Chapter 44: The Village Under the Heavy Rain
“W-will you put a collar on me again when we get to the village this time?”
“Nonsense! Do you want to be captured and experience torment firsthand?”
“Wuwu!”
With no room to resist, Lonis was once again chained and followed Elus out of the ship.
The girls had no raincoats, not even umbrellas to shield them from the rain. However, Elus’s prepared method of avoiding the rain exceeded Lonis’s expectations…
“Hold this.”
“Huh? Isn’t this a mobile phone… What good is this for avoiding rain?”
“You idiot! Did you forget the knowledge I gave you the day before yesterday? Magic Gemstone!”
“Eh?”
“As long as you adjust the frequency of the Wind Crystal, you can form an airflow umbrella.”
“Oh, I see!”
Lonis suddenly understood, never having imagined that a Magic Gemstone could be used in such a way.
Doesn’t this mean that not only can a mobile phone be used as an umbrella, but it can also be used as a fan?
“Hmph, let’s go when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready, but… Master Elus, don’t you need to change back to your adult form?”
“Hah?”
“Is it okay like this?”
Lonis lowered her head and looked at the little loli who only reached her chest.
Although she knew that Elus in her loli form was also very powerful, it didn’t appear that way to outsiders – with a height of just over 1.4 meters, she looked like she could be easily carried away, provoking people’s desire to bully her.
“Lonis, were you thinking something rude just now?”
The little loli frowned and looked at Lonis with extreme displeasure.
“Ah, no, no!”
“Hmph, since you’ve noticed, I’ll generously tell you… This is called playing the pig to eat the tiger. If I don’t act this way, how can I provoke the greed of those villagers?”
“Eh?”
“A weak submissive girl with a collar, and a Gothic loli who looks completely without fighting power. Any outlaw would have improper thoughts about them, right? And if some villagers make a move, I can kill them naturally.”
“!!!”
“This way, their wealth will be mine. It’s a transaction with no risk and great profit to gain a large amount of money without selling anything, isn’t it a profitable business?”
“This…”
Lonis was stunned by Elus’s explanation. It was the first time she had discovered such a dark-hearted side to this little loli.
Instead of displaying her strength, she was weakening herself to lure opponents into attacking—this method of combat was something that Lonis, once a Hero, had never tried.
“In short, when we get to the village later, don’t say anything out of place. Cooperate with my act. Even if you see the person who hurt you in the dream, don’t show any abnormality. Wait for my further orders.”
“Understood.”
…
…
Finding a nearby village wasn’t actually a difficult task.
Because wherever there is a village, there are roads, and wherever there are roads, you can always find a village.
Therefore, under Elus’s guidance,
Lonis finally arrived at a rather large village.
The entire village seemed to have hundreds of households. The wooden buildings looked very sturdy. The elevated design, one meter off the ground, ensured that even during heavy rain, accumulated water would not seep into the rooms.
The heavy rain continued, with pattering raindrops constantly flowing down from under the eaves. Naturally, there were no people on the road outside the village at this moment.
However, a loud cry attracted the attention of the villagers:
“Wuwu, who will help us? Our caravan was attacked by monsters, my daddy is gone, and only I and this idiot maid are here. Who will help us!”
Elus cried out as she and Lonis moved forward.
She had ordered Lonis to turn off her mobile phone, so the rain rolled down her cheeks, mixing with her tears.
…
“There, there’s a lost child?”
“They must have been attacked by monsters, everyone, come and help quickly.”
Upon hearing the cries, the villagers rushed out of their houses to help.
Some held oilcloth umbrellas, some held tarps, and they all ran towards Elus’s position.
“Little girl, are you alright?”
“Come inside and rest quickly.”
…
…
With the help of the villagers, Lonis followed Elus into a warm large house.
Charcoal burned in the stone fireplace, and the dancing flames seemed to isolate the damp cold from outside, allowing Lonis and Elus to rest for a while.
…
“Th-that’s how things happened…”
Wrapped in a blanket, Elus choked back a sob. Her tearful appearance truly resembled a helpless loli who couldn’t find her way home: “That monster attacked the caravan. Although the adventurer brothers fought bravely, they… they still got separated.”
“Little girl, don’t worry. You are safe now that you are here with us.”
The one receiving Elus was a kind-looking old grandmother.
Besides her, many other villagers also entered the house and sat quietly nearby.
“I don’t know my father’s and everyone else’s situation. I could only run with the slave maid… We ran for a long time and finally managed to leave that place. But who would have thought…”
“What happened?”
“This idiot maid’s head suddenly went blank. She kept rambling nonsense, you see.”
After speaking, the little loli tugged on the chain… and feeling the pull on her neck, Lonis understood Elus’s intention.
(This guy… is she really asking me to play stupid?)
(This is too much bullying! How can someone as smart and brave as me act foolish?)
…
However, even though Lonis was unwilling, she had to go ahead with it… She could only force a foolish smile and say with a giggle:
“Hehe, aba aba~~~ Master Miss, shall we play in the mud together~~”
“Mm, just like this. I was already silly before, and now I’m even sillier!”
“Ah, that’s truly pitiful.”
A man with a somewhat weathered face sighed and added, “If I’m not mistaken, the caravan was likely attacked by a Cubic Squid. That monster is not something an ordinary person can defeat. When you encounter it…”
“Old Hu!”
A young woman frowned and said to the man, seemingly displeased.
“Ah, in that case, why don’t the two of you rest in the village first? Have a hot meal to relieve your fatigue, and perhaps tomorrow, other members of the caravan will also escape here.”
“But…”
Elus’s body trembled. Her expression, a mixture of anticipation and vigilance, was perfectly portrayed: “But, Father told me not to casually accept food from strangers. He s-said that Little Lucy might be tricked and taken away or something!”
“Haha!”
Hearing Elus say this, the weathered man didn’t get angry. He just laughed heartily and said calmly, “If you’re not at ease, we can eat first.”
“Eh?”
“Or let your silly maid eat first. After confirming there are no problems, then you can continue eating. Being cautious is a good thing, little girl… I hope you can continue to maintain it.”
“Oh…”
“My name is Old Hu. You can come to me if you need anything.”
The middle-aged man nodded and said so.
…
…
