Science/Magic

Fortunately, the appearance of the sphere's master was not so terrifying as Bloed thought.

Instead, Bloed was very surprised when he met a beautiful mature woman seated in a strange chair with wheels. The woman had short brown hair in a bob cut and a pair of black eyes that emitted a sharp gaze.

Another thing that attracted Bloed's curiosity was her clothes. Her clothes were like nothing he'd ever seen before. They had a strange style similar to the style of the ship, and their aspect was metallic, but Bloed was sure that he had never heard of a metal that could be used as clothes.

But nothing of that was so important as the woman's aura. The woman's aura was something that left Bloed surprised and terrified.

Despite her sickly appearance, her presence felt frighteningly powerful.

After surviving for almost one year in the Exiled Lands, Bloed had developed a kind of instinct that helped him to measure a creature's level of danger. Tito felt relatively powerful, but some beasts in the exiled lands were much stronger.

However, this woman was absolutely terrifying.

Bloed was sure that she just needed a thought to annihilate him.

"Nice to meet you Bloed, my name is Camilla Norman." The woman introduced herself politely.

Bloed nodded. His body was completely tensed up, ready to run away at the first sign of danger, even if he knew it was useless.

The woman, Camilla, did not mind Bloed's reaction. She observed the boy carefully before looking at the sphere beside her. "You already met my AI, Tito. We are the only survivors of the [Autumn Vanguard]. We ended here due to an accident. Unfortunately, we don't have enough information about this place. So, do you want to make a deal with me?"

"Deal?" Bloed asked warily.

"Yes, a deal. We'll give you food, clothes, and weapons in exchange for information. You need only tell us everything you know about this place."

Bloed fell silent for an instant. He then decided to ask a question he was curious about. "Are you a demigod mage? A tamer?"

"Huh? Mage?" The woman put on a puzzled expression.

[Master, in the information I recollected I found that the people in this world use [Magic]. I'm not sure if it's a kind of ESPer power or a completely new system of abilities.]

"How interesting. Bloed, why don't you start talking about magic?"

Bloed was confused, but he started to talk. At the same time, he reached a frightening conclusion based on the woman and the floating thing's words.

They referred to this place as [World].

'Are they from another world?' Bloed asked to himself, but he was too afraid to ask. After all, otherworlders were very terrifying for the people of this world.

Soon, however, he let go of his concerns. He was just a cursed child fighting against death every day after all. Things like the fate of the world were meaningless for him.

He did not mind exchanging it for benefices that could help him to survive one day more.

Bloed talked about all the things he knew about magic. He was very smart, and he had read many books, so despite being unable to use magic, his knowledge about it was incredibly high.

"Do you mean that all the people in this world can use magic?" Camilla was slightly surprised. "Can you show me?"

Bloed expression darkened. He fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "… I can't use it."

"Huh?"

"… I'm an exception."

Camilla looked at the boy in curiosity. However, she could see that the boy was uncomfortable with the topic, as such, she decided to ask about another thing.

Quickly, though, she was surprised by the boy's knowledge.

To be honest, she was not expecting much of a savage-looking boy filled with injuries, but the boy quickly showed her that looks are deceiving. Despite being just twelve, the boy's knowledge could be compared to a high school student from the earth. Of course, he was behind in things like mathematics, physics, or science; but his knowledge about the world was incredibly complete.

He even drew her a map of the continent and signaled each nation and its name.

"You are pretty smart." Camilla showed a little bit of admiration, but Bloed remained indifferent. "… A good memory" was everything he said.

"Many thanks, Bloed. Your information is very useful. Tito, is the food ready?"

[Yes, master. It had been served in the dining room.]

"Good. Come with me, Bloed. Tell me more things about the world while we eat."

Bloed nodded. He was still a bit wary though. Who could guarantee him that he was not going to be the meal?

But when he smelled the food in the table, he found it hard to keep his guard up.

It was the first time he smelled and saw such a delicious-looking food. Bloed was sure that not even the food in the palace smelled so nice like this.

"The meat has been conserved for four hundred years, and the vegetables were grown inside the ship. Even I can only sigh in admiration before the power of technology."

Technology? What was it?

Of course, although the food was incredibly enticing, Bloed's will was very firm. After seating in the table, he looked at the food longingly before looking at the woman.

Seeing that, the woman smiled for the first time. To her, the little boy's actions were very cute.

For an instant, she could not help but think about her daughter.

Then, her smile disappeared, and her expression turned sad. Camilla heaved a sigh and brought a mouthful of food to her mouth.

Of course, Bloed failed to notice the change in her mood. Once he saw the woman eat a mouthful of food, he hesitantly brought a little to his mouth.

Afterward, he was unable to stop.

Bloed could not recognize most of the ingredients, but he knew that this food was the most delicious food he had eaten in his entire life. Moreover, he had been eating raw meat and drinking blood for almost half a year. Eating proper food for the first time in a long time made the food even more enjoyable.

The food was so good that Bloed even thought that he did not mind being eaten after eating something like that.

Of course, that thought disappeared in the next instant. After all, he did not want to die yet.