At that moment, Caleb approached with a smile. âMs. Garcia, youâre awake. Your timing is perfect. Letâs all have breakfast together.â
After he finished speaking, he didnât wait for her reaction. He immediately waved at Shane and the others, beckoning them to come over.
And so, the two families sat together.
On Neeraâs left was Shane, while Darcel was on her right.
For some reason, she felt somewhat awkward.
However, Darcel seemed unbothered. He even served her a bowl of soup.
Neera took it with a word of thanks, sipping slowly, but she didnât have much of an appetite.
Looking at the variety of food in front of her, she couldnât help but tease, âMr. Medicina, youâve prepared quite a lot. It seems like youâre here for a vacation.â
Caleb smiled faintly. âIndeed, no matter where we are, we should never shortchange ourselves.â
Neera found it somewhat amusing. After spending the past two days together, she realized that Caleb was quite different from the impression she had of him at their first meeting.
When they first met at the pharmacy, he gave off an impression of dominance, nobility, and gentle sophistication.
In contrast to then, no matter how she looked at him now, she couldnât help but see him as a goofball.
Hmm, he quite an interesting guy.
After breakfast, the group took a short break before continuing on their journey.
After Neera had walked a distance, she didnât look well.
Shane was worried about her, âWhatâs wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Your complexion is a little pale.â
Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, Neera said, âItâs nothing serious. Itâs just the wound I suffered from the recent attack. It split open a little last night, causing some pain.â
Shane furrowed his brows. âWhy donât we take a break so that you catch your breath?â
Neera declined, âNo need. Itâs okay. Letâs not hold everyone back. Iâll just bear with it for a while, and it will pass.â
Moreover, the Médicina family was also traveling with them. If she were to stop, Caleb would surely take care of her and stop as well. She didnât want to cause trouble for others.
Shane sighed. âYouâve had it tough too. You should have been resting at home, but instead, you were dragged into this struggle. Running around all day yesterday might have worsened your wound. Since you donât want to stop, why donât we slow down a little? It wonât make much of a difference.â
Neera chuckled lightly, insisting, âItâs okay, letâs keep up this pace. I can handle it. Donât worry.â
With that, Shane didnât say anything more.
11:00 Thu, 9 Novo Rather than focusing on the pain in his shoulder, Neera chose to distract herself by shifting her gaze elsewhere. She looked around, taking in the scenery.
At that moment, she realized that someone was missing from the Medicina familyâs group.
Luna, who had carried her through the marsh before, was nowhere to be found.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked over and asked with concern, âWhere is Luna? Why is she not here? Did something happen?â
Caleb pointed ahead. âSheâs fine. I sent her ahead to scout the path in front.â
Upon hearing this, Neera felt reassured and put her worries aside.
Shane also believed it to be true, and even took the initiative to suggest, âNext time, if thereâs a need for scouting, you can call on us to join. Itâs better than acting alone.â
Caleb smiled faintly, politely saying, âOf course, of course.â
After a while, the dull pain in Neeraâs shoulder became unbearable. She simply couldnât go on any longer, so he finally stopped to rest.
Seeing her discomfort, the Medicina family indeed stopped and stayed with her.
Neera felt a little embarrassed. âMr. Medicina, donât worry about me. You guys should go ahead. I donât want to hold you back.â
Caleb casually plucked a leaf from a tree, held it to his lips, and blew gently. With a relaxed air, he said, âNo worries. Weâre tired from walking anyway. Letâs take a break together.â
Given what he said, Neera naturally insisted.
Thereafter, her wounds began to act up more frequently, forcing her to stop and rest two more times.
Calebâs men stayed together with her throughout, moving and resting as one group.
In fact, their demeanor was so relaxed that Neera even wondered if they were there on vacation.
At that moment, Caleb said, âActually, thereâs no need to rush up the mountain. Hurrying might not necessarily be a good thing.â
Neera understood his point. âDid something happen up there?â
âMm-hmm.â Caleb nodded. âItâs quite lively up there right now.â
Lively? Could it be that a fight has broken out?
Before long, they continued on their journey, confirming her speculation.
Sure enough, two groups of people were engaged in an intense battle.
Every attack unleashed would cause blood to splatter all around. Clean blades would be drenched in blood every time they were thrust forward.
Neera was visibly in discomfort. The stench of blood was so strong that it made her feel slightly nauseous.
At that moment, Darcel suddenly appeared, blocking her path.
âIf itâs making you uncomfortable, you should stop watching.â
While speaking, he handed her a bottle of water and gave her two pills.
âI heard your wound is hurting. Eating this can help soothe it. Weâll find a place at noon to set up a tent, so you can clean the wound.â
Neera, whose attention was inadvertently diverted, thanked him softly.
After Darcel left, Finnley came over with a suspicious look, muttering under his breath, âWhy does everyone in this group treat you so well?â
Shane seemed to appear out of nowhere, responding, âItâs probably because Neera is quite attractive, which naturally inspires others to be protective of her.â
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