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Ma had fallen asleep again.
Her breathing had evened out as she curled slightly against my side. I didn’t move—not because I couldn’t, but because I didn’t want to.
I knew she needed this.
The mont she had broken down in my arms, all the strength she had been holding onto had finally crumbled, leaving behind the vulnerable, exhausted woman I knew she rarely let anyone see.
I adjusted her slightly, making sure her back was as comfortable as possible despite the wounds. I had done my best to clean them, but without another potion, all I could rely on were the bandages and whatever limited knowledge I had.
A pang of guilt settled deep in my chest.
She had nearly died.
If I had been a little stronger —if only I could have protected myself, she wouldn’t have had to defend from those incoming spiked.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my face. My body ached—bruises, cuts, exhaustion pressing down on like a heavy weight—but none of that compared to the sheer relief of knowing she was alive.
Leaning my head back against the tree, I stared at the faint embers of light filtering through the cracks in the hollow bark.
We couldn’t stay here long.
The forest was still dangerous. More monsters lurked in the forest, and without any more potions, another fight could be the end of us.
But moving Grandma in this state? That was just as dangerous.
I sighed, glancing at the woman beside . Despite the scolding she had given earlier, I knew she was holding back.
She had wanted to hit harder, scream louder. But her body wouldn’t let her.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
She would never see as anything but a child.
Even after everything.
Even after I had killed that damn spider on my own, after I had torn through its exoskeleton with that bloody mana bomb.
Even after I had risked my life to kill that Tier 1 beast.
She still saw the sa boy she had raised.
I closed my eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. Now wasn’t the ti to dwell on it.
We had to move soon.
I needed a plan.
I made a quick guess of our supplies.
Our food rations were almost gone. The bandages wouldn’t last long if Grandma or my wounds reopened.
The last potion was gone, used on when, logically, I should have saved it for her.
Stupid decision? Probably.
Necessary? Absolutely.
She wouldn’t have survived without , and I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t healed. It was as simple as that.
Still, the situation was far from good.
We needed to find a city so that we could hurriedly recover and return to the Roro State.
Ughhh
If they were so particular about calling us there, why not take us back themselves? Why did we have to do this the long way?
I reached into the new coat I had worn, pulling out the crumpled map we had managed to buy before leaving for this place.
The ink was faded, but I traced my finger along the routes, estimating our location.
If my guess was right, we were still at least three days away from the nearest city.
Three days of walking through a monster-infested forest with limited supplies and an injured person.
I clenched my jaw.
Not ideal.
But we didn’t have a choice.
I folded the map back up, tucking it away just as Sylvie stirred.
Her brows furrowed, and her eyes fluttered open. For a mont, she looked disoriented—confused.
But then her gaze landed on , and a tired sigh left her lips.
"You’re still awake?" she murmured.
I shrugged. "Couldn’t sleep."
She frowned, shifting slightly before wincing. I reached out instinctively, steadying her before she could move too much.
She gave a sharp look. "I can sit up on my own, boy."
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. "Sure."
Slowly, she forced herself upright, groaning under her breath. Her body trembled slightly from the effort, but she managed.
I stayed quiet, watching as she pressed a hand against her forehead.
"How bad is it?" she finally asked.
I hesitated. "You won’t die."
Her lips twitched, almost like she wanted to smile. "That bad, huh?"
I exhaled through my nose, rubbing the back of my neck. "We need to leave soon."
She humd, tilting her head slightly. "How long have I been out?"
"A few hours."
She nodded slowly, glancing around the hollow space we had taken shelter in.
Her sharp eyes flickered toward my bandaged side, her frown deepening. "And you? How are you holding up?"
I shrugged. "The healing potion healed most of my wounds."
Her gaze lingered on for a longer mont, unreadable. Then, she sighed.
"I suppose there’s no point in scolding you again."
"Good. Because I wouldn’t listen."
She gave a flat look before shaking her head. "Brat."
I smirked.
Despite everything, despite the pain and exhaustion weighing us both down, there was sothing oddly comforting about this.
The familiar banter.
The way she looked at , as if I was both her greatest pride and her biggest headache.
The way I still felt like a child in her presence, even when I knew I had long outgrown that title.
She stretched her arms slightly, wincing when the movent tugged at her wounds. "You said we need to leave soon?"
I nodded. "We’re too exposed here. There’s a city about three days away."
Her gaze sharpened. "Three days?"
"Give or take."
She exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders. "And what do you plan to do if we run into another Tier 1 monster?"
"Win."
She gave a deadpan stare. "That’s not a strategy, Noah."
I shrugged. "It’s worked so far."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue.
Because she knew.
She knew that despite the risks, despite the odds stacked against us—I wasn’t going to stop moving.
And neither would she.
"…Alright," she said finally, shifting her weight forward. "Help up."
I hesitated. "Are you sure—"
"Noah."
I sighed, standing and offering her my arm.
She gripped it tightly, pulling herself to her feet with a low grunt. Her legs shook for half a second before she steadied herself, her expression tight.
I didn’t comnt on it.
I just let her stand.
"…Which direction?" she asked.
I glanced toward the cracks in the tree, the faint glow of the rising sun filtering through.
I pointed east.
"That way."
She nodded, adjusting her coat. Then, she looked at .
"…Then let’s go."
And just like that, we left the safety of the hollow tree behind—heading straight for the unknown.
***
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