Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Nati - Chapter Five

"Our village welcomes everyone that means no harm to the orcs. Whatever your situation, I'm sure we can work things out." She ensured, looking strong and serious, a bit menacing, but her name sounded rather human-like. Her cultured and calm demeanor reassured me, and she immediately knew, I lied. "But if that were the case, I can't call you Goddess Alexandra, right?"

"Right... I'm Natha... I mean Nati. Nice to meet you, Charlotte." I introduced myself and stood up to reach out for a handshake. That's when I realized, I did not know the customs of this world. But she took my hand and nearly crushed it so I did my best to endure.

I wanted to ask her so many questions, but the first noise I let out came from my empty stomach so I set my priorities straight.

"Um, I assure you, I didn't come to steal your food, but I need something to eat before we continue." I kept adjusting my voice the whole time. While Alexandra's sounded soothing for my soul when I mumbled to myself, it behaved differently when I talked to others. I didn't want to send her the wrong signals with some accidental mockery. My headache reminded me not to upset them. "I'm embarrassed to say but I'm about to starve to death."

"Of course." She bowed again. "Follow me."

The orc woman led the way out of the shack. The village looked just as unimpressive during the day as at night. I couldn't observe my surroundings for long, but there wasn't much to find.

It felt rather lively though, robust green creatures ran around from children to the elderly, and they seemed busy. Yet each time one noticed me, they stopped to bow their heads. I returned the gesture to everyone.

I had a hunch, that they didn't give this much respect for anyone.

As much of a klutz, as this Goddess seemed to be, the people here knew Alexandra. I couldn't tell if they liked or feared her but I wanted to learn more. Not before I filled my stomach, of course. Charlotte led to some mess hall, the largest building across the little stream I followed here.

Easy to cross without a bridge, it gave the village a nice atmosphere and fresh water. I already imagined how I'd spend my days here, although I had no idea, what other options existed, or if I remained in this world forever. Not that it seemed that bad.

There must have been a reason why the Goddess decided to save me, but she disappeared too soon. I couldn't ask anything from her, and I assumed the worst. It seemed unlikely that this world needed programmers, and since I planned my whole life around that easy work-from-home idea, I needed to make new ones.

A table full of different dishes waited for me now, with some simple, others exotic-looking, they served fruits, meat, and things I could not recognize. Charlotte motioned me to eat but excused herself shortly after. I took my time to taste everything.

I must have been quite the sight. Every time I looked up from my plates, new eyes were fixed on me. The building filled up with orcs and the young ones curiously observed me.

They acted brave enough to sneak up on me, while the older ones kept their distance and leaned against the wall, on the opposite side of the mess hall. I barely noticed all this from the corner of my eyes, too focused on my food, but their stares made my skin tingle.

"Hey, hey, how is the boar?" One of the kids asked.

"Mhmm!" That was my honest answer.

"Can you eat it all?" Another chirped in.

"Mmm!"

"Can I braid your hair?" This one seemed like a little girl.

"Look at her go!" A fourth one yelled.

Even after devouring more food, than seemed possible during an entire week, I starved. This body had an insane capacity, and I imagined how spectacular it would have been if people saw Alexandra eat on the campus like this. I felt shy too but my hunger won.

I probably destroyed a tribe-sized menu, before I became too self-conscious to continue. I still wanted to eat a similar amount but felt embarrassed since my appetite seemed insatiable.

It scared me, where did all that food go? My soul occupied a body that looked and felt but behaved differently than I expected. And my long, messy black hair somehow ended up in two, rough braids in the meantime.

"Thank you for the food." I said, looking for the village leader. "Where did Charlotte go?"

"Mother is busy this morning but will return soon." The little girl explained, eyes glued to my hair. "Are you a Goddess?"

"I, um... No. But yes. Kind of." I couldn't explain something I did not fully understand either. "So is Charlotte your mother?"

"Hahaha, no, not like that." The other kids joined in. "She is the Mother of this tribe, but she doesn't have any children."

"She served as a slave in Cranta. Those can't have kids."

"Oh, is that like an oath or something?" I asked curiously, but they shook their heads. They happily explained the basics since I knew even less than the young ones.

"Not an oath, it's a curse. A curse!"

"It's part of their contract."

"The moment you are sold, you can't disobey your master."

"You become sterile too." They showered me with information from every corner of the mess hall. The kids didn't care if my questions sounded trivial or not. They raced to shout the best answers over each other's heads but of course, this led to a cacophony.

"As long as your master lives, you can't break free!"

"Even if they die, you'll remain sterile for life..." The little girl added.

"That sounds quite harsh." I shook my head.

"All of the Lesser Races were enslaved." The kids chirped.

"But Charlotte was special, she served a mage." She explained proudly. "Only personal slaves got an actual contract."

"Really? And what happened to her master?" I asked curiously.

"He disappeared, of course, just like the rest of them, thanks to you."