[Randall's POV]
Resting in front of a lake, my gaze stayed on my reflection, waving and relaxing in the clean water.
Fortunately, the world around me remained shrouded in silence. The moonlight shining down on everything created a soothing atmosphere.
… The kind that I wish would last for a long, long time. Or that I could have seen more often, back on Earth.
"Ah, right. Earth…"
Footsteps cut off any thoughts that were about to emerge in my mind, indirectly propping me to turn and face the source of these sounds.
… The calm steps of a dark haired woman, wearing a dark cloak that covered almost all of the traits that made her stand out. That was it.
"Jean…? Shouldn't you be asleep already?"
"The same goes to you," replied the woman.
'Hah, she's sharpening her tongue…'
What a great influence I am. Am I right?
"... Hey, Randall."
Again, I faced the other human, who chose to sit down by my side. "What?"
"I know you've told me a few things regarding your hometown, but… I never asked directly. What was it like?"
That… I wasn't expecting that.
I've been feeding her bits of information these last few days, learning something in the process.
She's rather open minded, and a good secret-keeper.
'I guess I can trust her.'
"Well… The place where I came from, Earth, doesn't have demons. Nor elves, or monsters. Only and purely humans. We didn't have magic back then… Only our knowledge."
Her eyes seemed to spark with interest, at the mention of Earth's lack of magic. "How did you survive without magic?"
"Technology… And social status. The more you have of the latter, the better your life would be."
She nodded her head, still looking dazed.
"... Honestly, many would say that I had a pretty enviable life back then. I had it all… A nice house, servants at my service, amazing food… Almost anything I wanted, I could get it within a reasonably short amount of time."
They were stacked, in that regard. Not just their wallets, but… the number of doors they had built.
"I never really had many friends, though… Due to the nature of my parents' lives."
"... I get that," commented my fellow companion.
"You do?"
"Yes..." she muttered, while lying down on the grass, with her two knees raised, the feet touching the ground, and her head tilted away from my general direction.
… I couldn't help but wonder what her parents were like. Kind enough to let her have friends for having a friendship, rather than focusing on networking, with the cold and distant goal of climbing the corrupt and dirty political ladder?...
Or maybe strict, and suffocating? To the extent that her life and emotions found themselves drowning, in an ever-growing crystal sphere of micromanagement… Where even the slightest mistake was harshly punished, by the ones who granted her the 'gift' of living…
Living under dozens upon dozens of layers of selfishness, hypocrisy and bullshit, like everyone else on the stage…
'... I really hope she didn't.'
A yawn coming out of her mouth cut off my thoughts, and I looked at her.
She looked at me.
"… Pfft."
I couldn't help but laugh, and I'm not even sure why.
"Come on, sleepy head. You should sleep, and be in top shape for tomorrow."
"I guess I should…" she muttered, as she walked away. Towards the temporary camp.
"... Hey, Randall."
I turned to face her, again, only to be met with a smile.
"... Thanks for the talk. It was nice."
"No problem."
And so, she went back, while I remained there, observing the lake…
".... Ren, come out. I know you're there."
A small shriek emanated from a bush. Seconds later, the familiar panda-woman came out of the bush, wearing the deep gray hood she was given all the way back in the palace.
"..."
"..."
Needless to say, we stayed silent for a few moments.
"... Since when were you watching?"
"No more than a few moments…"
"Are you sure…?"
She stood tall, holding both of her paws behind her back, until an answer was spat to the wind. "... For a while. Before Jean came."
"Good, good. Now, why were you there?"
She bent over, in a roughly 90° arc. "I-I wanted to apologize for questioning your authority!"
"Is this about the gang from St. Looned? Ren, you've already apologized for that a few times."
"B-but-"
"No buts. We already went over that issue a few times, so stop bringing it up. Alright?"
"I understand," she muttered, while turning to leave with her face looking at the floor. However, she stopped mid-way.
"... May I ask a question?"
"Sure thing."
She scratched her head, now raised, and fired her shot. "Why do you call me Ren?"
Ah, so it's just that?
"You see, it was just a way to distract you back when you were wounded. Remember, in the alley?"
Her body shuddered, and she nodded. "Then…"
"After that, it just sort of stuck," I commented, only to get to see her dumbfounded.
She blinked a few times, before finally reacting. "Oh."
… I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Hah, were you expecting some complex reason?"
"Yes..." she muttered, still stunned.
The panda-woman's sight focused on the nearby body of water. With her serious face deeply focused on the almost unmoving, serene water, I couldn't help but have a thought.
Fuck the plan of building a harem.
'Yeah. They don't deserve to be humiliated like that.'
Letting out a sigh, I lifted myself up and patted her shoulder. "I'm off to sleep. You should do the same."
***
… After an unknown amount of time, the two humans, the panda-woman and the lime-haired elf arrived at a certain location.
Where towering trees with abnormal shapes rose from the grass, and sometimes went back to it. In the depths of their hollow trunks, some wood separated the many levels of the unorthodox building.
The smaller ones only had some stairs within the trunks, leading to the "crown" of the tree. The leaves surrounding it acted as natural walls, protecting the many pieces of furniture and the owners from outside threats.
"We're formally on elven territory now. To be specific, we are in the Mystical Forest, one of the three Gardens that Edelchia is divided into. Thus, behave properly. And Gray, do not take off your hood. No matter what."
The figure underneath the gray hood shuddered, but did as it was told. All the while the others observed the area.
"... What is that smell?" Inquired Randall, who had covered his nose a while back.
"Ah, the sweet smell of alcohol. One of life's best pleasures…"
His face remained both disgusted by the smell, and darkened by the deep blue hood covering his identity.
"Alcohol?... What's that?" questioned the gray figure.
"... You don't know alcohol?" Inquired the elf, wearing a dark green hood, only for the hooded beastkin to shake her head.
"Well, you almost made me feel pity…"
Natasha let out a sigh after uttering that, and her default, serious facial features came back to her. "Whatever, time to restock on supplies and find some shelter for tonight."
As she walked ahead, a small poster pinned in a wooden board caught Hiyoshin's attention.
On it, the fair face of an elf with short, silver hair stood out, along with some words.
At the very top, "Capture Request!"... And below?
'Reward: 6000 gold coins!'
Another elf swung by the board and sctrunized the bounties for five seconds. Subsequently, he took three elimination request and left.
Hiyoshin saw the whole thing, including the beast-like features of his chosen targets. She couldn't help but let out a sigh.