Chapter 44: Ch 44. Happy Picnic part 3

Marcella sat down unsteadily, shaking from adrenaline once she realized how badly she had messed up. 

I took out a cup of hot tea, taking a sip while I enjoyed the newfound silence. Taking a look at Tammy's dismayed figure, before summoning a set for her and getting up. Walking over to the other side of the table leisurely, and setting down another two cups in front of Belle and Marcella. 

"Aren't you angry at me?" She asked, still breathing heavily. 

"Why would I be angry?" I asked her calmly. This situation is entirely in my favor. 

There's nothing she can do to object to Tammy's presence. Tammy wasn't a slave, she was a proper concubine. Marcella might have had a foot to stand on if I wanted to make Tammy a wife. 

After all, her father might interpret that as a slight against his family. Marrying a lowborn woman even while engaged to his daughter, but the way I had done things shouldn't have any issues...

"I said things that I shouldn't have said... " The ever proud Marcella was now less confident than I'd ever seen her before, clearly starting to regret her outburst. 

Indeed. She probably shouldn't have said those things, even while her father was trying to bring me into the fold she goes and says something like that. Even more-so, she dishonored her father. 

"Do you still object to Tammy being with me?"

She cringed, trying to suppress her emotions. I was essentially blackmailing her with the situation.  

"She can stay... " She sighed, resigned to her fate. 

Her expectations from romance were too high to begin with from my point of view. 

"Mm, that's good to hear. I hope you can get along with her in the future."

A pall settled over the table during an uncomfortable silence.

*clap* 

I clapped once, to get their attention. 

"Enough with all of that. Let's enjoy our picnic, shall we?" Raising my cup of tea and taking a sip. Doing my best to restore some cheer. 

Though Belle seemed to be the only one taking things in stride. Digging into her meal without reservation, unminding of the bitter atmosphere between Tammy and Marcella. 

I took the opportunity to ask all about Marcella's experiences as a mage, her time at the academy. She went there as a young girl when it her familu discovered she had some aptitude. She wasn't particularly in the mood for talking, but she was more open enough to answering questions at least.  

The academy only cost something around fifty-gold a year for what she could remember, but she was always drinking rare elixirs and taking pills developed by the alchemists guild, apparently each one costing her family hundreds of gold every time. I see why mages were said to 'eat' gold. 

Cal was an alchemist, maybe he had an idea why these potions were so expensive...

Continuing on with our conversation I was happy to learn that the mental tiredness I felt after using 'magic' was just a what she called mana exhaustion, confirming my earlier hypothesis. I did try asking about how it felt for her to cast magic but apparently the question was too abstract, and she had a great deal of trouble articulating it. Something that I'd just have to find out myself. 

Finishing our meal up, it looked like the soldiers had just about done with their work on the trenches and fortifications. A good effort overall, considering we were going to be packing up and leaving in the next few minutes... but that's what training was I suppose.

It was still fairly young in the day, but we agreed it was a better idea to head back now. Not to mention the somewhat unsettling atmosphere, the massive trees around us and shadow of the forest seemed to warp the space around us with an aura of intimidation. It was Winter but the forest was still evergreen with moss and seemed to glow with the aura of life... while the air stank of death.  

I was curious in a morbid sort of way about what kind of things we'd run into, but deliberately seeking trouble when Tammy and Belle were here was not in my plans, and this was as far as we promised Jagen to go. My better judgement winning through for now.

As I began storing our things, Belle tugged on the back of my shirt. Her ears twitching while she looked back worriedly. 

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"Master... there's something there."

I peered out past the clearing, trying to look in the darker areas of the woods. Not seeing much with the large trees interspersed, the thick foliage at the top filtering out most of the light and making our surroundings hard to see. 

"Where?" I asked her.

She pointed towards a direction as I tried to focus my attention on it. Looking at one of the massive trees in the distance as I tried to discern what she was pointing at, seeing the air around the trunk blur slightly ever few seconds before returning to normal. 

Something was definitely wrong there. 

"Marcella. Come take a look, there's something over by that tree."

Beckoning Marcella over to look, seeing if our most experienced adventurer would have something to say about it. 

She watched where we were pointing, focusing intently. 

"...Chameleon Snake." She said matter of fact. "Or at least it should be one but from the area that's warped that really has to be a big one...." 

Thinking about it was actually quite frightening. That was supposed to be a snake? It wasn't like the animal was camouflaged, it was entirely invisible. The only tell was the air blurring occasionally around its location. 

"How dangerous is it?" I asked her, but she just shook her head. 

"Somewhat, but as long as you don't get close they aren't too bad, they are ambush predators. It looks like this one was watching us the whole time we were here... we're just lucky enough nobody got close before you noticed it." Giving Belle an appreciative look. 

Well, if it's hoping to eat one of us then it can't very well complain if we do the same to it. "Can we kill it?" I asked her. Eager for the chunk of experience delivering itself to us. Anything that big had to be worth a lot. 

"Should be easy enough. I could kill it from here." She said confidently.

 Letting the soldiers know before we began, who were equally unsettled by the idea that a giant snake had been watching us unnoticed until now. She began floating out another slow moving orb, glowing purple and becoming increasingly red as it traveled, giving off more and more light. I was amazed at the destructive power from last time, but seeing it again, such a slow moving projectile definitely had a lot of drawbacks.

It was going no more than a walking pace, not to mention how easy it was to notice from the light it gave off and eerie pulsing sound it made. Most impprtantly, the explosion was so large you couldn't use it in close range without killing yourself. Watching with bated breath for the minute that it took to travel over to the tree. The snake not moving at all despite being targeted by the orb.

When the mana orb touched whatever was hiding there, the air split with a crack of thunder. A huge fireball erupting from the ground, scorching the base of the tree, and revealing a fountain of gore as it split the serpent coiled around the trunk. 

My eyes jumped. It was absolutely massive, the head by itself was even bigger than a person, and the body was thick like an ox. That was supposed to be an ambush predator? It could eat a man in one bite. 

Watching the severed body wriggle desperately while the head piece tried to bite the air. Like I thought, a snake that big wouldn't die easily. Smiling wickedly to myself that the beast was still alive.

I wandered casually up to our defenses, putting one hand on the wooden barrier and hopping the spikes and ditch in one movement. Summoning my sword and shield in hand. 

"Keaton?!", "Where are you going? It's not safe, wait until it's dead!" Marcella and Tammy cried out concernedly while I ignored them.

Walking carefully towards the tree with the severed snake head and body. Watching its eyes track my movement. It couldn't move well, but it still struggled towards me with the small bit of neck it had left, snapping its jaw in anger. Seeming oblivious to the horrible state it was in. 

I circled behind it, not needing to do much against an immobilized enemy. Placing my sword to the base of the skull, the hard scales being cut through with just a slight push as I eased the blade in until I hit bone. Activating [sword edge] with a flash of mana, materializing a phantom blade straight through the brain. 

The snake thrashed as it tried to flip around, blood and brain fluid oozing out through the wound. Finally ceasing in its struggle as I was rewarded with bath of light and celebratory music. 

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