"What, what is it?" Kirara asked.
"We 't go yet. The camp is probably looking for us." Kaede answered.
"Oh yeah, those guys." Kirara dropped her fist in her palm.
Kaede sighed, running a hand through her hair as she gnced back at the dire they’d e from. “We’ve been gone long enough for them to assume somethi sideways. If we leave without at least cheg in, they’ll think we’re dead or worse.”
"I don't know, isn't that a good thing?" Kirara murmured. "I mean, they 't trol us if they 't find us."
Kaede turo Kirara. "You wanna escape?" "Don't you?" Kirara shot babsp;
"What about Shogo and Kyoya? We would be leaving them behind." Kaede asked.
"So? They're boys, Kyoya is too shrewd to let anything happen to him, and Shogo is Shogo. He's to." Kirara crossed her arms.
Kaede sighed, staring at the sky for a full minute. "Okay fine." Kirara instantly had a bright smile on her face, but Kaede tinued. "But it 't be now, They'll know to look for us here. And since I o stay here lest I die, we 't have that. How about when we reach the castle, then we leave."
Kirara groaned in frustration. "But now's the only time we do it. That's the whole point. This is the only time we're free from their trol. Once we're ba the castle, it's back to being watched 24/7 and I won't be able to use my skills again."
"Think about it. Razen is defioo smart to just let us go out of the castle without a pn in pce if we try to escape." Kaede expined. "However, he wouldn't expect us to do so from the castle itself."
"But that's impossible!" Kirara yelled. "Thanks to the curse, I 't use my skill in the castle, and you have a shield."
Kaede shot her a tired gre. “Thanks for the vote of fidence. Look, just trust me okay?” She turo Acer, who was quietly sing the forest, its glowing eyes sharp and alert. “Hey, buddy, you stay by yourself without me?”
Acer tilted its head, emitting a soft hum before croug down. Like a dog that had been told to stay.
“Good girl. Have yained enough strength to protect yourself?” Kaede asked again and Aodded her head.
Kirara blinked. “Wait, what? You’re leaving it alone in the middle of nowhere? That doesn’t seem smart.”
Kaede crouched dowing Acer’s gaze. “Acer's strong, but I need you to stay here. Stay hidden.”
Acer tilted its head, emitting a soft hum of fusion.
Kaede pced a hand on its vine-like arm, her tone firm but gentle. “It’s not because I don’t trust you. It’s because I do. If aries to hurt you, defend yourself, but don’t move from this spot unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll e back for you. I promise.”
The pnt creature hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding, its viightening slightly, like a child relut to let go of a parent’s hand.
“Good,” Kaede said, standing up. “Artificia, you’re sure this area’s safe for now?”
Kaede nodded, satisfied. “Alright, Acer. You’ve got this. Stay low, stay quiet.” She turo Kirara. "So here's my pn."
---
Kaede and Kirara made their way back to the camp in silehe tensioweehick but unspoken. The forest around them buzzed with the soft hum of is and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
As they he camp, the distant sound of voices reached them, faint but growing louder with every step. The soft glow of campfires flickered through the trees, signaling they were close. Kaede straightened up, pushing aside her fatigue as she prepared for the iable frontation.
The two of them stepped into the clearing, drawing immediate attention from the group gathered around the tral fire. Ordric was the first to spot them, his tall frame silhouetted by the fmes. His face lit up with a mix of relief and irritation as he hurried over.
“Kaede! Kirara! Where the hell have you guys been?” Ordric barked, his voice low but sharp. “You've been gone for a whole day! We thought you were dead!"
Kaede sheepishly rubbed her head. "We uhh- got lost?"
Ordrit her a deadpanned look that said he didn't believe a word she said. "You... got lost."
"Yeah. But hear me out... We found the bandit leader." Kaede raised her hands in a pg gesture.
"Oh?" Ordric raised an eyebrow. "Well where is he?"
"The first thing you o know is, he wasn't human. At least I don't think he was." Kaede started. "He urple skinned, and he had a bck horn on his forehead."
Ordric had a look of thought on his face. "An Ogre? Leading a bandit group of humans." He turo Kaede. "Did he have a name?"
Kaede thought for a moment. "No. No he didn't introduce himself."
Ordric studied Kaede’s face for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “So not a named mohen, still, an ogre leading a bandit gang… That’s unusual, they're usually just meraries. Ogres aren’t known for mingling with humans, let alone leading them.”
Kaede shrugged, her exhaustion weighing heavy on her. “Unusual or not, that’s what we saw. I'm very strong, but he could keep up with me.”
Kirara nodded emphatically, bag Kaede up.
Ordric’s eyes flicked to Kirara, before turning back to Kaede. “And you’re sure he’s still in the area?”
Kaede hesitated, sidering her words carefully. “He wasn’t following us when we left, so I’d say it’s likely. But I wouldn’t reend sending aer him. You’d need a full squad at least, and evehere’s no guarahey’d win.”
Ordric rubbed his , the flickering firelight casting shadows over his thoughtful expression. “A full squad, huh? That bad?”
“Worse,” Veeno joined in the versatioone serious. “Ogre's are generally B+ranked monsters. To be able to lead aire bandit group, he's probably much stronger.”
The other adventurers around the campfire muttered among themselves, various whispers of agreement.
“Alright,” Ordric said finally, crossing his arms. “We’ll report this whe back to Falmuth. The general will decide how to ha. For now, you two o rest. You look like you’ve been through hell.”
Kaede nodded gratefully, though she noticed Ordric’s sharp gaze linger on her for a moment lohan necessary. He didn’t fully believe her story, but for now, he wasn’t pushing the issue.
---
Kaede and Kirara settled into the er of the camp, away from the prying eyes of the other meraries. The flickering light of the campfires barely reached them, leaving their little er dim aively private.
“You think they bought it?” Kirara whispered, her voice low.
Kaede leaned back against a tree, letting out a quiet sigh. “For now. Ordric’s suspicious, but he doesn’t have enough to go on. As long as we don’t give him a reason to dig deeper, we’re fine.”
Kirara didn’t look vinced, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she pulled her ko her chest, her eyes distant. “So… what’s the pn now? You’ve got me all hyped up about esg, and now we’re sitting here pretending everything’s fine.”
Kaede g her, her expression softening. “I know you’re impatient, but trust me on this. If we run now, we’ll just get caught. Patience is my forte.”
Kirara sighed, resting her on her knees. “Fine. But you’d better have a damn good pn by the time we get to the castle.”
Kaede smirked faintly, though her mind was already w oails. “Don’t worry.”
---
The m came too quickly for Kaede’s liking. The soldiers and adventurers were up at dawn, pag up the camp with practiced efficy. Kaede and Kirara were giveask of helping with the supplies, though Ordric kept a close eye on them as they worked.
Kaede could feel his gaze on her as she hefted a bundle of firewood onto the cart. She forced herself to aatural, keeping her movements steady and her expressioral. The st thing she needed was to give him a reason to dig deeper into their story.
By the time the camp acked up, the sun was well above the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest floor. Ordric called the group together, his voice cutting through the m air like a whip.
“Listen up! We’re heading back to Falmuth. Stick to the formation, and don’t wander off. Apparently, we’re in ogre territory, and I don’t want ating picked off because they decided to take a detour.”
The group murmured their uanding, and soon they were on the move, the forest closing in around them as they made their way back toward the castle.
Kaede walked he middle of the group, her shield strapped to her bad her eyes sing the trees. She could feel Kirara’s presence beside her, the girl’s nervous energy practically radiating off her.
“Rex,” Kaede murmured, keeping her voice low. “The more anxious you look, the more suspicious they’ll get.”
Kirara huffed quietly. “Easy for you to say. You do anything."
Kaede smirked faintly. “Not really.”
Kirara rolled her eyes but didn’t respond, her gaze fixed oh ahead.
---
By the time they reached Falmuth, Kaede’s body was screaming for rest. The journey had been grueling, and her magicule reserves were still dangerously low. But she forced herself to keep going. She couldn’t afford to show weakness now.
A few hours, and Razen was waiting. The chief sorcerer stood in the ter of the main room of their suite, his pierg gaze sweeping over the both of them as they entered. Shogo and Kyoya were o be found. Kaede felt his eyes linger on her, and she forced herself to stand tall, meeting his gaze with a calm, steady expression.
“Wele back,” Razen said, his voice smooth but cold. “I trust your mission was… enlightening?”
Kaede nodded respectfully, choosing her words with care. “It was... ued. The leader of the bandits wasn’t human. He was an ogre apparently.”
Razen’s sharp gaze remained locked on her. “An ogre? Leading human bandits, no less? That’s highly unusual. Did he give you a name or any indication of his goals?”
Kaede shook her head, keepione calm and polite. “No. He didn’t introduce himself, and he didn’t stay long enough to ask. He was strong... Probably as strong as Shogo.”
Kirara chimed in quickly, her voice tinged with nervous energy. “He didn’t seem like a random monster either, old man.”
Razen stroked his thoughtfully, his expressioraying nothing. “A named ogre, perhaps? A he didn't even give a name. Named monsters are known to be quite proud about their names. Especially Ogres and their supposed 'honour' bound traditions.”
Kaede hesitated but decided it was best to be ho. “We’re not sure, sir. I don't really know about any magic or abilities that would indicate a monster was named.”
Razen paced slowly, his robes swishing faintly as he moved. “And I wouldn't expect you to.” He stopped and looked at them both. “Was there anything else of note? Any information about the bandit group itself?”
Kaede exged a gh Kirara before answering. “The bandits seemed loyal to him, sir. After taking out two of their bases they didn't run, and acc to the general, they instead bought time for him to escape. Now knowing he was a monster, it all makes sense now.”
Kirara nodded vigorously. “Yeah! They weren’t ag like normal bandits either. They were way more ahan we expected.”
Razen’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his voice remaieady. “That’s troubling. If the bandits are uhe trol of a strong monster.”
Kaede ined her head. “If there’s anything else we do to help, sir, please let us know.”
Razen studied her for a long moment befiving a small nod. “Your willio serve is noted, Kaede. For now, get some rest. You’ve both ear.”
Kirara let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Kaede remained posed, bowing slightly before responding. “Thank you, sir. We’ll be ready if you need us.”
Razen turned away, already lost in thought as he strode toward his study. Kaede and Kirara exged a brief look before retreating to their quarters.
---
Kaede's room was rge and fortable, with a big bed pushed against the wall. Kaede dropped onto her bed with a weary sigh, her body ag from the journey. Kirara sat on the bed, her expression a mix of exhaustion and frustration.
“That weer than I thought,” Kirara muttered, running a hand through her hair. “Still, I hate how calm he always is. Makes me feel like he’s oep ahead. Creepy.”
Kaede gnced over at her, her tole. “He’s just doing his job. Besides, it’s better than him being too suspicious, right?”
Kirara groaned, flopping bato her bed. “I guess. But now what? We’re bader lod key, and the escape pn is starting to feel more impossible by the minute.”
Kaede stared at the ceiling, her mind already ing with possibilities. “We’ll figure it out. For now, let’s me rest a bit.”
Kirara didn’t respond, but the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease slightly. Kaede closed her eyes, letting the quiet of the room settle over her. Nighttime couldn't e any sooner.