The strange girl

My first day in this new world wasn’t what I had anticipated. I expected to be sent to some kind of battlefield, already preparing for war, but that didn’t seem to be the case.Anita had placed me in a forest where I couldn’t find any plausible exit. My only useful source was to rely on my Navigation skill—and the assistance of a little girl.“Wow, we are so high up!” the girl roared with excitement.I had just met this girl last night, and she had already started using me as a tool.With Anastasia on my shoulder, I used my skill Leap to soar high into the air—high enough to be above a huge portion of the forest.She was enjoying herself, judging by her laughter and reactions. It was to be expected.Even though we had only just met, she was instantly open to me.I guess I could appreciate my so-called “soft face” demeanor for this assistance, but without any confirmation of what the girl truly wanted, I couldn’t make a move. My only option was to stay with her for now.“Um, Uncle Ren, I’m hungry,” she suddenly blurted out.“I’m not your caretaker, you know?” I glanced at her with a narrowed glare.“Look, an angler!” She excitedly pointed at a huge deer grazing on some grass.Instantly, her personality shifted. She fell silent and began performing strange hand movements with a serious gaze. I thought it looked plain stupid.“What are—”“Shhh, Uncle. Let’s—” She made an eye gesture as if to say kill it, slitting her own throat with her hand.The way she did it looked cute rather than serious, but I had to try, right? I wasn’t the type to kill animals, but for the sake of survival, it would be easy to excuse it as the cycle of life.With a grin on her face, I gestured for her to keep quiet and slowly crept up to the angler.Anastasia followed right after me, clinging like a baby in need of her mother to survive.“W-what skill will you use? Slice? Bow Cutter? Mind Control?” She listed the abilities I had casually demonstrated before, far too excited. It felt like she wanted a reason to see me use my skills rather than simply fill her stomach.The angler hadn’t noticed us yet, but their senses were sharp—one mistake and it would sprint away.I scanned my surroundings, my eyes falling on a hard rock. I grabbed it and activated my Navigation skill.“Skill, Enhancement.”Just as the name implied, the skill enhanced my physical body to a decent degree. If I threw this stone with full force, it might actually kill the angler.I didn’t really have it in me to kill animals—maybe because of my mother’s words and wishes—but it sounded hypocritical of me to claim that. I ate meat and livestock, after all. What reason did I have not to be in their position?I took deep breaths. I had no weapon—only the massive, bulky sword Anita had given me, which was useless in this situation.I took aim, ready to throw—Until—“Eek! A prairie!” Anastasia suddenly screamed her heart out and leapt onto my back, startling the angler instantly.All I could do was sigh as we lost valuable food.“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.“Prairie… a bug…”“Are you kidding me!?”After multiple failed attempts, it wasn’t until the seventh try that I finally killed an angler. With the help of my passive skills, I created a strong enough fire to cook it.I took a bite. Its skin was surprisingly tough but not too difficult to chew. Anastasia, on the other hand, devoured the meat as if she hadn’t eaten for days.I was still intrigued by Anastasia’s past, but she told me nothing. In the end, I genuinely wanted to help this girl get wherever she needed to go. So her proposal of me being her bodyguard wasn’t entirely unreasonable—but I couldn’t neglect my own mission either.Did that make me evil? Was it a sign of weakness?Was I so caught up in trying to save this world that I was neglecting her safety?Would my mom have helped this girl too?I couldn’t contact Anita. The only sign that she was still watching me was the contract seal on my arm.“Uncle Ren,” Anastasia called out, a blush creeping across her soft face.“Yes?” I had gotten so used to her calling me uncle that I didn’t even care anymore.“You’re indeed weird.”“H-how…?”“First of all, you don’t look like someone from around here. So I assumed you were a foreigner of some sort.”“Yes, princess, I am indeed a foreigner.”“Oooh… then what’s a foreigner doing all the way here?”“Let’s just say I’m lost. I’m making my way to the kingdom—at least to find a place to stay.” There was no way I could tell her I was on a mission.“I see. Firstly, your hair is brown. That’s weird.”“Yours is blond and I’m the weird one?” I let out an exasperated sigh.“Hehehe. Maybe it’s because of your foreign nature that I find you comforting.” She inched closer, her tiny body pressing against mine as if seeking warmth. “You’re a nice guy.”“Even though we just met?”“I can tell at first glance. No random person would go out of their way to take care of a stranger. Why? Do you think there’s some kind of reward for it?”“No… I just help because it’s the right thing to do.”“Then you don’t believe in justice or the harsh reality of things? Do you try to see everything as positively as possible?” Anastasia’s question was out of nowhere, yet somehow tied to our conversation.She was just a little girl—yet here she was asking questions about morality.“….”“Does that mean everyone deserves to be saved? Will you be nice to anyone, no matter how harshly they treat you?” Her voice was soft, her expression seeking comfort.“I feel like everyone deserves to be treated kindly, no matter how evil they might be. People can change. Sometimes, you know?”“Uncle Ren, have you ever met someone truly evil?”Her question caught me by surprise.“A-a few…”“And you were kind to them despite everything?”“Yes. I try my best to. No matter how stupid it sounds, being true to yourself and accepting the dark world around you is enough. I’m not saying I’m perfect—there are people I despise. But I shouldn’t let that define the type of person I am. I made a promise to my mom that I would be kind to everyone. So…”And this mission was simply one of the foundations of that promise.“I-I see. That’s so inspirational. Then I’ve decided! I will follow you to the kingdom!” Anastasia smiled, but it wasn’t stagnant. Her expression quickly shifted to one of worry, her small body shivering.All I could do was pat her head.“Don’t worry. I will protect you,” I reassured her.At any rate, she wanted to stick with me. If things grew dangerous, then yes—I would gladly separate myself from her.When we reached the kingdom, I would make sure to find her a safe place. She seemed more than ready to live on her own.But I hadn’t realized a huge mistake I had made—until it was too late.