Gabby cooked the food while Clara washed up at a nearby lake.
By the time she returned, the meal was ready—a hearty boar stew. Gabby handed her a bowl carved from wood and said, "Eat this while it's hot."
Clara took a sip of the broth, then tasted the meat. The wild boar usually had a strong, gamy flavor—pungent and tough due to its uncultured diet. But Gabby had skillfully balanced taste. With his cooking, the result was surprisingly rich and savory.
It's delicious—for something made with wild ingredients. He could become a chef, she thought.
Out loud, she said, "It's not terrible. Good enough for survival, if you don't have a choice."
Gabby blinked, "That's how bad my food is? he thought to himself.
After they finished eating, Clara climbed up to the tree camp to rest.
Gabby said, "I'll guard our camp. We need to stay alert for nocturnal monsters."
Clara nodded. "You have a point. Let's take turns. We'll switch after four hours."
The night grew colder, even with Gabby wearing a hooded cloak.
Thanks to the moonlight, his far-seer still worked well. As expected, the goblins had started moving. Their base must be near that cage.
With a grin, he whispered, "Found you."
He glanced at Clara, who was sleeping peacefully. She's really exhausted, he thought.
Quietly, Gabby climbed down from the tree and vanished into the darkness.
Moments later, Clara woke up to the sound of the ground shaking. Something was approaching. She looked outside their camp.
Clara's eyes widened as the goblins drew closer. She quickly climbed down from the tree, her heart pounding. She tried to run—but her legs wouldn't move.
"Why… why can't I run?" She thought
Panic surged through her. The goblins were snarling, their glowing eyes locked on her. She gritted her teeth, drew her sword, and stood on her ground.
With a cry, she slashed at the first goblin that lunged at her. It fell. Another came—she spun and struck it down. But there were too many.
Clara thought to herself, "I must use my mana! I must!"
She screamed as she released her massive mana reserve. The air around her shimmered with power—but nothing happened. She raised her hand to cast a spell, but nothing happened.
Her thoughts raced, "Why was I born like this? So much mana… and nothing to do with it. Everyone expected greatness. But I'm just a failure A disappointment."
The goblins circled her. One of them roared and swung a club.
She raised her sword too late.
CRACK!
The blow hit her side. Pain exploded through her body. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
The goblins lunged at her, snarling—just moments away from landing the killing blow…
Clara jolted awake; her body drenched in sweat. Her hand flew to her side—no wound.
She sat up in the tree camp, heart racing, breath shaky.
A nightmare, she thought, trying to steady her breathing.
Morning light pierced through the canopy, warm and blinding. The forest was alive again with birdsong and rustling leaves.
She looked outside the camp and spotted Cero sleeping on a nearby branch. He had built himself a small nest of leaves and twigs, curled up like a bird in the trees.
The thought of smacking him crossed her mind to wake him— But she let it go, she thought, "He must've been tired… and I failed to take my turn anyway."
Clara reheated the leftover stew, letting the steam rise into the cool morning air. She ate quietly and left a portion for Gabby.
After finishing, she stood and prepared to head north.
But before she could leave, Gabby's voice stopped her.
"You're not thinking of heading to the cave alone, are you?"
Clara turned, her tone sharp. "That's none of your business."
Gabby remarked, "That's suicide. They're armed—you fought them yesterday morning. They're not mindless. And I'm sure that the cage is rigged with traps. We don't have time to study the cave's geography on the spot."
Clara paused, then asked, "You have a point. But why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"
Gabby shrugged. "Of course I did. You just didn't listen."
Clara narrowed her eyes. "So, what's your plan? Sit around and twiddle our thumbs while we wait to fail?"
Without a word, Gabby climbed down from the tree and returned with a rolled-up piece of paper. He handed it to her.
She unrolled it and examined the contents, her eyes widened slightly.
It was a detailed map of the forest, hand-drawn with careful lines and notes.
She thought, "Impressive. He even mapped the forest terrain. So… his ink and paper have its purpose."
Gabby pointed to a cluster of markings. "This is where I saw the goblins moving last night. Their patrol paths loop around this area—see the arrows?"
Clara nodded, looking at the lines. "And this… is the cage?" she said.
Gabby confirmed. "Yes. It's heavily guarded. I counted at least two shifts of goblins rotating every few hours. They're smarter than we thought."
Gabby pointed to a marked line on the map, about a hundred meters from the goblin cage. "We'll fight them here," he said firmly.
Clara leaned in and recognized the terrain. She thought to herself, "The tight space will limit their numbers. They won't be able to swarm us all at once."
She said, "That's the dry creek bed. It's narrow."
Clara nodded slowly, already visualizing the battle. "It's a natural choke point."
Clara leaned in, caught up in the moment as they studied the map together. Her face was now just inches from Gabby's. She hadn't noticed how close she'd gotten—until she felt his breath pause. It was cold… but pleasant.
Gabby subtly leaned back, withdrawing just enough to create space, doing so casually, as if nothing had happened.
Clara blinked, realizing what she'd done. A faint blush crept across her cheeks. She quickly looked away, pretending to focus on the map.
She thought to herself, "Now that I think about it, even though he is combat useless. He really is a gentleman. A good cook… and he never took advantage of me while I was sleeping. Not even once."
Gabby exclaimed, "I'll spend my time carving."