My head was throbbing.
When I cracked my eyes open two huge eyes were so close they felt like they were drilling straight into my brain.
I flinched and pushed myself upright.
She grabbed my arm.
"Hey, hey! Calm down. I'm just a healer" she said in a soothing voice.
When she leaned back a little I could finally see her properly.
A freckled girl with green hair tied into two small buns, a round face, and enormous hazel eyes. With her white coat on, she looked exactly like a real healer.
Suddenly, she leaned in again and started examining me.
Her movements were strange like she was a bit unhinged.
Though, to be fair I wasn't exactly normal either.
"I don't remember ever seeing such beauty before. Where did you come from?"
she asked, right up in my face.
I leaned back instinctively and started to panic.
I'm in my real body right now and I don't belong here.
And worse I'm inside the army of the opposing kingdom!
Noticing my fear, she kept talking to herself.
"But when you react like that, it makes me feel like the villain. People usually say I'm cute. Why did this turn out like this…"
While she rambled, I looked around.
I was inside a tent probably where the wounded were brought. There were medicine bottles and bandages everywhere.
"Hey, Anya. There's a wounded one. This idiot got caught trying to steal extra food"
a rough voice came from outside the tent.
So her name was Anya.
"What?! How many times do I have to tell you not to insult my patients? Wait a second I have another patient here" she snapped.
"Ah, I should go. Thank you" I said quickly trying to slip away.
But she grabbed both my hands.
"If you need anything, come back. And be careful this kind of beauty is dangerous around soldiers" she said, giggling.
I blushed, covered my face with my cloak and rushed outside.
"Hey, idiot walk properly! Don't you want treatment?"
a man said. I couldn't see his face because I was too busy hiding.
"Leave her alone! She can go!!"
Anya shouted like a furious witch.
Once I got away from the tent, there were so many people moving around that I staggered forward like I was injured.
Some people bumped into me. Others cursed at me.
I didn't know where I was going. I just wanted to get away from here.
Then I crashed straight into a large tent.
Voices were coming from inside. I was about to move away when the conversation caught my attention.
"They're well prepared. They're coming in divisions. The Duke's army and the nobles' army are at the front. If we don't apply a tactic, we're finished"
said a nervous voice.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SAY WE'RE FINISHED?!"
"Hey, hey, calm down. He's just reporting what he saw."
That voice it was familiar.
Yes.
The fairy who brought me here from the forest.
"What happened to the bastard you chased in the forest, princess? Did you bring his head?"
the rude man said.
Princess?!
What am I doing right now?
They're talking about our army, aren't they?
These people must be important and if I were caught…
I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I was yanked back suddenly, and my mouth was covered.
My cloak slid over half my vision as the person holding me pulled me tight.
I struggled. My heart raced. I wanted to escape.
I was terrified. Cursing myself for ending up in this situation.
Footsteps.
The voices from before stepped outside and moved away.
"Shhh. Don't move. If you'd been caught, the lord would've killed you on the spot."
As I exhaled sharply through the hand covering my mouth, the fabric over my eyes shifted and I saw his face.
"Hmhmhmmhmm"
I tried to speak but no real sound came out.
Once he was sure they were gone, he removed his hand and looked at me.
"YOU WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
I blurted out instinctively my voice far louder than intended.
He immediately put his index finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, glanced around, and said
"Do I know you?"
There he was red hair, blue eyes.
The Duke's chief aide.
Seth.
What was he doing here?
How could he be walking freely in the opposing army?
He didn't recognize me… did he?
Right.
He's never seen me in this body!
I had to pretend I didn't know him.
"N-no, sir. I must have mistaken you for someone else" I said.
Maybe he was on a secret mission.
An undercover agent that would explain why he was here.
"I was just passing through. When I saw you, I noticed the lord was approaching the exit, so I pulled you away on instinct. I hope I didn't hurt you" he said.
He spoke politely, and I kept staring at him in disbelief. I pulled my cloak back over my face.
"Thank you " I said and ran off.
I absolutely have to go back.
I never expected the war to begin this soon.
But I don't know the way.
Then a name crossed my mind.
Anya.
I can talk to her.
The tent flap was open. Anya was mixing something in medicine bottles.
She looked like a mad scientist.
She hadn't noticed me yet so I pretended to cough.
"That cough sounds fresh. You didn't come for your lungs, did you?"
She looked up and smiled.
"I didn't expect you back so soon. How are you? Does anything hurt?" she asked with concern.
"Ah, no. Actually… you're the only person I know here. You said you'd help me,"
I said looking at her with innocent eyes.
"Of course!! What do you need? I'd love to help a beautiful girl like you!"
Her cheerful tone made me smile.
"Well… actually, I want to escape from here"
I whispered into her ear.
Her eyes widened and she burst into tears.
Hic hic.
"Huh? Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"
"N-no… y-you were kidnapped, weren't you? You were brought here against your will. A friend of mine said the same thing—and I couldn't help her. Then she took her own life…"
She spoke through her sobs.
Realizing there was a heavy story behind this, I felt sorry for her and hugged her.
She wrapped her arms around my waist.
"D-don't worry. I'll help you escape, so…"
I didn't let her finish and hugged her tighter.
I wasn't exactly lying.
I was kidnapped and brought here unwillingly.
Still… I felt like trash for not telling the full truth just so she'd help me.
"It's not exactly that but similar. I want to leave. If I go into the forest alone I'll get lost" I said.
She suddenly jumped up rummaged through bags, and pulled out a sheet of paper.
"A map! Take this. I'll also give you some food and medicine."
Oh my God.
This girl practically saved my life.
I had a map too but I'd left it where I'd been staying. Now I could go back.
"Thank you, thank you so much. I'm incredibly grateful. I want to repay you, but I don't have anything"
I said, smiling excitedly.
…
Anya prepared everything. After saying goodbye to her, I set off.
The map was clear and easy to read. Since it resembled ours I remembered the route. I found where I was and hurried toward my destination.
I ran and ran then stopped briefly to catch my breath and drink water. Then ran again.
I'd always been a good runner in my old life. I was still fast.
In a male body it was even more so.
Covered in sweat. I finally saw the firelight from the area where our tents were set up.
My eyes filled with tears.
This time, they were tears of happiness.
"Merlin!"
Torric was running toward me. I, on the other hand, was struggling to regulate my breathing after the long run.
Out of breath. I said "Ah. I'm here!"
Just as I thought my absence had been noticed.
Should I be happy about that? Or worried? I didn't know. I just hoped I wouldn't be interrogated.
Suddenly he grabbed my hand and started running.
It looked like the units were holding meetings among themselves. We slipped through the crowds. As usual, the mercenaries were stationed at the very back.
"Everyone! Check your weapons and armor!! Mistakes during a clash are unacceptable. They will cost you your lives and the lives of the comrades who march beside you!"
Chimchim was standing atop a large rock, announcing loudly and passionately.
"They just did a headcount. You need to show that you're here" Torric said.
Chimchim locked his eyes onto me and frowned.
He jumped down from the rock. The people in front of him parted as he walked straight toward me.
He jabbed his index finger firmly into my shoulder, pushing me back.
"You!! If you're going to disappear like that again, don't bother coming back!" he snapped.
The unit was watching us. I'd never seen Chimchim this serious before. It was intimidating but I knew why he was saying it.
"Yes, sir. I swear I won't run away. I'll fight back-to-back with you until the very end" I said like a real soldier.
Chimchim's expression changed. He gave a barely noticeable smile.
After nodding in approval, he left with a few men behind him.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, loud shouting erupted from two rookies left behind, drawing our attention.
The dark haired girl was in what looked like a real fight with the bespectacled boy.
They were punching each other and rolling on the ground.
They argued all the time but this time, the dark haired girl looked genuinely furious.
"Ash! Marco! Stop it already!" Torric shouted.
I ran over to separate them.
Ash was clearly more athletic. Marco, pinned beneath her, couldn't move or fight back.
Just as she was about to throw another punch. I grabbed her arm and told her to stop.
Smack
She swung her other arm and punched me in the face then stood up, spat blood to the side and walked away.
That was a solid punch surprisingly strong for a girl.
I was shaken. When I touched my lip, my fingers came away bloody. I couldn't feel the pain yet. It was numb.
We helped the boy with glasses get up. I'd only taken one hit, but he'd taken far worse. His face was covered in blood.
Torric pointed at my lip.
"We need to go to the healer!" he said.
"Why was she that angry?" I asked, referring to Ash.
Marco snapped back, "Ugh. Because that bitch has gone crazy. That's why!"
Since he was still barely able to stand, we supported him by holding his arms.
"No, there has to be another rea-" I began.
"Mela-Merlin!"
My sentence was cut off by my name.
Laoron.
I thanked the heavens every time he didn't say my real name but every time he called me like that. My heart jumped.
He was whining like a child.
"Where did you disappear to? Where did you go without telling me?" he said, then noticed my lip when he got closer.
He examined me and the boy I was supporting, his expression searching.
Then he got angry.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded.
Thanks to his anger, the topic of me disappearing vanished.
I seized the opportunity.
"Ah. It really hurts. That wasn't just a punch. No human hand could do that it felt like it was made of iron!" I said dramatically.
"Hey, I'm right, aren't I? She's not human!" I nudged the bespectacled boy.
He grimaced. "Of course she's not! She's a monster. If I ever see that bitch again"
I cut him off, laughing.
"Ahaha, don't exaggerate like that. Come on." I said, trying to calm him down.
Torric giggled as he watched our situation like a stage play.
Laoron, however, took it seriously and grew even angrier.
"So, Mel-Merlin, just tell me what happened!" he said.
I clicked my tongue.
"Fine. We'll talk about it later. For now, can you take my place?" I said, asking him to support the boy's other arm.
Even though we only had a few steps left, he kept scolding me the whole way.
We entered the healer's tent and laid Marco down. Torric said he had something urgent to do and left.
I stepped outside and took a deep breath.
"Hey! You need treatment too. Look at that busted lip!" Laoron said.
What he said was sweet but since I felt like I was being lectured. I was about to snap back when-
Someone approached, their face hidden by the light behind them.
"Welcome. How can I help you?"
From the warm smile and innocent eyes, I knew immediately.
It was LYLIA!!