Chapter 46: Strangest Little Girl.
(*Victoria’s POV*)
My noble family has been on a decline for a long time. A mix between a demon and human parents, I am able to stay with humans without them realizing my real race. Now, I am actually known as my granddaughter’s daughter.
Taking over my kingdom wouldn’t work. I did try for many years, to no avail. Taking over the kingdom of Coltern, and using it as a foothold was my main plan. Facing extreme starvation, their leaders would rather murder their own citizens instead of giving up the kingdom to me.
Even though I am not a human, seeing such senseless death of humans still fills me with a boiling rage. At this point, their only hope is a rebellion. I’ll give the kingdom another month. If they don’t give me control, then I will secretly lead a rebellion.
Coming across another destroyed village, I was unmoved. Such a sight has become commonplace in this kingdom. Just since I’ve come to Coltern, I have seen over fifty towns and villages destroyed.
As I was ready to leave this horrible place, a little girl’s voice rang out from under a pile of bodies. Despite the voice sounding very young, the girl spoke as if the situation wasn’t that dire or horrible.
Even after my knight rescued her, the girl, Celia, didn’t have an expression like we were her saviors. Her expression and how she talked weren’t like a child at all. I had no idea what she did, but I felt like she peered into my soul.
This caused me to react by grabbing her by the neck and holding her up in the air. Now, I was very interested in her. As I held her up, she didn’t look afraid of me, or afraid that I would kill her. In Celia’s eyes, I saw that she found me to be interesting.
My thought at that time was that I needed her. Celia was clearly far more than she seemed. Once I told her this, she ran away. I ordered Arenti to stop but not kill her. The dagger was aimed at her leg, but Celia easily dodged the attack.
The little cute girl even had the guts to stop and steal the dagger before running away once more. Once she left, I let out a laugh. If I was in her shoes, I would have run as well. Her reaction was perfect, but the dagger she took was something that I could track.
Victoria: “Let us follow her. Of course, we will be invisible.” I order.
Leaving my carriage and maids behind, Arenti and I set off in Celia’s direction. It didn’t take long for us to find her. Celia was near a small bandit camp. Looking into the camp, I saw that the bandits had captured two elves.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
As a fellow long lived race, I had to hold back the urge to go save them. Both Arenti and I assumed that Celia would quietly run away from this camp. But what she did next shocked us both…
Celia strolled into the camp like she owned the place. She warned the bandits that if they wanted to live; they had to run away. But such threats from a child weren’t convincing at all. A bandit swung at Celia, so Arenti and I went to save her.
Then something shocking happened once more. Celia cut the man’s arm off, helped by the wind magic imbued onto the dagger. As the man fell to the ground, Celia, without any real expression on her face, cut his head off.
The group of bandits then started to attack her. Once again, we were about to go help the little girl out. But Celia didn’t need our help at all. She killed the bandits like she was doing something as simple as getting up in the morning…
Celia was clearly skilled, but her body wasn’t up to her level. She received a few minor cuts, but otherwise she killed an entire camp of bandits single handily. Once done, she let the elves out of their cage.
Elves naturally don’t trust humans, even if you save them. Surprising the elves and us, Celia spoke fluent Elvish. Arenti and I looked at each other. Celia wasn’t a child, that much is clear to see.
She fought like an adult, not like a child. Like her body wasn’t what she was used to. I was completely unsure that she would ever admit to this, but Celia must have reincarnated into that little girl’s body. Which would explain her uncanny skill at fighting, and how she can speak Elvish with ease.
Reincarnater’s exist, and are known, but they’re few and far between. One thing is common between them, they don’t like people realizing that they have reincarnated.
As I watch Celia dig through the camp to find food, various plans emerge in my mind… I can say that Celia is a lost princess of Coltern, and help her reclaim the throne. Even not in full control of the kingdom, I can change it to suit my needs.
Celia doesn’t seem like the kind of person that could, or would, want to run a kingdom. So me running the kingdom behind the scenes might work for her. Of course, this is just my assumptions. I have no idea if she will agree or not.
The little girl fell asleep after eating her small meal. Her reaction to the food was bad, so she must have been a noble daughter before she died. Taking a potion out of my storage ring, I popped the cork off of it, and then I put it to Celia’s nose. Just smelling this sleep potion was more than enough to keep someone asleep for a few hours or more.
Victoria: “Now that we got what we came here for, let us return to the carriage.” I order.
Arenti: “Shall I carry the girl?” She asked.
Victoria: “No. I will carry her. I do have many plans for which her help is needed. To that end, I should try to get in her good graces as soon as possible.” I deny before picking the little girl up in a princess carry.
She slept soundly as we made our way back to that destroyed town. Once in the carriage, Celia showed no signs of waking up. I might have let her smell that potion for too long… Oh, well. I wonder what her reaction to waking up in a castle will be?
My demon father gave me the rights to his moving castle. Of course, I can’t move it all the time. So leaving it in one place as a base for that area is required. With a barrier that prevents access and makes it invisible, it is the perfect hideout. Maybe I should be invisible and wait for her to wake up? Her reaction might be interesting…