Another Life, Another Me

14. Rescue

The Dark Forest.

No.

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!!!

"DAD! DAD! DAD!" I yelled, running through the halls.

This was seriously bad.

REALLY bad.

I ran into my father's office with high hopes.

...

THERE'S NO ONE IN THE OFFICE!!!

Why is my father not in his office?!

I summoned Ace with the mark on my ankle. Without delay, Ace appeared in front of me.

"...Is my father home?" I asked with the slight hope that he was nearby.

"No, your father left earlier to do another inspection in the town. Most likely, he won't be back for a few hours," Ace answered concisely.

WHAT!?

WHY NOW??!

WITHOUT HIS POWER, IT WOULD TAKE HOURS TO CALL THE GUARDS!!

Should I call the servants?

...No, wait. That's a bad idea!

What if they found out that I made Ash so mad that he ran away?!

I would be in HUGE trouble!!!!! They would take away my desserts!!!!!

SHOOT!

Why do bad things always happen to me?

My maids and servants never have to do this! So, why me?!

Is this the bad luck of the villainess?!

...

Alright. I guess I need to go save Ash myself! 

Unless...

"Hey, Ace! Can you save Ash?" I asked seriously. I have a feeling that things won't be as easy as I hope, though.

"No, I can't. To use my magic, you must be close by since I consume your mana," Ace said calmly.

Ok! Let's go save that stupid brother of mine! 

I grabbed a kitchen knife and a bag before leaving. 

Ace and I ran out to the forest, but halfway there, I realized a big problem.

MY TINY LEGS ARE SUPER SLOW!

I looked at Ace and he understood immediately.

"We can go quicker if I carry you. But my current body isn't big enough to carry you even if it is strong. Please allow me to turn human, Cordelia," Ace said seriously.

"Alright," I said while nodding my head. 

I gingerly moved my hand in front of Ace and braced myself.

In a swift motion, Ace bit down on my hand hard.

Pain.

I teared up from the pain, but Ace quickly healed it to the point where I debated whether I was actually hurt in the first place.

I want to be able to use magic like this too!

I looked up to see Ace in his human form. He looks...as old as me?!

He was definitely much older looking the last time he transformed!

"W-What?!" I yelped.

"Due to the contract, I will now age at the same rate as you. Perhaps that is why my appearance is younger," Ace replied.