The little girl screamed gleefully.

"Can I keep it? Can I keep it!?"

She jumped in excitement, only for loud, boisterous laughter to follow.

"Grifenne, the mighty huntress, abducting a beast! Hahahahaha!"

The laughter rumbled through the air until a face appeared beside her.

It was another giant, with a thick black beard and half his face covered in soot.

"Please, Gorionda. Pleaseeee," the girl begged, clutching Everlearn's cage and holding it up close.

The sight of him made Gorionda's laughter freeze on his lips.

His expression shifted as he looked closely at the creature inside.

"Oh?"

"Looks like an interesting beast…" he murmured, giving Everlearn a thorough look before turning back to the little girl.

"But I will always say this, Grifenne, once trapped in a cage, always a beast!"

"And though he might look cute and cuddly, once you grab a red-hot iron from the depths of the forge like this…"

He said this as he pulled out a glowing iron rod dripping with molten lava.

Everlearn swallowed hard, watching as the man brought it dangerously close.

"Their true nature comes to light."

"They roar, they growl, they bark, and that which once looked friendly becomes… monstrous!"

He thrust the iron toward Everlearn's cage, aiming for his navel, but Everlearn stepped to the side, dodging the strike, without a word.

"Oh, a smart one, eh?"

Gorionda smirked and pierced again, but Everlearn moved once more, evading with ease.

DING!

DING!

DING!

All dodged.

"Just stay still and let me kill you…"

SLAAAAAP!

A sharp slap echoed as Gorionda dropped the iron, his hand clutching his red-hot cheek where Griffene had smacked him.

"You just want to kill it, you monster!"

Gorionda glared at her, shaking his head.

"Believe me, little girl, these dark eyes have seen the most heart-wrenching monster–giant betrayals one could ever imagine."

"It'll turn on you, rip out your intestines with its feral maw, and gobble up your liver right before your eyes!"

"Don't say I, Mighty Gorionda, didn't warn you!"

"Hmph!" Grifenne pouted, reaching out and grabbing Everlearn's cage.

She dangled it close to her face, smiling.

"You look so much like me… but so tiny."

"So, you've decided to adopt a beast, huh, Grifenne?"

The original giant who had captured Everlearn, Grildor, spoke, his hand ruffling her white hair.

"Yes! Grildor, don't you think it's cute?" she asked, grinning.

Grildor's gaze dropped to Everlearn.

Something deep within him whispered that this tiny creature was dangerous.

But with its small form and calm eyes, it was hard to see him as anything but harmless.

"I think so," he finally said. "Just make sure he stays in the cage."

"Yessssiiieeee!" Grifenne squealed, running off with Everlearn's cage as she climbed onto the carriage and sat atop the massive horse.

"Little girls and their toys…"

Gorionda's voice echoed as Grildor chuckled, grabbing the four cages on the ground before Gorionda took them from him.

"All of these beasts will equal a total of 230 rubies," Gorionda said.

Grildor slapped his shoulder with a grin.

"You know me, Gorionda. My pay in a day never falls below a hundred, neither does it surpass two hundred."

"I'll collect the payment early tomorrow." He said, and Gorionda prayed,

"May Nura accompany your soul to rest tonight."

Grildor nodded, climbing onto his horse.

"Better watch out for the heinous claws of that beast, Grifenne!" Gorionda shouted as they rode off.

The girl giggled, glancing at Everlearn on her lap.

Now that Everlearn wasn't trapped in the back of the carriage but sitting atop the horse, he could finally see the world clearly.

It was truly a settlement—massive, bustling, and brimming with giants.

The children were easily distinguishable from the adults; they stood about seven meters tall, while the adults were approximately ten meters tall.

Some giants were young men and women in their prime, and they were even taller, standing nearly fifteen meters high.

They all seemed closely knit, often waving and calling out to Grildor as he passed.

Everlearn received a few curious glances, but seeing him in the hands of the smiling Grifenne made most of them assume he was harmless and undeniably cute.

Two things really caught his attention apart from their size.

First, their skin.

The men were dark-skinned, their bodies chiseled like stone, while the women were white with white hair and white brows.

The contrast was sharp and almost unsettling, but it made the women appear ethereal in their beauty.

Second, their homes.

They didn't live in typical houses.

Instead, their settlement was built within the towering mountains.

The houses were hewn directly into the rock, with large stone slabs acting as doors.

'It's almost like I've been thrown two thousand years into the past,' Everlearn mused.

The horse soon stopped before a particularly large mountain.

This mountain rose higher than the others, and light gleamed through a window where a shadow could be seen moving inside.

"Seems like Greta's at home," Grildor said to the girl.

Grifenne jumped down eagerly, racing toward the door.

"GREEETTTAAAA!" she shouted.

Halfway there, a woman stepped out.

"Oh, Grifenne!" she called, spreading her arms.

Grifenne leapt into her embrace as the woman showered her with countless kisses.

Everlearn, still inside the cage, was flung around like a toy and found the experience anything but comfortable.

"You came back early!" Grifenne said as the woman smiled.

"I did, Grifenne. And… is there something you plan on showing me?" she asked.

Grifenne's face brightened, and she held up Everlearn's cage proudly.

"Look, Greta! I adopted a new pet, and don't worry, Gorionda said I could keep it!"

She grinned from ear to ear.

But as Greta's eyes fell on the tiny figure inside the cage, her smile froze.

"That's…"

_______

A/N:

If you've enjoyed the story so far, please consider supporting the novel by voting with Golden Tickets and Power Stones, or even sending a Gift if it's been worth the journey!

Your support helps the book gain more visibility on the Webnovel app and motivates me to keep creating more chapters for you all.

In and Out_SnowySmoos

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.