The other enemies weren't a big deal; I simply left them to the man.
I searched among the bodies until I found the key that would allow me to open the cage. I could have destroyed it with my sword, but I didn't want to scare her more than necessary.
Though, thinking about it, maybe appearing out of nowhere was already enough. Even so, the girl didn't seem scared. On the contrary, she gave the impression of being fascinated by the situation... or by me.
I literally have a gift for appearing at the exact moment, yet my intervention wasn't going to achieve much; this man would have defeated them easily.
I found the key and opened the caravan door.
"Everything is fine... huh?"
Suddenly, the girl's gaze settled on me for a brief instant and, without giving me time to react, she lunged with arms outstretched. She showed too much energy for someone who had been locked up for who knows how long, and from her dry lips, I assumed she hadn't drunk water in all that time either.
Because I was thinking too much, I ended up on the ground with her on top of me, her knees pressing down on my arms. I could have freed myself easily, but I was still assimilating exactly what the hell was happening.
"You're the boy who helped me, nyaaa!" she said, radiating a happiness that made no sense in this context.
"I was just passing through..." I replied calmly.
That seemed to excite her even more.
"Decided. You will be my mate."
"...What?" I blinked.
"Linia!" the father roared. "You just got out of a cage!"
"Shut up, Dad! You took too long! Nya!" she shouted at him, sticking out her tongue, before looking back at me. "He was faster. He cut the head whoosh and then bam... He's great, nya!"
"...This is a misunderstanding," I thought, but I felt her weight intensifying on my arms. So I pushed her aside carefully and stood up. The girl froze, trying to process that I had just moved her as if she were a simple stone on the road.
Her entire back was covered in mud. I reached back and used combined magic: water and fire, regulated to a temperature close to forty degrees.
Bad idea.
I used chantless magic. Naturally, almost automatically, showing no effort whatsoever, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
[.....]
The man, far from being surprised, took his daughter by the arm and pulled away, creating distance between us.
"Dad, no...!"
He practically growled.
"You are not a halfling..." He drew his sword and stepped back, leaving his daughter behind. "You are a human..."
He began sniffing the air.
"...What? No, no... I was just passing through."
He stared at me.
"And on top of that, you speak our language..."
Shit. I had spoken naturally. No one who is "just passing through" should know a tribe's language to that level.
What should I do? Obviously, he had a very keen sense of smell, but could he really know my intentions? Ghislaine used to do it to find out if I really wanted to train or if I was just pretending.
In any case, he didn't seem like Ghislaine... or maybe he was getting carried away by his own thoughts.
And I don't blame him. I had literally appeared out of nowhere just when he was about to attack; maybe he thought I was an intermediary, that the humans were bait.
The man let out a brutal scream.
It was a howl.
For an instant, I felt my balance slipping away. Even so, it wasn't enough to make me lose consciousness.
I recovered slowly, staring at him while my vision refocused. That seemed to surprise him; the way his tail twitched and how he widened his eyes gave him away.
"Listen, I have no intention of harming your daughter, not now, not ever. I was just passing through. My intention is to reach the Great Tree and then follow the Holy Sword route to the Holy Country of Millis... I come from the elf village, specifically."
I had revealed too much.
But in a situation like this, and knowing they were capable of smelling lies—or at least I believed so—maybe telling the whole truth was the best option to earn his trust.
Linia, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to all that. She kept watching me with fascination, like someone gazing at their idol from a distance.
I let out a sigh, hoping he would believe me.
"From the elves, you say? Now that I think about it... yes, you smell like them."
Did elves smell? I didn't remember. Well, they were so clean they barely had any scent. And it's not like I had gone around sniffing them.
"If you are telling the truth... then you didn't come for power or loot. You came for my daughter. Even so, I won't lower my guard. Humans smile easily... and bite when one is careless. I won't trust you with my back. But today... you will not be my enemy."
I took a step forward.
"Don't worry. If I had wanted to hurt your daughter, I would have done so already."
He narrowed his eyes.
"And if this were a trap..." I continued, gesturing around, "...why didn't they attack you?"
He inhaled the air sharply, growling low.
"...Keep talking, human."
"And why would I betray my supposed team? It makes no sense."
There was a heavy silence.
"Words can be sharp... But your scent doesn't lie. You don't smell like a hunter."
He looked at Linia, who was still watching me with shining eyes.
"...Nor like someone who enjoys fear."
Finally, he let out a long growl.
"If you are lying, you will die before taking three steps."
Then he looked me straight in the eyes.
"But if you are telling the truth... then you did what a father would do for his daughter."
I nodded.
"The only thing I wanted was to save her. Nothing else."
He looked back, specifically towards Linia, and then locked his eyes on me again.
"I must compensate you somehow. I could have done it alone, but the man who protects my daughter is a man who receives a reward."
He paused briefly, sniffing once more.
"...Even if you are still just a boy."
I was about to say something, but I felt drops beginning to fall from nowhere, filtering down from the tops of the high trees. Then, suddenly, it was like an explosion, an intense rain began.
"The rains have started."
The rains? Don't tell me... I was going to keep thinking, but the man beat me to it and picked up his daughter in his arms.
Here, the rains lasted months. The entire forest ended up converted into a massive flood. At first, it wasn't a big deal, but by the end of the day, the safest thing was to stay in the trees.
The man signaled me to follow him. I didn't hesitate and went after him.
"You run fast for a human..."
I looked at him sideways.
"I'm not running... yet."
That seemed to throw him off.
"What sword level do you have?"
...Do I tell him or not? No. Not yet.
"I am... advanced."
"Advanced? Are you sure? Well, it doesn't matter."
After half an hour running at high speed, with the rain hitting my face mercilessly, we finally arrived at what would be Ghislaine's village.
It was similar to the elves', extending among the trees, but its appearance was simpler, more functional. It didn't have the delicacy or beauty of the other one.
The Doldia village.
"Hey!"
Mmm? I know that voice...
"Daiki! Today I'll beat you!"
Was that Eris? She looked... strange. Slightly transparent.
I moved toward her almost by reflex, but then I felt a vengeful presence, something unnatural, and I drew my sword without thinking.
It was an illusion.
I immediately sought its source and found it: a worm, or parasite, the size of my arm, moving in waves like a snake and rising toward the sky.
I didn't hesitate. I stared at it and cut it in less than a second.
I crouched and watched as it tried to keep moving while slowly beginning to die.
"Silk Caterpillar... They say it makes you see happy things to lure you in," he said, oblivious to the fact that we were getting soaked.
I suppose he said "they say" because it doesn't affect them. You can't fool someone capable of smelling even lies with illusions... unless you are capable of generating scents.
"You have willpower."
Did I?
"If she were really my friend, she wouldn't be so happy... or so I think." I lowered the sword a little. "Although, knowing her, maybe she wouldn't even talk to me. Our greeting was always with swords."
I really wanted it to be her.
"Enough chatter. Let's go up before you get sick. You humans are usually... weak to these things."
I sheathed the sword, looking at him.
"Don't believe... Well, yes. It's true."
So I went up cautiously, staying alert, expecting the worst when I got up there.
When I was finally up, I assumed they would take me somewhere in particular. Instead, they just put me under a roof and told me to wait a while.
I sat in the center, relaxing a bit... until, suddenly, several girls appeared. Among them came another one next to Linia, with dog ears. They approached and sat nearby, staring at me.
The only thing I could do was turn my gaze elsewhere, feigning indifference, while I felt them watching me with clear curiosity, their tails wagging non-stop.
"This is awkward..."
Wanting to bury my face in the ground, I resigned myself and let myself fall backward, lying face up. It was the only way not to see them, although that only got them to come even closer, now with expressions of concern.
They twitched their ears and tails in confusion, until a man arrived who, by the way he walked and stopped, made it clear he was the leader. I saw him out of the corner of my eye.
"Go on, girls. Leave the human alone."
The tails stopped little by little. Some protested with small growls, but they obeyed. One by one they walked away, not without looking at me one last time with shameless curiosity.
The man remained standing in front of me, evaluating me without haste. There was no hostility in his posture, but no trust either.
"You smell different from other humans."
I sat up and stood, looking at him calmly.
"I've already been told that today."
A faint snort escaped his nose.
"Don't lie here. This is our village."
He turned slightly, half-turning his back to me.
"If you have come with bad intentions, the forest itself will swallow you."
Then he added, without looking at me:
"If not... then stay under cover. The rain will last."
And he left...
I assumed the reward was simply allowing me to stay there during the rainy season. And, being honest, going down now would be much more dangerous than facing monsters.
And those rains usually lasted months.
It wasn't hospitality; it was tolerance. A conditional permit. For them, that was already a huge concession.
They assigned me one of the empty huts. It wasn't exactly big, but it was enough to be able to sleep and have some privacy.
I couldn't complain. If it weren't for them, I would now be trying to sleep on a branch, with the rain falling ceaselessly on me. Compared to that, this was a true luxury.
"...Mmm?"
I looked up. I was lying down, so I hadn't noticed when Linia had entered.
"You didn't say your name, nya!"
"Daiki."
I said it bluntly.
Linia blinked once... and then grinned from ear to ear.
"Daiki! Sounds strong, nya. I like it."
"You don't know what it means, do you?"
I said it with a hint of irony.
"No... nya."
She lowered her head.
"It means 'great brightness' or 'great splendor', so you weren't that wrong."
That seemed to excite her immediately.
"See?! I knew it, nya!" she took a step closer, pointing at me with pride. "Obviously it sounds strong if it means something like that! Great brightness!"
She turned around and then looked at me.
"That means you are destined for great things, nya."
And she left, wagging her tail from side to side, with her hands behind her back, as if humming a song.
The same girl who had bitten the hand of the man who captured her was now acting like someone her age, just as she should.
But also... for the first time since I arrived in this village, I felt that someone was talking about me without fear.
The night passed quickly. The fresh air was something I had always liked.
***
When I woke up, they handed me clothes suitable for the place. The ones I was wearing weren't going to be much use to me up here.
Short pants, resistant, designed to move easily between branches and platforms. The fabric was thick, dark, well-fitted with a cloth sash at the waist.
The difference was the shirt.
A simple garment, long-sleeved, without ornaments, made of the same robust material. It covered the torso completely, designed more for the climate and mobility than to show off strength. Nothing ostentatious, nothing unnecessary.
Functional.
It fit me... surprisingly well.
I supposed that, while I was here, I would have to learn to fit in. Even if it was just for a while.
I hoped to wake up and for the rain to be just something temporary. That the thing about it lasting months was an exaggeration, a convenient lie, and that I could continue my journey.
But no.
Who knows how long I would be here.
I sighed as I finished changing.
Linia was waiting for me outside, holding a wooden sword, completely oblivious to the rain.
She took me to a hut larger than most. From the way she held the sword, I didn't take long to assume it.
It was a training place.
Linia wore light clothes, clearly designed for movement. A simple outfit, tight to the body, that left her arms free and didn't get in the way when wielding the sword.
Even so, there was something carefree about her. Her ears twitched slightly, curious, and her tail swayed slowly behind her while she waited.
"Let's go, nya," she said, pointing to the center with the wooden sword.
It was clear that, whether I wanted to or not, that day wasn't going to be limited to just observing.
"Are you sure...?"
She threw me a sword, totally confident.
Thus began the training. Truthfully, I had no reason to complain: I didn't want to lose form while I was up here, and if this was going to become a habit, better to take advantage of it.
I took position. As soon as I did, Linia lunged.
Her attack was instinctive. She came in from the side, fast, but her left foot didn't react the same as her right. I noticed it instantly. Without rushing, I moved the sword just enough towards the side the blow was coming from and stopped her attack, without adopting a formal stance, using only one hand, while she tried to force the advance.
For a second, we stayed like that.
"Kyaaaa!"
She tried to turn her sword, but I didn't let her. I swept her feet with a low kick and her body tipped backward.
By the time she wanted to react, I was already on top.
Her chest rose and fell frantically while she had my sword a few centimeters from her face. Her eyes were wide open while she kept looking at me.
I didn't need elaborate movements. Just breaking the balance, attacking the legs, and advancing two steps. That was all I had to do.
Then she realized what had happened.
"...Huh...?"
I left the sword on the ground and sat down for a moment, resting my back against the wall.
"You fell, you lost, and if it had been a real combat, you would be dead already."
Linia got up abruptly, shaking herself off as if she could erase the defeat.
"That doesn't count, nya!"
I looked at her with curiosity. She wasn't angry, she was frustrated.
"Of course it counts. Everything matters..."
She growled and approached, fixing her eyes on mine.
"But I didn't warn anything!"
"You warned with your body."
"...With the body?"
"Your hips too open. The weight poorly distributed since before you moved... You screamed with your body, basically."
She frowned, clearly irritated.
"That's unfair!"
I shook my head slowly.
"That is combat."
She clenched her fists, took a deep breath... and then smiled, showing her fangs.
"Then... do it again." Her voice, previously energetic, had softened.
I picked up the sword from the ground and stood up calmly.
"Fine. But this time observe yourself before attacking."
I started with basic exercises: she just had to attack until I said stop, and I would limit myself to blocking every one of her blows.
The first attacks were straight, predictable. I blocked without moving my feet. Her breathing started to get agitated, but that didn't stop her.
"Jump while you attack," I told her without taking my eyes off her guard. "That way you gain momentum and strength. Besides, it's better training."
I saw her blink, processing it. Then she bent her knees... and lunged again.
Low, high, and mid blows; diagonal and vertical. She understood basic swordsmanship, that was evident, but she lacked strength and, above all, security.
I blocked retreating a step, then another, forcing her to follow me.
I didn't correct her immediately. I let her attack, fail, adjust. Training wasn't always saying what was wrong, sometimes it was letting the body feel it.
After a few minutes, I rested the sword on the ground and used it like a cane, watching her while she panted on the floor.
"You are... you are..." she murmured, and finally collapsed, exhausted. She hadn't fainted, she was just exhausted.
When I turned around, the group of girls was watching everything, but their eyes were also directed at Linia and then at me, in a silent back and forth.
One of them approached; she had fluffy dog ears and tail, so I assumed she was an Adoldia by her physical characteristics.
She said nothing. She simply crouched next to Linia and looked at her.
Linia gave a thumbs up and then lowered it, completely exhausted.
And so began my "journey" in the Doldia village. I didn't know how long I would remain up here, but if training could help me keep my sanity, the best thing was to focus on training Linia.