Cleara Trick

Chapter 23

" I don't blame you, after all, I look like a strange creature ... Haha." I knelt next to the old man and tried to shake his shoulder gently, but he didn't respond. His thin body froze in place as if the shock had completely paralyzed him. I looked around for a solution, then looked back at the small hut.

" I can't leave him here like this... I'll try to carry him to the hut. "

But my words sounded like the idea of a crazy ant trying to lift an elephant. The old man's body seemed much heavier than his thin frame, and I couldn't even move him an inch with my small hands. It was frustrating. How could I move someone I couldn't even lift?

I decided to look around for anything that might help me. Fortunately, I found an old piece of cloth barely big enough to cover my small behind and some firewood to start a fire. My body was cold from moving around naked in the forest, and a cold shiver ran through my bones, reminding me of how weak I was.

I sat down and lit a small fire, trying hard to keep it going. I stayed by his side, waiting patiently for him to regain consciousness, hoping that I would be able to explain my strange situation. The hard ground was uncomfortable for my soft little butt, and memories came flooding back.

"I miss my amazing body. I spent so much time lifting weights to build muscle." I lamented my situation in a low voice, as the flames flickered across my small face, reflecting a distorted image of my former self.

"My body is healing very slowly, but it's there. I feel like my body will be back to normal in a few days." I thought as I stirred the fire with a long stick. It seemed that the power Ferma had used was able to weaken my regeneration, or perhaps my body was regenerating very slowly because it was working to form a whole body from scratch. It was a difficult and painful process, but it was proof that my powers were being affected by an external factor.

After a period of stifling silence outside the hut, the old man slowly began to regain consciousness. His eyelids fluttered slightly before opening with difficulty, and his weak eyes seemed to move around, trying to understand what had happened to him.

Noticing his reaction, I decided to greet him quietly:

"Hello." I waved my small hand, but the gesture seemed terrifying given my current appearance. I quickly lowered it and looked at him cheerfully, hoping to break the fear between us.

The old man slowly turned his head when he heard my high-pitched voice and saw me sitting next to him. For a moment, his eyes widened in shock, then he cried out in panic:

"What... what is this?"

I accepted his shock and let him examine my face with concern, and then his eyes slowly moved down to see the small body covered with a piece of cloth that barely kept me warm. The old man's eyes widened in sheer terror, and his features froze in indescribable shock. He shouted:

"Demons... What kind of nightmare is this?"

The old man suddenly moved, trying to get away from me, as if he were running away from a monster.

"Get away... you monster! What kind of curse are you?"

I felt amused by his reaction. Who could blame him? I did look strange and scary. But I couldn't keep it up. I needed his help, not to give him a heart attack and have him die in my arms. I tried to move forward slowly and raised my small hands in an attempt to calm him down.

I said in a worried, shaky voice that didn't suit my stature:

"Wait! I'm not a monster. I'm... I'm lost and I need help."

The old man shook his head violently, his eyes fixed on me in terror:

"Liar! That small body... and that big face... It can't be real! You're a demon disguised in the body of a degenerate child!"

I looked at him in shock. Degenerate child? Man, I'm the most handsome man in the county! Well... I used to be, at least. I sighed as I approached him cautiously, trying to show some weakness that might soften his heart:

"Please listen to me! I don't know what happened to me... I woke up in the forest like this... I was looking for help and saw smoke rising from your hut, so I came in the hope of finding a helping hand."

The old man interrupted me with a weak cry, filled with fear and despair as if he were seeing his worst nightmares come to life before his eyes:

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your lies! Get away from me before I curse you! What curse has befallen me to see this monster disguised as a miserable child?"

I saw the despair in the old man's eyes and the genuine fear he felt. His features were trembling, and his eyes were shining with terror. I realized that pity was my only key. I stopped advancing and lowered my head with feigned sadness, but it was mixed with a little real disappointment, as the situation was more complicated than I had thought:

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you. I'll go then..."

I began to walk away slowly, playing the part of the defeated man who had given in to despair. Every step was calculated, every gesture aimed at arousing his sympathy. I was about to disappear among the trees when I heard him shout in a trembling voice:

"Stop... Wait... Your voice... It's not the voice of a demon."

I smiled a little, then turned slowly and looked at the old man with feigned tearful eyes, but they held real hope.

It seems that Cleara's words were right. Leave the person and walk away, and they will run after you, seeking your satisfaction. This was the same trick Cleara used to buy goods at low prices from market vendors, and now it has proven effective with me.

It seems I am going to start loving Cleara and her golden advice.