PEACEFUL DAYS PART 2 - AKI POV

The following day, Aki notices that Landale is still visibly annoyed, and there's a certain satisfaction in witnessing Landale's irritation. They begin the day by packing up their camp and collecting the remaining boar meat. Aki also notes that Yumi seems to have started the day in a rather somber mood.

As lunchtime approaches, they discover a couple of rocks beside the path, suitable for sitting, and they gather around to enjoy the leftover boar meat from the previous night. Aki observes that Yumi appears to be back to her usual self.

Overall, it's the first peaceful day Aki has experienced since the beginning of their adventure. He's increasingly certain that the worst part of the forest is now behind them, and they are closer to the capital than to the academy. This means they are likely to encounter fewer adversaries, and he wouldn't be surprised if they come across guard patrols within the day.

"Just two more days..." Aki remarks, glancing over at Landale, who continues to silently eat his portion of boar meat, his mood seemingly unchanged. He still appears to be brooding under the beautiful day.

"He hasn't made any attempts at all... I even stayed awake during his shift to guard the camp. He just sat there in silence... Maybe I should let this go?" Aki ponders silently.

Suddenly, Azzle stops eating, his face shooting up with his ears twitching.

"What is it?" Aki inquires, his brow furrowed as he scans the surroundings for any potential danger.

"A lot are approaching," Azzle responds.

"Are they enemies?"

"I don't think so... But there are many and they're on horses," Azzle says, turning his head as if to better focus on the approaching sound. "Um, they're humans, boss."

Aki nods, "Then it's probably nothing. Azzle, stay close to me. We don't want them getting any ideas about you."

Azzle quickly shifts his position beside Aki.

Aki continues to eat, the others follow suit, seemingly relaxed due to Aki's calm demeanor. Nonetheless, they keep their eyes on the road, anticipating the arrival of the humans that Azzle detected. Soon enough, they arrive—a large carriage pulled by three horses, surrounded by heavily armed guards in full plate armor.

The carriage comes to a stop just before them, and a hushed silence falls over the scene as the guards scrutinize them.

"Ah!" a voice booms from within the carriage, startling all four of them. "These must be the new heroes!"

The carriage doors swing open, revealing a stout, perspiring man wearing typical wealthy attire. His face is flushed, and he continuously dabs at his sweat with a sodden napkin.

"Oh, don't get up!" he grins at them playfully, noticing that none of them made a move to stand.

"I am Sir Souley Joy!" he declares with a wink. "A great knight of the capital in service to His Highness!"

"You're 'Great Joy'?" Aki inquires, his disbelief evident in his tone.

Sir Souley nods at them in turn, taking in each of their faces. As he steps out of the carriage, Aki is immediately awestruck. The man has graying brown hair, a pudgy face, beady and bright eyes, and a massively fat body. Despite it all, there is no doubt that he is indeed Sir Souley "Great" Joy, standing at an extremely imposing seven feet tall.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this man has his own orbit..." Aki thinks silently as he takes in the massive unit of a man.

As Sir Souley steps down from the carriage, Aki slightly winces, half-expecting the ground to shake with the impact. No impact came though, and Sir Souley slowly walks towards the four of them. His perspiration is even more pronounced now, and the napkin he uses to wipe his sweat looks drenched.

"So tell me," Sir Souley asks with a smile. "Are you the ones we need to thank for purging the corruption from the forest?"

Landale stands up, nodding as he bows deeply. "That is us, sir."

Aki also stands up and bows, and Azzle and Yumi follow suit.

"Well done! Well done!" Sir Souley exclaims gleefully, clapping his hands together. He snaps his fingers, and one of the guards rushes towards him. "Tell me your names."

"I am Landale. That is Aki, Yumi, and Azzle," Landale promptly replies before Aki can utter a word. He appears determined to make a good impression, acting as the leader of their group.

"A goblin, eh?" Sir Souley notes before shifting his gaze to the guard. "Fetch me my pen and paper."

The guard salutes before turning away.

"Tell me how you did it, but please wait..." he says, raising his hand as Landale begins to speak. "I need to write this all down. My memory is not as good as it used to be."

Landale begins recounting the tale, but he struggles to answer some of Great Joy's questions, as he wasn't present during the cultists' attempt to revive the Avatar. This prompts Aki to step in and answer for him. Eventually, Great Joy intervenes, stopping Landale from responding and instructing that Aki should continue the story instead. Landale's expression grows even more crestfallen than usual.

Sir Souley inquires, "Any other survivors?"

Aki replies, "Just us, sir."

"Hmmm," Sir Souley murmurs, jotting down notes with his pudgy fingers. "One last question..."

Aki maintains his gaze on the imposing figure of the Great Joy, fully aware of the impending query. He deliberates whether to answer truthfully.

"How did you gain entry?" Sir Souley asks, still scribbling on his paper. "Our dispatched agents couldn't physically enter, and they were highly skilled wizards and warriors... No offense," he adds.

Aki replies, "Cordelia blessed us, I believe." In the corner of his eye, he notices Yumi's brow furrowing briefly.

Aki doesn't know if Sir Souley noticed this, but a heavy silence soon follows as the Great Joy ceases writing and fixes his eyes on Aki, his expression suddenly sharp with his beady eyes penetrating Aki's own dark eyes. Aki's heart races, but he maintains an innocent expression.

The tense moment passes, and Sir Souley shifts his gaze back to his notes, completing the final line on his paper. He turns to them with a warm smile, his face returning to its friendlier state. "I must thank you. I was on my way to the temple when I received word that the cult has been dismantled already."

"I had intended to investigate whether the egg was placed there by the Warrior King of the South, but that's no longer relevant, given the state of the cult and the temple," he continues.

"Now, I would love to accompany the heroes, but I'm afraid we don't have the horses to spare, and my carriage cannot fit all of you," he says, his eyes glinting.

"We understand, sir," Aki replies. He eyes the carriage, and there is absolutely no way they could fit. He'd also feel bad for the horses, which he wouldn't be surprised if they were begging them not to insist on riding them with Great Joy.

"Good man! I shall inform the capital of your heroism," Sir Souley says as he turns around to leave.

The four accompany him to the carriage as a sign of respect. With a great heave, Great Joy steps up into the carriage. The carriage wobbles, prompting Aki and Yumi to step forward to balance it. Once inside, Sir Souley turns around, which takes longer than it has any right to be, and gives them a final farewell smile. "If you need any help when you get to the capital - call for me! It's the least I can do. Goodbye!"

As the carriage maneuvers itself slowly to turn around, Aki feels the eyes of the four guards upon him. They are wearing helmets, so Aki couldn't be too sure, but he looks back at them unperturbed. Just like Landale, Aki wants also wants to give the best impression, he doesn't want them to think of him weak.

Sir Souley and his guards have departed, the clattering of horses' hooves fading into the distance. The four companions stand in silence, their disbelief palpable. Landale is the first to break the silence, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I can't believe that's the Great Joy," he mutters.

Yumi chimes in, her voice tinged with wonder, "Yeah."

"Did you see the state he was in?" Landale continues, aghast. "Gasping for air just from walking toward us. What's he going to do if he has to swing a sword? Collapse from exhaustion?"

While Aki agrees with the sentiment, he can't help but retort, "Like you did when we first met you?"

Landale is taken aback. "I-Wait, you saw that?"

Shrugging, Aki replies, "Out of the corner of my eye."

"I mean, that wasn't our first meeting..." Landale mumbles, but his words go unnoticed as Aki presses on.

"What I can't believe is that he didn't even check the ruins himself. He simply believed us and moved on."

Yumi shrugs, "At least he didn't ask us to accompany him to the ruins. I'm not too keen on going back there."

"That's true," Aki replies. Taking a deep breath, he looks at the group and asks, "Shall we go then?"

The others nod in agreement, and they depart. Throughout the day, Aki can't shake the thought of the Great Joy from his mind. He doesn't fit the image Aki had in his head. While it's possible Sir Souley possesses power, Aki is uneasy about the idea of fighting alongside someone like him. The initial impression doesn't inspire confidence - Sir Souley tires easily and seems too lazy to investigate the ruins.

One question loops in Aki's mind, "If he's one of the capital's best knights, what chance do they have against the Warrior King?" Aki had believed that rising through the ranks and being joined by powerful knights would be the key to defeating the Warrior King, but now he's unsure of that strategy.

As the sun begins to set, Aki turns to Azzle, asking, "Do we still have leftover boar?"

Strangely, Azzle purses his lips before slowly checking the supplies. "Not much left, boss." he says, opening the bag and showing it to Aki.

As he gazes inside the bag, Aki is left momentarily speechless, "How can that be? That was a large boar."

Azzle avoids direct eye contact and shifts uncomfortably, "Um, no idea, boss - none at all."

Aki hears tinkling laughter behind him, he turns around to see Yumi giggling, "He... I mean, we ate some of it last night during our shift, Aki."

Seemingly, Azzle had eaten a significant portion of the boar during his shift, and Yumi might have noticed it, covering up for Azzle.

Landale interjects, "Does it really matter? We're going hunting, Aki. It's double or nothing!"

He quickly removes his armor and tosses it onto a nearby tree. Pointing at Aki, he exclaims, "Let's go! I'm putting all my might into this hunt."

Aki takes a moment to contemplate, with Landale staring at him. After a while, Landale slowly lowers his finger. "It's kind of awkward if you don't say anything, Aki. I expected an immediate reaction after I did that pose."

Finally, Aki agrees, "Azzle, get the camp ready while we hunt. Yumi, are you joining the competition?"

"Of course!" Yumi responds. "I like my chances without distractions." she eyes Landale, subtly shaking her head.

Both of them shed their armor, and Azzle helps Aki with his, neatly placing them in a blanket while Landale taps his foot impatiently.

Once they're all set, Landale grins, "Same rules as last night! Go!"

Landale dashes off, sprinting and scanning for prey. Yumi watches him for a moment before tapping Aki on the shoulder and planting a kiss on his cheek. She smiles mischievously at Aki before heading in the opposite direction Landale went to.

Aki follows Landale's path, keeping an eye on Landale from afar. But Aki is neither sprinting nor hiding he is following Landale, and once Landale is out of sight, Aki stops and turns back toward the camp.

Aki had no intention of participating in the competition; he planned to use this time to think about Landale. Without Landale around, he intends to ask Azzle some questions that might lead him to the right answers.

As he walks back, in no rush at all as he is sure Landale will use the full three-hour time limit, Aki suddenly hears a shrill voice that makes his heart skip a beat.

"B-Boss! Someone, help!" Azzle's terrified scream pierces the air.

Another voice, filled with rage and menace, follows, "TRAITOR!"

Wide-eyed and filled with dread, Aki sprints toward the camp, where he sees Azzle with his bow drawn, terror etched on his face, pointing at a goblin wielding a sword larger than Azzle himself - the goblin boss. It has tracked them down and is thirsting for ****.

And Aki... is too far away to help.