n

n

nThe steed we used had already been killed, so this was our last resort.

n…

nThankfully, we were able to escape the enemy’s sight and managed to make our way back to the camp, where we informed the commander of everything that happened.

n“Well, that’s good enough. At least you managed to kill the primary sponsor… I doubt they’ll make a move any time soon, so now we’ll just storm the camp when the morale is already down….”

n“Can we take a break? I’m sure you guys can handle it yourselves,” I responded while carefully observing the little girl beside me.

nThere was a possibility she could be a spy, and how do I know? Well, everything she said earlier was a complete and utter lie.

nShe knew who she was, where she came from, and how old she was… but she was very good at hiding the signs of a lie.

nThe only reason I found out that she was lying was that she slipped up for a bit and looked away with a guilty look as Aisa first embraced her.

nI guess she is still just a child.

n“Go ahead… Also, who is this child? What are you doing bringing a kid here?” The commander asked the already expected question… and we had no idea how to answer.

n“We found her when we were escaping. She had lost her parents and some of her memories… Aisa, how about you bring her out and help her get changed into some clean clothes. I’m sure she’s hungry as well,”

n“Ah, yes. Okay, well, see ya,”

n“See ya,”

nAs they both exited the tent, I slowly turned to the commander with a serious expression on, displaying my suspicion.

n“I understand… Watch over her for now. If she makes any rash moves, then step in but if she really is just an innocent child, then try to cheer her up as much as possible,”

n“Yes, sir… Also, thank you for the break. I’ll see you at the finish line,” I said while opening the curtain-like doors.

nBut just as I was about to leave, the commander caught a whiff of my injury and tossed me a large vial of red liquid.

n“Drink it. The dislocation should set itself back,”

n“I’ll be taking this as part of my compensation,”

nAs I looked back at the commander with a wide smirk, he also smirked a bit before we split ways, exhausted and ready to get some shut-eye.

nOnce I got back to my tent, which was filled to the brim with my sleep comrades, I put out the small flame floating above everybody and lied down.

nI had already drunk the potion, but the newly set shoulder was a bit sore, so I slept on my left side…

nMy mind immediately fell asleep upon hitting the soft pillow below me.

n…

nIn the morning, I awoke to the sight of a dagger about to split my face open, but the wielder, a little child, had been held back by swirling black winds.

n“Good morning,” I smiled at her, and as I grabbed the blade with my hand, I slowly pressed inward, causing her wrist to also fold inwards.

nHer cold expression soon turned to a fearful one as my bloodlust slowly leaked out.

n“Man… My hand is already bleeding,” I muttered before grabbing the child’s face with my bloody hand and kicking the dagger toward Aisa.

n“It’s coated in poison,” She said, and we both smirked at each other.

n“Huh? Then we have to quickly send him to the infirmary. We don’t want the poison to spread any further, right?” Bella asked, but everybody else just chuckled a bit as I dragged the child out of the tent.

n“Orion is immune to any poisons,” Cy said as everybody in the camp quickly surrounded the child, pressuring her so much that she began to cry.

n“I-I’m sorry… I was forced into doing this,” She said as tears leaked from her eyes, but everybody here was experienced enough to know that trusting her was like stepping on a landmine.

nThe child looked surprised as instead of pitying her, she was instead given more glares than before.

n“Get the commander,” I ordered the entire group, and of course, one person immediately left while everybody else continued to pressure her.

n“P-Please spare me… I’m sorry… I-I’m sorry… They would’ve killed my parents if I didn’t do this,” She begged, but nobody was buying it.

n“Aye! Does anybody here have a lie detection skill!?” Somebody called out from the large group.

nNobody responded, but it was fine… I wasn’t a big fan of interrogating children, but if it was the enemy… it had to be done.

n“Girl, tell us the truth. I know everything you said yesterday was a honeyed lie… You’re pretty good at deceiving people, I’ll give you that, but against seasoned veterans like these men, you’re nothing,” I said, crouching down to her level and activating Tangible Bloodlust.

nThe girl was practically shivering in fear now as my bloodlust turned into a voracious beast that looked as if it was about to eat her.

n“I-I swear-“

nAll of a sudden, I felt a sudden drop in temperature around me, and a frosty mist escaped my mouth as the girl continued to shiver with fear.

n“Hmmm… I see,” I heard a deep voice mutter behind me, so I let him take over, and I already had a gist of his plan.

n“It’s alright, kid. We’ll let you explain everything with time….” The commander said as he scooped up the child with his large arms and played the good cop.

nSon of a bitch… using me as the bad cop… well, whatever.

n“Hey, is she part of any large family?” I asked Bella upon returning to the torn-up tent.

n“From what I can tell, no. There are no major families that have ice powers like that… and it seems she’s not even aware of them yet,”

n“So we found an abandoned tiger cub… interesting,”

n