Chapter 29: Journey (5)

The journey itself was much slower. I had planned to arrive in 7 days, but it might take 3 more; it can't be helped. I'm not alone now. Elsa, so to speak, is a normal human and tires more easily, so I have to slow down. During our journey, there were no problems.

Right now, we were sheltered in a cave. It's raining outside; there was a storm. Fortunately, we found a good spot. We're deep inside. I checked that this place wasn't some creature's refuge. For now, we were safe.

I set up a small fire in the middle, i was roasting a few fish on skewers. Haha, they always ate them like that in the novels I read.

Elsa was in front of me; her small body was close to the fire; she was feeling a bit cold, I took a blanket from my ring and handed it to her.

"Thank you very much," she said.

"You should have told me you were cold," I replied.

"Oh, didn't want to bother you."

"Don't worry, it's better that you're well than sick. So if you have any problems, just tell me."

"Sorry then, but I have a question."

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

"Why are you so different from the rumors about you?"

"Oh, so it's about that, huh."

Laughing a little, I replied, "As you know, people change. I know I didn't behave in the best possible way in the past, but I still have time to be different. The truth is, a few months ago I was in the maximum-bronze range. I took my training seriously, and now I'm in silver-medium. If you're wondering why I'm here, it's because I want to reach the gold range in these 6 months."

Looking at me with surprise, she said, "But the academy starts in six months."

"Yes, I know, but there's still time." "And are you going to the academy?"

Lowering her head with a sad expression, she replied resentfully, "I can't, not until I find the flower. I don't even know if it's really in zone 4."

I could see tears filling her eyes.

"I really want to be like my older sister. I want to be like her; I want to control magic like her, but... but I can't. I've always tried so hard, really, but I could never make any progress. After all these years, I'm still in the bronze-base range."

Lowering her head even more, she criticized herself with disdain in her voice.

Approaching her, I hugged her small body. I could feel my shirt getting wet little by little. She had endured a lot of pressure. Being from a noble family is sometimes exhausting; there are always eyes watching everything you do, and if you fail or are disabled, they criticize you from all sides. The only good thing is that her family always defended her, but it's never enough sometimes, giving her pats on her back.

"System, do you have what I asked for yesterday ready? You know what I mean," I asked in my mind.

[Ding! According to the host's requirements, a mini-system was created that, when forming a group, allows sharing the experience the host gains through monster killing.]

Perfect, yesterday I asked the system if it had such an advantage. The reason is that I wanted to help Elsa as much as possible in this adventure. Also, if she gets stronger, she can help me. Everyone wins. The system told me it didn't have such a tool, and I asked it to create it.

Feeling Elsa's body stop trembling and slowly calm down, I smiled with joy. I don't know how I can get so attached to her. I see in her a younger sister.

Snif snif

I start to smell something burning. I quickly remember what I was doing.

"Darn it, how could I forget about the fish?" Cursing to myself, I take the fish out of the fire. They were so black and smelled bad; it was inedible.

I hear a little giggle, and I see Elsa laughing, looking at my face.

"Hehehe, you should have seen your expression," she says with a hand on her lips, still laughing.

Sighing, I say, "Are you okay now? It's a shame about the fish, but luckily, I have more." This time, in the river, I caught a lot.

"Yeah, thanks for being there to help me. I really appreciate it." Although still with swollen eyes, she smiles a bit.

Nodding, I put another pair of fish on a stick to cook them again.

I hear her stomach growl a bit. Turning my gaze to her, she lowers her head embarrassed, with her cheeks a bit red.

"Hahaha, dinner will be ready in a moment."

"Shut up, hmph!" She turns her head with a little pout.

Haha, they're adorable.

After eating, I take out a kind of mini bed from my ring. I don't need it, so I give it to Elsa. Although she hesitated at first, I pressed more, and in the end, she gave in. I didn't put out the fire because there was no need. The entrance is still far away, but I never let my guard down. After a few minutes, I close my eyes to sleep.