Through the forest, a small cart loaded with fruits and vegetables followed a well-worn path previously traversed by horses and carts. And inside that cart, there could be seen two individuals who sat beside one another at the front of the cart.
The one driving the horses was a middle-aged man who was directing the horses. And beside him was a white-haired girl who was quietly staring at the constant pace at which this cart was moving.
"Your name is Aya, right?"
The middle-aged man suddenly asked in order to break the silence.
"....."
"What brings you to Frol town?"
"I have a quest that I must finish."
The small, white-haired girl replied, holding herself back from saying any information that the man didn't need to know.
"....I must admit, I was taken aback when the guild informed me that a young girl would be accompanying me on this journey," the merchant confessed. "Though I wish to avoid any encounters with bandits or monsters along the way, I can't help but be curious about your capabilities if the guild itself recommended you to me."
"...You're not worried that the guild sent someone like me?"
"Honestly, I won't lie that I am a bit concerned. But at the same time, I doubt the guild would screw me over since we do have a long term relationship."
"...."
As the merchant continued speaking, he couldn't help but glance at the white hair that this girl was trying to hide under her cloak. She was introduced by the guild, so he couldn't really turn her down without paying some sort of fine.
Aya, on the other hand, remained silent as her eyes hardened for a moment. Despite the merchant's friendly conversation, it seemed like his words were not getting through to her.
Ever since she escaped from the slave merchant, her eyes were beginning to open to the way this world worked. Her hands had already become dirty, and at this point, there was no other option for her but to keep moving forward and get stronger so none of the previous horrors would occur ever again.
That was her primary goal.
She could already feel the difference in herself, which is why she continued to listen to the ghost who had offered to make her stronger.
Despite the fact that it was strange at first, she accepted the entity that was guiding her from within her own body. It was thanks to him that she had come this far. It was thanks to him that she escaped from the slave merchant.
He was her benefactor, and Aya was going to do her best to help him out as a thanks.
He was the only person in whom she had trust, and he was the only one who stayed with her until the very end.
That's why….
'I must become strong!'
While the trip was continuing smoothly, two of the horses that were pulling the cart suddenly stopped moving before they raised their front legs while releasing whining noises in fear.
"What's happening? Monti, Lensi! What is wrong with you two?"
The merchant asked both of his horses, as they refused to take any further steps forward.
Even Aya, who was perplexed by the horse's response, regarded the situation with a perplexed reaction.
~Aya, there is something coming towards us. Be prepared.~ Hiroki, who was quiet the whole time, warned Aya.
The moment she heard Hiroki's warning through telepathy, Aya pulled out her daggers and got off the cart.
"H-hey, little girl. What are you doing?" The merchant worriedly asked about the sudden movement of the girl.
"Something is scaring the horses. It might be a monster."
Aya sternly explained to the merchant as she looked at him with hardened eyes.
"But a monster in this territory should be impossible. We are almost near the closest village, Frol Town." The merchant confusedly said at this abnormal conclusion.
The merchant had made this kind of trip hundreds of times, and he knew very well the road between Frol town and Fixy town. That's why he was certain that there was no monster there.
But the way his horses were reacting, he began thinking all kinds of things about the real reason.
Aya, who was several meters in front of the cart, took her battle stance while waiting for what was about to happen.
And it didn't take long before, behind some bushes, a certain black panther-like monster was slowly crawling towards her while showing its sharp teeth, indicating that it had found its prey.
"Please stay in your cart. I will deal with this."
Aya clenched her daggers while taking one step forward to keep a well-balanced stance in order to either dodge or charge at the black monster.
"A-are you sure that you can handle this?!"
The merchant worriedly asked in fear while looking between the girl and the black panther monster at the edge of his seat. He knew very well that he was way too weak to fight a monster, but to allow such a young girl to take care of it somehow felt wrong to him.
But despite that, there was basically nothing to do about his situation, which is why, as he clenched his ropes that were holding back his whining horses, he prayed that nothing bad would happen.
"Yes." Aya responded before noticing that the monster was about to jump at her.
The black panther that was slowly crawling and growling at Aya, charged towards her with its teeth and claws out to catch its prey and kill it as fast as it could. But unlucky for it, Aya managed to easily dodge the panther, which allowed her to land a clean hit over the monster's exposed stomach.
"Graaawll!!!!!!"
Aya, who had managed to use the way the monster jumped at her to attack, drifted her legs on the ground as she found herself right behind the panther, who had received the first cut on the weakest part of its body.
'S-she's fast!'
The merchant who saw this all happen in a split second had his mouth slightly open as he witnessed the way this little girl was fighting the big monster using its own velocity in order to land a hit.
The black panther, after it understood that its belly was cut very deeply, stood in one place before its guts suddenly burst out from the clean cut. But despite the heavy injury, it still stood on four legs while angrily growling in pain.
~Finish it before it decides to attack the horses.~
Hiroki, who was looking through Aya's eyes, advised after seeing that Aya was waiting for the monster to make its next move. He knew that she was used to only being in defense, which is why he tried encouraging the girl to act a bit more aggressively when fighting another monster.
"I understand!"
Aya sternly responded as she listened to her benefactors' advice. That's why, in the next moment, she threw one of her daggers towards the monster.
However, the black panther sensed and avoided the flying dagger, which is why it leapt from its current position while dragging its own guts that were attached to its open stomach.
'Its going for the horses!' Aya realized this before chasing after the injured monster.
She didn't have time to grab her other dagger, which is why, without hesitating at all, she closed the distance with the panther and thrust her dagger right at the monster's neck.
The monster struggled for a few more seconds as blood was dripping out from where Aya had thrust her dagger.
It tried biting off the girl's face, but only to fail as its vision quickly lost its light from losing all of its remaining blood from the falling guts.
After making sure that the monster was dead, Aya could be seen panting as she looked at the dead monster under her.
The merchant, who had witnessed the whole thing from where he was, could only breathe faster as he couldn't believe the way this monster was brutally killed by such a young girl.
To think that she was able to not only defeat such a monster but also execute it with little movements.
"...unbelievable…." The merchant muttered under his breath.