I have been walking through the forest for more than a day. At first, I got lost, but I think I am now heading in the right direction towards the nearest city.

Today the weather is good and the sky is sunny. The breeze, despite being light, keeps the atmosphere fresh. Normally, a day like this would be very hot in this part of the continent, especially in the summer, but apparently my body tolerates the weather much better now and for me, this sun even feels pleasant.

"What a good weather today, right, my bitter Darling?"

[Sigh…]

Well, we are improving, and although I thought I only understood a small sigh as a response, at least you are starting to communicate with me again.

"Well, well, not everything has to be so bad, Gor; we can both have a pleasant life without having to overwhelm each other."

[Sigh…]

Another sigh? You're acquiring very strange habits.

"But how can you even sigh? You don't have a mouth or lungs, and I don't think you even breathe. You're just copying the concept of sighing to try to irritate me."

[Sigh…]

I won't let your nonsense ruin my good mood today.

"I was trapped with you before, is it fair that now you're trapped with me too?"

I say with a smile as I enjoy my walk in the woods, but then I see a couple of humans in the distance between the trees.

They look hurt and in bad shape. One of them is so screwed up that he's even being carried on the back of the other. Looking at him in detail, he's almost dead and doesn't move.

"Do you think we should approach them, Gor?"

[Sigh…]

Fine, I admit it, he's getting to me. I'm starting to get really annoyed with him, but I'm also incredibly lonely and bored, so I'm going to do it anyway. It's not like Gor is smart enough to ask him for advice in the first place.

"What does it matter? If things go wrong, I just have to kill them, it's a very easy way to fix any kind of problem."

I cast all the necessary spells to create my "stealth" compound spell. It seemed to be quite good at hiding my presence. I kept a safe distance as I followed the couple until I saw them stop near a small stream.

I observed the couple, the poor wretch ran desperately to the water and began to drink as if his life depended on it, which I believe is the case. Then he approached his companion and tried to give him a drink.

He won't be able to. It's a very bad idea to try to give liquids to a person who is unconscious. You'll only drown them in the worst-case scenario. The only way to hydrate them would be with serum, but I don't think something like that exists in this world.

I watch with amusement all his useless attempts to give his companion a drink. It's nice to see how he gradually becomes more and more desperate and distressed. It's incredibly enjoyable to see someone suffer. I know that this morbid pleasure is something I have to keep in check or it will affect my life in a very negative way, but let's see just a little bit more before I intervene.

Minutes passed, and as I expected, he was unable to give him a drink, and now he looks completely dejected. He even started punching the ground while crying.

It's not as fun as it used to be. Even deep down, I feel a little bad. It's just a bit of guilt, but it's preventing me from fully enjoying the moment.

It's not worth hiding with so many annoying and stressful spells at the same time, so I dispelled my magic and started to approach slowly, until finally the man realized my presence and immediately went on guard.

A burly young man, who puts his hand on the hilt of his sword, watches me intently and finally plucks up the courage to speak.

"Stop right there! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

He sounds annoyed. His face has dark circles under his eyes, and his lips look dry after days of walking. I know he's trying to look threatening, but to me, he's as threatening as a small puppy barking.

"Hello, young warrior, I am just a lady on her way to the city. Why? Is something wrong?" 

I replied in a casual tone, though of course I maintained my grace. A noble lady such as myself must always uphold her manners, even with the lowest of commoners. However, he seems even more agitated than before. The muscles in his arms are tense, and I believe he could attack me at any moment.

Anyway, if he tries, bad for him. Since I would blow his head off on the spot, I'm not kind enough to forgive such insolence.

"It's incredibly rare to see a woman like you in the middle of the forest, even more so when you're alone, without weapons or equipment of any kind."

He doesn't seem very convinced, and what he says is completely reasonable. A woman, alone in the middle of the forest, which is always full of dangerous monsters, and without any weapons or survival gear. I should have thought more carefully and realized how implausible I look in this place.

Should I just kill them both? I could try again with other humans, I remember seeing more alive ones out there, so it wouldn't be a big problem to eliminate this couple; there would still be enough witnesses to the "monster attack." 

One last try then, well I wish the best of luck to you sad and stinky little thing.

"Oh, I see what you mean, young warrior; do I seem very suspicious to you? Unfortunately, I lost my equipment due to some unfortunate circumstances. Even so, this lady is a fairly competent mage. And as I was told, I am on my way to the city."

This time he seems to calm down a little and slowly takes his hand away from the hilt of his sword. Did he really believe it just like that?

"Excuse my rudeness, we are also on our way to the city. I need to report and attend to my friend, who is seriously injured."

His face turns grim as he looks at the thin man half dead, lying on the ground.

"What could have happened to both of you? Now that I see you in detail, you look very bad. Did a war break out, and I didn't find out?"

I asked, trying to sound as innocent and concerned as possible, using all my presence.

"We are the only ones left of the mercenary company. “Wandering Wardens”, a terribly powerful monster attacked the residence of the lord of these lands, we barely managed to survive."

The boy clenches his fists and frowns, his breathing becomes ragged, and he starts to gasp until he calms down after a moment.

"Oh my, what a terrible event! I can't even imagine the hell you must have gone through to end up in such terrible conditions.”

It is more difficult than I imagined to not sound sarcastic or insincere to these poor unfortunates.

“I'm really sorry, young warrior; it was very insensitive of me to have asked you so lightly. Through my carelessness, I must have made you remember terrible things."

I think I'm talented at acting. He seems moved by my words, although I'm surprised because I was never very good at lying in either of my two previous lives.

"Don't worry, my Lady; it's not your fault. Do you say you are a mage? If you like, you can join us in traveling to the city. This road is dangerous, and I would not want to see you  hurt. Besides, having the help of a mage would greatly increase our chances of survival.”

Yes, in fact, it is my fault, and although it has less emotional impact on me than expected, it still feels unpleasant.

"It would be nice for me to accompany you on the journey to the city. But first, let's introduce ourselves properly.”

I'm bored, and I need to practice controlling my demonic energy in a real-world setting and see how I can handle Gor while surrounded by humans.

“Good day, youth warrior; my name is Victoria Eleanor Nightsun, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

I introduce myself by making a small bow, but without lowering my head, only showing the minimum possible courtesy. Even so, such treatment towards a plebeian seems a bit excessive to me, but the important thing now is to make the best possible impression.

"It is a pleasure for me too, a beautiful Lady. My name is Eadric, and my friend here is called Matze, unfortunately, he is unconscious. I only stopped for a moment to get water and give him a drink."

The guy on the ground looks really bad. Part of his face is burned, and even his clothes seem to have stuck to his skin in some places and smell like rotting meat.

Seeing this poor guy, I just discovered that I like creating fresh corpses, but when they are already rotting, I find them very unpleasant.

"Would it be rude if I asked you why you ended up in the middle of the forest? In my case, I went off the road to see if I could hunt some monsters." 

I asked, trying to change the subject, since seeing that poor guy burn and how he was about to die as a result of my little experiment is annoying and makes me feel uncomfortable.

"We scattered, fearing that thing would come back for us."

His breathing becomes ragged as he covers his face with one hand. I think the experience left him traumatized. If I were in his shoes, I would feel the same... Anyway, they can only blame the gods for their bad luck. 

"Please excuse my insolence, but do you have any potions or healing items? I will pay you triple their value when I get the gold! I can't let my good friend die!” 

What? You don't even know me, and you have the nerve to ask me for something? Would I be capable of something so shameless as that? Depending on the situation, I might do it. He must really appreciate that guy for daring to say that to me. I'll let him get away with it this time.

"I see; unfortunately, I don't have any options with me, and we are still a few days away from the nearest city."

I answered him, hiding my annoyance. I also think this could be a perfect opportunity to try using my new affinity for holy magic. I'm really excited to do this experiment.

"I'm not very proficient in healing magic, but I know some basics. I could try to help your friend, but I can't promise anything."

How should I start? What should I try first? Will I be successful on the first try, or is he just going to die horribly? So many doubts, and only one way to find out!