CH 23+(Bonus): Mysterious Person.....

After settling down, everyone were sitting around the camp fire, which Rem made with her fire spirit.

Around fire, vegetables and some meat stuck on small iron rods were putted to cook them. 

"Thank Goodness, the Kingdom had provided us enough food ratios for us. We can easily spend ten more days easily on these."

Rem said as she was leaning over and her gaze stuck on meat, waiting for them to be cooked.

"Why are you acting like someone who hasn't eaten for days?

"Oh shut up, what do you know? I'm not a muscle head like you after all."

When Rem called Ram muscle head, the nerve of Ram began to twitch. Even though there was not much change on her expression.

"I wonder what you are saying, sprout?

"!! Why you?!"

The ability to use a Spirit was mostly used by Elves, who are known for their love for nature , beauty and long life.

But there were many haters even in this world too who used to call Elves a 'Sprout', a small and weak plant, as elves were also known to had very weak strength.

And Elves weren't also not so fond of this name too. As for Rem, had been using Spirits like Elves and her complexity about her small body, she also wasn't so fond of this nickname.

"Why are you talking like you are not like me too, muscle head?"

Rem responded to Ram angrily as Ram touched something like a reverse scale of her.

But Ram didn't got effected by Rem's anger and replied calmly.

"Well, atleast I'm not so weak like someone."

Even though Ram also had a small body like a Loli, similar to Rem. She didn't had any complex feelings about It like Rem.

So when Rem tried to provoke Ram, It didn't had much effect on her.

Seeing that she failed and got encountered instead. She moved towards Arthur who was now sitting alongside Mia.

"Arthur, Please help me. Ram is bullying me."

".…Weren't you the one who started naming me?"

When Rem asked for support from Arthur, Ram was surprised that how could someone be so shameless to act as a victim.

But Rem ignored Ram and began to make crocodile tears. (Fake tears)

"Now now, come on don't be fighting among each other."

Arthur began to pat Rem who was now hugging Arthur's chest and tried to calm both Rem and Ram down.

Ram could only pout after hearing from Arthur and also sneakily cast a envy gaze towards Rem, who was now hugging Arthur right now.

Even Mia was now sad that her alone time with Arthur was disturbed.

And all of these were being watched by Suzuki, who sighed as this was not something that was happening for the first time.

Suzuki then shifted her gaze towards Ayaka, who was sitting slightly distance away from others.

Suzuki noticed that Ayaka was kinda lost in her thoughts which was not normal for a talented sword-woman like her.

So Suzuki stood up from her place and went towards Ayaka, who even though after coming near her Ayaka didn't noticed.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah."

After sitting near and asking Ayaka, did Ayaka noticed Suzuki and made a small surprised sound.

"Sorry. Did I disturbed you?"

"No, It's okay."

As Suzuki apologized for surprising her, Ayaka didn't blamed her. And without wasting any time, Suzuki asked her.

"What were you thinking about?"

"No…It's.."

"Is It something related with your Sixth sense?"

"!!"

When Suzuki guessed, Ayaka was surprised. Seeing Ayaka's expression Suzuki knew she guessed right.

"..You really are worthy of title Sage."

Ayaka complimented Suzuki as she was able to guessed It right for start.

Suzuki even in previous world was popular for her intelligence. Either It be a test of any subject or any brain game, no one could defeat her.

She only faced defeat against Arthur who defeated her in High-school exams, which made Suzuki to saw Arthur as a Rival which later became a friendship between them.

And even after coming to this world, She didn't face any problem at all. She was able to learn Magic Spells which would took an average mage years, in just few days.

And until now she had learned enough spells to reach the Ranks of an Ark-mage, Second most highest rank within mages.

And She was also predicted to become the most youngest Sage in entire history ever in just few years, which is also known as the most highest rank mage in this world.

Rumored to be capable of facing even against Gods.

Even though Suzuki hasn't reached that rank yet, She was still called 'Sage' by many people. As It was almost guaranteed that she would reach that rank.

And She also act as the mind and pillar of this team.

"It just…I think I felt something just before we began to prepare for camping."

Ayaka told her reason for being lost in mind, thinking that there was no reason to hide It and Suzuki might help her in this case.

When Ayaka came to this world, just like others she also received some powers. Her body became more stronger and agile which even improved her swordsmanship.

Even in previous world, being popular for her talent with swords. This power made her much more stronger and even erasing the gap and disadvantage which was due to her gender.

Earning her the name ,'Sword Maiden'.

But the most important power she received was her super Sixth sense. If Ram's enhanced Sixth sense was like a beast's instinct.

Then Ayaka's were like prediction, feeling or even prophecy. But since she didn't know how to control It. This Sixth sense of her only acts randomly.

And Suzuki who knew about It showed great importance on It as It could also act as their Trump Card.

Suzuki suddenly remmebered the moment when she saw Ayaka looking towards their destination.

Thinking It might be important, she asked her.

"So what was It? Was there any feeling like of any danger?"

Suzuki thought that maybe Ayaka may had sensed of incoming danger, as they after all going to fight against a Demon King.

Suzuki never thought that It would be easy after all.

 And when the Dark Knights had ambushed them, One of them who was known for being the strongest Knight in Demon Realm was strong enough to kill all of them.

His swordsmanship was also much superior than Ayaka's. It was only Arthur who could defeat him so easily. Without Arthur everyone else would had been dead.

Of course, It was also Ayaka's Sixth sense which informed them of their ambush beforehand.

"No, this time It was….different?"

But rather than the answer Suzuki thought, It was something else.

Even Ayaka could understood the feeling this time that she felt.

"What was It like?"

Suzuki tried to asked Ayaka as she may be able to help her and I could be possible that It might help them in their incoming battle.

Ayaka after hesitating for a while told her.

"It was like I had a feeling that I was going to meet someone that I had not seen for long time."

When Suzuki heard this from Ayaka, Suzuki just stared to Ayaka's face and only replied after few seconds.

"Ayaka, maybe you were feeling homesickness."

Ayaka's power are not always correct and sometimes their had been cases where she also mixed up her own feeling with her power, making her unable to distinguish between her own feeling and the one from her own power.

So when Ayaka heard Suzuki's answer, She also guessed that she was just feeling homesickness.

"...Yeah. Maybe that's true. After all It had been two and a half months."

"Dont worry, after defeating the Demon King. We will just had to wait 1 month more and we will be able to go back."

After accepting that she was just feeling homesickness, Ayaka sighed and nodded.

The Goddess who had summoned them in this world had told them that It would require four months for the artifact to be recharged fully to be able to use It.

So after defeating the Demon King they can go back to their world. Ayaka didn't know If others missed their family or not, she do missed her family.

She wanted to meet them as soon as possible, especially him. Their last farewell was also not so good.

After that Ayaka and Suzuki, both began to watch others together and wait for meat to be cooked.

…...................

Finally after three days of constant travelling and only making few stops, they reached their destination.

From afar they could saw a huge black fores. Before being send to Demon Realm, they were told that the Demon King's Castle was located in the center of a black forest.

And also that this forest was filled with many traps too.

"Look! We have finally reached that forest. I'm glad we finally reached It."

But It didn't stop Rem to feel happy that they now don't had to travel much. While pointing towards the forest, she tried to tell others about It.

It was than her gaze shifted towards Ram, who was standing like a statue and glaring towards the forest.

"What is wrong with you now? Did you eat something strange?"

Rem asked her when she saw her strange behaviour. But Ram ignored her and told other without moving her gaze.

"Hey, there is someone sitting in front of the forest."

Ram was able to saw a figure sitting in front of the forest with her enhanced sight. Informing others ahead of a potential threat as her role was of a scout in the party.

"How many are there?"

"...One."

"What?"

After hearing from Ram, Suzuki calmly asked Ram of their numbers. As she had predicted their to be the possibility of a group to stop them outside the forest.

But she was later surprised because of a single individual present there.

"Could It be that Dunk-or-something guy?"

Now It was Arthur who asked of the possibility of the Knight he defeated, coming back for a rematch.

"No. That person looks smaller than that person."

But Ram told them something else.

"Well than lets go and see who is It?"

Seeing that they could not identify the individual from here, Arthur responded to go near to which no one denied.

As they moved closer and closer, the individual began to became clearer to them. He or she was sitting with It's back towards them.

And when Arthur and others were only twenty-steps away, only than they were able to see the individual sitting there clearly.

That person was wearing a deep black long jacket, long black hair tied in a ponytail was floating slightly even though their was no wing around.

And weird of them all, It's entire body and cloth was emitting some kind of black smoke and this smoke only existed near It's body.

Any black smoke that moved atleast one-meter away from It's body became invisible or extinct, like It never existed before.

"That person is not giving me good feeling guys. Even though that person is in front of me, I can't sense anything from It."

Ever since Ram had her power, she was able to hear or smell everything around much more effectively than others.

But Of course this also caused many problems for her in daily life. Anyway, one of the amazing thing about her power was she was to distinguish people into two individuals.

One who are stronger than her and others who are weaker than her, like a wild predator. But the person in front of her wasn't giving her any kind of presence at all.

She could only know that this person was there only by looking at It. It was like she was seeing a ghost or a shadow.

And the clouds covering sky providing only small source of light, making It a mysterious and ominous existence.

It could also had been just an illusion used by her enemies to confuse them but something inside her was telling her that this was not an illusion.

Suzuki tried to ask further detail from Ram. But before she could say anything, the Individual began to stand up slowly, likely had sensed them.

When It was completely standing, they saw that It was almost as Arthur's height and It's ponytail-like hair rather than hanging down, was floating behind It, like It was a tail.

Wearing black gauntlets on It's hands, black hard looking boots and black Katana-like sword in a black scabbard hold by It's left hand. Everything It was wearing was just black.

And then It moved It's head towards them, It faced was covered by deep black smoke like It's face itself was made of that smoke.

But rather than black, It's eyes were complete deep crimson which was also emitting a crimson trail from the edge of It's eyes.

And when those eyes moved towards them, It was like that gaze was penetrating them and seeing everything about them.