Hearing the exclamation, Rei only frowned.

“So it is. They really were big shots…”

Finally leaving the corpse alone, the guy turned to Tessa.

“I don’t get along well with children, so I leave that to you.

— Eh? - the girl froze for a moment, but remembering the guy's previous words about the child in the carriage, she immediately turned her head towards the carriage.

"So that's why you killed them?" she asked with some hope.

But the guy did not immediately answer:

- What is the reason?

“Are you ready to just kill people like that!?” And how do you know why the baby in the carriage is crying? And also the horses...

“I killed them for a reason. Ray interrupted Tessa. “Since it bothers you so much, you know that by killing them, I became stronger. This also applies to animals. As for the child, - casting a glance in the direction of the carriage, the guy continued, - we can leave right now.

Having agreed, the guy again became a man and moved towards Tsess, who also heard crying, so now he was standing next to the carriage door. The girl, not understanding what Rei was talking about, just clenched her fists, quickly walked past the guy and stopped next to the panther. The cat immediately moved, letting Tessa, who exhaled loudly, who tried to put on a friendly expression on her face, open the door. From this distance, she also clearly heard the girl's cry, so she was not going to scare her even more, even if she was very upset and angry because of Ray's behavior.

Opening the door, as plain as the rest of the carriage, Tessa realized that the interior of the carriage was an order of magnitude richer. On a bench lined with soft fabric sat a girl of about five, hugging her knees, she quietly cried, now and then calling her mother. The dress she was wearing fluttered in time with her long black hair as the little girl lifted her head to look at Tessa.

At that moment, the girl froze, not knowing what to say. Looking at the crying girl, she had no idea how to behave. After standing like that for ten seconds, she came to her senses only when a huge black head pushed her away with force - Cess was also interested in what was inside the large wooden box.

Recovering only after a few breaths, with horror in her eyes, Tessa rushed to the panther, trying to push away the huge beast, which could frighten the girl even more.

What was her surprise when the soft sobs that came from inside the carriage subsided.

- Baby, don't be scared, this cat is good. - all that Tessa could squeeze out of herself, trying with all her might to push the panther away, but it was like trying to move a mountain - Zess did not even move. But the girl's torment did not last long, having seen enough of the human child, the cat moved, giving Tessa the opportunity to stand in front of the door again.

Rey just stood by watching what was happening, but decided to give the girl, who also didn't seem to have much experience with children, a hint:

“You shouldn't show her what's outside the carriage. Better yet, just tell the guards about it and let them figure it out.

This remark received only an angry look from Tessa, who, plucking up courage, spoke to the baby again:

- Hey. Are you okay? Nothing hurts?

The girl only looked at her in surprise and shook her head, indicating that she was not injured. But after that, she lowered her head again, whimpering softly. Tessa, frightened, turned her head to Ray, hoping to get advice, but he only shrugged his hands, saying: "You figure it out yourself."

Not knowing how to approach the girl, she frantically thought about what better to say, but at that moment her eyes caught on Cess, who yawned lazily, sitting down next to his master. Tessa's eyes lit up and turning her head towards the baby, she spoke softly:

Did you like that big cat?

The girl, without taking her head off her raised knees, nodded in the affirmative.

“If you try not to cry, I'm sure he'll agree to give you a ride.

Surprisingly, the plan worked for “Hurrah!”, the baby finally raised her head, and the sobs that had time to intensify again began to gradually subside.

“R-really?” – breathed a little trembling, barely audible voice.

- Of course, let's go. I will introduce you to him. - Tessa held out her hand to the girl, trying to smile as friendly as possible.

The little girl glanced at the outstretched palm, and rising slightly, hesitantly held out her own.

After confirming that the child had taken her hand, Tessa turned to Ray.

Take off your hood, please, it's too scary. And ask Cess to play with her.

Hearing the request, the guy thought for a moment, but still decided to play along:

"Don't hurt her." Giving Cess a mental order, he pulled off his hood.

Nodding, Tessa turned her head back. The girl stood in the middle of the carriage, wiping her tears with one hand.

- Let's get to know each other first. The cat's name is Cess, I'm Tessa, and you?

— Mia. – hardly audibly whispered girl. - Mia Ains.

Is she an aristocrat? Wait… Ains!?” - when this thought flashed through the girl's head, she could hardly help but show her surprise on her face. Forcing herself to calm down, Tessa continued in the same friendly tone:

- Nice to meet you. And now, let's go to Cess, but there is one important condition, - giving a strict voice, the girl finished, - you will need to close your eyes for a while and not peep. Promise?

The slightly strange request did not embarrass the little girl at all, and hearing Tessa's serious tone, she, after a little thought, nodded confidently.

- That's good. Go here. Saying this, she extended her other hand forward. Before taking the girl in her arms, Tessa looked at her expectantly, and she immediately closed her eyes, trying with all her might to show that she was not going to peep. Carefully picking up the baby, the girl went around the carriage in a few steps, standing so that the bloody scene that unfolded just a few meters away was not visible.

We can't take her with us. Ray said, who also stood next to him. He spoke the language of the Pharos.

An unfamiliar male voice made the baby shudder perceptibly, but she still did not open her eyes, only clutching Tessa more tightly.

“Her mother is First Minister Rondala. - not paying the slightest attention to the remark of the guy, the girl spoke in the forest dialect. “And judging by what happened here, most likely the girl was kidnapped.

Ray was a little surprised to learn that the small fry is a very important person, but soon, after thinking it over, he came to his senses.

- This does not change anything. Give it to the guards. I'm sure they wouldn't dare harm the minister's daughter.

We are going to the capital anyway. We can take it ourselves. - after a little thought, she decided to try to convince the guy, because she categorically did not want to leave Mia with such people. We will definitely be rewarded for saving the girl.

The guy just shook his head.

- It won't. She'll have to be fed, and we'll slow down. Not to mention the fact that instead of a reward, they can simply accuse us ... - Rei froze in mid-sentence, smiling strangely. Tessa shuddered at that smile, but the guy immediately continued. - You're right. We can take her. She is still small and will not understand anything if I quietly remove hunger and fatigue.

- You ... - the girl wanted to speak, understanding the reason for such a change, but Rei interrupted her.

“I won't kill anyone for no reason. But I can't do anything about the fact that I need to kill. You can't change anything, so just accept it.

Looking at him dumbfounded, Tessa stroked the head of the girl, who was clearly frightened by the incomprehensible conversation.

Why do you need to kill? she asked, looking at the boy in disbelief.

- I already said: to become stronger. Every creature I kill gives me its soul. It was thanks to their energy that you could not eat or sleep in the last days.

Tessa did not answer, continuing to look at the guy with a strange look.

- Do you think it's bad?

The girl was silent.

- I see that yes ... But, what exactly is wrong with this? I am who I am, but I promise not to kill everyone in a row. In the forest, I hunted animals, surviving thanks to this. And the only people I killed were two bastards raping a girl and three scum who kidnapped a child. It's not even worth talking about mercenaries. So why do I scare you?

Tessa looked down, but Ray noticed that she was biting her lip, thinking about something. The painful silence lasted for several seconds, until the girl interrupted him. She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye.

- Good. I believe you and feel that you are not evil. At least not so much that I couldn't put up with it…” The girl said the last phrase very quietly, but Ray could hear her. Nodding, he turned his head to the girl, who had closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the strange conversation to end. Glancing at the little girl's face, he thought about Tessa's words, which must have been uttered under the influence of the same feeling that made her follow him.

"I think I'm a lot worse than she would like."

- You can open your eyes. Tessa said softly in a language familiar to the girl.

By this point, Rei had already turned away, taking a couple of steps towards Cess, who was sitting here. For a long time painful thoughts in his head did not linger. Now he was thinking about how to make the most of this situation.