Ch. 152

“Who said you could!”

“I’m totally against this!”

“Uh…”

The one who looked like he was about to pass out from shock was Lox, while Chad flailed his entire body to make his disapproval crystal clear.

Ash seemed fairly flustered too, but when I smiled sweetly, he ended up smiling back without realizing it. A very awkward smile, but still.

“Because I said so.”

“I never gave permission, and I don’t plan to!”

“Well, I never asked for it, so.”

“……Hey!”

“I refuse your refusal!”

Since I never asked for permission, obviously they can’t refuse either! I was a proud soul and the very symbol of shamelessness in this era. I also moonlighted as a symbol of sacrifice.

“Are you crazy?!”

“Mm, maybe a little.”

“……Miss Geenie!”

“You guys go ahead. I’ll just tag along a bit. Pure coincidence if our paths overlap, so don’t mind me. But if you’re making food, can I have a little?”

When his words didn’t seem to work, Lox looked on the verge of tears. I knew it—smart, sensible people never got along with me.

“Ash! Do something about her! She’s not listening!”

“Um, Miss Geenie?”

“What…? You don’t like me? Ash, is that it?”

Of course, the way I dealt with Lox and Ash was completely different. I did a full 180 and looked at Ash with sorrowful eyes, as if nothing could be more heartbreaking.

Are you going to abandon me? Turn away from me? Hurt me?

“Uh, uh…”

“Snap out of it, Ash! Not this woman!”

Ash was easy to exploit because his weak points were so obvious, but the real problem was Chad. That guy was surprisingly tough.

Because he was so simple-minded, he didn’t get flustered when we couldn’t communicate. And he wasn’t weak to me either.

“I’m telling you clearly! I’m ‘not’ traveling with you!”

And on top of that, he was ‘loud’.

“Tch, why not? I could totally be helpful. I’m a Water Spirit Mage, so you’d never have to worry about drinking water again.”

“I’d rather die of thirst! I wouldn’t bring you even to a desert!”

“Think about it. You’ll need more people, right? It’ll be tough climbing mountains with just the three of you.”

“Not at all!”

“Then… it can’t be helped.”

Too bad. Guess I have to give up. This hurt even more than parting with Annie.

“You’ll have to die, Chad.”

“……That joke’s really scary, you know!”

“Wasn’t a joke. Too bad, but I’m gonna have to give up on your life here. You’re in the way, so kindly disappear.”

“Aaaah! Ash! Do something about her!”

“And if you die, that opens up a spot I can fill, doesn’t it? I really ‘am’ a genius.”

My will was naturally conveyed to Rai, and he immediately bared his gums, radiating savage hostility.

Having fought Rai before, Chad knew just how disadvantageous that battle was.

Rai was a wolf-shaped weapon. Ordinary weapons didn’t work on him, and his weight alone was enough to crush someone if he pounced.

“Grrrr…”

[Did you call for me, Master?]

To top it off, Undine quietly shimmered into view beside me without even needing a spell. At that point, the three guys all nodded in perfect sync.

“Let’s just take her with us!”

“Yeah, sure, she can come! Better than dying…”

“Okay…!”

“Oh my, does that mean everyone agrees? I knew sincerity would get through to you!”

[……Even I don’t think that’s what happened.]

The three men huddled together and whispered among themselves—but I could hear ‘everything’.

“We can’t leave her alone. It’s too dangerous.”

“Yeah, cities are risky. Better to take her with us.”

“Who knows what kind of trouble she’d cause by herself…”

Something about that conversation felt ‘off’.

Are they really worried about ‘my’ safety? Yeah… no, I don’t think so. What the hell do these guys think I am?!

[Pfft, companions should be built on trust and loyalty… this is just forced suppression.]

[No force was used at all!]

[They know, don’t they? That Master’s basically a weapon of mass destruction.]

[……Yeah, I’ll admit it. I did give them a little unspoken threat.]

[Not really ‘unspoken’, though…]

[Will you shut up already?]

There was some noise, but in the end, I officially joined Ash’s group. I proudly say it was done in the most peaceful way possible.

After all, not a single drop of blood was spilled.

—

It had been three days since I slipped into Ash’s party. I came to realize each person had a role.

Lox handled navigation and all the information checks.

Chad led from the front, kept watch for danger, and was ready to charge when needed. He was the main combat force and also the cook.

And from careful observation, even though Ash was clearly stronger than Chad in terms of pure combat power, he almost never drew his sword. It seemed his cautious personality played a big part.

He was the mediator, the pacifist, and also the leader.

Each had their own balance, and by sticking to their roles, they kept the team stable. Apparently, when travelers formed groups like this, it was called a “party.”

I’d heard the term before, but this was my first time actually being part of one. It had some intriguing aspects for me.

Travelers had all sorts of goals: some genuinely wanted to challenge themselves to grow, others sought glory and fame, and some were just in it for the money.

Like-minded travelers would band together and pool their strengths to reach their goals faster. That was the essence of a party.

They were together because they shared a goal.

There were those who lived their whole lives quietly in their hometowns, and then there were the brave ones who ventured into the world. Those were the so-called travelers.

Kids often dreamed of becoming travelers. They imagined forming parties and taking on grand feats.

Like slaying a dragon—that legendary, awe-inspiring quest! It was one of the grandest things a party could ever attempt.

But in reality, that kind of stuff was practically impossible. Most parties proved their strength by defeating dangerous monsters or demonstrated their intelligence by discovering ancient ruins.

‘That’s probably what Ash’s public goal is too—treasure hunting for ancient relics. Pretty safe, honestly.’

Still on horseback, I stared intently at the back of Ash’s head.

Maybe feeling my gaze, he turned around. As always, he looked ‘so’ ordinary.

Looking at that fake face, I started wondering what grown-up Ash’s real face looked like.

He’d been handsome enough to get kidnapped as a kid, so surely he’d be an eye-candy-level hottie by now.

How could I see that face, I wonder.

Maybe I should knock him out and snatch his necklace.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.”

“Your eyes were kind of scary.”

“Oh my, why would that be? I haven’t the slightest clue.”

When I asked Ash what the group’s goal was, he said they were searching for the ‘Goblet of the Golden Star,’ a relic famed among the remnants of ancient civilizations.

It was said that if you collected the morning dew in its sister artifact, the ‘Chalice of Dawn,’ and drank it from the Goblet of the Golden Star, it could cure any disease. A mythical object of legend.

And rumor had it the Chalice of Dawn was hidden deep within the Elan royal family’s domain. So, this goblet thing was probably just a cover for their real mission—but if they ‘did’ find it, that’d be lucky.

Something that’s been missing for over 5,000 years isn’t going to be found so easily, though.

“The map says there’s a resting spot just over that hill. Shall we stop there?”

“Perfect! I was getting hungry.”

Looked like we’d be having a late lunch.

Lox led the way with impressive accuracy, and Chad—apparently thrilled about food—was bouncing his shoulders and riding ahead of us.

All four of us were on horseback—rented horses.

Ash had taught me that buying horses could be a loss on a long journey. Renting was sometimes the smarter choice.

The downside was the expensive deposit, and the horses could only be ridden within a designated route. Go outside that path, and you’d have to rent again.

“It’s pretty big. And clean too.”

“This is a great resting spot.”

“There’s even a table! This is our lucky day!”

Making camp, cooking, and lighting a fire was always a pain while traveling, so it was common to reuse spots others had already used.

If a place got used often enough, it sometimes turned into an official rest stop like this one.

The place had become a known location on maps because of its frequent use.

It was rough and made of woven wood, but it even had a big table. Honestly, this was a small stroke of luck during our trip.

Having a table to eat at made a big difference.

“Let’s get cooking, then! Hey, fill this with water, will ya?”

Chad, our chef, unloaded the ingredients onto the table and handed me a pot about the size of a human head.

“Hm, the bread’s already getting hard. We should eat it before it goes bad.”

“Do we have any jerky left?”

“Should be in my bag. Let’s throw it all into the soup before it spoils.”

While the guys prepared the meal like a well-oiled machine, I sat at the edge of the table and filled the pot with water using Undine.

Obviously, compared to escaping that jungle alone and brute-forcing my way out of Magi’s lair, this was a way more enjoyable kind of adventure.

So this was what a ‘normal’ journey was like. I actually found myself enjoying the experience.

“Should I toss in all the carrots? What about onions? The corn looks like it’s about to go bad too… but if I add that, the taste might go weird.”

With two guys who were good with swords around, I didn’t have much to do.

Chad peeled potatoes skillfully, sliced them in his palm without a cutting board, and tossed them in the pot.

Meanwhile, Lox mixed spices and chicken powder in just the right ratio, dissolving it into the water.

“I like mine with lots of pepper.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ash had gone into the woods and returned with a bundle of firewood, now stoking the flames.

And me? I helped by staying completely still and ‘not getting in the way’.

See how considerate I am?

Truly saintly.

“All done!”

Once everything was tossed into the pot and boiled to perfection, a little seasoning adjustment made it a decent meal—even with stale bread.

Chad’s cooking skills were surprisingly decent.

“Wow, can I eat now?”

As I reached for my plate and spoon, Chad immediately protested.

“Hey! You’re just gonna eat again?!”

“Want me to pay?”

“That’s not the point! But if you’re offering, should I accept it?”

“Chad.”

Ash always seemed gentle to me, but even a soft-spoken word from him could freeze Chad in place.

Clearly, there was a pecking order.

“Tch…”

After a few days of observation, I figured it out.

Chad was weak to Ash, Ash was weak to Lox, and Lox was weak to me.

Like a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Me?

I’m the gun wedged between them all. Doesn’t matter what they throw—I’ll just shoot.

But if I ‘had’ to pick, I guess I was ‘slightly’, just slightly, weak to Ash.