Surprisingly, Mila couldn’t recall more than a handful of times she had interacted with simple civilians. People she spoke to always seemed to be individuals who knew how to deal with difficult situations.

That or children.

The longest time she had interacted with someone who she would consider normal was back when Mila had arranged the first proper date with Isabel.

Back then, Mila had spent a lot of time discussing every detail of what was expected of that restaurant and meals. The owner had been just a normal guy who had inherited the business from his father. And that had been a business interaction.

What else was there?

All the times Mila had threatened others? The times she had scared others just by existing? The times she had exchanged scant words in passing?

There was so little…

“This is hard. I feel like I am too far removed from them.” Mila finally noted, stepping out of Isabel’s protection. “In the end, I am me.” She didn’t see this part of her changing. “And we have to move.”

Mila’s last word was loud enough for everyone to hear. The startled group looked her way, clearly wanting to say something but not daring.

“...” Isabel poked Mila’s back. “...burial…” She whispered.

“Oh. But we really don’t have time for that. Nor do we have the tools. We can’t dig with our hands.” Mila shook her head. “You will have to carry him if you want to find him another resting place.”

“We will…” Came a defiant answer. The group covered their deceased leader, choosing his body’s carriers.

While observing this, Mila stood still. “I feel like I am the bad guy here,” She finally muttered.

“...true…” Isabel’s hand rested on the smaller girl’s shoulder. “...but…”

“I just…Nevermind. We are moving.” Mila turned away from the group, brushing against Isabel. “Keep them safe. I need a moment to think.” She grabbed her girl’s hand and squeezed before jumping up a tree.

Back between the leaves, Mila found her mind meandering. She had seen so many funerals and partaken in so many memorials. They all blended together, and all of them held little meaning to her.

Truthfully, Mila hadn’t lost anyone important to her. Not to death. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand, just that her dreams had hardened that part of her heart.

“Another thing that makes me different.” Mila looked up at the sun to measure the time.

The day was progressing faster than anticipated, and they hadn’t made enough progress as of yet. They should have been closer to that village, but…

Mila steered her mind back to the issue of her being too detached from people. She had hoped that after providing a meal, the group would have become more amicable to her presence, but it had gotten only worse.

“Something to work on.” She scanned the horizon and squinted. There were traces of battle. It was too far to tell what had happened. And it was out of their path.

After dismissing the thought of checking the site, Mila sighed. The grim thoughts on her overall likability bothered her too much. She was getting greedy. Isabel already liked her, and for the most part, that should be enough.

Besides, there was something else to work on. After the rest, her mana pool had replenished. Mila was ready to resume honing her spell.

It just needed a few finishing touches. The rest would come down to Mila killing enough people to increase her mana pool. It would allow her to abuse the potential those icicles had.

Which was what she did for the next couple of hours. Mila continued to observe the surroundings and steered her group out of the trouble. She practised the new spell until she felt comfortable with it.

It wasn’t quite yet combat-ready, but it was close. Mila stopped after successfully aiming an icicle at a nondescript leave at the top of a tree and hitting it.

There was still a bit of a distance left, meaning it was getting dangerous. It wasn’t wise to waste mana on comparably meagre gains in her skill.

No. Now, there were too many other groups nearby, including enemies. She hadn’t seen the pursuers yet, but Mila knew better than to doubt their presence.

After all, people were drawn to this village. With it being one of the rare ones a walk's distance away from Stilag, many gunned for it.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

And after another hour and a half of walking, she spotted a clearing ahead.

Mila gathered her hair in a ponytail and played with them. She needed a bath and soap. A bed sounded nice as well. And that village probably had all of these…

Unfortunately, those luxuries would have to wait. The small dot above the clearing didn’t escape her gaze. Mila had to squint, but she was sure it was a person.

The tiny person lingered in the air for a while, then fell back into the clearing. Mila looked back, making sure her group was safe, then rushed ahead.

Her body became a shadow, unnoticeable and silent. Mila zigzagged, ensuring there were no races in case she was discovered and had to retreat.

As the village approached, Mila circled it and found several groups of people heading towards it. She observed them, choosing to do nothing.

After another few minutes of searching, Mila finally found what she was looking for.

A small squad of what looked like mercenaries were killing a family of five. They ignored their pleas, quickly and professionally finishing their dirty job. There was no joy on their faces. There was only a solemn resolution to do what they had been paid for.

Mila hoped to learn something from their banter, but there was none. These people marched in silence, their scouts searching for the next target.

After following them for a while to see if they didn’t head towards her group, Mila left them alone. She searched a bit longer, encountering another slaughter, but the results were the same.

The sights weighed heavily on her heart. Those people died in front of her, and she had chosen to do nothing.

Mila returned to her group. She stepped out of the bushes, startling the party. “Stop. We are close, but there are trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” One of the mothers held on to her son. Others gathered behind her, still carrying the corpse. “W-we need supplies and rest. We…”

“The forest is full of hunting parties. They are searching for any survivors who could come this way from Stilag.” Mila didn’t hide what she had found. “And they are using the village as their command centre.”

“But…” The mother shook her head. “But why would they kill us?” The others joined with more questions.

While Mila had the answer, she couldn’t give it to them. “A purge.” She chose to be vague. “If you go to the village, you will be killed.” Isabel was once again next to her and reassuringly caressing her back. “We have to leave this area. It is not safe.”

“Why?” A man asked, his voice far too loud. “Then why did you lead us this way? Is this a trap? We can’t move without food. We need water. We need rest.” He began to sob. “We need to find a place for Boss to rest.”

“Maybe she is wrong?” Another voice questioned. “Wh-why should we believe her?”

“She wasn’t trustworthy from the start.” One of the men carrying the corpse spat out. “Because of her… Boss…”

The group was becoming increasingly chaotic and unreasonable. They doubted Mila’s intentions and accused her of misleading them. Their voices continued to grow louder, with only a couple keeping the reason.

“Do we trust a random person that found us in the forest?” Someone raised a question. “We… We could send someone to take a look. There is no way that place was taken over.”

“...foolish…” Isabel leaned on Mila. “...worry…”

“They are about to do something stupid.” Mila agreed. “They are reasoning themselves into death.” She struggled to think of anything she could do or say to stop them.

“S-stop!” It was Mortimer who spoke first. “She wouldn’t lie about it. It really is that dangerous!” He trembled but managed to stand his ground in front of the sudden glares he received.

All Mortimer’s input did was split the group even more. Their arguments continued to grow more heated. Mila glanced around, knowing enough time had passed for people to wander into the hearing range of this place.

“Shh,” She tried to stop them, but to no avail. “Be silent.” Mila’s voice dropped almost to a growl. She felt Isabel try to stop her, but…

“You are not our Boss!” One of the mothers grabbed her son’s hand and retreated. “We can’t trust her!”

“I will go and check the village.” Another voice inserted. “It can’t be that bad. I will be careful.” The man volunteered.

Mila ignored Isabel’s placating touch. “It is a stupid idea.” She bluntly stated. “You will die. And we can’t linger here for any longer.”

“...Mila…” Isabel placed her hand on Mila’s shoulder and squeezed.

The group was splitting into two. Russ’s death had driven a wedge between them. Mortimer took Vatim and Kanna to Mila’s side while most of the other group slowly moved towards the village.

“Did my help not show my sincerity? The food I brought and the scouting I did?” Mila’s voice was more bitter than she had wanted. “And now you want to head into a death trap?”

The mother, who had traded the cloak for the bird, sadly smiled. “We… We will be careful. It can’t be that bad.” She sounded unsure and lost. Her son clung to her arm, looking around in fright. He was too young to understand what was happening and only felt the rising indignation around him.

“You don’t have to go with them. Stay with us, and you will be safe.” Mila offered, feeling skittish. “But we have to move now and away from here. With this place as a landmark, I now know the way towards the next closest village.”

“And how far is it?” The mother shook her head. “Another day of walking, isn’t it?” She picked up her son.

“You saw what happened to Stilag,” Mila whispered. “Those people will not rest until they hunt down everyone.”

“But the village stands… We will send one of us to check.” The woman ignored the calls for her to follow. “And… And maybe you could wait here?” She dared to hope.

“...We can’t.” Mila refused. “It is too dangerous. We…” She searched for words. Andrew would know what to say. Maybe Isabel did, too, and just couldn’t. “You were too loud. Even if I kill the first group of pursuers, more will come.”

The mother held her son tighter. “We will be careful…” She turned around. “And Russ was sure the village was safe. And… And we won’t mention your group, so…”

“That is a mistake,” Mila repeated. “You will die.”

There was no answer. The boy in his mother’s arms was the only one who looked back as they vanished into the bushes, heading for their deaths.