Erlo (6)

Azra discovered another reason why Erlo was so docile and accepting of Lo's help. Drowsiness. Azra and Lo didn't know what Erlo had been up to before he came to their help and took down the bull, but his sleepiness was easily understood when they thought of how much of the bull Erlo ate. Azra, who had been responsible for removing the Rage Powder from Erlo's body, also had a slight understanding of how tiring it had been for Erlo, so he understood why Erlo fell asleep while still sitting up.

Lo made sure that Erlo was actually fast asleep before gently embracing and picking him up.

Erlo was surprisingly heavy, but Lo managed to carry him by using the spikes on Erlo's back as handholds.

Since Azra and Lo had found Erlo, they decided to head back to the village before the smell of blood attracted another beast affected by the Rage Powder. However, Azra was pretty sure that the toxic smell would do a good job keeping anyone with a sense of smell far away. He considered dipping a stick in the pile of grey sludge and using it to ward off any beasts they might potentially meet on their way back. However, he pretty quickly realized that the smell clung to his and Lo's clothes almost as hard as he clung to the tree. There were also the traces of grey mucus remaining on Erlo, so Azra and Lo didn't have to worry about anything other than their sense of smell becoming useless.

The two walked through the forest without fear of any beast attacks. If a beast did attack them, it was probably too stupid to realize that their smell wasn't proof of anything edible. And such a dumb beast would be easily defeated by Azra with the dagger Lo let him continue to borrow. The smell also allowed the two to rest while not constantly watching their surroundings.

Both Azra and Lo were tired from their fight with the bull. Lo still had his inclination and mana to reinforce his body, but he was also carrying Erlo. Even with the slight reenergizing effect of Azra's heals, the two progressed through the forest at a snail's pace.

Eventually, even with their many breaks, the three reached the forest edge. Now there was only a short stretch of road before they arrived at the village. However, Lo had a more difficult time carrying Erlo without the strength boost that he got from being so close to nature while in the forest.

However, they didn't have to walk for long until a farmer noticed them.

Azra still had his hood down, so he hoped that Mirabelle had gotten time to spread rumors about him. He wasn't exactly looking forward to correcting people's misunderstandings again. People tend to dislike being refuted or being wrong, and until his reputation was strong enough, Azra wasn't willing to be the one to deny people's assumptions.

Mirabelle would've had the entire day to tell someone about the mysterious guest she had invited to her home, and unless she wanted strange rumors to float around, she would have explained it to some neighbor. That was all she needed to do. Azra came from a small village himself. He knew in detail how news spread faster than wildfire in a tight community like tiny villages usually were.

After the farmer noticed them and saw how Erlo was struggling to carry something, the farmer started walking toward them. Azra saw an old man's face below the straw hat, and he really hoped that Mirabelle had told someone about his gender.

"Hey there. What're you carrying, Lo?"

"Hi, Burns! You're not gonna believe this. It's Erlo!"

"Erlo… Erlo, Erlo? Erlo?!"

Burns repeated the name a few times since it was so familiar, but he soon remembered whose name it was.

"As in that puppy your family had before the war?"

"Yeah!"

Burns got closer so he could get a better look at Erlo curled up in Lo's embrace. That was when he caught sight of Azra, who stood slightly behind Lo.

"O-oh, hello there. Mirabelle really wasn't kidding, eh? Suspiciously good looks for a young man."

Burns reached out with a hand toward Azra.

"Your name was Azra, right? Everyone calls me Burns. It's nice to meet you."

Azra deepened the slight smile he always wore when near other people, partially because Burns already knew he was a man.

"Likewise. I look forward to getting to know you and everyone else in the village."

Burns was slightly stunned at the dazzling smile, but his eyes flashed, and he looked intently at Azra.

"You don't happen to be single, do you?"

Azra didn't have the time to answer before Lo cut in.

"Burns! There's like a fifty-year difference between you!"

"T-that's not what I meant! It's for Brenda!"

"Sure it is. Anyway, help me carry Erlo back to the village. We need to get him cleaned up."

Burns happily accepted the change in topic since he was embarrassed by Lo's assumption.

"Yeah, you guys stink! What happened? Did you slip and take a bath in a pond of shit before coming back to the village?"

Burns complained, but he still took Erlo from Lo's arms. Erlo stirred a little and showed signs of waking up, but when Lo whispered comforting words in his ear, Erlo calmed down again.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll explain after we've cleaned Erlo."

"Bah. What's with the suspense? As if there's anything exciting left in that forest."

Azra and Lo exchanged looks at that, but they were both too tired to give a coherent explanation. Azra also wasn't willing to share his conjectures until he figured out a way to build as much respect and adoration as possible.

With Burns carrying Erlo in the lead, the group headed to the village, picking up a few farmers who remembered Erlo on the way.

Most of the farmers knew Azra was a man and didn't mistakenly try to flirt with him or set him up with their sons or grandsons. And the ones that did make such mistakes were quickly corrected by their friends, who enjoyed the opportunity to one-up someone else.

Azra did his best to keep up with the small talk while retaining the smile despite his fatigue. However, he soon realized that the farmers were more interested in talking than conversing and were satisfied with Azra mere nodding his head and smiling at them.

Lo was busy keeping Erlo asleep and calm, despite the ruckus the farmers caused, so despite wanting to relieve some of the pressure on Azra, he was unable to do so.

Burns carried Erlo straight to the first well and began heaving up water without hesitation while Lo placed Erlo on the ground. The other farmers went to get more buckets, soap, and brushes. The brushes were originally intended for horses, but like most beasts, they were also affected by the Rage Powder and were either put down or sent away.

When Azra learned of how a lot of beasts were sent into the forest due to the Rage Powder, he figured out a new way to garner goodwill from the villagers. He had just discovered he could remove Rage Powder from the beasts' bodies after all.