While the shrill female voice drifted among the trees in the forested area, a man's laughter and a ten-year-old child's rebellion accompanied it.
"Father, where did this ugly girl come from? I want my fish!"
Speaking without wiping the tears settling in his eyes, a drop or two trickled down; his state made the middle-aged man right next to him stop laughing.
"Aspero, let's bring the sister down first. And you stop crying; it doesn't suit you at all!"
After the man's words, the child wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his clothes and, with the help of the adult next to him, brought Nafız, suspended over the lake, down to the ground. They slowly removed the hook stuck in the back of her clothes; meanwhile, Nafız stood calmly.
"You are soaked; you can use our hut to change your clothes!"
The daggers starting to emerge from Nafız's wrists slowly retracted after the man spoke; they acted like this in response to the middle-aged man's good intentions.
"Father, I don't want her coming to our house!"
The man with graying temples let out a deep breath after covering his face with one hand; this state made the child shut up immediately.
"Aspero, don't be so wild. We damaged the little lady's clothes, and as you see, she needs to change."
After kneeling and talking to the ten-year-old child, he sent him ahead and slowly came towards Nafız.
"Please excuse the little one; since only the two of us live in the forest, he doesn't know how to talk to others. Please follow us!"
Nodding in response, Nafız followed the man going to the child. She didn't let go of her caution; she was on alert, aware that she was currently in a trial. She kept an eye on those in front until they reached a wide clearing by proceeding through the path; she wouldn't think twice about taking their lives at the slightest wrong move.
What she expected didn't happen; the duo coming in front of a small hut opened the door and entered. Everything was visible from the large window on Nafız's side; the inside of the structure was clean. Still, the young girl didn't stop moving slowly; she opened the door gently and looked inside.
"Come, little lady; we will leave our things and go out immediately!"
Ignoring the resistance of the child he was dragging by the arm, the man passed by Nafız and went out. The ten-year-old child was still talking, and it was evident from his every word that he didn't like Nafız at all.
"Why am I leaving my own house; let her go change somewhere else!"
Huffing and puffing, they emptied the hut; Nafız kept an ear outside and could easily hear the middle-aged man's advice. The child was very aggressive; in contrast, the man was like stagnant water.
Taking off her wet battle outfit in a jiffy, Nafız quickly put on another clean and dry one. Meanwhile, her eyes were on the hut's single window; she was trying to take the necessary precautions to prevent any peeping attempts.
Fortunately, she finished her job without any adverse situation and went next to the duo waiting outside. The weather was getting slightly dark; the middle-aged man had lit a fire inside a small area he formed with stones. Nafız saw a rather large cauldron on it and vegetables cooking inside.
"We are preparing for dinner; won't you join us?"
"Father, we returned empty-handed because of her anyway. Now you want to share our little food too?"
"Aspero, not the little lady, but we actually put her in a difficult situation. Our food might be little, but this doesn't mean we cannot share it!"
This time the gray-haired man's voice was a bit stern; if not for the simple clothes on him, he could easily be likened to a nobleman with superior manners.
"Do you think I'm desperate for your bunch of vegetables, brat? Take these so a few pieces of meat pass down your throat!"
Nafız cut the wild creature meat she took out from her interspatial storage in the air, and the final stop for this meat was inside the cauldron on the fire. When the little boy jumped from his place and looked into the boiling water, his eyes opened wide; these were really meat.
"Father, really meat! I am going to get some more branches!"
The little boy disappeared plunging into the twilight; the young girl and the middle-aged man were left alone. Nafız was waiting for this moment too; getting advice from someone who knew the surroundings in this new place she arrived at would be useful.
"Thanks for the meat; I wish you hadn't troubled yourself!"
"Don't mention it; besides, it was good that this noisy brat moved away!"
Sitting cross-legged, the gray-haired man dipped the ladle-like wooden tool in his hand into the boiling water; after stirring the water, which slowly took its color with the addition of meat, a few times, he started speaking.
"When I found him, his family had been killed by wild creatures, and I would say he was barely three, maybe five years old. He had hidden inside a tiny hollow, and his family had shielded the front of the hollow with themselves so wild creatures wouldn't reach him.
Although their flesh was eaten, their remains had blocked the entrance and saved him. He didn't speak at all the first year; sometimes I had to hear his breath to check if he was dead or not. Then we got used to each other; saying one or two words, we started talking and enjoying living together.
He is the only one for me in this world; please don't get angry at his actions. Even though he thinks he forgot, these are reflections of what he experienced; he is very afraid of losing me too!"
Nafız listened by looking into the man's eyes; although she had difficulty believing such stories, it was clear the person opposite her wasn't lying. Besides, he had no benefit from her; he was just offering an excuse for the child's actions next to him.
"I understand; don't be afraid, I won't do anything to him or you. I just want information about the surroundings; I am looking for the person ruling here!"
Nafız defined it as the person ruling the lands, not directly as the Area Master; she didn't want to scare the gray-haired man.
"I don't know who you are talking about, but there are some tribes to the north of here. Look there if you want, but I suggest you wait for the morning; inside the forest can be dangerous at night!"
"Don't worry about me; I will eat and leave after the brat arrives!"
The two people didn't speak further; although the black color descended upon the forest, where they were was bright thanks to the fire, but the gray-haired man seemed to have a problem.
"Where is this child; let me go and check on him!"
Grumbling, the middle-aged man got up from his place; his shadow was falling on Nafız. He took a few steps, but immediately after, a frantic cry spilled from his lips.
"Aspero!"
Nafız was already on her feet; she had turned her face to the direction the middle-aged man looked and was examining the expressions of a hundred people standing opposite her.
"Small world, isn't it? While looking for you in the sky, I found you on the ground, Bloody Moon Nora!"
The lily tattoo on the speaker's face was at least as dark as the weather; accompanied by the laughter of a hundred people behind him, he continued speaking.
"It wasn't very hard to find you thanks to the battle outfit pieces we found by the lake and the tracks you left. Especially when I heard this bastard's joyful song, I said okay, my prey is here!"
Black Lily Virgen had grabbed the little boy by the scruff of his neck; his fingers were so tight that it could be seen with the naked eye that Aspero had difficulty breathing.
"Let the child go; your business is with me, and I am not going anywhere until I handle it!"
Nafız took a step forward, but at that moment Virgen lifted the child's feet off the ground; his hands were now on Aspero's throat.
"What is this smell, meat smell? Apparently, you started liking the wretched father and son!"
While the steam of the food on the fire filled the area, Virgen's white teeth shone in defiance of the darkness.
"What do you want to let the child go?"
Nafız spoke directly, without beating around the bush; the answer she would get wouldn't surprise her at all.
"You owe my family an arm; are you ready to pay?"