Chapter 17: Chapter 17: If It Were Easy, It Wouldn’t Be Fun

"Pfff hahaha". Jean laughed as he and Lucy rested by the side of the dirt road they had been walking on.

"Don't laugh; it wasn't funny"

"Oh, please, how could it not be? You were attacked by a member of the nobility with a warped sense of beauty and his squad of unsightly maids, and you tell me one even had a peanut-shaped head; how can that not be funny?

"He could have broken the elixir"

"I honestly doubt that you would have allowed something like that to happen; besides, from what you tell me about him, he wasn't even a real fighter, and the maids he brought in were knocked out instantly, in my opinion, it was only a matter of time for you to catch him if you were alone, now add Taurus and your new spirit, and there was no possible way that fool would win.

And Lucy had to agree with that statement; in a real confrontation situation, she didn't imagine that someone like Everlue and his maids could give her problems beyond annoying her by calling her ugly.

"But there's something I don't understand; from what you told me about Mrs. Helga, you didn't seem to like her exactly; why go so far to help her?"

"She needed help, and I was there; how could I just ignore her". The blonde said like it was obvious.

"Looks like you've matured a bit, huh?" Jean replied with a bit of pride.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you used to be a bit vindictive before; remember the time you filled my shirt with cream because I ate the last sugared muffin?"

"It wasn't that bad"

"You spent a whole can"

"And you picked up some of that cream and threw it in my face"

"Did you expect me to stay without doing anything?"

Lucy didn't answer; in hindsight, it was evident that Jean would do something like that.

"But moving on to something else, I haven't seen your new spirits yet, could you show them to me?"

"I guess it wouldn't be bad". She said and then took out three keys from her bracelet, two silver and one gold. "Okay, let's start with Plue"

"Open the door of the minor canis: Nikora". She said, and instantly, a medium-sized magic circle materialized in front of the key, and a creature that seemed to be a small snowman with a carrot nose appeared.

"Plum". The little spirit greeted with a raised hand and a smile.

"So this is the spirit you were looking for so much? It's kinda cute; I give it to him". Jean admitted.

"Right?" Lucy replied. "I always wanted one, but the stores at home never had the key, but that doesn't matter anymore because now I finally have Plue"

"Yeah, about that, did you really name him Plue?"

"I think it's a good name"

Jean kept his opinion in the back of his mind; for him, and probably for most people as well, Lucy was not one of those people who would have the best taste in naming people, objects, techniques, and apparently not even spirits, it was only necessary to remember that as she had decided to name "Lucy kick", to literally, a kick given by her.

"It is a pleasure". Jean leaned down and offered her hand to the little spirit, who happily to the same with his hand.

"And what about the others?" Jean asked.

"I got this after Everlue was arrested; at that time, their contract was broken, so the spirit approached me and offered to make a contract". She explained as she moved the key. "Open, shield gate: Scutum". And just like with Plue, a silver magic circle was formed to later leave a shield with a smiling face that brought Jean back memories of a certain symbol of peace.

"I'm already here!" The shield said, and Jean couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the particularly similar phrase.

Walking towards the spirit, the boy repeated the greeting he had made with Plue, but it seemed that the shield could say more than his introductory phrase.

"Oh, you seem like a strong boy; you are free to wield me whenever you need protection; no one will be able to break through my defense"

"Thanks for the offer, I don't know much about shields, but you seem pretty tough, so I'll take your word". He told Jean to the spirit before it disappeared.

"So, that leaves the spirit that cost you all the savings you had"

"Don't remind me; just a couple of days away from home, and I'm already broke". She grumbled Lucy before straightening up and seemingly regaining her spirits. "But it doesn't matter because after we're done in the forest, I'll join a guild, and with the help of my spirits, completing the jobs will be a piece of cake". She said with an expression that was trying to appear firm, although the pout and the little drops in the corners of her eyes took away a bit of credibility.

"But for now, open, door of the maiden: Virgo". She said, and the magic circle that materialized was the same golden color as the key; a moment later, a girl with bright pink hair, dressed in a maid outfit, chains on her wrists, and a neutral expression appeared.

"Did you call me, princess?" The spirit asked as she bowed.

"Ohhh, a pink-haired maiden". Jean said excitedly. "Tell me, by any chance, are you a tsundere who doesn't show her concern for others, making rude comments even when you're worried, and you use wind magic?" The boy asked.

"What about that worryingly accurate description". Lucy said though Jean didn't hear her.

"Should I be a tsundere?" The spirit asked, tilting its head. "It's not like I came for you, b-bakaaaaa." She said, and while the line was what you'd expect from a tsundere, the flat tone and lack of expression made for a stark contrast.

"God, there wasn't a hint of tsun in that". Jean said dejectedly. "She seems more of the kudere type". He added quietly to himself.

"Princess, your friend is a bit weird". Virgo told Lucy while Jean kept talking to himself.

"That's true, but the fact that you say it's weird too". The blonde answered after experiencing the spirit's personality herself.

"So, it's time for punishment?"

"No"

"Wait, she said punishment?" Jean stopped thinking and came closer when he heard that word. "Do you punish her?"

And before Lucy spoke, Virgo stepped forward, a little excited to talk about punishments. "That's right, I do not doubt that the princess will use her whip once more, and her blow will be strong and precise as the last time"

"Last time?" The boy asked as his imagination began to run wild. "Lucy, I know I annoyed you a bit when you used the whip shape on the bracelet, but are you really on that side?" He asked as an epiphany seemed to come to his mind. "Is it something yuri?"

"Of course not!"

"Oh," Jean said with a bit of mock disappointment. "So, what is your specialty? From what Lucy told me, you must be very good with earth magic if you can move underground like a fish in water"

"That's right". The spirit answered. "I am proficient with close combat and with my chains." She said, showing the accessories on her dolls. "And I was already quite capable with earth magic before, but it seems that the princess is quite good with celestial spirit magic because I am much more efficient than I was with my last formal contractor"

"I see". Jean replied as he nodded; a while ago, he had already asked Capricorn and Cancer about the real power of the celestial spirits, and they told him that it depended on several factors, such as the amount of magical power of the magician, the ability and compatibility with that magic, and the link between the magician and the spirit.

Apparently, Lucy had been born with a slightly above-average magical power, and after all the training she did with Capricorn as her mentor, her ability increased considerably, and that added to the bracelet wholly covered the field of the amount of magic.

On the other hand, the magic with which she had an affinity was precisely that of celestial spirits; from what Layla had told him, at this point, that magic was already more a hereditary factor of her family than anything else.

And the link, well, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Cancer had seen her since she was born until she was six years old, then they separated for a few years to meet again and accompany her until today, that added to the unconditional love that she offered to all of her spirits to the point of treating them like family made her an excellent spirit mage in her spirits' words.

And if we add to that the clearly positive opinion Virgo had just given and the one that Taurus gave at the time, Jean did not doubt that Lucy had a great future as a magician of celestial spirits.

"So you're good at chasing down targets unnoticed, making surprise attacks from below, creating some basic traps, close-medium ranged combat, and you are a kudere with masochistic tendencies". Jean summarized all the information received with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"That's an accurate way to sum it up". The spirit pointed.

"Um". Jean nodded a few times before opening his eyes. "I approve it". He said with a smile as he gave a thumbs up.

Virgo seemed to understand the message and also responded by raising her thumb before Lucy sent her back to the spirit world; both came to the mutual understanding that they would get along for the shared pleasure of bothering the blonde a little.

"I like her; she's totally worth what you paid". Jean told Lucy.

"Seeing you two interact makes me a little concerned about what you might do in the future". Lucy was genuinely scared of what they might both do if she wasn't there to stop them.

"Don't worry, a couple of jokes over here, some wells over there, and stuff like that". He replied as he waved his hand, dismissive of his friend's concerns.

"Yes, of course, that's nothing to worry about". Lucy said sarcastically before stretching out a bit.

"Well, I think that's enough rest for now". Jean added before taking one last drink from his water bottle.

"We must continue walking; at this rate, we will reach the entrance of the forest in eight or maybe nine days; after that, it may take us about 4 or 5 hours to reach the supposed temple that is in the center, and a few more hours to explore it and defeat the supposed guardian who guards the treasure, besides that, I would like to stay at least one day to try my luck with senjutsu there"

"Ok". The blonde replied, standing up. "Let's continue then"

The route they were both taking was one that Jean got from Casian; the road called Elimos was apparently shorter than the main one, used by merchants leaving Rublan Town for the next city.

Jean and Lucy would follow that road for three days, and then they would reach the point where it joined the normal path taken by those heading to the forest, the Fliros path; in that way, they could save one day's walk to their destination.

In this way, they continued walking for several hours, taking short breaks every 4 hours of walking, and a couple of hours after their second break, Lucy seemed to see something in the distance.

"It's a caravan". She pointed as she stopped and waved her hands for the carriages to stop.

Gradually, the vehicles pulled by quadrupedal creatures that looked like a cross between bears and sloths with huge bodies, relatively small heads, and happy, relaxed expressions approached until they were standing next to Jean and Lucy.

"Well, I didn't think we would find travelers on our way, even more so with the night so close; what are you doing on these roads, young people?" They were greeted by an older man with a hat who seemed to be the caravan's leader since the other five carriages slowed down their speed along with him.

"Well, you see, we are on our way to the intersection of the Fliros and Elimos roads, we are looking for some plants for a pharmaceutical company, and they told us that we could find them there". Jean stepped in to make an excuse.

"Oh, I see, could it be that you guys are wizards on a mission?" The man asked with a curious look.

"You could say that, yes". Lucy replied.

"Well, my friends and I are on our way to the next town, and we will be going through the same intersection; we could always use some extra protection". The man said, pointing to a couple of boys, one with a sword and the other with a spear. "Especially if it's from some wizards, and since our paths seem to cross, what if you come with us? You can rest inside the carriage; we only ask you to support us in case we meet thieves"

Lucy gave Jean a look as if asking what he thought, so he decided to ask a couple of questions before deciding. "Are you sure that is okay? Your current guards don't mind?"

The boy with the spear stepped forward and waved. "Don't worry about it; the payment that we will receive doesn't will be affected, and having some help is never bad". He explained with a reassuring smile; although his partner with his sword seemed a little displeased, but since he didn't say anything, Jean took it to mean that he accepted the situation.

"Well, if there really is no problem, then we'll accept the offer". He told the man before he and Lucy got into the carriage he was driving, and the caravan continued on its way; everything was pretty quiet until darkness covered the entire landscape making all the carriages stop to camp on the side of the road.

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After everyone was organized, we were all inside the circle formed by the carriages, and in the middle of everything, there was a bonfire heating a large black pot that contained the stew that would be today's dinner.

"Alright, now that everything is ready, let's sit around the fire while we wait for the food to be ready". The caravan's leader, Jason, said as he beckoned everyone to come closer, and it all continued with casual conversation.

Although among the nearly 15 people, I noticed an older woman, maybe 50 or 55, sitting about 3 three people from me, she would periodically change her gaze between me and the spear boy, Drofios.

This seemed a little weird to me, but I put it down to maybe she was comparing us, thinking of both him and me as the leaders of our respective duos.

"So, if it's not too private, what kind of magic do you guys use?" Mr. Jason asked, and they all seemed curious at the answers that Lucy and I would give.

"I have only simple Reequip magic, it's not a very big space, but I can use it to carry everything we'll collect together with this sword to protect us". I explained, pointing to the plain-looking blade on my hip that disappeared from one moment to the next, reappearing a few seconds later.

"A very useful magic, especially if it is used for transportation; I have heard of users of that magic becoming successful merchants". Jason replied as the other members of the caravan and Drofio seemed to agree; on the other hand, the swordsman boy, Locreus, didn't seem really impressed by what he had just seen.

"And you, young lady?" another of the drivers asked.

"Well, I use celestial spirits magic, although I only have four silver right now". Lucy clarified as she reached into her pocket and then pulled out a silver key to summon Plue and sit him on her lap.

"Oh, I've only seen a couple of mages use that kind of magic before; they're quite a curious duo". Jason said and then pointed to the guards who accompanied him.

"They, as you heard before, are Drofio and Locreus, they belong to the Deep Kraken mercenary guild, and they are in charge of keeping us safe on our way". And along with the introduction, Drofio raised his hand and smiled, while Locreus gave us a fleeting glance and a quick nod.

"Wow, I heard a bit about your guild before, is it true that its founder was a sailor who came from an unknown land and fought with the Kraken?" I asked curiously.

"That's right". Locreus replied proudly, his earlier distant attitude replaced by an excited and proud tone. "Our founder, , was an incredible warrior who took on the Kraken using our guild's signature weapon, the Storm Trident"

"Really?" Lucy asked, looking at Drofio to confirm Locreus's words.

"Well, our current guild master, Milios, is 56 years old, and from what he told us when he was 16, he was one of those who were saved by the intervention of the founding master, so we believe his story"

"Exactly, besides, the master once didn't show the power of the trident, and that weapon is amazing, so one day, I will become a master of our guild; I will hold the trident and blow away anyone who wants to mess with our guild"

Listening to the boy's words and tone, I understood a bit of his behavior; basically, Locreus was a shonen protagonist type, with a classic Naruto-like dream of reaching an important position and if I wasn't mistaken, being respected.

That's probably why he seemed a little annoyed at me and Lucy joining the caravan, this maybe must be something to prove himself, but he seemed smart enough to respect the client's and Drofio's decision.

"It's an interesting dream, though I guess there's more to being a guild master than just being the strongest in the place, right?"

"Do you see, Lucreos? Even Jean realizes that just learning to hit things harder isn't enough". Drofio teasingly reproached him, to which he merely received a pout and a head shake.

"And what is your dream? If it's not something too private, of course". The boy with the spear asked.

"I have a dream to join a guild, and well..." Said Lucy hesitating a little, although in the end, she seemed to make up her mind, and she told her other dream. "I also want to be a recognized writer"

"A good dream, and also realistic; maybe in a few years, I could become a fan". Jason said as he nodded with a smile. "And you, young Jean, do you have a dream you want to fulfill?"

"Well, I can't say it's very original, but my dream is just to have fun". I replied.

"Have fun?" The confusion was clear in all but Lucy, and it was actually an expected reaction.

"Yes, think about it, how many incredible things there are in this world, how many different types of magic, how many hidden treasures, how many stories or secrets to discover, we only have one life, and it is too short to live all those experiences, that's why at least I would like to experience a handful of them, I want to live an exciting life, so that the moment it ends, I can close my eyes with no regrets". I expressed the conclusion I reached years ago and with which I decided to live, while inadvertently, my eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That is… a truly unique way of life, but I can understand if it comes from a young man who seems so full of life, you have my best wishes, young Jean". Jason replied after a few seconds where no one said anything, and after that, I received several nods and words of encouragement from the others; even Lucreos seemed slightly moved by what I said.

The rest of the time was spent with casual conversations until the food was ready, and after finishing eating, everyone got ready to sleep, Mr. Jason said that the ones who would stay to watch would be Lucreos and then Drofio, so I offered to the last surveillance shift.

Getting ready to sleep, I placed my sleeping bag near the fire to make sure I was warm at night, and when I was done, I looked around for Lucy and saw her coming back from behind a tree, so she probably minded her private business.

When she was close enough, I decided to ask her. "Hey, ready to sleep? Please tell me you at least brought a sleeping bag"

"Of course I brought one, I packed almost everything I needed in my suitcase, and the little that didn't fit there I gave to Horologium to keep for me"

"That's good, honestly I don't think we would have been able to share this one; I doubt it was even physically possible for two people to fit in the bag at the same time"

"Shameless". She said as she turned around to get her sleeping bag out; for my part, I decided that would be the last prank I would play on her today, so I just kept an eye open in her direction to make sure she didn't have any problems, and when she got into her sleeping bag, I closed my eyes.

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"Mmm." A slight sound came out of my mouth as the sound of feet moving reached my ears; opening my eyes a little, I saw a familiar figure in front of me. "Jean?" I asked as my hand rubbed my right eyelid, and when my vision cleared completely, I noticed the edge of a sword pointed at me.

"J-Jean?" I asked a little nervous, but before I said anything else, raucous laughter filled the place; turning my head a little I saw an older woman about 50 years old, dressed in brightly colored clothes, standing in front of Mr. Jason and the rest of the group drivers, who were bound and on their knees, at their side was Drofius with his spear in hand.

My hands instinctively went to the bracelet, but there was nothing there, my body froze, and at that moment, the older woman started walking towards where I was.

"Well, are you finally awake, brat?" She said as her arm went around Jean's neck, but his blank expression never changed.

"It's a shame; you won't be able to use your little toys". She scoffed as she played with my bracelet in her hand.

"You, what did you do to Jean?!" I managed to yell at her while my gaze was fixed on my keys.

"Oh? I just added this handsome guy to my toy collection". She said with a nasty smile. "That determination with which he spoke before, that firm and powerful bearing, those eyes full of brightness and life, how could I resist not making him mine?" She said as her cheeks turned red.

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"And this one here". She said, giving Drofio a light punch in the chest. "It wasn't bad either, so I also took him as mine using this". Said, showing a purple ring on her finger.

"That ring". I said in panic when I recognized the engravings on the seal of it, a dark purple heart pierced by a red arrow; I had no doubt that it was. "A mental submission ring, that's forbidden magic, set him free!" I demanded, the mere thought of this woman controlling Jean's mind filling me with too unpleasant a feeling.

"Someone did her homework." The woman clapped her hands mockingly. "And I'm not going to leave him; it's too good to be wasted on someone like you; I, on the other hand, will use him to the fullest when we finish with all this nonsense". Her smile and blush didn't stop growing with every word she blurted out.

That was it; with or without keys I wasn't going to sit still listening to what this woman was saying about Jean, but the moment I tried to get up, my body didn't respond to me, my legs were numb, and myarms were barely strong enough to keep me from falling onto my sleeping bag. "W-what did you do to me?"

"That? It's just a side effect of the food; I added some paralyzing drug to ensure I wouldn't get any nasty surprises from you and that brat." She said, pointing a finger to the side, and when I looked in that direction, I saw Locreus completely bound and in a gag.

"Such an unrefined and rude brat would have no place in my collection, so I didn't bother using my ring on him". She said, making a face as she talked about the swordsman.

"But anyway". She snorted before turning around and walking back towards Mr. Jason with Jean and Drofio at her sides.

"So, what did you say about ending our partnership?" She asked him with a haughty tone.

"Are you really doing this because I made that decision? Kasmi, you know I want to retire and live in peace". Mr. Jason replied, his tone showing his surprise at the situation.

"You're an idiot. Do you know what will happen if you sell them your share? As owners of most of the business, those idiots will start to pressure me until I end up selling them my share too, the new competitors will take away any other clients, and I will end up on the street". She said with annoyance.

"But why you don't sell your part as well and then start another business? I'm not to blame for anything you're saying"

"No blame? Really your brain must be smaller than I thought; I see that it is not worth continuing to talk; once I finish with you, I will buy your part of the business, and if we add to that the shipment of adamantine along with my two new and beautiful toys, then I will only have profit, now". She was saying when she seemed to lose her balance a bit; she swayed before leaning on Drofio's shoulder and blinked a few times.

"What… what is… happeni-". She didn't finish her question and fell forward.

Everything was silent for a few seconds until a new voice resounded in the middle of everything.

"God, that woman definitely loved the sound of her voice". Jean said with an annoyed tone as a tiny sword appeared in his hand and was placed on Drofio's chest; the spear boy blinked a few times and then put on a confused expression.

"Eh? What's going on?" He asked before looking at his side. "Jean?"

"Looks like you're all right now, Drofio; I'll explain everything in a moment; for now, I'd suggest going to untie everyone". He said, pointing to Lucreos, Drofio's eyes widened, and he quickly went to free everyone from his bonds.

Jean gave me one look and started walking in my direction, and when he was in front of me, he knelt with my bracelet in one hand. "Hey, I'm sorry about that, but I had to fake it to get all the information, or I might have made a mistake". He said with an apologetic smile before taking my arm and placing the accessory back on my right wrist.

"You- what did you do? Weren't you being controlled?"

"I'm sure everyone else is going to ask the same thing, so let's meet them first, and then I'll explain everything in great detail, but first". He said, putting his two hands on my bracelet and closing his eyes, the next moment, the object emitted a slight golden glow, and I felt how little by little my body began to respond as I wanted.

"That should do it, now, come on". He finished saying and then stood up and extended a hand to me. "I also want to ask a couple of things about what that woman talked about"

I took his hand, and when I got up, I took advantage of his carelessness to hold his ear with my fingers and pull.

"Ouch ouch ouch, that hurts; you know my ears are sensitive". He moaned in pain and made a face that almost made me feel sorry for him… almost, so I kept pulling on his ear as I scolded him.

"You could have told me before. Do you know how nervous and worried I was when I thought you were being controlled?" I said, pulling a little harder.

"I'm sorry, excuse me, but I had a reason, I swear, I swear, besides, you know very well that I would not leave you alone in such a dangerous position". He groaned as his ear turned a little redder; I sighed; I knew that was true, so I let him go.

"Fine, but I hope that's a good explanation"

"You didn't have to exaggerate so much; you almost ripped my ear off." He said while rubbing the left side of his face and walking by my side until he was in front of a now-free Lucreos next to a Drofio with an expectant look; behind them was Mr. Jason and the rest of his drivers already loose, but without being able to stand.

"Jean, what happened?" Drofio asked once more.

"Well". Jean said as he walked over to Jason putting a hand on his shoulder, Lucreos and Drofio tensed a bit, but Jason's gaze stopped them in place; a second later, Mr. Jason could stand up again.

"Shortly after we went to bed, I noticed something strange; for some reason, my body felt a little heavy, not enough to alarm me, but enough for me to do a quick inspection of my body with the help of this". He said, showing a necklace from which dangled a small golden sword.

"After cleaning my body, checking that it wasn't a poison, I thought that something else could be going on, and since I didn't know who could have added something to the food, I decided to stay awake". He paused to look at me and apologize again. "That's why I didn't say anything to you; I figured it might draw attention if I did; once again, I'm so sorry about that"

"Then, in the middle of the night, she came up to me; I expected her to try to attack me, but instead, she pointed her hand at me, and a purple glow came out of what I assume was that ring of mental submission. Obviously, it didn't work on me, and although I thought of knocking her out right away, I decided to play along to find out if she had accomplices and the full story out of curiosity". He said as he continued to help each driver of the carriages.

"And when it was revealed that it was a business revenge, I decided it was time to stop her, and I activated a little trick to put her to sleep". He finished explaining when the last of the drivers regained control of his body. "Don't worry about her, she'll be asleep at least until noon tomorrow, but to be sure, I'd recommend searching her and removing any magical items she has other than the ring"

"That necklace, that's why the mind control didn't affect you?" Mr. Jason asked, looking at the object.

Jean seemed a little reluctant to answer for a couple of seconds before sighing. "That's right; this necklace is quite special; as far as I know, there are only four other pieces in the whole world that can do the same thing". He said, and although he didn't look at me, I knew that the piece I had on my wrist was one of the other three objects he was talking about, while the other three were a hair clip that Claire had and two rings that Michael and Booby had.

"To summarize the explanation, we could say that it works as a mental shield that repels the magic that wants to mess with my mind". He said, and he and I noticed the quick look Jason gave my bracelet.

"I see". The merchant leader said after a few seconds of thought, then a smile formed on his face. "Anyway, I'm thankful for your help Jean; it's thanks to you that we were saved". He finished saying, giving a slight bow along with the rest of the drivers.

"Well, actually, I should apologize, especially to you". Jean said, looking at Lucreos and Drofio. "I could have stopped that woman from the beginning, but I decided to wait, and we ended up in this situation"

"No, don't worry about it; what you did was the right thing; if we hadn't been through this, it might have been hard to believe that Mrs. Kasmi planned something like this". The spearman secured with a smile.

After that, we all watched as Drofio took off the rings from the older woman and then searched her, finding a small dagger with some patterns on the handle; after examining it, it was concluded that it was a weapon that had the effect of poisoning whoever it hurt.

After that, Kasmi was tied up, and everyone went back to getting ready to sleep except for Jean, who sat near the fire.

"Aren't you planning to go to sleep?" I asked as I sat down next to him.

"Well, technically, my shift was starting in just under an hour, so as an apology to Drofio for letting him be controlled, I offered to take the remainder of his shift and ask Mr. Jason to let him have the dagger"

"So can I stay too?" I asked.

"Are not you sleepy?"

"Even if I tried, I doubt I'd be able to sleep right away after an experience like that, so I'd rather take some time"

"Yeah, about that, I'm really sorry, I think I could have handled everything differently, but I also wanted to see what you will do in a situation like that". He said, and I was curious about it.

"Why?"

"Well, I... if I'm frank with you, I'm still not entirely happy with you accompanying me to the anti-wizard forest". I could tell a little guilt in his tone, so I hastened to remind him that I was here by my own choice, even knowing how dangerous the place was.

"Jean, I already told you that I-"

"I already know it". He interrupted me before I finished speaking. "I understand how important this is for you, and if I felt frustrated for not having been able to do much in all this time, I cannot imagine how you must have felt; I know your strength, I can say that in addition to your spirits, I am the who knows it best, I know you're not weak, and I know you've been trying hard all this time, but still, we're going to a place that literally seems to have been made for hunting wizards". He said with a somewhat dejected tone while he avoided looking at me as if he felt bad telling me what he thought.

I understood what he was saying, I really did, and that was precisely why I felt more and more annoyed; he was right, and his arguments were all valid.

Jean was the strongest person I had ever met; once, after much insistence, he showed me all the power he had achieved after years of training, and that was because I asked him for it as a present on my 16th birthday.

I still remember how it felt to be in front of him, that overwhelming feeling, all that concentrated power that almost left me unconscious at first; if it hadn't been for Aquarius's warning, I felt small, as if I was facing a huge immovable wall, and when my legs couldn't support anymore everything returned to normal, he approached worried and apologized for what he had done even though it was me who asked him to.

Jean was strong, to the point where I couldn't imagine him losing, but I wanted to show him that I was strong too; I wanted that when he thought of me taking on a challenge, he didn't think that I would lose, but of the silly jokes he would make when I overcome those challenges.

It was selfish and childish because I knew that he did not think of me as a burden but that his concern was sincere, but that was my immature and selfish desire.

"Sometimes you can be the one acting like a child, you know?" I told him, smiling after letting go of my annoyance and taking note of his comforting techniques; this time, it was me who patted his head; he looked surprised for a moment before also letting out a small laugh.

"You don't have to worry about me; I didn't come here just because I was worried you would do some reckless foolishness that could hurt you; it was also to show you that no matter the situation, you are not the only one who can get ahead; by the time we get out of that forest, I will definitely make you recognize me as someone just as capable as you". I finished saying before he could speak; after all, I knew that if this fool opened his mouth, he would ruin the moment; that was something that seemed to be imprinted on his being.

"Are you seriously patting me? That only works with girls and little kids". He said, moving his head a bit to avoid my hand, and although it was well covered, I noticed that this embarrassed him a bit.

"Oh? The one who inflated his chest when I told him that he was a pervert and presumed to be the strongest is embarrassed by a few pats? How old are you? 10?" I teased him while trying to pat him again; after all, there were very few occasions where this shameless acted this way.

"Ah, fine, I got it; stop doing that; I give up". He groaned before standing up and turning his back on me. "I'll go into the bushes for a while". He said, embarrassed, before walking away; he probably just wanted to take a moment to calm down, so I left him alone; that would teach him not to mess with me so much.

#####

After that altercation, the rest of the trip with the caravan was calm; the woman named Kasmi woke up the next day at noon, just as Jean said.

At first, she seemed quite confused, but after seeing that she was completely tied up and without any of her magic items, she understood the situation right away and started yelling and threatening everyone.

That was until Lucreos put a piece of cloth over her mouth to stop her from bothering everyone with her screams, and after another day of walking, they finally reached the intersection between the Fliros and Elimos roads early in the morning.

"Although it was short, I thank you both for joining us, especially you, young Jean, but are you sure you don't want to receive a payment? I think it wouldn't be right not to give them something as a thank you". Jason said, looking at the two who had accompanied them for just over two days.

The blonde seemed about to respond by accepting a payment, but Jean spoke first, ruining her chance of getting some money. "Don't worry about it; we arrived several hours earlier than it would have originally taken; that's more than enough"

Jason seemed to hesitate for a moment before agreeing. "I understand; good luck with your search, and take care of yourselves"

"It was a pleasure, Lucy, Jean, thank you for saving us"

"Equally". The blonde answered.

"Don't mention it; just make sure you keep an eye on that old lady until you hand her over to the rune knights; if I have some time after I'm done here, I could pay them a visit at your guild to see that legendary trident". Jean said with a bit of expectation in his voice.

"Both of you are more than welcome; besides, even though I couldn't do it on this trip, I would like to have a friendly duel with you"

"Oh, a challenge? In that case, I'll make sure to go through there, and what do you say, Lucreos? Wouldn't you mind if I visited you? Or are you still mad at us for interfering with your mission?" Jean asked, teasing the young swordsman a bit.

"Don't be so annoying". The younger boy snorted. "But even though I was upset at first, you saved my cousin and me, so I'll welcome you to the guild whenever you want, but you'll have to fight me too so that I can kick your ass". He finished saying defiantly.

"Tsundere brat, don't worry; I'll be there to teach you a thing or two about respecting elders". Jean replied with amusement. "Until we meet again"

"Bye". Both sides waved goodbye as they walked away.

"Well, that was interesting, don't you think?"

"What thing? The part where you pretended to be controlled? Or ending that old lady's plan"

"Both, at least now I'm completely sure that my necklace makes me immune to any magical mind control nonsense"

"And about the paralyzing agent in the food?"

"Well, with this experience, I improved everything a little, so unless it's something stupidly powerful, it should be fine"

"Hey Jean, would my bracelet also make me immune to mind control?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course it does, and I also improved it a bit before I gave it back to you, so you shouldn't have a problem with drugs, poison, or debuff magic"

"I've always thought so, but your ability is quite unfair, you know?" She said jokingly while pouting, and she was sure he knew it; after all, she understood how much effort Jean had put in to control his ability as he currently did.

She remembered that even once, one of his swords ended up exploding in his hand, and he was saved from losing his fingers only because he was in the water and his other ability started to heal his wound, but even so, a scar that covered almost all of his left palm and part of the reverse was left as a memory of that occasion.

"I'm just that cool, don't you feel lucky to be someone like me's childhood friend?" He responded with faux narcissism as he puffed out his chest.

"Yes yes, whatever you say, Mr. I am too good for this world; now that we have come this far, how much longer do you think it will take us to reach the forest?"

"Umm, we got to this intersection early in the morning when initially it should have taken us until dark, so we can walk a little longer before we have to camp, so I'd say five maybe six days if we find something that stops us a little.

"God, why did it have to be so far away?"

"Well, hardly anyone goes to that area, and it has a bad reputation, so I think it's normal that it's so far from any inhabited place, and even though it's a forest, it seems that the last two days of walking will be in a rocky area that surrounds the area, so if I were you, I'd enjoy the nice green country lane while there's still any"

######

After that, they both continued walking, the minutes passed until they turned into hours, and then those hours turned into days; no event delayed them, nor did they meet other people for the next five days.

"It is too hot". Lucy complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Yes, I think it would be nice to take a short break; let's do it in the shadow of that rock." Jean agreed as he pointed to a huge rock a few hundred meters away.

When they both sat in the shade, Jean put a hand on the sword that hung from his necklace, it shone for a second, and a couple of bottles of water appeared in his hands; he passed one to Lucy while he opened the second one and began to drink the liquid quickly.

"Ah, I really needed that". Lucy said after drinking half of her water bottle.

"I could not agree more". Jean added when a little over 3/4 of the liquid in his bottle was gone, after which he stared at the bottle for a couple of seconds before emptying the little left over his head.

"Yeah, that's better". He said with satisfaction as he stretched. "Don't you think that if you call Aquarius, she could throw us a little stream of water to cool us down? That could be revitalizing"

"You really want to try your luck?" The blonde said skeptically. "We will most likely end up swept away by a tsunami, and I'm not even sure if it would be in the right direction". She warned with a small shiver before kicking off her sandals and using some of the water to cool her feet while the rest of it was used on her face.

"Yes, even with my advantage with water things, I think it would be better not to provoke the spirit capable of launching waves of more than 80 meters with the same ease with which we breathe". The swordsman admitted before getting up. "Okay, I feel a little better now, shall we continue?"

"Okay, give me just a second". She asked before putting her sandals back on.

Returning their way, both decided to have a little conversation to pass the time, and after an hour, the water began to fall from the sky.

"Wow, that's pretty unusual". Jean said, raising a hand so that the water fell into his palm and feeling how his divine protection made his body relax after the long walk.

"Thank goodness; I really needed that". She added Lucy, feeling how the sudden but welcome rain reduced the heat that was beginning to re-accumulate in her body. "Then? How much road do you think is left?" The blonde asked, a little more animated as she felt that she could walk longer now that she didn't feel like she was in an oven, and without her realizing it, Jean stopped for a few seconds holding the small sword that hung from his neck before resuming his hike.

"Not too much; if we continue at this rate, I would say that tomorrow we will reach the entrance of the forest in the early hours of the morning, but I would not recommend walking for a long time in the rain, I am sure that I will be fine, but it would be bad if you catch a cold"

"I don't think that will happen, it's a pretty light rain"

"Fine, but if it goes on for too long, we'll make a stop to avoid problems"

"Okay, but seriously, this trip was longer than I thought"

"Yes, but tomorrow at this time, we should be entering the temple"

"That reminds me, do you have any plans if you have to fight the guardian?"

"Nothing too specific to call it a plan; I don't know the capabilities of the supposed guardian or how he fights; after all, no one but the first guy who said he saw him has come back from the forest, so I can't really make a super strategy, in the beginning, I had thought I'd just measure him a bit while keeping my guard up in case he had any nasty tricks; if I defeat him, he might use some suicidal thing and say only he knows where the treasure is, or maybe a key is needed and he could destroy it if I cornered him"

"Wow, you actually thought about it more than I thought". Lucy said, feigning surprise.

"Hey, you make it sound like I never think when I fight, but now that you're here, I'm trying to come up with a better plan; being two, we could use that to surprise him; one could distract him while the other uses a surprise attack, although I haven't decided yet"

"But Jean, you really think that a-" Lucy was saying when her friend's hand grabbed her shoulder to make her stop.

She turned to look at him when she noticed that he was staring straight ahead, looking directly at where a pair of huge rock formations formed a passageway a few dozen meters long that they needed to pass through.

"Someone is watching us". Jean said without looking away from the front and speaking out loud. "Come on, guys, it's time to stop playing hide-and-seek, don't you think? I know you are there. Besides, it seems that you also cause this rain, right?"

And a couple of seconds later, five figures came out from behind the rocky constructions, the most striking being the one in the middle and front of them, a boy with long black hair with several piercings on his face. "Gihi, it looks like the prey at least knows how to track". He said with a toothy grin.

---

Chapter 17 done; well, I said there would be trouble before we both got to the forest, right? Also, I think this will be a good way to show the power that Jean reached after the time skip and how strong Lucy is compared to her canon version.

That's all for now, ciao.

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