Chapter Sixty-Two: Back to Meiser Town
In the distance, the contours of the sand dunes were becoming clearer, smooth lines flowing like a brushstroke against the canvas of a vibrant sunrise that was slowly rising from behind the dunes, soon to hang high in the sky.
Amid the endless sea of sand, a little girl and a young woman, faces veiled, rode a beast of burden that was led by a hunchbacked old man, leaving enormous hoof prints in the fine sand behind them.
At this moment, they had long left that barely bustling little town and were heading step by step toward the desolate west of the desert.
They had rented this beast of burden from the old man for a not-so-cheap price. Adding in the new compass, food, and water they had purchased, they nearly spent all the coins they snatched from that whatever gang.
In fact, when they went to rent the beast, many people saw two young girls and offered prices lower than the old man’s. However, most of them had mischievous glints in their eyes. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the two girls ultimately decided to let the affable old man accompany them.
Although the old man was quite aged, his experience in navigating the desert was unmatched. The journey went exceptionally smoothly—much smoother than when they set off, and with the beast, they didn’t have to walk anymore, so thirst was no longer such a pressing issue. The little girl was in high spirits and chattered away like a squirrel.
“Sister, sister…”
“Were you super famous in the Western Continent? Like, famous enough that if someone just said your name, everyone would know who you are…”
“Sister, that Pope Knight from last night… His name is Carlos, right? I think I’ve heard Betty mention him before… but I just can’t remember where…”
“Sister, I think he’s not a bad guy…”
“Actually, I heard some of the stuff you guys were talking about in the house…”
“But then I got a bit sleepy and dozed off… They came to the town looking for you, right? Do they know Miss Ailna too?”
“Everyone, don’t tell me they’re going to fight…”
“Hey, sister…”
The little girl seemed to have only caught about half of last night’s conversation. By the time they were discussing the woman possibly being dead, she was probably already outside dozing off… After all, she was just a ten-year-old, and her little brain found it hard to process complex topics she didn’t quite understand or care about. So, of course, dozing off was normal.
She wasn’t too clear on what happened afterward, probably convincing herself that Carlos was a good guy, so she didn’t really dwell on last night’s events. Now that they were almost home, the little girl was bubbling with excitement, chattering non-stop and driving the young woman to a look of mild irritation, yet she didn’t scold her. Instead, she sat on the beast’s back, propped her chin on her hand, knitted her brows, and fell into silence.
From time to time, the old man leading the beast would turn his head to add a few words.
But his verbal skills were limited to dry remarks like “Is that little girl from that town at the foot of the mountain?” or “You’re brave to go out without any men around,” and “I’ve been to that town a few times before.” And since the old man was hard of hearing, he often didn’t catch the little girl’s responses and went quiet after his initial comment, leaving a conversational void.
Three days flew by in a blink.
As the fourth day approached dusk, the silhouette of Meiser Town appeared dimly in their sights.
The journey was exceptionally relaxing; behind them stretched the boundless desert, windswept and silent, as if no one was trailing them.
Soon, reaching the eastern entrance of the town, the old man released the reins, and the young woman and little girl slowly dismounted from the beast. From afar, they spotted figures standing by the fence, and someone walked over. Once they saw the situation clearly, they froze in surprise, then quickly waved to the back, and a few people rushed forward.
“Betty…”
“Little Betty!”
“Are you okay? Where did you run off to… You have no idea how worried your grandpa has been these past few days!”
“Uncle Mond, we ran into a sandstorm…”
The little girl stammered, addressing the first man who rushed over. He scooped her up in his arms, “I knew it, I knew it… Thank the goddess, you’re safe… It’s all good now…”
“Let me see if you’re hurt anywhere…”
The townsfolk surrounded the little girl with concern. I stood a little distance away, looking up at that town, which hardly felt familiar. For a moment, I felt a surge of emotions.
“Ah…”
So here I was, back again…
Along the way, I had thought about just leaving altogether—letting the beast only drop Betty off and then vanish… After all, as Carlos said, the church was likely headed here soon, and before that, the Sword Saint Old Man could return at any moment…
I could escape this unnecessary risk.
But I returned anyway.
I thought that if I were to leave, I’d go to a place where no one knew me and couldn’t find me, stay there for a bit—it would probably feel safer. But the recovery progress of my powers could slow down significantly…
Right now, the energy within me had slightly improved in terms of the Frost Order, but it was still far from peak condition, and my body’s strength was just the same. It felt like being forcefully suppressed by some endless black hole—fully capable but unable to exert it, leading to an irritatingly uncomfortable sensation. I felt this quite clearly when I clashed with the red-haired girl.
It was as if something within me was continuously draining and binding my strength, preventing me from fully unleashing…
That was the vibe.
Only the power of the Abyss was noticeably recovering slowly as I consumed things…
And the Infernal Fire was showing no sign of awakening whatsoever.
I feared that if this continued, my body would inevitably face problems…
But that dancer must know something since she was the one who restored my body to… humanoid form. And before that, according to Betty’s description, my appearance had scared her so much she nearly peed herself.
I better see Miss Ailna one more time, to figure out what the heck was going on with my current state.
If she really has already died…
Then I’d consider leaving.
At the very least, I needed to confirm if the dancer was alive or dead…
“Uncle Mond, Betty’s fine, it’s, it’s my sister… she saved Betty’s life…”
During my reverie, after several comforting words from the side, the little girl pointed at me. The man turned to look at me along with the others. They had clearly noticed my presence earlier; perhaps unsure how to approach, no one had spoken up until now.
The men’s eyes still held some reverence, but when they heard the little girl say I saved her, their expressions softened slightly, and the caution and awkwardness in their brows seemed to melt away just a bit.
“Um…”
The man holding Betty scratched his face, flashing me an awkward grin, “Young Lady, th-thank you… Oh, I’m not sure how to repay you… We thought… hey…”
What, did they think I just ditched Betty and ran off?
Though the man promptly swallowed his trailing words, you could practically read his thoughts all over his face.
Of course, I wouldn’t hold it against him—not just because it seemed unnecessary, but because I could tell his stiff smile carried genuine gratitude.
“It’s nothing.”
I waved my hand dismissively at the man.
These people didn’t know how to deal with me, and I wasn’t too keen on getting close to them either. I had no interest in spending time or energy on the townsfolk; this wasn’t the nameless little village in Silgaya, and I wasn’t that naïve little monster who had just arrived and was clueless about the world anymore.
I was going to leave this place.
I had my own things to do…
“Where’s Old Man Robert? I need to talk to him.”
