Chapter 7 Moving Out
Since there was only one straw bed in the cave, it was inevitable that Gladys would sleep while holding Erika.
Erika had assumed that, having transmigrated into such a strange world, her first night would be plagued with nightmares—terrifying ones at that.
But she was wrong.
In Gladys’s arms, she slept soundly. The warmth on her back melted all her tension away.
And though the straw bed offered no protection against the cold, she surprisingly felt no chill at all—because Gladys had shielded her.
…
…
The next day.
Morning sunlight pierced the darkness of night and reached the earth, bringing life back to Ivory Mountain.
In the cave atop the peak—
Erika remained curled up in Gladys’s arms. Even as sunlight began to spill into the cave, she didn’t stir from her sleep.
Her eyes were gently shut, lips slightly parted, a trail of drool hanging at the corner of her mouth, and light snores came from her dainty little nose.
“Erika?”
Gladys, already awake, gently called out.
But there was no response.
Left with no choice, Gladys softly shook Erika’s delicate shoulder.
Unexpectedly, after just a brief shake, Erika’s arms began to flail, her tiny tail twitching beneath her clothes. She mumbled sleepily—
“Five… more minutes…”
She hadn’t even opened her eyes.
Gladys raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you the one who suggested moving?”
“Later… just a little longer…”
“It's morning. There are fewer people now. I can carry you there by air instead of walking the mountain path. Time to get up.”
She gave Erika’s shoulder another shake—this time with a bit more force.
“You’re so annoying—!”
Still deep in sleep, Erika didn’t think at all. She hastily pulled the oversized dress over her head, covering her face entirely.
“Get up.”
“I’m not getting up!”
Gladys sighed and shook her head helplessly. Not wanting to be forceful, she could only sit patiently by Erika’s side and wait.
Eventually, as sunlight poured deeper into the cave and it neared noon…
Blinking groggily, Erika slowly opened her eyes to see Gladys staring straight at her.
“Ah…”
She let out a small noise, finally awake. Realizing something, she quickly sat up and wiped the drool from her mouth with the back of her hand, her red eyes looking sheepish.
“Hehe…”
She gave an awkward little laugh.
Right now, Erika still looked a bit dazed, and her gray-white hair had become messy—like a bird’s nest.
“Did you… call me just now?”
“I did. Do you still want to sleep?”
“No… no more.”
Gladys smiled gently at the bashful little girl in front of her. She reached out to help smooth her hair and softly said, “If you’re awake, get ready. Since you like the human town, we’ll move there now.”
“Actually… it doesn’t really matter.”
Erika blushed again. She felt like Gladys always gave in to her, which made her a little embarrassed.
“Let’s go. I can tell you like the outside world better than this place. Besides, you don’t have any suitable clothes here. We’ll need to go to the town to get some things.”
Soon after, Gladys packed only a few simple items of clothing. Everything else in the cave was piled together.
At some point, a torch had appeared in her hand, and it looked like she planned to burn it all.
“Gladys, are you really going to burn everything?” Erika asked in surprise.
“Of course.”
Gladys nodded. “If we’re moving, then there’s no use keeping this. We can’t take it all with us.”
Is this even considered “moving”…?
“Seems like a waste…” Erika blinked.
“If there’s anything you like, take it.”
Hearing this, Erika scurried over to the bookshelf.
She scanned its contents and quickly noticed a few thicker books.
Thankfully, she could still read.
She picked out a history book, hugged it in her arms, and returned to Gladys. “Okay, burn the rest.”
Gladys nodded and tossed the torch into the pile. Flames lit up the cave, raising the temperature considerably.
“Let’s go.”
She then scooped Erika into her arms and walked slowly out of the cave.
Being suddenly picked up, Erika struggled a bit, not quite used to it.
Why does she always like carrying me?
“I can walk.”
“Don’t move. Hide your tail and other dragon traits. Don’t expose them in front of humans.”
Erika still squirmed.
But Gladys had no intention of putting her down. She held her even tighter and said gently, “It’s already noon. We can’t fly anymore, only walk the mountain path. You’re barefoot—it’ll be hard.”
Okay… that actually made a lot of sense.
Seeing that Gladys wasn’t planning to let go, Erika gave up struggling. She laid quietly in her arms and opened the history book she had taken.
Honestly, lying in her arms was kind of… comfortable.
Erika began scanning the table of contents, deciding to get a basic understanding of the world first.
“You like reading human history?”
“I’m just curious.”
Erika answered casually. After all, she had just transmigrated—she figured it was important to know about this world.
After reading for a while, she gained a general sense of things.
It truly was a fantasy world of sword and magic. The book described the mysteries of magic and the valor of knights, highlighting various legendary figures.
Most of the world was now unified under a single nation called the Aarlan Empire. Its emblem was a four-leaf clover, symbolizing hope and faith.
The empire had stood for over a hundred years. Its unification had reduced warfare and lowered taxes. The emperor’s rule was said to have benefited the people in countless ways.
Of course, people in this world also believed in gods. A holy church stood at the continent’s center, known as the Holy Land.
According to church teachings, a century ago, humanity was still suffering under disaster after disaster.
Then the gods descended like beams of light, bringing purity and goodwill to the mortal world—divine radiance dispelling the darkness. The gods became the saviors of humanity.
Most people in this world believed in the gods. Even the emperor of the empire reportedly visited the Holy Church every year to pray and promote divine sanctity.
As Erika continued reading, she realized that Gladys had already brought her down from Ivory Mountain—and the town was just a few hundred meters ahead.
She was a little surprised. She had thought this remote mountain would be crawling with wild beasts, but they hadn’t encountered a single one.
Then again, even if there were, with Gladys here, there’d be nothing to worry about.
After finishing her quick skim, Erika casually tossed the book aside. Her large eyes stared into the distance. A wave of curiosity rose in her chest—just what kind of world was this?
Beside her, Gladys noticed the sparkle of curiosity in Erika’s gaze. A soft smile curled her lips as she held her tightly and stepped into the human town.