A Shameful Walk and a Battle at Camp
Ethan and Alicia walked in silence, neither daring to look at the other. The heat from their earlier actions still lingered in their minds, making the journey back to camp awkward.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them made eye contact.
It was the ultimate shame walk.
But as they neared the camp, the atmosphere shifted. The distant sounds of battle reached their ears—screams, the clash of weapons, the roars of monsters.
Alicia's expression hardened instantly.
"The camp is under attack!" she shouted before sprinting forward, her body moving with the grace and speed of a seasoned warrior.
Ethan, however, stopped in his tracks.
Shit… I can't fight.
His fists clenched as he watched Alicia charge into battle. His fear kept him rooted in place—he had no powers, no combat ability. If he rushed in, he'd only be a liability.
Instead, he stood back and observed.
Alicia was a force of nature.
Now that her injury was fully healed, she moved with incredible power, cutting through the monsters like a reaper. She weaved between them effortlessly, her strikes precise, her movements fluid.
Within minutes, the battle was over.
The injured were being tended to, but thankfully, there were no serious casualties. The camp survivors stared at Alicia in awe.
"She's healed…" someone whispered.
Then, cheers erupted.
"You did it, Lady Alicia!"
"She's back to her full strength!"
Alicia wiped the sweat from her forehead, letting out a relieved breath. But then—
"Wait a second…" One of the camp members frowned. "Why did you two come back so late?"
Ethan and Alicia froze.
Their faces turned bright red.
Ethan felt his soul leave his body.
Alicia quickly composed herself, clearing her throat. "We… ran into some monsters on the way back."
"Ohh, that makes sense," another camp member said with a nod. "Glad you made it back safely."
But then—
"What kind of monster did you run into that delayed you for so long?"
Ethan didn't know why, but Alicia suddenly blurted out—
"It was a big one."
The camp members leaned in, curious. "How big?"
Alicia hesitated. Then, with a flustered expression, she said, "…Around 7 to 8 inches."
Silence.
Then—
"Inches?!" The camp members looked at each other in confusion.
Realizing her mistake, Ethan quickly corrected, "I-I mean 7 to 8 feet! A big monster! A huge one!"
The tension between them was unbearable.
The camp members looked even more confused.
"Why do you two look so embarrassed?" one of them asked.
Desperate to steer the conversation away from disaster, Ethan quickly said, "W-Well, you see… when we were fighting, Sis Alicia was very wild! Jumping here and there, not letting the monster get stable!"
Alicia's face turned an even deeper shade of red. But she wasn't going to let Ethan get away with that.
"It's not my fault!" she shot back. "You were also very wild, so I had to handle it carefully!"
Ethan nearly choked.
"What can I do?!" he blurted. "I had to satisfy you!"
Another long silence.
The camp members blinked.
"…S-Satisfy Lady Alicia?" someone repeated, their voice filled with confusion.
Realizing how it sounded, Ethan quickly panicked. "W-WAIT, NO! I meant—I meant that after getting healed, she was too wild in battle and got herself hurt again! So as her fighting partner and a healer, I had to constantly satisfy—uh, I mean, heal her injuries!"
Alicia quickly nodded. "Y-Yes! That's exactly what happened! That's why we were so embarrassed! It was a rough fight, after all!"
One of the camp members let out a sigh of relief. "Ahh, that makes sense. I can understand how emotional it must've been, finally being healed after all this time."
"Yeah! That's it!" Alicia said quickly.
"Well, we're just glad you're both safe. Let's celebrate our leader's return to full power!"
With that, the tension faded, and the camp members began preparing a small party in Alicia's honor.
Ethan and Alicia, however, stood awkwardly to the side, avoiding each other's gaze.
That was way too close.