NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 13: The Vagrant
The bandits froze, then laughed.
"What can you do, little brat?" One swaggered toward Leo.
"I said stop."
Leo unsheathed the sword from his back. The massive blade obscured his face, leaving only his eyes visible , glaring straight at the bandit.
"What in the world?!" The bandit stumbled back. How could he even lift that?!
Leo swung his large sword
A hurricane-force wind blasted the bandits off their feet.
"Well, that's totally normal..." Alice tilted her head. "...NOT!"
"My necklace!!" The girl's scream tore through the air.
"Leo! Leo! One bandit stole her necklace he's getting away!" Alice yanked desperately at Leo's sleeve.Leo charged at full speed after the necklace thief.
"He's fast..." Leo panted, sword dragging. "This bandit's too quick this blade slows me. Should throw—"
A scent of burning flesh hit his nostrils.
"What's that? Smells like charred skin?"
When Leo finally caught the thief, Alice stood over him—the man writhing on the ground.
"MY HAND!!!"** The thief blew frantically on his seared palm.
"How'd you get here?!"
"Leo! His hand just... burned!" Alice's voice trembled.
"Show me." Leo reached for the hand
but the thief scrambled up and hurled the necklace.
"DON'T TOUCH IT, LEO! IT'S CURSED!"
Leo caught it mid-air. Nothing happened.
"...Weird."
"Alice, how did you get here?!" Leo's fist tightened around the necklace.
"Eh... I was... running too... heheh... see?"_ Alice puffed exaggeratedly.
"You're too energetic, aren't you?" Leo sighed. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead; he wiped it away.
He examined the golden necklace heart-shaped and delicate.
Leo walked back to the street girl.
"So they fled huh!! Cowards!!" Alice laughed, tightening her grip as she mocked the fleeing bandits.
"DON'T COME BACK AGAIN!" she yelled after them.
Leo knelt beside the girl.
"Nice necklace. Here." He handed it to her.
She lay flat, staring at the sunset.
"T-Thanks... Leo..."
"How do you know my name?! Did we meet somewhere?" Leo's eyes widened.
"You're famous, Mister Hero! Don't you know that?" Alice closed her eyes, like it was obvious.
"OH WAIT!"_ Her eyebrows shot up. "THIS IS LIN!!! FINALLY!!!"
"Oh, excuse me... I'm not Lin, I..."
The street girl fell silent, fingers tightening around her wounds.
Leo gently held her hands. _"Don't push yourself."
" More importantly—you look exhausted. Come with us. We have food."
"Yeah! That food... you didn't even help me get it!" Alice poked Leo's leg playfully.
Suddenly, Leo froze.
Something hit his nostrils. He leaned closer to the girl, sniffing.
"What's that?!" Leo clapped a hand over his mouth. Bile rose in his throat.
"Leo! Leo! Are you okay?!" Alice grabbed his arms.
"I... I think so..."
That smell... terrible... the opposite of Alice's scent..
"IS IT THE NECKLACE!? LEO, THROW IT NOW!!" Alice screamed.
"No. I don't think so." Leo stood and began walking quietly
"You can go with us!!" Alice called to the girl.
"Don't mind him, he's always like this." Alice's hand covered her mouth in a teasing nod.
"So what's your name?!" Alice stared at the girl.
"..." The girl tightened her hood.
"Come on! Don't be shyyyy!" Alice poked the girl's shoulder.
"I'm... a traveler..."_
"I travel across kingdoms..." Her fingers whitened on her crimson cloak.
"Why?" Alice's tone softened to friendly curiosity.
"I work for a living. Sometimes I find work... sometimes I get kicked out of houses."
"Oh, I see." Alice smiled brightly, as if she hadn't paid attention to what the girl said at all.
"OH! We reached our secre—_
"WAIT LEO DON'T GO BEFORE ME!"
She bolted after him. Her boots kicked up dust as she tackled his arm
When Leo, Alice, and the street girl reached the resting place
"Leo! Leo! About that snake-man—I didn't finish the stor-"
"...Leo?"
He'd already collapsed face-first into the grass.
"Oh right... he's exhausted from the fights,"_ Alice sighed.
"WE SLEEP TOO! GOODNIGHT, WITCH GIRL!" She burrowed into the grass like a rabbit.
"OH! BEFORE I FORGET—" Her head popped up.
"EAT THESE!"** She thrust a handful of blueberries at the girl.
The girl stared at the offering.
"DON'T WORRY! NOT TOXIC!"
"T...thank you..."_ A faint smile touched the girl's lips.
After a while They drifted into sleep three exhausted figures under the fallen night
Early in the morning, the sun hadn't risen yet. Leo woke up before the others to swim in the river. After the chaos of the tournament, his clothes were removed to clean them too.
"Ah, snakes... snakes..." Alice was mumbling in her sleep, and the girl was already awake. Alice's mumbles woke her up, and she noticed Leo from a distance; the fog covered him. She approached him, noticing his chest.
"That's terrible," she whispered. Leo turned, but she sneaked away to the trees.
The girl waited until Leo finished swimming. She returned to Alice, who was fidgeting with her fingers.
When Leo returned, he was drying his hair with his shirt; small dewdrops fell from his hair.
"E-Excuse me..... Leo..." she muttered fearfully.
"How is it going? If you're looking to swim, the river is all yours," a sigh came from Leo.
"...You seem like you need a good wash after all." Leo's face was covered by his shirt.
"I wanted to confess something important to you." The street girl avoided facing Leo, her cheeks turning red as she clutched her chest.
"What is it?" Leo removed the shirt and wore it.
"SHE LOVES YOU!!" Alice yelled from the other side.
They were abruptly interrupted and immediately turned to her in surprise.
"That girl's energetic even in her dreams.. she scared me up," Leo said, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Ugh? Can you just talk?" he sighed.
"Leo... Didn't you realize how I know your name?" She was clutching her hands, her eyes looking away.
"No , does it matter anyways?" Leo said, his tone careless.
"You may have watched me in the tournament. You seem to be a traveler."
"Ah, that stupid herald with his loose tongue," another sigh came from Leo.
"Okay, here goes." The girl finally looked into Leo's eyes.
She removed her cloak's hood.
"That short orange hair!" Leo's eyes widened.
"Do you remember me now?" The girl turned away.
My name is Princess Emma ... well, not a princess anymore
.. King Richard's daughter.