Chapter 34: Chapter 33 - Girl Talk

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”Was this drop-off point chosen at random?” Miralen asked as the airship that had transported them left them seemingly in the middle of nowhere. They were in a place with mostly wide open grassland with no real landmarks to signify this place was special in any way. They could vaguely tell that there were some mountains in the north, and they could see the edge of a forest far in the east.

Instead of replying, Duskclaw simply smiled mysteriously. Despite that, Shaheera was quick to answer in her stead. “Of course not. They had some reason to choose this place. We just aren’t aware of those reasons. Most likely they picked a suitable distance from the nearest settlements, just to see how we’ll do. This is supposed to be a wilderness survival exercise as well.”

They had gone out on missions before, even during the end of the first year. However, nearly all of those missions had been either extremely short trips with adequate transportation available, or they were well-organized trips with plenty of people and teachers participating. Relatively few of the students had spent more than a few days at a time in the wilderness during the time they were students. Of course, some of them had spent a lot of time roughing it even before becoming students, or during their vacations.

"We also passed some elven patrols on the way, so they know we're here," Karna added. She had sensed the patrol while they were flying over them. "I don't think any of them were close enough to approach us, but a word about our arrival has already gone out. Assuming it wasn’t expected already. We might run into some questions on the way.”

“So how do we want to approach this?” Mayumi asked. She was actually the one with the least amount of experience with such things, despite being a reincarnator. She’d led relatively cushy and sheltered lives. She’d spent some time in the snows of her homeworld, but that was a very different experience.

Everyone automatically turned towards Karna. On the other hand, she was more interested in seeing what the others decided, so she waved for them to decide. After a moment of hesitation, Sieg seemed to make a decision and took charge of the situation. "Our supplies are good for now, and we both packed tents and are able to create a shelter with magic if necessary. So those things won’t be an issue for the time being. We should make our way to the nearest habitation and find out where we are exactly, and what we need to deal with to make our way to our destination.”

“We could also try securing some sort of transportation. Airships might be out of our budget for now, but we could at least try to find mounts. While most of us can maintain a fair speed on foot for quite a bit of time, I’m fairly sure running all day will take its toll eventually.” Shaheera added his own thoughts.

“Good call.” Sieg nodded. As the supposed bodyguards, this part was more for them to handle. “Tired people also aren’t as vigilant, and these lands aren’t as safe as we might hope. Thanks to the war and the recent takeover of this area, the old Holy Knights haven’t kept up patrols. The elves sent their own forces, but they’re probably stretched thin for now. And if my guess is correct, the Headmistress likely dumped us in an area that’s far from peaceful.”

"We might want to be prepared for the locals not being too friendly either," Travan added from the side where he was touching the soil and getting a read on the territory. Then he pointed at Miralen. “I apologize for asking, but I’m not aware of your capabilities. She’s a mage, right? So she’s going to have some issues keeping up.”

“Ah, that won’t be a problem.” Miralen smiled. “Karna and the teachers have made sure my fitness is good enough to keep up for short times, especially when I use some spells to aid in that area. I also have my spirit!” With a flourish, a beautiful dark-furred wolf big enough to easily carry the girl appeared next to her. “Little old Snow here will be able to carry me easily, and she has enough stamina and speed to keep up over long distances. The only issue is that to keep her materialized for the whole day will strain my mana a bit, so I won’t be at 100% if we run into a battle in the evening.”

“You named your black wolf Snow?” Mayumi asked incredulously.

“Of course!” Miralen said with a cheery tone.

“Don’t let her fool you. The wolf changes names like every month.” Shaheera interjected. “What about you Mayumi?”

“Ah!” The Yuki-Onna snapped her fingers and a snowflake-shaped artifact hovered next to her in the air, and they all knew she would be able to handle herself.

“That just leaves…” The three guys’ eyes quickly moved across Karna who could run circles around all of them to the two adults.

“Don’t worry about us.” Mayumi’s master stated confidently. “We’d be rather poor guardians if we couldn’t even keep up.”

"I wouldn't be too sure," Duskclaw said slowly. "I've seen some of these kids move. That said, I’m a beastwoman. I’ll manage. Besides, I also managed to drag my warrior ranking up a bit after Karna kept kicking my ass.” Her rank as a warrior was now a respectable fifth rank, known colloquially as a ‘Battlemaster’.

“So which way are we headed?” Miralen asked.

"Give me a second," Shaheera stated and used one of the abilities granted by his spirit, which allowed him to view the area from a great height. His spirit was a more utility-based one, the value of which should not be underestimated. Not everything was about combat. “That way.” He pointed roughly towards the north and the mountains. “There are farming hamlets only about a day and a half’s travel that way, and a decently sized village a bit further. I’m not sure how much use they’ll be otherwise, but at least they will be able to tell us where we are, and I brought maps.”

“Good. Let’s get to it then. Keep your guard up. We have no idea what kind of things we might run into. Tell me if you sense anything out of the place, and give a warning if the pace we set is too much. It’s easier to just go a bit slower than nurse you if you overexert yourself.” Sieg instructed and they all took off in the direction Shaheera had pointed out for them.

At first, the pace was a bit uneven as they got a handle on what sort of pace everyone could handle, but by the time the first hour had passed, they were all moving at a pace that would cover a lot of ground in a very short time. They were all good at keeping pace, and their stamina was plentiful. They also had people in the group that could keep an eye on the surroundings even at great speeds. Even expert scouting patrols would've had trouble keeping pace with them.

The first day's travel was surprisingly uneventful. They all expected some sort of trouble but were almost disappointed when they didn't run into any. They set up camp when it started getting dark, and even though it was the first time they were traveling with this exact group, people naturally fell into roles when the time came. The tents were set up with practiced ease, as it was something they had trained in class, and guard shifts were set. Karna took over the role of the cook, as all her friends had already discovered her culinary abilities were by far the best in the group. Miralen set up some magical traps to warn them in case someone tried to sneak up on their camp, while Travan set some physical traps around the camp, just in case.

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"Are you sure you don't want to create a bath?" Miralen asked in a bit of teasing voice as Karna cast a cleaning spell on herself. The attire they both wore was very practical though made from great materials. Leather pants and leather armor in addition to a cloth shirt on top. They also had rather sizeable cloaks against wind and the weather. Even though they had the same attire, Karna’s somehow managed to look more indecent as the clothes were significantly tighter, leaving little to the imagination. The attire they wore had been chosen specifically to not seem out of place.

“Here? No thanks. As much as I enjoy baths,” Karna winked at Miralen to show she had understood the small reference to the bath where they had been peeped on. “I’m not so fond of them to require one the first night. The spells will be enough for now. We can see if we find some place with a lot of natural water, in which case I can use magic to create a bath for us. How about you? Can you survive without stealing my bath for a night?”

“I think I’ll manage.” Miralen also grinned a bit and used the same spell. It was something the teachers in charge of wilderness skills had drilled into them. Baths were a luxury while traveling, but taking care of hygiene was important as well.

"I think the boys were a little disappointed about the way the tents were split." Mayumi laughed. Naturally, the two adults had their own tent while they had one for each gender as well. "Are you sure you don't want to switch…?" She tried teasing Karna a bit as well.

"Ah, as fun as that might be, I think it would create too much trouble for now," Karna said shamelessly. She’d spent enough time in various militaries in countless lives that sharing a tent with the opposite gender didn’t bother her at all.

“Don’t worry, that was a nice try!” Miralen encouraged Mayumi, who looked a little crestfallen as her attempt at teasing failed. The Yuki-Onna girl had a bit of trouble treating Karna as an equal due to all the lessons she had been given, and because she knew Karna was in fact so much older than her in spirit.

“Is it just me, or would this be the perfect time for some girl-talk?” Miralen suddenly asked.

“That depends. What do you want to talk about?” Karna asked while playing along.

“Well, would it be too cliché to say love and boys?” Miralen suggested, blushing a little.

“If you want to, though that's really a bit too cliche.” Karna shrugged. “From what I’ve seen though, there’s not that much to talk about. None of us have a boyfriend, and unless I’m horribly mistaken, neither of you have had one either.”

‘At least in this life.’ She added to herself silently while glancing at Mayumi. She wasn’t sure how old the girl had been when she died in her first life.

Miralen looked at Mayumi a little curious, as she knew Karna had not had one either. They spent enough time together that keeping that kind of secret was sort of impossible. “You’re right.” Mayumi agreed. “There was someone back home, but…it didn’t really work out.” Something about the look in her eyes told Karna that she was talking about that previous life and not this one.

“Fine.” Miralen placed her hands on her waist in a defiant gesture. She was determined to have this talk, as if to get it ticked off on some mental checklist. “Anyone you’re interested in then?”

"Not really," Mayumi replied after a short moment. "I mean there were some guys back at the Academy that were rather handsome, but none of them were bold enough to approach us. The only ones I've spent any time with are Shaheera and Rein. Rein has Callista, and before that he was crushing hard on Karna. As for Shaheera…well, I don’t feel the whole Leonid thing. I suppose Sieg and Travan both look nice, but I don’t really know them yet.”

“What about you?” Miralen turned towards Karna.

“Well, before that, it would be fair that you answered your own question.” Karna turned the tables. Even though elves had to be decades older to be recognized as adults, that didn't mean they didn't get frisky earlier than that. Miralen was also quite a looker, so Karna was a little surprised the older girl had given no indication in that direction.

Miralen looked hesitant for a moment but finally spoke with a displeased face. "My family is trying to set me up in an arranged marriage of sorts. I'm not fond of the idea, which is one of the reasons I haven't gone back home for the last couple of years. I don't dislike the guy they've got picked out for me, but he's like a brother to me. A significantly older brother. Just because I don’t dislike him doesn’t mean I’m going to marry him though. I just need enough power to assert my independence. Until then though, it would be a bit of a problem if I completely disregarded my parents and got involved with someone else. That said, if I were looking…I suppose Shaheera is quite nice when it comes to personality, but I agree with Mayumi. I’m not into the whole Leonid thing. There are some nice looking fellas at the Academy, but our training and frantic pace hasn’t really left me much time to socialize.”

“I know right?” Mayumi high-fived the elven girl. They had both been working hard during the last few years. They had to in order to keep up with Karna.

“Now then, fess up!” Miralen turned back to Karna.

“I’m not in love or anything if that's what you're asking. I'm not looking for anything serious like that either just yet. We’re clear on that? Good. Now if you’re talking about just having a bit of fun, there’s quite a few people I wouldn’t mind. I’m not in a rush though. Assuming I don’t find anyone interesting during the trip, I’ll probably find someone when we return to the Academy." Karna mused while setting out her bedroll. A bedroll that secretly was much bigger inside and had a large number of pillows stuffed within. It was one of the items she was secretly very proud of. Now she just had to make sure Miralen didn’t notice.

“Anyone in particular in your mind?” Miralen asked, filled with curiosity.

“Well, yes and no. I’m not sure how smart it would be to pick someone from inside our group. Mayumi and Tsumi are out on purely master-disciple type of grounds. Rein got himself involved with Callista, so he’s now off-limits. I don’t go for anyone already in a relationship, even if I was inclined to give them a chance otherwise. That leaves Shaheera, Sieg, and you Miralen." Karna went through the names as if she was just reading a shopping list.

“I…didn’t know I was an option?” Miralen wasn’t sure how to take Karna’s words. To say she wasn’t interested at all would be a lie, but she wasn’t sure she swung that way. In fact, she was rather confident she generally didn’t, though it might be interesting to experiment.

“Sure, why not? That said, I think it might be better to not pick inside the group. We’ll see though. These kinds of things have a tendency of solving themselves, so there’s no need to waste too much thought on them.” Karna was quite aware that relationships inside friend groups could also blow up in unpleasant ways, in which case friendships could be broken. People this young had trouble with the concept of casual sex without any strings attached. Feelings would inevitably develop, and hearts would be broken once those feelings were not returned. “Now get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and we can do these kinds of talks while we have more time. Also, come up with something a little less cliché next time!”

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"It might be better if we don't approach them as a group," Sieg commented as the group of farmers warily looked towards them as they got close enough to the farmlands to be visible from the fields.

“So who should we send?” Shaheera asked as the two of them were standing a bit ahead of the group. “Seeing as I’m a Leonid, and ostensibly an enemy of the elves that currently control this area, I might elicit a bad reaction."

“Well…” Sieg looked at the rest of the group behind them. “Miralen and Travan are both elves, so theoretically they should be fine. Assuming these farmers don’t resent their new rulers…”

“A bet I’m not sure I’d take just yet. I heard these sorts of areas were the hotbed for the rebellion that was growing in the Holy Kingdom before the Divines sent their judgment. Mayumi is…well, I’d say she’s a decent option, but her type isn't exactly standard in the area, so I’d keep her as an alternative.” Shaheera speculated.

“Karna…she’d certainly get the information we want, but…” Sieg wasn’t entirely sure how to voice his concern.

“Her presence could also bring a host of other problems.” Shaheera finished in his stead. “So I guess you’re going.”

"I suppose so," Sieg grunted. He was the most normal-looking of the entire group, and that was saying something considering he was over two meters tall and very broad and muscled as well. In many ways he took after his father when it came to appearance, but he actually managed to become a bit taller thanks to his mother's side as well. He could look quite threatening to most people that didn’t know him.

It didn’t take Sieg long to converse with the farmers, and once he managed to calm them down, a bit of coin was enough to get any information that he wanted. “The town Shaheera spotted is called Stadfelt, and we’re closer to the eastern border of the old Holy Kingdom, although still relatively close to the center. This area is actually fairly safe when it comes to magical beasts and wildlife, but there is some bandit activity. The wars were relatively gentle as far as hostile takeovers go, but a fair number of people were still displaced or became disgruntled by the new management. Banditry was the most common response. Some of the old Holy Knights that didn’t get their powers back also joined groups like that, but there are rumors of them being in this area.”

“Stadfelt…Stadfelt…” Shaheera repeated as he browsed his map. “Ah! Got it. Oh wow, they really dumped us in the middle of nowhere. This area is some of the most sparsely populated land in the entire Holy Kingdom. The only reason this place is of any interest is due to the plentiful farmland available for settlers and the mines that can be found in that mountain range.” He pointed towards the north. “That’s also where we’ll find the closest decent-sized city. Seeing as the city was built because of the mines, there’s a good chance we’ll find some transportation there. Maybe even teleportation gates if we’re lucky.”

“Can you show me the map?” Karna asked, suddenly remembering something.

“Sure.” Shaheera handed the map over, and Karna studied it for a while.

“There is an alternative in case that mining city doesn’t pan out. It’s a bit of a hike, but I happen to know a particular business-dragon called Llethunaxx that lives about a week’s travel east, assuming we keep a hard pace. I’m quite sure he can arrange us passage to where we want to go. For a price.” Karna said with a tone that was hard to interpret.

The others were not used to her using that sort of tone, so naturally someone had to raise the obvious question. “What sort of price?” Miralen asked.

"We might have to pour coins on him," Karna replied ominously.