Prologue:
“Haah. Haaah”
I was running, running as fast as I could.
Around me, trees could be seen everywhere. Looking at the map at bottom left of my view, I saw that we were in the
By "we" I meant me and the little girl running behind me.
She is a small girl that one would mistake for an elementary student. She wore a frilly white dress, and was holding or should I say, hugging a large book. Her long wavy blue hair danced in the air as she ran.
It was captivating. In a normal situation, I would be mesmerized by this scene; and would even take pictures if I could… But unfortunately, that’s not the case right now…
*RRAAARR!*
As I glanced at my back, I saw large wolves about 70 meters away chasing after us.
“Eeeek!”
The girl shrieked and gave me a look of desperation as she stopped and turned her head to look behind her.
“No! Don’t stop. Just keep running. If we can just run a bit further, we’ll reach the town and be safe.”
I gave her a serious look and pulled her hand. We then restarted our sprint. I loosened my grip on her hand and began to assess the situation.
According to my map, a few hundred meters north from here and we’ll arrive at the meadow close to
“Right. Just a little more and we’ll arrive at the town.”
“…”
*RAAAWR!*
The girl’s hand tensed as we heard the wolves slowly catching up. I grasped her hand gently and said:
“Hey, nothing bad is going to happen to you. I won’t let those things hurt you.”
“Really? Can you promise me that?”
“Yeah, sure!” I said in a carefree way.
“Are you really sure about that?”
I glanced at her again and saw she was giving me a sad and expecting look. Looking at her doll-like face give that sort of expression, I couldn't help but feel a manly urge to protect her.
“Absolutely! I promise that I will protect you and keep you safe.”
Her face became tinted in red and she lowered her head.
"Thank. you."
Then she lifted her head, and smiled at me..
Hey... that's cheating..
****
A few minutes later, we escaped from the forest.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I examined the scenery in front of us. A few trees here and there, and one or two hills. When I looked closely, I there was even a small cottage complete with a chimney and a garden. Almost like an image straight from a painting.
*GRRRRR!*
No wait… now’s not the time to appreciate the scenery! We have to run!
I glanced at the girl and saw that I wasn't the only one mesmerized by the sight.
I gently tugged on the girl’s hand, and once again, we began to run.
“Haaah.. Haaaa.”
My breathing was heavy and ragged. Like anyone else who would run full speed for a while, I was slowly becoming tired.
Wait, if I’m already this tired… what about the girl?”
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Haaah. Haaah. I’m…. Haaah. Just…haaaah. Fi-Aaagh!”
I felt a sudden tug at my hand. Just as I expected, the girl's stamina was much lower than mine. And when she tripped on a rock, she fell down.
I quickly went to her and tried to lift her up. But then…
*GRRRR!*
The wolves finally caught up with us. They growled and bared their fangs at us.
“No. Just leave me! You’ll get hurt if you try to save me... I.. I don’t want that.”
Looking at her face that was on the verge of tears, I felt the manly urge to protect building up inside me again.
The wolves slowly approached us… observing every move we made.
I gave the girl a smile and valiantly said:
“I’m sorry about this but… I can’t really do that. Didn’t I tell you already? I promised that I will protect you… and-”
I turned my back on her and faced the wolves. I unsheathed the sword on my back and readied my stance.
“-a man never goes back on his words.”
I took a deep breath… and then charged forward with all my might..
“Astral! No!!!”
I could hear a cry from behind me. But I ignored it for the moment.
Looking at the past, I would never have guessed in my life that I would be in a situation like this. Well, just last week, I was still living a normal high school life.
I guess I can say that this all started on that day…
.
.
.
The day when my whole life changed…