"Is our journey still long? I can no longer afford to walk. I couldn't feel my feet," Gilda complained.
"Well, let's rest here first."
Their journey has indeed gone too far. Even farther away, Arthur didn't know where he was going at this time. However, he didn't want to tell Gilda so his abilities would not be underestimated anymore.
"Actually, where are we?" asked Gilda with a gasp.
"Maybe, soon we'll find the Dark Forest," Arthur replied casually.
"Maybe? Your words sound less convincing to me. Luckily we went down the direction of the river, and otherwise, maybe we would have died of thirst."
"That's right. Thank me for providing a brilliant idea for our lives' safety, " said Arthur confidently.
Gilda squealed as she threw a cynical look at Arthur.
No wonder Arthur felt confident in his conjecture because he also felt that his steps were not too far from the Dark forest even though, at that time, he took any direction to escape. However, Arthur already has a plan. The plan was that he would lure Gilda to come to Howa's cave of her own accord and make the girl his captive. The purpose of doing that is that he wants to show all members of his family, especially Rudolf, that he managed to capture the number one girl in the village of Tanee without coercion from him.
The ridicule constantly thrown at each other makes Arthur and Gilda more accustomed to the situation. The two had rarely quarrelled like when they met in the early days.
Crack...
Suddenly, there was a trampling sound from behind them. That made three of them throw glances at each other out of alarm.
"It seems the sound came from behind that snow-capped bush. You guys wait here, let me check the situation there," said Arthur.
With a slow stride, Arthur dispelled the bushes blocking his steps. However, he saw nothing behind the bushes. So, out of curiosity, he also went further to ensure the surrounding situation was okay. When he was watching the surroundings, suddenly something perched on his shoulders, making Arthur startled by the jerky body.
"Looking for someone?" said the voice of someone who was out of nowhere of origin. The voice sounded familiar to Arthur's ears but was also very mysterious.
"Stop messing around. Who are you?! Show me your existence!"
"Just two days of not seeing each other, then you forgot my voice?" the person hissed.
Slowly, the person appeared in Arthur's sight. His two eyeballs rounded when he saw that the person he recognized very well was in front of him.
"GUS?! How could you be here?!" asked Arthur, surprised.
"Ssshh! Don't be noisy. Later, your new friends can hear," Gus concluded as he put the finger on his mouth.
"New friends? You mean, Gilda?"
Gus nodded in agreement.
Not having time for Gus to answer, Arthur suddenly heard Koya's screams from a distance.
"Mr Jotun?! Are you okay? What happened there?" cried Pipi in her cute voice.
Confused, Arthur asked Gus what he should do and said. Gus told him not to tell him anything about his presence.
"I'm good. There's nothing here. I'm back soon," Arthur said in response to Pipi's question.
"Well, I'll go back to them. You owe me a question you haven't answered. And also that sword, you have to tell me why Gilda's sword can be on you," Arthur said.
"Yes, take it easy. I'll answer everything at the right time. Continue your journey."
Arthur nodded in agreement. He also returned to Gilda and Pipi, who had been waiting for him since earlier.
"There's nothing there. We're safe," Arthur reported to Gilda.
"Ah, thank goodness. I'm tired of all sorts of terror in this forest," Gilda said relievedly.
Finally, they continued their journey, with Gus following closely behind. Along the way, Arthur kept thinking about Gilda's sword that Gus was currently holding.
The jotun began to think that Gus might have also been lost, just like himself. The one initially looking for his whereabouts, following in his footsteps, then lost his way to no way home.
"You know, in times like this, I miss my mother so much," Gilda told Pipi on the trip.
"Princess, don't be sad. I was the same, missing my mother very much. Ah, yes. For some reason, since the Princess's presence, I've been feeling calmer than before. I also feel safe and don't feel lonely anymore," said Pipi with a small smile.
"Hmm... I will always be there for you while I am capable. If one day I have to leave first after this agreement, please tell my father a message that I love him very much," Gilda retorted.
"Princess! Don't talk like that! We will survive and return home to the village of Tanee together. That's our promise, agree?"
Step by step, they went down the river that became their way. Finally, after about two hours of walking, there was a sudden noise not far away from them standing.
"You heard that? Sep-it seems to be a voice..."
"Waterfall!" rebutted Gilda so excitedly that she interrupted Arthur's remarks.
They also ran towards the waterfall. Although the air was frigid because of the falling snow, they didn't care about it. The most important thing right now is that they found their way home. Arthur's guess turned out to be accurate. The waterfall they found was a waterfall at the foot of Howa mountain. Why, then, can Ivar not recognize the area? This is because some parts of the Dark Forest are covered with heavy snow that is difficult to realize by him. For example, when they reached the waterfall, they appeared from different sides of the forest in different directions.
"If we had found this waterfall, it would have been that we were in the Dark forest area, right?" asked Gilda ascertained.
"yes, you're right. It's just that I need to ensure that I don't retake the wrong path. Because these snows are enough to confuse me when I see the road," Arthur retorted.
"Ah, you guys wait here. Enjoy the beauty of this waterfall while I look around to ensure it is," Arthur said again.
Gilda and Pipi agreed on the direction Arthur gave. However, Arthur wasn't confirming the situation; instead, he wanted to meet with Gus for all the questions Blum answered.
"Gus, how is it? Answer my question yesterday!"
"I found this sword when I was trying to find you. I followed the traces and clues I found while on the way. Until I finally found you," Gus said.
"Then, why don't you want to meet Gilda?" asked the still-watching Arthur.
"I didn't believe it. But, I don't know, I have a bad feeling about that girl."
"Gus, come on! She is just an ordinary helpless girl. She should be afraid of me because she is in my territory. My family and I have been making their citizens, and even their families disappear," said Arthur.
"Then, what do you think has kept her in your direction until recently?" asked Gus.