A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"Brother Bray, if you get lost, remember to come back the way you came and ask me to show you the way!" Marus waved his hand vigorously.

“I’m not the guy who led you astray,” Bray casually replied to Marus.

I got lost thanks entirely to Naruko.

"Hey! Are you really leaving so soon? You could have just gone with the Knights!" Naruko shouted.

“No thanks, I’m used to traveling alone.” Bray shrugged and went deeper into the woods.

The sun is shining brightly now, and walking in the woods doesn't feel too cold.

Rabbits would occasionally dart by.

I wonder if there will be more monsters in the forest now.

After all, the previous surge in monster numbers was likely due to the influence of that corrupted summoning circle.

However, it was all just Bray's speculation.

Regardless, Bray genuinely hoped that life in this simple village could be more peaceful.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Bray's spine, causing him to instinctively draw his longsword.

But after drawing the longsword halfway, he put it back.

"I...I succeeded, so...can you take me with you? Don't leave me alone." A girl who looked to be about fifteen years old hugged Bray's waist.

However, calling her a young girl isn't entirely accurate.

The girl's face still had a small portion of keratinous exoskeleton on the left side.

The girl's petite body was also irregularly covered with outer shells.

As for the right hand, it was completely a monster's hand, and there was also an armored tail behind its rear end.

It still looks like a monster.

Bray recognized him immediately as a mixed-race person from that time.

"You've been gone so long, you haven't been working hard all by yourself, have you?" Bray ruffled the girl's hair in annoyance.

Even without the outer shell, the hair is still very soft.

"Levy, Levy tried her best." The girl named Levy stammered.

It was obviously because he hadn't spoken to anyone for far too long.

It's already a miracle that he can remember how to speak.

"Yes, I tried very hard."

“However, loosen it a little.” Bray gasped.

Levy touched a nerve with Bray.

The villagers knew, of course, that Bray was injured, but unfortunately, no one understood just how badly he was hurt.

Unlike Nisha, Bray was in poor health.

Without any protection, taking such a powerful punch would have severely damaged Bray's organs.

Such an injury requires treatment from a qualified sorcerer or a pastor at a church.

The Knights are all combatants; there's not a single one who can heal, which is really frustrating.

Levy looked terrified, thinking that her monstrous strength had injured Bray.

“It’s none of your business,” Bray waved his hand.

Although he was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, Bray still responded to Levy earnestly.

"What would you do if I really had left a few days ago, as I said?"

“Levy has always been here,” Levy said, looking up.

“Really…” Bray suddenly chuckled, his dead fish eyes looking to the side.

"You're still not good enough like this? You'll still be treated like a monster." Bray sighed.

Levy was startled and immediately deflated.

"Levy, I don't want to continue living like this." Levy's expression was like that of a puppy about to be abandoned.

“You still need to keep working hard,” Bray said.

"Hmm..." Levy wanted to cry, but unfortunately, the monster's level was still quite high, so she couldn't express many of her emotions.

Tears could not be shed.

"It'll be a few more days before we leave the forest. Try your best on the journey, or I'll get chased down and beaten up," Bray sighed.

"Mmm!" Levy didn't show much expression, but her tail wagged happily. "Does it hurt?" Levy wagged her tail and wrinkled her nose as she looked at Bray.

However, Levy's face remained expressionless.

“Not bad,” Bray sighed and said to Levy.

If you put this girl next to Mila, they'd definitely make a duo with expressionless faces.

To be honest, when Bray is being dull, his dead fish eyes make him look worse than having a blank expression.

“Name.” Suddenly, Levy looked at Bray, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Bray was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

During the two days he spent with Levy, Bray did not tell her his name.

“Breaklas, got it?” Breklas said, ruffling Levy’s light blue hair.

“Got it!” Levy wagged her tail incessantly.

"Are you a puppy?" Bray said irritably.

But Levy's tail was still wagging, and she tilted her head, looking at Bray with a puzzled expression.

I thought Levy's form was supposed to be a lion, so why is she behaving like a puppy?

Shouldn't it be a feline?

“Bray.” Levy shook Bray’s arm.

"what happened?"

"Levy's appearance." Levy pointed to her own appearance.

The outer shell on Levy's body and face has now completely disappeared.

However, the tail and the right hand remain the same.

But at least Bray could say that Levy is an orc.

Look at this world's cutest metallic tail!

Look at the world's cutest claws!

Bray probably already had a idea of ​​how many strange looks he was going to receive.

"Well, you won't be chased anymore." Bray sighed.

In truth, Bray didn't help Levy in any way.

In the end, Levy's transformation into this form was entirely due to her own efforts.

If people in the past had given Doreby a little more confidence, then this girl would never have had to endure the pain of being hunted.

“We humans can be really inexplicable and quite stupid sometimes,” Bray said, patting Levy’s head and looking up at the sky.

"???" Levy's face was full of question marks.

"Oh right, the outer shell is gone, you need to wear more clothes." Bray suddenly realized some serious problems.

Previously, Levy's body was covered in shells, and any piece of rag would have been enough to cover her clothes.

However, now, the linen clothes Levy was wearing could no longer cover her fair skin.

Not to mention its conspicuous arms and tail.

“You should thank me for bringing plenty of spare clothes as an adventurer.” Bray shrugged and took a jacket out of his backpack.

When Bray helped Levy put on her coat, Levy's pointed ears twitched noticeably.

“I’m happy,” Levy said, her face flushed.

"I can't tell at all." Bray still needs a long time to figure out how the expressionless girl expresses her emotions.

"Happy~" Now, at least you can tell from the tone of voice.

"Does this mean I'll be taking you along as a side dish from now on?" Bray asked hesitantly.

God knows what kind of trouble I'll run into later.

What will happen to this girl then?

However, this girl seems to be much stronger than me in combat.

Bray seemed to be worrying about something he shouldn't be worrying about.

“Brave, you’re very tall.” Levy gestured to indicate her height.

Even if Levy stood on tiptoe, she couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with Bray.

Levy is about 1.5 meters tall, while Bray is 1.8 meters tall.

From this perspective, Levy does indeed appear quite short.

“How old is Levy?” Bray asked.

“Fifteen,” Levy said, wrinkling her little nose.

“So you’re in puberty, you’ll grow taller,” Bray said.

"Development?" Levy asked, puzzled.

"Yes, what's meant to be tall will be tall, and what's meant to be big will be big," Bray said casually, completely unaware that he had said anything wrong.

"Get taller? Get bigger?" Levy's eyes darted around.

"Hmm, get taller, get bigger." Bray wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that something about his words was off.

Levy is indeed fifteen years old, but her mind is undoubtedly that of a child of only a few years old.

The gap between her two periods was far too long.

"How long did you live that kind of life?"

"Ten years," Levy answered honestly, still firmly remembering the concept of time.

Because many of these things are precious knowledge left to me by my mother.

This knowledge is incredibly important to Levy; it carries memories of herself and her mother that she will never forget.

“You’re surprisingly cute.” Bray ruffled Levy’s cheek.

"Hmm~" Levy's eyes narrowed after being praised by Bray.

Before this, only one person had said such a thing.

That was her own mother.

Thinking this, Levy wagged her tail even harder.

"It's getting dark. We should be able to get out of the forest tomorrow."

It won't be long before you reach the capital city after leaving the forest of Skahn village.

"Mmm~" Levy hummed in response.

"Let's take turns keeping watch tonight."

"Keep watch?" Levy shook her head.

"It's just taking turns sleeping."

“Okay!” Levy nodded.

---

Keeping watch was no problem for Levy, who had always been a nocturnal animal.