hurau is here too!? It's a misunderstanding!"