Chapter 290 - 290. Heading to the Fortress with East Wind, and Their Journey
The path to Fam's village was well-trodden. But the route to the fortress was no path at all. Sunlit areas required pushing through underbrush; in shadowy spots, feet sank into leaf mold, making every step difficult. Avoiding rocky ridges, they walked along the foot of scree slopes, where there were no footprints, and distinguishing loose stones proved tricky. Movement required the whole body, not just the legs. Though the occasional breeze cooling the cheek was pleasant, sweat never stopped. Tired, glaring at the ground, he almost hit his head on a jutting branch. Or rather, he did—multiple times.
After catching his breath, he looked forward.
The two skinhead dog-eared folks leading the way moved lightly and nimbly. They were guiding them to the Crimson Brigade's hidden fortress.
After Fam's village was attacked by the Brigade, Lily's village, along with others, had strengthened their defenses. Part of that effort involved building surveillance routes to track the Brigade’s movements. But the enemy mustn’t know they existed. Only small markers remained; no footprints.
This pair had been gatekeepers in Lily's village—just like Myra and Aila’s sisters. They wore the exact same outfits. Their brother, Erne, was also bald but had darker skin, making him easily distinguishable, plus he possessed an air of composure and intelligence. Their names were apparently Hyatts and Hatts.
Fam tried to tell them apart, but to him, they were indistinguishable.
'Well, one has a higher-pitched voice and a cheerful vibe, while the other has a deeper, thicker, and more intimidating tone,' she explained.
'Huh? What are you talking about?'
'Their eyes are different too. The one with the fiercer look is Hyatts; the one with the malicious glint is Hatts.'
'Even after you tell me that…'
Her answer stumped him—why couldn’t he tell them apart? He glanced at the other members of East Wind and saw that every one of them looked like they were about to grimace. That assured him that his perception was normal, but it bothered him that Myra felt the same way.
'You and Aila wear the same clothes, don’t you?'
'We're totally different! Mash would never mistake us!'
He had gotten them mixed up at first, but that was because he only knew Aila at the time, not Myra.
'But do other people ever mix us up?'
Misaki subtly nodded at his question.
'Do you think Myra and I look similar?'
'They’re similar, but I wouldn't get you confused. Different mole spots, your breasts are bigger, Myra. Aila is slightly rounder overall. Different hair and skin texture, too.'
As he said this, Fam turned around. She moved lightly over the rocky terrain. Youth, her upbringing in the village, or her light weight—perhaps all of it. Likely everything.
'Aila and Big Sister smell slightly different, too.'
'Smell? What kind of smell?'
Instead of answering, she blushed lightly and pressed forward. Stepping on a loose stone, she stumbled but regained her balance without falling and kept walking.
'Hair texture… skin luster… smell…'
Myra frowned, resting her chin on her hand as if pondering deeply. Then she stepped on another loose stone, causing her to stumble heavily.
'Kyaa!'
Her scream echoed louder than the sound of the bouncing stone. He instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm, barely preventing her from falling. Hyatts and Hatts turned toward them. At the same time, the tops of their heads gleamed.
'Ack!'
He couldn't help but shout, and they glared at him as if they were being stared at, letting out, 'What the heck?' He turned away, averted his gaze.
'Mash, what’s wrong?'
He was the one who almost fell, yet she was asking the question.
'I think I figured it out…'
'Huh?'
Seeing her confused expression, he whispered to her about the difference in the shine on their heads—Hyatts was naturally bald, while Hatts had meticulously shaved his.
Myra fixed her gaze on the two heads as they walked, then her eyes widened.
'M-Mash… t-that's right! But they’re both young, aren’t they? They look about as old as Aila. And I’ve never seen Hatts doing his hairc—'
'Myra… you’re one of us, aren’t you?'
'Mu!“ That’s not true! My hair texture and skin luster are the same as Aila’s! And I don’t smell!'
Myra said this and continued forward. He followed her.
But after this, he wouldn’t mistake them for each other. His steps felt a bit lighter.
The sun was about to set between the mountains. They decided to make camp in a flat, wooded area.
It wasn’t a place protected by warding pillars. Camping along the main road felt more tense. To protect themselves from monster attacks, they should distance themselves from the trees and choose an open space, but there was a chance the Crimson Brigade might spot them from another ridge. They had resigned themselves to the smoke from the bonfire, but they hoped their attackers wouldn't realize they were adventurers. They wanted them to mistake them for hunters or gatherers.
Camping gear and food were stored in Storage. There was no need to gather anything locally, and even the hassle of cooking could be avoided by storing pre-made meals. They could also produce fresh, clean water with water magic and wash themselves and their clothes with laundry spells. They didn't even need fire magic to make a fire, nor earth magic to create stones for chairs or a ring of stones for the campfire.
Looking up at the sky, the first stars were beginning to twinkle. There would be no rain tonight.
'We didn’t run into any giants today.'
Hyatts was the first to speak. The method he had devised to tell them apart during the day was harder to see at night. But he was slowly beginning to understand Fam's suggested ways to differentiate them.
'It’s nice that they’re guiding us, but are the villages safe back there?'
'Don’t worry, my brother’s there. Plus, soldiers from Migul are stationed there. They’ve all been trained by them. You guys are the ones who should be worried!'
Hatts answered. The soldiers from Migul were likely from the Wanland family. They had been dispatched to protect the village, but they had melted into the community so well that it was hard to tell them apart from the villagers. He worried that they were being absorbed into the villages instead of protecting them.
Hatts grabbed a meat skewer that had been sitting over the bonfire and devoured it. Mash pulled out a skewer and put it in his mouth. It was from Migul, but the freshness hadn’t deteriorated since it was stored.
'More importantly, are those two alright?'
Hyatts changed the subject, gesturing toward Marmie and Nefi. The two paired up to take turns keeping watch. Hyatts and Hatts, Mash and Misaki, Fam and Myra, and currently Marmie and Nefi were the pairs on duty.
'They don’t seem to get along,' he said.
She was friendly with Misaki, but Nefi didn’t seem to be integrating with East Wind yet. That’s why he had tried to pair up with Nefi for watch duty, but the other members had gotten angry and decided to draw lots. Marmie might have gotten along with Nefi when they were polishing shoes, but she still never spoke to her first, and that bothered him.
He sighed and took two skewers before walking toward them.
'…Is something wrong?'
Nefi asked, but Mash remained silent and offered them the skewers. Nefi took one, but Marmie just stared.
'…We’re still on watch. It’s not time yet for the shift change.'
'Don’t be so uptight…'
He brought the meat up to her mouth, but she leaned in and took a bite without taking the skewer itself.
'A princess acting like a slob!'
'…This is, this is…ugly!'
She seemed to be retorting, but it sounded like gibberish.
'I’m going to tell Patricia everything you’ve done when we get back!'
'…Ew!'
Marmie straightened up. She then grabbed the hem of his shirt with tears in her eyes, but quickly let go. Patricia might be gentle, but she was the type to resort to fists when trouble happened. Misaki had tried to fight him at first, but now she was well-behaved, leaving Patricia as the only one to hit him. Even Marmie feared her, though she was a servant.
He offered the skewer, and she reached out to take it. He felt lonely when he saw her devouring the meat. Nefi noticed him watching.
'Should I have just let Mash feed me?'
Marmie puffed out her cheeks slightly. He looked at the skewer in her hand, but she had already finished the meat.
'If Nefi wants, I can feed her meat directly?'
'I want my first kiss to be a normal one…'
Nefi shrugged. At the same time, he felt Marmie’s grip on the hem of his shirt tighten. Nefi’s eyes drifted to that hand.
'Still, you have broad tastes, Mash. What’s your ideal woman like?'
He tilted his head at her question.
'I don’t have the right to choose. I just like girls who are kind to me or talk to me. Well, I didn’t have anything like that until I came to this world…'
'Hey, don’t say anything so sad.'
Nefi grimaced. Even she seemed at a loss for words.
'East Wind’s members are all so different, aren’t they?'
He stared at Nefi again. There was no particular change in her expression, but she was trying to figure out his preferences. He was slightly surprised at that.
'Look at Moe?'
He put his arm around Marmie’s shoulder and pulled her in front of him.
'A beautiful girl with such a pretty face likes me! It’s crazy, isn’t it? Of course I’d fall for her!'
Marmie’s cheeks flushed red. Nefi recoiled slightly, her expression tense.
'S-s-so, what did you come here for?'
She abruptly changed the subject.
'Just worried about how the watch was going.'
Nefi scratched her cheek at his words.
'Well, I don’t think it’s a problem. The only time we really need to worry is when Mash and Misaki are on duty.'
She said this and looked into the forest. A lot of time had passed since sunset. The darkness deepened, and he could no longer see far into the woods. Sounds he couldn’t distinguish as insects or birds came from nowhere.
'What do you mean?'
'Elf ears are good. And the demon has night vision. And dog-ear hearing and smell are good.'
'In other words, our guard drops when Mash and Misaki are on duty…'
He wondered if they should’ve been paired with Hyatts and Hatts. But from what he could tell, both of them were single. He couldn’t let Misaki be alone with another man in the middle of the night. A difficult situation.
'Well, we’ve strung up ropes that’ll make a sound if someone breaks through, so maybe we’re worrying too much. But I can’t picture those two taking their watch seriously.'
'What about them! But rest assured. They wouldn’t fool around when lives are at stake.'
They might poke her breasts a little to wake themselves up, he mused silently.
At that moment, Marmie and Nefi’s gazes shifted toward the forest.
'Something’s there!'
Marmie raised her wand, illuminating the depths of the forest with magic.
Thanks for reading! Likes, bookmarks, and ratings are greatly appreciated. Thank you for the typo reports. I am grateful.
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