Caroline gently leaned back against the neatly made bed, gathered up the sheets, and then closed her eyes slightly and breathed a long sigh of relief. She hadn't fallen asleep like Kura had when she'd seen the bed; strictly speaking, the stained walls had made her very uncomfortable. Besides, Jared hadn't come back yet, which made Caroline slightly uneasy. She unconsciously tousled her hair down to her chest, and subconsciously glanced at her clothes. After arriving here, Caroline immediately asked the innkeeper to fetch some water for her, and then Caroline washed her clothes with her own hands. She couldn't stand to have her clothes so dirty after all that time in the desert.
Caroline gazed at her dress, which was dripping downward, then she suddenly looked puzzled, and turned to look at the door.
(... Come in, the door is unlocked.)
"Okay."
Jared gently opened the door, subconsciously glanced at Kura, who was still in a deep sleep, before turning to Caroline, and seeing her half-naked posture in front of him, Jared froze for a moment. Then he shook his head helplessly and handed over the object in his hand.
(Is this?)
"I asked Mr. Florence to buy women's clothing from the merchants here. I knew you couldn't help it, but ... why don't you think about what you're going to do tomorrow if your clothes aren't dry? Do you want to get on the bus in wet clothes? Or just half-naked?"
(That's better than dirty laundry.)
Caroline stretched out an arm as white as jade and took the package Jared handed her.
"Ahem ... So,nothing else I'm going back to bed."
Sensing that the situation was clearly not right for him to be in the room, Jared shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave.
(... stay here...)
"Eh?"
For a moment Jared thought he'd misheard her, even though Caroline's conscious communication had never been wrong. But in this case, what was the point of asking him to stay? If it was just a man and a woman, it would have been a bit of a fantasy. But with Kura sleeping right next to him, even though the girl looked like she'd been sleeping all day, she couldn't be trusted. Besides, Jared knew that Caroline wasn't the frivolous type. After working with her for six years, he knew that this true noble lady was a gentle person with a strict demeanor. There is no way that she would have the sudden urge to do something exciting like this. ...
(... stay here, you have something to say.)
"Ahhh, that's true."
Now that he'd said that, Jared wasn't going to be polite. He pulled out a chair and sat down next to Caroline, watching her. Caroline was a little embarrassed to notice Jared's gaze. She shook her head and stared into Jared's eyes.
(Say it.)
"That's right."
As soon as he got down to business, Jared immediately put the rest of his thoughts to the back of his mind, and it wasn't too late to pick them up again afterward.
"Just now, I got some information from one of the viscounts down there, and I think we should be able to utilize that ... you know, like we did before."
Caroline tilted her head gently, then a wry smile spread across her face as realization dawned on her.
(You mean 'that'.)
"Yes, that's the one ..."
Jared held out one hand while Caroline held out the other and held them together. They both closed their eyes at the same time, and after a moment, opened them again.
（So, how about it? The game.)
"Okay."
A smug smile spread across Jared's lips. In fact, it was their favorite game to play on the run. Because there were so many people to hide from, the first thing they had to do was work on their relationship. They had done this many times before, choosing the most suitable identities for hiding according to the local environment, people and customs, sometimes as brother and sister, sometimes as classmates, sometimes as enemies. The identity changes according to the situation, and the relationship between the two men is used to determine the disguise of the other man.
"... Caroline Diederweiler Louise..."
(... Jared.)
"Identity is the heir of a fallen noble..."
（Wait, why does it have to be a nobleman?)
"I say, Missy, haven't you ever noticed it yourself?"
Jared let out a bitter laugh.
"You're born with that kind of demeanor, you can't even pretend. I'd love to be set up as a warrior character, but you look like a warrior in the wind and rain."
(Doesn't ... nobility matter?)
"According to Florence, it doesn't matter much. Moreover, the fallen nobles will have training in etiquette and so on, so it's even more inconspicuous."
(... Then, Jared is equally aristocratic.)
"... Where do I look like an aristocrat?"
（I'm your partner and subordinate, aren't I? Since I'm an aristocrat, you can't get away with it either.)
Caroline smiled softly, conveying her thoughts exactly as they should have been.
"... Well, I'll try hard to try."
Jared shook his head helplessly, he wasn't sure.
(So, go on.)
"... About the location, just say it's from the Sunset Swamp in the south, no problem."
Hearing this, Caroline frowned slightly.
(As I recall, Mr. Merchant seemed to say that it was once the site of the civilization of a great magical empire ...)
"That's right, one or two fallen nobles wouldn't arouse suspicion if they were from there. Moreover, it's a country that has already dissipated, so naturally there's no threat or influence to speak of."
(So, what about place of birth?)
"Speaking of which ..."
Jared subconsciously looked at his right arm, the magical lines of the runes on it giving him sudden inspiration.
According to Viscount Zach, magical weapons are all kinds of strange in this world. So, like them, the form of summoning may be a bit surprising, but it's not something to be particularly concerned about. But not everyone can afford to use, in addition to some ancient families will be handed down from generation to generation, the rest only magicians and dwarves will occasionally make a few. This gave Jared an excellent idea.
"Why don't we just say that we were raised under a wizard, and it'll fit the context."
(You mean the gentleman?)
Caroline also subconsciously stroked the back of her hand, after all, that experience could be considered an important turning point in their lives.
"Yes, and we get our weapons from him, so that makes it even more convincing."
(I see.)
Caroline nodded, and although she was always very meddlesome in her day-to-day life, when it came time to make a decision, she wasn't one to drag her feet.
（What about our relationship?)
"..."
The question stumped Jared, and he scratched his head in disbelief. After all, a man and a woman, two people traveling alone. Without an adequate explanation of their relationship, it would be a problem. A couple? No, it seemed like a natural relationship, but it wouldn't work between him and Caroline. But to say that it was just a simple friend, but it was also not like ... For a while, Jared really did not have the means to find a relationship that could fit the identity of the two people in this world.
(I do have a good idea...)
Caroline rested her hand gently on her chin and looked at Jared with a smirk.
（Let's just say we grew up together as childhood friends and are already engaged?)
"... huh?"
(What, after six years of being partners, you can't even do such a small thing, can you?)
Caroline frowned, but her expression seemed to be quite amused. Jared stared at her challenge for a moment, then immediately frowned.
"What the hell is this idea all of a sudden?"
(I've never done this before, so I suddenly wanted to give it a try?)
Caroline said, slightly leaning forward, the pair of different colors of eyes with a hint of cunning, so curious and full of challenges to look at Jared. Looking at her flawless skin and her breasts, which were still clearly defined despite being wrapped in a sheet, Jared sucked in a breath of cold air, and then looked ready to take on the challenge.
"Yeah, no problem. This way, you can't complain about being held by me at night, and if any man dares to pester you, I'll beat him up."
（I don't care if I can get some peace and quiet. Please protect me, after all, I'm your fiancée.)
"Hey, you ..."
Listening to Caroline's smug talk, Jared suddenly felt himself getting a headache. In fact, if you think about it, although on the surface Caroline appeared to have lost her autonomy. But for someone who rarely interacted with others, autonomy didn't matter. And, rather than being surrounded by men, Caroline's first thought was to avoid them. A fiancé's big sign made Jared her automatic sentry, and when you think about it, Caroline had nothing to lose except cuddling. But for Jared, a very serious problem arose.
"Wait, does that mean you're going to ..."
(As a fiancée, it's normal to keep your fiancé away from other women, right?)
"Not counting, that setup definitely doesn't count! Start over!"
(ah la? "A gentleman's word is his bond" is a famous saying in your country ...)
"This is ..."
Jared didn't finish his sentence, for he suddenly stood up, and there was a flash of black light. The double-edged sword "Aozora" immediately appeared in Jared's hand, the deep black sound of the sword did not reflect a single ray of light. Seeing Jared take out his weapon, Caroline immediately became more serious.
(What happened?)
"... It seems that someone is trying to hit Mr. Florence's carriage ... I'll go check it out."
With that, Jared went to the window and glanced at Kura, who was sleeping soundly and had not been awakened by them at all. The little girl was now holding the doll tightly, and looked carefree as she slept sweetly.
I'm envious.
With that, Jared's figure vanished in an instant.
In the dim moonlight, Jared's figure appeared to be swaying. His illusory form separated into fragments under the moonlight, and even on the soft sand, there were no footprints of Jared. His ability, "Light Manipulation", could erase and change the effects of light, so unlike stealth, Jared had the ability to change, or even reset, anything that could be determined by sight.
So, when he came to Florence's carriage almost strolling, the few people who were facing him didn't even show the slightest abnormality. Because, they had no way to see Jared's presence. At the moment, they were gesticulating hard, sounding like they were arranging an escape route and how to attract their pursuers.
"You, go over there and start a fire! There's not much that can burn here, but those carriages can easily burn! You, go stab a few horses, then we'll take advantage of that time."
This is stealing?
Jared immediately sensed something strange. These guys were no ordinary thieves. Ordinary thieves would run and hide, then choose the right time to sell and use the goods. But the other side even thought of how to mobilize their pursuers, so there was only one possibility, they were definitely not ordinary thieves.
So it seems Florence is carrying no ordinary merchandise.
Jared strikes.
For those he killed, they'll never forget the sight.
A man who was already standing on the wagon, with his feet on the bag, was the first to bear the brunt of the blow. Immediately, his body "silently" automatically opened a wide gaping hole, from which blood sprayed out, his mouth opened wide in surprise, and before he could see clearly what had broken open his body, he fell headlong. The rest of the people are the same, although they tried to grab a weapon to resist, but in the face of see can not even see the opponent, they simply do not have time to do any resistance, because also do not know exactly who to resist ...
"Damn it!!!"
Definitely not because of Jared's kindness to barely survive the killing storm that did not even know how to start, the leader of the thieves angrily shouted, and then turned around and ran. But at this moment, a white lightning bolt came flying, Caroline appeared at the side of that guy in an elegant position, and the rune sword in her hand had firmly pierced the man's ankle. At this moment, she had already changed into the costume that Florence had chosen, and looked as beautiful as ever. At this moment, Jared has also appeared again, he waved the two swords in his hands, shaking off the blood on them before slowly walking over.
Caroline smiled at the captive on the ground, as if it was just a kitten, but at the moment her thin sword was still pinned mercilessly in her opponent's ankles, and the thief leader obviously couldn't bear the pain, and had already started to cry out in pain.
"Who are you ..."
Jared walks up to the leader of the thieves and looks at him with a questioning and murderous gaze.
"..."
He won't talk, so it seems he's decided to fight for his stamina.
Jared winked at Caroline.
The white runic sword immediately jumped up, and then pierced the other foot without any obstacles.
"Wooah!!!"
The screams were unusually bleak, but Caroline's expression didn't change.
When a weapon is sheathed, blood must be seen.
It's their death rule.
"I, I said ..."
Seeing Caroline elegantly pull out her fine sword again, then took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the blood on it, and then gestured to look like she was going to stab her own hand, the thief leader finally couldn't hold back. It wasn't because of the pain, but because while doing all these things, the girl's face didn't show any abnormality at all, as if she was facing a lamb to be slaughtered, but the young man's eyes were even more terrifying. The eyes of the young man were even more terrifying, as if he was enjoying his own pain in a playful manner!
Besides, he knew very well that his leg was already ruined. Can't let this girl again to his hand also waste it. Legs are gone, rely on the hand can still survive, hand is gone ... a limbs can not move stall waste ... he no longer dare to think about it.
"...I,I'm a member of a thieves' guild, and we ...Woo!!!! In the other day received a quest ... said that, said that we should come here to steal the things on this carriage ... we also do not know who issued the quest ... we ..."
"Thank you."
Jared said politely, then smiled apologetically.
"Goodbye."
"Woo...!!!"
Just as Caroline got Jared's signal and was about to backsword the thief through the throat, suddenly a voice appeared that should never have been here.
"Sister Caroline? Brother Jared? What are you doing here?"
The two of them turned around in surprise, only to see Kura looking at them sleepily, still clutching the worn-out ragdoll in her arms.