Chapter Twelve: Lake View

The night felt interminable for both sides.

While Tagus waited as the offensive plans slowly unfolded, Charlotte was anxious about the passing time. Madara's army and the eleven young men from Butchy moved silently through the darkness, their fates intertwining yet remaining distant.

But the sun always rises. The first rays seemed to barely touch the treetops, and before long, the morning had passed. The day was uneventful; they didn't even encounter the usual brown bears of the region.

However, by summer, even the wild brown bears had turned into docile creatures.

It was noon.

When Charlotte heard the sound of rustling branches ahead, he couldn't help but squint. Sunlight filtered through the new green leaves, casting a golden shimmer. He lifted his head from the makeshift stretcher, and a gleaming reflection met his eyes.

It was a lake.

Like a jade gem nestled beneath the mountains and forests, its rippling surface sparkled with light.

"Look, it's a lake!" little Phineas exclaimed in delight.

Freyja promptly gave him a smack on the head, causing the boy to yelp in surprise.

This was not a time for relaxation. Everyone needed to remain cautious, as there was no telling if they might encounter Madara's forces nearby. Although the night had passed peacefully, Charlotte had mentioned that this area lacked strategic value.

As for what constituted strategic value, the young woman had no idea.

The young man from Bragas seemed to know more than anyone else. While she was somewhat envious, she had to admit it.

Is every city youth this exceptional?

Under the influence of these thoughts, Freyja's perception shifted from one extreme to another. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy; if only she had come from the Bragas militia training camp, she would surely have learned better than that arrogant man.

It seemed unfair.

But only the gods knew that no such 'Bragas militia training camp' actually existed. Lin Fei, or rather Charlotte, had completed his militia training in Drag. He would never reveal this fact now, as maintaining some authority was crucial for commanding these young people— a leaderless group would never overcome their challenges.

Perhaps Freyja could fill this role in the future, but not yet.

Charlotte glanced at her. The young woman with the long ponytail was assessing the surroundings. After a moment of hesitation, she relaxed her grip on her sword and let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's take a break here," Freyja finally announced once she confirmed there was no immediate danger.

Everyone collectively sighed in relief.

"I'm so exhausted!"

"I bet that once we reach Ridenburg, I'm going to crash and sleep without a care."

"Let's get there first."

"Essen, close your doom-and-gloom mouth!" The young people's conversation was filled with a mix of tiredness and urgency, despite their efforts to keep their voices low.

Everyone was incredibly weary.

A single night may not seem long, but for their strained nerves, it felt torturous. Few could imagine the pressure of life and death— the group had navigated the forest under dim starlight, surrounded by a pitch-black darkness, only the insects' symphony and distant owl calls breaking the silence.

In the dark, rustling sounds seemed to pass through thickets, creating an eerie atmosphere that gripped everyone's spirits. The dense foliage always concealed an unknown, just like the monsters in bedtime stories.

At dawn, the early frost had finally lifted. The young people looked as though they had been pulled from water, their faces pale and wet. Even Charlotte was no exception, having grown used to sleeping in a secure bed rather than lying on a stretcher, listening to the strange noises around him.

Especially in the dark, with tall grass brushing against his face and creepy-crawlies scuttling on his neck, he felt a shiver.

Martha above, the thought of enduring more days like this made him almost frantic. He longed for his previous life, even if it was mundane. He wished for the stability of his past life.

A person's resolve can change quickly, but seeing Freyja's weary and worried expression calmed him.

Because he was trusted—

He suddenly realized he needed to abandon the identity of Lin Fei and embrace a new life. He touched his chest and understood now— it wasn't Charlotte who had died, but Lin Fei.

It wasn't that he had accepted this world, but rather that this world had accepted him.

Charlotte's stretcher was placed by the lake, and not far off, colorful pebbles could be seen. He first checked Joson's condition, who had miraculously survived, though his condition remained precarious.

"How is he?" Markme couldn't help but ask.

"It's hard to say," Lin Fei—no, now he should be called Charlotte—shook his head.

Markme fell silent, staring at the lake's surface. The lake, called the Clear Lake, signaled that they were close to Qing Village. Among them, only Charlotte had a clear sense of direction. He gazed towards the distant smoke trails in the forest gaps.

It appeared Kabais had already attacked the village, and its fate was likely similar to Butchy's. Madara's army moved quickly, as he remembered from the game.

Charlotte recalled the lake. He looked up at the distant, turquoise water and the lush trees on the opposite shore. The familiar shapes from the past were no longer visible.

He remembered spending a long time leveling up here, hunting brown bears and foxes. Thinking back to those days of selling hides for money, Charlotte couldn't help but smile.

He removed his hand from Joson's forehead and said to Markme, "Do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Help me remove the bandages."

Charlotte needed to change the bandages, but before that, he wanted Roman to distribute the sausage he had brought from home, proudly calling it the Golan-Elsen region's special black sausage.

It was somewhat amusing that none of the young people had thought to prepare any food before fleeing Butchy. Even the seemingly composed Freyja had not considered it.

So their food reserves were limited to just this sausage.

"Why don't you tell us about what you saw when you left Butchy? Understanding more about the enemy might help…" He winced as Markme pulled the bandages.

Freyja noticed this and sighed, "Let me handle it. Markme, step aside."

The young man was taken aback as the long-haired girl approached him.

"Is it really okay to distribute all the food like this?" She bent her head, carefully removing the bandages from Charlotte. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered, "You know, we might not be able to reach Ridenburg, right?"

Charlotte looked at her more closely. He couldn't help but think that the light brown ponytail suited her well. He thought for a moment and asked, "Your aunt and uncle should be in the group, right?"

Freyja's hands paused.

"Yes," Charlotte sighed, "If there's a chance, I'll try my best. But I can't make any guarantees. I can't take on such a huge responsibility."

"Thank you."

A barely perceptible reply.

"Freyja, Charlotte, what are you whispering about?" Little Phineas's voice, out of place, came through. He was sitting against a beech tree, curiously watching the two.

His words drew everyone's attention. All eyes turned towards them.

Freyja's face flushed red, realizing how close she had been to Charlotte. She quickly stepped back and explained, "It's nothing, we were just discussing…" But the explanation, combined with her reddened face, only seemed to confirm the suspicion.

Especially since she had never blushed like this before.

Roman, waking up from the ground, looked as if she had just understood what was happening. Although Freyja tried to signal her, Roman, seemingly oblivious, smiled and said, "It's okay, Freyja."

"Roman, you—" Freyja nearly choked on her words, her face burning with embarrassment.

She glared at Roman, nearly ready to strangle her.

Charlotte noticed a worried glance from one of the group, the young man named Nibeto. He was momentarily startled. Did he have feelings for Freyja? But a lack of courage wouldn't help, and he shook his head.

"Alright," he interjected, "I was discussing food distribution with your leader."

Charlotte's authoritative tone seemed to naturally command attention, causing everyone to focus on him.

But what was with Roman's sparkling gaze? He wondered if she was looking at a pile of treasure. The young man shook his head and continued, "This small amount of food, even if we ration it, won't be enough. Besides, we need to maintain our strength for possible encounters with enemies."

"But—" Freyja began to protest but was cut off by Charlotte's shake of the head.

"Qing Village isn't far. Why don't we go there to find some food? The undead don't need to eat or rest, and those supplies rightfully belong to us humans, so we have the right to reclaim them." He said.

"Qing Village? Hasn't it been attacked by Madara?" Ike, sitting on the ground, asked. His leg injury, bandaged by Charlotte, was almost healed.

The bandages provided a healing effect that gradually restored over a day. In the game, it was every six minutes, but here it took a full day. So wounds healed slowly until the next bandage change.

"Of course, there are enemies, but if we move in small groups, we might avoid direct confrontation." Charlotte answered confidently, having planned their escape route.

"Small groups? Does that mean stealth?" Little Phineas's interest was piqued.

"Yes, I'll take a few people with me." Charlotte nodded, surveying each person, "Ike and Vlad are injured, so Markme and Nibeto, you stay here to take care of them. Roman, you stay to look after Bessa. As for the others, Essen and Freyja, you two come with me."

"No way!"

"No way!" Both Freyja and Little Phineas protested simultaneously.

"I want to go too," the young boy jumped up first.

Charlotte looked at the two, sighed, "Alright, I'll address each of your concerns." As he spoke, he bit down on the bandages and wrapped them around his body, tightening them.

A light green +2 appeared above him.

He took a deep breath, feeling his strength returning. Though still weak, especially with the corruption poison affecting his vitality, he was at least able to move on his own.

He looked up and asked, "Freyja, why do you want me to stay behind? Because of my injuries?"

"You know it," Freyja turned her head away.

Charlotte smiled slightly. That might not be the case.