Heading South Part 2

I stood with a blank mind watching Syvis walk away with Kase. Seeing how the woman I love left with someone I hate after he protected her from my companions and it felt like a nightmare. I know the reason. I know we are in the middle of a quest, and I must be professional, but still..., I feel full of uncertainty.

"Darx, are you alright?" I heard Seto ask me.

"I-I'm fine," I said, trying not to let my expression show the anguish I was feeling, "More importantly," I turned my attention to Dante, "Are you okay? You're bleeding a lot."

"It's not as serious as it seems," Dante answered me while bandaging his bloody hand. He answered me with a smile while wrapping his bloody hand with a handkerchief, "Luckily, it seems that Kase's knife wasn't coated in poison. It would still be good if Hisa healed my wound before I lose any more blood, though."

Seto then said, "Darx, go back with Dante while Gerald and I buy something to eat in the meantime. We promised the girls that we'll get something after all."

"Okay..."

Seto and Gerald started walking in the opposite direction from us. I felt guilty for what had happened, and even more so when I saw that Dante walked in silence. I wanted to apologize, yet he apologized to me before I could say anything.

"Hey, Darx. I'm sorry."

I stared at him, confused, "What? I'm the one who should apologize! Even though we're on an important quest, I let my emotions get in the way and put everyone at risk for my personal reasons."

"That only happened because of my negligence. Hisa was correct with what she said. I am the leader of this party, and I was not taking things seriously, which led to everything that happened. I knew well that fights between the guilds could happen along the way, and I didn't take it too seriously, thinking that nothing would happen because it was the first day."

"But-" I try to say.

"I know what it's like to be in your position, so I don't blame you. Being young and in love makes you do many stupid things. Believe me, I did even worse things for that very same reason, hahaha!"

I wonder if he is referring to his relationship with his sister. But there's no way I can ask him.

"Still..." I say, "I shouldn't have acted so carelessly."

Dante gave me a small pat on the back and smiled slightly without taking his eyes from the front of the road, "Syvis is a beautiful woman. I don't blame you if there are times when you can't think rationally. I know both of you are in a difficult position with this quest. I can imagine how confusing it must be to have to see the girl you love as the enemy."

"I thought I was prepared not to let my feelings get in the way, but as soon as I saw her, I just forgot everything..."

"Many lovers who are adventurous go through this situation," Dante replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, It's true! The most common thing is that an adventurer dates another adventurer. And you know how difficult it is to enter a guild. Many couples end up separated in different guilds."

"I wonder how they deal with it?" I asked.

"It is complicated but not impossible. From what little I know, Syvis doesn't like playing around and takes things seriously. If she is with you, it is because she really loves you, so don't worry so much."

I know that well. Even though Syvis acts cold and distant, she is actually kind. She is a lonely person, but she likes to help others. Despite the difficulties she has had because of her race, it does not seem that she is someone who holds grudges. And even more so, I think she is quite a loyal person.

"On the other hand, I would be cautious about Kase." Dante continued, "He is an unscrupulous person who doesn't care about lying or cheating. One way or another, he always manages to get what he wants. He is a dangerous person both in and out of battle."

Dante's look when talking about Kase was full of anger. I had already noticed before, but something must have happened between them. They don't hide their dislike for each other in the interactions I have seen between them. I know better than anyone what kind of person Kase is, and that is what makes me feel worried that he is so close to Syvis.

Without thinking, I expressed what I was thinking and asked, "Did something happen between you and Kase?"

"Uh? ...Mmm, something like that. Maybe another day, I'll tell you."

Moments later, we arrived at the place where we were staying. Opening the door to the room, we saw Hisa ready to attack us as soon as we entered; however, she held back when she saw Dante's bloody hand. Both Leona and Hisa looked worried. Hisa scolded us as she healed Dante but what surprised me was Hisa's healing magic. She healed him in an instant. It's not for nothing that she has a reputation for being the best healer in the guild. After telling them a little about what had happened, Seto and Gerald also returned.

"Hey, on the way, we saw the Dark Dragons members, and it looks like they're getting ready to leave," Seto said as soon as he entered the room.

"Are they leaving so soon!? But they just arrived." Shalia exclaimed.

"Most likely, they want to get ahead to avoid traps that Oblivion or us might set," Hisa spoke.

"Knowing the members of the Dark Dragons, it is very likely that is the reason. They must already be well prepared for the trip and will try to conserve their energies for the real battle once they reach the ruins." Dante confirmed.

"What will we do?" Leona asked, "Shall we get ready to go out too?

After thinking about it for a few seconds in silence, Dante replied, "Let's spend the night here and leave early in the morning."

"Are you sure? They won't leave us behind?" Gerald asked.

"It's okay. We'll also let Oblivion get ahead of us." Dante answered.

"WHAT? WHY?"

Everyone except Hisa and Seto responded simultaneously, confused by what Dante said.

"It doesn't matter if we go first or last; there will be risks. However, the advantage of going last is that Oblivion will have to deal with the traps or ambushes placed by the Dark Dragons. Oblivion will be too busy with that and trying to catch up with Dark Dragons to care too much about us. If they do leave traps, they will not be that well prepared."

"Sounds like a good idea." Seto confirmed, "We can avoid unnecessary confrontations with them and avoid getting hurt before we get there."

"According to the report, the ruins seem to be quite extensive, so we could catch up with them there and hopefully take advantage of the fight between them to catch them off guard from behind," Hisa added.

What they say makes sense. It might seem like we're being left behind, but that's better than rushing ahead or worrying about attacks from the front and back.

"That does not mean that we should lower our guard. We will go at a good pace to not fall too far behind and be able to change strategies according to the circumstances." Dante said.

It is evident that the atmosphere had changed, and after eating, Dante gathered us together once more for a little meeting before going to sleep.

"From now on, there'll be two-person night guards to avoid surprise attacks. We'll take turns every night."

After discussing it, it was decided that Shalia and I would be the first couple to take guard. I offered to be the first since I wasn't sleepy and had several things to think about. As soon as it was decided that I would be the first, Shalia offered to keep me company. After a while of chatting, everyone went to sleep with the exception of Shalia and me, who left the room so as not to interrupt the sleep of the others.

Shalia and I sat in the wooden hall, overlooking an uncovered garden from which we could see the entrance and some rooms in front of us.

"Are you okay, Darx?" Shalia asked me.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Are you sure? It looks like you guys had a hard time."

"Something like that, but to be expected, I guess. We're in the middle of a quest, so clashes shouldn't be uncommon."

"I see...," Shalia told me, looking a little concerned for me.

Shalia knows about my bad relationship with Kase. She must understand how overwhelming it is to have to put up with seeing him with Syvis. She also has a person like that in her life, for which she must perhaps understand me more than the rest. Count Earl. The man who made life miserable for her and her family. I promised Shalia that I would help her, but so far, no major problem has happened.

We are quietly watching the stars and enjoying the cold night breeze when both she and I notice four people walking down the opposite aisle. It was a man and three women of different races. A Beast-Kind, an elf, and finally, a human like him. It looked like they were coming from a party or something because they seemed drunk, laughing, and making a lot of noise. In addition, the guy was kissing and touching the body of the three girls at will. I recognized the elf girl since she invited Dante to stop by her establishment when we passed through the streets. I guess the three of them are escorts. Turning to look at Shalia, she had a face as red as a tomato, seeing what was happening without blinking. With the exposed breasts of a girl, the four entered one of the rooms, leaving everything silent again.

"...This place is really something, haha...!" I said, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Y-Yeah, This place lives up to its reputation, haha..., " Shalia answered me, still shy.

....

"Darx, do you think the four of them will have sex?"

"WHAT?"

"Shhh!! Don't make noise, or you'll wake up the others!"

W-Why is she asking me this?

"I-I guess so..." I replied, a bit embarrassed.

“That guy must have a lot of energy to be able to do it with three girls at once, don't you think so!? I wonder if he's an adventurer."

Since when does Shalia talk about these things?

"W-Well, he doesn't necessarily have to be an adventurer, but without a doubt, being one helps a lot with these matters, and he can even endure more."

"It seems you have experience in that," Shalia said, looking at me incriminatingly.

"No, No! I have never done something like this with multiple people!"

The only reference I have about sex is with Syvis. Without a doubt, being an adventurer has helped me a lot. Once we start having sex, Syvis isn't satisfied until we do it all night. I don't know if all women are the same, but if I were an average person, I don't think I could keep up with that pace.

"But you've had sex before..."

"Well, I'm in a relationship, so it's not weird. Haven't you done it before?"

Fuck, once again, I asked what I was thinking out loud.

"Ehhh!!! No..., I-I've never done that before..."

"O-Oh, I see..." How am I supposed to respond to that confession?

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Shalia said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"EHHH? I didn't-"

"You must be thinking I'm a prude, right!? But even though I didn't go that far, I have some experience. Once I used my mouth to..."

Shalia seemed to realize what she was saying and embarrassedly turned around, hiding her face, "Darx, please forget what you were saying, please!"

"Yeah, s-sure, don't worry too much."

Let's change the subject, please." Shalia told me, hiding her face.

We talked about other things for the rest of the night until Shalia fell asleep on my shoulder. All of this made me wonder how it would feel doing it with more than one girl at a time? ...Bahh, what am I thinking.

In the morning, we let the members of Oblivion go ahead of us as planned. I caught a glimpse of Syvis for a moment in the distance before she left once more in the same carriage as Kase. Dante patted me on the back, and to cheer me up, he invited us to have breakfast at a restaurant he knew before leaving this place. Afterward, we bought a couple of things for the road and headed south.

The trip, in general, went well with the exception of a bandit attack that we think was orchestrated by Oblivion. It made us lose a little time, but thanks to that, I was able to see a bit of my teammates' skills firsthand. Gerald was able to take on a group of bandits that were far away with his earth magic without any difficulty. With his big axe in hand, Dante is a tornado that destroys everything in his path. Seto and Neku are so fast that their enemies can't even react to their attacks. On the other hand, Hisa didn't even have to intervene since her healing magic wasn't required. No one received even a scratch. The difference in power between ordinary people or low-level adventurers compared to adventurers of this team's level is abysmal.

After several days in which we had to camp several times, we finally reached our destination. In the distance, we saw a large village or rather a small city with many people around it. As I hear, it is a place for trade between humans and Beast-Kind. People of both races are everywhere in an environment that I would say is quite friendly. It doesn't seem that there is the same animosity between both races here as in the capital.

Now everything really begins.