Chapter 306: They've Come

Carrying breakfast back to our camp, I saw Jasmine rubbing her face while looking around in confusion, only for her face to brighten when she finally laid eyes on me.

"Ah, there you are, Alex. I was worried for a moment." Muttered Jasmine softly with a faint smile as she gently patted her chest while looking at Alexander, who raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think I had left you or something? Seems like a weird time for me to do so; if I were going to leave you, I would've done so much earlier." Remarked Alexander lightly as he sat opposite of Jasmine, who sheepishly smiled before crawling towards him.

"S-Sorry, I-I'm still sleepy, so I'm not thinking straight." Said Jasmine quietly as she yawned while sitting beside Alexander, only to lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Nodding at her words, I put the already butchered animal onto the pan, which I then placed onto the campfire, adding some pepper, salt, and vinegar oil to enhance the flavor, though no matter what I did, with such limited seasoning, it was still going to be bland.

"Hey, Jasmine. You don't have a Mom, do you?" Asked Alexander lightly as he focused on cooking, his words causing Jasmine's expression to fall slightly.

"I did, but she died when I was eight… How did you know?" Replied Jasmine softly as she gazed downwards, only for her to raise her head and look at Alexander.

"Whenever I mentioned your parents, there was a brief moment of sadness, and you've never mentioned your Mother, The Queen, only your Father." Remarked Alexander lightly as he glanced at Jasmine, who quietly nodded, only for them to descend into silence with only the sound of the fire cackling.

"What about you? Have you… Lost anyone?" Asked Jasmine curiously as she looked at Alexander with a soft gaze, quickly noticing the shift in his expression.

"Yeah. My Master, Mother, and Lover, around the same time as when you lost your Mother, and funnily enough, I was your age. Haa, man, now I feel old." Replied Alexander softly with a bitter-sweet smile before glancing at Jasmine, only for him to lower his head while sighing.

"Hehe, you're not that old, Alex." "I'm 50% older than you." Remarked Jasmine and Alexander, respectively, as the former faintly chuckled and shook her, only for the latter to blankly look at her.

"W-Well, when you put it like that, you do sound much older, but you're really not that old. Among all my suitors, you're by far the youngest. N-Not saying that you're trying to court me or anything, I-I'm merely comparing t-that's all." Added Jasmine with a faint smile as she playfully pushed Alexander, who skeptically eyed her, causing her to fluster in embarrassment.

"I'm younger than all your suitors? That's… Weird. How old are they?" Asked Alexander hesitantly as he glanced at Jasmine, who tilted her head with a faint blush.

"Um, well, most of them are in their late 30s and early 40s, with the youngest being 33… Is that weird?" Asked Jasmine curiously as she looked at her hands before eyeing Alexander, who nodded with a twitching expression.

"Really? Well, this has been happening since I turned 12, so it's pretty normal for me." Added Jasmine lightly as she tapped her chin with a thoughtful expression, only to shrug her shoulders while Alexander's expression worsened.

"Never mind, I was mistaken. They're just a bunch of creepy pedophiles… Never realized being a Princess was difficult; I pity you, Jasmine. A child shouldn't ever have to deal with such things; you should be interested in boys around your age, not old dudes who just want you for your status." Remarked Alexander with an ugly expression, only for him to sigh while looking at Jasmine with a pitiful gaze, causing her to tilt her head.

"Boys my age? They're not for me; most are arrogant, lustful, or annoying… Actually, that's most of my suitors as well." Said Jasmine lightly with a shake of her head, only for her eyes to widen in realization, causing Alexander to nod.

"Yeah, probably 'cause the boys your age are your suitor's children. The apple isn't going to fall far from the tree… Anyway, here's your breakfast. Try to eat it fast; we'll not stop until we get to Crestfallen." Said Alexander as he handed Jasmine the pan, causing her to silently eat with a somewhat depressed look, making him chuckle.

While Jasmine ate breakfast, I used that chance to train my swordsmanship, which I hadn't had much time to do lately, though I quickly noticed Jasmine enjoyed watching me. Seeing her watch me in fascination caused me to smile as she reminded me of Michelle, who loved to watch me whenever I trained in our backyard; though, unluckily for me, it wasn't going to end with us making love.

"You're really strong, Alex." Said Jasmine with a faint smile as she took the final bite of her food and looked at Alexander, who had absorbed his greatswords into his body.

"I appreciate the confidence boost, but I'm not, and that's partly why I'm trying to get you back home so quickly. If anyone strong showed up, I wouldn't be able to protect myself, let alone you." Stated Alexander with a small smile before shaking his head, destroying the campfire with a kick while storing the pan in his space pouch, causing Jasmine's expression to twitch.

"Aren't you supposed to reassure me and fill me with confidence?" Asked Jasmine with a raised eyebrow as she eyed Alexander while approaching him, only for him to scoop her into his arms, prompting her to comfortably lean into his embrace.

"Well, I would like to, but I've got to prepare you for the scenario where neither of us makes it back home… If enough of those assassins find us, we'll die." Stated Alexander firmly as he dashed through the forest with Jasmine in his arms, causing her to frown while leaning against his chest.

"That's why you're wearing that cloak… If such a scenario happens, I could lead them away while you flee. That way, at least one of us can live." Added Alexander lightly as he emerged from the forest before stepping onto the dirt trail, only for him and Jasmine to be enveloped by bluish lightning.

"I don't like it… I want us to both live." "Well, we ain't always going to like reality, are we?" Said Jasmine and Alexander, respectively, as the former deeply frowned while the latter shrugged his shoulders with a hardened gaze.

With my statement, we descended into silence; only the faint sound of lightning and my footsteps were heard as I speedily dashed across the dirt trail, attempting to get away from whatever danger that was rapidly approaching, though I knew it was only a matter of time until it reached us.

___

___

It's been over half a day since the morning, and it's well into the night; by all accounts, we should only be an hour or so away from the border of the Crestfallen Kingdom. Jasmine was barely awake right now, constantly jolted awake from her slumber from my sprinting, though she gave me a drowsy yet confused look when I came to a stop.

It wasn't because I wanted to, but 'cause my heart was beating like crazy; I knew whatever had been chasing us had finally caught up, and it would arrive any minute.

"W-What's wrong, Alex?" Asked Jasmine with a yawn as she gazed at Alexander, who suddenly dropped her, causing her to be startled awake.

Reaching into my space pouch, I grabbed three vials of my ichor and handed them to her while she glared at me in anger; though this was no time for me to apologize, I could do so afterward.

"Leave, Jasmine… Run into the forest and hide." Stated Alexander sternly as he eyed Jasmine, who quickly stood up while opening her mouth, trying to speak.

"W-What about you, Alex?" Asked Jasmine softly as she looked at Alexander, who wordlessly turned around while holstering his greatswords onto his back, causing her to bite her lip.

Feeling Jasmine yank me backward, I turned around, about to yell at her, but before I did, she kissed my cheek, causing a golden glow to emit from her body, only for it to then be sucked into my own.

Once Jasmine retracted her lips from my cheek, she suddenly gave me another one, except this time, it was nothing special, just a usual kiss, though even so, to me, it meant more.

No words were exchanged between us as Jasmine promptly turned around, running into the forest while wearing the cloak that helped conceal her presence. I, on the other, continued to walk away from our destination, toward whatever danger that was nearby while checking upon whatever Jasmine did to me.

////////////////////

Item: Saintess's Love

Rank: Legendary

Description: Only those cherished by the Saintess shall receive such favor. Significantly increases all physical, mental, and spiritual attributes.

////////////////////

The description of the enhancement was spot on; I felt far stronger than before, not nearly twice as strong, but even so, I was confident I would be capable of defeating Yuki with hardly any trouble.

However, despite the enhancement, the danger my heart warned me of hadn't waned even slightly; whatever or whoever it was, they were utterly and entirely out of my league.