25: The Long Journey

And just like that, a week had passed as well for Liam and the gang as they made their journey towards the town in search of answers and information regarding this world where they now end up with.

There was so much that they didn't know about, like the laws of this land, the form of government that was being implemented towards her people, the general public's way of life, and a whole lot more.

Basically, they were in the dark, and asking June about these matters was out of the question because for one, she's still a child and probably does not yet know a lot of things, and two, because, well, she really can't talk.

Having a mute among your company sure was quite an interesting experience for Liam, that he could say. He was more inclined in reading the girl's body language since it was definitely hard discerning the lack of emotion from the girl's face.

Aside from the occasional run-in of goblin parties along the way, the trip proved to be uneventful. The goblins were easily managed, and June got to witness firsthand what a Magical Girl was all about in combat.

Suffice it to say, the girl displayed excitement in her body language upon the demonstration of Defolta's remarkable strength and agility.

During free time when they rest, Liam and Nekowa took the time to even teach June how to read and write. The materials that were used for the lesson were the various books that they acquired from Matilda's tent. June was also given an empty notebook, for her to practice her writing skills.

Remarkably, June was a fast learner, much to the pair's delight. She absorbed knowledge rather quickly and in just a week, she managed to memorize and learn every one of the letters perfectly in the known English alphabet, which was the alphabet that this world also used, albeit in a slightly different set of symbols.

June sure was a smart kid, smarter than any kids he met that's for sure. Perhaps with proper education and training, the girl would no doubt exceed her peers and be a remarkable academic or scholar of her own right.

Liam and Nekowa were caught smiling brightly at the girl like how proud loving parents are to their child.

Alas, if only they knew anything about sign languages, then they would communicate more efficiently with their child… uh… June.

They really should not get ahead of themselves. I mean, they were really not her parents and were simply like her guardians, guardians who cared deeply for her regardless.

In any event, perhaps there's some kind of magic which allows them to communicate telepathically? Like how Liam and Nekowa do when working in covert. It was a huge possibility, and both agreed that it was to be one of their missions to find such a spell.

Sadly, Nekowa could not teach her that ability of hers since it was only exclusive from one Magical Guide to her Magical Girls.

Meaning, another one of their solutions was also for them to find a reliable source of Mana for Nekowa to craft one of her gems and give it to June.

Thus, the empty notebook shall suffice in the meantime, and the girl would write her thoughts every now and then.

It was truly quite a long trek for the three of them, with adequate rations of bread and water that they also looted from the bandit camp to sustain them. Thankfully, camping outside was of no issue since they managed to secure camping supplies and the Inventory System allowed the items for storage.

Of course, it was inevitable that they would grow sick and tired of their plain food reserves. Liam and Nekowa wanted to eat a proper meal, damn it. While the wild had its share of animals roaming around the vicinity, the result of cooking them will no doubt prove to be a tasteless endeavor without the proper spices and ingredients to complement them. As a result, water and bread were their staple source of food for the time being.

In June's part though, she was quite content with having her bread, or any type of food for that matter. During her time as a prisoner, she was treated horribly and having food there was more of a luxury rather than a necessity. As a matter of fact, one was considered lucky to even eat a single time per day since providing food for prisoners was an utter waste of resource according to the bad men who imprisoned her.

When the two realized the girl's thoughts through her writing, the pair grew ashamed of their complaining and decided to be thankful for what they had. Liam though promised that he would treat June with a proper meal, with meat and vegetables and all of that, much to the girl's appreciation and delight.

Nothing lasted forever, including the peace of the walk that the three were currently enjoying. The uneventfulness of their journey was rudely interrupted when they heard a loud scream of a woman followed by the growls that Liam was all too familiar with.

"Goblins…" Liam groaned in annoyance, "Why does it always have to be goblins? I mean, are there no monster variety in this fucking region?"

"I'm not sure what you are complaining about." Nekowa sweat dropped at her partner's hilarious reaction, "You really ought a be thankful that low-level monsters like them are abundant around this area instead of like what, dragons or something."

"Tsk, a fair point." Liam chuckled and quickly morphed to Defolta, "It appears that someone is fighting them. I suppose it's only right that we should help them."

With her Defolta Blade summoned, the Magical Girl swiftly ran to the location of the ongoing battle. She arrived at a cliff that overlooked a skirmish between ten goblins ganging up against a lone individual.

Upon inspecting the person who was being outnumbered by a huge margin, who she saw caused her amber-colored eyes to widen with surprise, most notably at the physical features that the mysterious woman adorned.

"A fox-girl?"