The way back part 1

Stopping near the exit from the tent, I tried to hide my anxiety; the girls who had been through different things shouldn't have seen fear or anxiety in me.

The fear and danger about the power within the sphere did not go away, but now I had the opportunity to know that the time I could spend at the academy was becoming less.

Coming out of the tent, I saw how girls with anxious faces walked around the camp getting ready, some were lying on stretchers who had not recovered from what they had to go through with the robbers.

Seeing me, some girls froze and looked at me silently, there was still fear in their eyes towards me, I wonder if Ru'El also saw these feelings in Aueli's eyes that had already been inside the girl for a long time?

Smiling at them, I began to look for Keirin, who was helping the girls carry animal skins to one of the stretchers where the girl lay covered with them.

Seeing that some of the girls froze and looked in my direction, Keirin turned her gaze to me. In her gaze I saw a question and alarm, shaking my head making it clear that now was not the time, I began to help the girls get ready for the journey back to the city.

After making sure that all the girls were ready to go back to the city, they were all worried and nervous about what awaited them in Migen.

Inspecting our group, some stood near the stretcher where the girls were lying who did not react to anything, I tried to offer those who would carry the stretcher their help, but the girls refused.

The remaining girls who were not busy helping with the stretcher were given weapons by Keirin and I, which I created when I left for the avel capital.

Moving away from the girls and Keirin, I didn't want them to see how pain appeared on my face when I recalled the wyvern, raising my head to the sky and ordering the wyvern to return, I felt my head start to hurt, squeezing the tent with my hand and waiting until the head went away and only when the pain passed, I returned back to the girls.

After making sure that the pain had passed, I called on the tormentors. I had no desire to disturb the girls. Having ordered the tormentors to follow us at a distance, I returned to the girls.

Our group moved towards the exit from the camp, I went first and behind me were girls who had different weapons, Keirin walked closer to the end of the column, guarding those who carried the girls on stretchers.

The torturers who moved next to us, sometimes I heard how they were dealing with animals and monsters that were approaching our group.

The girls walking next to me flinched at every sound in the forest and pointed their weapons at the sounds, their fear was visible.

Seeing that there was no danger, they put away their weapons but looked around with apprehension.

Our journey lasted until the end of the day. In the late afternoon, to avoid possible dangers, we set up camp in a circle.

I didn't want to give the girls the deceptive security that Keirin and I would guard them at night or talk about the tormentors who were nearby.

Pointing our hands at the girls who still looked ready to go on duty and with whom they would change, we put out the fire and those who were not assigned to guard the camp went to bed huddled close to each other, covering themselves with skins from the camp.

Keirin and I settled down together, looking at each other; we did not want to put up tents and decided that it would be safer if a threat appeared that the tormentors could not cope with.

Sometimes I woke up at night checking if those who were on duty were sleeping, as I saw they followed my orders to change at night and there was already another girl on duty.

Waking up from the sun's rays and looking around, I saw that some girls also began to wake up, switching to the light elf sleeping next to her who was still sleeping.

Grinning at the fact that she was still sleeping and getting out from under the animal's skin, I decided to examine the rest of the girls, walking between the sleeping ones and making sure that everyone was safe and alive and clapping my hands loudly, forcing everyone to wake up.

Judging by the faces of those caught in misunderstanding, everyone looked at me except Keirin, who just shook her head and also got out from under the skins.

- Get ready, we still have a long way to go to the city. - I turned in a loud voice to the girls who began to fall asleep again. - If someone wants to stay here in the forest, I understand, but Keirin and I won't wait until you all get some sleep.

Listening to me and the fact that we would not wait for them, the girls began to get out from under the skins and began to prepare food.

It was clear from Keirin's look that she did not approve of my behavior; smiling at her, I sat down near a small tree and checked the tormentors who were near our small camp.

Feeling the touch on me, I returned back to camp, opening my eyes and turning my gaze to the one who approached me.

Keirin sat down next to me and handed me food, smiling at her thoughtfulness and thanking Keirin, we ate like everyone else in the camp and then resumed our journey.

The forest, like its inhabitants, continued to try in every possible way to attack our column, but the tormentors coped with the threat, sometimes the girls heard the bushes and trees in the distance staggering and called me or Keirin with fear, at such moments everyone stopped and waited until Keirin and I gave permission to move on.

Approaching the exit from the forest, I was wondering whether we should go out onto the road and hope to meet a caravan that could help us get to Midgen.

Glancing at the girls who looked around with apprehension and deciding that during the day it would be safer to walk along the road and at night to stay in the forest.

Having told my idea to Keirin, who looked thoughtfully at me and then at the girls, it was clear from her gaze that she understood that this was a better opportunity to meet the caravan than to walk the whole way with the girls who were not used to walking for so long.

Going out onto the road, I ordered the tormentor to walk next to us, hiding in the forest, continuing to walk along the road, I tried to listen to what was happening beyond my sight.

As I remembered, Oteu said that it was a day's journey to the city, but then we were in a caravan, so the time to the city became longer.

The girls were getting more and more tired from our return to the city, many when we stopped almost immediately fell asleep, sometimes I saw how someone on duty also fell asleep tired from the road.

The day began to end and I had already decided to lead the column back into the forest when the sound of something approaching began to reach me.

Trying to hear other sounds but there was only one, was it possible that it was a caravan? Why then were no other carts heard except one?

Frowning and ordering everyone to get off the road and turning his gaze to Keirin, who also heard the sounds of an approaching carriage.

The girls obediently moved out of the way and stood next to the trees, looking at each other with fear and whispering, they had not yet heard anything.

Having checked the tormentors who were not far from the girls and were ready to protect them if something threatened them.

The sound of the carriage began to get louder until a strange carriage came out of a bend in the road, which I mistook for a carriage.

Keirin and I have already seen what a cart looked like, pulled by two monsters that pulled it forward. It was controlled by an elderly man and someone else was sitting next to him, it was clear that Keirin and I were noticed and the elderly man began to shout something to the person who was sitting next to him.

The cart was getting closer to us, Keirin and I could already see that the elderly man was dressed in simple village clothes, his long white hair fell from his shoulders and his long beard stretched in different directions.

Whoever was sitting next to him disappeared behind him inside the cart, giving commands to the monsters and sometimes hitting them with the reins, causing them to slow down until they stopped not far from us.

The elderly man did not take his gaze off us, in which one could feel the fear and anger that he was trying to restrain.

Turning her gaze from him to Keirin, who also saw the behavior of the elderly man, feeling my gaze, she nodded to me and sighed, returning to the forest where the girls were hiding, allowing me to deal with the elderly man.

Raising my hands and trying to look less threatening, I began to approach the cart, the old man did not take his eyes off me, he began to frown more when he saw that Keirin had gone into the forest.

Having stopped not far from the cart, I already understood that in front of me was one of the inhabitants of the village that was somewhere nearby, it was clear that the cart had seen better times, the paint had already faded and in some places the trees themselves were bare.

The monsters, who were always well-fed and healthy in the caravans, looked emaciated and in some places dried blood was visible.

- I don't know which band of robbers you're from, our village elder paid tribute to the gang leader Rual two months ago. - The driver of the cart addressed me in an senile voice, in which anger was hidden. - Get out of the way, otherwise we will inform Rual and let him deal with you!

As I thought, Keirin and I were mistaken for robbers, but what surprised me was that the village paid tribute to the robber for the opportunity to exist, how did the local baron allow this to happen? Or because of his son, he shut down the impudence of the gang where his son was?

- We are not bandits, I am stufon Trey, returning from a mission to eliminate a bandit camp in this forest. - I said looking into the old man's eyes, slightly releasing vibrations of magic. - The surviving captives of this gang are with me, are you going to the city of Midgen?

The elder, sensing my fluctuations in magic, changed his face and squeezed the reins tighter, trying to hide the trembling in his hand.

- Forgive me, sir, I didn't recognize you as a stufon from one of the great magic academies! - The old man shouted with fear in his voice, lowering his head down. - Yes, we are bringing some goods for sale to the city, you can kill me for insults, but please have mercy on my grandson.

Kill? Why did I have to kill the old man even if he mistook me for a robber who wanted to rob them?

Canceling the fluctuations of the magic, I could see how the old man was squeezing the reins more and more tightly and lowering his head down, his gray hair began to cover his face.

- I will not punish you for not knowing who is in front of you. - I said in a calm voice; I could see how the elder shuddered more and more with every word I said. - Can your cart accommodate the girls and me and the servant?

The elder raised his face, flooded with tears; surprise at my words was visible in his black eyes. What did the baron or other stufons of the academies do on these lands that mortals are so afraid of punishment?

Letting go of the reins and jumping off the cart, the old man knelt down in front of me and spoke words that were poorly understood through tears. It was clear in the old man's gaze that he still did not believe my words that I would not kill him.

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I felt him press harder and harder, trembling and freezing. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the old man up, forcing him to his feet.