Chapter 26

In the darkness of night, relying on the moonlight, Lulyu judged that it was dangerous to walk through the forest and sat down at the base of a large oak tree with Sania.

Three days had passed since they were driven out of the village.

At first, they moved cautiously, trembling at the shadow of the lord's army, but it seemed they had managed to shake off their pursuers, and they were now taking appropriate breaks.

The fact that the physical strength of 13-year-old Lulyu and 6-year-old Sania was almost the same was probably because Sania was a beast person.

Still, there was a difference in their mental age, and Sania was bored during the journey. Lulyu had to keep an eye on the direction and entertain Sania.

She started a fire and threw in small branches she had picked up along the way. Even though they were being pursued, she thought the risk of being attacked by wild animals was higher.

When she felt a light impact on her thigh, she looked down to see Sania using her thigh as a pillow and snoring softly.

"Looks like I have to keep watch again..."

She muttered with a sigh.

For three days since leaving the village, she had hardly slept and was in a bad mood. She was worried that Sania might do something while she was asleep, so she kept having light naps.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she tore off a large leaf nearby. She drew a fish on the palm-sized green leaf with her fingernails.

She held it up to the fire to evaluate her work.

"The tail is bad."

She threw it into the fire, thinking it was hard to improve, and tore off another leaf.

If she didn't keep her hands moving, she would succumb to sleep, so it was forgivable to indulge in a little hobby.

"Will we reach the town tomorrow?"

She thought, yawning. Since Sharina and the others were on the church's side, Lulyu expected that there would be a lookout at the hunter's hut on the outskirts of town, which was their original rendezvous point.

She had considered going directly to the lord's mansion to seek protection from Sora, but the possibility of being stopped by the gatekeepers and not being able to meet him was extremely high.

She could also consider fleeing without anything, but the border with other noble territories was frequently patrolled by the lord's army, and it would be reckless to flee to another territory without a plan, even for a child.

In other words, there was no other option but to go to the hunter's hut.

The problem then became how to wait for help at the hunter's hut.

"We have to consider what will happen if we are abandoned..."

Although she had declared that Sora was on their side and had not told Sania, Lulyu felt anxious about whether there would really be any help. This anxiety, combined with the uncertainty of their escape, had grown to the point where it could not be ignored, and she had been pushed to this point.

At this point, it didn't seem like Sora would suffer any loss by abandoning the children now that the method of making Ogarite was known.

In reality, Sora was preparing to protect the children, but Lulyu had no way of knowing this.

Forcing herself to think about what to do at the hunter's hut, Lulyu recalled the landscape around it.

There was almost no grass, only black pines that were unsuitable for firewood because they produced resin, and there were almost no places to hide.

At first glance, it seemed to be a disadvantageous terrain, but there were also advantages for the current Lulyu and Sania.

If they were being watched, it would be easy to spot them. With Sania's ears, it would be even easier to detect enemies. Similarly, it would not be difficult to spot any allies who came to help.

It was a convenient place if the goal was just to rendezvous.

The disadvantage was that it was easy to be discovered and difficult to escape.

Especially, the more people there were, the more likely they would be surrounded.

They needed to approach carefully, being mindful of any human presence.

While wanting to sleep in preparation for the next day, the night passed before she knew it.

"Pha... I slept well."

Sania woke up and stretched. She didn't seem to notice Lulyu's envious gaze.

It couldn't be helped that she was young. Lulyu convinced herself of this and urged Sania to stand up.

"Let's go. We need to rendezvous today."

If they didn't, she would collapse from sleepiness. With a dizzy head from lack of sleep, Lulyu started walking, and Sania followed.

By noon, the two of them had reached the area around the hunter's hut. They circled the hut twice before approaching. There were no signs of anyone watching the hut, but they were cautious in case someone was inside.

"It's okay. I can't even hear anyone breathing."

Sania's report made Lulyu sigh in relief. However, a question arose.

"They don't intend to catch us...?"

There was no point in tilting her head in confusion.

She asked Sania to alert her if anyone approached and entered the hunter's hut.

It would be good if there were weapons, but even without them, anything that could delay the pursuers would be useful.

The old hunter's hut seemed to have had most of its usable items removed. There was only a clump of dirt that had been part of a wall.

As she gave up and went outside, Sania heard footsteps.

"It's Razzette and one other, probably an adult."

"Are they walking together?"

"Yes, and there's another one behind them, probably following Razzette while hiding."

This was enough to conclude that they were pursuers.

It was unclear whether the one with Razzette was an ally, and Lulyu was at a loss. Razzette might have been captured and threatened.

"If you're not sure, why not just hit them?"

Sania casually suggested a violent solution.

For a moment, Lulyu's thoughts froze at the overly brutal method, but she felt it might be an effective approach.

"If they're allies, they'll probably forgive us if we apologize."

This was the deciding factor.

Lulyu and Sania climbed onto the roof of the hunter's hut. They could probably take down one adult with a surprise attack from above. They could deal with the one following Razzette from behind with the help of Razzette and the other.

Lulyu, who was extremely sleep-deprived and had accumulated stress from the journey, didn't realize how dull her thinking had become.

Razzette and the others approached. They carefully observed the surroundings and approached the hut to check inside.

"Now!"

At Sania's signal, they pounced.

They hit the man standing next to Razzette on both shoulders with perfect accuracy, without even grazing Razzette.

Although it was the strength of a child, the impact of jumping from the roof was enough to knock the man to the ground.

"Good!"

"Perfect."

Lulyu and Sania high-fived, while Razzette pressed her hand to her forehead as if to ease a headache.

"You seem excited, but let me introduce you. The person you hit is Cor, an ally of Lord Sora."

Razzette introduced Cor, who was extending a hand to help him up.

Cor looked at the ground with moist eyes and spoke in a damp voice.

"Why did this happen to me..."