Chapter 31 - The Refuge?

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Although Kazuki acted as if it was nothing, his eyes couldn't hide his recurring exhaustion.

Beside him, Rei looked at him vaguely. Still with blurry vision, the boy spontaneously let out a few words.

— Are you sure you're okay? You should rest for now.

The student yawned and continued: — You should have woken me during the night so that we could take turns standing guard. I told you before I went to sleep, don't you remember?!

After saying that, he looked at the beastman who still seemed to be exhausted from the long hours of watch. Kazuki replied automatically because of his tiredness.

— Sorry, I forgot in the end. Well, I wouldn't have been able to anyway... I never thought that you could sleep so damn well.

Hearing this answer, the boy raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

— Did you just say it's my fault? — he asked, a mixture of surprise and disbelief in his tone, but with a playful edge.

— Sorry. That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that even if I had tried to wake you up, it wouldn't have worked.

Upon hearing this, the disciple immediately tried to stand up and straighten his posture.

With a crooked smile, he sarcastically said: — Aren't you basically saying the same thing? That I sleep like a stone?

At that moment, Kazuki looked a bit lost and tried to get up as well.

— Well... not really — he was lying. — Anyway, changing the subject... it's still really early, why don't you go back to sleep? — he asked looking at him.

— No way! You're the one who should rest. Come on, do you remember our conversation yesterday? You should think more about yourself, this attitude of yours is so typical.

— It's okay, I can still...

— Stop it! Cut it out. Get inside already, you need to rest — Rei interrupted, pushing him into the tent.

— Seriously? That's the best answer you can give me after staying up all night? - he added.

After pushing him into the tent, the boy stood up from his position and began to keep watch, waiting for Kazuki to finally rest for a while.

As he stood there for a moment, Rei noticed that it was still quite early, so much so that the sunlight hadn't even reached the place where he was standing. The two suns seemed to be hidden somewhere in the sky, probably due to the early hours of dawn.

Looking up, he noticed that the two beastmen from Laili's group were still standing guard on the other side of the tent, facing them.

They looked like prison guards, completely motionless with their arms crossed. Honestly, if they were wearing military uniforms and holding weapons, the image would be even better.

The whole situation seemed a little better than before, even the morning breeze gave off a sense of peace and tranquility, although this comforting atmosphere could change in an instant, — if a monster or demon decided to show up.

"I still can't explain what I'm feeling right now. Everything is happening so damn fast. Just yesterday, I was living peacefully, and then the village was invaded and all this shit started happening."

"Fuck... I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, thrown from one side to the other without warning. I hate feeling like that, vulnerable, not knowing what's coming next."

"The only thing I can do is wait for the others to wake up so we can decide what to do next. If it were up to me alone, I wouldn't know what to do."

Rei thought to herself after scanning the surroundings and thinking about the past events.

...

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A few hours later, after Kazuki's short rest, Laili and her companions on the other side of the tent started to pack their things. They moved around and dismantled the tent they had spent the night in. Moments later, Laili walked over to Rei.

With a small smile on her face, though still visibly shaken despite the night's rest, she looked at the student who was still sitting at the entrance of his tent.

— Good morning, Rei.

— Yo, Laili. Morning.

— I'll get straight to the point. Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? About that place nearby where the elves are helping out? — she asked, as soon as she heard the boy's voice.

Hearing her question, the boy turned his gaze toward Laili, who was watching him.

— Yeah, why are you asking? Are you guys heading there? Is that really your plan?

— With everything going on, we need to find a safe place. We can't stay in the forest any longer — she replied.

— Since you guys made your decision, good luck then.

— Wouldn't you like to come with us? We're heading north until we reach a steep mountain in the region.

— Our initial plan was to reach the capital, but since things got complicated and our plans changed unexpectedly, we decided to take shelter there for a while — Laili added, trying to convince him.

After her explanation, the boy rested his chin on his hand, thinking about the best course of action.

Was the refuge really as safe as they claimed? What bothered him the most now was the fact that he couldn't tell if it was true or not.

— Well, I can't decide just yet. I'll have to wait for my companion to wake up, alright? — Rei said.

— But Laili, why are you asking me this? — he asked cautiously.