Chapter 219: Chapter 218 – Dusk

The wolves proved to be exactly as Yuki and Akira had predicted. They went down after a brief skirmish, the entire fight taking about a few minutes. A few more seconds were spent debating whether or not they should take the bodies of the monsters with them to sell later, but Yuki finally decided against it. It wouldn’t bring that much in.

Yuki looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning its descent through the sky as it painted the clouds in vibrant hues. The night was fast approaching. It would explain why the lesser Fenrir wolves were out and about now. 

“We should search for a place to camp,” Yuki said to Akira. 

“Yes. Let’s go back and do that,” she replied. Yuki nodded.

They headed back to where the rest of the team was waiting. The others were still standing in the same places they were when Yuki and Akira had left. 

“Done?” Erica asked, walking towards them.

“Yes,” Akira replied. “Told you that it’ll be quick.”

“I guess so,” Erica smiled. 

“Let’s get going again,” Yuki announced, clapping his hands as he directed his voice to everyone. “It’s starting to get dark, so we’ll push forward a bit more before we set up for camp.”

The others nodded and waited as Akira retook the lead with Yuki beside her. Then they started their march again though at a slower pace. Yuki let Akira handle the monitoring of the area as he scouted for a suitable place for a camp to be set up. 

As the stars began to peek through the sky, Yuki located a small clearing that would be perfect for their current needs. It was surrounded by plant life that obscured it from view and had a small stream that trickled by near it. 

He nudged Akira’s arm and she glanced over at him. When he turned his head to the side, her eyes brightened and she nodded.

“We’ll be stopping here for the day,” Yuki announced, turning around. He saw Erica light up and Damian rub his hands together. The others seemed indifferent for the most part. “Follow us. I’ve found a spot.”

Taking the front now, he diverged from their original path and weaved through the trees and bushes, checking his surroundings every now and then to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them. Then he went past a few last trees before the clearing revealed itself.

“Here’s the place,” he said with a wave. “We’ll set up camp right here. If you need water, there’s a stream nearby.”

“You really like clearings,” Erica commented as she set her backpack down. 

“I find them more comfortable than sitting on a damp ground with things potentially falling on your head,” he replied. “I’m fine with caves though, but they’re not the safest.”

“I’m not complaining,” she laughed. “I’m glad for your preference. I don’t like the other choices either.”

Yuki smirked and snapped his fingers, bringing out a number of supplies that were stored in his ring.

“Let’s get set up. I’m a bit hungry.”

They got to work setting up the camp. A small fire pit was created that Yuki lit up with a small spark. Sleeping bags were taken out and laid out on the ground. They weren’t going to use tents. They were much too big and noticeable for a mission that was supposed to be secretive. 

With a wave, Yuki filtered the smoke that was beginning to rise out of the fire pit as it was fed fuel. Then he created a basic stand over it so that he could place a pot over the fire. After that, he grabbed the supplies that he had already taken out and got to work preparing the dinner for the night.

Akira came by to fill the pot with water before she went to the others to offer them a small drink. Yuki began to prepare a simple stew with the vegetables and meat that he had brought with him. As he stirred slowly, he watched his teammates with passive eyes. They were chatting with one another again, talking about this and that. There was a light mood around the camp. They seemed unworried about the task that was ahead of them.

‘Or maybe they’re just not thinking about it,’ he thought as he sprinkled a few spices and herbs into the pot. ‘Which is good. I don’t want them to be stressing over it right now.’

There was one dark spot in the overall mood of the camp though. And that was Yuna who was sitting against a tree a bit away from the rest. She still looked lost in thought, staring off into the distance. 

‘Or maybe she’s also not thinking,’ Yuki mused. ‘Maybe her mind’s empty. Trying to distract herself.’

He watched her for a few more minutes, but she didn’t seem to notice his gaze. With a small shrug, Yuki returned his attention to the simmering pot. The aroma of stew began to fill the air and drew the attention of the team. Akira appeared beside him and stared at the pot. 

“Hungry?” Yuki asked with a slight smile. 

“You already know,” she replied. “I set up a perimeter already. The smell might attract some unwanteds.”

“Mmm,” he nodded. “I’m almost done with the food. I can call you over later to give some to you. Or you can stay watch.”

“I’ll watch.”

Yuki nodded again and went back to slowly stirring the inside of the pot as it bubbled gently, steam lazily rising into the night sky. After some time, he grabbed a spoon and took a small scoop of the stew to taste. 

‘It’s done,’ he thought. He placed the spoon into a bowl. ‘Time to eat then.’

“Akira, I’ll give you some first. Can you call the others here?” he asked. 

“Sure,” she replied. Then she turned and raised her voice. “The food’s done. It’s time to eat.”

The rest of the team stood and made their way to where Yuki was, standing over a simmer pot that was the source of the aroma that was wafting through the air. Yuki used the ladle that he was using to stir his pot to scoop out large servings. They thanked him and went right to eating. 

For the most part, they ate in silence. Akira finished her’s first and went back to the pot to get seconds. Yuki finished next and laid back, putting his bowl to the side. He planned on washing it along with the other dishes later once everyone was finished.

Slowly though, the chatter began to pick up. Various topics were brought up at random as the conversations shifted every so often. Even Yuna was involved in the chatter, volunteering thoughts and information while smiling at jokes. 

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“Damian, you have a wife?” Sarah asked. It seemed that the topic had shifted to that of family. “I think I’ve heard you talk about it before.”

“I had a wife,” he corrected with a tight smile. “Now I’m by myself. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stay away from Montsol for this long.”

“Oh, sorry,” Sarah said.

“It’s fine,” Damian waved. “I didn’t say anything before, so you couldn’t have known. How about you? Have anyone you fancy?”

“No, unfortunately not,” Sarah sighed. “I haven’t found anyone that I’ve really liked. I’m lucky though that my family seems understanding enough. I think my brother already having a bride helped with that.”

“I see,” Damian nodded. Then he looked over at Zoe. “How about you?”

“I’m a demon,” Zoe replied. “We don’t marry.”

“Then what do you do when you like someone?” Damian frowned.

“We bond,” she said. She didn’t bother explaining any further.

“Oh. Then have you bonded with anyone?” Damian persisted. 

“I think it’s obvious?” Zoe said with a small smile. “We’re rarely seem apart.”

“Tiar?

“Mhm.”

“That guy?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow. “He can be quite annoying, but he’s a nice person. Clingy at times too.”

“Nothing wrong, just surprised,” Damian shrugged. He stroked his beard. “Bonding, eh? How does that work? Do you have rings?”

“No rings. Just magic,” Zoe said. She pulled up her shirt a little to reveal her slim stomach. To the side of it was a tattoo. “This is our ring.”

“A tattoo?” 

“One engraved through mana,” she explained. “I think it’s much more intimate. It’s a part of you. It’ll stay with you forever. A ring can be lost. This can’t.”

“That sounds romantic,” Sarah gushed. “Erica, do you have something like that as well?”

Erica didn’t reply. Yuki peeked at her and saw her staring down at the ground.

“Erica?” Sarah said.

“I did. It’s gone now,” she said with a sad smile. Zoe’s expression darkened. “Don’t worry about it, Zoe. It was bound to happen.”

“Who was it with?” Zoe said, her voice low. Erica just smiled in reply, her eyes still dark. “I see.”

“I’m sorry,” Sarah sighed. “It seems that I’m the best at asking people the wrong things.”

“It’s fine,” Erica said. “You didn’t know.”

“Urgh. How about you?” Sarah said. “You’re younger than everyone here, so your experiences can’t be this depressing yet.”

‘Oh Sarah,’ Yuki thought. His eyes shot towards Yuna. She looked confused at the sudden question. 

“Do you have anyone you like?” Sarah asked.

“I…” Yuna’s voice caught and she looked down at the ground. Sarah frowned. 

“You do?” Sarah said.

Yuna put her bowl aside and stood. 

“I’m going to wash myself up if you don’t mind,” she said quietly before rushing away to where Yuki had said the stream was.

“Did I say something wrong again?” Sarah asked, looking at where Yuna had ran off to. 

‘Yes. You did,’ Yuki sighed to himself.

 

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