Chapter 293 - 293. A Night of Falling Stars, and a Morning of Rain
Marmi shrank in my arms. The air was crisp, and the moon and stars seemed to shine even brighter. However, a mist resembling steam rose faintly from the river. I wrapped my arms around her small back to shield her from the night air, and she looked up at me. I thought she wanted a kiss and moved my lips closer, but her long ears twitched.
"Can you move those ears on your own?"
She nodded and flicked them up and down. Was this something all elves could do?
"I can't..."
I tried to move my ears, but I couldn't feel anything happening. At that, her body quivered.
"...Your eyes are the size of saucers."
I felt like I was seeing her childlike laughter for the first time. Marmi stopped smiling when she noticed my gaze and looked back at me.
"...Why are you making such a strange face?"
"Do you think my face is stranger than your crossed eyes?"
Marmi nodded. To get back at her for offending me, I tickled her sides. She burst into laughter and began struggling to break free from my arms. While listening to her laughter that sounded almost like a scream, I observed Marmi's expression. I was hoping to see the smile she had just shown again, and before I knew it, my tickling had stopped.
"...Mash?"
She turned to me with a bewildered look.
"Hm? Oh, by the way, what were you about to say earlier?"
Her expression returned to its usual calmness at my words.
"...The retrieval party is here."
I looked around. I could see lights, likely from magic, above the location where we had rushed out after the monster. The only ones in Levante besides me and Marmi who could use magic were Nefiee and Reed. I tried to relax my grip so Marmi could get down, but she clung to me tightly.
"Hey, get down and dress quickly. What will you do if Hyatts or Hatts is with them besides Nefiee?"
She buried her face in my chest and shook her head.
"...I don't mind them seeing."
"I don't want other men seeing you naked."
While we were arguing, the light descended to the riverbank. There was only one figure. It walked toward us.
"Should I have come a bit later?"
I shook my head, still holding Marmi.
"It seems you defeated the monster without incident."
I called out to Nefiee while she climbed the steep slope.
"Yeah, thanks to Mizuki instantly clearing one of the monsters, we gained the upper hand."
Mizuki's special skill must have activated. Now that I thought about it, she was the strongest. Maybe I didn't need to worry. As I stepped forward, my foot sank into the fallen leaves and slid down. I grabbed a tree trunk and hoisted myself up. She had climbed such a steep slope so easily. As I looked back, Marmi was glaring forward, breathing heavily.
"But there was no time to be hugging naked,"
Nefiee turned back, a faint smile on her face. I grabbed her offered hand and climbed the slope. She didn't seem tired, as if she was used to such terrain. She also reached out to Marmi, but she climbed without taking her hand. Marmi led the way, followed by me and Nefiee.
"Does she like doing it outdoors?"
"Why?"
"Because you did it in the previous village too."
Her movements stopped for a moment. Her body slid down the slope. I braced her from behind.
"She thought no one was watching."
I wondered what her sister, Maira, would say if she knew.
"We weren't going to peek. We just happened to see you both walking..."
Her voice trailed off, becoming tangled and then silent. She must be embarrassed, bringing it up but then becoming shy.
"Tease. If you were going to watch, why didn't you join us?"
There was no reply. I turned to look and saw her shaking her shoulders, breathing heavily as she stared at me.
"We're only halfway there. You should save your strength."
Nefiee clearly changed the subject. She had been constantly trying to entrust herself to me. A sense of superiority welled up inside me. I wanted to do even more to her, but I also wasn't sure how I should treat her.
"I have no idea where we are. Do you never get lost, Nefiee?"
"I'm marking the trail."
She pointed to a white arrowhead about the size of a thumb stuck into a tree trunk. It was reflecting the white light from the Light spell.
"Did you make it out of stone magic...?"
She nodded at my words. Marmi, who was walking ahead, seemed to be following the markers. Whether it was from the Saviors or another party, she seemed used to these adventures. It made me feel even more like she didn't need to travel with us.
"What's wrong? Are you tired?"
Lost in thought, I realized I had stopped. Her words prompted me, and I took a step after Marmi's trail.
I felt a light vibration on my back. The ground was shaking, a bad sign. When I woke up, the world was shrouded in white mist. The clear starry sky from last night was gone. I had slept under a tarp, but my hair was damp.
"Looks like rain today!"
Hyatts boomed with laughter. I didn't understand what was so funny, but the guard didn't seem tired and was lively as always. Hatts, who should have been on duty with him, was missing, preparing breakfast. He poured water into the pot using water magic. At that moment, the ground shook again. I tried to find the giant, but I couldn't make out anything in the fog.
"It seems to be far away, but is it a giant...?"
"Looks like it's headed in our direction."
"How can you tell?"
"I can hear the sound along with the vibrations."
Hyatts put his hand to his ear and turned his body toward the south.
"Is it already attacking the fortress?"
"Maybe. This shaking happens at regular intervals, so I don't think it's there yet."
Hyatts took his hand away from his ear and stared into the fog.
"Good thing, or we'd get lost. But with this fog, there's a chance we'll miss the marks, so we won't start out yet."
I nodded at his words. If possible, I wanted to confirm the state of the fortress before the giant reached it, but I should follow the instructions of someone familiar with this land. Just then, I heard a "nn..." and Mizuki rubbed her eyes as she sat up.
"Morning..."
Still drowsy, she pushed back her hair and looked around. She seemed strangely alluring. Maira and Marmi, who were sleeping near her, as well as Nefiee, also began to stir.
"Where are Fam and Hatts?"
As I was about to ask Hyatts, I heard the sound of trees rustling in the forest. Soon, they emerged from the fog. They were carrying mushrooms.
"Were you out looking for food?"
"This was just for the errand. I thought if we climbed to the top, we might be able to see the giant through a break in the fog, but..."
Judging by her expression, they couldn't confirm the giant's presence. Even so, were these mushrooms safe to eat? As I stared at the mushrooms Fam had picked, she began to pout.
"Hmm. I thought you liked mushrooms because Master-sama was eating what looked like delicious matsutake mushrooms in the village, so I picked them. If that's not the case, then I don't have to eat them!"
"Hold on, I haven't said anything yet. At least wait until I say something before getting mad."
A raindrop fell on Fam's puffed-out cheek. She looked up at the sky.
"It's raining..."
The pot was bubbling. The mushrooms that Fam and the others had picked were dancing inside. They were yellow and eerie, but had a sweet apricot-like fragrance. I couldn't imagine what they tasted like. I glanced at Mizuki, hoping for her knowledge, but she didn't seem to know anything about these mushrooms either. Since the others didn't say anything, they must be safe. I took vegetables from storage and added them, following the instructions of the three dog-eared race members. The rain beating on the tarp was getting heavier. The fog showed no sign of clearing, enveloping us. At this rate, departure might be later than expected. Because of that, breakfast preparation was progressing leisurely.
"I don't feel the ground shaking anymore..."
Mizuki muttered. Now that she mentioned it, the vibrations that had been happening at regular intervals had stopped.
"Did it disappear again? Or did it reach the fortress?"
"Who knows? If it reached the fortress, there would be some kind of attack, so maybe it disappeared again?"
Hatts replied to Mizuki while adding spices to the pot and stirring. Grains had been added, making it a thick soup. The yellowness of the mushrooms had been softened by the soup's color, now looking appetizing.
"Why does it keep disappearing?"
"Who knows? I don't know,"
Mizuki turned her gaze to me. But even if she looked at me like that, I had no answer.
"Isn't it related to mana?"
It was Nefiee who answered in my place.
"It would take a considerable amount of magic to maintain that body. I wonder if it can't maintain its form without accumulating magic?"
"Wouldn't that be strange? In mythology, I thought mana didn't exist in this world until Lishar, one of the Five Pillar Goddesses, destroyed the mana pot. Yet the Fifty Gods were manifesting in this world and fighting."
Nefiee shrugged at my words.
"I don't know that much. But I do sense a powerful magical presence from the giant."
I turned my gaze to Marmi. She was busy blowing on the soup that Hatts had poured into a bowl for her. I thought she hadn't been listening, but she looked up.
"...I think it's the same as a monster."
"But Racshell said it couldn't be defeated, and our attacks didn't even work?"
"...I only thought they were similar in nature. There are many types of monsters."
Saying that, she ladled a spoonful of soup and brought it to her mouth. She was puffing and blowing on it, as if it was still hot. Watching her, Hatts handed me an algae-shaped rice bowl filled with soup. I tried to scoop out the mushrooms with a spoon, but my eyes met Fam's. Reluctantly, I scooped up a mushroom and put it in my mouth. It had the promised sweetness, mixed with the flavors of spices and other ingredients for a rich taste. It was still hot and almost burned my mouth. But my hand didn't stop, already ladling up more soup.
"I wonder what the Crimson Brigade will do. If something like that attacks..."
Mizuki muttered.
"That's true. I just assumed they'd hole up in the fortress and fight, but it would be troublesome if they ran. We'd also lose our means of pursuit."
They had lost a lot of fighting power in the battle of Migul. It was highly possible that they would escape. Losing the means of pursuit would be a blow. If that happened, they would probably attack some village and try to recover.
The soldiers of the House Wanland should be monitoring the fortress. But they could also get caught up in the giant's attack, and it was unclear if we could even meet up with them.
How we would proceed hadn't been decided yet. I stared at the fog-shrouded forest.
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