Chapter 49: Bumpy Ride.

(*Celia’s POV*)

Being pissed off is seemingly going to be my new current mood… My child body, just like before, was super prone to wanting to sleep all the damn time. Shouldn’t an 11 year not sleep like a baby?

My theory is that this body was super malnourished, so it not having any energy makes sense. Once I actually get stronger, I think that I won’t have to worry about sleeping all the time. As I woke up, I realized that the carriage wasn’t moving at all.

Penni: “Are you awake, Celia?” She asked.

Celia: “So it seems…” I reply with a yawn.

Penni: “…”

Celia: “Why did the carriage stop? Did we make it?” I ask with a head tilt.

Penni: “To be more accurate, our driver had abandoned us and ran away.” She replied.

Celia: “Huh? Why did her run?” I ask.

Penni: “Currently, we’re surrounded by a group of bandits. Ugh… I knew that we should have kept a maid as our driver…” She said with a groan.

Once we made it a six hours away from Victoria’s castle, we stopped at a small town and sleep in an inn. The maid that drove us here left, and she went back to the castle, and we got another carriage to drive us. Which was clearly a bad idea.

Celia: “Well? Why are we just sitting here? Let’s head out and kill them.” I propose.

Penni: “Are you serious!? Look out the window! There are at least a hundred of them…” She exclaimed.

Celia: “…”

Propping up the curtain, I looked outside. Currently, we were in a big and open field. Not a perfect place to fight such an army, and what a fucking army it was… Were those bandits that I killed earlier part of this group, and they want revenge?

Bandit Leader: “Come out, now! We know that you’re the one that killed our people!” He exclaimed.

Penni: “…”

Celia: “…”

Well, that answers that unasked question… They must have seen Victoria take me away, and were waiting this entire time for me to be out the open. How persistent…

Penni: “Celia, this was clearly our fault. Stay inside, and I will go try to deal with them. Once you see an opening, then just run.” She said with a serious tone.

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Celia: “It might be your fault, but I will be the one to fight them. Penni, I have a lot of cheats. Even if I am weak at the moment, I can still deal with them. Just… do you have anything for healing?” I ask.

Penni: “I have a few healing potions, yes.” She replied.

Celia: “Great! Then keep them ready for when I finish killing them.” I reply before running out of the carriage before Penni could stop me.

Once I exited the carriage, I was met with a barrage of arrows. Damn! Not even giving a chance at all!? Using my dagger, I swung it, which caused a gust of wind to appear, knocking the arrows off course. Which is something that I had to do a few times.

When the enemies finally ran out of arrows, I was still alive, but not well. None of the arrows hit me directly, but I was covered in cuts from the arrows that managed to cut me on their way past my body. Pain was something that I thought I had a hold over, but right now I was in a lot of pain…

Celia: “Are you done with this shitty show of arrows?” I ask with a feigned confidence.

Bandit Leader: “Ha! So you managed to survive that attack? Despite being a child, it seems that you have some skill.” He said with a laugh.

Celia: “And? Is that all you have to say? I will gut you just like I did the other bandits, fool!” I exclaimed.

His face turned dark, my remark clearly upset him a lot, which was my intention. People tend to act not at 100% when they’re angry, after all. And I need all the advantages that I can get in this fight where I am completely outnumbered.

Bandit Leader: “…”

Celia: “Are you really just going to sit there gawking at me? Come on! Give me a challenge already!” I yell with an angry tone.

Bandit Leader: “If you won’t be honorable, then neither will we! Men, attack her all at once!” He ordered.

Thus, the fight began in full. Most of the bandits didn’t really have any skills at all. At best, they could swing a sword. Thinking back, even most of their arrows were far off target. This realization was what gave me the confidence to fight them.

*Hours Later.*

To me, now, fighting is just a means to an end. There is no more fun in it for me at all. I still haven’t figured out why I lost this specific side of me, but at least it allows me to fight better. Since it isn’t about fun or honor, I can kill without anything getting in the way. Sorta like an unfeeling assassin…

If you told someone that literal child had killed a little over a hundred bandits, regardless of how unskilled those bandits were, they wouldn’t believe you at all. As for the hidden people watching this entire fight, I wonder what they think about this sight.

Penni: “Celia!” She said, quickly forcing a healing potion down my throat.

My wounds were many, but mainly small. So the healing potion healed them quickly. I did lose a lot of blood, though. Which is why I can barely keep my eyes open. I don’t want to leave these bodies so close to a town, but I don’t have any other options.

Celia: “We should leave, Penni. We don’t know if there will be more of them.” I advise.

The entire field, which was once peaceful and serene not that long ago, was now covered in bodies, gore and blood. It looked like a battlefield, and I guess that it now was, in a certain sense.

Penni: “You rest inside the carriage, I will drive it.” She said with a forced smile.

Celia: “Drive it? Penni, the horses are dead. We have to walk.” I deny.

Penni: “…”

Only now did Penni look over at the carriage, specifically at the deceased horses that were covered in arrows. If I was at just ten percent of my power, I would have tried to save them. But in this fight, my and Penni’s life was all that I could protect.

Penni: “Then… I’ll carry you. There should be a town a few miles from here.” She proposed.

Celia: “You don’t mind being covered in blood?” I ask with a laugh.

Penni: “It is just blood, Celia.” She replied.

Celia: “That’s true…” I say before passing out.

Before I did pass out, I felt Penni catch me. Which was good, as this child body was pretty weak. As vain as it sounds, I would be upset if I ended up with scars, even in a body that I will eventually leave. Hopefully, Penni can protect her and me while I sleep…