The next morning, Kaisen woke up to find that, as usual, the girls were not near him.
He looked at the map and confird that Alice was indeed at the camp.
With that assurance, he decided to venture out.
"What are we going to do? If you're asking , my opinion still stands. Let's abort the mission and leave this godforsaken area."
Maximus said, twirling his mustache—a habit Kaisen hadn't seen in a few days.
"Oh, shut up. We are here and we know sothing's out there. Honey, we're this close to our target; it would be aningless to go back now."
As usual, Sable countered her fiancé. She was getting tired of his cowardice.
Kaisen looked around the camp.
Unusually, Lloyd was still there. Usually, he and Elfie would have already gone out to scout before Kaisen even woke up.
'Suspicious. Suspicious at all.'
He walked towards the yawning and stretching man.
"I thought you would've already been on your way to find sothing living in this hellhole?" Kaisen asked.
"The...
~yawn~
... Elfie-san is still sleeping. Can you believe it? When I woke up, she was still up, gazing outside. She didn't sleep last night."
Throwing a glance back at the cave, Lloyd leaned in and whispered,
"I think she's worried that bastard will co back and take her away. Poor girl looks so lonely now. Have you seen the way she laughs these days?"
'What do you an these days? It's only been a day.'
Though he had the urge to say that out loud, Kaisen did not. He knew how Lloyd would act if he suddenly questioned sothing.
It was simply not worth it.
"I see. Are you still on the mission? I was thinking if we could find sowhere else other than here. It is simply not safe now that he knows where we are living."
"About that, Elfie-san and I have been looking for new shelter, but the only place in the entire forest with caves like this is here. You know how barren this forest is, right? Without a cave or sothing similar, we simply cannot survive the rain."
"But staying here is simply a death sentence. Don't you think so, Lloyd-san?" Maximus chid in.
"We have been discussing that. We've decided to scout a little further. It's not like we're going to search the entire forest, but still, it's better to have a shelter other than here."
Lloyd shrugged, and Kaisen nodded.
"Just increase the security here. We have food for at least a week, so it's not a problem for most of us to watch the periter while soone scouts for a new shelter."
Sable suggested.
"That's a good idea, but Lloyd-san scouting alone is a problem. With the whole Night Shade and that pervert elf on the run, it could cause serious issues. I still say we should abort the mission, go back, gather a considerable army, and then return to take on whatever is hiding here."
Maximus's answer was always the sa. It never changed. The poor guy did not like this place at all.
And his fiancée, well, she chastised him again. That, too, never changed.
Kaisen peered into the cave and saw the elf sleeping peacefully in a corner where the already dim sunlight wouldn't disturb her.
In the end, they decided to send Maximus with Lloyd to scout the area while the others stayed at the camp.
...
Even when evening ca, Elfie never ca out. It was like she was a depressed teen refusing to leave her room.
Elfie had said she wanted to sleep during the day since she was on night duty.
Alice provided her with food at the right ti, and Elfie just ate it, got back on the mattress, and slept.
Kaisen decided to check on her. He really wanted to know what was happening to her.
He was getting paranoid, thinking about various things. Not to ntion, he had even let Alwyn go because of Elfie.
He figured if he corrupts her more and more, she will be on his prey list, which still hasn't happened, even for Sable, which was weird.
So after that, if Alwyn contacts her or he takes her away, he can track her down.
And if his suspicion was correct and... and if he has any luck, that could possibly lead to the Night Shade, if Alwyn was rescued by them, that is...
'It seems I was actually late for that.'
The idea had made him paranoid ever since he saw Elfie laugh and smile last night.
He'd been pondering what a lifelong slave would desire once they're free, and he concluded that even if their body is freed, their mind wouldn't be liberated.
At least not for a few years or so.
They would constantly be seeking soone to lead them or a purpose to live for.
These individuals are grood to simply take orders and do as they're told.
Elfie, a lifelong slave, Kaisen couldn't believe for a second she'd suddenly laugh, smile, and gaze at the world with such beautiful eyes.
That was just impossible, unless... unless, of course, she'd been planning her escape from him for ages, but that was impossible too.
He'd seen how she looked at Alwyn; there was no way she'd betray him.
'All this thinking is making mad!'
He scratched his head vigorously, feeling like he was mining for gold in his own thoughts.
Back in his world, thinking wasn't sothing he had to do much of.
Life was as simple as finding a few scraps of tal, trading them in, and settling into the cozy nest he and his twin brother had built.
Ah, the days when happiness ca in a small package, wrapped in the warmth of their humble ho.
The only conclusion Kaisen could reach was that Alwyn sohow contacted Elfie last night, probably telling her to spy on them or sothing like that.
'That might be it.'
Entering the cave, he found her still sleeping, a blanket covering her head as if she had a cold or sothing.
'Even if he has contacted her, I can still gauge her emotional state if I add her to the prey list.'
Activating the touch of corruption, he crouched beside her.
"Elfie-san, wake up."
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