Anggu = a bird. It has two long feathers, each on top of its eyes, just like a person's eyebrows. they come in different colors: pink, blue, black, green, yellow and brown. The baby form is cute, cuddly and looks like a penguin, only it has three fingers at the end of its wings, but when it becomes an adult, it will grow bigger, its second pair of eyes, that is found at the side of its head parallel to the first pair, will open, the neck will become longer like an ostrich as well as its "eyebrow" feathers, its legs will grow longer with additional "hard as a dragon's scales" scales covering its legs from the thighs down to the toes and its tail feathers will grow longer like a chicken's. Their color will gradually change, depending on their habitat. They become faster and more nimble, making them natural runners. Also, they are harder to tame than any other animal because of their wild, free and cunning nature, putting them in the "do not intimidate" category. Their nests are rare to find since they are good at hiding their treasures, so tamed Anggu is a no; even if you managed to find one and catch a chick, you're going to be hunted down by its mother. Although, if you were to find a tamed one, then know that their loyalty only belongs to their chosen partner and will bite if you try anything funny. Don't underestimate them, because their pecking power is enough to gauge your eyes out, their legs and "hands", with their sharp nails, are strong and fast, enough to destroy your bones with one kick and they can also release a sound wave, sharp enough to make one’s ears bleed.

Banaberry = imagine a banana but apple red instead of yellow

===

After confirming the little girl’s condition, the group swiftly returned to the tent they previously occupied. Everyone sat on the available chair, quietly thinking of the future they’ll have to face as well as the future of the little girl; but most of all, they were thinking of the surprise they never expected. This made Amos speak his thoughts out loud.

“That was a surprise. To think that she was already awake…”

“She seems to be fine.”

Armin added, while quietly continuing what he left unfinished. My little brother sure is workaholic.

The captain then continued the conversation, trying to confirm the details for the future.

“As mentioned earlier, Senya..”

“Yes.”

“You will directly report to general Levierre when we return to the capital. He will be the one to deal with you. For now, you are tasked to take care of the child until we get her to the orphanage. Understand?”

“… Yes.”

As for everyone, just do what you usually do. You’re all on break... I’m talking to you, Armin.”

“… Yes.”

“Dismissed.”

Just like that, everyone left the tent.

Except for Armin.

Sheesh. What the hell is that report all about? It must be a really long one.

“… Ah.”

Speaking of which …

I should tell him about the pitch black cloth I found.

Since he's part of the intelligence division, he should mention this in his report as well.

>>>~~\M/~~<<<

"Sigh"

An unrestricted sound of air from the mouth of a beautiful woman, bounce from wall to wall as she put food on a tray inside the tent. It has been about five hours since their short meeting ended and she has been troubled with something. The cooks, whom she did not put into consideration, couldn't help but notice the heaviness of that sigh just now and could only look at that small back, knowing they could never directly ask their vice-captain's worries.

It's not because she's a woman, since some of the cooks are also women; it's because asking your superior about their problem is like asking for classified information. It's a matter of privacy, but quite unnecessary for an army if you ask the veterans. After all, they will be your comrades at arms in battle and bonding with everyone is what makes an army stronger and Senya knows that well. Unfortunately, there are no such veterans in the vicinity. Even so, there's no need to worry about that since we don't need consent to know what they're thinking.

What do I do? I've never made much progress with her.

The morning had already passed and it has been five hours since our first contact with the little girl, but so far, I can't seem to get her out of the blankets nor can I even move her with bait. This never happened before.

I've tried baiting her with candies I had packed for this trip... They were very hard, so I discarded them instead.

I tried giving her a stuffed toy, but there was no response. It was badly made anyway.

I tried telling her a story about a monster under the sheets. I don't think she was listening though.

I tried talking about how tasty her breakfast was, and told her if she were to come out of the blanket, I would feed her, which will make the food even tastier, but as expected, it didn't work.

I tried all sorts of other things, but to no avail.

I even went so far as to catch a baby Anggu that I found alone in the forest by chance... I had to release it before its mother finds out though.

Unfortunately, a person like Hannah, who has 20 years worth of experience as an assassin, can't be easily moved by baits like any other child. After all, she was trained to be as hard as a cold steel both inside and out. Even if her emotions are back, it still won't falter the "will" of the most dangerous assassin in the organization. Of course, Senya doesn't know of this, thus, she thought it must be because of what she had went through; although, Hannah's reason for not making contact yet is of different topic.

If this keeps up, she won't be able to make any friends when she gets to the orphanage.

 That is if, she has no more relatives that she knows, but that's just assuming the toddler can speak and remember things.

"Sigh"

I want to see that cute little face of hers one more time.

Not many know of this but Miss Senya has great fondness for little children, which makes this situation most appreciated. She likes to visit orphanages whenever she has free time and loves to play with the little bundles of joy. She says it's because they give her energy, but those who witnessed her weird happy face as children pull her down and grab her hair without hesitation, says it's almost like an illegal drug to her. Don't worry, it's not pedophilia... I think.

That vibrant red hair..

ivory skin and..

a beautiful pair of sky blue eyes... wait, was that color really Sky blue..?

Come to think of it, it seemed like it was glowing... or was I just imagining things..?

"Oh."

Before I knew it, I was already spacing out. I looked around, and everyone was staring at me with a worried face.

When they noticed my gaze, they quickly looked away and returned their attention to their job.

How embarrassing.

Ok. Let's forget that ever happened.

"Hmm.. let's see...

A light soup full of vegetables cut in small pieces, a glass of water, bread cut in bite size and a banaberry."

This should help her strength back. Okay! Let's go back to the battlefield!

With determination, she puts on a smile and walks towards the tent where the child resided. The distance wasn’t too much to handle, since it’s been lined up along with the white medical tents, which one could see once they leave through the food tent’s only entrance. If one were to look at their left side, they’ll find tents lined up for the soldiers, while at one’s right, one will find bigger tents for the officers who were tasked to plan the military base; yes, this is one of their reasons for staying here a little longer. They were tasked to make a military base suited for defending against invaders.

Before they learned of the dungeon’s existence, they were already planning on making a base inside the forest as their frontier; but were confused as to how and where they would make the base, since the forest surrounding them is enchanted and is full of anomalies as well as mysteries. They feared it, since there were certain incidents where one got lost by just stepping into the forest, or a creature with bulging red eyes suddenly attacked adventurers out of nowhere and killed everyone. In addition, the forest would suddenly grow overnight, making it hard to control. “If one were to get lost here, they are sure to be doomed”, was what the elders who lived near it used to say. Fortunately, they managed to find a way to go against its growth rate.

 It’s a forest full of big, thick, and twisted trees covered in moss and vines with unusual characteristics; a forest so big that it covered the center of this huge continent, blurring the boundaries between the neighboring kingdoms. This forest had many names, but now it is known as the Ancient Mystic forest, because of the stories that surrounds its existence. As to how these soldiers were able to find their way inside, it is because of a road formed by the many attempts made by people who wanted to explore it, and maybe, conquer it.

Rumor has it, the forest contain the ruins of Amyth, the kingdom of legend, said to have a Saintess as the queen and an outstanding human king. This is the main reason for the military base. The legend speaks of the kingdom’s boundaries, which was said to have never existed, since the kingdom itself was the biggest kingdom in the entire continent based on the elders’ stories. Of course, the kingdom was said to have existed one thousand years ago, so its true history has become blurry and the only records left of the kingdom, are but pieces of papers with blurred and unreadable texts and books that are far too old to open.

I enter the tent in a very careful manner, so that I won’t spook the child. I carefully parted the curtains to take a peek at the sleeping girl, only to be suddenly assaulted by a small creature.

“Uuf!”

Due to its small size, it didn’t manage to knock me down, but instead, it surprised me. I look down, and to my surprise it was the little girl, starring back at me with its mesmerizing blue eyes.

>>>~~\M/~~<<<

Earlier at that time, while Senya was preparing the food, Hannah was sitting on the bed, looking around the room, feeling restless.

“It’s quiet…”

I muttered in a small tone, hoping the silence would go away.

"...sigh... When is she coming back ...?"

I've been waiting for a very long time here, trying to summon some courage to talk to them, and now that I finally have enough after every failed attempts of coming out, it takes long for them to come back!

On top of that, I somehow do not like being alone! This is not normal, even for me.

I do not like this. I do not like this at all!

Hannah has been odd lately. Ever since she woke up, she has been feeling agitated and always seeking distraction. It has been bothering her for quite a while now, since she knows very well that being alone in the quiet comes naturally for her, since her experience in that awful world made her more of what she is now than when she was still the three years old Hannah. It is most likely not because of her uncontrolled emotions, since it has started calming down, though not as much as it should be.

No.

I should calm down. In this situation, it is better to have patience and not panic ...

Ugh. Now I understand how hard it is to be patient.

“Sigh… What do I do in this situation…”

She had thought of many possibilities that lead her to become restless, but knowing her situation, she can’t be bothered to think about it, even though it bothers her so much; thus, she made a conclusion to forget about it; but little did she know, the cause of her odd behavior is far too deep for her to truly understand. She'll most likely discover it in the future.

I looked around, hoping to find something in this little tent with only a makeshift wooden bed, a makeshift table at my right side and a chair in the left facing me. Sitting on top of the chair is my bag. Seeing it gave me an idea.

Why don't I just read the book. That way, I would be making most of my time learning about this world and how to survive.

I nimbly crawled towards the bag and reached for it.

“Got it!”

Okay. Now how do I do it again…

Ah. Right. I just have to think of the item…

I held the bag near me, opened it, stuck my hand inside and then thought of grabbing the book. In order to answer my wishes, the emptiness inside the bag was suddenly filled with only the book’s touch. I grabbed it, and then pulled it out of the dimension bag. This is definitely magic.

“... I should try to get used to this more.”

I'm used to how things have physics and the idea that magic does not exist, so this is... how should I say it... weird ...?

... yeah. Yeah! It's weird.

After agreeing with myself, I looked at the book in my hand. It’s locked..

“… I have the key, so no worries.”

It seems that the book will lock itself. I remember I didn’t lock it again after closing it and putting it inside the bag. How convenient.

While remembering the things that happened inside the room where she woke up, Hannah skillfully moved her hands to unlock the book; but suddenly, her hands stopped. Somewhere inside her half empty bottle of chemicals, a sort of complicated feeling rose from the bottom. Though she doesn't know why, but she understands that she has no will to read the book right now; or rather, she lost the will to do so, though she doesn't want to admit it.

“… M-maybe not right now.”

Y-yeah… I shouldn’t recklessly do things in uncertain situation.

“... That’s right.”

I am currently in a place I don’t know and I have no idea who those people were. Don’t get me wrong though. I don’t feel any bad intentions from them, but still, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I put the book inside the bag, and then closed it. I then returned the bag to its former place where it’s safe.

“...This is for the best.”

..Yes… but… what now…?

I asked myself this question, hoping I might find an answer.

While Hannah thought of many things that she could do, a strong but gentle wind managed to bypass the curtain that covered the entrance. It then moved towards Hannah, as if it was asking for attention. Hannah felt the refreshing wind, caressing her skin gently. In response, she looked towards the direction where it might have come from. Despite how calming and gentle the wind was, it managed to move the curtain, revealing the outside world a little. Hannah saw the curtain’s waltz with the friendly wind along with the bright world outside, and it made her curious like a child that she is.

The dream-like memory then began to resurface, making her even more curious of what was outside this small tent. Without hesitation, she moved to the side of the bed; with her little body, she slowly puts her feet down on the floor, making sure she was balanced and able to walk. After confirming her health, she then returned her gaze to the dancing curtain, as if she was mesmerized by the light that keeps playing with her sight. Without noticing it, her feet moved slowly towards the curtain, as if her fear and anxiety faded from memory. She raised her left hand slowly reaching for the curtain with her heart beating faster as she takes a step.

Wait!

Before I realized it, I was already reaching for the exit.

“What am I doing?

I shouldn’t be…”

Then again...

NO!

She says to stay put, so stay put.

Are you following orders from a stranger? As expected, you have not yet been freed from that dark world's control. How pathetic.

Without realizing it, she began to argue with herself. Conflicted between realizing the desire to see and feel the breeze that she longed for for so many years and the attitude towards orders and obedience she got used to from that world, Hannah began to try make sense of what she wanted and needed more. She also started betting against herself.

That's not true!

Oh really?

Then prove it! Put one feet out of the tent and prove me wrong!

Okay! I'll do just that!

I moved my little feet towards the exit. Step by step, I began to move faster, but somewhere in that moment, I must have closed my eyes, because I bumped into something.

"Uuf!"

Or someone.

I fell on to my bum, but because of my toddler body, It wasn't as painful as they say. I looked up to see what I bumped into. To my surprise, it was Miss Senya.

... Someone, help me.

The two stared at each other intensely. As one would expect, the surprise was unexpected. Hannah could not say anything, because the situation was very sudden, even though she tried to ready herself as much as possible. On the other hand, Senya is frozen because of excitement. To finally see the cute child's face after many attempts gave her a sense of fulfillment, and the urge to hug the child, but she didn't want to scare the little girl even more, so she's holding herself back.

Calm down. Calm down.

Let's try to apologize! That's right! Apologize for bumping is what people usually do in this situation... right? Well, that's what the books in that library from the other world say.

I looked up to the lady standing in front of me, summoned some new found courage, and then I began to speak.

"... Am sowy..."

"......"

... Great! I did it! I'm so stupid!

Embarrassed by how awful she pronounced the simplest sentence, Hannah, with her blank expression, looked down and began to self-deprecate herself inside her mind. This kind of mentality was caused by the other world's norms. Back there, a single failure meant a great lose, so, as an assassin she could not afford to make a single mistake, even in communicating.

On the other hand, Senya responded with silence, but inside her, she was screaming with delight. She could not hold it in anymore and just wanted to hug the little girl, but her hands were occupied, so she walked passed her as fast as possible to put down the tray she was carrying. Hannah, not knowing the intent of Senya's sudden action, thought she was being ignored for her failure, which indicated that she was a failure, based on the norms from that other world; this made her feel even worse than she already is.

... I- I must have offended her really badly ...

I'm awful.

As I was about to crawl into a dark place, two hands suddenly took hold of me from the back, and then lifted me up.

W-what's happening ...?

"Come here."

Is she gonna kill me?

Then the hands skillfully wrapped itself around me, and with her soft yet bloated chest I was forced in a lock.

Is this how I end?

... but it doesn't hurt ..?

Hannah could not understand her current situation, since she thought she was being ignored for her failure, thus, she thought the hug was a killer move of some sort. She doesn't know how adorable she was when she said those words like that; and if used against a person like Senya, it would become a killer move, which, in this case, it already is.

Seconds passed.

"..."

A minute.

"..."

Five minutes.

"..."

Fifteen minutes later.

... I can't move.

We've been sitting on the bed while in this... tight situation for a while now...

I don't understand why, but, based on what I recall from the young master's teachings, it seems that I am being hugged.

She's been saying weird things, like how cute I am and adorable with a really wide smile on her face.

... I really don't understand why this stranger is doing this to me.

Is this supposed to be a custom or something?

"You're such a little cutie! Look at that cute cheek of yours. I could just eat you up!"

... I should really move out of this.

Tired of her current position, Hannah tried to get herself out of the hug. She moved her little hands against Senya's arms, and began to push herself out; but it was not effective, so she tried wiggling her way out. As Hannah tries to move out of her embrace, Senya realized what she was doing, and thought the little girl must be feeling uncomfortable.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Was I hugging you tightly?"

"..."

I wanted to say yes but I don't want to make another mistake.

Unfortunately, her stomach said other wise; like a comedian waiting for the cue, her stomach growled loudly.

"..."

... this is embarrassing.

"Do you want to eat?"

Senya delightedly asked the obvious question, thinking the growling sound of Hannah's stomach was also cute, like a creepy mom. Hannah's face was still calm, but inside, she wanted to throw herself out. She nodded in response, hoping this interaction would just end already.

=====