Oakvale

-----Kaede's POV

It's been a day since we have left Maemont, making only one stop for the horses to catch a break and for us to stretch our legs. I've decided to notify Iris when the army that's following us stops for a break as well, so that we don't risk them catching up while we're resting. Right now is one of those breaks.

Mai: "They're moving again."

Kaede: "What? It hasn't even been an hour yet."

Mai: "They seem to really have it out for Yui's mother, haha."

If it weren't for Lucien, I wouldn't be worried at all about that big of an army. But with Lucien potentially in the mix, I fear that something bad might happen. Alice was great and all, and when we fought the guards together when we were fleeing Maemont, seeing her up close, she really does know how to fight. But she stands no chance against someone like Lucien. She might win in a fair match with swords, but add magic into the mix, she's outclassed. Which leaves me being the only one to potentially stand against him. I say maybe as Yui did say that she could maybe use his magic against him, but I have my doubts. If possible, I'd like her to remain back and just let me hold him off.

Kaede: "The army is on the move again."

Iris: "Already?"

Kaede: "Yes."

Driver: "My lady. These horses need proper rest."

The driver of our caravan was feeding apples to the two horses while he voiced his concerns, which only made Iris frustrated to say the least.

Iris: "How far away are they?"

Kaede: "Mai? How far away are they?"

Mai: "They've made ground on you. I'd say if you remain where you are, they'd likely arrive in 5 or so hours."

We're maybe half way to Oakvale, and Azalea is about a day's more worth of travel after that. We don't really have much wiggle room.

Kaede: "5 or so hours away."

Iris: "Fuck!"

It was the first time I've heard Yui's mom swear. For a dignified noble, I didn't expect something like that to come out of her mouth.

Yui: "Is that bad?"

Iris: "Not if we leave now. We'll be cutting it close as it is."

Like I figured.

Kaede: "Mai? Can't you try and slow them down?"

Mai: "I can try, but that man will easily break through my barrier."

So even he can give Mai some trouble?

Mai: "Plus, if I do that, I'll give away my position. It'll make things harder for me to continue relaying information."

Kaede: "Right, yeah you're right."

Mai's a valuable asset to us right now, allowing us to time our breaks with the best efficiency. I'll think of something else.

Iris: "How long of a break do you think we'll need?"

Driver: "To leave as soon as possible, maybe 30 minutes? But it'll only get worse until they get a proper break."

So, does that mean that we'll be needing to take breaks more frequently? Yeah, that'll just spell disaster, and looking at Iris, she also doesn't like the sound of that. Sure we can pin our hopes that the army following us will take breaks more often as well, but that's wishful thinking. The horses have no idea what's at stake, we can't blame them.

Iris: "We leave in 30 minutes then!"

Driver: "Yes, milady."

I think this is the most I've been nervous in a while.

Yui: "Hey, don't worry, I got this!"

Kaede: "You mean taking out Lucien?"

Yui: "Mm!"

Kaede: "I'm not letting you risk to attempt something like that. If he does come, I'll hold him back."

Natalie: "Even for you, Kaede... Lucien is a legend."

Yeah, a hero that's centuries old sure will be a tough fight, but not to brag, but I believe I have the highest chance of repelling Lucien.

Yui: "Yeah, so we'll beat him together!"

Kaede: "No."

Yui: "..."

Kaede: "I'm not risking something like that happening again."

It might be different for Yui, but for me, I've already seen her die before... And I for sure don't want that to happen again. It's bad enough she nearly died after she drank my blood.

Yui: "...That, won't happen again."

In an attempt to comfort me, I could feel Yui's hand grabbing hold of my own.

Natalie: "What won't happen again?"

Yui: "Oh. Well, like what mom told you, I had a life before this. I was murdered and was brought here. Kaede was also part of my past life."

Natalie: "What?"

Kaede: "Mhmm."

Yui: "But we didn't have magic in our past life, so we were pretty weak compared to how we are now. So! I'd like to help! I'm much more stronger now."

Kaede: "You do know that Lucien will most likely know about your secret."

Yui: "Yes, but he maybe doesn't know my limitation. Just with me being there, he might be weary to use any magic against us."

Natalie: "Ah~ I see!"

Honestly, I never thought of it like that. I was too focused on worrying about whether Yui could control Lucien's magic or not, that the thought of Lucien's worries never crossed my mind. As long as Yui's there, Lucien will hesitate to use magic, giving me more freedom to repel him and the army.

Natalie: "Pretty clever of you, my lady."

Yui: "Heh. So? It's a good plan, right?"

Kaede: "...Fine. But stay behind me."

Yui: "Roger!"

Kaede: "Pfft!"

Even with this tense atmosphere, Yui can still lighten up the mood.

The 30 minutes eventually passed and we were back on the move. Everyone inside was anxious at the thought of the army catching up and looking around, Iris and Natalie both seem to be quite drowsy as well.

Iris: "Alice."

Alice: "Yes, get some rest."

Almost immediately, Iris rested her head on Alice's shoulder before closing her eyes. I take a moment to grab a blanket out of my bag to toss over to Alice and Iris. It's nearly winter, so it's quite chilly now during the night.

Alice: "Thank you."

Yui: "Here, Natalie."

Yui also begins to take out a blanket of her own, the same one she used in her room in the mansion before wrapping it around Natalie, herself and I.

Natalie: "Thank you."

Yui: "You can lay down if you like."

Natalie: "N-no, That's ok-"

Yui: "That's an order."

Natalie: "..."

Slowly, Natalie laid her head on Yui's lap after Yui patted it down. Once Natalie was in position, Yui adjusted the blanket for her, making sure to keep her warm.

Marcus: "What about me?"

Kaede: "You should've thought about packing a blanket before running over here."

Marcus: "Haha."

Now with 2 people trying to get some sleep, we all decide to keep quiet, but I can't help but be jealous over Natalie as she lays down on Yui's lap. And so, I rested my head on Yui's shoulder which caused a chuckle to escape her mouth.

Yui: "When this is all over, you can rest here if you like."

She spoke in a soft tone to not disturb the others.

Kaede: "I'll make sure to reserve it then."

Yui: "Haha."

I actually don't really mind. In a way, resting like this is better since our faces are so close to one another; it's calming.

Mai: "Oh! Seems like the army encountered a stray goblin horde."

Kaede: "Huh?"

Mai: "They annihilated them in seconds, but it at least slowed them down for a minute."

Kaede: "Only a minute?"

Mai: "Hey, it's something!"

True, if that minute means the escape from Azalea, then I guess luck is on our side. I guess I could try and maybe sleep. If I'm to fight against Lucien, then I'd like to be prepared. But even as I close my eyes while resting on Yui's shoulder, not an ounce of tiredness comes my way as I end up opening them in frustration.

Kaede: "Why can't I just be human."

Mai: "What are you blabbering about?"

Kaede: "Nothing."

Mai: "Humans are weak. I think your existence is pretty exciting."

Kaede: "You forget that I lived another life. A human, remember?"

Mai: "So you don't like living as a vampire?"

Kaede: "I... I do, but-"

It's so complicated. A part of me just wishes I had just one life, but I have 2. I feel like everyday since my encounter with mom, I've been getting more and more used to living like a vampire. It's like I'm stuck between a tug-of-war between Kaede and Selene, tugging both ends of human, and vampire. What's scary is that I think Selene is winning. It could be because this is actually her body and she's taking back complete control. To that, I just wish I keep my memories still.

Mai: "Fascinating. That's an interesting way to think about it."

Kaede: "Stop invading my thoughts."

Mai: "But we're communicating with our thoughts, silly."

Kaede: "Hah~"

Mai: "I don't think you need to worry, Kaede."

Kaede: "Ha."

It's funny how Mai switches how she calls me. One minute she'll call me Selene, and another time she'll call me Kaede. Almost like she can tell which of us is present.

Mai: "It's a 2-way street. Just like how you learnt of Selene's past, Selene also learns about yours. So whoever is present, the other will not disappear."

Kaede: "Thank you."

After a long night, everyone woke up. Yui and Alice both ended up dosing off at some point as I just let Yui trade places with me and let her rest her head on my shoulder.

Iris: "Good morning."

Yui: "Ah~"

With everyone yawning, Natalie also rises up from Yui's lap.

Driver: "Oakvale is up ahead. Roughly 30 minutes."

Iris: "Thank you."

I guess it's time to get ready for another little battle. Oakvale is much smaller than Maemont so there's shouldn't be much resistance. I just hope we can get in and out of there as fast as possible, as Mai notified me during the night that the army has gained even more ground on us.