NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3 - Episode 003: Headhunter, Bonding with a Young Girl
Episode 003: Headhunter, Bonding with a Young Girl
“Hngh!! Haaaah!!”
Ack swung his sword several times without getting any closer.
“Eeeeeek!!”
“We’re gonna dieee!!”
“I don’t wanna diee!!”
The women screamed in terror at his fearsome sight.
*Clang clang clang*
After the sound of metal clashing, the ceiling of the cage blew off, and the iron bars shattered.
“Huh?”
The women, now with no cage surrounding them, looked around with dumbfounded expressions.
“All the men are dead. Killed all the orcs too. Anyone who wants to go back, feel free.”
With that blunt statement, Ack started walking back towards the border town.
“I’m headed to the town near the border. I’ll protect you till then. Just stick with me.”
He wished he could say something like that, but being his first encounter with frightened strangers, Ack was at his limit.
“What should we do?”
“But if we stay like this…”
The freed women whispered among themselves in small groups, causing the distance between them and Ack to grow.
“I’ll follow him. See ya later.”
“Me too.”
“Me three!”
“And me!!”
Understanding the situation, the women quickly followed after Ack. Even those who had been hesitant were reluctantly pulled along.
After a while, they reached a beautiful river.
“Um, thanks for saving us.”
One of the women who had been trapped in the center of the cage approached Ack without fear and expressed her gratitude.
“I just happened to pass by.”
Feeling bewildered by being approached normally by someone other than his mercenary group or acquaintances, Ack managed to reply.
“Sorry to bother you again, but I have a favor to ask. Can you listen?”
The woman spoke with a slightly apologetic expression to Ack’s brief response.
“…”
“I want to go by the river for a bit. Haven’t washed in days.”
Ignoring Ack’s stern look urging her to hurry up, the woman made her request nonchalantly.
“Go ahead.”
“Got it. Thanks!!”
Interpreting Ack’s words as “go ahead,” the woman happily rejoined her friends.
As they approached the river, the women veered off the path leading to the bridge and headed towards the riverbank.
“Not interested?”
“I’m not into that.”
“Oh, how boring.”
Watching their behavior, Ack felt a teasing smile from the woman who had made the request earlier, but he remained unfazed.
Though he was indeed curious, he had no intention of engaging in sneaky peeks or similar cowardly behavior.
“What about that child?”
As the women went down to the river, a small girl of about eight years old was left behind by herself.
She wore tattered clothes, and her long hair, almost ivory in color, hung messily down her back. However, her crystal-clear blue eyes left a strong impression.
Curious, Ack asked the woman.
“She’s been here from the start. Don’t even know where she came from. Seems she has no place to go or parents to return to.”
The woman shook her head with a sad expression.
Listening to her story, Ack felt sorry for her, seeing a reflection of himself. All he could do was take her to the town, at least that much he could manage.
“Right. We’ll wash ourselves and our clothes. Can you take care of this child while we do?”
As Ack stared at the little girl, the woman suddenly suggested.
While the women were washing themselves, Ack had nothing to do. His hands were indeed free. But even though she was small, having a man wash a little girl seemed inappropriate.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to be washed.”
When the woman asked the girl, she answered and approached Ack.
Ack was genuinely surprised by this turn of events.
Though he had interacted with children many times before, none of them had been able to keep from crying. He had never seen a child who would approach him without fear like this.
Taking that as a sign, and if the girl herself was okay with it, Ack resigned himself and led her to the other side of the riverbank, away from the women.
First, he had her kneel by the riverbank to wash her hair, then he helped her take off her clothes and used a soft cloth soaked in water to wipe away the dirt.
Her body was gaunt and clearly lacking in nutrition.
Once was not enough to wash away all the dirt and smell, so they had to do it several times. Ack handled her gently, making sure to clean her until the water ran clear.
Her ivory hair was completely dirty. Originally pure white, her hair regained its original color, shining brightly in the sunlight, and she looked very beautiful.
And when he trimmed her hair with scissors, a remarkably cute figure emerged compared to before.
She would surely have fetched a high price now.
So cute… Like an angel from a fairy tale…
Ack thought so too as he looked at the cleaned girl.
After dressing her in his shirt and washing her body, they returned to the road and waited for the women to go back.
“Aren’t you going over there?”
“I like it here.”
When asked, the girl held onto the edge of Ack’s clothes and stood still.
It seemed she had taken a liking to him.
“What’s your name?”
“…Tina.”
“I’m Ack.”
“Ack. Got it.”
After introducing themselves, they sat at the edge of the road without any further conversation, just admiring the scenery together.
The women returned once their clothes were dry.
With the good weather and warm season, they seemed to have dried in no time.
“My, you look like a different person…”
One of the women, who had not been afraid to speak up earlier, widened her eyes at the transformed girl.
“Let’s go.”
With just a muttered word, Ack stood up and started walking.
Tina followed behind, still holding onto the edge of his clothes. Ack adjusted his pace to ensure Tina didn’t struggle.
“You’ve really gotten attached to her. You two look just like parent and child, don’t you?”
“…”
Ignoring the woman who was peeking and grinning, Ack felt a mixture of embarrassment and happiness.
The woman seemed to have picked up on Ack’s feelings.
Ignoring the woman’s teasing remarks, Ack continued to walk, and somehow, they managed to reach the border town before nightfall.