When we got out to the ship’s deck, some of the crewmen had already woken up and were standing around the area. They, of course, immediately noticed the new kid with us.

  “What’s this? The princess adopted a kid?”

  I frowned upon hearing that ridiculous assumption. To think that would be someone’s first thought upon seeing a kid with me.

  Shayla approached the kid and looked at her closely, before looking at me with a weird face. “You taking in strays again?”

  Excuse me?

  My frown deepened. What do you mean again? I never took strays… Except for the prisoners from the pirate ship, if you even count those as strays… Well, this kid was technically a stray…? But she would be a useful stray.

  “Her name’s Nira,” I said to everyone. “I found her as a prisoner from the bandit leader I killed earlier.”

  “Oh yeah, you went out to take a bounty.” Shayla nodded.

  “Yes. And considering that she has no place to go, I decided to bring her along with me on my journey.”

  The crew quietly began murmuring amongst each other, they seemed to be doubting something about my decision. And Shayla was the one to voice that out.

  “Isn’t where you’re going dangerous? And you’re bringing a kid with you?”

  I patted Nira on the top of her head. “She may look like this, but she’s special.”

  Nira looked up at me with her wide eyes after hearing my words. The word ‘special’ might have stuck with her. And she seemed astonished for a moment before turning into a conflicted expression. I understood why… Her situation, for her, there was nothing special about it. Nothing at all. It was nothing more but suffering.

  And that was true. But even that had its perks, you know. Never dying, that in itself was something special. A little more amendments, and it would be perfect. And I just wanted the girl to feel something different, to hear something pleasant from me.

  “Really?” Shayla crouched down on the girl’s level with an amiable smile. “Hello, I’m Shayla.”

  The girl placed both hands on her chest. “Mmm…” She lowered her head and averted her eyes.

  “She doesn’t like talking to people, huh?” Shayla scratched the back of her head as she looked up at me.

  “Oh she’s just shy. And she doesn’t particularly have a good experience with people.”

  “I see.” She faced the girl again. “Hey, you don’t have to be scared of me. I’m a good person. Are you hungry? We have a lot of food you can pick from. Want me to show you?” She extended her hand.

  Nira took a step back, looking sharply at the hand. And I noticed she gulped.

  “Not… hungry. I’m thirsty,” the girl said in a small voice.

  “We have water.”

  Nira took in a deep breath before looking up at me as if asking for help. Yeah, she sort of had a different meaning for thirst. Best to lessen her contact with normal people while she’s not in a pretty good shape.

  “Um, Shayla. Let me take care of her for now. You’re still a stranger to her.”

  “... I understand.” She nodded.

  I noticed the two Cursed Children approaching us.

  “Oh, here they come.” Taneva chuckled lightly.

  Those two definitely have known since last night. They just couldn’t approach us, since it was dark out. Heneis stared at the kid sharply. Nira took a moment before she realized who they were, and she frantically hid behind me. Which was surprising.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “That girl looks familiar,” Galik said from beside Heneis.

  “Indeed,” Heneis said. “Princess, do you really intend to bring her along with you?”

  “Let’s talk privately on the bridge.”

  I, Nira, Taneva, and the two Cursed Children moved to the bridge where it was only us.

  “You know this girl?” I asked the two.

  “I think I saw her years ago,” Galik said.

  “Me as well,” Heneis added.

  I stepped aside to face the little girl. “Do you know them?”

  She meekly nodded. “I remember him.” She pointed at Heneis. “He speaks to everyone often.” She faced them with pursed lips. “A-Are you b-bringing me back home?”

  Heneis tilted his head in confusion. “You don’t want to go back?”

  Nira vigorously shook her head. “No! I don’t want to…”

  Heneis was particularly surprised to hear her outright stern refusal. “Why? That place is better than here.”

  “I don’t want to see mama and papa! They’ll only hurt me.”

  “Ah,” Heneis and Galik looked at each other for a moment. “They’re reaching their limit, I take it,” the former said.

  “Limit?” I asked.

  “We suffer agony every night, Your Highness. Some just couldn’t handle it and slowly lost control of their wits.”

  “You mean they slowly go insane?”

  Heneis nodded. “Yes. Because of that, some do unpleasant things, even to their own family.”

  “And Nira’s parents abused her because they lost their sanity. And therefore, she ran away,” I said with a nod of understanding. Hearing that, I was quite impressed that these guys managed to stay sane. Even this girl here. It would seem some people were just naturally mentally strong.

  “Nira’s her name? How long have you been away? No one told me about one leaving without notice.”

  “... Um… I don’t know. There have been many days and nights… I, I didn’t count.”

  “... You shouldn’t have left. We can’t just let any of us go stray.”

  Nira held her own hands. “Everyone is scary back home…”

  Heneis let out a tired sigh. “Your Highness, what do you intend to do with her? It will be difficult for us to handle a child. They are more likely to lose control when they thirst.”

  “And you would prefer her to return to her home?”

  “That is the best option.”

  “No. She’s with me now.”

  “With you…?” He was surprised.

  “As I said before, I’ll be bringing her along on my journey.”

  “... Will she be moving with you or with us…?”

  “With me.”

  “I would advise against that. I’m sure you have realized by now that your blood is precious to us, and therefore more attractive in our eyes. This girl will likely attack you in your sleep.”

  “That will be fine because she won’t. She can control herself.”

  “She is but a mere child.”

  “My decision is final. You cannot say anything that will change my mind.”

  His brows furrowed. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but right now she is thirsty. And that already poses a threat to you.”

  “And yet she has done nothing to me yet.”

  “... Why are you so compassionate about the girl?”

  “Why ask that question? Haven’t I always been compassionate?”

  He was struck silent. For indeed, during my time back home, I was compassionate…. Most of the time, anyway. But still a kind princess!

  Heneis nodded mildly. “Very well. It’s your choice. But the moment she goes berserk, we will hurt her as much as needed to make her stop.”

  “Do what you will… I know you doubt her. But, I'll tell you this… Even children have strength within them. They can endure the worst things. Give her a chance.”

  Even children could achieve the wildest things when pushed to the brink. How do you think I survived to the end back in the old world? I endured. Even children had the power to endure. If trained and forced, of course.

  Heneis glanced at Nira before giving a nod. “I understand.”

  With that, they left us alone. Once they were out of sight, Nira let out a relieved sigh. She really didn’t want to come back home, huh? And to think she was that wary of her fellow kind. It made me wonder how hard she had it back at their home. What would even their home look like?

  But there was something that made me curious — or rather, I needed clarity.

  “Taneva.”

  “Hm?”

  “They’re supposed to be immortal, right? We have a cursed kid here. Does this mean she’s stuck being a child?”

  “They don’t have eternal youth like me. They age very slowly. And in the end, as they never die, they turn into something else.”

  “What?”

  “A bag of meat, basically.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “More than a millennium of existence, they grow ‘old’. And they grow so old that their body becomes disfigured, and they get reduced to a literal pile of meat. That is their ultimate destiny.”

  Wow, that was a bit disturbing. “Are they aware while being a bag of meat?”

  “Of course. They’re still technically alive. Just turned into a pretty repulsive form.”

  Holy shit, the goddess was surely ruthless. Compared to that, Taneva got the better immortality.

  “Are some of their kind already like that?”

  “Of course, those that lived while the goddess still walked the earth. Condemned in perpetuating agony.”

  I glanced at Nira. So in like around a thousand years, this girl would end up the same way. Wow. Talk about hellish punishment.

  Nira nodded. “I saw several of them in the cave… The sight, the smell… I couldn’t take it…”

  “I see.”

  They really pissed off the goddess so much. Well, that’s why you should fear a mother’s wrath. I mean, killing a baby would be very cruel. That would really shatter the parents’ hearts. I mean, I already lost my mother, and those who did it… Well, they’d get what was coming for them. And their lands shall be painted red with their blood. Perhaps I indeed understood the goddess’s anger and wrath.