We snuck out of the city in the middle of the night.
It wasn't that dealing with the authorities would be difficult at this point...just that it would be annoying.
Regular soldiers were little more than gnats to us now.
Having so much power felt good, but it came with responsibility. I didn't want to massacre the common people with it and we had a job to do.
Once we were far enough from the city, I stopped, then pulled out my old map and compass.
I had to fight back tears this time as I set the destination for a port that would likely take us a week to reach on foot.
"Mizik, shouldn't we have taken a couple of horses?" Isabella asked me.
"I admit it would be useful but...I've never ridden one before..." I said.
"Well, you could always ride with me. I'm experienced with horse riding."
I imagined holding onto Isabella from behind as we rode a horse through the wilderness and felt somewhat flustered.
I also cursed myself for not getting a horse.
"Something the matter?" Isabella asked.
"That's...well..." I managed to say.
"Don't tell me... You're shy about holding onto me while riding a horse, aren't you?" Isabella said playfully.
I nodded.
"Mizik you can be really cute sometimes, you know?" Isabella said with a smile.
"Let's just go... We can move quickly on foot. We have plenty of speed now, right?" I said.
"I guess so, but it isn't as fun if you're not holding onto me the whole time!" She said.
"Don't worry, I understand. As long as we can still cuddle for warmth at night, I don't mind," she said.
Truthfully, ever since the incident at the mansion, Isabella and I had become closer than ever.
We were our only comfort at this point.
I smiled at her and nodded. After that, we began moving again.
As we walked, we had a conversation.
"Mizik, Isn't this similar to the we traveled to Albatross for the first time?" She asked.
"Sort of. Although, Walter isn't here watching from the shadows..." I said.
Isabella had a solemn expression on her face upon hearing my words.
"Say, if we find a hot spring, you won't get mad at me if I sneak a peek, right?" I said jokingly.
"That was an accident, my love. You didn't know it was me. I'm just glad I didn't freak out and hit you like some women probably would have done. Although...I would probably invite you to join me now!" Isabella said with a smile.
I quickly tried to change the subject.
"R-right... Hey, did I ever teach you to hunt and prepare meat? I can't remember..." I said.
"No. You didn't. I still don't know how to do any of those things, but I can keep you warm and safe!" Isabella said as she hugged my arm.
It was cute...but it didn't have quite the same effect as when we didn't have armor on.
"Then leave it to me. I'll keep us fed out here. But now that I think about it, I don't have my blanket anymore. I sort of got rid of it a while back."
"Hmm...I have a sleeping bag from my adventuring days. Just in case I was stranded or traveling. If we can fit, then we can share it."
I smiled at Isabella and we continued onwards.
That night, we used magic to clear the grounds of snow so that we could lay down.
I prepared a campfire and hunted a few animals. After that, I got to work on some traps.
As for materials... Let's just say I never fully cleared my inventory of goblin bones and other useful tools.
I also kept some pre-assembled traps in my inventory as a means of quick deployment.
Honestly, seeing the old goblin traps again took me back to the time I was in the sewers.
Eventually, all the traps were set around our camp and I butchered the animals. Once the two of us had eaten, we took our armor off and got into Isabella's sleeping bag.
It was a bit of a tight fit, but it would keep us warm. The Kalsan Wilderness was a cold and harsh place. We had to keep warm or we would freeze to death.
Since the wilderness was fairly devoid of humankind, we decided it would be more convenient if we didn't put our armor back on for a while.
In all honesty, the armor was for little more than decoration anyway. Compared to the stats offered by our swords, our armor seemed useless.
It just felt more natural to fight while wearing armor.
Despite this, we continued on.
* * *
Later one night as I was out hunting, I moved quietly around a few trees.
Isabella stayed at the camp tending to the fire and keeping warm.
She wasn't as quick and silent as I was when hunting. It was easier to do alone.
As I searched for something to eat, I thought about how we would kill the Source.
It still seemed like it would be difficult. Maybe even impossible.
But I had to try anyway.
Eventually, I managed to find a rabbit and shot I with a low-powered arcane ballista.
I quickly scooped it up and took it back to camp.
As I arrived, I saw Isabella poking the fire with a stick. She smiled at me.
"Welcome back! Find anything good?" She said.
"A rabbit. It's hard to find anything out here during the cold season, so this might be it. You still have food in your inventory?" I asked.
She nodded.
"I still have a few things preserved from Albatross. And I even took some things from the Iratus Estate."
"Good. Anyway, I'll start preparing to cook."
She nodded.
"I'll help by keeping you warm!" She said.
I smiled at her and began working on the meal.
We ate and climbed into the sleeping bag again.
As usual, she held me in her arms.
It had become normal for her to hug me like an oversized body pillow...
But that was okay. She was all I had now, and being so close was the only comfort I had.
Although...I had grown a lot since the first time we slept together.
I was certain that we were around the same size now, at least. But that didn't stop her.
At last, we drifted off to sleep once more.
* * *
One morning as we continued southwest, Isabella seemed particularly depressed.
"Hey, is something wrong?" I asked her.
She frowned at me.
"Today is my birthday. I'm seventeen today... I wanted to spend it with you and my family, but I can't do that anymore..." She said sadly.
I hugged her and kissed her cheek.
"How about I do something special for you, then? I'll get you whatever kind of gift you want. Name it and it's yours."
I hated seeing her upset... She was the person that I treasured most. If possible, I wanted to help her smile.
"I can't ask you for anything like that, Mizik. Just being near you is enough. But if you're serious...I don't want something expensive. I hate expensive things..." She said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because money can't buy happiness. Living in luxury for your whole life...you miss out on a lot. Simple things that the common people take for granted. It's why I cherish the ring you gave me. It's not luxurious, but it was given with real love."
She loves it that much?
I searched in my inventory for anything I might have had to give her, but then stopped myself.
She doesn't want some random meaningless gift. She wants something that she can treasure.
"I can't...give you anything right now. I don't have something worth giving you that you'd accept at the moment. But I promise I'll get you a gift that you'll always treasure," I said.
"I think you're missing the point a little. I don't need a gift. I said that if you were serious, to get me something given in love. But I don't want that. How can I ask for anything when I already have you? It just sounds ungrateful," Isabella said.
"I feel bad for not-"
She held up her hand
"I get to sleep with the man I love more than anything in this world every night. I get to eat your delicious cooking, share your company, protect you, and hear you speak. Mizik, that is far more than any gift you could ever get for me. All I want for my birthday is for us to both survive."
I smiled at Isabella.
"Then I promise...we'll get through this."
After that, we continued on.
Eventually, we reached the southwestern port city of Koln. Located at the very edge of Kalsa.
We headed down to the port area and Isabella stepped forward to charter a ship.
"Excuse me, we would like to charter a ship to Hakumo. How much will that be?" Isabella said.
"Well, Hakumo is rumored to be dangerous, lately. Also, the trip is pretty expensive. How's about we come to a little arrangement? You're pretty cute, after all..." The sailor said to her.
Isabella smiled.
"Sorry. I meant to say my husband and I would like to charter a ship. How much will that be?" She said plainly.
"Hey, I don't mind. He can join in if he wants. Or he can watch," the sailor said with a sly smile.
I decided to approach him and I picked the man up by his neck.
"Listen, I can easily crush your throat right here and throw you into the water. Tell us the price and we will be on our way," I said.
"Guh...hah... It's...t-ten thousand... Please let me go..." He managed.
I dropped him and he looked up fearfully at me.
"What's an Iratus along here!?" He said.
Isabella glared at the man.
"That's none of your business. We don't owe you an answer," she said as she held out a magic pouch containing twenty thousand gold.
The sailor scrambled for his pouch and Isabella transferred the money to him
After that, the man handed us two tickets and narrowed his eyes.
"If you try anything, you'll regret it," I said menacingly.
The sailor looked away and we crossed the gangplank onto the ship.
I made sure to prepare extra food for us to eat during our trip before we arrived in port. The ship we chartered was a medium-sized cargo vessel.
There were a few people onboard already that looked to be travelers as well.
"Isabella, cover your face. I don't trust these people," I said.
At once, she pulled the hood of the cloak she was wearing up and raised a scarf up over her mouth and nose.
I did the same with mine and we made our way below deck. Once we found a quiet and empty corner of the cargo hold, we sat down together.
"Mizik, do you not trust the people on this ship?" Isabella said curiously.
"Not at all. You tend to attract a lot of attention. Since we're still in Kalsa territory, a lot of people will recognize me as an Iratus. I don't want to cause trouble, is all," I said.
"I appreciate the thought, but don't worry about them. If they try anything, we can easily take them down."
"I know. But it isn't okay for a lady to have to go through such things. Especially if that lady is you," I said.
"That is exactly how I felt in that awful mansion..."
"I hope we can forget about that place, someday," I said.
"Me too. Hey Mizik, I'm feeling tired. Would you mind watching over me as I sleep?" She said.
"Not at all. Please do," I said. Immediately after I spoke, Isabella pushed herself onto me and laid her head on my chest.
Soon after that, she was snoring loudly.
I need to see if it's possible to help her with that...
I put my arm around her and looked at my status menu.
There were a few skills that I thought might be useful if we were traveling over the water.
I purchased one called 'Waterbreathing'. And upgraded it to maximum.
Eventually, I felt the ship start moving and we were on our way to Hakumo.