Ethan was instantly overwhelmed with emotion. Not only was the child cute and adorable, she was abandoned and helpless. Anybody whose heart wouldn't melt at the sight must be a monster.
Apparently, the girl was so traumatized she could barely speak. "Co…me… clo…ser…"
With his post-nut clarity and still on a high about being a rarity in the fantasy world, Ethan took a few purposeful steps toward the child.
The boy meant to pick her up and carry her into the barracks. Perhaps the elves could help find her parents? They would profusely thank the future Count for the heroic act.
Ethan nodded to himself, already living the praise and limelight. He extended a hand to wipe the girl's tears.
"Get away from that innocent child, you creep!" a voice cut across the garden.
Ethan spun to see Captain Joan outside the back door, with at least a dozen elves behind her.
The boy suddenly remembered many light novels he read where the stupid main character stepped into traps and paid heavily for it.
In this case, did the elves think he was a pe*ophile, going after the little girl? Was it a trap to catch the future Count of Cromwell Castle red-handed, committing a heinous act?
"Get away! It's dangerous!" the other elves called out too. They unsheathed their swords and nocked their arrows. Disgust and hostility were written on their faces.
Just half an hour back, the elves looked at him with respect and admiration. Had all that changed in a matter of seconds? "I didn't mean to…" the boy mumbled, sweat forming on his head. "I just wanted to help…"
"Young Count! Run!" Joan hollered.
It was then that Ethan realized that earlier, the Elf Captain referred to him as a child. In that case, she called the little girl a creep. But why? That made no sense!
As if in slow motion, Ethan turned his head to look at the child. She was still standing there but had an ear-to-ear grin, eerily too large for her face.
Quite unexpectedly, Ethan found his hand inside the girl's mouth. A blinding pain spread up his arm as if a thousand needles were pricked into him. At that juncture, an arrow whistled across the garden and buried itself on the girl's head.
With an infernal screech, its mouth opened, and Ethan's hand slipped out.
"Aaargh!" the boy screamed and stumbled back. He tripped on a tree root and fell in on his ass. The boy stared in horror at his hand, which was a bloody mess.
How could a child's bite be so devastating? His question was answered immediately as the little girl's tiny face transformed into a monster's mouth, gnashing its fangs hungrily with an unsettling grin. The teeth were rows and rows of needle-like fangs.
"You…ng… Cou…nt…" it said in a mealy-mouthed voice. The girl's legs had transformed into an elongating stem that was rooted to the ground.
Ethan let out a shrill shriek as the stem elongated. The gnashing mouth moved towards him to take another bite, which would be much larger this time.
Fwip! Fwip! A hail of arrows rained down on the monster, riddling its stem and head. It screamed a horrific sound and retreated for a few moments.
Ethan took the opportunity to jump to his feet and run towards the safety of the elves. However, the monster hadn't given up yet. In a final attempt to get at the prey, it opened its infernal mouth and released a splash of saliva, phlegm, and undigested matter.
"Don't let it touch you!" Joan called out in alarm. Ethan lurched forward to avoid the attack. Luckily, the monster's vomit missed him, mostly. Unlikely, a few drops licked his ankles.
Ethan let out another piercing scream and dropped to the ground, clutching at his leg in pain. It felt like the acid-like saliva was burning holes into his body.
The monster heaved and cackled on its attack being successful. Even though the elves were closing in on Ethan, they were unlikely to reach him on time.
The plant monster contracted itself again to let out another wave of acid. However, this time, Captain Joan was ready with an arrow.
"Ignis!" she voiced in an accent Ethan did not recognize. In a second, the tip of her arrow ignited. A moment later, it was aflame!
Zip! Joan let the arrow loose with fantastic dexterity. It whooshed across the garden and landed inside the monster's mouth. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Suddenly, the plant monster burst into flames. Splat! It exploded like a bubble moments later, spewing acid, bile, and undigested food all over the ground.
An elf foot soldier reached Ethan and poured a liquid over his burned ankles and bloodied hand. "This is moon water," she said with a reassuring gaze. "Your injuries are only skin deep and will be okay in a few hours."
As the medic elf bandaged his wounds, Joan and the other elves also arrived beside him with looks of concern. "Are you okay, Young Count?"
Ethan looked up at the Elf Captain in dismay. "I'm fine. But is your garden full of man-eating monsters? You could have warned me about it!"
Joan shook her head. "First of all, you shouldn't have left the barracks without guards, Young Count. Secondly, there are no monsters in the Cromwell estate. We eradicated all such hostile species a long time back. Ours is one of the safest places in the nation!"
"Then what the hell was that?" Ethan demanded. "It almost bit off my hand and melted off my legs!"
Joan pursed her lips anxiously. "It was a dark nymph, a despicable creature that belongs to the shadows. It goes mainly after males, especially fertile ones. I am shocked that one appeared here of all places!"
The boy winced as the medic elf tightened the bandage around his hand. "Why are you shocked? Is it a rare species?"
The Elf Captain crossed her arms thoughtfully. A tinge of fear had appeared on her expression. "It is not about the rarity, Young Count. Dark nymphs don't belong to this world. They are minions of the Chaste Devil, Lucifer. I was under the impression that they had been completely eradicated."
Joan grabbed Ethan by the arm and lifted him to his feet. "This is a very concerning development. If you can move, we need to return to Cromwell Castle. Your mother must know of this as soon as possible!"