Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 468: Strange girl

"Me?"

With a cute and innocent expression, the young girl pointed at herself using a finger smeared with dirt.

Kaden offered no reply. His mind was too occupied pondering the possible significance of all this.

A peculiar quietness expanded between the pair, the sort that arises when unfamiliar people find themselves together at an untimely moment.

From his gaze, his intense stare, and his posture, it was clear Kaden longed to be anywhere other than this odd village. The girl noticed it well.

However, she showed maturity by not pointing it out, shifting her focus to the meal she held instead.

Still, her impatience won out, compelling her to shatter the quiet first.

"This... this is for you." She murmured softly, her earlier thrill at encountering a stranger now faded.

How many days had she fantasized about this moment? The chance to witness something new, someone new, and glimpse an entirely different world via a visitor's perspective.

No outsider had ever entered the Malan village. Her mother recounted how two strangers arrived long ago, ushering in a transformation that shaped their current lives.

Yet she struggled to accept tales she hadn't witnessed personally.

Shaking her head with a touch of longing, she approached Kaden cautiously while he remained seated on the ground. Her gaze noted the shattered vase, but she wisely stayed silent about it.

Stopping a few meters distant, she placed the bowl down gently with a soft clink and stepped back a little.

Curiosity surging despite himself, Kaden glanced unwillingly into the bowl—and almost retched, even with his empty stomach.

"What in the hell is this?" He burst out, voice heavy with revulsion.

"Oh!" The girl cried out, her eyes sparkling as any intense response from Kaden thrilled her, even one of horror.

Bursting with vigor, she explained rapidly, one hand gesturing at the dish and the other at herself in clear pride.

"It’s a bowl of mashed insects gathered near our Malan tribe, blended with water." She chuckled. "It contains the most delicious and elusive ones, such as the four-colored one-eyed ant and the princess ladybug!"

Flashing a broad, toothy smile, she added, "And I gathered them all myself! Please try it and share your thoughts!"

Unable to hold back any longer, she rushed to the bowl, snatched it up with startling agility from the floor, and shoved it straight into Kaden’s grasp.

"I have the finest cooking abilities in the Malan Tribe." She proclaimed with pride. "So don’t worry."

‘Don’t worry my bloody ass.’ Kaden nearly yelled, eyeing the repulsive concoction offered as a meal.

The sight nearly turned his head and made his throat convulse. Jaw tight, he forced down the nausea, reluctant to wound the girl’s enthusiasm.

‘Perhaps she needs a new hobby.’

With a slight shake of his head, he said, "Not now." His voice masked disgust beneath weariness. "I’ll eat later."

"But you’re injured!" She insisted, her ruby eyes flickering with mild letdown. "You must eat to recover."

"For now," Kaden responded, softly returning the bowl, "water will help me more. And, young one, I need a favor from you too."

Those final words transformed her face instantly, from downcast to radiant. "A favor? From me?"

She found it unbelievable. No one ever sought her help.

They always shoved her away. Even today, she had pleaded extensively just for permission to meet the stranger.

"Yes! Tell me, tell me!" She bobbed her head eagerly, her pale hair whipping about with her enthusiastic motions.

Kaden felt lightheaded from her shrill tone and fidgety actions. Suppressing his annoyance, he continued.

"I just want you to show me around the village." He stated, struggling to rise from the floor. "I must warn you, though—I’m badly hurt. My speed will be sluggish."

Finally upright on shaky legs amid evident pain, he managed a faint smile at the girl.

"I appreciate your patience."

‘Oh! He thanked me!’ The girl marveled inwardly, eyes widening as a warm glow filled her heart.

Her grin broadened. "I’ll match your speed!" She affirmed resolutely. "And I’ll assist you. Don’t underestimate me—I’m super strong!"

She posed by flexing her non-existent muscles. Kaden regarded her with a blank look.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she asked, "But are you certain you don’t want to eat?"

"Very sure."

"Will you eat it when we return?"

"Let’s leave future matters for the future."

"Oh! Is that a quote?" She gave him a cheeky glance. "Ohoho, Traveller, I know one from my father, passed down from The Wise Stranger! Want to hear it?"

The pair progressed slowly from the room. The girl matched Kaden’s rhythm, supporting him with light, firm holds.

"My ears are open." Kaden replied, silently thankful for the aid yet feeling oddly detached from it.

The girl’s voice drew his focus once more.

Kaden’s foot paused instinctively at those words, his solitary heart trembling, right as they exited the incomplete dwelling.

He looked at the beaming girl aiding him.

"My father loved that one! He claimed it surpassed all the Wise Stranger’s sayings on Honour!"

"It’s... it’s interesting." Kaden murmured, an odd emotion stirring within. He dismissed deeper thoughts amid his bodily agony.

‘I must reconstruct my Heart of Fire. Without delay.’

His eyes scanned the area, bypassing the bizarre structures and peculiar inhabitants, until his gaze—veiled in concealed sorrow—fixed on the most extraordinary feature.

Towering and colossal, forged from dark stone erupting from the soil and piercing threateningly skyward.

It resembled a dark lance driven upward from below, crudely fractured at its peak, like some rebellious beast had bitten it midway.

That oddity carried a haunting allure that disturbed him, quickening his blood’s feverish flow at the mere view.

Instinctively, he staggered a step toward the Tower, seized by an urgent, painful urge to step inside.

Yet he advanced no more. Something restrained him.

Frowning, he turned his head and spotted the girl’s grip clamped firmly on his left arm, halting him dead.

Her strength surprised him, noted with wariness.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, then added, "and what’s your name, anyway?"

The girl met his eyes before gradually facing the incomplete Tower. She paused for several breaths, then spoke gravely.

"Pandora." She stated. "My name is Pandora. And I neglected to tell you something crucial, Wounded Traveller."

Her crimson eyes fixed on his starry ones.

"Rule number one in the Malan Village."

She lifted a finger.

"Never touch the Tower."

—End of Chapter 468—