Chapter 29: Naomi’s Life

The two returned to the landing craft and entrusted the retrieval of the logs to a drone before returning to the base camp.

“I’m going to take a shower and make my hair crispy,” Rudy rubbed his blood-stained hair which was not his blood but the blood of Gadenalt, and the dried blood flakes fell onto the floor.

“A shower?” Naomi tilted her head in confusion, and Rudy was taken aback.

“…What!?”

Surprised by Naomi’s reaction to the word “shower,” Rudy swallowed and asked a hesitant question.

“Um… do you wash your body?”

“Well, of course! It’s normal to wipe down once a week during this season,” Naomi replied angrily, her face turning red.

“Washing once a week is considered normal… That’s a cultural shock.”

“Once a week is considered normal…? That’s a culture shock,” Rudy muttered, his face contorted in disbelief. Without a word, he grabbed Naomi’s sleeve and led her into the bathroom.

“Isn’t this the laundry area?” Naomi asked.

“I don’t need your jokes anymore.”

Rudy retorted and explained how to use the shower.

“It’s just cleaning your body, nothing more!”

“After I’m done try taking a shower.” 

Surprised, Naomi let out a sigh, and Rudy guided her out of the shower room to wash himself.

After Rudy, Naomi, who was using the shower for the first time, returned to the living room looking a bit wobbly.

“So, how was it, Naomi?”

“The hot water felt amazing.”

Naomi murmured with unfocused eyes.

“This is the second time we’re having this conversation,” Rudy muttered in exasperation, and Naomi regained her senses and confronted him.

“Rudy, what was that? What was that? Hot water flows from the end of the hose. And look!”

Naomi ran her hand through her bright red curly hair without encountering any tangles, effortlessly combing through it.

“There’s this thing called shampoo and conditioner that you told me to use. When I used them, my hair became silky smooth—it’s amazing! And the body wash is incredible too; it washed away all the dirt from my body!”

Naomi excitedly spoke, although her vocabulary was lacking, proudly showcasing her hair to Rudy who stared at it intently.

“Um… your hair is still wet, and if you look closely, you have split ends.”

“Well… yeah. I haven’t cut it for a while.”

“By the way, how did you cut your hair before… hairdressing? No, haircutting?”

“When it bothered me, I would cut it with a knife.”

“Master, it’s sad that you’re a wild child. Right now, take that chair and go outside.”

“Calling me a wild child is rude.”

While saying so, Naomi obediently followed Rudy’s instructions and went outside, taking a seat on the chair.

Then, following Rudy’s command, a drone appeared, and it cut the ends of her hair with scissors and comb, reducing the volume with thinning shears.

“How does it look, Master?”

“Ah, it feels great.”

Rudy came outside and asked Naomi.

As Naomi had her hair dried by the drone with a hairdryer, she closed her eyes in contentment and replied.

————–

I wonder when was the last time I felt this happy…

As Naomi had her hair dried by a drone, she reminisced about her past.

Half of her face was burned and she suffered lifelong scars all over her body when she was attacked by enemy soldiers.

A nearby farmer was the one who saved her when she was on the verge of death, and after narrowly escaping, she became an adventurer under a false name.

From then on, fueled by anger within her heart, she sought vengeance for her beloved parents and fiancé. As she continued to kill many people, she found herself being called the Witch of the Abyss and became a wanted fugitive.

Things couldn’t get any worse than that.

She was constantly targeted and had to defend herself, often killing those who came after her. Each time, her notorious reputation grew, and so did the bounty on her head.

Her scarred face became a source of fear for others, and before she knew it, she had no place to call her own.

Both her mind and body were exhausted, so she hid herself in a deserted forest.

Life in the forest was harsh. The house she built was riddled with holes, and during winter, she used magic to regulate her body temperature since cold winds seeped in.

The surroundings were filled with ferocious monsters. After eliminating a certain number of them, she erected barriers to keep them away.

She relied on a nearby village, where she had helped as an adventurer, to buy food. However, recently the lord had changed, and taxes had increased, leading to a shortage of extra food. As a result, the amount she could purchase had diminished.

Her revenge was far from over.

Roland Kingdom. Until I bring down the country that took away my life, my revenge will not be complete…

“You’re making a scary face, were you reminiscing about your dark past?”

It seemed that my thoughts were written all over my face, as Rudy, who was worried, spoke up.

“What is this ‘dark past’ you’re talking about?”

“Your embarrassing memories.”

“I have nothing to be ashamed of in my life.”

Naomi said that with a smile as she looked at Rudy.

My life has been changing since I met Rudy.

He, the extraterrestrial, saved my life and healed the scars on my face and body. He taught me all sorts of things, I became his mentor, and he even used strange tools to improve my living conditions for some reason.

It hasn’t even been a week since we met, but everything is progressing rapidly, and I feel dizzy from it all. However, it’s not a bad thing.

I don’t know how long this life will continue, but being with Rudy is enjoyable.

One of my father’s subordinates, who had been a soldier, has infiltrated Roland Kingdom and gathered information. It seems that the country is showing signs of rebellion due to its oppressive rule and heavy taxation.

If a rebellion were to occur, that would be the time for me to complete my revenge, even if it means giving up my life.

However, I have no intention of dragging Rudy, my savior, into my revenge.

After I’m gone, I want Rudy to live freely.

If the magic I teach him proves useful in his future life, that alone would make me happy.