Exiled Villainess: They Threw Me Out, Now Every Beastman Wants Me
Chapter 13: Unexpected Saviour

Chapter 13: Unexpected Saviour

Tera lunged for the slope. Her fingers clawed into the wet dirt, and she started pulling herself up with everything she had.

And each time she reached a point, she ended up sliding back down. The water getting closer started to make her panic.

’System! Help me! Can’t you do anything?!’

[This system is unable to physically intervene in Host’s situation]

’Then what good are you?!’

[༎ຶ‿༎ຶ]

[Host is being mean]

’Since when did you have feelings? Now is not the freaking time!’

Tera wanted to strangle a floating screen and its utter lack of agency.

[There is a tunnel opening approximately twelve feet up the slope to Host’s right]

[If Host can reach it, it leads into the cave system]

Tera spotted where the system had described and was shocked she hadn’t seen it earlier.

The water hit her.

It wasn’t the full force of the flood, but the first surge swept across the base of the hills and knocked Tera off her feet. She went under for a second before she surfaced and grabbed the nearest thing she could find.

There was a sturdy tree still hanging on, and it was growing at an angle that almost reached that opening.

Tera clung to it, and she felt the tree starting to lean.

Its roots were shallow in the soft soil, and the water was loosening them further. She then realised she could swing towards the opening.

She pulled herself higher on the trunk and threw her body to the right. The tree groaned and tipped, its roots pulling free from the mud on the left side. The trunk swung toward the slope like a falling bridge.

Tera let go at the right moment, launching herself at the hillside. Her fingers hit wet rock, her nails dug into mud, and she caught the edge of the tunnel opening with one hand.

Her grip was starting to slip, and the water below her was getting higher.

Tera was about to use her last burst of energy to hoist herself up when she was a flash of pink burst from somewhere to her left.

She barely registered it before she felt teeth clamp down on the back of her top and drag her upward.

Ermin, in his full panther form, was clinging to the slope beside her. His claws were dug deep into the rock, his muscles straining, his pink fur darkened and plastered flat by the rain.

He growled through the mouthful of her clothing and pulled.

Tera grabbed onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hauled them both into the cave.

They tumbled inside, sliding down a short slope of wet rock before coming to a stop in a wider space. The sound of the storm became slightly muffled, replaced by the echo of dripping water and their own ragged breathing.

Ermin shifted back into his normal form.

He was on his hands and knees, panting, soaked through, and clutching his chest with a slight groan.

Tera lay on her back on the cool floor, her heart hammering so fast she could feel it in her teeth.

She slowly sat up to look at him.

He had saved her.

The beast man who hated her, and had every reason to just let her die in the flood, had just saved her.

"You..." She was still catching her breath.

Ermin looked up and met her eyes. He looked furious, like he was already regretting his decision.

"Don’t," he panted, rain dripping from his jaw, "even say anything..."

Tera closed her mouth.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the muffled roar of the storm outside and their own heavy breathing echoing off the cave walls.

He was still clutching his side.

"You’re hurt."

"I am fine."

Tera shifted. "Let me—"

Ermin shot her a look so hostile it could have curdled milk. "Don’t touch me, shiftless female."

Tera stopped, keeping her hands to herself. But she straightened. "I am not comfortable seeing you in pain, especially because of me. Please, let me take a look at it and help you. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do."

Ermin glared silently at her. She stared back.

[Ermin’s stubbornness level: Immeasurable]

[Host’s stubbornness level: Also immeasurable]

[This system will observe from a safe distance]

Tera sighed. "Look. I know you hate me. I am sorry for doing such a terrible—"

"Save your excuses."

"Alright. But you just saved my life. So, the least I can do is check whether you cracked a rib doing it. I feel guilty that you hurt yourself because of me."

Ermin stared at her for a long moment, his gaze weary and distant but also slightly confused at the same time.

And he was very confused.

He searched her steady gaze for a lie or trick. This one had been acting strangely, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. She was also too stupid to be able to pretend this well.

But the way she had started shouting when the rain started.

Tera was not usually that confident and would not have even tried to help anyone.

As his mind started to shift, he immediately resolved himself. She had very likely gotten better at pretending, and it would just be a headache trying to understand her character.

He already hated that he was mated to this one, and the bond had been part of why he felt inclined to save her when he had seen her.

Now he wished he hadn’t. He would have been free with her gone.

"I can help—"

Ermin chuckled and sat up, his gaze sharp as he stared at Tera. "You? Help?"

Tera didn’t laugh. She perfectly understood Ermin’s reaction and his scepticism.

When Ermin saw her seriousness, he then relented. "Be quick, but I will kill you if you try anything."

Tera moved closer and tried not to focus on how his wet skin glistened faintly in the dim light filtering from the tunnel entrance.