Aura

Sigma asked what could have made the monsters increase in the number that much, but Ed wasn't exactly sure if their numbers had truly increased by leaps and bounds. He assumed that they had just expanded the area and that a high number of enemies in all directions was just the final and only layer of defense for their territory.

"Even if that is true, it still is troublesome…" Sabrina said. "There are hundreds of monsters ahead, and once the fight starts, they will all join the fight… also, why would the monsters expand their territory like that?"

"Maybe their leader is up to something… there is only one way to find out," Ed replied. "In any case, it is already pretty late, and we should just retreat a little and make a camp behind one of the rocks in order to remain hidden from the enemies."

That seemed like the best course of action, but Sigma couldn't help but think that a night raid would be a good weapon in their hands against that massive number of beasts. It was also a bit risky, though…

"I guess I should just wait and see what will happen tomorrow," Sigma thought and then massaged his neck. "I also need to sleep since I didn't do it last night."

Using earth magic, Sabrina basically created a shelter for them inside one of those rocks. While she couldn't dig that deeply, she managed to make a small camp where they could only be seen from one direction. The wind was blowing from East to West so that the monsters won't feel the smell of smoke.

When they finished the camp, the sun was already setting, and then it didn't take long for Sigma to fall asleep once he let his back rest against the nearby wall.

"I wish I could fall asleep that fast…" Sabrina said while furrowing her eyebrows.

"We should rest already… but I guess you two will wait for dinner, huh," Ed said.

"What do you think about the message, Ed?" Sabrina asked. "Don't you think that boss is getting too hasty?"

"As far as I have known her, the boss has always been like that, and it can't be helped… it is her nature," Ed replied and then shrugged. "If she weren't like that, she wouldn't have obtained the results that made her the boss of the city. Her quick decision-making is her forte."

"... By the way, Eclair, you don't have to stay quiet anymore. He is in a deep slumber," Sabrina said after a long sigh. "Sometimes your shyness also gets on my nerves. You might be scared of guys, even more than ever now, but you should at least try to hide that since some of them find that pretty… interesting."

Sabrina chose her words carefully since she didn't want to scare Eclair. While they had the same age, Sabrina was a bit older and always had it together. So, she acted a bit older than she actually was, while Eclair was the opposite.

"Eh, but I can't help it… he is particularly scarier than others," Eclair replied while moving away from Sabrina since she could see her annoyed expression.

"How come?" Sabrina asked.

"His aura is weird, and sometimes it suddenly gets stronger… sometimes he also makes things around him look weird," Eclair replied.

"Speak in more precise terms…" Sabrina said while raising her arms when she was ready to grab her sister's hair.

"Don't fight…" Ed said and then sighed.

"You spoil her too much, Ed," Sabrina said and then dropped a chop on Eclair's head.

"I believe that you aren't much better," Ed shrugged.

"... It feels like he changes things around him with a simple touch," Eclair replied. "That bow was just a simple bow, but now… it has a decent amount of mana, and the energy isn't dispersing at all."

Those three went silent after hearing that… Eclair always had good senses when it came to most things, and that was one of the reasons she felt afraid of guys. When she was a few years younger, her parents were killed by demons, and those three barely escaped with their lives. Still, Eclair could almost hear the thoughts and feelings of the demons, and what they wanted to do with them traumatized her.

They considered Eclair's senses and the message that Rose told them to pass to the other leaders… At that point in time, even if they didn't want to believe in it, they trusted their leader, but it seemed like nonsense.

Those three stayed silent until dinner was ready, and despite the good smell, Sigma kept sleeping soundly until midnight. Around that time, Ed was still watching the camp while his sisters were sleeping, using the same blanket and using each other's shoulders for support.

"I will keep the watch until the morning," Sigma said, and then he grabbed a bow of the soup that Ed made and then moved away from the camp a bit.

"All right, nothing happened until now," Ed replied. "The hyenas didn't show up, and the Verdiris are probably tired."

There was also the fact that the temperature dropped constantly, but Sigma assumed that the monsters were used to it. Eventually, he moved away from the campfire a bit, and that confirmed his expectations.

[You learned the passive Cold Resistance.]

Sigma didn't know when that skill might come in handy, so he decided to endure the cold and make it level up at night since he couldn't meditate. He needed to stay focused on the watch, after all.

In the end, Sigma felt himself bored out of his mind since there was nothing to do. He couldn't see the enemies in the distance either… but he didn't know if it was just too dark or if they were sleeping. Either way, he could confirm that as soon as morning came.