Not long after Caesar lay down, he was woken up by the cold several times. After tossing and turning restlessly, he decided to get up and stop trying to sleep. He walked over to the campfire and tended to it, the flames crackling and leaping. The night sky was still and quiet, dotted with stars. Caesar didn't recognize a single one, except for the few starry rivers crossing the sky, which York had once told him the names of, though he hadn't remembered them. He passed the time, bored and aimless.
While Caesar was considering whether to get a midnight snack, Angelina hadn't fallen asleep either. The grass mat beneath her was nowhere near as comfortable as the soft bed in her palace. She had initially been unconscious and hadn't felt much, but now that she was awake, the hard mat felt uncomfortable. She noticed Caesar, who was still awake, and looked at the grass cover he had woven earlier that day. Angelina, ever clever, quickly figured out what he had done.
Although she didn't mind Caesar being near her, she couldn't bring herself to ask him to sleep beside her. Even though they had been more intimate in the past, that had been a necessity—she had justified it to herself.
His gray-white hair marked him as a commoner; his blunt, straightforward actions suggested a direct personality. He cooked well and could sew, indicating that he was careful. Angelina silently assessed Caesar's behavior in front of her, much like a noblewoman choosing a husband, though she was far more distinguished than most noblewomen.
Caesar touched the two fruits left in his pouch, which he had planned to save for breakfast the next day. Breakfast was rare in the camp, only provided before a campaign or battle—once the fighting started, you could go an entire day without food.
She was a princess, Caesar thought. She must have breakfast every day. That's why he had saved the two fruits, intending to share them with her in the morning. The thought of feeding her the sweet, fragrant fruits made him eagerly anticipate the next day.
The cold wind blew, and the branches rustled, adding some sound to the otherwise silent night. Looking at the yellow fruit in his hand, Caesar debated whether he should eat his breakfast now, as the cold air made him uncomfortable. Finding something to do seemed like a good idea.
He grabbed a stick, skewered the fruits, and began roasting them. The sweet scent of fruit, the warmth from the fire, and the faint fragrance of Angelina behind him made Caesar feel at ease.
Angelina, struggling to shift her body slightly, turned her head in a new direction. She hadn't been injured—whether from the red attack or the fall off the cliff, both had been intentional in sparing her harm. She was physically and mentally exhausted, and now, she had no strength left. Despite her usual strength, she felt a profound sense of isolation after the events of the past days. She longed for a shoulder to lean on. Her brother and father had always protected her, but now, the only person by her side was Caesar.
Secretly watching Caesar roasting food by the fire, Angelina felt a sense of security—perhaps it was just the comfort of safety. Gradually, this feeling lulled her to sleep.
After finishing his late-night snack, Caesar once again found himself at loose ends. He glanced back at Angelina, who was now asleep. With his sharp eyes, he even saw the peaceful look on her face as she slept. Bored, Caesar tossed stones into the lake, watching the ripples spread and then fade into stillness.
Counting stars, watching the moon, throwing stones—Caesar felt like a solitary wanderer, drifting through the night in aimless boredom. He thought back to the days when he had his sister, parents, and later, brothers and comrades to talk and laugh with. Now, it seemed as if the world had left him alone. He felt a surge of frustration. The night grew quieter and colder, but his irritation only grew. "Damn it, enough! Sleep!" he muttered, kicking his legs in frustration before heading back into the cave.
Angelina remained peacefully asleep, her grass cover tightly wrapped around her. There wasn't even a corner left for Caesar. He gritted his teeth and, with a slight grimace, climbed onto the mat beside her. His movements were gentle, though whether he woke her was anyone's guess.
Once settled, Caesar did not hesitate to move close to Angelina, pulling the grass cover over both of them. The blanket was a little small, barely large enough to cover them both. Caesar planned to make a larger one when he had the time. As he lay down, his right hand instinctively rested on Angelina's waist. She only gave a slight shiver in her sleep.
The night passed quietly.
In the morning, Caesar woke early, a habit he had likely developed in the military. Since he was already awake, he didn't linger. He gently withdrew his arm from under Angelina, where it had been trapped while she slept, and got up to practice his punches.
With each movement, his punches became sharper. His external injuries were almost healed, which surprised Caesar. From his past experience, such wounds usually took about a week to heal.
Maybe it was due to the self-healing ability of the fighting energy, Caesar thought. This was his first serious injury since practicing the fighting energy, and although both Sir Will and Uncle York had mentioned its healing power, Caesar was still surprised by how effective it had been.
He went over to the stone wall where fresh water flowed, drank some mountain spring water, and washed off the sweat from his practice, feeling refreshed. Afterward, he returned to the cave, leaving the last fruit he had saved beside the still-sleeping Angelina. He quietly left, heading out to forage for food for the day.
Unlike Angelina, who had keen senses due to her strong mental powers, Caesar was highly attuned to his surroundings thanks to years of experience and his perfect control over his body from practicing fighting energy. He had noticed earlier that Angelina had woken up when he shifted during the night, but he had pretended not to notice.
Thinking back, Caesar smiled at the memory of her turning over in her sleep and hugging his left arm tightly. For the first time, his feelings toward Angelina shifted from that of a princess to that of a younger sister. Despite her regal nature, he could tell she was still just a young girl at heart.
From the way Angelina had tightly clung to his arm last night, Caesar figured that most of her strength had returned and she could likely eat on her own now. He placed the fruit beside her, signaling that he had no intention of taking advantage of her anymore—whatever advantage had been taken had already happened last night.
With the blood-colored linen-wrapped hilt of his knife in hand, Caesar walked slowly through the forest. The sharp stone that had been coated with the shells of several gray-white creatures had met its end last night. Those strange creatures' shells were no joke—they could even crush a sharp stone. Fortunately, Caesar hadn't used his own knife to crack open the shells; otherwise, he would have been upset.
Following the trail from yesterday, Caesar reached the area where the fruit grew. Fruit was scarce this season, and after walking a while, he found only a dozen or so, most of them shriveled and not very fresh. This meager amount would likely be enough for just two meals, similar to yesterday, so Caesar planned to go farther in search of more. The gray-white creatures on the sandbar had dwindled greatly since the previous afternoon. Although he hadn't counted them, there were probably no more than seven or eight left. Would this be enough for two days? Maybe three? Caesar didn't want to wait until he was almost starving to find a new food source.
The deeper he ventured into the forest, the fewer withered yellow trees he encountered, and more towering, lush century-old trees began to appear. He guessed this direction led into the Murphy Forest. The military camp had a lot of rumors, but Caesar knew that Murphy Forest was not only one of the border areas between Garrel and Shiloh, but also the largest forest in both countries. It was known for being teeming with magical beasts, and without mid-tier servant-level strength, no one should think of entering Murphy Forest. The most common saying was that if you ventured in unprepared, you would end up becoming fertilizer for the forest.
Using the sun during the day and the stars at night, Caesar could still manage to tell roughly which direction he was heading, though it was only a rough guess. The forest all looked the same, and even seasoned hunters could get lost if they weren't careful. After walking for quite some time, Caesar wasn't sure where exactly he was, but he guessed he was near the border between Murphy Forest and the Bering Mountains.
Behind him, the trees were mostly dead and yellow, and there were few fruits left. Caesar debated whether to go deeper. With the ten or so fruits in his possession, a few were different from those he could eat yesterday, and he wasn't sure if they were edible. These fruits might be enough for today, but what about tomorrow or the day after? Gritting his teeth, Caesar decided to press on.
His knife, gripped tightly in his hand, was his greatest source of confidence.
After advancing roughly another two hundred meters, Caesar stopped. He couldn't go further. Unlike the forest he had passed through earlier, this area had no visible creatures, but he could sense the presence of several wild animals. About fifty meters ahead, there was one in particular that felt different from the others, giving him an unusual sense of unease. Caesar, who had eaten his share of wild game, had never felt this way about any animal before.
Crawling low to the ground, Caesar moved forward slowly. He wanted to see exactly what kind of creature this was. It wasn't far from the lake where he and Angelina were staying, and he needed to prepare in case this beast came anywhere near their camp. Although his fighting energy had recovered significantly, he wasn't going to take any chances—this was close to Murphy Forest, after all.
A brown, one-eyed mountain wolf sniffed the ground, confused. It had sensed the presence of an unfamiliar creature nearby, but the scent was faint. After sniffing around for a while without finding anything, the wolf gave up the search and began planning its next meal.