After the fight, both of them were exhausted, so they decided to rest nearby.
"What kind of mission were you on?" I asked the girl named Agnes, who was clearly the leader.
"The adventurer's guild detected some spatial anomaly near the middle of the forest. They suspected some high-stage sorcerer was probably fiddling with space, but they still issued a scout mission to see if there was something wrong," Agnes said with a somber look on her face. She continued, "We thought it was an easy mission that could earn us some gold coins, but who would have thought..." She trailed off, but I understood. As a leader, she felt responsible for the death of her comrades. Sometimes, fate plays a sick game, and there's nothing you can do but accept it and move on.
I didn't try to comfort her. Words wouldn't reach her right now, even if I did.
"It wasn't your fault, sister," Ruby said to Agnes, her voice soft. "No one thought it would end up that way."
Agnes was silent for a moment, looking up at the sky before sighing deeply.
"What will you do now?" I asked, noticing that the sun had already set.
"We will complete the mission," Agnes replied with a determined face.
"What about them?" I didn't question her resolve to continue the mission despite their physical and mental state, but I was curious about what she would do with the bodies of her comrades.
"I'll bury them here in the forest. They have no home or family waiting for them," she said, her voice heavy with emotion. "They weren't just my comrades but also the only family I have aside from my sister."
"We all grew up in an orphanage together. When I turned 15 and awakened my innate talent, I took them with me. I wanted to help them live their lives and not become scum like these bandits," she said, a reminiscing look crossing her face. "Most kids who grow up in orphanages turn out to be thieves, murderers, or bandits. The orphanage doesn't care what kids do after they turn 15."
I felt a pang of sympathy for them. I had a loving family now, but I knew what it was like not to have that. In my previous life, I was in their position.
I was abandoned by my biological parents just after I was born, bullied by older kids in the orphanage, and not loved back for all the love I felt towards someone. I turned bitter. Part of the reason I gave my heart to her was because I loved her, and part of the reason was that I wanted to die.
"Why don't you two bury them, and I'll look for something edible?" I suggested, looking at Agnes.
"Okay," she agreed, ultimately giving me permission to stay by their side, at least for the night.
I had food and water stored in my spatial ring, but I wanted to eat what I hunted, like any other adventurer. My spatial ring was special—inside, the space was as big as a city, and most importantly, time was frozen. This meant I didn't have to worry about my food spoiling. However, it came with its own set of problems. Since time is an even more delicate concept than space, the ring consumed a lot of mana, requiring me to change the high-level mana crystal every 30 days. A single high-level mana crystal could afford a luxurious life for a normal family, but here I was, wasting it. After my reincarnation, I had become accustomed to a luxurious life, but I had a vision—to make everyone's life better, to create a world where no one would suffer. I wasn't sure if I could achieve it, but that was my goal.
Or maybe I was overlooking my own imperfections.
As I wandered, I heard the sound of flowing water and moved towards it. According to the map, there was a lake in that direction. I kept my location on the map in mind to avoid getting lost.
The lake was surrounded by trees, and as I approached, I was unexpectedly greeted by the sight of a naked lady bathing in the water. I had forgotten to mention that I had bypassed an invisible barrier about a hundred meters back. From a very young age, I could perceive the flow of mana, which is why I was able to see this barrier in the first place. The barrier was complex, designed to alert its creator if someone passed through it. I had to concentrate fully to avoid triggering the alarm.
I carefully coated my body with mana as I slowly entered the barrier, making sure not to disrupt the flow of mana even slightly. My hard work paid off as I stood there, looking at the mesmerizing, naked figure of the lady bathing in the lake.
As I watched her, I couldn't help but be drawn in by her beauty. She had long, flowing hair that cascaded down her back, and curves in all the right places. I felt my cock harden as I watched her, a mixture of excitement and lust coursing through me.