The first meeting

With the scout being separated into four trails towards different directions, Diedrich's small team has decided to split up too, following their respective target. Going through the forest and eventually the green grass field, Diedrich realizes that horses really can travel much further and longer compared to humans.

Grabbing his rifle and following the trail, he just discovered a dead horse a few minutes ago. With bullet wounds all over it and the military horse armor it's wearing, he is expecting some fighting coming soon.

Heart beating fast as he prepares himself for the inevitable combat while walking on foot at an average speed, two dark figures begin entering his eyes. Closer inspection reveals that one of them is a cute little farm girl, while the other one is the French scout he is tracking till now.

And right now, the scout wants to kill off the girl.

With his rifle raised, Diedrich tries to harass the scout, but the sound of rifle shooting kills off his hope of saving the innocent girl. His mind could imagine the girl's head being blasted into pieces, as another life faded away from the cruel world again.

"Damn it, if only I was able to arrive earlier." Speaking to himself,. the scene of the German shooting at the children is still being replayed in Diedrich's mind till now, and he is regrettably one of them. But this is no time to question his morality.

Raising his rifle, Diedrich tries to get a clear aim at the scout, no mercy will be shown today, as they have already used it up when they brought the children into this bloody war.

But the blue energy ball that appears before the girl surprises Diedrich greatly.

Looking at the bright small basketball size ball in the girl's hand, it begins to be shot out of the girl and into the scout's body, which resulted in him being propelled back into the sky.

"Ah!" With a scream of pain, the scout's torso was struck by the energy ball which ended up burning a small hole through his flesh. And by the time he had fallen down onto the ground, his soul had already left his destroyed body.

"What-" Diedrich's eyes looking at the scene unfold try to understand what had happened. With the girl panting on the ground with a pale face and the scout's blood beginning pouring out of the body, it took a few seconds before he remembers that this world is a bit different from his old one.

Magic exists, after all.

"Uh, are you alright little girl?" Walking forward, Diedrich checks on the girl in front of him. Wearing a poorly made shirt and skirt, he remembers seeing her among the child that has been kidnapped just now. Kneeling on the ground, Diedrich began checking for wounds on her body.

"It seems like you're fine, though your body temperature is a bit low…" Diedrich wonders if this is a side effect of using magic, he will assume that magic will exhaust the body in some way, especially when the magic is enough to kill a normal healthy adult serving in the army. "Do you feel anything weird? Any nausea or dizziness?"

"Ah no mister, just the feels of my body being exhausted and that's all." Tanya shaking his head, looking at Diedrich with her blue iris, inside filled with unknown thought. "But I don't think I could lift my feet up though…"

'Unable to move huh?' Diedrich looks at Tanya and the dead scout, his mission is completed in the end though not in the way he expected. "Nevermind, just hold tight for a while."

Lifting up Tanya's body, Diedrich begins to piggyback Tanya on his back. Her soft body lying against Diedrich's dirty and smelly uniform, Diedrich can't help but give an awkward smile.

"Urgh, sorry about the weird smell, been fighting in the trench for a while so it might not be pleasant for you." Walking slowly, Diedrich began his journey back to the church. "So, mind telling me how did you do that?"

Remembering the scene of her shooting out a blue ball, Diedrich felt a shiver down his soul, wondering if another child from somewhere will kill him through methods like this one day.

"Uh, I'm not sure too actually." With a cute voice, the still exhausted Tanya replied back her experience. "I just feel energy surging out from my finger, and then a big ball starts to come out from it."

"Mister, do you know what that is?" Tanya acting like a child without knowing anything pretends to be terrified of the blood and gore just now. "It's so scary till now, those people are coming in and grabbing us, then there are loud sounds coming from everywhere, I'm so scared…"

"I've been closing my eyes till just now when he points his gun at me, that is when I use the blue ball to save myself...Oh God, did I just commit a sin of staining my hands with the blood of others!?" Tanya's face turned even more pale, acting as if she was feeling guilty for her actions.

Clenching his fist, Diedrich tries to ignore the fact that he is one of the shooters just now, and tries to comfort the worried Tanya. "Uh, it's alright already, you will be safe with me at least."

"Yes, I hope." Nodding her head slightly, Tanya grinned behind Diedrich's back.

'Looks like I manage to win his sympathy now.' Tanya in Diedrich's back thinks to herself as she begins to rest after the tiring encounter. Unable to feel her leg anymore, Tanya manages to convince Diedrich to not abandon her in this field.

'But, what the hell did I do there?' Looking at her small hand, Tanya tries to remember back how she did that just now. She did expect Being X to give her something, but this…

No, she had no time for this. Tanya shook her head and decided to not think too much about it. She has more important things to worry about, such as where she can go after this. She doubts she will want to return back to the church after this.

But now having magic, she has a lot more options now. Mage is highly cherished in this society if she remembers correctly.

"And also, it looks like you have magic potential, you should be happy about that. Magic potential means that you have a great future in your journey." Trying to cheer up Tanya, Diedrich isn't sure about how great Tanya's magic potential is, and wonders if it's normal for a child to shoot pure energy balls at people.

The answer is of course no, as the record-holders till now are children being able to puncture a few pieces of paper at this age like Tanya. If Tanya's action is repeated again in front of researchers, she will be treated as the greatest mage in history no doubt.

But right now, this is just about two very different souls meeting up in this world they are not familiar with.

The small girl who is destined to be a great being in the future to achieve great things, and a normal man who is just trying his best to survive, and maybe to save those around him who he cared enough about.

"So, mind telling me your name?" With still some distance to cover, Diedrich begins starting some conversation with Tanya. "My name is Diedrich, Diedrich Griswald, I'm 18 this year, and you're…?"

"Tanya Degurechaff, I'm 9 years old this year." Answering honestly, Tanya looked at the person who she was lying against. Blonde hair with a pair of the green iris, he isn't bad looking according to her precious life taste, though the smell indeed make it less appealing,

"Ah I see Tanya, then how is your life in the church then? Is it harsh?" Hearing her word Diedrich proceeds to ask. "I'm sorry about the French invading it though by the way, it's part of our responsibilities after all protecting you all."

"It's alright, you all risk your life to protect us all, we understand." Shaking her head, Tanya comforts Diedrich back. "Life there isn't bad, Sister Anna and Brother Anthony take care of us well. Yah, Brother Anthony takes care of us well." Making it sounds like she is sad by saying it in a small voice, Tanya is secretly grinning at the back. You get what you deserve, 'brother'.

"My condolences, I believe he is in a better place now." Realizing Tanya loses, Diedrich expresses his apologies. "May God continue to be with you still."

'God huh?' Hearing the word God, Tanya feels her body become more tired, as she reluctantly replies back. "Yup, God be with us, truly with us he is."

And they soon return back to the church, where Baugalf and the rest reside there.