Chapter 95

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕾𝖙𝖞𝖑𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

"I will answer your questions at the right time, and now, wasn't the right time. Instead, eat and we'll leave this cage at dawn," he said tossing me a grilled fish he must have caught earlier and cooked from the fire he created.

Well, he could easily cook using his magic or whatever, and I don't think he's more powerful than me if I wasn't able to be drained from the fight with those two enemies and send Jer back.

"What are you still thinking? Eat and be prepared, you can take a bath at the lake in the south direction, and you should be rest assured, I won't even peek at you," my face suddenly heated up with his straightforward words.

I tried to throw him his coat but he managed to catch it without turning his back.

"If you don't finish up until five minutes, I will leave you behind"

"What the——"

"So you better get started, young lady," he turned only to give me that devilish smirk on his face which I love to rip off from it.

Shaking my head, I looked at the fish he caught, and he grilled it quite nicely. I ate it and left the stick. I took a few seconds to rest before heading towards the lake in the south.

His words might not mean so much in his thought but it meant the world to me when he said lake and south, making me remember some pretty and odd memories that I might have forgotten and keep.

Having to bathe my feet first made me almost groan from the warmest of the water I've ever felt. Besides, since no one was there, I started taking a bath, until I heard someone also taking a bath from the other side.

"Y-You! You said no peeking!!! Kyah!" I hurriedly covered my whole body and only floated my head on the water. I kept looking at his back and all I could hear was water splashing on his body.

"Yes, and I didn't peek for your information, I would also take a bath if you don't mind"

"What? Of course, I do mind!"

"You're not the owner of this lake, young lady"

How arrogant of this guy, from all the men that I've met when all of them were handsome, they were nice to me, but this young man, who appeared out of nowhere, and claimed to have saved me, was too rude.

Even though his real appearance spoke of the very definition of a god that ladies would drool, his attitude seemed like the complete opposite of his angelic appearance. It's more devilish, more hotter than hell...

Wait, did I just think hotter? What the hell was I thinking——

But I never thought that moment, when my thoughts were clouded with nonsense, I would feel a warm body wrapping around me, and in the blink of an eye, the water from where we were had splashed over the place.

When my feet touched the ground, it was already broken, and the place that we managed to find the rarest from all of the deserted places, came to be ruined again.

"What is happening—"

"Take this..." he placed his coat on my body and I wrapped it all around, still shivering. I know Oratio prepared me to fight but to gain my strength I still needed time.

I focused on creating magic on top of my palms but no matter what I do, there's only a small amount of aura that I could see.

I looked at Clifford and it turned out that he was already clothed while looking from the bush.

"Come out, come out wherever you are. You know that you can never hide forever, Zee, or should I call you by your real name?"

We heard the voice of a young man being playful in a way. I looked to where it was and found a creature, that resembled the two enemies that I have fought, no, it's not only that I have fought but also Jer's.

A very powerful creature, that made me remember the time when I was already on the brink of death. But why and how or who saved me?

"Listen very carefully, I wouldn't be doing this for now since I have to still find that ring but I guess, it's only a big risk that I'm taking now, and we will be heading straight to the place where you wanted to come... so grab my hand"

"What are you talking——"

He immediately grabbed my hand before I finished my words, and pulled out a seal that looked exactly like the ones Jer and I saw in the battle we had with the beast monsters on the Silvian State.

"Belfore East!!!"

He uttered and a greenish bright light enveloped our whole being.

"Not again?! Well, no matter how much you run, you can never escape from me Z...."

"Who was that man?" I asked Clifford but he only shrugged.

"Probably one of the hunters in the Belfore East"

"Hunters? Or do you mean Watchers?"

"They are the same, they hunt food, or prey or trespassers and kill them or even bring their heads to their chief"

"You sure know a lot there, Clifford"

"And you seem to utter my name well without being scared"

"Why would I? Instead, I should be angry at you for being at that lake while I take a bath"

"You're free to do so but I kept my word, I didn't peek at you. You're not even my type"

Indeed, he's so full of himself

"Like I would ever love you, don't worry the feeling is mutual"

"Good..."

No one spoke after that as we let our bodies fly through the air immediately to land our feet unexpectedly on the very place that I thought would be weeks to come.

And never did I imagine to be here, at Belfore East without Jer by my side, not when in a blink of an eye, it was a stranger and to top it all, a stranger that saved me, and asked me for a favor.

"So what did you say about your favor again?"

***

"Shh," he mustered with his long and pale pointing finger in between his mouth, and I nearly rolled my eyes out.

For the very first time in my life...again, this was the person or being or creature that I've managed to hate, with every fiber of my being.

Not to mention, he nearly killed me, manipulated me, deceived me, and now, took me to danger's dungeon. I never asked any of those, but here I am, beside him, and doing everything I can to infiltrate the enemy's base.

I just never to enter this place with this stranger's side than Jer's...and again, with that thought.

I must focus now since this place had a lot of slaves and experiments.

"Let's go," he uttered, and grabbed my hand, I followed behind him with every footstep light as a wind. Then we stopped within a narrow corner when we heard footsteps heavy as they were. I looked to where it was, and I heard some people screaming, being dragged from the floor by people who wore white full masks the same as their clothes and pants.

When I looked around, we were in this grayish building, but it was structured so it could handle a lot of people, and I knew we were just within the slaves' chamber. The ones they bought just to be experimented upon.

How cruel can people become?

I tried to grip what I was holding but I never knew that by doing so, Clifford was leaning closer since we are in this narrow hallway, and now I can even feel the heat creeping up to my face.

It's unexpectedly hot...again.

Seriously, what is wrong with me this time?

I tried pushing him away but I only heard him sneer and grabbed me by the hand as we went to where he was leading me.

"As one of your conditions, we have to free the slaves now before twilight begins or else, they'll all be experimented on once and for all"

"How could they do that to a lot of people in here?"

"You never know what people have upon their sleeves, young lady"

"Excuse me, they're not people, they're monsters who prey on the weak, Clifford and besides that, why don't you just call me by my name instead of saying such a rather odd compliment"

"Fine, they're monsters if you want, but don't think my words for calling you a compliment, because it wasn't in the first place, Vestia..."

Finally, he called me by my name but why did it feel weird when he said my name? It's as if my heart suddenly raced for no reason.

I must be exhausted as I thought.

"As I said quit being a burden will you and grab my hand"

"What the hell——"

He grabbed my hand and dragged me to a dimly lit place and the only thing attached to the walls were lamps. When we arrived, the people I saw just like Simon and Thomas were indeed behind the metal bars.

Either they were hungry or losing hope as they tried to look at us as if we were going to hurt them.

I wanted to assure them to be found but before I could do so, I felt Clifford's hands gripped tightly on my hands and the seal he had from earlier that put us through here shone brightly green.

He raised it in the air and spoke of a foreign word I never understood.

Before I blinked, I saw the people being engulfed with the light and faded through it but the seal immediately broke after.

Then what came after were blades pointed at our necks and just when I thought they were just ordinary it seemed that they could cut through my aura.

"Intruders need to be taught a lesson, right only descendant of the Blue Rose of Calmorians? Or should I say Zeno?"