Chapter 14 - The Girl from Lulusena Village
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"Huh?! There's a person, and they're being attacked by monsters?!"
"That's right."
While I voiced my surprise, Haku muttered calmly.
"If a person is being attacked, you should have told me earlier!"
"Even if I told you, what would you do?"
I was shocked by his calm remark, even though someone's life was at stake.
Well, Haku wasn’t human, but a monster, and this was a different world.
It wouldn’t be strange for him to have a different sense of ethics and common sense compared to the world I came from.
Besides, there was no time to argue about this now.
"A person is being attacked! We have to help them!"
"Hmm, you really are quite the soft-hearted one, Tohru."
That being said, I wasn’t someone who could fight.
All I could do was maneuver this camper van.
I quickly turned the steering wheel and changed the direction of the camper van.
I sped towards the girl, who had tripped while being chased by the grey wolves.
As the wolves were about to pounce on her, I honked the horn loudly.
The high-pitched honk startled the wolves, causing them to step back as if repelled.
However, one wolf, the apparent leader of the pack, continued without hesitation and lunged at the girl.
—No, this won’t work. I won’t make it in time.
"Seriously, what a hopeless guy..."
I heard those words just as I noticed Haku had vanished from the passenger seat.
Before I realized it, Haku had closed in on the leader of the grey wolves, who was about to attack the girl, and swung his right leg down powerfully. The wolf’s head was slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch, followed by a grotesque sound and fresh blood splattering everywhere.
Despite the shocking scene, I frowned and stopped the camper van between the girl and the wolf pack, sliding it to a halt. I then set up a barrier and allowed the girl to enter.
I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, got out of the driver’s seat, and reached out to the girl, who was sitting on her rear.
"Come over here!"
"Huh?!"
"Hurry!"
"O-okay!"
The girl, who had been confused by my strange vehicle, seemed to snap back to reality and grabbed my hand, remembering the dangerous situation she was in. We climbed into the driver’s seat together.
"Phew, for now, it’s safe in here."
"But... outside, there’s that vicious white-colored wolf—"
"I’m back now."
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
Just as I tried to reassure the girl I had saved, Haku returned, covered in blood.
The girl panicked even more at the sight of a wolf that seemed even stronger than the one that attacked her.
She began squirming, looking for a way to escape within the cramped driver’s seat.
"Ugh, your timing is terrible!"
"What’s wrong? Am I to blame? I helped you out despite your selfishness."
When I pointed out the terrible timing, Haku gave me a very dissatisfied look.
"Wolf! A white-colored wolf!"
"Don’t worry! This white-colored wolf is my familiar!"
"F-Familiar?"
The girl, who had been struggling in panic, suddenly froze in place.
It seemed that the concept of a familiar was so common in this world that even children could understand it.
"That’s right. A familiar won’t harm the people their master helped."
"A monster is talking..."
"If it were a monster of my caliber, speaking the language of humans would be a piece of cake."
Seeing the girl’s stunned reaction, I realized that high-ranking monsters capable of speaking the human tongue weren’t something you’d encounter every day. White Wolves might be more impressive than I initially thought.
"It looks like the wolves from earlier aren’t outside anymore."
Looking outside, the grey wolves that had been there earlier were gone.
"I crushed the leader’s head, and they fled without hesitation."
"Just the leader of the pack?"
""......""
"Sorry."
I tried to lighten the mood with a silly joke, but both Haku and the girl shot me cold glares.
I decided not to make this kind of joke again.
"Uh, can I introduce myself again? I'm Tohru, and the one beside me is my familiar, Haku."
"I'm Aina! Thank you for saving me earlier from that dangerous situation."
With a change of mood, the girl bowed her head.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I just scraped myself a little when I fell."
She lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing a wound on her right knee.
It must have been from the fall earlier.
"I’ll treat it a bit."
I lifted the armrest behind the driver's seat, then walked through to the back. I rummaged through the storage shelves and pulled out the first aid kit.
During outdoor activities, it’s easy to get injured—whether from a fall, burns, or insect bites.
Campsites are usually located deep in forests, mountains, or by the sea, far from hospitals or drugstores. Even if you arrange for an ambulance, it might not arrive quickly.
That’s why having a simple first aid kit is reassuring.
I grabbed the first aid kit and headed to the shower room.
Opening the baggage door nearby, I extended the shower outside from the shower room.
This way, the shower can be used as an outdoor shower or for washing things.
Before treating someone else, I made sure to properly wash my hands.
Once I was ready, I stepped outside.
"Aina, sorry, but could you come over here for a second?"
"Y-Yeah. Got it."
Despite looking puzzled, Aina walked through the driver’s seat and out of the van.
"First, I’ll clean the wound with warm water, so please show me your knee."
"O-okay."
She took off her shoes and socks right there, then showed me her right knee. I used the shower to wash the wound. After rinsing with lukewarm water for a while to remove blood and dirt, Aina’s knee was clean.
I made sure there were no fragments or debris and was about to clean it with antibacterial soap and water when Aina stopped me.
"Wait! Using such an expensive soap on a small scrape is such a waste!"
The soap I was using was just basic antibacterial soap, but according to Aina, it seemed like a very luxurious one. Maybe the soap technology in this world was underdeveloped.
"There's a risk that bacteria could enter the wound and make it worse, right? Don’t worry, I’m not planning on charging you for treatment, so don’t mind it."
I said this firmly and proceeded to wash the wound with the antibacterial soap and water.
Once the knee was cleaned, I gently patted the wound dry with a clean cloth.
As a precaution, I applied antibiotic ointment, placed a sterilized gauze on the wound, and secured it with tape.
"That’s it. You’re all set now."
"Thank you, Tohru."
By the time I finished treating her, Aina’s earlier apologetic feelings seemed to have faded, and she gave me a bright smile.
。
Indeed, children should always smile.
"By the way, Aina, what were you doing here in the first place?"
Now that I was done treating her, I asked Aina.
"I was gathering medicinal herbs. But then I was attacked by grey wolves..."
Aina’s basket contained several medicinal herbs.
She had been gathering herbs in the nearby forest when she was spotted by the ash wolves. Somehow, she managed to escape to the main road—right where we happened to pass by.
"We're heading to Lulusena Village. Are you from there?"
"Yeah. Lulusena Village is where I live."
"Well then, would you like to come with us? If you get in the camper van, you’ll be back in no time."
"...But..."
"I understand you need the herbs, but if a little girl walks around alone, those grey wolves will just make a meal out of you."
Haku spoke firmly to Aina, who was showing signs of reluctance.
They were harsh words, but true.
If Aina went into the forest alone, she’d likely face the same danger again.
And with her leg injured, if she were spotted by the grey wolves again, escaping would be impossible.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go back to the village."
"Good decision. Let’s head to Lulusena Village, then."
I was relieved. If she insisted on going to gather herbs alone, we would have had a problem on our hands.
I cleaned up the shower, put the first aid kit back in its place, and returned to the driver’s seat.
"Haku, sorry, but could you go to the back?"
"What? This is my special seat."
"I can’t just have Aina sit in the back all by herself, can I?"
"…I guess I have no choice."
After my polite request, Haku reluctantly moved to the back.
In exchange, Aina sat in the passenger seat.
"Aina, could you put on your seatbelt?"
"Sheetbert?"
"Pull the black strap on your left forward and insert it into the metal buckle on your right."
I demonstrated how to fasten the seatbelt, and Aina followed suit, mimicking my actions.
"Is this good?"
"Yeah, perfect."
Once Aina was ready, I deactivated the barrier and started the engine.
"Alright, let’s go."
I pressed the accelerator, and the camper van started moving.
"Wow! It’s fast! So fast!"
"Right? Right?"
As I drove at around 60 km/h, Aina in the passenger seat was filled with awe.
"You're making this move, Tohru?!"
"Yeah."
"Tohru! You're amazing!"
Yes, yes. That’s exactly what I wanted—this kind of innocent reaction.
It was a far cry from a certain wolf, who had the audacity to call it slow after being allowed to ride in someone else's camper van.
I couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at her untainted response as we simply drove down the road.
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