Chapter 38 - Departing the Great Forest

— Leon Greyrat —

Splashing my face, I let the water drip down my chin as I looked down at the clear river water, showing the reflection of someone I was quite familiar with. 

Me.

It hadn't really occurred to me, as survival was my top priority for my journey through the Demon Continent, but as time passed, my physical appearance changed quite a bit.

Most notably, there were now a few whiskers of facial hair beginning to grow on my usually clear face. This introduction of body hair had also made its way across much of my body, including around my 'little man', as Paul would call it.

This along with a deepening voice and the weird feelings I kept getting around Eris, there was no mistaking it.

I was in the golden age of puberty.

Well, considering I was nearing fourteen years old at this point, it was only natural. In fact, I would be quite concerned if I hadn't had any changes.

Anyway, aside from the more obvious signs of growth, my facial features had also begun to change and, to my utter dismay, I was still growing up to look like Paul.

And how the Water God said I looked like him as a kid…

Was he actually my father?

I… wouldn't know how to feel about that.

On one hand, that meant he left Alice, which would put a disgusting taste in my mouth, but on the other, it would feel nice to have a blood relation to my family…

It could also just be that I have the genes of the Notos Greyrat line, or perhaps many Asuran men in general had Paul's traits.

Anyway, while I was beginning to look more and more like that man, I was pleased with the fact that I wasn't an exact copy.

Rather, I was… softer.

Rounder cheeks, a smaller nose, smaller ears… that kind of thing.

They were all features my dear biological mother, Alice, had, so I was content to keep them throughout adulthood.

So, overall, I was gaining some of Paul's handsome features while keeping some of my youthful ones.

"Not bad… but I don't think it's time to grow out a beard just yet," I murmured to myself before coating my face in wind magic, cutting off all the whiskers.

Ah, and now that I look at myself, my hair needs a trim too.

Luckily, my hair was naturally choppy and rugged, so cutting it myself wouldn't look out of place.

And, gathering my hair in a fist and raising a knife, I did just that, cutting it so the length would stop just above my shoulders.

"There… that's better."

But I didn't come here to the river to look at myself and cut my hair, rather, it was to wash myself off after a long day of training.

Unfortunately, there was no soap here in the Great Forest, but instead, there was a collection of herbs that made you smell good, so I was able to make do.

Washing down my arms, I let my fingers trace a few scars that I had found myself keeping after our group's adventure for the past year.

Most of them were from the first week after we were teleported, a time when I was not only quite the reckless idiot with my fights, but my healing was also sloppy due to tiredness and stress. 

Of course, I also had a bunch of smaller ones, but those were mostly from cuts I didn't notice, like scratches from bushes and equipment.

Ah well… I just hope my future wife. Or rather, wives, hopefully, won't mind.

Paul did say many women found scars attractive, and while he was usually quite the unreliable role model, he did know his way around the topic of romance. So I think I could trust him with that, at least.

Eventually, with my extremely rustic bath finished, I then started back towards the Doldia village, where our party had been staying for the past three months as we waited out the Great Forest's rainy season.

Getting a few nods of respect from the guardsmen, I was quickly met with the scene of Eris and Ruijerd in the middle of a spar.

"Hiya!" Eris shouted.

"Still too hasty, Eris. The Sword God Style's speed is meant for defeating your opponent on the opening strike," Ruijerd chided. "After the opening attack doesn't work, you must adapt to a more rounded combat style. Now, again!"

So that explains why I didn't sense Eris nearby during my bath. The only things she liked more than trying to peep at me were sparring and training, after all.

Well, she was also in the midst of puberty after all, and I would be lying if I said I have never felt the same urge.

But I would hold myself back until we were all reunited.

I wasn't like my dear father, after all. I intended to ensure my lovers were my family and retained my full attention once we got to that point, especially when they meant as much to me as Eris did.

Nevertheless, during our resting period, Eris had also grown quite a bit. Both in skills and looks.

As one might have already guessed, I was immensely attracted to her. 

What was before the childish body of a bratty kid had grown into a young lady with toned muscles while also keeping some softness in the right places.

Her long flowing red hair was tied back in a ponytail, while the strands that weren't captured by her hair band had stuck to her face due to a mixture of sweat and humidity.

And her face… well, I had always found it cute. Especially when she showed her gentle side rather than her usual fierceness.

So an alluring body, an attractive face, and the captivating scene of her in the middle of training.

Overall, a very tantalizing picture. It was no wonder I often found myself entranced.

"That's enough, Eris," Ruijerd said, putting an end to the spar. "You have improved yet again. Well done, and be proud."

As Ruijerd reached down to pat Eris' head, she quickly shook him off with a scowl.

"That doesn't matter! I'm not strong enough now!" she pouted.

"That will come with time. Don't be hasty," Ruijerd said.

"Then what about Leon?"

"He's… an anomaly."

"How rude," I said, interrupting them. "To call an innocent young man who hasn't even reached adulthood that… Even I can feel hurt, you know?"

Ruijerd looked over before forming a difficult expression. "I see… I'm sorry, Leon."

"I was joking," I deadpanned.

Honestly, this guy was way too serious.

"Leon!" Eris said, casting her practice sword to the side as she ran up to me. "Were you watching?"

"For a while," I answered, smiling at the demure tone her voice had taken.

"And? How'd I do?" she asked, looking away to avoid my gaze, acting as if she was unconcerned with my response.

But you know, Eris, that doesn't work when you keep glancing back at me.

"Ruijerd was right," I said, bringing my hand up to her head. "You've grown stronger, especially in the Sword God Style. I would say you're nearing the Saint rank in strength if you haven't hit it already."

Her lips curled into a smile at my compliment as I gently ran through my head, this time not getting the hostile treatment that Ruijerd did.

Ever since I professed my love for her on the ship, where she pretended to be asleep, I had noticed how much closer she started acting towards me. Even closer than before, which was somehow possible.

It was cute. And I enjoyed the closeness to her as well, so I wasn't one to refuse the subtle advances.

With our time taken away from travelling, we had used these three months to train, either by ourselves, with each other, or against the monsters that came with the flooding forest.

And Eris was no different, as she had decided to devote herself to the Sword God Style.

I wasn't sure if she was actually a Sword Saint, as I couldn't tell the difference between a very fast Longsword of Silence and an actual Longsword of Light , but those arbitrary titles like 'Saint' and 'King' didn't really matter in the end. Plus, then there was that stuff about being a 'complete' Sword Saint…

Simply, it was a load of annoying to categorize bullshit.

All that matters is that Eris was looking for strength. And slowly, she was surely finding it.

I myself had been focusing more on training my combat style as a whole, especially with the introduction of the new and unsteady lightning element.

That didn't mean I was forgetting my sword skills, of course, but rather than focusing on the Sword God Style, I had been putting my all towards its opposite, the Water God Style.

More specifically, the gift that the Water God Reida, my Master, had left me.

The gift that was still burned into my memory as if it had been performed yesterday.

Removing my hand from her head, I walked over to the practice sword Eris had dropped as she looked at me in confusion.

Ignoring her, ignoring Ruijerd, and ignoring the world, I focused on the blade held in my hands as I glared at the tree in front of me.

Dance of Deluge , one of the Five Secret Arts of the Water God Style. 

I was still unsure of what exactly it was meant to do, but from what Master showed me, I did have an idea.

An absolute defence.

A barrier where as soon as something enters, it is cut. Reduced to nothing.

And how to perform that… it wasn't simply speed.

No, that would be in the realm of the Sword God Style.

What this move needed was absolute calm and absolute control.

Control over yourself, control over the sword, control over the opponent, and most importantly, control over the world itself.

Taking the energy, the flow, the fate of the world and your opponent, and then transforming it to your advantage. Countering any attack one throws at you.

That was the essence of the Water God Style.

Control.

So area control… but how to put that into a sword… that was the question.

And to strike so fast at one who enters this 'zone' to the point where one might mistake it as a Longsword of Light …

Perhaps… I needed to connect with this 'zone' so that instead of moving my sword so fast to cross a distance in an instant, it would only be a simple flick of the wrist.

But how to do that?

That's been the question for essentially my entire time here, or at least since I discovered the conceptual side of this move.

Crouching down, I let the touki flow through my blade before pushing it outward, letting the pure mana infuse into the air around me.

Realistically, with everything that I knew about mana, touki, and swordsmanship, the touki should be essentially useless as soon as it left its physical connection to me.

And for the most part, that was true in this case as well.

But I could feel it.

While I couldn't control the touki in the air, I could feel a connection to it, if only slightly.

As if a 'path' had been created.

So, activating my demon eye, I observed this path, noting how it led from the tip of my sword to the tree in front of me, just as I had wished.

And, releasing the compressed force in my body, I unleashed a sword strike, following the path laid out before me.

Soundlessly, I watched as the tree was instantly bisected, cut so perfectly horizontal that it didn't even fall.

"T-That was awesome, Leon!" Eris shouted from the side.

"...Thanks Eri," I said, looking at the tree with a frown. 

While it was impressive, and definitely a step forward from where I was when I entered the Doldia village, it wasn't near Master's level.

And even then, I would never be able to use this technique in actual combat. It required way too much concentration and stillness to be properly used.

So, I made some progress, but I wasn't there yet.

Such was the path of continuous improvement.

"Let's go grab Aisha and Norn. We're leaving early tomorrow, so we should try to get as much sleep as possible," I continued, walking over to Eris.

As I walked forward, I noticed that she had averted her eyes once again, pouting as she played with a lock of her hair.

"What is it, Eri?"

She looked up at me before quickly looking away once more.

What's with this?

"I… Well, those two are probably going to miss me, right?" she said.

"Who, Tona and Tersena?" I asked.

Eris nodded.

"Yeah, they probably will. Why? Do you want to spend the last night with them?"

She flinched before nodding.

Okay, that made sense. Those two were the only girls her age she had ever got along with, aside from Sylphy. It made sense that Eris wanted to part on good terms.

But why was she acting this way-?

Wait… Was it that?

Oh… That would be adorable.

"Eri… Are you perhaps worried that I would be angry about not sleeping with you?" I asked, a slight teasing tone in my voice.

She clicked her tongue before crossing her arms.

That confirmed it.

So Eris really was that adorable.

Somewhere along our journey, probably when we all camped together on the Demon Continent, we had gotten into the habit of sharing a bed. 'We' being Eris, Aisha, Norn, and me.

Nothing sexual happened, of course, as not only was I not quite ready for that, but my sisters were also sleeping in the same bed.

It was more of a… comfort thing.

"Of course not, Eri," I said. "You should spend as much time with those two as you can."

She nodded, though contrary to my expectations, her lips curled down into a frown.

"Do you…" she said hesitantly. "Do you not care?"

Oh… so that was it.

How was she making herself even cuter?

"That's not it," I sighed. "Being together during the night is very important to me. It gives me a physical reminder that we're all together and safe, and it's also the time when I can hold you and my sisters close for as long as I want. I love it, but I can handle you spending time with your friends for one night."

My true feelings seemed to do the trick as her frown quite literally turned upside down.

"G-Good! You better appreciate it!" she said, walking away for a few steps before suddenly stopping. "...And just so you know… I like it too…"

And with that, she ran off, leaving me with heated cheeks and a thumping heart as I stood still.

"Leon. You seem to be troubled," Ruijerd said.

"Y-Yeah…" I whispered out. "I know…"

…Would I last until we were all reunited once more?

That was feeling less and less likely each day.

— Leon Greyrat —

"And so? Did you make sure to play with Evelina and Serenia a bunch?" I asked as I combed through Aisha's hair.

"Yep! We played a bunch of tag and then skipped some stones in the river!" Aisha replied happily, sewing the red scarf I had given her, patching up some of the holes it had accumulated.

"That's good. While it sucks we'll be leaving, you should always part on good terms with friends," I said. "And how about you, Norn? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah…" she said as she rested her head on my thigh with a sigh. "I just… wish they could come with us."

"You know that's impossible, Norn. But once you get older, I'm sure you four can all meet up again," I said, letting my free hand tussle Norn's head.

The beastfolk of the Doldia village were good people, though our pleasant accommodations may have had something to do with us helping them against the smugglers.

But that didn't really matter, as more importantly, during our stay Aisha and Norn had finally made their first friends, Evelina and Serenia—a pair of sweet beastfolk girls.

Honestly, with how well we've been treated, and with Norn and Aisha getting their first taste of friendship, if I didn't know where Paul and Rudy were and if they were alive, I would likely have left them here before searching alone.

But alas, thanks to Kishirika I knew that Paul was on this continent at least as early as a few months ago, so we would have to leave together.

Thinking about the beastfolk brought my thoughts over to the two Eris was currently spending her time with, Minitona and Tersena.

They were nice girls, and even if they weren't Eris' friends, I would be fond of them.

And Eris… well, she was very fond of them. 

She was so fond of them, in fact, that she was able to hit it off with them as early as after the first night.

She even endeavoured in trying to teach them the Human tongue!

I was so proud to see the usually insociable and snippy Eris actively making friends.

Though… I had a feeling a lot of that was due to the Boreas blood running through her veins… but I was still happy for her.

While I wasn't as close to them as Eris was, I was familiar with the two as a result of Eris, mostly by acting as a translator when Eris' Beast God tongue was shaky on our arrival, and also through them teaching me the mysterious secret howl magic of the Beast race.

Or rather, it would be better to say that they tried to teach me.

No matter how much I practiced, I simply couldn't use the howl magic that they used. If I had to guess, there was likely me not having a Beast race physique that was holding me back, like Ruijerd and his third eye.

But, while I wasn't able to use howl magic, I was able to replicate it… somewhat.

Sound magic.

Honestly, it wasn't anything novel, but rather an advanced application of wind magic that created vibrations in the air causing sound.

I still needed more practice though.

During my training, I tried to use howl magic by infusing my voice with mana, and to some extent, it worked, though it was rather a separate method of activating sound magic rather than actual howl magic.

But it did get me thinking… infusing the voice with mana… was that how incantations came to be?

Somehow having that activate a spell… somehow.

Well, I wasn't a scholar, nor did I plan to be, so those questions were better left unanswered for the sake of my psyche.

"Anyway, I got all your knots out, Aisha, so I think it's time for bed," I said, putting down the comb. "We should get some sleep."

"Aww, but Brother~!"

"Don't even start, Aisha. Look at Norn," I said, looking down at the blonde-haired girl who was basically asleep at this point, snuggling against my leg as she breathed softly out her nose.

Honestly… she was such a cutie.

And it seemed that having some friends got her out of her shell, so to say I was happy about Norn's development would be an understatement.

Aisha too. While she was already quite mature, was able to tap into some of her natural childness a bit more around kids her age.

Just the thought put a smile on my face.

"What are you smiling about, brother?" Aisha said as she blew out the candle.

"I'm just proud of you, is all," I said, scooping her up in my arms as I laid down on the bed.

"Oh? T-Thanks… I'm proud of you too," she said, snuggling against my chest.

"Yeah… thanks, Aisha."

Closing my eyes, I combed my hands through Aisha's hair until she eventually fell asleep, her breathing slowing to match Norn's in a constant rhythm.

Smiling at the warmth I felt, my lips then straightened into a line as I thought about the future.

Tomorrow, we would be on the road again.

Travelling to Millishion, where my father was hopefully still staying, would take a month or two. And then, it was only the decision of what to do about Eris.

Would I go right to my mothers in the Begaritt Continent?

Would I escort Eris back to the Fittoa Region?

Could I take Eris with me to the Begaritt Continent?

And what about Sylphy?

I knew from Lilia's stories how disgusting the royal palace was, especially for a sweet, innocent, and cute girl like her.

Would I go to Sylphy after my mothers? Could I afford to? Should I go to Sylphy first?

With those thoughts and questions swirling in my mind, I eventually sighed before clearing them out and preparing for sleep.

Thinking about it would do nothing when I couldn't act on it and the situation might have even changed since Kishirika told me where they were.

So, for now, I would get some rest, and leave the difficult decisions for a future me.

Sorry, future Leon.

— Leon Greyrat —

Watching the flurry of attacks being exchanged between Eris and Minitona, I couldn't help but sigh a bit in frustration.

Was this a common thing for girls here? Or was it just because they were headstrong?

Either way, instead of talking it out and tying up loose ends, the two had decided to have a final spar before they parted ways.

Apparently, as the morning of our departure dawned, Eris was awoken by a very serious Minitona who offered her a spar, with the wager being that Eris would stay if she won.

Of course, against an opponent like Eris, Tona, who had barely reached the Intermediate rank of swordsmanship, had no chance to win.

But I suppose the feelings behind the spar were important, so Eris was taking it as seriously as she could without ending it in one swing, while also being sure not to accidentally kill her good friend.

I watched as Eris suddenly narrowed her eyes, causing Tona to freeze in place.

Knocking the wooden sword out of the frozen girl's hand, Eris then placed her own wooden blade next to her neck, ending the fight.

"It's over," Eris said calmly. "I'm leaving."

As for what made Tona freeze in the middle of the fight, that was Eris' new technique that Ruijerd taught her. The 'Bloodlust Technique'.

Bloodlust, or killing intent, was something that was released naturally by people in stressful situations. 

From what I could tell, both from experience and my mana sight, it was simply the mana that radiated out of a person, allowing people to sense someone's seriousness about killing and danger instinctually.

This bloodlust could also be controlled by manipulating how much bloodlust is released. Usually, bloodlust was suppressed to make opponents unable to tell when one would attack, particularly for assassinations and the Water God Style.

The Superd and Eris, however, went in the opposite direction by enhancing this bloodlust, enabling them to catch people off guard.

Ruijerd also taught Eris how to use this ability in tandem with her natural talent to set the tempo for a fight and allow her to draw out her opponent's attacks. It was quite similar to a Water God technique, but one Eris could use.

After all, when it came to setting the tempo for a fight, Eris was already a master. She was even better than I was myself, despite me being a Water Saint.

Shaking my head to get rid of the useless thoughts, I watched as Minitona trembled in sadness before running into Eris' embrace, crying into her shoulder as she held her close.

The beauty of friendship… how amazing.

"Brother?" Norn said, looking up at me from my side. "Can we… train some more?"

Smiling gently, I ran my hand through her hair as I thought about her and Aisha's progress as well.

As soon as we settled into the Doldia village, both Aisha and Norn had asked for me to train them. With Aisha focusing on magic and Norn trying her hand at swordsmanship.

At this point, Aisha was able to cast most Beginner spells for all schools of magic, and I was now training her in chantless casting and mastery of mana control before increasing the rank of spells.

Norn, on the other hand, did not have her sister's talent for magic, so I decided to have her focus on healing to keep herself safe and the basic fire and water spells for survival.

With the blade though, I could say she had some skill. While she was only a Beginner in the Sword God and Water God Styles, as she trained more and grew up a bit, I was sure she would get strong enough to be able to defend herself.

The thought filled me with happiness and relief.

Still though… I knew they weren't training for that far future in mind. Rather, it was because they didn't want to be a burden to me right now, and no matter how much I reassured them, they would always think deep down they needed to make it easier for me.

Just like before, I was constantly conflicted.

Conflicted between the joy of watching and aiding in their growth and not wanting to confirm their unfounded suspicions of being a burden.

Luckily, with the introduction of Evelina and Serenia, the two had focused more on spending time with their new friends rather than training, so overall, I was content with how things went.

Now that they wouldn't have those two to distract them though… I really hoped they would calm down with the training.

Is this what Mama felt like?

I know she was proud of me whenever I showed off my talents, but there was always that underlying worry I could see in her eyes.

I'll have to apologize and reassure her when I find her.

"Sorry Norn, but no. We're leaving today, after all," I said. "Did you say goodbye to your friends?"

She nodded sadly. "Evie and Serie were really upset…"

"Well, you told them you can meet again, right?" I consoled her. "As long as you're alive, you can reunite with them. Plus, just think of how fun it will be to see them when you're all older."

"R-Right! I can't wait!" Norn said, a little more life in her voice now.

"Good…"

I then looked up to see Eris and her two friends walking towards us, seemingly having aired out their feelings and accepted their separation.

It didn't make them any less sad, though, as evidenced by the frowns all three were wearing.

"Leon… Eris… I'll get stronger, okay?" Minitona said.

"Of course," I nodded with a smile. "And don't feel too sad. We will meet again, after all."

We all will.

As we began packing everything into the carriage the village had graciously given us, I watched as Eris, Minitona, and Tersena said their final goodbyes, as well as Aisha, Norn, and the two beastfolk girls they had gotten close with.

And then, of course, was Ruijerd and Gustav. The two older men had grown closer by talking about stories of their youth long into the night, and I knew that Ruijerd was quite pleased with having made a friend despite his race.

…Wait.

Eris and my dear sisters made friends… even that Ruijerd did… and yet here I was, watching them all say their goodbyes by myself.

…Was I a loner?

N-No, that couldn't be it. I was just busy. Yes… I was just busy.

But to think we would end up spending three entire months in a beastfolk village during our journey back… and speaking of…

Taking out the ring necklace that was tied around my neck, I brushed my thumb over the scratched wood as I thought about Big Sis Ghislaine.

While spending time in her homeland, I learned that despite her calling herself a 'troublesome youth', that was quite an understatement.

I would love to mend her issues with her family but from the sour looks Gustav and especially Gyes made at her name's mention… that might be a little too hard.

At least I told Tona some cool stories about her aunt from adventuring when I was a baby, which Eris and my sisters joined in to listen to attentively.

But alas…

"Leon."

Hearing a voice call out to me, I turned to see Gyes looking at the ring with a complicated expression.

"...If you are able to reunite with Ghislaine, I would like you to tell her that I'm sorry."

…I was not expecting this.

"For abandoning her as a child and leaving her to that wandering swordsman… I am quite ashamed now as a brother that I gave up on her. Especially after watching how you three act together," he said, looking between Aisha, Norn, and me.

Shaking my head, I responded, "It isn't your fault, Gyes. Big Sis was a troublesome kid, and the path she walked made her who she is today. But… if you want to apologize, you should do it yourself."

Clenching my fist, I thought about Mama, Lilia, Sylphy, Roxy, Rudy, and even Paul.

All the people I still needed to find.

"As long as you both are alive, bonds can be reformed with effort. And family… they are absolutely worth that effort."

His eyes meeting mine, Gyes eventually smiled as he nodded.

"I see… Then I suppose I should ask you to send her back here if you can. That way we can talk in person."

"Of course," I answered.

And with that, our group's three-month chapter in the Doldia village came to an end as the 'Red Wolves' looked forward to our next destination… Millishion.