"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! A little bit gentler, please!" Levin winced unconsciously as Mira, the little priest, was mending the burning scar on his body. "Hey, don't tape it too tight! It will affect my mobility!" He complained a little, just to receive a fierce glare that he didn't know how a little girl like her could muster.
"Oh, be quiet, and let me do my work, Uncle! I know how to do this better than you!" She still didn't take off her hand from the tape she used to wrap the burning scar. "And this is what you get for treating the wound like it is nothing! Honestly, what are you thinking?! You even bring the corpse with us!" She scolded him mercilessly.
Levin could only smile wryly, knowing whatever explanation he had wouldn't be enough to satisfy the little girl. However, this was just a small cost to ensure their safety. He knew that the fire the mage – Gistar III – made was so intense that there was no way that wouldn't attract attention. He didn't know if there were any other players spawned in the same area as them, but he was not in the best shape for another fight, so he decided to fly from the abandoned town and go straight to the small forest in the west.
He also brought the corpse of the mage because… Well, during his time as a soldier, Levin learned that a dead person could still speak a lot, especially about the corpse's last moment in the world. If someone with the right knowledge saw the corpse of the mage, they would be able to deduct his fighting style, the kind of weapon he possessed, and how strong he was as a player. That was not something Levin could afford in this situation.
Also, he still remembered the condition to advance into the next round, which was to get the blood from the other player he killed. With this, he at least ensured one spot in the second round of this ridiculously dangerous game and was one step closer to getting back into his world.
"Okay, sit still! After this, I will be done with my work." The little girl said, snapping Levin from his thought.
Honestly, he was still confused about why would the girl wrap his scar as if it was a normal wound, especially when she knew he got all of this from getting burned by the mage. He knew that this was not the way to treat a burning scar as the tape would only cause further irritation and potentially worsen his condition. However, right after that, he witnessed something incredible.
"Light of dawn, heal this wound with your gentle might, restore strength and ease the pain, bringing forth warmth and hope's embrace."
As she put her hand on the tape wrapping around his skin and started chanting something, a soft, glowing light emerged from her fingertips, bathing the surroundings in a warm glow. Levin watched in awe as the light surrounded his arm. He felt a soothing sensation wash over him, like a cool breeze on a hot day.
'She is not just healing me, but also restoring my vitality.' He murmured in realization. The pain began to fade, and he could feel his strength returning. 'This is incredible!'
"Done!" The little girl finally finished her chanting, patting the tape on his skin a few more times to make sure that everything was back to its original condition. "I just speed up your body's ability to regenerate itself, but in return, you will feel so tired after this. So, make sure you take a rest for a minimum of eight hours, okay? If not, I will be mad!"
Levin snorted amusedly as he saw the girl put her hands on her hips as if she were an older woman scolding her naughty child. "Can I at least take off the tape?" He asked.
"Oh, sure." The little girl waved it off nonchalantly. "The tape is just to prevent my magic from overwhelming your body. After all, if I speed up the regeneration on your body too much, it would harm you more in the long run, which is not something you want to deal with in the future."
Levin nodded quickly, understanding why the tapping was necessary. He started peeling it off, staring in awe at the skin that a few moments ago was full of burning scars but now was as clean as new. Then, he felt something strange and realized the little girl who usually was a chatterbox suddenly went quiet. When he turned around, he could see the girl was looking at him worriedly, biting her lips in dilemma about what she was going to say.
"What's wrong?" Levin asked, not beating around the bus.
"Urgh… Will you leave me alone after this?" Her voice was surprisingly timid, far different compared to when she scolded him a moment ago. Then, after pondering for a moment, Levin widened his eyes, finally realizing what she was hinting about.
"Don't worry." He patted the girl's eyes. "You were a big help during the last fight, so I won't leave you alone."
"Really?!" Her eyes lightened immediately after hearing his affirmation.
"Yes, I promise." A soft, genuine smile formed on his face. "As a soldier, betrayal is a taboo thing, so you don't need to worry about me breaking it."
He knew what she was worried about. With him killing the mage earlier, that meant he was eligible to advance to the next round of the game and only needed to wait until the time ran out. However, things were different for Mira as she had to hunt the other players and kill one of them to follow his steps to the next round. Not to mention the fact that her ability was not suitable for a combat situation, she was just a ten-year-old girl, for fuck's sake! There was no way she would be comfortable with the concept of killing people like this!
Levin didn't know why he was so attached to the little girl and vice versa, but there was no way he would let her wander around in this dangerous world alone. That didn't mean he was underestimating her. Oh, he knew so well that she would be a great asset for any group that would be formed later, but now, she was too vulnerable to be left alone.
"Okay, since we are going to be together for a while, let me introduce myself again. My name is Levin Lagrange, and I am the captain of the Rose Squad of the Republic of South Berona's military army. Nice to meet you." He offered a handshake.
"Oh! I am Mira, a priest trainee on the great Argo Navis ship! Nice to meet you, Uncle Levin!" She grinned, accepting the handshake.
That was the beginning of the beautiful partnership that would shake the entire multiverse in the future.