We nibbled on the charred meat.
“It’s tough…”
“It smells…”
“Not tasty at all…”
Hmm, even without seasoning, it was unappetizing.
“I miss the terrine I had before.”
“I long for roasted duck.”
“How luxurious. I survived on bread and bean soup.”
The church is all about simplicity.
“We can eat unpleasant food. Let’s endure and hurry through the forest. If we reach a town or settlement, we might find decent food,” I suggested.
“That’s true.”
“We have no money, right? It was more like plundering under the guise of requisitioning…”
While that was a possibility, it was a last resort, especially in a foreign land.
“After we finish this, let’s rest. We’ll wake up early and depart,” I proposed.
We were tired, and there was nothing else to do, so early rest seemed wise.
“Um, are we really going to sleep in that cave… or hole?”
Maria peered into the cavern where the depths were obscured.
“It’s better than staying outside.”
“Sleeping next to you, Your Highness…”
Having a rigid sense of chastity was a consideration.
“We’re not sharing a bed. It’s camping out,” I clarified.
“Well, that’s true… Oh, it doesn’t bode well for my background.”
Such a hassle. Who even came up with this custom in the first place?
“Even in the military, this happens, but it won’t tarnish your record, so don’t worry. Lisha will guarantee it at worst,” I assured.
“I suppose I’ll bear it. I don’t want to stay outside alone,” Maria remarked.
“Given that Maria probably won’t land a good marriage, it doesn’t matter, but what about the watch?” Lisha questioned, leaving Maria disheartened.
“I’ve regained some magic, so I’ll cast a spell to mask our presence. We can’t rely on ourselves for watch duty,” I suggested.
Probably, we’d end up sleeping halfway through.
“True. Honestly, I don’t trust anyone to stand watch, and we won’t get any rest taking turns. Let’s just all get some sleep,” Lisha decided.
That seemed to be the way. Even if Maria volunteered, we didn’t trust her at all. We were noble-born and sheltered.
“Alright. Hmm… our bellies are full. Let’s sleep…”
We put out the campfire, entered the cave, and lay down to rest.
“Every night, our sleeping conditions worsen. From a rundown inn yesterday to sleeping on the ground today,” Lady Lisha grumbled.
“Not much we can do. Let’s assume it won’t get any worse,” I remarked.
“I’ve never slept on the ground before. There’s no pillow either,” Lisha complained.
Me neither.
“Just bear with it.”
“Lloyd, use your arm as a pillow for me.”
“I don’t want my arm to go numb,” I declined.
“Useless man,” she teased.
Annoying.
“Could you two stop being lovey-dovey? It’s making me miserable,” Maria complained.
“Why don’t you let Lisha use your arm as a pillow?” I suggested.
“No, the size difference doesn’t work,” Maria declined.
Well, it would be amusing to see Maria using Lisha’s arm as a pillow.
“Fair point.”
“I wonder if I’ll ever have someone rest their head on my arm someday?” Maria pondered wistfully.
“You might have to survive this to find out,” I speculated.
“I’ll definitely make it through!”
Good to hear.
*Soft snores*
I heard Lisha’s gentle snoring.
“She’s already asleep.”
“She’s always quick to doze off, huh?”
“Indeed. Let’s get some rest too. We’re tired.”
“Alright. Good night, Your Highness… Huh?”
“Just go to sleep.”
We stopped talking and decided to sleep. I didn’t think I could fall asleep in this place, but fatigue took over, and consciousness slipped away swiftly.
***
I turned over, the hardness of the ground bothering me and waking me up. I had woken up multiple times before, but this time, the slight brightness hinted morning, prompting me to rise.
As I tried to sit up, I noticed Maria, on my right, was already up.
“Maria, you’re up early…”
I intended to speak to Maria, but something seemed off about her. Her eyes were wide open, frozen in place, tears streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong… What the—”
I intended to ask Maria as I followed her gaze to the entrance of the cave, but I froze midway just like Maria. A large bear stood before us, staring our way.
“Scream—!”
“Roar—!”
The bear and I yelled simultaneously, the bear opening its mouth wide.
“Swift wind!”
Thinking fast, I cast a spell towards the bear, hitting it with a burst of wind magic. The impact sent the bear flying out of the cave.
“Maria, wake Lisha!”
Instructing Maria, I stood up and stepped outside the cave. The bear, which had taken my magic hit, was looking back at us.
“Darn it! Did it work?”
Without my staff, the power was undoubtedly diminished.
The bear opened its mouth again and charged towards me.
“Die! Flare!”
I unleashed an advanced magic spell, a single-strike lethal spell towards the bear, a fiery mass hurdling at it. However, the bear, despite its appearance, displayed agile movements, dodging my magic.
“Got it! Air Cutter!”
I swiftly cast another magic spell, a secondary one. While not as high-level, it possessed ample destructive force.
The bear, perhaps caught off guard from its previous dodge, failed to evade this time. The Air Cutter struck, causing it to fall forward, its right foreleg severed by the impact. Yet, the bear, still driven by fighting spirit, attempted to rise.
“Die this time! Flare!”
Aiming at the struggling bear, I unleashed Flare, a high-level magic spell. With a right foreleg missing, the bear couldn’t evade it, taking a direct hit to the head, exploding and collapsing.
“This should be the end…”
Surveying the motionless bear, I sat down on the spot.
“Y-your Highness! Are you okay!? Are you safe to leave the cave!?”
Maria’s voice echoed from behind.
“I’m fine.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Are you hurt?”
As I gazed at the bear, Maria hurried over.
“No injuries. Handled it with magic.”
“As expected, Your Highness!
“What was the situation?”
Why was there a bear here?
“I don’t know. I woke up, saw the bear in front of me, and froze in fear.”
“Could this cave be the bear’s den…?”
“Perhaps.”
Returning to the den. If I hadn’t used a spell to mask our presence, I might have been killed in my sleep.
“That was a close call… What about Lisha?”
“Oh, she’s still asleep. Won’t wake up at all.”
Always quick to fall asleep but slow to wake up… like back in our school days when she was perpetually late.
“Let’s wake her up. We should leave this place quickly.”
“Understood.”
Deciding to rouse Lisha, Maria and I entered the cave once more.
