The bandit leader's scream was oddly pathetic, sounding like a shrill woman or a pig being slaughtered.
Nonetheless, as Rick had predicted, this body was far from optimal. In a matter of minutes, the injuries accumulated from Rick's fight would render her unconscious.
But in my opinion, it wasn't half bad.
The forest surrounding me appeared darker than reality as I cleanly bisected the leader's head, blood spraying everywhere. Good riddance.
With time ticking away, I gathered the bandits' blood into a sphere and drank it down in one gulp.
It had been too long since I last tasted blood. It seemed Rick had arranged for someone to clean up after this, relieving me of any worries.
"Heh…"
I eagerly awaited the moment when this girl would become the inheritor of "The Reaper of the Battlefield."
Slowly, I seeped back into the girl's consciousness, propping her body against a tree.
"You really owe me one for this, Rick."
---
A figure stood on the boundary of the horizon as another person stepped in, gazing beyond the void from within.
"So, you've returned, Ripper."
There was no voice; only a place where concepts intertwined and lost their meaning, rendered useless before THEM.
"This child's fate has not yet reached its end."
He responded to the gaping hole in reality.
"How many more lives will you add behind me?"
It was a dark and murky place where the souls of the damned suffered eternal condemnation.
The void existed only to consume everything.
"I will do what must be done."
Silence engulfed the already deafening bleak space.
"We are bound to each other already, so…"
The figure extended its arms forward.
"Let us rot in the depths of hell when this is all over."
The figure grinned widely, sharp teeth protruding.
Yet Rick already knew his answer.
He accepted the handshake, and the void behind them began to devour everything.
————-
"Ugh…!"
As I woke up, a terrible headache engulfed my entire head, threatening to rip it apart from the inside out.
Slowly, I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where the hell am I…?"
I found myself in a bed, not particularly grandiose, filled with hay as a makeshift mattress, and I was wrapped in bandages.
An attempt to move sent a shockwave of pain through my body, reminding me of the ordeal I had endured. Ripper must have kept his promise.
The last memory I had was surrendering control of this body to him. Being awake in this hut meant he succeeded, right?
Despite the pain, I tried to sit upright and assessed my injuries.
"Contusions, jaw and nasal fracture, four fractured ribs, punctured lungs, hemorrhage from internal bleeding, lacerations all over, trauma to both upper and lower extremities with multiple broken bones…"
How dire. These injuries would have been trivial in my real body, but in this frail vessel, they left me crippled. I couldn't help but laugh.
Until my jaw dislocated from the strain.
"Dammit!"
But then I noticed the bandages around my chest. My modesty intact, but who treated me?
I gaped in realization.
"Then Greg must have known—"
"From the very beginning, adventurer…" a voice interrupted from outside the hut.
"Are you clothed now?" he asked.
"Obviously not, since I can't move," I struggled to speak with my dislocated jaw.
"I'm sure the adventurer can assist," he reassured.
"Ugh."
The thought of a man seeing this body repulsed me. Despite the pain, I managed to dress myself, fearing further injury.
"You can enter now," I said, voice trembling.
"Very well, if you excuse me," he entered through the makeshift curtain door.
He brought a tray of porridge and water, placing it on my lap before taking a seat beside my bed.
"So, how are you feeling?"
I reclined back onto the bed.
"Terrible. I'll probably be immobile for a month at this rate," I replied, struggling to move my arms.
"Thank you again for saving me and the villagers of Honeywood, adventurer. I could never thank you enough for what you've done and… sorry for doubting your abilities," Greg apologized, bowing his head.
"No, it's my fault for making you think that way. I'm the one who confidently thought she could take down bandits. What kind of delusion is that?!" I lamented inwardly.
"Since when?" Greg's voice trembled.
"Huh?" I was genuinely confused. How could he know?
"Since when did you know I was a woman?"
"From the very beginning…?"
"Huh?!" I was genuinely surprised; my disguise was impeccable!
"Uh, I mean, I encounter a lot of adventurers, so I have a talent for this kind of thing," Greg explained with a forced chuckle. "Their faces, personalities, and voices—all different from the villagers I know. They're unique in their own way, and their eccentricities are what make them adventurers. I've lived my entire life as a garlic farmer, so I know."
Greg's voice trailed off, his gaze distant as if lost in memories.
"There's nothing unique about me, nor this place at all. It's like it was built to be ordinary, aside from its name."
"But being a garlic farmer…it's not what I wanted," he continued, with regret.
"I always felt like I was meant for something more, like a hero in a fairytale I read as a child. But this place…. it's all so ordinary.
"Sometimes when I gaze at them from a distance, I always felt like a side character in those stories."
'The dude was born to be an NPC after all…' I inwardly thought.
His words lingered in the room. "And then came the goblins," he admitted.
"I almost got kidnapped by them. It felt like a slap in the face you know? Like a reminder of how small I am in this big world. But then you showed up, and you… you showed me what a real adventurer is."
There was a newfound respect in Greg's gaze, as if he was seeing me in a different light.
I couldn't help but feel annoyed at Greg's conclusion. How could he have known I was a woman? What gave it away?
Greg chuckled at me and replied, "It's your voice, the moment I heard it, I was sure it was a woman's."
Internally, I was throwing a tantrum since I thought my disguise was perfect, but I quickly composed myself as Greg spoke.
"I won't tell anyone about your secret," Greg assured me, sensing my discomfort. "You can stay here in the village. We owe you that much as our village's savior."
I remained silent, mulling over Greg's words. Despite my initial apprehension, it seemed I had found an unexpected ally in him because my "sense" was telling me otherwise.
After a moment of awkward silence, Greg spoke up again.
"Let me formally introduce myself…"
Is he going to do "that"?
"Ah! Hello, Adventurer! And welcome to the town of Honeywood! My name is Gregory, but you can commonly call me Greg, and as I have said, I am a garlic farmer."
I inwardly giggled at his response. It was just like how i remembered it after all.
"So, what's your name?"
I hesitated for a moment, considering whether to reveal my true identity. But something about Greg's earnestness made me want to trust him.
But it's too early. All would be revealed somehow. I can see people's aura so I know. Greg is genuine about his intentions, but for the sake of both of our beings, it was best to keep it neutral.
'Leysia…' if I remember correctly, that's the name this girl had, right?
"Sia," I finally replied, offering him a small smirk.
"Good, take care of me, okay?"
We both shook hands until I remembered that my hand was also fractured, but it was already too late.