Within the aspen grove, Fufi assumed the first watch. Alex and Merumeru were sleeping peacefully in a makeshift tent constructed by securing bnkets to the cart. The embers of the brazier cast a soft glow, illuminating the scene. After Fufi vigintly completed her watch, she gently roused Alex, and they swapped positions within the bnket tent. The pair took care not to disturb the slumbering slime girl. Fufi located a suitable spot inside the tent, then carefully stood on one foot to achieve a comfortable sleeping position.

  As Alex awoke for his watch duty, he blinked several times and gnced around, drowsiness still clouding his thoughts. This was his first time experiencing the night watch, and the remnants of a dream lingered in his mind, making it harder to focus. In his dream, there was a creature that could only be described as a dryad. She resembled a young girl, but with vibrant green skin and aspen leaves flowing like hair. Her emerald green dress appeared to be crafted from interwoven pnts and flowers, a living garment that moved and swayed with her gestures. With an alluring hand gesture, the dryad beckoned him, drawing him deeper into the dream's ethereal embrace.

  Shortly into his watch Alex noticed some movement in the brush. He drew his trusty feather duster and waited until he saw a shadowy figure step into the light. "Um, Hello?" Alex greeted the person, his voice cracking a bit.

  From the shadows, a young woman emerged, stepping into the light. Adorned in a summer dress that blended yellow, white, and red, her beauty was captivating, framed by hair as green as grass. Extending her hand toward Alex, she introduced herself, "Greetings, I am Kaede. I have been assigned the task of finding you."

  "Oh, um. . ." Alex stammered and looked around the dark grove, not believing his eyes and ears. He considered waking everyone up. Fufi just went to sleep so he'd feel guilty waking her up so soon. Strange women visiting him in the middle of the night was a first for him so he wasn't sure what the proper response to this would be.In a dark grove, Alex stammered, "Oh, um. . .," unable to believe his senses. Awakening everyone crossed his mind, but he hesitated, recalling that Fufi had just gone to sleep, and he felt guilty disturbing her so soon. Strangely, this was his first encounter with women visiting him in the dead of night, leaving him unsure of how to respond appropriately to this unusual situation.

  Kaede ughed. "My mistress would like to meet you. Won't you come with me? Sakura is a lovely dy and caretaker of the grove."

  Alex felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "One moment, I better get this." He said as he pulled out the phone and looked at what it said.

  [Charm Resisted]

  Apparently even in another world bedtime mode still worked on his phone. He should probably set it to vibrate or silent mode all the time to avoid awkward moments like this. More importantly, charm? Was she a siren that escaped from the dungeon?

  Looking up at the strange woman Alex rudely asked her to leave, "Kaede was it? The st time I got involved with a chance encounter in the woods I got more than I expected. Besides, it would be rude to skip out on my turn to do watch. Care to come back after Fufi and Merumeru are awake?"

  The girl tsked and said under her breath, "That would complicate things.."

  Alex crossed his arms, unimpressed.

  Kaede spoke up, "Can't I persuade you? I heard a rumor that you like cake. A cake can be prepared in your honor." The strange girl offered her hand again for Alex to take.

  Alex raised an eyebrow, "Send our regards to Sakura, now off you go." Alex waved her away gesturing with his feather duster.

  With a slight bow of her head, Kaede retracted her extended hand and turned away, venturing into the forest. Alex watched her departure, then put his feather duster away, puzzled by her actions.

  He approached the fire, stirring the embers and adding a few sticks of wood to intensify the fmes. Alex took a seat, contempting his next move, weary from his day's journey. Tending to the fire offered a solution to prevent slumber.

  As time passed, a faint light emerged on the horizon, gradually transforming into a brilliant glow that pierced through the trees. The dawn was upon them, signaling the approach of breakfast time.

  "Fufi! Merumeru!" Alex called out to the girls.

  "Huh? What's up?" Fufi asked sleepily.

  "It's morning and we should eat something. Though the only thing on the menu is stuff we foraged on our way through the forest." Alex said. He left unsaid that the options would be very simple.

  "Meruuuu." Merumeru said in a drowsy tone.

  "Let's see what we have." Fufi said and rummaged through a box on the cart with her beak.

  The two of them pulled out something and Alex prepared a modest meal of berries, mushrooms and some nuts.

  "Oh Fufi, I wanted to ask you, did you see anything strange on your watch?" Alex questioned.

  "I didn't really notice anything. I mean there was the odd animal or bird that came by. Nothing too unusual." Fufi replied.

  "Well, I had a strange dream and when I woke up it was like it bled over into reality. Someone named Kaede wanted to take my hand and lead me away. What should I make of that?" Alex scratched his head.

  "I've never seen anyone like that before. I wonder if she was a succubus or a spirit? Did she have wings and a tail?" Fufi pondered.

  "I didn't really get a good look at her. Coal fire doesn't give off a lot of light. I don't think she had wings and a tail though. It is hard to remember though. I guess it could have been part of a dream." Alex said.

  "We'll just have to wait and see. There are some creatures that can enter dreams. A succubus is one of them but they like to stick around civilization so it would be really odd to find one in the middle of the forest." Fufi said.

  "Yeah, I guess." Alex said and finished up eating.

  After breakfast the group packed up their camp and set off in the direction away from the barbarian encounter. Around midday the group came across a babbling brook winding its way through the hills. The water was clear and refreshing. Alex thought this might be a good chance to bring out Rose so she could show off a bit. He took the top off one of the water barrels and started to do the little doll dance he had learned. The clockwork doll's gears started to move and she put the pump of her water gun into the stream. Alex continued to dance for a few more minutes as Fufi and Merumeru cheered him on. He smiled and finished. He climbed the cart to see how much water was collected.

  "Hmm, not a whole lot of water. Perhaps a half of a liter. Maybe we can make her a bigger water gun some time." Alex might have had high hopes in using a clockwork doll as a water pump.

  "Ruuu Me Me." Merumeru commented, not sounding impressed.

  "Rose's still a work in progress. Also, I’m still trying to figure out this animate doll spell. We can’t improve without practice right?" Alex gave the slime girl a head pat.

  Following the brook upstream, the group sought to distance themselves from the men they had encountered previously, believing the brook likely flowed into the river. With safety in mind, they continued their journey upstream. As they progressed, the terrain grew steeper, and the brook dropped below them. The small stream's banks transformed into a gorge-like formation.

  When the uneven terrain made it difficult to move the cart normally, Alex reverted it back into card form. As the sun reached its zenith, the gorge opened up into a valley. At the base of a steep rocky incline, a simple ranch house and a barn stood amidst the grassy area.

  Sensing the presence of the farmstead's owners, Alex stopped and took out the cart, not wanting to surprise them with its sudden appearance. The fields were cultivated, and various animals observed him from a fenced enclosure. Alex pondered to himself, "Hmm, how should we approach this situation?"

  At the front door, Alex knocked and waited anxiously for a response. Soon, the door creaked open, revealing an older-looking woman with dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her light tan skin contrasted with her light blue eyes, and she wore an apron with her sleeves rolled up, a sign of her domestic duties.

  "Hello, I'm Alex," he began, trying to sound confident but faltering as his voice cracked. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my friends and I were attacked by barbarians and had to flee into the forest. It's... nice to meet you?"

  The woman looked them up and down. "Name's Martha, it has been years since we st got visitors. Are you some kind of a monster tamer?"

  She pointed at the pink bird and slime girl standing beside him.

  Alex shook his head. "No, these are my companions. Martha, meet Fufi and Merumeru."

  Martha eyed the trio suspiciously. "What are those? They're not monsters you say. I can accept that the bird is an animal, but that other one is definitely a slime."

  Alex smiled as best he could. "They aren't monsters. Fufi is my familiar and Merumeru I met on an adventure."

  Martha looked at him skeptically. "You must be joking. You expect me to believe that? I know what monsters look like. Who meets a blue slime and decides they are their new friend?"

  Alex was starting to get annoyed. He was not used to being treated like an idiot. He was going to try to be patient and expin everything to her but the old dy was giving him the creeps. He was about to change tactics when Fufi spoke up.

  The fmingo chirped. "He's telling the truth. People can be friends with slime girls and birds without a tamer css."

  Martha looked at the slime girl.

  Merumeru looked right back. "Merumeru!"

  Martha's eyes went wide. "Slime girl? Birds? What the heck is going on here?" She turned her head and shouted, "Bob! Get over here there is a pink-robed boy, a bird, and a slime at the door."

  "Huh?" A man came to the doorway. His hair was salt and pepper and his eyes were gray. He stood beside Martha and gnced at the cart behind them,"M'name's Bob. Are you all some kind of traveling merchants? Performers? Can't say I recall the st time I saw one. The aspens cimed the trail that led here years ago, not that it ever got much use."

  Alex tried to not sound suspicious. "No, I am no merchant. I guess I could be a traveling tailor. I'm not bad with making cute clothes. I haven't tried making a living doing it though. "

  "You sure you ain't some kinda con artist?" Bob asked guardedly.

  "No, I really don't have any skills like that. I was just hoping to run across another human who wasn't hostile for once." Alex sounded exasperated.

  The old farmer snorted. "I reckon we can feed you and let you rest. We don't get any travelers through here. I'll tell ya what. You say you are a tailor? I got some wool that needs to be carded and spun into thread. If you three can spend the rest of the day doing that there will be food and a pile of hay in the barn you can spend the night in."

  "That sounds good to us. I've never been allergic to hard work." Alex said, rolling up his sleeves.

  "Alright then. Let's go." Bob said and led them to the run down barn. The barn was dirty.

  Alex gripped his feather duster and cringed.

  Bob looked at him and asked, "Something wrong boy?"

  "No. I was just thinking that I need to clean up a bit before I start working. Is that okay?" Alex scowled at the filth.

  Bob grunted. "Yeah, it's fine. Just be careful. That floor is pretty rough. I wouldn't want to break a leg on it. This pce was built by my grandpa back when people still had a town a couple days away."

  "I understand. I won't slip or anything. I promise." Alex said. He actually had recent practice navigating condemned buildings.

  "Alright, come on in and get settled. There's a bucket and rags in the corner. Get yourself cleaned up and get to spinning. You can draw water from the well to wash yourself off." Bob stated bndly. He waved his hand in what was likely the general direction of a well.

  "Hey you hear that Merumeru. Bob and Martha have a well. You should go take a look. Wells are what people used before they had plumbing. People would dig a hole deep enough and get water out with a bucket tied to a rope." Alex gave the slime girl a quick expnation. "Is it okay for her to go out and py? She really likes plumbing for some reason." Alex turned his attention back to Bob.

  "Sure thing kid. Go ahead." Bob didn’t seem to care much.

  Merumeru happily ran off towards the well.

  "I'll be right outside if you need me." Bob said as he left.

  Alex pulled out his feather duster and cleaned himself and the area up. He then started to card the wool. It was a pure white after he dusted it off with his magical item.

  Alex, curious about the time required to spin wool into yarn, contempted creating a ball and observing his spinning speed. He wondered about the potential cloth yield per day and the excitement of the experiment. While organizing a wool pile, Alex grabbed a pair of carders, despite his ck of experience with spinning wheels or wool preparation. However, his skills guided him intuitively.

  Soon, he had a lovely wool batt. He proceeded to the spinning wheel and manually spun the rge wheel. Noticing the wheel's worn condition, he dusted it off, restoring its appearance. Humming a cheerful tune, Alex spun the batt by gradually feeding in a thin line of wool.

  Standing up, he slowly moved the great wheel, transforming the process into a slow, deliberate dance. He took a step back to adjust his position while simultaneously adjusting the fiber's twist with his arm. At times, he raised his arm and rotated the wheel in the opposite direction.

  Despite its unfamiliarity, the entire process felt strangely familiar, as if it were a dance he had never learned but somehow recognized. By day's end, Alex held a beautiful spool of wool thread with pride. Eager to share his accomplishment, he walked towards the exit, seeking Martha and Bob to show off his creation.

  His phone rang out.

  [Tailoring skill has reached level 2]

  Alex smiled. "I did it. I can't believe I am actually good at this."

  "You didn't think you could spin? I thought you had experience being a seamstress." Martha said, surprised. She and Bob let them into the house.

  Alex could smell the meal that was cooking. Merumeru and Fufi were already inside helping set the table.

  "I didn't know I could do this. I was just following my instincts." Alex said.

  "I'm gd you can. I was worried you were going to be a burden. Now, I'm going to finish getting dinner ready. You all can sit and talk." Martha headed back into their well-used kitchen.

  Merumeru and Fufi sat down while Martha brought out wooden serving ptes filled with stew.

  "So, you are friends? Why are you traveling together?" Martha asked.

  "I met Fufi on a road near my cabin far away and she is my familiar." Alex said.

  Martha nodded. "Familiar huh? Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. You seem to be decent kids."

  "Meruuu."Merumeru chimed in, waving a little arm.

  "How about you? How long have you and Bob been living here?" Fufi asked the couple.

  "Oh, we've lived here for generations. We're too old to travel much anymore." Bob stated.

  "I'm sorry I didn't know. I guess I was assuming everyone was like me. I was just trying to find a way to get to somepce safe. Were you around before the demon queen's army destroyed this area?" Alex apologized.

  Bob ughed, "I'm not that old. That happened back in my grandpa's time. He is buried back in the family plot up the mountain."

  "I'm sorry. I know it was a long time ago. I just didn't know how long" Alex bowed his head.

  Martha shook her head, "Don't worry. I'm not mad at you for asking. I can tell you are not from around here just because of that. We haven't seen any other humans for a long time. We mostly keep to ourselves. Even more so after Kyle went missing."

  "Kyle?" Alex questioned.

  "Our son. He disappeared two years ago. He went to collect lumber and didn't come back. Bob and some of the dogs left trying to find him but the trail just vanished deep in the woods." Martha expined.

  "I am very sorry to hear that. I hope your son is okay and comes home soon. Two years with no word about him is not a good sign." Alex wondered.

  "Well, we feared for the worst but we haven’t seen any evidence of his death. The forest is dangerous. It's best to just leave it alone. Trying to be angry with the forest is like cursing bad weather." Bob said.

  "I wish I had known. I am sorry." Alex apologized again.

  "It's alright. I just don't want to dwell too long on bad memories. We are going to be the st generation at the farmstead. Martha and I accept this." Bob said in a solemn tone.

  "I understand." Alex said with a nod in Bob’s direction.

  "So, why are you traveling? Where are you from? I can tell you are no ordinary traveler." Martha asked.

  "I'm from another nd far away. I guess you could say I got here by magic. Fufi and I accepted a quest to defeat the demon queen but we haven't made much progress." Alex expined with a heavy heart.

  "We heard rumors of the Demon Queen. You are lucky to be alive. If you hadn't been sent here then you would be dead by now. This area has mostly just been abandoned by her army." Martha said.

  "I see. So, you have never seen her?" Alex inquired.

  "No, never. I've only ever heard stories. Grandpa said that sometimes imps used to fly around scouting for something. I don't know what they were looking out for though." Bob said. Fufi gulped at this, looking uncomfortable.

  "I see. That makes sense." Alex said.

  "You must have a lot of questions. I guess it's te to be asking them. We should get to bed." Martha said.

  "I suppose. Thank you for letting me stay." Alex said.

  "It's nothing. You all can sleep in the barn." Bob said.

  "Thanks Bob. I'll go get my stuff and we'll go there" Alex said.

  "Good night Alex, Fufi and Merumeru." Bob said and waved.

  After setting up their bnkets on the hay loft, the trio retired to bed for the night.

  melchi