“Lusaia stop running around and get back here!”

“Hehe! Papa can’t catch Lusaia! Bleh!!!”

Lusaia ignores my order and runs away, she sticks her tongue out taunting me for being slow.

This child… she is a real handful.

A week has passed since Marianne’s passing and quite a lot of things have happened since and also… quite a lot of headaches have been occurring as well.

Demi humans in this world have an intriguing biological characteristic as compared to humans. In a short span of time, Lusaia’s injured leg, which would have taken at least 3 month to heal for a human, has fully healed in just a week. I’ve made her run and jump and it’s as if she never fractured her leg in the first place.

At first, I thought it was a good thing since our travel speed will increase now. However, that was the start of the headaches that would be soon to come.

I forgot one minor detail about Lusaia and that is, she is still a kid. I don’t know what it is about children, be it human, humanoid or even demi humans, they have so much energy to expend that it is insane.

The moment she finds something that catches her eyes, she’ll run off to look at it. If it runs away, she’ll chase after it. It’s fine if she does so along the road but most of the time I find that curious little head of hers being dragged deep into the woods. I was forced to drop everything and pick her up again. However, each time I do so, she begins to adapt and become even more slippery to catch.

Speed and agility superior to the average human by leaps and bounds… is this the same for all demi humans?

Well… The worst has yet to come because I went on to have a great idea of making it even worse.

Some time back, Lusaia spotted fruits hanging high up in the treetops. Usually, she never asks me for anything but those fruits seem to be extremely delicious. Lusaia kept on whining how much she wanted it.

I gave in to her request at some point but I made Lusaia get the fruit herself. Teaching her an efficient way to scale up a tree, she picked up the skill in no time along with the fruits. I tasted the fruit for poison before she could consume any beforehand.

Expectedly, Lusaia has adapted it into her move sets to evade my grasp.

This cheeky little girl… I shake my head in disappointment.

“Just get back before sun sets, alright!”

“Ok Papa! Lusaia wants pancakes for dinner!”

The figure of the little shark girl has disappeared into the woods but her voice echoes clearly.

It’s not as if I can’t catch her. I choose not to waste all my energy over getting her back. At some point, I gave up chasing her if she goes beyond a certain distance from the Rest Point. There is the problem of Lusaia getting chased by monsters but with her speed she’ll outrun anything, even wolves.

I return back to the campfire where the fire is starting to burn at its peak. The ingredients are prepped on a wooden stump beside it and I get to work.

Even if I don’t wish to spend the energy to chase after Lusaia, I know this will work to get her back.

In a bowl, the ingredients are mixed in one by one. Flour, cream, vegetable oil, butter, sugar, and salt. A light beige batter forms and I pour into a hot pan as it moderately sizzles. The sweet and buttery aroma whaffs into the air and it wouldn’t take long for Lusaia to catch a scent of it.

As shadows of the trees lengthen, pancakes stack high on a plate. The sound of thumping feed land on a branch before it leaps to the next. Out of the foliage high above, Lusaia bursts through.

“Oh dear…”

I said my though out loud and got up instantly. Taking five quick steps backwards, I catch Lusaia before she can fall to the hard ground.

“Pancakes!”

“Geez… you were almost going to break your legs again but all you can think is about pancakes?”

Saying that, I flick my finger on her forehead.

“Ow… Papa, that hurts.”

She cries out in pain as I let her down on the ground.

We sit by the fire and the moment I pass her the plate of pancakes, they are immediately wharfed down into her stomach. She eats them with glittering eyes as she savours the pancakes whole.

‘Mmm… Delicious! Pancakes are the best!”

Lusaia says that with a big, satisfied smile as she gulps down two more.

“Come on, eat slowly. You’re going to choke on it sooner or later.”

I say so as I wipe the bits of pancakes sticking to the side of her mouth.

The first time Lusaia tasted the pancakes I cooked, her mind was blown away. She complimented them for being fluffy and sweet. Ever since, she’s been begging me to make them every day…

“Papa, can Lusaia have pancake tomorrow too please?”

While she begs me with those puppy dog eyes, I have to refuse.

“Sorry, it seems that we won’t be having pancakes daily from now on.”

Reason being our food rations are dwindling faster than expected.

Before the start of our trip, I’ve salvaged at least 1 month of food after taking into consideration of Lusaia’s gluttonous diet. Unexpectedly, I have made an oversight.

Along with the fact that Lusaia’s playful nature is slowing us down at times, we will have to begin phase 2 of our rationing plan soon through foraging and hunting.

“Ehhh!!! No way… Lusaia wants pancakes…”

She sulks and tugs at my shirt but… Guh… She really is pulling my heartstring with that face of hers.

“We won’t be having pancakes but… I’ll make something delicious for tomorrows breakfast. How about it?”

“Ok! Whatever Papa makes will always be delicious. Hehe!”

I smile wryly and call it a day.

We enter the 2nd week and Lusaia is still the cheeky little girl as she has been. With the burden on my back lightening every day, the extra thinking space left room for me to ponder about some things.

Lusaia seems to have gotten over Marianne’s death by now which is good. Seeing her carefree like this makes me wonder if this would be my future had I not made the choices I had chosen.

Urgh… The guilt in my heart pains me but this is the life I have chosen to live. Which is also the reason why I wish to end it.

It reminds me, why am I being so close to this girl?

Having to take into account what she wants and don’t want, having to cater to her needs… Maybe the humanity I lost isn’t totally gone yet but it feels like the reason could be something else.

We arrive at the last Rest Point of the day once more. I set up the campfire as usual and pitch the tent as always. Today is pancake day so Lusaia will be happy about it…

No, I shouldn’t be thinking about such things. It’s like I’m treating her as my daughter.

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath trying to remember my original purpose. I’m only to protect Lusaia till I find a suitable guardian. Nothing more, nothing less… But still, my actions contradict that purpose.

“Papa, Lusaia’s back.”

“Welcome back.”

Lusaia returns fairly early than usual from her playtime. She walks towards me trying to hide her enthusiastic smile with her hands behind her back holding onto something.

“What is it?”

I ask her as she stands in front of me.

Then, she reveals the object behind her back and it is a flower. A pretty small flower but a vibrant one, nonetheless. It’s surprising for a flower to grow any bigger than this in the dimly lit forest ground so it’s impressive she even found it.

“This is Papa’s present for being the best Papa ever! Hehe!”

Lusaia outstretch her arm towards me with the flower in hand.

“Thank you…”

I take the flower into my hands but I stare at it longingly.

Images of my daughter flash in my mind. That adorable little face of hers with the silken hair of her mother and the crimson pupil in my eyes… It hurts when the scenes transition to that nightmarish day…

The sense of dread as I am reminded of that nightmare. My fingers tighten around the stem of the flower to the point the water within leaks out.

“Papa… is Papa alright?”

I am shaken out of that painful recollection as Lusaia places her hand onto my own. She looks at me worriedly almost to the point of crying even…

I force a smile, “Yeah… I’m going for a walk so stay here… Call me when the water is boiling…”

I stand up and leave.

I don’t look back. If I do, I don’t know what kind of anger nor sorrow will come up from the depths of my soul.

Of all the people, why must you have the face of my daughter?

Of all the fates within this world, why do you have to live the same life I once did?

To the ones who put me in this place, how long must I suffer?

So many questions, yet there’s no answer…

----

Lusaia watch as her Papa walk into the dark forest. Did she do something wrong? Lusaia’s young mind doesn’t know.

All Lusaia wanted was to thank her Papa for still being with her. Her Papa has been cooking such delicious dishes she’s never eaten before. He also let her wear clean pretty dresses although he has to wash them as they’re travelling on dirt road. Papa scolds Lusaia too but only because she did something wrong or dangerous.

Even though Lusaia knows that Papa isn’t her real Papa, the warmth and kindness she felt is real.

Lusaia sat by the fire and watch over the simmering pot of water like her Papa told her to. She can’t help but feel she did something wrong.

10 minutes passed and bubbles violently pop on the surface.

“Papa! The water is boiling!”

Papa returns from the forest but Lusaia notice his face being sadder than it has always been.

Still, Papa pats her head.

“Thank you.”

Compared to the one before, her Papa’s gratitude feels synthetic. The first “Thank you” that her Papa said felt as if it contained his genuine emotions but Lusaia cannot confirm.

----

After wash-up, Lusaia and I are sleeping inside the tent. I sleep beside her with a towel acting as my pillow while she sleeps comfortably in the only sleeping bag I could salvage.

The cold wind blows across the moderately wide clearing where the Rest Point is situated in. Through the open flaps of the tent, it enters and I can feel my fingers and toes becoming chilled.

Don’t worry, I’m used to such environments. Even if I do sleep inside a sleeping bag, I’d probably find it too uncomfortably comfortable.

Looking at Lusaia sleeping snuggly in that sleeping bag, she looks like a normal girl enjoying a nice camping trip. You’d never expect such a kid to be the major focus point of both a global and religious conspiracy.

How unlucky you are to receive such power from birth though you probably never asked for it…

I sigh.

I find myself sighing a lot lately but it has been getting more prevalent after learning about Lusaia’s circumstance from Marianne.

If I were to leave her alone, she’ll likely be used than killed by the gods. Magic is something that exists in this world but I have no idea what it is. But if Marianne calls it something akin to energy, it probably is a form of valuable power to the inhabitants of this world.

Power. The thing that people will always seek regardless of anything. Their greed for it knows no bound and I learn this the hard way by becoming one of its victims.

No matter the choices Lusaia will make, in the end, she’ll become their pawn if I’m not there to stop it… But what reason do I have to do so?

I close my eyes though I cannot sleep.

I wait for the morning light to “wake” me up again…

----

My senses are blaring alerts from all around me. Danger is everywhere but the silence hides its presence.

The moment I woke up, I felt the hairs on my arms and neck stand. Goosebumps rise all over my skin as it keeps sending shivers throughout my body.

I dashed out of the tent grabbing the sword stashed in the sacks. I cannot sense the threat anywhere but I know my instincts are always right.

Lusaia woke up not long after but she doesn’t feel anything off. Is this a false alarm? It can’t be as natural instincts never lie.

Currently, we continue our travel as the first day of the third week arrives. Lusaia keeps on pestering me about what’s wrong but I don’t know how to answer her. She senses something is wrong by my tense face which is why sticks close to me now…

----

Somewhere far from where Reino and Lusaia are, the puffing of multiple breathes can be heard in the dimly lit forest.

In the middle, a hooded figure sits on top of the horn of a minotaur.

Unlike the many minotaurs around it that hunch their backs and breathing harshly, this one is standing up right with an air of neatness and authority to it.

Its red skin shines a faint gloss as its axe rest on top of its shoulder. To show that its rank is high above the others, the double-sided axe head is made of hardened steel and well-polished.

The figure on the red minotaur’s let out a sexy feminine chuckle. Her hand outstretches to where a magic circle floats before it. Like a radar, two dots have entered the circle. One faint and barely noticeable like a mouse, the other is the brightest among the other critters of this forest.

“Finally… I found you, Messiah... Mwahahahaha!!!”

Her soft chuckle intensifies into a malicious cackle that could scare a gargoyle.

“Oh, Four Celestials, I shall make you all proud! I shall be blessed upon by their grace when I hand over the traitorous scum who dares harm them… Forward, Minotaur!”

“Affirmative, commander.”

The red minotaur spoke as it moves ahead. In unison, the minotaurs around it move as well as they march on towards the dot on the figure’s circle.