บท 18: 18: The Girl

When the realization came kicking in that a little girl was trapped inside a small cage, Defolta wasted no time and destroyed the lock with the pommel of her dagger, unlocking the door in an instant.

The girl was retrieved from her cage without any effort and Defolta instantly brought her close with a comforting embrace.

"You're okay, you're okay, thank goodness you're alive." Defolta soothed the girl with reassuring words while caressing her head, "We're here to save you."

As a result of her heroic action, a notification from the System popped out that told her:

"Your guilt has been subsided and your failures absolved. The Mind is soothed, and the Spirit is healed. +5 Mind Restored."

This was literally the first time around that Defolta managed to save a person's life. When she came into this world, her first witness of human death was the group of soldiers with a young girl violated by the bandits before her eventual demise. As a result, her path to vengeance began as she wreaked havoc and blood among the culprits with righteous violence. She had no issue whatsoever when dealing with the bandits as she stealthily maneuvered around their camp and murdered them unseen. Then came the confrontation between a Witch for the first time as Defolta felt what it meant to be subjected to the mercy of magic. With quick wits and action, Defolta managed to overcome her adversary and Matilda was slain brutally because of hubris.

Soon after, the conundrum of morality was thrown to her. She was given no choice but to euthanize the children and their caretaker Conrad so their many days of suffering could finally come to an end.

One could only imagine how rejuvenated Defolta now felt in both spirit and mind, and she was in joyful tears that she finally managed to at least save someone after the horrifying series of ordeals that was brought down upon her.

"Let's get out of here." Defolta said to the girl with a genuine smile, "The bad people are no more, and you are safe now."

Strangely however, the girl displayed no signs of emotion and was stoic as a rock. Not even a drop of a tear was shed from her eyes despite the many horrors that she most likely has endured or witnessed. Her expression was hard to read, which has now become a concern for both Defolta and Nekowa.

None of that mattered for now. No child deserved this kind of inhumane treatment and the girl needed to be taken away from this horrifying place right here and now.

The girl complied and held Defolta's hand for guidance as her curious eyes, uncanny as they were, kept glancing between both cat and Magical Girl.

Before leaving the room, Defolta, just like the previous times, uttered a silent prayer in respect as she wept for the departed.

***

The torment of dungeon delving arrived at its conclusion and the duo turned trio now found themselves back inside Matilda's tent. The very first thing that came into Defolta's mind upon their arrival was to hit the sack as she immediately lay down on the bed.

"Ah!! I'm so fucking exhausted!!" Defolta sighed quite a deep breath as she savored the soft mattress of her nemesis' bed.

"Language, Defolta!!" Nekowa instantly berated the Magical Girl on the spot, "We have a literal child right here! I don't want her picking up some of your bad habits!!"

"Right, sorry!" Defolta chuckled embarrassingly. Her eyes then softened as she turned her attention to the girl, "So, kid, uh… how are you feeling? Are you feeling, okay?"

In response, the little girl just looked at Defolta blankly, with no words whatsoever coming from her mouth. Her right-hand grasp timidly on her left arm, and her body tilted a little bit away as if she was uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"Obviously, she's not okay." Nekowa felt nothing but sympathy towards the child, "I mean, who would be, after going all through that."

"Yeah, you're right." Defolta answered with a sad tone, "I just asked her out of personal concern, that's all."

Defolta then got up and sat down as she gave a welcoming smile, "So… got a name, kid? My name's De… Liam, and this flying cat right there is Nekowa."

"Hello!" Nekowa waved her right paw enthusiastically.

When the two expected a concrete response from the girl, all they got was the suffocating air of silence. The girl simply looked at them with the same blank expression as always.

"Uhm… nice to meet you too?" Nekowa could only say as she was flabbergasted by how indifferent this child was.

"Hmm, she's not in the mood for talk, I reckon." Defolta concluded with her arms crossed, "That, or she's a mute."

"A mute, huh." Nekowa looked at the child, "Can you speak words, little girl?"

This time, the girl opened her mouth, but the voice of silence was all that lingered from it. In the end, she opted to shake her head in disagreement.

"A pity." Defolta shared her sorrow, "So she really can't speak. That bastard Matilda, what did she do to her?!"

As soon as the Witch's name was sounded, the girl reacted rather poorly and fell to the floor with her two legs tucked in a fearful manner, just like how she was previously back in her little cramp cage. Her whole body shook frighteningly, and tears of despair started to fall from her violet eyes.

"Crap!" Defolta cursed herself. She then rushed to the girl's aid and immediately enveloped her into a hug once again, "Look, kid, the evil bad witch is now dead and won't hurt you or anyone ever again, I swear to whatever gods who are above. No longer shall you experience pain, not under our watch, this we promise to you."

The girl looked at Defolta directly in response as if her eyes were asking for assurance. Defolta returned the girl's once unsure gaze with a grin of her own, a symbol of her determination to uphold the promise. While the girl never lifted a smile, her expression nonetheless exhibited calm, which was a far cry from the rattled expression that she displayed initially.

Mission accomplished and the girl finally settled down. The two girls continued in their shared embrace as Nekowa shed a tear and was touched by the heartwarming display.

"A happy ending, at long last." Nekowa wiped the tear from her left eye, "I'm glad that at least, it all ended in a delighted note."

Indeed, for the first time after quite so long, the girl experience the taste of freedom and what it meant to be in the feeling of loving warmth from another of her fellow humankind, a right that had been deprived ever since she was held captive and isolated from the vast open world.