The Villainess is actually the Dragon's Companion

Chapter 1 - Awoken

Uncomfortable

Lying in a hospital bed shouldn't be as uncomfortable as it is right now, right? What kind of beds do they give to emergency patients?! It feels as if I'm being stabbed in my thigh right now by the equipment!

Opening my eyes a closed proximate, dark brown, mossy and curved wall greets me. Out of pure instinct I draw in a deep breath of air and notice how thick and watery it feels. As my heartrate builds up my eyes scan my surroundings ten times over.

W-Why am I in a dead tree?! AH WHAT KIND OF BUG IS THAT?!?!!

A centipede was currently resting on the wooden wall in front of me, however unlike the centipedes I was used to, this was colored in a brilliant green color and even appeared to have large dragonfly like wings on its back. At first glance you could easily have mistaken it for another moss patch. Yet this guy was impossible to miss, it seemed to be shining, somehow.

Wait, if it's such a bright color doesn't it mean it's poisonous? I need to get out of here NOW!!

I started to prepare myself to crawl out of the tree as quietly as possible. Yet once I started to move my right leg I felt pain attacking my nerve system. I let out a silent scream as the unbearable pain from my thigh made itself painfully obvious, in an attempt to subdue the pain I stabbed my fingertips into the palm of my hands. It didn't help make the pain go away, however it did help me to not become overwhelmed.

A minute passed in purgatory. The pain felt more bearable now that I wasn't moving my leg around, and it got me thinking. Aren't my um, how do I say this, hands smaller than usual? Bringing down my left hand into view a soft toddler's hand came into view . I frowned, confusion filling me. I turned 'my' hand and sure enough, the back of my toddler's hand showed itself. Moving 'my' fingers I saw the toddler's fingers wiggle around.

"What..?-" I couldn't help to say, but I got interrupted by a coughing fit. I felt how absolutely dry my mouth felt and how my voice was barely audible above the coughing. How long has it been since I've drunk any water?

But seriously, how do I as a 21 year old woman have toddler hands right now?

Memories of me being in college flashed through my mind, reminding me of those old Villainess novels I read when I was at that age of life. Had I transmitted into a toddler's body in another world? But why? I did nothing of importance in my life, I was only a greenhorn craftswoman.

"Let's be honest-" A cough interrupted my monologue, basically destroying my lungs. My anger and stubborness shined nonetheless, and I continued to speak. "This is more likely to be hell rather than a new world for me to explore. All of the Villainess novels I read started with them in fancy mansions with beautiful parents and maids around them helping the newly reincarnated or transmitted girl to adjust. Why am I, a toddler on the brink of death in the middle of who knows where? God must hate me..."

Maybe I should've gotten more into religion in my last world, maybe then I wouldn't be awoken in the middle of nowhere in a tree trunk, bleeding. Now that I think about it, how's my leg looking?

Looking back over my shoulder I see a wooden shaft with feathers on the end piercing my leg... Well that certainly wasn't good.

To the best of my ability I moved so that I lay on my back, pain and agony coursing throughout my body, it must be done so I can examine the wound more thoroughly. Once the pain toned down again, I used my little arms to lift up my leg so I could examine this supposed stick.

I was surprised to figure out that it was actually a skillfully carved arrow that had pierced my thigh, of course most of the arrow stuck out on the backside of my leg but I could definitely tell that it had been taken care of with utmost care and carving technique. I shook my head, this wasn't the time to admire this craftsman's technique, I have to attend to my wound. Now turning my attention to where it had pierced I could immediately tell I would need to disinfect the wound before using something to bandage it with.

"I can use moss later and then use my clothes cloth to help keep the moss on my wound... Wait, why am I in such a cute dress?!" My bewildered mind looked down at the torn and dirty dress I was currently wearing, a white with black details toddler sized dress that was torn all over was what was covering my current body. It looked like it was supposed to reach just above my feet, where I was wearing expensive looking black leather toddler shoes. As I stared down at the clothes of an obviously filthy-rich family I felt myself losing my sanity.

"Why..." Was all I could utter. I was on the verge of tears. They were bubbling up through my throat, however none fell. "WHY AM I A CLEARLY SPOILED CHILD IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST?!? DOES GOD HATE ME?!?!"

I wailed dry tears as I shouted and screamed. I couldn't stop gasping for air, and trying to force the dried out tears out through my eyes. But since I was clearly completely exhausted of water in my system, none fell.

No tears came.

No one seemed to hear.

Only my wails echoed in the tree stump.

Yet a noise was caught by my ears, making me try to stop my mental breakdown. The sound of a fly fluttering its wings. I got annoyed, thinking I would now have a fly irritating me, however once I let my eyes go towards the source of the sounds. The otherworldly centipede was in my vision.

The flying centipede levitated just in front of my head, making me stop my breakdown and stared at it with wide open eyes. I couldn't help but admit, despite being a centipede it was endlessly beautiful. The dragonfly wings almost made it look like a fairy with its unnatural neon glow. This must really be an otherworld, or I may be hallucinating because of the unbearable pain. But even the small winds of the wings moving could be felt on my cheeks, am I really hallucinating?

The little bug flew closer to me, making me come out of my trance. I started to try and make more distance between me and the otherworldly creature, a quiet and shaky "don't kill me..." was forced out of my lips as I shut my eyes close, waiting for whatever would happen next.

Would this be how I would die? Immediately when I got in this new world would I die by being eaten by an otherworldly bug? What cruelty. I promise to never kill a bug ever again, so please let me live!

As I waited for the bug to eat me, I felt it bounce on my forehead as immediate relief spread throughout my body.

"... cont..ract... .." A tiny voice echoed in my mind. With a start I opened my eyes, and in my vision I saw the flying neon-green centipede. Something about the centipede made me detect sorrow on all its features, like it was sympathizing with me. "contract...."

"A-A Contract? Yo-ou want a contract? With me?" I asked bewildered. Wasn't this just a forest bug? How would I be able to make a contract with a little creature I had never seen before. "How would it even be possible?"

"say..t...words...." Was what I heard in my mind, but what words?

"What words? L-Like, I want a contract? Little forest creature?" I asked, clear as day that I am confused over the whole situation.

The little bug seemed very pleased nonetheless. It started to circle around in the air at a fast speed, it continued to spin and spin until it started to shine in a bright glow. As the bug only seemed to be going faster and faster, something seemed to break and a small explosion occurred where the light spread all around the tree's insides and over me in the form of small dust like particles.

I watched with widened eyes as a miniature girl in a small white dress and abnormally large light green wings was now in front of me, fluttering her wings to keep herself floating in front of me.

The little girl's mouth opened, and a "Hello!" tingled out of her mouth. "Owner! Please give me a name! Owner?"