Chapter: 172
The next day.
After packing a small amount of luggage, I finished preparing to set out on a journey with Tia.
Leaving with the letter from Mom, filled with a bunch of anxieties.
To be honest, I keep wondering if this is really going to work out. But… what are you gonna do? I have no choice but to leave.
When I was a kid, I resented being dumped and left behind… But if Mom had her reasons, if it was to keep me safe… then it must have been a tough choice for her.
If that Mom is now in danger… It’s my turn to help her.
Even though I’m just a country girl who’s never swung a weapon properly…
A giant dragon and the hero’s partner from the story, Tia. With her, I think I might just be able to save Mom.
So, I forced myself to muster up some courage for this.
Heading towards the world outside the village. Into the unknown.
I took a step forward.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I woke up from centuries of hibernation because of a tiny noise, and right in front of me was a little mouse-kin looking terrified.
Through this somewhat cliché web novel situation, I ended up teaming up with the gray-haired little mouse-kin, Maybelle.
Honestly, I didn’t really need to stick with her… But after sleeping for centuries, you can’t help but want to see how the world has changed.
While I was hibernating, all my chores were taken care of by other people. Thanks to them, I didn’t miss a beat.
So now I had the luxury of taking my sweet time and exploring the world.
And… I’ve become somewhat curious about Maybelle and her mother’s story.
Watching them build various tales independently, even without my input… is pretty exciting.
But Maybelle’s mom… what was her name again? Ah, Ella, Ella Cinder.
Seems like a straight-up Cinderella tale, doesn’t it? Persecuted by her stepmother and two sisters like a total copy-paste.
Well, she got her inheritance back through her own power without any glass slippers or balls. And no magical spells that wear off at midnight, either.
Hmm. Anyway, let’s skip her story for now.
“Phew… Hah…”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m… fine…”
Maybelle was trudging along the rocky mountain path, struggling with her massive backpack.
“But thanks to my new strength, I can manage it just fine.”
“Is that so?”
Maybelle, carrying a backpack bigger than her own body, looked hilariously unbalanced.
Honestly, if she were just a regular human, she wouldn’t last long with such a heavy load.
Even during military marches, they don’t carry bags that hefty.
“Want me to help carry it?”
“No. I’m fine. It’s my luggage.”
Maybelle was using a giant hammer as a walking stick, which was kind of cute. Small and adorable but strong—there’s a certain charm to that imbalance.
But… I clearly could see she was struggling, and it felt wrong to ignore that.
So, I said:
“Okay, let me help you out for a sec.”
“Huh? No, really! It’s totally fine! It’s my stuff, so I should carry it!”
“I’m not trying to carry your things. Just let me see that hammer for a moment.”
“The hammer? The Earth Smasher?”
I nodded slightly, and despite being a bit reluctant, Maybelle handed me the Earth Smasher.
Hmm. I had been a little curious about it since I first laid eyes on it. I wanted to see how dwarven enchantment methods had evolved.
So I checked out the Earth Smasher pretty closely.
“Well-made, but there’s a rough edge where the magical transformation happens.”
If it acts like this, then using 10 units of magic only gives you a measly 4 units of enhancement efficiency.
If I said it roughly boosts strength by 40%, that’s definitely not nothing, but if I max out the efficiency, I could refine it a lot better.
Like making 8 units of enhancement out of 10 units of magic instead—basically doubling the previous effect.
“Alright, I’ve made a quick adjustment. You should feel a bit stronger now.”
“Hmm… Really?”
Maybelle grabbed the slightly tweaked Earth Smasher and looked mildly shocked.
“Wow? It really got stronger? How did you do that?”
“I just made a minor adjustment to the dwarven technique. I cut down unnecessary magic usage and made it smoother. Just optimizing a bit can lead to this kind of performance difference, you know.”
“It doesn’t sound as easy as you make it sound…”
Well, no one’s more skilled in handling magic than me.
Now I can wield it like it’s second nature.
“Th-thank you.”
Maybelle bowed her head to me, grateful, then started checking out the hammer in her hands.
Looks like she could totally feel the difference, a smile creeping onto her face.
Satisfied with her now super hammer, Maybelle turned to me and asked:
“So… why is Tia helping people like this?”
“Huh?”
“Tia is… a dragon, right? A massive dragon, like a mountain. To Tia, aren’t humans just bugs crawling on the ground? Why help humans?”
Hmm. Why help humans, huh?
When I think about it, I really don’t have to help them… Hmm.
If it weren’t for those believers who see me as the Goddess of Life and send me their faith… would I have turned my back on humans?
No, probably not. I used to be human, after all, and as long as those memories are fresh, I can’t completely ignore them.
Of course, I can’t just blurt that out. That a dragon’s past life was human? Who would buy that? Nobody.
Not even my own kids would believe me if I told them.
“Is it the Goddess of Life urging you to take care of humans?”
Well, I am that Goddess of Life, so I wouldn’t be giving orders to myself, right?
I’m just doing this because I want to.
“I’m just doing it because I choose to.”
“But I don’t get it. Isn’t it normal for dragons to not care about humans, just like humans don’t care about bugs?”
Hmm… That might be true, but.
I’m really just doing it because I want to. If I didn’t care about life and all that, I wouldn’t have bothered creating this world to begin with.
In that sense… maybe I’m taking on a bit of responsibility for what I’ve created?
“Maybe yes, maybe no. If a small animal is shivering in the cold, there are those who will hunt it, those who will ignore it, and those who will help it too. Just like I help humans, like those helping little animals.”
I mean, that doesn’t mean I think humans are equal to animals, but I have that kind of compassion because, in a way, we’re all the same.
“Honestly… I guess there are people who adopt and raise orphaned animals. I can see it in roughly the same light.”
Strictly speaking, it’s a little off, but anyway.
“Just think of it like that for now.”
I didn’t want to get into a long-winded explanation.
“All right, let’s keep moving. We need to get to the village before sunset.”
Honestly, I could just teleport there instantly, but that would be too convenient.
I mean, I would love to teleport to the other side of the continent if I felt like it, but that wouldn’t give me the thrill of traveling, would it?
“Right, right. We should hit the next village before sundown.”
And so, Tia and Maybelle trudged along the treacherous mountain path.
The place we finally reached was a village of decent size.
It was settled next to a small river, and it seemed to be focused on wheat farming with golden wheat fields swaying in the breeze all around.
In that village…
“So, where to next?”
“Well, since we’ve just arrived in a new village, we should probably find an inn first, don’t you think?”
Wherever you go, finding a place to stay is essential. If you don’t secure lodging first, the trip can get pretty exhausting. A comfy resting space is super important, you know.
“An inn, huh? I happen to know a place the priest mentioned. I’ll guide you there.”
“You’ve heard about it? So you know exactly where it is, right?”
“Yep! I got a good amount of info from the priest about this village. If I just sort through what I’ve heard, I’ll know this place like the back of my hand!”
“Good, lead the way then.”
It would’ve been fine to ask the villagers too, but since Maybelle sounded so sure of herself,
I figured I could trust her.
And so, I started following Maybelle as we walked through the village.
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