Miyako's face contorted as she slowly opened her eyes, awakening from her sleep. The world was now bright with light, and the faint breeze was cool and pleasant. She gently rubbed her eyes before slowly sitting up. She slowly looked around until she found Satomi fully awake, sitting down and rubbing her sword.

"Good morning, milady."

"Good morning. How long have you been awake?"

She smiled slightly. "Been awhile."

"I see." Miyako stretched her body. She was quite pleased by her sleep, more comfortable than the last few days.

With her joints stretched, she looked around until her eyes ended up on Estelia, who was still sleeping. It was then that Miyako noticed someone small sitting down next to that tent.

A little girl?

Indeed, it was a little girl. She didn't expect to see a child here. Could she be the companion that Estelia was talking about? The little girl looked so shy, that when she made eye contact with Miyako, she quickly averted her eyes away.

"Satomi, since when did that little girl arrive?"

"She was already there when I woke up. I tried talking, but she's brief with her words."

That's because she's just shy.

That was just how kids were when meeting strangers. Still, Miyako wondered where she was all this time. Could she have been the one that could turn into a fog? It was possible. No, that was the only possibility. She was half-expecting a monster, but this girl looked completely human.

Miyako slowly got out of her sheets and directed a friendly smile at the little girl as she approached and kneeled in front of her. "Hello there."

The little girl blinked her eyes before waving her hand. She was quite adorable.

"Could you be Nira?" She remembered the name that Estelia mentioned.

"Yes." She nodded.

"I'm Miyako, and she is Satomi."

"I know."

"... Uh-huh… Well, nice to meet you, Nira."

"... Nice to meet you too. D-Did you have a good night's rest?"

"Yes, we did. I heard you were our watch during the night."

"I was. There were a few small monsters, but I took care of them."

"I-I see."

How exactly?

How could a little girl fight monsters? No child could ever hope to beat a monster. At least, no normal child. If she could indeed kill monsters, then this child right here was far from normal. She must be fairly strong as well, like Estelia.

"The goddess will still be sleeping for a while. She used her powers, she needs good rest. So please, you can do whatever you want for now."

Goddess?

That was a weird way to call someone. Why would the little girl even do that? Did she see Estelia as some sort of goddess? Miyako and Satomi glanced at each other, baffled.

"I understand."

Well, not like they were ever intending on waking her up in the first place. That would be extremely rude. Miyako folded up her sheet. And the little girl, Nira, walked up to her and offered her a pouch.

"Water for you."

Miyako smiled kindly. "Thank you." They had just drunk the last of their water last night before sleeping. So it was great to have another pouch of water.

The little girl also gave a pouch of water to Satomi. "Thanks."

With that, the little girl returned to sitting down beside Estelia's tent. She almost looked like some sort of guard — no, that might just be precisely the case. Just as Miyako was drinking a bit of water, Satomi walked up beside her and leaned close, whispering.

"Milady, that little girl. I feel there's something off about her."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"She's…" She paused for a moment as she stared at Nira. "My instincts are telling me she's dangerous. Almost like how I feel when there's a monster nearby."

"What?" Miyako couldn't help but stare at Nira. She couldn't feel that same sense of danger at all. Satomi really was sharper in these kinds of situations.

Is she really some sort of monster?

It was hard to believe. It was hard to actually tell.

"Mm. Best to set that feeling aside for now. Not like she's attacking us."

"... Of course." Satomi pursed her lips, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Miyako walked around the area, just checking out the scenery and enjoying the fresh air. They were mostly waiting for Estelia to wake up.

She must be incredibly tired after her battle.

It took around mid-morning before Estelia woke up. Miyako approached her with a smile.

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"Good morning, Estelia."

Estelia blinked her eyes with a blank expression before giving a faint nod. "Um, good morning." She slowly stood up, but not before she lost balance. Nira then immediately came up to her and supported her. Estelia groaned.

"Estelia, are you alright?" Miyako directed a concerned look at her.

"I'm fine. Happens sometimes. Headaches."

"Why is that?"

"... I'm not exactly in good health."

Miyako found that curious. She didn't seem to be that bad at first. She may look fatigued but she moved normally enough and managed to even beat their pursuers.

"You don't seem to have eaten yet," Estelia said before turning to Nira. "Can you prepare the meat, Nira?"

"Yes."

Nira went on to prepare the wood and pan, and the raw meat. Meanwhile, Estelia removed her cloak and stretched her body. Miyako couldn't help but stare at the amount of daggers strapped on her. And from the looks of it, they were an expensive bunch. She then noticed a particularly beautiful blade sheathed on the back of her waist.

She had a lot of weapons. She indeed seemed like any other ninja. Although, in a way, the way she looked, she appeared a bit more aggressive. Her clothes had small tears on them, which must be a sign of hits. But she didn't seem to have any sign of wounds or scars, she must be able to cast healing magic as well.

Estelia then slowly disassembled and folded the tent.

"Goddess, um, fire?"

Miyako quickly approached Nira. "Oh, let me." She held out her hand by the wood, and the fire immediately ignited.

"Thank you…" the girl said in a small voice.

Miyako nodded, and she watched as Estelia returned the folded tent and sheet back into her bag. After grabbing hers and Satomi's folded sheets, Miyako handed them out to Estelia.

"Thank you so much for this, Estelia."

Estelia smiled. "No problem." She received the sheets and put them into her bag.

Nira started placing the meat on the hot pan. They waited for it to be cooked.

"Did anything happen last night, Nira?" Estelia asked.

"Nothing significant, goddess."

"I see."

Miyako pointed a puzzled look at Estelia. "Estelia, why does Nira call you goddess?"

Estelia stared at Nira for a moment, blinking her eyes. "Uh, I guess she just likes calling me that. She's been doing it since I saved her. I just let her be."

Was Nira so grateful that she started seeing Estelia as a goddess?

That might be possible. But it might also be too much.

"Oh. What happened to her?"

"She was kept in a cage by some bandit."

"That's… terrible."

"Yeah."

Miyako had seen a few of the same situations. People being kept as slaves or captives by criminals. And plenty of them were not a pretty sight.

Some time later, they started eating. Miyako noticed Estelia wincing slightly as she took a bite. Did she dislike it? Which reminded her that she was not from around here. They might have different kinds of food.

"What kind of food did you have, Estelia?"

"Hm?"

"At your homeland."

"... We don't eat monster meat, if that's what you want to know."

"You don't?"

"We would never. Eating monster meat is nigh unthinkable."

Miyako's jaw dropped. Estelia sounded truly repulsed. "T-Then what did you eat?"

"Normal animal meat, creatures that are not monster looking. Then fruits and vegetables, ones that actually look delicious, colorful, sweet."

Miyako had a hard time imagining it. What did a normal animal even look like? What kind of fruits did they have out there?

"We can even get fishes, meat, or fruits and vegetables from other nearby nations."

"You trade with other nations?"

"Of course, all the time."

Trading with other islands was not really official business. It was already difficult enough to transport goods between islands without military scrutiny. Miyako had heard of trading with other continents, but that was extremely rare. And aside from the potential military scrutiny, the seas around their island were dangerous, littered with sea monsters. Ones that could devour entire ships. No merchant would risk sailing through that.

"Sounds wonderful." That was all Miyako could say. "Seeing our lands must have been a shock."

"... Yes. But what can you do? It's not exactly your fault your archipelago is the way it is."

Miyako forced a smile. She was curious as to how wonderful other lands could be. "You must miss your home."

"... Yes, I do."

Whatever she needed to do here, it must have been very important for her to set aside going back home for the time being. To be so far away from home must be difficult. Even Miyako was already missing home, and it was only on the next island. She couldn't possibly imagine Estelia's longing, whose home was an entire ocean away.

After a while later, they were done eating. Miyako drank some water and watched as Nira put the clean pan back into the bag.

"Alright, before we go on an adventure together, I have something to say," Estelia suddenly said, standing in front of everyone. "To be precise, about Nira."

"Nira…?" Miyako wondered what this could be about.

"I guess I should tell you something very important about her. You know, in case you suddenly attack her… or us… We don't want that. You thinking we're dangerous…"

Miyako and Satomi glanced at each other.

"I think this might put you at ease the most, Miss Satomi," Estelia said to her.

"Me?"

"I know you are wary of little Nira. Your instinct is really something."

"... Is that so?"

To think that Estelia would realize that.

"Firstly, Nira is a peaceful person." Estelia smiled. "She won't intentionally do you any harm. Ultimately, she is just a little girl. However, there is something special about her."

"What do you mean?" Miyako asked.

"Come here, Nira." Nira walked up to Estelia, and the latter placed a hand on top of her little head. "Nira has another form. Which you had a glimpse of last night."

What does that mean?

"Nira is not completely human."

Miyako's eyes widened, and Satomi's eyes sharpened.

"Show them your claws, Nira." At that moment, the little girl's hand suddenly morphed into something dark and repulsive, and claws started growing out of her fingers.

Seeing it, Miyako couldn't help but take a step back in her shock.

How is this possible?

She had never heard of a monster that could also look human. Except for demons, she heard stories that they could also do that. But demons were an entirely different category from monsters. Then…

Is Nira a demon?

That would be problematic. Demons were not known for their civility.

"Nira is cursed. She turns into a monster at night." Perhaps that was why she was fully covered last night. "And at the same time, she often thirsts for blood."

"Blood?"

"But don't worry, she won't feed on you. As long as she's fed, of course," Estelia awkwardly chuckled. "But considering your levels, you should be able to hold her off. And besides, there are plenty of creatures to feed from around here."

What…?

"That's why I told you this. In our journey together, you will see Nira transform, and feed on creatures with blood, even humans."

Miyako took in a shaky breath. She had never encountered something like this before. A child, and a monster. It was a bizarre and cruel combination.

"This is something that I cannot hide from you. Therefore, knowing this, it is up to you to decide what to do. Will you still travel with me, with us, to the capital? One that I will be glad about. Or we go our separate ways."

Miyako and Satomi looked at each other.

"Well, there is still the option of you attacking her. As you may see her as a typical monster. That would be troublesome for us all."

Miyako immediately knew she would never do that. Nira was kind, she was pretty much like any typical child. And going their separate ways would make things harder. Furthermore, it would be ungrateful for them to just shun them away because of someone with a curse.

If what Estelia said was true, then there was nothing much to worry about Nira.

"Satomi…"

"Whatever you decide, milady, I'll go with it."

Miyako nodded before facing Estelia and Nira. "Of course we'll still travel with you."

Estelia nodded with a pleased smile. "I'm glad to hear that. You can put that away now, Nira," Nira's repulsive hand morphed into a normal human hand. "Alright then, let's prepare to move out."

"Miss Estelia," Satomi called.

"Hm?"

"You're human, right?"

"Oh, yes. I'm human."

"I see. I just thought there was something more about you."

"Well, there is something more about any of us."

"... I suppose that is true. But that's not exactly my point…"

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