The white figure in front of them was definitely not a plant or a rock covered with clothes. Without even looking closely, the three children knew that the white color was a plain overalls dress and long loose hair that covered the face. It was definitely a little girl. Only, they couldn't see her face because the girl was slumped over not moving at all.
Ash's hand that was gripping Eleen's arm was getting tighter. Slowly, Ash turned his gaze to Ciel who was also gaping. Fearing that her consciousness would be lost, Ash immediately touched Ciel's elbow and then whispered something."
"Hey, Ciel, don't you believe in ghosts? How about you go check it out."
Ciel gulped. Yes, all his life, Ciel did not believe in such things. To him, ghosts were creatures that had no stamina, could not increase Health Points, and did not receive Holy Tasks. Obviously, the little girl was not an ABSOLUTE believer. Since childhood, they had always been taught that the only thing they feared was ABSOLUTE and that the only people they respected were ABSOLUTE believers.
Then why would he be afraid of something abstract like a ghost? Yes, that was his thought before seeing this incident. However, now his common sense and logic had completely melted away somewhere. "I-this must be a lie."
The girl who was seven meters away from them did not move at all. At that moment, Ciel braced herself and stepped closer while Ash and Eleen were already frozen in fear. As the distance eroded, there was a small moan.
"Hey, she's not a ghost!" An instant later, Ciel ran while shouting toward the girl.
"Ciel, wait!"
Ignoring the shout from Ash, Ciel rushed towards the girl who was slumped under the tree without looking the other way. Reluctantly, Ash followed after her with Eleen. Although his heart was trembling, Ash could not let his twin brother go alone.
After reaching the shade under the tree, Ash saw that Ciel had fixed the girl's position. A beautiful little girl with long platinum white hair and a pale face. Ash made sure again that the girl's figure was not invisible. He formed a hand pattern to check the Health Point, but red text popped up.
Ash glanced at Ciel and Eleen. "What is this? Have you two seen this text before?"
Both of them shook their heads. "This is also my first time, but for sure, she's not a ghost because Eleen and I can touch her like this. The only problem is... why can't we see the Health Point."
Ash then tried once more. Normally, even creatures that don't have a soul will have Health Points. Such as food, trees, houses, plants, etc. Therefore, for them, something not having a Health Point was a phenomenon that had never happened until now. The only thing that didn't have Health Points anymore was a human corpse.
They had thought that the girl was dead. But her heartbeat could still be heard. It's impossible for a dead person to still have a heartbeat and breathe right? Even so, this girl did not move at all even though Ciel and Eleen had carried her.
"But, she seems to be about our age, huh? Maybe... a little younger?" Ash watched the girl carefully.
The bodies that Ciel and Eleen were holding were slightly smaller than them. It was probably about eleven or twelve years old. Her body was also thin, but her hair was really silky smooth. However, there was one thing that made Ash feel strange.
Ash reached out his hand, touching the white hair strands. It felt soft and thin. "This is the first time I've seen white hair color like this."
"Come to think of it, we've never seen white hair color like this, huh? I mean, not the color of an aged human's hair, but this... like a sweet milky white?"
Ciel chuckled while glaring at Eleen. "You're talking like a perv, Eleen."
"Hey!"
Ash laughed a little in response to the argument. "Never mind. We should take her to the village, then ask her something when she wakes up."
Ciel nodded. With Eleen's help, he began to carry the girl in his arms. Meanwhile, Ash looked around again in the hope of finding other clues, but he was unable to find anything. There were only a large coniferous grove and tree roots protruding from the ground.
The girl was totally unconscious even after they got out of the forest and brought her to Eleen's house. They put the girl on the guest bed, blanketed her, and then sat side by side while looking at her. There was a moment of silence before Ash finally broke the silence. " She's not a ghost since we can even lay her down here. She's human, but I still don't understand why we can't see her Health Points."
Eleen nodded, agreeing with Ash's opinion, then spoke again. "In that case, could it have something to do with the Canon?"
Ciel frowned, not understanding. "What do Health Points and Canons have to do with each other? We can even check the Health Point of a newborn baby. I don't think this has anything to do with the Holy Task."
"That's not what I meant." Eleen's gaze returned to the girl who was still sleeping peacefully. "She's too young to be traveling alone. I've been thinking about her parents ever since. It is very possible that this girl was traveling with her parents, and then got lost until she crossed the border. Because of that, she was deemed to have broken the rules and her Health Point system error."
Ash suddenly continued. "Then she would be unconscious, but still breathing."
Then, the three of them exchanged glances as if they had just solved a difficult case. However, that expression only lasted for a few seconds until Ash added again.
"But, won't she be immediately punished and taken to the Cathedral for purgatory?"
"That's right. So there's no way, huh ...."
"What if she escapes?" This time it was Ciel who came up with a new thought. "She could have escaped when the Holy Knight wanted to take her. Then, to make the chase easier, ABSOLUTE turn off his Health Point system, right?"
"That's not a bad thought, but it's a bit absurd. Holy Knight is powerful. There's no way they can't catch this little girl. Moreover, this girl seems to have been asleep for quite a while since the rumors spread, right?"
Eleen and Ciel again nodded in confirmation of Ash's opinion. In this world, the most strongest being after ABSOLUTE was the Holy Knight. They were ABSOLUTE's accomplices in running the Canon. When there were humans who went against the Canon, they were the ones who dealt with it. Because of the Holy Knight's overwhelming power, there were no wars in this world and no humans dared to disobey the Canon.
Ash's gaze fell on the girl's closed eyelids. "Although we don't know what her reason for coming to this place is, but... it's possible that she's carrying something we can't imagine."
After saying that sentence, Ash stood up. "In a moment, our Holy Task will begin. Eleen, I'll leave this girl at your house first. In case she really wakes up and has no place to stay, I'll talk to Aunt Nalt to let her stay at the village cathedral."
Eleen nodded. "I understand. When my mom comes home, I'll ask her about this young girl."
"Alright, we're leaving first." Ciel stood up as well. However, before turning around, Ciel looked at the girl for a few seconds. For some reason Ciel felt a familiar aura.
Ever since he saw this girl, when he touched her skin, then when he looked at her quietly. Something very deep and cold inside him seemed to be drawn out. However, he still did not know the reason why he felt that way.
Carefully, Ciel bent down to look at the girl's face closely. "Hey, this girl... will definitely wake up, right? Ah, no. It would be nice if you woke up soon."