It wasn't a pervert thankfully but I still quickly wiped myself and wore a new set of clothes behind that tree
I felt the woman get wary but still did not flee so I decided to subdue her
Etheria was still in the water, weirdly unconcerned
I didn't pay her any mind and with my hair still drenching...
I grabbed two daggers from the bag that I brought my wear from
As soon as Etheria saw the daggers she widened her eyes and was about to say something but it was too late
I already hurled the knife with full power
Since I wasn't face-to-face with her, I altered the dagger's trajectory
And using gravity I made it so fast that it was undetectable to the naked eye
Then jumped with inhumane momentum reaching her in a moment
As expected, I got stronger
It took a little less from me than it would've in the past
The woman, with her masked face took a defensive stance looking overwhelmed
"Who are you" I coldly asked holding a dagger to her neck and retrieving the other with my other hand
It was stuck in the tree, centimetres away from her face
"Wait wait wait!!" Athy came running with a measly cloth hiding some of her
I tilted my head at her, still not dropping my guard at the woman
"She's the shadow!!"
"Oh?" I removed the dagger from her throat at last
Although I was unapologetic
"Why would you creep on us" I narrowed my eyes
She just avoided my gaze saying nothing
I sighed
"I didn't expect you to get daggers out of nowhere like that." Etheria also sighed, relieved...
"And WOW you are strong! How did you do that with the dagger?!" She admired
The shadow nodded vehemently at that
'Can't she talk?'
"You should have told me a little earlier" I grumbled
"Sorry I didn't expect you to sense her, Jumping from a height is a different matter from this" She chuckled oddly
"Anyway, peeping secretly at naked people is bad"
I talked to her like I talk to a child for some reason
And she nodded sadly
"Let's go back now!" Etheria confidently spoke
"Well if you put some clothes on" I pointed at her, smirking
"I know that..." She murmured with reddening cheeks
●●●
On the way I practiced gravity by drying our hair
I exchanged every molecule of water with a dry molecule of the surrounding air
Of course, I couldn't finish it all as the numbers were staggering
But It was a good exercise and time-passer
We reached our destination.
And the food was prepared already.
With pickled vegetables brought along.
And eight freshly hunted Skenas.
Those are the mix of a rabbit's body and a squirrel's head.
Their meat is very tender and tasty.
I excitedly greeted the bunch sitting around the campfire.
Rin ran next to me as usual and I patted his head.
The shadow disappeared somewhere along the way and was back to sneaking around.
"Come sit down and eat" Nico called
We sat down, and Aravind gave me and Etheria a wooden plate of two roasted skenas and pickled triba, which is red cucumbers.
The vegetation is here is a little different from the empire, although known
It isn't used much because the taste is exotic, I myself prefer normal cucumbers
I took the first bite from the dripping soft meat and enjoyed every bit of it then asked right away
"So...Are we leaving right away?"
Nico inhaled fast which made a chunk go to his throat
"Gasp...Cough...Cough" I patted his back puzzled.
"Are you okay?"
"Cough Y..Cough yes..." He regained his composure.
"Why are you so rushed? You will not be able to be back here in the Istina Empire ever again," He said.
"I mean we can't just stall forever, You all have other jobs to do after all"
He looked at me sentimentally as if touched that I thought of them even in my situation.
"And not that I will miss the empire; I have no attachment to it" I indifferently said.
"Okay, If you are so adamant, We'll leave right away after we clean up." Aravind cut through
"Bu-" Michiel was about to object
But I looked at him and said to Aravind "Great."
He quieted down seeing me unwilling to waste any more time
We cleaned up the camp and tents. It was truly impractical to move such things around like that.
I'd grown accustomed to the luxury of seven carriages' worth of belongings in my back pocket
While others were burdened with carrying their possessions.
With Aravind deeming horses a liability in a monster-infested land, We were forced to travel on foot.
With only Etheria's horse here to help a little with the laguage
Although It was already heavily laden.
We set off, trekking through the forest. Nico and Aravind took care of the few monsters we encountered.
"Here we are," Aravind announced, leading us to a colossal pillar piercing the sky. It had been hidden by the trees, but now it stood before us in all its grandeur.
"It's huge..." Etheria murmured.
The antique-looking pillar, affluent with bizarre epigraphy was the confirmation that we reached the border
There was no guard, and crossing it meant entering the northern land. As we stepped across, the pillar's inscriptions mysteriously lit up.
We got weirded out by the phenomenon, so Nico summoned the shadow. She knelt before Aravind.
"Does this happen to everyone?" Aravind asked.
The shadow nodded. "Alright, you can go ahead. It's better that way," he ordered.
I agreed with his assessment. We continued our journey with the shadow leading the way.
●●●
Five days later, we were deep within the territory. The shadow had written a note indicating two more days to go.
"No!! She can beat you!!" Rin's scream echoed through the forest.
"Look, I understand you respect your sister, but she's no match for me, a seasoned fighter," Nico smugly retorted.
The rest of us sighed collectively.
"Can't you two just be quiet?" Etheria groaned, exhausted.
Rin was furious and stormed over to me. "Sister! Show him! I need you to kick his ass!"
"Language!" I scolded. "And why don't you get stronger and beat him yourself? Aren't you ashamed to involve me in your petty squabble?"
He fell silent, deep in thought. "Actually, you're right," he muttered, turning to Nico. "I'll beat you myself!" He charged at Nico.
"I didn't mean now" I groaned, as Nico and Rin began to fight.
"I'll teach you to respect your elders," Nico smirked rolling up his sleeves
"If you even scratch him, you're dead" Aravind notified.
While Nico shuddered and hesitated Rin got even more rabid as he gained confidence. I stood up and walked over to the oblivious Rin.
"Ouch! Sorry," Rin yelped as I tugged on his ear. "Why can't you just sit still? This uncle's been protecting you all day!" I scolded.
"But you can beat him..." he whimpered.
"That's beside the point." I retorted
"Ahahaha, she didn't deny it!" Etheria burst out.
"Shh...Quiet" Michiel hushed her, fearing another squabble.
Only the shadow seemed amused. Were we some kind of exotic spectacle?
The commotion quickly subsided. We gathered around the campfire, enjoying the peaceful moment.
Over the past five days, we'd grown closer.
Etheria called me Lia, and I called her Athy.
Nico was... well, Nico.
Michiel had become Mike.
Aravind was still Aravind, but I'd soon start calling him Avi.
My eyes gleamed with determination...
As we chatted idly, Nico asked, "I've always wondered, why do you insist on changing people's names?"
"Consider it a nickname," Rin explained. "She only does it for people she likes."
Everyone sneakily glanced at Aravind, who frowned.
I feigned innocence. So he does not realize what I am intending to do
"Why are you smiling?" Aravind asked.
"Just... glad I left," I lied, I made an excuse to hide my revolting thoughts.
"You realize you'll be alone after we leave?" he pointed out.
Etheria pinched his side showing discontent, but he didn't even flinch.
"I know, and I don't regret it one bit," I replied meeting his gaze, my eyes burning with intensity, with a reflection of the campfire's fire
He groaned and averted his eyes.
I stood up straight after that.
"Where to?" Rin asked.
"To tend to the horse," I replied.
I walked over to Zeo, who was tied to a tree.
I began grooming his coat, enjoying the feel of his fur. I'd always loved horses, even in my past life. This poor creature had carried human things for so long.
The real reason, however, was to practice my gravity and survey the area.
An hour-distance reconnaissance for any living beings seems good enough
Caution was always necessary.
I fed Zeo some fruit and played with him.
As I was about to return to the camp...
I sensed an injured human nearby, His size was quite small
"Hmm..."
Should I tell the others first, or simply bring him back?
I couldn't explain how I knew about the injured human, so I decided to bring him back and claim I'd stumbled upon him.
I started heading towards it