Savior

Once Annie had gotten far enough from the rain that the ground was mostly dry, she finally set the girl down and let out a sigh of relief. 
"Phew," Annie said with a smile, "haven't had a workout like that in decades!"

The girl didn't respond, simply laying on her back and taking deep breaths. Annie was happy to see the more regular rising and falling of the girl's chest, taking it to mean she was healed for now. Looking at the girl's face, Annie could see disbelief painted all over it, the look of somebody who suddenly believed in miracles.

"Aramasa?" she asked, her voice weak.
"Oh? I know that name," Annie replied, "but that ain't me. My name's Annie Smith, what's yours?"

The girl paused, but replied to the question.
"M-My name is... Charlie."

Annie's eyes went wide.
"Charlie, huh," she said, trying her best to mask her shock. "That's a sweet name. It sounds like a name from where I'm from."

"Really?..." Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I knew a few Charlies myself."

Annie tried to keep up the small talk as her mind ran. Charlie was the name of that maid that Aramasa said was dead. She'd assumed that Charlie was old or was involved in some accident, but this was neither. Charlie hardly looked to be older than 20, and this certainly didn't look like an accident. That could mean a lot of things, Annie had no way of knowing yet- but it was definitely worth noting that the goddess had either lied or been entirely wrong about Charlie's death.

"So, Charlie, what exactly happened to you? You were pretty darn beat up, but you were all alone."

Annie looked at Charlie as she struggled to respond. She could see that the girl wasn't exactly happy to recall things, but it wasn't the kind of look somebody gives when they don't want to talk about it. She stayed quiet for a few seconds to allow the poor girl to gather her thoughts.

"I-I... I was a... Servant, for a king. And... I was punished for doing poorly."

Annie waited, but that was all Charlie had to say. She nodded, slowly recognizing the danger of the situation she was getting herself into. But, she had already died once. What was dying a second time, especially if it was for a good cause?

"I see. I take it you came from that mountain of a castle?" Annie asked, gesturing to the looming megastructure in the distance.

"Y-Yeah. Stay away from there, Miss Smith. I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through."

Annie giggled a bit. "Awww, kind of you to look out for an old thing like myself," she said, patting Charlie's back. "But, I think that's where I gotta go."

Charlie looked confused by Annie's response. "Old thing? Aren't you the same age as me?"

Oh right, Annie remembered, different body. 

She let out a laugh, nodding. "Huh, yeah, I suppose I am! Sorry, forget what I said."

Charlie let out a nervous laugh, still glancing at Annie with a bit of worry. Seeing her still looking at the castle in the distance, she couldn't stay quiet. She had meant what she said about the castle. If she could be thrown out without a thought, so could this other woman. She sat up, cleared her throat, and tried to warn her again.

"Miss Smith, I really mean it. Don't go to that castle, the people there are ruthless, and they'll make your life a living hell! Please, y-you just saved me, I don't want you to get hurt!"

Annie looked at Charlie with a bit of surprise, not having expected the sharp change in her voice. Seeing the fear in her eyes, she quickly gave a reassuring smile and turned to face her.
"Oh, dear, that's very kind of you. Don't worry, I don't plan on getting myself hurt. I've got quite a lot left to do, you know. But, don't worry about me right now. How are you feeling?"

Charlie tried to stand up, but let out a yelp of pain and stumbled back. Annie rushed forward and caught her before she could fall down.

"Woah, there! Take it easy," she said, looking at Charlie's legs.
They didn't seem to be broken, but they were badly beaten. They were discolored in spots, and both knees looked like they were skinned.

"Goodness me, let me take care of that for you, dear." Annie said as she moved her arms towards Charlie's beaten legs.

"No!"

Charlie's reaction caught Annie off-guard. She swatted her hands away, holding them back as she looked up.
"Y-You've already used up a lot of mana healing me back there, I-I can't let you do that again!"

"Whyever not, dear?" Annie asked.

"Because! Th-There's no mana in the atmosphere here, a-any magic you use will be from your own life force! I'll... I'll be fine, I'll get better. You shouldn't shorten your life for this."

Annie nodded slowly. Right, that did sound like it lined up with Aramasa's explanation. So, magic draws on a person's life force, so she would need to be more careful about using it. Aramasa also said something about her life being shorter because of mana, and that could be a problem too... It was difficult to put together, but she knew a little more now.

"Well, I suppose you're right," Annie said in reply, "but how will you get somewhere safe with legs like that?"

"W-Well... I-I can manage. I just... Wasn't expecting it to hurt that much, is all. Let me try again."

Annie wanted to stop Charlie, but she didn't. She knew there wasn't a much better solution here if Annie was to get to the castle in a timely manner, so she instead extended a hand to help the girl up. Charlie took it and stood up, much more slowly this time, and managed to stay on her feet. She took a cautious step, then another, then one more.

"Y-Yeah, see?" she said, trembling a bit. "I feel fine now!"

Annie nodded, noticing how nervous the girl was. "Alright, well let me walk with you at least until we reach a grassy area, alright?"

Charlie nodded, and the two of them walked together. Annie made sure to follow her still-visible footprints, knowing they'd lead right back to that grassy area. If she had to take a guess, she'd say that places with more vegetation must have more mana. If mana was like life energy, then that explains why everything felt so bad in this dead zone. 

It wasn't too long before they spotted grass. Annie could have sworn that it was a longer walk from where she started to where she found Charlie, but she couldn't deny the grass in front of them. A few minutes longer and they'd reach it. Annie looked at Charlie, happy to see the girl was walking far less shakily now.

"There's the grass, dear. Are your legs feeling any better?"

"Yeah, thank you, Miss Smith."

Charlie's voice was steady, and she no longer seemed to be out of breath. With her walking and talking normally, Annie knew it was time to say goodbye.

"Well, dear, I think it's time you started walking on your own," Annie said, a bit glum.

"H-Huh? But... I thought you were coming with me?" Charlie said, a quiver in her voice.

"Oh, dear... I would love to, but...."
Annie sighed. "I have something very important to do, and it's in that castle."

She saw Charlie's eyes widening, so Annie spoke more firmly. "I know, you told me it was dangerous, but I can't let that scare me away. I have to go there, dear."

"B-But... They could kill you!" Charlie said, raising her voice.

Annie giggled a bit. "Dear... It might sound crazy, but I believe that what I'm about to do will be worth dying for."

Annie turned and began walking away, so Charlie grabbed her arm.

"NO!" she shouted, "I-I... I won't let you go, Miss Smith!"

Annie looked at Charlie, seeing tears welling in the girl's eyes. In just about an hour, she had grown rather fond of this young woman, and it seems the feelings were mutual. She turned, then pulled Charlie into a warm hug.

"Charlie, dear... I wish I could listen to you. I do, I really do. But... I promise, I'll stay alive. I'll come and visit you sometime to prove it to you."

"B-But..." Charlie tried to protest, but she couldn't speak through her sobs. 
Annie held Charlie close as she cried, gently rubbing her back just like she would for Madeline. There was nothing more to do. Sometimes, what somebody needs is just a good cry.