That Time I Got Reincarnated Into A Goblin Girl Chapter 12

Sniff! Sniff!

I woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly made breakfast. I couldn’t see it, but the smell was amazing. I couldn’t stop myself from drooling, imagining what it could taste like. Unfortunately, I was still just a baby and without any proper teeth, such foods were beyond me. Instead, I was met with the lovely, and I’m using that term loosely, the taste of goat milk.

“Such a big eater you, aren’t you?” Sara said to me, holding the bottle of goat milk up for me so I could feed it. The taste was okay, but it wasn’t what I was used to.

“This is so good!” Sola yelled out. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her gobbling down as much food as possible.

“It’s gr-great,” Tully said in agreement with her.

“Now girls don’t eat too fast, or you’ll give yourselves stomach aches,” Sara said, scolding them.

“Okay!” they said in agreement, but it didn’t look like Sola was going to slow down anytime soon.

“Ugh, how on earth did I ever get stuck taking care of three small children,” Sara whined, though she didn’t sound that upset.

“That's because you have three younger siblings of your own,” The commander said to her sitting done at his desk. “Besides I don’t that any of these girls would be comfortable hanging around the men outside. It’s lucky that we have you.”

“Uncle you only say that when you need something from me,” Sara said, talking like they have had a similar conversation before.  “I’m already taking care of these three, I don’t think I can do anything else.”

“What I need is your advice,” the commander said back to her.

“Uncle if it’s about what you found out last night it might just be a coincidence. They say that there are at least three people that look like you in the world. She could have been just another look alike.”

“I know, you might be right, but the pendant, it was hers. I gave it to her when she turned ten and she was wearing it the day that she was taken away. You can’t tell me that this isn’t some cruel twist of fate.”

“Uncle if you really wish to be certain the church could help,” Sara said, cradling me as she walked towards the commander. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that they were talking about my mother. That pendant was my mother's not yours. I wouldn’t let you take it from me.

“You know all too well that I don’t see eye to eye with  ever since the day she disappeared,” he said to her. “They called her a heretic. There is no way that I could just go back there as if nothing had happened and demand such a request from them.”

“And what do you think would happen if it’s true? The church does not react well to those they deem as heretics. I would be risking your life as well.”

“Uncle, you can’t give up on this,” Sara said to him. “You have spent over twenty years searching for her. You can’t give up here. There has to be some way that you can get the answers you need.”

“Then there is only one person that I can go to if not the church and he comes with a price, one that I may not be able to pay, but you’re right, I need to do this?”

“Need to do what?” Sola asked, appearing at his side.

“I need to figure out what you girls would like for dessert,” the commander said, picking Sola up and placing her on his lap.  If I didn’t know better, I would say that he looked like a kind loving grandfather.

“De-desert?” Tully asked, not understanding what a desert was since there was no such thing in the goblin village.

“That’s right, in fact, Sara has some in her tent, your three can go together while Illya is laid down for a nap,” the commander said, his voice becoming tense all of a sudden.

“Uncle are you sure you’ll be alright alone with her?” Sara asked, before handing me over to him.

“I’ll be fine now you three go run off and have some fun.”

“Alright, if you insist,” she said before leaving with Sola and Tully.

Seconds after she left an uncomfortable feeling that all knew all too well filled the room. It was the same feeling that came from the necklace that I was wearing.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here,” the witch from the forest, Lilith Haze, said, before entering the tent to my surprise, the commander didn’t even seem to flinch. It was as if he knew she was coming.

“Kayden, it’s been far too long, how long has it been, thirty years?” Lilith asked, sounding as if she was messing with him.

“It’s been thirty-eight years and you know that,” the commander said back to her. “What do you want hag?”

“Hag? At least I can say that I look better than you. Gray hair, and wrinkles, are clear signs of you getting older are they not? Me on the other hand I don’t look a day over twenty-five~.”

“Says the witch that uses magic to make younger men fall for her charms,” the commander said back to her.

“Oh, you're just jealous of my youthful figure. Besides, age is just a number for witches~,” Lilith said teasing him.

“Why are you here?” the commander asked, getting straight to the point. “Why after all these years have you decided to show your face in front of me?”

“I’m just here to check up on an investment of mine since you were the one that decided to show up here~,” she said, looking straight at me with a slight smile.

“What would a witch like you ever need to invest in?” he asked, holding me tighter. I could feel the anger in his voice.

“There are many, many things that I could find that are worth investing in, but I have recently come across something that intrigues me most so~,” she said, not revealing the exact reason why she was here to him.

“Explain why you’re here or leave. I don’t have the time to waste with you,” he said, not willing to put up with her.

“How unfortunate, and here I thought that we could talk about the old days,” Lilith said, sounding as if they had a close relationship before. “Well, if you really want to know I could tell you, but there is a price~.”

“Leave now, before I summon my knights to take your head. This is the only warning I will give to you,” he said, reminding, me why I could never trust him.

“Fine just let me say goodbye to this little one before I go,” she said walking towards me without permission. Before he could do anything, she lightly kissed me on the forehead.

“Well little one, it would seem that I couldn’t have the conversation that I wanted to~,” she said, her voice echoing inside of my mind. “It is a shame, but we have to part here. I know that I said that we would meet again once you were bigger, but I never could have dreamed that he would show up.”

“What are you talking about?” I said back to her from inside my mind.

“Nothing that you need to know of for now,” she said back to me. “All you need to do to survive is trust him. Trust him and you will live a long enjoyable life.”

“He had my mother killed and he killed my uncle! I don’t care how kind he is to us, I won’t forgive him!” I yelled at her. He had to pay for what he did! No amount of kindness from him will change what he’s done!

“Hmm, your body seems to realize it, but your mind does not, how interesting,” she said in a confusing manner. “You may not forgive him for now, but did you even think that he would forgive himself? Time can heal most wounds, but the loss of family can only be repaired by family. In time you will understand what that means.”

SMACK!

The commandeer smacked her hand as she pulled away from me, ending our conversation. I had no idea what she was talking about and I didn’t care. I would never forgive him.

Lilith left just as fast as she arrived, leaving no trace of her presence. She knew much more than I could imagine, and her presence itself frightened me. Hopefully, she wouldn’t return for a while.

“I’m sorry about that,” the commander said opening his drawer to reveal my mother’s pendant, before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping my forehead off. Before he closed the drawer I tried to grab to pendant, but my arms couldn’t reach it. Luckily for me this time he noticed what I was trying to do.

“Hmm? Do you recognize this?” he asked me, holding the pendant just inches away from my grasp.”

“Nghhh!” I growled, frustrated that I couldn’t do anything, but beg for what was mine.

“I’m sorry, but I need to hold onto this for now, besides you already have a lovely necklace around your neck,” he said reminding me of the necklace that Lilith gave me to help prolong my life, due to my lack of mana.

“I’m just going to need this for a little while longer, but once everything is settled, I promise that I will return it to you,” he said, laying me down on his bed, expecting me to fall asleep, but I had just woken up and there was nothing that he could do to…how!?

All of a sudden he started to hum, the same song that my mother sang to me to put me to sleep. Without even realizing it, I felt myself being drawn further and further into sleep by this familiar melody.