Chapter 305: Half-Way There

"You're not going to prank me in the future with leeches in my food or something, are you?" Asked Alexander softly with a blank expression as he looked at Jasmine, whose eyes widened only for her to shake her head.

"Huh? Who do you take me for, Alex? I would never do such a thing." Said Jasmine softly with a faint frown while looking at Alexander, seemingly offended at his words as she held her chest, causing him to nod softly.

"A Princess who returns every offense." Said Alexander blandly as he looked at Jasmine, who gently shook her head in disappointment.

Nodding at Jasmine, I closed my eyes and laid on the ground while mentally preparing to find leeches in the near future; hopefully, Jasmine ends up being too grossed out by leeches herself to deal with them; otherwise, I'm screwed.

'I've never actually seen what a normal leech looks like, only the monster version of leeches.' Thought Alexander lightly with a curious expression as he raised an eyebrow, only to shake his head before leaping onto his feet.

"Alright, let's get moving, Jasmine. We're making great progress, so let's keep it this way." Said Alexander lightly as he neared Jasmine, who stood up, only to scoop her into his arms, prompting her to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I wish your arms were more comfortable." Said Jasmine lightly as she leaned into Alexander's embrace while glancing at him with furrowed brows, prompting him to smirk.

"Oh, I'm very comfortable." Remarked Alexander with a mischievous smirk as he squeezed Jasmine's meaty thigh, causing her to squeal while deeply blushing in embarrassment.

"D-Don't d-do that, Alex!" Yelled Jasmine as she glared at Alexander with crimson cheeks, causing him to laugh while she hid her face in his chest.

"Hmm, don't do what?" Asked Alexander curiously as he looked at Jasmine while squeezing her thigh, causing her to grumble under her breath.

Chuckling at Jasmine, I destroyed our little campfire with a kick and ran through the forest, safely navigating through the dense vegetation before arriving atop the dirt trail as I dashed along it, continuing our travel to Crestfallen Kingdom, which we'd just recently passed the halfway mark, so only two more days.

However, instead of being happy, I was nervous; I just didn't show it as I didn't want Jasmine to get worried; my heart was beating somewhat intensely as it warned me of impending danger. There was only so much I could do to prepare against this incoming danger, and the best thing to do was to get us closer to the Crestfallen Kingdom; still, I was skeptical if we'd make it in time, as it would still take roughly two more days to arrive.

"Hey Jasmine, you don't have any way to secretly contact your Mother or Father if we get close enough to your Kingdom, do you?" Asked Alexander curiously as he looked at Jasmine, who raised an eyebrow before shaking her head.

"No, but the Captain of the royal guards will be able to sense me if I get close. I don't know how she does it, as she's never explained, but it's probably a skill of hers." Replied Jasmine lightly as she looked at Alexander, who softly nodded while lightning began to emerge from his body, surprising her.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt you; just stay close to me." Said Alexander softly as the cloak of lightning enveloped him and Jasmine, prompting her to lean deeper into his embrace, her large breasts squishing against his chest, though he paid no heed to them.

As I used [Lightning Cloak] in conjunction with my neutral mana and my two other skills, which increased my physical attributes, that I was already using, my speed significantly increased, though so did my expenditure of mana.

However, whenever my mana reserves would get dangerously low, I would stop using all of my skills and allow my reserves to passively rejuvenate, which I will say served as good training, though I continued to infuse my body with mana as efficiency was incredible.

For the rest of the day, I repeated that cycle multiple times, passing a city in the process, which I didn't dare to enter, lest I risk killing someone else like in that previous city.

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"Hmm, we should only have one more city to pass before the final home stretch to the Crestfallen Kingdom." Remarked Alexander lightly as he observed the map of the Nsemo continent, prompting Jasmine to approach him.

"Really? Once I get back home, I should finally be safe! Whatever Kingdom sent those assassins after me shouldn't dare attack me in my own Kingdom; that's basically declaring war. My Kingdom may be small, but by no means are we weak; we boast the second-highest population on the continent." Stated Jasmine with a faint smile, only for her gaze to harden as she proudly raised her head while clenching her fist.

"Yeah, alright, take it easy, Princess." Alexander blandly as he gently rubbed Jasmine's head, causing her to pout before looking at the map with him while leaning onto his shoulder.

We looked at the map for a few more minutes before I put it away, prompting Jasmine to yawn as she lay down, resting her head on my lap, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Is it okay for you to do this with me, with you being a princess and all? I don't know how royalty works, so maybe I'm just being unnecessary." Asked Alexander lightly as he glanced down at Jasmine, who looked up at him with a sheepish smile.

"No, um, you're right; I shouldn't really be acting this intimate with another man who isn't my father or fiancè…" Replied Jasmine with a slight nod as she looked at Alexander, who waited for her to move, though she never did.

"... However, we can just keep this a little secret between you and I… I feel safe when close to you… And warm." Added Jasmine with a faint, mischievous smile as she winked at Alexander before closing her eyes while curling into a ball for warmth.

"Well, so long as I'm not executed for this. Also, speaking of that, do you not already have an arranged fiancè? Don't you guys sort of do that thing?" Asked Alexander curiously as he looked down at Jasmine, who furrowed her brows before shaking her head.

"I have numerous suitors, with some being quite handsome… However, none of them are the kind of man I'm looking for. If I'm to ultimately offer myself to a man, he must be someone kind who acts for the people. After all, no King can last without his people… I know too many people who've forgotten such things." Stated Jasmine softly as she glanced at Alexander, only to faintly shake her head while sighing, causing him to lightly nod.

"What about your father, the King?" "M-My father? T-That is a weird question, b-but I suppose hypothetically speaking, if he were a suitor of mine, he'd be someone I deem worthy." Remarked Alexander and Jasmine, respectively, as the former glanced at the latter with a raised eyebrow, causing her to awkwardly and hesitantly nod.

"N-No, I didn't mean that, I meant, is he a good king?" Asked Alexander with a wry expression as he shook his head while glancing at Jasmine, who lightly blushed in embarrassment before nodding.

"E-Elaborate next time, please, Alex. Though yes, he is a good King, of course, not without his faults." Replied Jasmine with a faint blush as she glared at Alexander before nodding with a loving expression.

"Hmm, speaking of my father, maybe I should tell him how you kept touching me. Fufu. Wouldn't that be a good prank?" Asked Jasmine with a wicked smirk as she looked at Alexander, who nervously gulped while shaking his head.

"H-How about we just k-keep things to leeches, no? H-Harmless pranks. B-Besides, I-I just squeezed your thigh a little." Remarked Alexander nervously as he sheepishly smiled at Jasmine, who smirked in amusement.

"Under typical situations, I shouldn't touch any men except my father." Said Jasmine lightly with a smirk as she glanced at Alexander, who suddenly smirked.

"Heh, but this isn't a normal situation, is it?" "Heh, no, it is not." Said Alexander and Jasmine, respectively, as the former victoriously smiled, only for the latter to flash a small smile before closing her eyes.

Freezing slightly at her innuendo, I silently gazed at her before gently rubbing her cheek; I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to this woman, but this was no time for me to engage in romantic relationships. Besides, right now, rather than a woman, she looked like a scared little girl, someone I wanted to protect.

I continued to rub Jasmine's cheek until she fell asleep, prompting me to use [Heroes Gaze] as I observed our surroundings, ensuring no one snuck upon us without me knowing.

While simultaneously keeping an eye on our surroundings, I took my time appreciating Jasmine's undeniably voluptuous figure, which caused my semi-erect cock to get fully erect.

'Oh great, now this just feels uncomfortable.' Thought Alexander with a wry expression as he carefully lifted Jasmine's head while moving his cock to a more comfortable position.