Once again... Cecelia wanted to go back in ti to sock her earlier self straight in the face. Or better yet, thrash the bastard who had gotten her hopes up in the first place.
After agreeing to her proposition, Blaine’s level of cruelty reached new heights.
Before, Blaine had forced her to fight monsters, but at the very least, he had given her ti to rest between battles. Or, to be more precise, he simply didn’t care what she did when she wasn’t fighting.
Now, things had changed drastically.
Not only was she still expected to fight, but Blaine had decided that her ’downti’ would now be spent on physical conditioning.
Everything from push-ups to running laps around their campground was on the table.
According to her new personal trainer, learning how to fight was pointless if she didn’t have the strength or endurance to execute the techniques properly.
While Cecelia could acknowledge the logic behind his reasoning, it didn’t make her feel any less miserable.
The worst part of all was that the youth had yet to actually ’teach’ her anything, and frankly, it felt no different from before.
Still, Cecelia could tell that this ti was different.
Unlike before, when he’d simply thrown her to the wolves, there was a thod to his madness this ti. Blaine wasn’t just tornting her for the sake of it. Cecelia could feel that he was genuinely trying to help.
So, for the next several days, Cecelia endured what could only be described as a boot camp from hell.
Originally, Blaine had intended to leave after two days, just enough ti for his arm to properly heal. However, at Cecelia’s insistence, he reluctantly agreed to stay a little longer.
With nothing else to do, he spent the extra days silently overseeing her training, only stepping in when she was in real danger.
After another three gruelling days of training, Blaine decided they had lingered in one place for too long.
Their temporary ho had served its purpose, but staying any longer was an unnecessary risk. They had already killed too many areas in one area.
While Blaine had disposed of their corpses by tossing them into the river, the damage had already been done. Their blood had seeped into the ground, saturating the air with the tallic stench of death.
Although no Rank 2 monsters had appeared yet, it was only a matter of ti. The longer they stayed, the greater the risk of one stumbling upon their camp following the sll of blood.
And then, of course, there was the biggest threat of all... the Darkness Monster. If that unseeable horror decided to visit, their chances of survival would plumt to zero.
Taking no chances, Blaine had taken precautions before their departure.
He skinned one of the remaining monster corpses and tanned its hide to make so crude leather. After cutting slabs of at from the creature’s body, he smoked the flesh over the fire.
Wrapping the at in the leather, Blaine fashioned a makeshift bag to store their rations.
With ergency provisions secured, they were finally ready to move.
Blaine walked over to where Cecelia lay sprawled on the ground, utterly spent from training.
"Get ready to leave soon," looking down at her, Blaine emotionlessly said.
His words barely registered in her tired mind. Every muscle in her body ached, and the thought of moving again made her want to scream. But sadly, she didn’t have the luxury of complaining.
She was the one who wanted this, after all.
Having said his piece, Blaine turned around and walked toward the river.
Though Blaine still rarely spoke, Cecelia had noticed a subtle shift in his behaviour.
As the days passed, he started talking more, bit by bit. It wasn’t much, but it was still a change nonetheless.
It was as if the young knight was slowly getting more comfortable around her, or at least enough that he didn’t uprightly refuse to speak to her.
Crouching by the riverbank, Blaine cupped his hands and splashed the icy water onto his face, washing away the dirt and gri that had accumulated over the past few days.
The current distorted his reflection, causing it to ripple in the water.
After the river was proven to possess Unknowns, Cecelia had forbidden him from not only fishing but also entering it himself.
Due to this, apart from gathering water from it using a bucket created through Blaine’s Mana Art or tossing a monster body into the water, neither of them walked anywhere near the river’s edge.
While Blaine felt aggrieved that he couldn’t enjoy one of his favourite pastis, he didn’t want to sit through another one of the princess’s sermons.
...He’d just need to find a chance when she wasn’t watching.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, Cecelia’s tired body bolted upright.
She didn’t know why, but she felt a horrifying premonition.
When she glanced warily in Blaine’s direction, the auburn-haired youth was only washing his face.
Cecelia let out a small sigh of relief.
For now, he wasn’t up to anything crazy. But knowing him, it was only a matter of ti.
She forced herself to her feet, her muscles protesting with every movent.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she picked up one of the leather-wrapped sacks of food Blaine had prepared and slung it over her back.
After stamping out the last remnants of the fire, the two departed, leaving behind the place they had called ho for nearly a week.
While Cecelia didn’t want to admit it, Cecelia’s heart felt heavy as she looked back at the empty camp.
This miserable cave had nearly broken her, but at the sa ti, it had forged sothing new within her, changing her for the better.
Cecelia was stronger... Well, maybe not physically, just yet, but she had definitely grown ntally.
For the first ti in years, Cecelia was beginning to believe in herself. The words recorded in the ’prophecy,’ which once felt like a curse, now carried the weight of possibility.
Although their group’s mission may have failed, Cecelia’s personal one was anything but.
A wry smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she turned away, stepping to join the slowly departing Blaine.
The two had no clear destination in mind and no clue where the exit was.
All they could do was pick a direction and keep moving.
For hours, they walked, sticking close to the river. The sound of rushing water acted as a natural buffer, masking their noises in an effort to make it harder for the Darkness Monster to detect them.
They took breaks when necessary but never lingered for as long as they did at their first camp.
Days blurred together, and another week passed by in the blink of an eye.
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