Chapter 126

"Shall I… l-light the fire with magic?"

"No. Don't waste your mana unnecessarily."

Riftan continued to strike the flint in silence. After several attempts, faint smoke began to rise from the cloth. He blew into the glowing fire, then took out pine cones from his bag and piled them on top of the flame. The pine cones quickly caught alight.

"I'll go look for kindling. You stay right here."

Maxi did not know where she would go in such a state anyway. With the blanket wrapped tightly around her, she hugged her knees and watched as he stepped into the dark forest. He never left her field of vision and soon returned with an armful of broken branches.

"They are wet… w-will they catch?"

"I only collected ones that weren't soaked. They should be usable once I scrape off the wet bark."

He crouched at one side of the cave and unsheathed a dagger the length of a forearm from his belt. Maxi looked on as he skillfully peeled the bark.