The Paladin Order Reformed - Chapter 30
The one week we planned to stay stretched for another week, this was because we desperately needed to prepare for our journey ahead, but still it was so wonderful to spend that time with Lili. First, we scavenged the town for useful resources, the demons looted most everything of value, but that doesn’t mean that they took everything. There were some stashes of coin and materials that were hidden away and many of the town’s tools and equipment were left untouched if not a bit neglected.
Unfortunately, all of the food in the town was either spoiled or rotten and the fields were filled with weeds, so Lili and I hunted game around the town to replace our depleted food supply. She would prepare the carcasses and I would cook the meat. We used a dilapidated, but functional smokehouse in the town to prepare some jerky. First I used a mixture of plundered ale and pepper to give the jerky a decent taste, then I smoked the meat for a couple of days until they were completely dry.
As the meat was curing, I used the time to repair my armor and weapons. It was a simple task thanks to the repair equipment that Sir Richard gave me so long ago, although it took some time to repair the mail links that were broken during our escape. I tried giving Lili a sword I recovered, but she insisted she was better accustomed to her “moon claws”, I convinced her to at least using a bow so she could give me ranged support if needed.
At the end of the week when we were completely prepared to depart and our collection included, scrounged coins equaling to about 59 gold coins, a couple of sets of clothes, a bedroll and two good spare cloaks, provisions of jerky and foraged edible plants that would last us for about 3 weeks and a hunting bow with a quiver of arrows for Lili. There wasn’t much else that wasn’t taken after the town was abandoned.
Lili and I packed all our supplies and provisions into our rucksacks, only making the weight I had to carry marginally more since it was still comparably light. We headed out with the setting sun and a dauntingly long road ahead of us. We decided that we would head west first to bypass any Paladin Order and Demon army troops, then we would travel 700 miles north until we hit Hampton, my home town. There hopefully, we can find Sir Richard and figure out what’s actually going on.
We only traveled under the cover of night to be safe, I used a spell to see, but it seems that beastmen are naturally able to see at night. We traveled at night and slept during the day under a passive [Light Refraction] spell. Which protected us from being seen from the unsuspecting eye.
Passive spells are spells that use an initial amount of mana to cast a spell, then that spell uses mana particles within the air to remain active. Passive spells are very limited in their applications and can only be used effectively where there’s a moderately large concentration of mana particles, this is because it’s no longer using the mana generated by a person, but by the environment. That being said, passive spells can only be maintained in the state they were cast.
This is important because it means that a spell is not being cast, only maintained. For example, if you tried to make a passive fireball spell for a trap or some other reason, then you would just create a perpetual ball of flames. That meaning that there are no real passive spells that can be used as for offense, the only use that passive spells have is for illusion and a few other things.
This is good for us because we’re mostly camping inside the forest, which allows both of us to sleep in broad daylight without anyone being able to see us. I can’t cast [Erase Presence] or [Disperse Scent] as passive spells, so we’re only invisible. I don’t think it would really matter though, being unseeable is the main thing to worry about. But someone could still theoretically smell or sense us.
It was a slow journey, we only made about 15 miles a day. On the fourth day of traveling I decided that we are far enough from anything to make a small campfire so that we could enjoy a warm meal to break up the monotony of tough jerky and dried plants and berries. I used a couple of branches and the jerky with some wild vegetables to make a type of journeyman’s kebab. Lili and I sat around the meager fire enjoying our humble meals and each other’s company.
I took a bite of the kebab, the meat was warm and the chewy texture had a good contrast to the soft cooked mushrooms and bitter wild greens. All things considered, I was pretty content with the meal I made. I looked at Lili to ask her thoughts on the meal, about to dig for a compliment or two since she’s been craving some cooked meat for a few days now, but her expression was distant and her ears twitched every few seconds and her eyes gazed into the forest looking from tree to tree constantly.
I frowned, I wonder if something was bothering her, I can’t think of any other reason for her to be looking like that. I waved my hand to the side a little to catch her attention, she blinked a couple of times and readjusted her gaze on me. With a concerned smile, I asked.
“Lili, is something wrong? You’re acting kind of distant tonight. If its something about the food, then you can always say something, I wouldn’t have minded hunting something if you’d rather had a fresh meal.”
She forces a smile and tries fabricating her usual energy, but I can hear a tinge of worry in her voice. “No, there’s nothing wrong with the food. You always make savory and diverse meals that I’ve never had, I’m just…I don’t know.” She smiles slightly with a tired expression.
“I’m just tired and we’ve been traveling all day, so I’m just a little weary. I’m a little scared too, we’re on the run being hunted by everyone.” She frowns and looks up at me with fear in her eyes. “I want to be by your side, but I’m not used to this, I’m sorry. Would you…..would you mind if I slept with you tonight?”
My jaw dropped a little, we’ve been sleeping close to each other in separate bedrolls up until now, but I wasn’t expecting her to be so direct about it. Actually, I was hoping she would ask, I really haven’t had a good sleep since she’s slept with me. I shyly said.
“Sure…I don’t mind.” I got up and sat next to her, holding her hand. Losing myself in the pools of mountain clear water that colored her stary galaxy eyes, saying. “I’m never going to force you to come with me, you’re not entitled to follow me if that’s not what your heart wants. This is my journey and if you want to make it yours, then that has to be what you want. I don’t want you to follow if it’s not 100% what you want.”
She gripped my hand a little tighter and smiled at me with those of flawlessly white teeth of hers and her downy white tail swayed happily, smiling she said.
“Thanks, Christian, I want to be at your side. I’m grateful that you’re thinking of my feelings as well.” She wolfed the rest of her kebab down and said with a slightly hurried tone. “Let’s go to sleep, I want to cuddle right now!” With a dumb smile plastered on my face, I replied enthusiastically. “Yes mam! Whatever you say.”
I pitched a small tent and retrieved the larger of the two bedrolls, the one that I was equipped with during my time in the army which is the same one that I usually let Lili use. With this, we curled up next to each other. She laid with her back to my chest and her unfairly fluffy was between us, as we laid down I noticed her worried expression just before I dispelled the floating light above us. “She must still be worried, hopefully, she’ll feel better in the morning.” I thought. “If not we can talk about it, we always have tomorrow, right?”
I drifted to sleep easily, falling into a blissful rest that was in someways nostalgic of my time with Aliece, it seems like both of them can bless my travel to a blissful world or rest. Even in that wonderful void of rest, I could feel that something was wrong, on instinct I woke up instantly. There was a presence that I wasn’t familiar with, the fog of sleep hadn’t yet cleared from my mind and I had yet to realize my hands were confined behind me. I shook my head to clear my mind and a figure promptly approached me as I did.
In front of me stood a beastman with a familiar set of white wolf ears and a similarly colored tail. Wearing a sadistic grin and an amused glint in his eye as he addressed someone to my side, saying.
“You did a great job, he didn’t even suspect a thing did he, Lili?” Confused and frightened I looked over to where he spoke and I looked with disbelief at Lili’s neutral expression and glazed eyes.
“L..Lili? What’s the meaning of this!” I screamed with hatred and fear. “What did you do!”
She refused to look me in the eyes, only saying quietly and with no emotion to the beastman. “Quit wasting time and let’s finish this.” As I’m being dragged away I can only stare at Lili’s adverting eyes. She only mouths two words, unwilling to say them aloud.
“I’m sorry.”
