Chapter 14

Teresa of the Faint Smile, Part 3 is the 14th chapter of the Claymore manga series.

Short Synopsis
The girl still continues to follow Teresa despite being exhausted and starved. This irritates the warrior so much that she leaps off a cliff to try and shake the human off. The girl follows though and Teresa, realizing that she will be blamed if the child dies, reluctantly takes her under her wing. She takes her burden to a lake to wash and drink and then gives her food. When they begin travelling again, the girl still manages to keep pace with Teresa, which Teresa marvels at considering her age. She theorizes that the child latched onto her because the girl has no one else. Two days later, Teresa finds out that the girl's name is Clare when the warrior became fed up of just calling her "you". In the shadows, the bandit that was attacked by Teresa follows the pair.

The Tagalong
Despite Teresa's insistence, the girl continues to follow her without bothering to stop for food, water, or rest. Mildly impressed, Teresa attributes the girl's endurance to sheer willpower, but decides she is reaching her limit. In an effort to rid herself of her nuisance, Teresa jumps down from the edge of the cliff they are standing on, reaching the ground easily and giving the child a short, sardonic goodbye. To her shock, the girl simply jumps down after her, using a branch to break her fall. However, the branch snaps under her weight and she bounces of off boulders the rest of the way down. Teresa is flummoxed; she cannot believe that this human child would go to such great lengths to follow her, but she still refuses to allow it. As the girl slips into unconsciousness, Teresa turns to leave, intending to part from her permanently.

Second Thoughts.
Ultimately, Teresa cannot make herself leave the unconscious girl. She rationalizes that, since the bandits saw her and the girl together, she will take the blame if the child dies and word about it reaches the Organization. Remarking how the girl has become a pain, Teresa carries her to a nearby stream, where she throws her in. After swallowing water, the girl is jarred awake, and she is surprised to discover Teresa's actions. Teresa tells her that she should drink, for dehydration contributed to her collapse, and then orders her to take a bath to wash her skin and clothes free of the stench of Yoma blood. As the girl removes her shirt, Teresa sees the bruises and scars that cover her back and concludes that the people of the village were too afraid to clean her properly because of the Yoma.

After the girl bathes and washes her clothes, Teresa offers her some fruit. The girl rushes to her and begins to eat voraciously through the food. Teresa is offered some of the food in return but politely declines, saying the food is solely for the girl. With a wide grin, the girl returns to eating, and Teresa thinks that maybe this is better than having a pet. Soon, Teresa lies down to rest. She tells the girl that she will take her as far as the next village and then, promising not to run off before that time, encourages her to rest.

The next morning, the girl wakes up to find Teresa gone. However, Teresa soon returns with a rabbit she caught for breakfast and remarks on how troublesome it is that humans have to eat two or three times a day. Before the warrior can dress and cook the carcass, the girl hits her with a huge hug. Surprised, Teresa reminds her of what she said the night before, stating that, as a warrior, she has no reason to lie. As the girl continues to embrace her, Teresa unconsciously smiles and then wonders what she would have to smile about.

The Journey Continues
Teresa allows the girl to continue along with her through the day. They travel along another ridge, and at one point, the girl makes a misstep and nearly falls. However, Teresa catches her and hauls her back to safety, warning her to be careful on the loose ground.

They break camp at nightfall, and the girl immiediately falls asleep next to the campfire once she finishes her dinner. Despite having slowed down to allow the girl to keep up, Teresa remains impressed at her endurance. She also still questions why this child would try so hard to follow her, and decides that her tagalong latched on to her because she has no one else. However, Teresa thinks that, because of having picked a Claymore for company, the girl must truly be unfortunate. With a regular human to care for her, the girl may have at least found a better place to sleep; Teresa is unable to give her even that privilege. Meanwhile, in the darkness, a figure follows the two through the forest.

Before moving out the next morning, Teresa realizes that she has no idea of the girl's actual name, not wanting to keep calling her "you" or "hey." When the girl cannot overcome her mutness, Teresa calms her down and, figuring the girl also can't write, decides to pick a temporary name: "Clare." The girl begins to gesticulate excitedly and nods when Teresa asks whether or not "Clare" is her real name. Pleased with the choice, Teresa says that "Clare" is the name of one of the pure-hearted goddesses of love, whose twin is named, appropriately enough, "Teresa." She also says that maybe Clare's and her parents had that in mind when they named their children, that their love will live on through the names they chose.

As Teresa and Clare begin travelling again, the mysterious follower is revealed to be the bandit who lost his hand to Teresa only a couple of nights before.

Characters In Order of Appearance

 * Teresa
 * Clare
 * Rig

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Capitolo 14