Explanation

Bernice, Abe, and Hester eventually woke up a few hours later.

When they awakened, they realized it was afternoon and they were at another campsite.

"What the heck happened?! Why did we go unconscious?!" Bernice jumped out of her sleeping bag with anger all over her face.

"Ugh, I have a headache." Abe rubbed his temples and felt very thirsty.

"Same~." Hester shared a similar opinion. He felt very tired, thirsty, and hungry.

"You're finally awake." George glanced over at the three party members who were in their sleeping bags out in the open.

He was sitting in his foldable chair in front of a campfire cooking leftover preserved meat.

"George! What happened?! Where's Emma and that Melissa person?! Are they fine?! What about the fight?!"

"Sorry, we're here." Emma returned from the pine forest with an apologetic expression. Melissa followed behind carrying some wood. She did not express as much emotion and remained rather calm about the whole matter.

"Emma!" Bernice jumped over and ran around them in circles.

"What happened?! Are you both alright?! How did the fight end?!"

"Relax! The fight ended smoothly. There was no injuries." Emma grabbed Bernice by the shoulder to stop her erratic movements.

"Really?" She looked at Emma from head-to-toe with skepticism.

"Really. You can ask George and Melissa to confirm." Emma glanced at the two and did a faint wink. Bernice looked at the two with serious stare awaiting their answer.

George merely nodded and turned back to cooking.

"Yep, the duel ended peacefully. Nobody was injured." Melissa gave a light-hearted smile as if she was in a good mood.

"If you all say so, then that's a relief." Bernice relaxed her tensed muscled and released a sigh of relief. She was genuinely worried about potential injuries despite Melissa being a stranger.

"Then what happened to us? Why were we all unconscious?" Abe walked over after gulping a bunch of water from a bottle. He was substantially thirsty after being unconscious for a while.

George spoke up before they could and did the explaining:

"During the fight, some of the wreckage from the Great Demonic War was melted by the flames, releasing poisonous gases from rusty containers within them. Most of these gases seem to have sleep inducing effects. The wind must have blown them where you all were located."

"After the duel ended, we came over and found you all unconscious. Melissa was actually the first and did not know of the gas. She inhaled a little and became very sleep for a little while. Emma used her magus to dispel the gas in the area upon realizing the situation."

"Is that why I have a massive headache?" Hester muttered as he rubbed his temples.

"Most likely. Melissa also had a headache after inhaling the gas." George nodded to his question.

"Then how long have we been out?" Bernice tiredly sat in her foldable chair.

"About four hours to be precise. I didn't want to lag behind on time so we carried you to the next campsite. The time is around noon and we're just about to eat lunch." George explained their situation again.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry~, and I missed the climatic end of the duel!" Bernice rubbed her growling stomach that had missed breakfast. She was starving.

"Well, thank you for carrying us." Abe apologized and bowed slightly.

"T-Thanks." Hester also apologized but in a weak mutter. He was slightly embarrassed he had to be carried by George or the two girls.

"No need to worry about it." Emma grabbed her foldable chair to sit down by the fire.

Melissa stared at their group before hesitantly grabbing her foldable chair. She still felt like an intruding outsider and it was an uncomfortable feeling.

"Melissa, is it? Welcome to our group. I hope we'll get along during this trip. I'm Abe Booker." Abe reached out to shake hands. He had a faint welcoming smile.

"Welcome to this group! I'm Bernice Hall!" Bernice gave a smile despite not feeling well and reached out her hand.

"Uh, welcome. Hester Flintblaze." Hester awkwardly reached out his hand.

"Likewise." Melissa forced a faint smile as she shook their hands.

With all of them sitting around a fire eating, the atmosphere became peaceful and casual.

"So where are you from Melissa?" Bernice naturally was the one who started the conversation.

"I've... actually lived in the Lappago Region most of my life." Melissa hesitated for a second, but decided she has no reason to lie. A lot of people grow up in this region, so it would not reveal anything about her.

"The Lappago Region? I've never visited the place before. What's it like?" Emma asked out of curiosity. She also wanted Bernice to focus on eating rather than talking.

"Long winters and mild summers to be honest. You see a lot of huge cities and major fossil fuel companies situated there. I only moved south for job opportunities and better weather." Melissa carefully answered in a way to not reveal too much information.

...

The Modern Empire, a popular name used to refer to the current era of the Aeternum Empire, is separated into six regions/districts: Ager, Dives, Planta, Bellicus, Lappago, and Meritum.

The Lappago Region is a district located west of the Northern Mountain Range but far north at the top of the continent. The region has short mild summers of around 60°F (15.6°C) average and long cold harsh winters of -20°F (-29°C) on average.

The region is exceptionally rich in fossil fuel resources (i.e. coal, natural gas, oil) and predominantly occupied by the fossil fuel industry. They possess a large population, a large workforce, and many cities and towns that have developed a unique culture.

The majority of all fossil fuel products made there are transported across Akora and fuel the empire's economy. However, the region has been stuck in a large population decline for many decades due to automation and the invention of air conditioning.

...

A few minutes later, the conversations slowed as people ate into their meals.

Hester bit into the meat which consisted of a lot of herbs on top.

"This is weird, but strangely delicious." His eyes lit up as he bit into it more.

"I didn't think adding a bunch of herbs modified the taste." Abe bit off large chunks and savored the taste. Him being hungry made the food taste even better.

"Delicious!" Bernice's eyes sparkled as she ripped pieces off the meat. The sides of her mouth became glossy with oil. She ate more like a barbarian than someone of elegance.

"Um, can I have some?" Melissa's mouth was watering. She glanced at the food and George several times before whispering the desire to eat.

"You don't have to ask. This is extra food. Once you start hunting you'll be responsible for your own food and how much you want to eat." George had already eaten his meal and was cooking the rest of the uncooked meats laying around.

Emma ate with a light-hearted smile of content.

However, this perfect healthy image of herself was being projected through an [Illusion] spell.

In reality, she was actually sweaty, exhausted, and in substantial pain.

All of her standard magus has been recovered through meditation and a lot of eating, but that does not mean she is still not injured and mentally exhausted.

George had punched her in the stomach with enough force to make her vomit and leave a massive bruise in its place. Luckily it did not cause internal damage or she would be coughing up blood. However, the pain is strong enough to make her sweat buckets.

Malicious thoughts had infected her mind and exhausted all her mental energy fighting back. She would need a good rest tonight to fully recover from that episode.

Luckily, her [Vitality] attribute is much higher than the average person. As long as she eats enough, her body should repair most of the damage when she goes to sleep.

Even so, maintaining a fake image of being perfectly fine is easier said than done.

'Curse you George! I'm going to have to endure this for the rest of the day.'

Emma repeatedly complained in her mind about the pain he has caused her.

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Notes:

* I may change the [Intelligence] attribute to [Reaction Time].

* I have updated the [Nations] auxiliary chapter. I added more information about the Modern Empire. Check it out if you are interested.

* I have updated the [Guild and Creature Ranking] auxiliary chapter. I have added [The System] to the ranking list. Check it out if you are interested.

* If you are wondering why Hester does not recognize Melissa from the anomaly, it is because her face was hidden in the shadows and she purposefully made her voice deeper. Also, she told them her name was Alice. I actually forgot about that and checked my previous chapters, and there's no indication she revealed her face. No plot holes yet!