3 Time to eat

Early dawn, Alice smelled a grilled meat and opened her eyes slowly

Alice walked out of the cave and saw Gerald sitting, he was flipping some grilled meat and smear some spices.

"Alice, you're awake. Come here, let's eat together,"

"Mhm", Alice nodded short and sat down in front of the grilled meat

"Try this Alice, it's just done," Gerald gives some grilled meat over a container like a banana leaf.

"Oh yeah, do not forget to wash your hands. I discovered a river near here this morning,"

While still grilling Gerald meat gives a piece of bamboo containing water that he collects from the river. Alice wanted to drink the water before she was intercepted by Gerald.

"That water is not boiled, if you want to drink better you wait a while longer,"

Alice nodded and rinsed her hands with the water. After that Alice proceeded to eat quickly.

Gerald just smiled at the sight of Alice gobbling up the food. He also started to eat the roast meat as well.

'Ah, I want a taste of salt. But this is quite tasty although only using the spices that exist in the forest. Unexpectedly, this forest has a lot of different kinds of plants'

Time passes by silence, accompanied by the melody of birds as they enjoy their food.

===

"Ah, I'm so full, what about you Alice?"

"Yeah, I also have not eaten this much for so long,"

I took the boiled water and handed it to Alice.

"Thank you, big brother, what is that you bring,"

"Oh, this is the turtle shell we ate, I want to try to use it as a cooking pot later,"

Alice just watched for a moment and then drank boiled water from a piece of bamboo I gave her. after that, there was a temporary silence when our eyes looked at each other until finally, I opened my mouth.

"So Alice, what do you think about what I said yesterday?"

Alice looked a little jerky and her body became tense, she sighed and thought for a while before speaking.

"Big brother, I honestly do not think about what you said yesterday. Yesterday I only remembered what my brother had done, he was grumpy, picky and often cheated people but everything he did to keep me from danger since childhood,"

She spoke slowly and occasionally haltingly, noticeable that she was thinking hard to convey her feelings to me clearly.

"Often I do not know what he thinks, and it frustrates me. I want to make him happy but I do not know what he wants, he always uses the money he earns for my needs When I ask him what he desires, he always says he has no urgent need and if there is any he needs to steal from the rich with laughter,"

I was silent, listening to Alice talk, wanting to get everything out of her heart.

"Only twice he ever begged me for anything, the first he asked me to pursue my own happiness when we were almost separated and second, last night he asked me to try to stay alive whatever happened to him, all his requests were never about himself,"

Alice's speech sounded less clear but still comprehensible, her nose full of snot and she cleared it

"I want to honor his last request and try not to kill myself. If you do not mind, let me follow you from now on, I am very familiar with the body you live in and feel uncomfortable separated from him,"

Alice looks at me with trust, she's waiting for an answer from me.

"Alice, as you know I have received all of your brother's feelings, I'm promise to protect you from what will happen next, so do you allow me to be your new big brother,"

"Yeah, well big brother. Although maybe initially difficult. I will try to think of you as my own brother,"

I smiled and nodded. Then we told each other about our lives, we got along with each other. She listened to my life when I was at Graycastle then she told me about her life in the village with her brother.

===

As time passes, it's sunset in the next few hours

After much talking no more sadness on Alice's face, maybe she just wants to try to look tough but now Gerald and Alice are already on the same page.

"So, Alice why do you just believe if I'm not your brother? I expect I'll need more time to convince you,"

"That's because big brother wouldn't say I'm not his sister. He's often lying, but he always acknowledges me as his sister,"

"A long time ago, he threatened by a combat witch to break his relationship as a sibling with me, even though with trembling legs he looked after me and faced the witch and firmly said no, back then I saw him as the coolest big brother in the world."

"Wait a minute, in this world, there are also witches?"

"Yes, big brother,"

Gerald thought a minute about the possibility that he was in the same world as his previous life.

"By the way Alice, are witches in this world hunted by the authority,"

"What? that is impossible big brother, why are they hunted by others, they are regarded by people as human beings who have God's blessings and they are the authority in this world,"

Gerald who hears it doubts whether this is the same world as his world, he becomes pensive again, feeling he still does not have enough clues he talks back.

"Oh yeah, why did you say there are combat witches who want to separate your brotherhood and your brother,"

"That combat witch is our aunt, she wants to keep me from the pursuit of the witches, she believes with her position she can keep and hide my identity as long as I still have the possibility of being a witch. But my brother refused because the possibility of a woman becomes witches are tiny and some other reasons that time I have not understood,"

"Whoa, you have a secret identity? are you a dragon goddess coming down to earth,"

"It is not that great, brother" Alice chuckled at Gerald's comment

"It's just that our grandfather is the head of the ordinary people's revolutionary army, he causes twentieth witches died in his revolution, he has been caught and executed by witches, but the witches get orders from their leader to kill all his direct descendants,"

'I did not expect it was about power politics. If someone wanted to do a coup in the Graycastle Empire. I might as well give the same command to make others think twice before following the same '

"Your brother is right, the likelihood of women being witches is only about 1 in 100, not to mention if you do not become witches when you are 18 years old, you can be sure that you will not be witches, and witches differ from normal human, there are some who may read your mind and know your background,"

"Hmph, I know that my brother always makes the right decision," Alice puffed out her chest proudly. I just chuckled at her.

They continued to speak for a while and then they ate again, the rest of the meat cooked this morning after heating it for a while.

As the sun sets, they return to the cave and rest. Alice fell asleep instantly while Gerald crossed her legs and began her meditation.

Gerald's face became serious thinking of Alice's remark about the group chasing them

'Witch Federation huh, I do not know who you are and neither grudge with you, but if you dare to hurt my sister from now on, no matter how long I will make sure your dynasty collapse'