Mysterious Ms Yulan — Himari

My eyes fluttered open, and the scent of the sun gently nudged me awake.

Yawn—

I stretched out my arm and looked over at the other side of the carriage, where Meilin was munching on a loaf of bread while talking to Ms Yulan.

Thank goodness. I wasn’t able to sleep last night because Meilin was crying endlessly.

We all didn’t know what to do, but Haruki assumed that it was a vision. We shouldn’t wake or disrupt her sleep if she were indeed having a vision.

Haruki said he once woke Ms Cecilia in the middle of a vision, and she had a horrendous reaction, gasping for breath and hitting her head multiple times. He recalled that Ms Cecilia had a terrible headache after that, making her immobile for an entire day.

That sounded awful. I wouldn’t want that to happen to Meilin, ever.

But Meilin looked much better now, thanks to the care of Ms Yulan.

Despite having a reputation for being a fierce warrior back in Becher, she seemed to possess the qualities of an affectionate caregiver.

I can’t remember the last time I was treated like that…

It might sound like I’m obnoxious, but at that moment, a tiny sting settled in my chest. The way Ms Yulan stroked Meilin’s hair reminded me of a mother and her child… something I’d never had. I hated myself for feeling that way, but I couldn't help it. I felt jealous of Meilin. It feels as if the little demon on my shoulder had persuaded me to envy the attention Meilin was given.

From a very young age, I had to take care of my “siblings” at the orphanage. The caregivers didn’t care for our well-being and left us to fend for ourselves. The children, older or the same age as me, all have foster families or adoptive parents. No one has taken an interest in me, and I was sent back to the orphanage on several occasions. Not that I was particularly naughty; I did like to play pranks on people, but they were nothing serious. However, I had managed to survive 19 years of my life in the orphanage. As soon as I left high school, I would be on my own.

To survive on my own.

I shook the thought away.

We had arrived at Tian Cheng, and despite my initial impression that it was a war-torn zone ravaged by monsters, it was relatively tranquil.

Ms Yulan told the driver to drop us off at an abandoned hunting lodge nearby. She carefully went inside and inspected the place. I aided Meilin out of the carriage. Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at her, she appears to be drained, like her soul has been taken out of her body. Her skin was even paler than before, and dark circles surrounded her eyes.

Ms Yulan came back out and gave us a slight nod, signaling us to enter.

“Tian Cheng is a place full of chaos. Monsters could be anywhere.” Ms Yulan stated, while tying her hair up, “We should go look for the nearest civilization to stay. Hopefully, we can make it before dusk. Meilin is a bit under the weather, so she will have to stay here for the time being. I entrust the task of keeping Meilin safe to you, Haruki.” She said so, but she seemed to be a bit worried about leaving Meilin alone.

“And Himari, let’s go find a village to stay in.”

“Yes, Ms Yulan.”

We bid farewell to Meilin and Haruki and set off to find the village.

“After Tian Cheng fell apart, many citizens left to reside in the villages surrounding the city. Hopefully, the country will be rebuilt slowly as the villages grow stronger to become a kingdom eventually.” Ms Yulan had a distant look in her eye, as if her mind was roaming elsewhere.

We continued ahead, hoping to find people who could lead us to our destination. But instead, we were met by monsters. The beasts were lapping up water from a pond. It seemed like they were peaceful creatures, but that wasn’t possible, since they were corrupted. The monsters have been turned into battle machines the moment orbs controlled their owners’ minds. They cannot think or feel, and are merely slaves to the orbs.

Now that I think about it, why would the orbs be such horrid things? Who was behind such a system? And why had no one raised concerns about this? The witches, monsters and orb users aren’t the villains; the only reason they fight back is because of the orbs.

I sighed. Too much thinking is going to burn my mind—urgh.

Ms Yulan had quickly slaughtered the monsters ahead before they could even react. I noticed a sharp, almost wrathful glint in her eyes.

I assume she hates monsters, which is understandable, because monsters wiped out her homeland. If the monsters ever lay a hand on the children back at the orphanage…

My thoughts clouded my senses, and I tripped on a rabbit hole.

Ouch!

I fell to the ground on my butt.

“Himari!” Ms Yulan rushed over with panic in her eyes. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I gaped at Ms Yulan. Huh? Was it weird that she got so concerned about me despite it being a minor fall? Thinking back, she always seemed to be fussing over Meilin, as if she were her own child. I would expect a strong warrior like her to scold a weakling for getting hurt instead.

I tried to stand back up, but stumbled over. I gently lifted the hem of my kimono, revealing a wound on my leg.

“Himari…” Ms Yulan made a big fuss over the bruise and even offered to carry me on her back. I politely refused, not wanting to seem childish, and said I could manage.

Unfortunately, the wound worsened by the time we found a village.

One of the villagers ushered me to a nearby clinic, while Ms. Yulan returned to find Meilin and Haruki as soon as possible.

Inside the clinic was a heavy smell of herbs and medicine. I was led to the village doctor, an aged man with long, tied-up hair and a mustache.

“Now who do we have here?” The old man stroked his mustache thoughtfully. Just from looks, I could tell he was an experienced doctor.

“A traveller from afar.” The villager replied, “She has hurt herself on her journey here, and she was accompanied by a woman who seemed to be from around here.”

“I see.” The doctor tended to my wound carefully, ensuring it didn't become infected. “You should’ve come here earlier.” The doctor sighed, “The injury seemed to have swelled up over time. Luckily, the cut isn’t deep. I’ve patched it up now. You should avoid leaving the village while your wound heals. Tian Cheng is full of monsters, and it’d be safer not to fight any so your wound doesn’t open up.”

“Thank you.” I gently touched the bandage with the tips of my fingers.

A young lady entered the clinic, holding a batch of herbs. “Mr. Hu, I’ve gotten the herbs you requested.”

At the same time, Ms Yulan returned, with Haruki flying around in circles.

The lady and Ms Yulan locked eyes for a moment.

After staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, Ms Yulan uttered softly, “Sis?”

So Ms Yulan had a sister?