Please give the novel a rating or a review on NovelUpdates
———-

Chapter 108: I Have Always Treated You as the Closest Person.

The group followed the caravan and had already set out on the road to Melod.

The six of them rode at the front on horseback.

The caravan wagons trailed closely behind.

Because the dense forest was ill-suited for wagons, they wound back and forth until at last they found a broad track the carts could use.

There were virtually no monsters in this forest; the only threats were tigers, wolves, and bears.

Therefore the party kept a rather loose formation.

All the way Junice and Martina kept teasing Reiner about what he had done the previous day.

Martina said with a blank face, “Darling, if you keep fooling around like that, I’m going to elbow you.”

Junice laughed and added, “Reiner is not only amazingly talented at magic; his speed at finding women is astounding too, in just a few days he has set his sights on an orc priestess.”

“But to be honest, she is the prettiest female orc I have ever seen.”

With her arms folded, Martina dismissed it and said, “Not as pretty as me.”

“Each of you has your own charms.”

Reiner scratched his cheek and tried to defend himself, “I only wanted to tease her, I never meant to go any further.”

Martina curled her lip and said snidely, “Who knows; by the time we came upstairs the two of you might already have finished.”

“What?”

That was pure slander; there was no way he could finish the battle in a mere 10 minutes.

“You actually doubt your man’s prowess.”

Martina went on, “I admit you are better than I am at that sort of thing, but if you wanted a quick win it wouldn’t be impossible.”

Reiner narrowed his eyes.

All her Intelligence was being used on ridiculous matters.

“Stop imagining things; at worst I will make it up to you another day.”

Martina gave a soft snort, snapped off a twig, and tossed it at Nora who was walking at the head of the line, “Why don’t you say something?”

Nora looked back at them and said earnestly, “I need to focus my Spirit on scouting; I heard your conversation, but I do not mind either way, I only hope Master is happy.”

“How can you not mind? When you do not get a turn for 15 days you will settle down.” Martina glared at Reiner.

“It really does not matter; once every half month is fine, doing it too often is bad for the body and makes you tired the next day.”

“If that is the case, then give Reiner to me from now on; you don’t need him anyway,” Martina said, narrowing her eyes as her cheeks reddened, “You can stand it but I can’t; if Reiner doesn’t hold me I can’t sleep.”

Nora chuckled; she said nothing, yet she quietly mocked her in her heart.

(Who was it that laughed at me back then? Now she seems like a different person, throwing her previous words away; there’s no way I’m giving him to you.)

Observation complete: she was a petty little cat.

Nora shook her head, “No, winter is too cold, I want to snuggle with Master.”

“Then let me have him in summer.”

“No, Martina, you are really annoying.” Nora waved her hand, putting an end to the discussion.

Reiner peeked at the two of them, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Just then he felt the arm around his waist loosen.

With his left hand Reiner steadied Elyanna, who was about to slip off.

“Didn’t you rest well yesterday? You can even fall asleep like this.” Reiner looked back at her.

Elyanna covered half her face with her scarf, squinted sleepily, and murmured, “No… I just get drowsy the moment I have nothing to do.”

Her listless appearance looked quite adorable.

“You have been running around with me for so long; now that we are passing through the forest, how about I take you home?”

Elyanna shook her head and hugged Reiner tight, “I haven’t had enough yet, I don’t want to go back.”

“The outside world is so interesting; I like adventuring with you.”

“Don’t you miss your mother?”

“I miss her a little…”

“Then go visit her; this is probably your first time away from home, right? She might be very worried about you.”

Elyanna narrowed her eyes, studied Reiner, and then asked slowly, “Do you think I eat too much and want to drive me away?”

“If my mom misses me she will come to see me, don’t worry.”

Reiner scratched his cheek and stopped trying to persuade her.

Time passed quietly.

The group rode through the forest for 5 days.

After night fell, Reiner led the caravan to an open spot to rest.

They planned to set out again county the next morning.

Coincidentally, this clearing was the very place where Reiner had found Junice before.

He collected some branches and stones and built a campfire.

They sat around the fire nibbling plain white bread.

Junice looked around thoughtfully.

Reiner glanced at her and asked in puzzlement, “What is it?”

“Do you still remember this place?”

Reiner nodded and spread a layer of honey on his bread, “Of course; an old tree spirit showed me the way, and I found you right here.”

“You were really stubborn, you wouldn’t turn back even after being robbed.”

“At the time I thought I could hunt along the way and make it to Cannon, but I overestimated my abilities, and when I wanted to turn back I was already stuck.”

“I had to eat wild grass every day just to survive; luckily you came to look for me, otherwise I might really have starved to death in the woods.”

Junice lowered her head, gnawing on the bread, and then asked, “So, why did you come looking for me back then?”

“You asked me this before; I told you I was worried about you and you didn’t believe me,” Reiner replied.

Junice set the bread down and stared straight into Reiner’s eyes, “So you really were worried about me?”

“It is impossible not to worry; after all, we are friends and, besides, you were my first magic teacher.”

Junice laughed, “Ah, making more friends really is the right choice, but time flies… an entire month has passed in the blink of an eye.”

She seemed to be hinting at something…

By the time they finished eating, the sky was completely dark.

Martina snuggled into Reiner’s arms while whining, “Darling, let’s sleep together.”

“You all sleep; Nora will take over for me in the second half of the night.”

“Thank you for the hard work…”

Reiner leaned against a tree and gently stroked Martina’s ear.

The group’s snores rose and fell.

Just then Junice crept over to Reiner’s side.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’m not sleepy yet, I’ll stay up with you.” She sat beside him hugging her knees, looked at the sleeping Martina, and said softly, “She looks so happy.”

“Her mind is fairly simple; as long as she has food and fun she’s happy…”

Junice suddenly cut him off, “Reiner, what exactly is the relationship between us?”

It was clear she had been rehearsing this question in her heart for a long time.

“What a strange question.”

Junice’s face turned red and she went on, “Our relationship keeps drifting… sometimes you are intimate with me, sometimes you distance yourself; I don’t want to keep guessing, I want an answer.”

“That’s just your imagination.”

Junice froze for a moment and then forced a smile, “You’re right; you treat them the same way, I was just being sentimental…”

Reiner corrected her, “What I mean is that I have always regarded you as the person closest to me.”

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie