Chapter 30: Exit, Worry, and Cat

From the time the two woke up until now, it had already been three days.

In these three days, having failed to find any beasts, the pair began attacking the stone blocking their path, trying to open an exit wide enough for a person to pass through.

But that stone was unexpectedly sturdy. 

Even though Ed and Bailis had already blasted a large hole in it, there was still no sign of an exit.

“I’m so tired.”

The girl flopped down onto the ground, and the several wind spheres floating in the air slowly dissipated.

“What kind of stone is this, anyway? How can it be so thick…”

Ed stood up.

“Almost out of mana? Then it’s my turn. You don’t need to light it up—I already remember the spot.”

“Oh…” 

The girl wriggled on the ground a couple of times, shifting out of the way, still complaining. 

“How many more days until we can get out? I’m sick of eating grilled fish. Couldn’t that river grow some bread or something? Just for a change of pace…”

“…(Incantation) Wind Cannon!”

The condensed wind smashed into the stone like a solid iron fist, and the mark in the large hole visibly deepened a bit.

“Be grateful we have something to eat at all. Who knows what river it is outside, but there are so many fish for us to catch.” 

He said after catching his breath. 

“But I feel like there are fewer fish in the river today. Is that just my imagination?”

The girl simply lay on the ground and raised one hand.

“Maybe I sleepwalked and sneaked some while I was dreaming.”

“…Are you some kind of feline? Besides, don’t forget we take turns keeping watch at night. I haven’t seen you get up in the middle of the night.”

“Then maybe the fish died on their own. Maybe they get bored too? Just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for them… That’s it—tonight, I’m eating two!”

“The fish that end up in your stomach would cry if they heard that.”

“Then tonight, I’ll eat the ones that are crying!”

The two chatted idly back and forth, and before long, Bailis’s voice grew quieter and quieter until she drifted off into a deep sleep.

When she woke up again, in the dim darkness, Ed was sitting quietly beside her, his eyes lowered as he looked at the sword in his hand.

The girl rarely saw the boy like this.

Usually, he always tried to show his strong side, but occasionally, when she woke from her sleep, she would catch a glimpse of a different him.

Bailis secretly conjured a small flame with her mana.

In that instant, she saw it clearly.

Ed’s lips were pressed into a tight line, and his deep blue eyes were unusually filled with anxiety and unease, like a once-calm ocean suddenly whipped into a chaotic hurricane, effortlessly shattering that cherished tranquility.

But as the flame rose, soon enough, that storm vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.

“Awake?” he asked.

The girl nodded silently. 

She got up from the ground, suddenly feeling something off, and turned her head to see that at some point, a black sword sheath had been placed under her head.

“You weren’t sleeping very soundly, so I took the liberty of putting it there.” 

His ocean-blue eyes looked over, a gentle smile on his lips. 

“How was it? Better than the hard stone, right?”

“Yeah.”

She absentmindedly picked up the sword sheath and handed it to Ed. 

“Here.”

“What’s wrong?” 

Ed took the sheath and sheathed the sword again. 

“Did you dream about something unhappy?”

“No.” 

The girl shook her head. 

“I just feel like you don’t seem very happy, Ed.”

The boy’s expression stiffened, as if he hadn’t expected her to say it so bluntly.

“I remember you said you have to go back home to defend against those demons’ attacks.” 

The girl rested her chin on one hand. 

“Is it because of that?”

“No…”

“No lying.” 

The girl glared at him, her crimson eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. 

“We’re companions—hiding things isn’t right.”

Ed gave a bitter laugh.

“Is this what they call lifting a rock only to drop it on my own foot?”

“I don’t care—just tell me.”

This was the first time Ed had seen the girl staring at him with such stubborn eyes.

“Fine, fine, I give up.”

After a brief standoff, the boy raised his hands in surrender.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking about my hometown—that is, Nolan—and what its situation is like right now.”

He sighed. 

“Nordvian has at least tens of thousands of demons invading, and as a frontline area, Nolan probably isn’t faring any better. But here I am, still trapped in this cave, unable to help at all.”

“You’re worried about your family still in Nolan, right, Ed?” 

The girl sat up straight as she listened and suddenly interjected.

“Yeah.” Ed nodded gently. 

“My father is one of the empire’s three sword masters, but he gave me his old sword, and now he’s facing so many demons. I don’t know if he can… Sigh…”

The boy sighed and didn’t continue, just stroking the black sword sheath, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

“Originally, I didn’t know what my father was thinking.” 

He said.

“But on the day we left the Nordvian Kingdom, someone told me that my father might have known about the demon invasion long ago. To let me escape to the Nordvian Kingdom, he deliberately assigned me this task of killing the witch.”

“Now that I think about it, the way he handed me this sword so solemnly—it was practically like entrusting a keepsake…”

“He’ll win.” 

The girl suddenly spoke up.

“What?” 

Ed was stunned and looked at the girl.

“Your dad is an amazing father.” 

She stared intently into the boy’s eyes, saying without hesitation. 

“He’ll definitely have a good outcome. Definitely.”

“…”

In the long silence, Ed’s eyelids drooped as he gazed at the ground.

“Is that so.”

After a while, he lifted his head, and that familiar smile had returned to his youthful face.

“Thanks, Bailis.” 

He reached out and patted the girl’s head. 

“Your comfort really helps.”

The girl froze.

“You—you—you—” 

She pointed at the boy with a trembling finger, looking like she was about to cry. 

“Why did you pat my head! This is repaying kindness with enmity!”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes! Mom said if outsiders pat your head, you won’t grow tall!”

“That’s just your mom tricking you.” 

Ed said with certainty.

“No way! Mom wouldn’t trick me!”

“Who knows? My father tricked me too… Alright, alright, stop fussing. Since we’ve rested enough, we should get ready to—Who’s there!”

The boy suddenly drew his sword, pointing it at the darkness behind the girl, and shouted sternly.

Bailis was startled and didn’t have time to worry about the head pat anymore. 

She quickly turned and aimed the flame on her finger at that patch of darkness.

In the reddish light, a black cat was standing there quietly, its green vertical pupils staring straight at the girl.

“Meow~”

“A kitten?” 

The girl tilted her head in confusion.