Chapter 227: The Dream Land's Challenge 3

-----

Apparently, her name was Belle. The Fox Venerables name was very simple, it surprised me. I really thought she came from a royal family or something, but despite being a reincarnated person, she had very bad luck.

Her entire family was killed in a human raid, they just came and exterminated her village as if this peaceful fox-kin were a nuisance to them. Perhaps they enslaved some of them as well.

Well, they were not worst than ice giants, I suppose all races in this world are rotten in some way or another, not just humans.

There are always people that just want to take advantage of the weak, suppress them completely, and use them for their own goals or to merely pleasure themselves.

I am all down for punishing and slaughtering bastards mercilessly, but I am not into torturing or killing people that honestly don't deserve such fate.

<The dream essence fluctuations seem to have created an invisible path, through the use of the Dream Magic Spell [Dream Guidance] you might be able to see it. Perhaps by following this path, you can find what to do.>

Dream Guidance…

By willing it, I used the magic of bell, suddenly, a flash of pink light emerged before my eyes, a faint trail of pink-colored smoke led me directly into the village.

So I have to get there.

I slowly walked to not be noticed by many. It was quite early in the morning, not many people were walking around. I reached the village and suddenly hurriedly hid behind a house, something was coming.

A carriage carrying people inside. There were not only humans in there but also demi-humans, beast-kin were visible, even elves, dwarves, and rare ice elves.

Are you kidding me? More slaves? Is this world fascinated with slavery so much?

Belle gritted her teeth in anger, looking at the people.

"Damned humans! You're all monsters!" she thought, her sharp fangs showing up.

Suddenly, the door of the house where she was hiding behind opened, and a young kid came outside.

"Huh?"

Shit!

I tried to run away, but I couldn't, this was a fixed event, it seems.

Belle was startled, she fell over her butt clumsily.

"A-Are you okay?"

The boy, however, instead of screaming that a wild fox-kin had come to the village, rushed to her aid and extended his hand towards her.

"Ah! Grrr…!"

However, Belle had become very wild and feral as she survived wild, she slapped away the hand of the boy and groaned at him.

"Eh? C-Calm down… I was just trying to help you… Who are you?" asked the boy, walking away a bit.

Belle squinted her eyes as she looked at the boy. He looked like a simple human boy, short brown hair, aquamarine eyes, white skin, slim body, of around 10 years.

The boy suddenly went to look for something, bringing back a loaf of bread and dried meat.

"Are you hungry?"

"…"

Belle looked at the food. She had not eaten much in a few days, only acorn or roots, horned rabbits had become rare around these areas due to humans overhunting them into almost extinction around here.

Belle swallowed saliva, her eyes locked into the food.

The boy extended her hands gently, smiling at her.

Belle grabbed the things and began to eat them wildly.

"Grargg… Nam… Gulp… Ungh…! Cough, cough!"

She was eating so fast she ended choking herself.

"Ah! You have to eat more carefully!"

The boy gave her a glass of water which she drank.

Belle looked at him shyly.

"Thank… you…"

"So you can talk!"

"I have to go…"

Belle stood up after eating and decided to go back to the forest, staying here was too dangerous.

However.

"Wait, please, you can stay here."

Belle looked at the boy worriedly, he seemed gentle.

"It must be cold outside."

Belle ended entering the boy's house, and she was given proper clothes.

The boy apparently was alone.

After talking with the boy, where she barely spoke anything, she ended falling asleep out of exhaustion.

.

.

.

I knew it.

She was too naïve.

I woke up inside a cage, being carried inside a carriage, there were several other people in cages at her side. Some were outside of cages, but they had strange collars.

These were enslavement collars.

"Eh? What? Where am I?"

They tricked her. I can't believe it, a 10-year-old boy was such a bastard?

He ended selling her off for money.

I remember that while she slept, he had said that he needed the money for his family…

I don't really know what to think.

Belle was quick to understand, she realized the truth, and… began to cry.

"Sniff… Hahh… Sniff…"

The first human she trusted ended betraying her.

I suddenly gained control once more of her as she cried sorrowfully.

I glanced around my surroundings.

System, what now?

<You must escape, this is the task, I would assume. The fluctuations of the dream are changing constantly, this is a quick event, if you don't manage to escape, something bad will happen!>

Shit!

How can I escape? I am still just a little girl? And this… wait, I don't have a collar yet! Is this why I am inside a cage? Then I can escape somehow and not be found…

The people around me looked moribund, all depressed.

I wish I could help them… but this is a dream, I cannot.

BOOOMMM!

Suddenly, something happened, a loud shattering blow reached the front of the carriage, the ground trembled.

"GGRUUUUUOOOORRR!"

"Ogres!"

"And that's… a Mountain Giant?!"

"Shit! Run!"

BOOM!

The carriage was suddenly assaulted by wild Orcs and Mountain Giants, this is bad. I see why I must escape right away, or I will end inside the belly of these monsters!

The Mountain's Giant's footsteps were slow but generated loud tremors that made everything tremble, it was terrifying.

Come on…

Ah!

A spirit in the shape of a knife, of the earth element- No, wait, that won't do, what can cut steel more easily? Nothing! It is metal after all…

Wait, I have an idea.

-----