Cygnus was still awake even after that grueling conversation. He could also feel that some of the soldiers were not asleep. He was shaking his head while laughing even though he was alone.
"Master, you should rest already since we will be early tomorrow." Mr. C entered the tent and saw that the master was still awake.
"I'll do that later. How about those soldiers?" It was a bit difficult to sleep because he was feeling giddy.
"The major is currently inside his tent while some of them are patrolling around," Mr. C answered as he stood to the side. "Master, things are getting a bit complicated, are you really sure that you're going to go through with this charade?"
Cygnus thought for a second, "Yes. I think it'll be fun and those magic hunters, I'm curios to see how strong they are."
The butler stared at the master for a while without speaking. He could not help but reminisce about the past, when he first met the master.
"What are you looking at?" Cygnus noticed that the butler fell silent and when he lifted his head he saw that he was just staring at him.
"I was just thinking that you've changed a bit." The butler laughed with his slightly mechanical voice.
"Tsk, how many times have I told you not to laugh? That mechanical voice you have is a bit irritating. I should have fixed that up back then." He stood up and walked towards the butler. "And what change are you talking about?"
Mr. C looked at him from head to toe, the way he stood still radiated confidence. Never did he see him having any weakness and at times when he was about to be defeated, his defiant nature would make him come on top.
"You've already done too much for me master and I quite like this voice of mine. As to your change, this is the first time that I have seen you actively participating in your plans. In the past you would always let the others do your bidding." The butler explained with a smile still plastered on his face.
Cygnus remained silent as he stared at the man. Mr. C was the longest companion he had and he could not even remember how he met the man. What he remembered was that he was pretty beat up but after some modifications he was able to move and improve. Now, it has been so long but the man was still by his side.
He leaned back a little and stood straight with his hands in his pockets. "Well, I discovered that doing things myself is more fun because I can do everything I want according to my taste."
"Yes, I could see that and I'm glad that you are having fun." The butler left the master's tent and went into his own.
Inside the major's tent, Lieutenant Lisbon was making his report about what the group had been doing after the dinner. As far as the report goes, there was nothing suspicious from their actions.
"Alright, keep an eye on them, especially on that mage from the tower." The command was received and the lieutenant also left.
Thus the night passed without much issues nor monsters suddenly attacking. Before dawn, the group of travelers and group of soldiers departed. Inside the carriage Nina stretched her limbs then sighed.
"Why do I have to act like a child when I'm already this old!" She exclaimed in frustration. She couldn't believe that she had to adopt a pampered sister's personality while they were on a journey.
"Because it is necessary," Cygnus laughed at the woman's contorted face.
"How did you know?" Astrophos suddenly interjected which interrupted their conversation.
"Know what?" Cygnus looked at him in confusion. The man was a little bit slow on the uptake. The master shook his head at how late he had realized that everything they did yesterday was just an act.
"Don't play dumb! How did you know that they were coming?" Astrophos finally lost it. His voice went up and the anger radiating from him was enough to suffocate anyone who was inside a room with him.
Cygnus did not talk, he only stared at the angry man. "Am I obligated to tell you? Even the butler and Nina don't have the ability nor will to question me, and yet here you are, an unknown person talking like that to me."
The aura of anger dissipated and was replaced by the unmistakable pressure from Cygnus. Nina felt like she was being crushed by boulders at how dense the presence was. Astrophos also felt like his heart and lungs were being squeezed.
As fast as it came, the crushing pressure disappeared. The atmosphere inside the carriage stabilized and finally they could breathe.
"If you do not want to play along with it, then suit yourself but I assure you that you won't reach the capital in one piece. One kind of people I dislike the most are those who ruin my plans. You've already done a good job yesterday so you should continue with it. Think smartly Mr. Astrophos." After those words, Cygnus did not say anything anymore. His focus was now on the outside scenery they were passing by until they came to a stop.
This time it was the soldiers who hunted prey for their lunch while Cygnus's group was in-charge of preparing and cooking the food. The cooperation between the group was smooth and surprisingly united.
"It seems that your group has some sort of a misunderstanding," Major Ginehart observed. He was looking at Cygnus and Astrophos who had an awkward air around them.
The butler looked at the direction where he was staring and chuckled. "That's how they've always been. You don't have to worry. The master is stubborn and so is Mr. Astrophos with their opinions always clashing, awkward moments can't be avoided."
"Eat and rest, we will need our energy once we get out from the forest," Ginehart reminded them. The soldiers answered while the others nodded.
"The area is clear," Lieutenant Lisbon reported after they patrolled the area.
They had just eaten their lunch when a loud roar suddenly echoed throughout the forest and scared the birds from their nests. They flew away and even small animals started to run away, some of them even passed where the group was resting.
"I thought you said that the area is clear," Nina stared at the direction where the roar came from. She took several steps back and stood beside Cygnus.
"Yes, we've scouted the perimeter and even double checked." The lieutenant was also confused as to what was happening. They checked but there were no traces of monsters.
"Monster occurrences in this place are spontaneous. For now, let's prepare because the beast is coming our way."