***

Inside the camp, Deryl slowly regained consciousness.

"Ugh, my head… where am I? Last thing I remember, I was surrounded by goblins, wolves, and orcs. Did… did the monsters kidnap me?"

"You filthy human! How dare you injure me!"

Deryl turned toward the sound of the orc's angry voice. He saw the orc, enraged, locked in combat with someone.

"What's going on? Is that orc fighting someone?"

As he watched, he heard the other figure taunt the orc with a voice full of defiance.

"Shut it, you red-skinned swine, Are all orcs only capable of big talk? I've killed your kind before, just as talkative and just as dead by my hands."

"Argh, you'll pay with your life!"

The orc charged with his axe, but the boy dodged effortlessly, countering with a precise slash that opened another wound.

"Is dodging all you can do, human?" the orc growled, enraged.

"Fine. Then come and get me." the boy replied, taunting the orc with a hand gesture.

Deryl's eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene.

"The one fighting that orc… he's just a kid? He couldn't believe what he was seeing. How is that child holding his own against an orc who can talk?" Looking around the battlefield, he realized something even more astonishing. "He's also slaughtered all the other monsters here? If I had even half his strength, maybe I wouldn't have been captured like this."

Just then, a thought of his sister flashed in his mind. "Ceryl… did she escape? Please, please be safe, Ceryl."

He turned back to watch the fight, captivated as the orc roared and swung with all his might, only for the boy to deflect the blow with ease.

"What… what just happened? When did he sever the orc's body? And who… who is this child? He's incredibly strong."

Deryl's heart pounded as he witnessed this unbelievable display, unable to look away from the fierce battle before him.

"Alright, orc leader, where are you? Can you only hide?" Tristan called out, provoking the orc leader.

Deryl saw a large burst of fire beside him.

"What's that light? Is it… a fireball? Is that the leader the boy is looking for? Damn it, I have to warn him." He gathered his strength and shouted, "OVER HERE! THE ORC LEADER IS HERE!"

Tristan turned toward the sound of the shout and sprinted in that direction. He spotted an orc casting a fireball spell.

"There you are." With a swift movement, Tristan dashed toward the orc, slicing through both the fireball and the orc's body in one motion, cutting the creature in half.

"Phew, that's finally done. Oh, right, who yelled just now?" Tristan glanced around, spotting Deryl. "Hey, is your name Deryl?"

"Y-yes, I'm Deryl. How… how did you know who I am?"

Tristan shouted toward the trees, "Ceryl, come in! It's safe now, your brother's awake."

He slashed open Deryl's cage, freeing him.

"Ceryl? You… you met my sister?"

"Yeah, I saved her when she was surrounded by goblins and wolves."

From the distance, a voice called out excitedly, "Brother! Brother!" Ceryl ran forward, her face alight with relief as she threw her arms around him, sobbing. "I thought you were dead, I really thought I'd lost you!"

"No, Ceryl. I'm alive," Deryl replied, pulling her into a comforting embrace. "Thank you for bringing help, Ceryl."

With a proud smile, Ceryl responded, "Hehe, see? I did it! I brought Tristan to help find you."

"Yes, yes, you were amazing," Deryl said, smiling warmly.

He turned to Tristan. "So your name is Tristan? Thank you for saving me. I'm Deryl, Deryl Rubeaux. It's an honor to meet you."

"No problem. The name's Tristan. Can you stand or walk?"

"I think so…" Deryl tried to stand but stumbled, his legs still weak. "Maybe not just yet. I'll stay here with Ceryl."

"Good idea. Wait here with your sister while I gather some loot."

Tristan walked off into the camp.

"Loot?" Deryl turned a questioning gaze toward Ceryl, who simply shrugged and lifted her hands, equally baffled.

After a while, Tristan returned.

"Alright, I've looted the place. Let's get going." Reaching out to Deryl, Tristan supported him as they started to leave the camp.

"Oh, by the way, where are you two headed? It's already late. I suggest you spend the night at my place and head home tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"

"That's a good idea. Sorry for the trouble," Deryl replied.

"It's no problem. It's been a while since I've seen other humans, especially around my age. Alright, enough chatting, save your strength for the walk."

Both Ceryl and Deryl nodded in agreement. Tristan led them towards his cave, following the river's flow.

"We've been walking for quite a while now, and this path goes against the river's current. That means we're going deeper into the forest. How does he manage to live out here?" Deryl wondered silently.

After a short walk, Tristan pointed towards a small opening in a cliff. "That's my place."

"Do you live in a cave?"

"Yeah, I've been here for almost three months."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"How can he be so brave, living this far into the forest?" Deryl thought to himself, perplexed.

As they reached the cave, a small creature chirped, "Kyuuu!"

"Oh, there you are, Ecy! Where have you been?"

"Kyu, kyu," the little creature responded.

"What? You saw a child being taken to the monster camp?"

"Kyuu kyuu!"

"Does the child look like this?" Tristan gestured to Deryl.

"Kyuuu!" Eclipse seemed startled, realizing that the child he had seen earlier was right beside Tristan.

"Haha, you're too late, smelly squirrel," Tristan teased.

"Kyuuu!" Eclipse responded with a hint of annoyance.

"Alright, Deryl, Ceryl, let me introduce you to my friend, Eclipse."

"Kyaaaa!" Ceryl squealed with excitement and rushed to hug Eclipse. "So cute! Where did you find such an adorable pet??"

"He's not a pet; he's my friend," Tristan corrected her.

Ignoring Tristan's words, Ceryl happily hugged Eclipse tightly.

"Forgive Ceryl's behavior, he sometimes forgets himself."

"Haha, no problem. Let's eat first," Tristan said, preparing a fire and stepping outside to retrieve the meat he had smoked earlier that morning.

"And… done. Let's eat."

"Bon appétit," they said in unison.

After eating, Tristan prepared bedding from dried grass. "This is all I could set up. I didn't expect to have guests out here in the forest."

"No problem, this is more than enough. See, Ceryl is already fast asleep, haha."

"You should get some rest too; your body is still covered in wounds."

"Alright. Oh, Tristan, what will you do after we leave?"

"Hmm, I'll go back to my usual routine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Don't you feel lonely being out here alone in the forest?"

"Sometimes I do, but I'm used to it. Besides, I have Eclipse here."

"I see... umm, would you consider coming with us to live in the village? It's not too crowded, and the people are friendly."

"Honestly, that sounds appealing, but I might only bring bad luck to your village. It's better if I stay here. Alright, it's already late, get some rest."

"Umm, okay. Goodnight, Tristan."

"Yes, goodnight."

Tristan closed his eyes, thinking on Deryl's offer. "It might actually be better if I stayed in the village, but Mortis is probably still after me. I don't want to drag them into this" he thought before finally drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Tristan woke up early to prepare food for their journey, as he planned to escort Ceryl and Deryl back to their village.

"Good morning, Tristan."

"Morning, Deryl. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now."

"That's great. Is Ceryl still asleep?"

"Yes, even at home, he's usually the last one to wake up, haha." Tristan and Deryl laughed together.

"So, what are you making here?"

"I'm preparing provisions for our trip."

With a hopeful expression, Deryl asked, "Are you coming with us to the village?"

"No, I'll just escort you both near the village."

"Oh, thank you for your kindness, Tristan," Deryl replied, though he sounded disappointed.

"Good morning, Tristan. Good morning, brother."

"Finally, you're up, you lazybones," Deryl replied.

"Good morning," Tristan added.

"What are you two doing?"

"We're preparing provisions for the journey back to the village."

"Is Tristan coming with us to the village?" Ceryl asked, hopeful.

"Unfortunately, Tristan is only going to escort us near the village."

"Why? We could be together if Tristan stayed in the village. It's better than living alone in the forest, right?"

"Yes, you're right, but I still have things to do in this forest," Tristan replied.

"What things? We could do them together, then you could live with us in the village." Ceryl pressed on.

"That's..." Tristan hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Picking up on the situation, Deryl interjected, "Tristan can take care of it on his own. We'd just be a distraction. Besides, Mother and Father are probably worried sick about us, right?"

With a sad look, Ceryl replied, "You're right, brother."

"Alright, let's get ready," Deryl said, breaking the tension.

"Okay," Ceryl answered.

"Let's go," Tristan agreed.

"Wait, where's Eclipse?" Ceryl asked.

Tristan looked around. "Maybe he's off hunting somewhere."

"Aww, I wanted to hug Eclipse before we left," Ceryl replied, sounding a bit down.

"It's okay; this doesn't mean we won't see him again," Deryl reassured.

"You're right, brother. Let's go!" Ceryl suddenly cheered up.

***

During the journey, Ceryl grew curious about something. "Tristan, by the way, how old are you?"

"Hmm? I'm eight years old now."

"What? Eight years old?" Deryl exclaimed, shocked. "You're two years younger than me, but you're already this strong? I thought you were a teenager just trapped in a child's body."

"Is there really such a thing?"

"Well, I've never heard of it. How did you get so strong? What's your occupation?"

"Occupation? What do you mean?"

"You don't know your occupation? Mine is Herbalist. I can identify all kinds of plants. For example, this one," Deryl picked a piece of grass from the ground, "This is called Ashroot. If consumed, it causes nausea and hallucinations. That's the benefit of having an occupation."

"Is it like a job class in a game?" Tristan wondered to himself.

"Hmm, how did you find out your occupation?" Tristan asked.

"Have your parents never taken you to the administrative office?"

"Administrative office? What's that?"

"Sigh, the administrative office is where you register to receive your rights as a citizen. If you're not registered, the kingdom considers you a slave, if you registered, you can see you occupation, and skills that you have."

"Is it like a form of ID in my world? Maybe this body was registered, given the original owner was a noble," Tristan thought to himself.

"Hmm, maybe I have been registered, but I don't remember."

"Well then, would you like to check? My uncle works at the administrative office in Wyrmford, the adventurers' city."

"If I check, will the entire kingdom know I'm updating my status?"

"I'm not sure; I can ask my uncle. How about you stay at our village for a night?"

Hearing this, Ceryl nodded enthusiastically.

"Hmm, alright. But wait here for a moment; I need to go back to the cave to let Eclipse know I'll be staying in the village for a few days. I'll also check that the area is safe." Tristan sent his mana into the ground to sense the surroundings.

"Alright, it's clear. Stay here and don't wander off, okay?"

"Okay, don't worry," Deryl replied.

Tristan then dashed off, as quick as the wind.

A few minutes later, Tristan arrived. "Alright, let's go."

"What about Eclipse? Isn't he coming with us?" Ceryl asked.

"He prefers staying in the forest. He wouldn't be happy being the center of attention if he came to the village."

"Aww, alright." Ceryl replied, a bit disappointed.

"Well then, let's get going." Deryl said with enthusiasm.

"Let's go." Ceryl and Tristan echoed together.