During the trip, I sat next to Shelly, we didn't talk much, even I could feel like Shelly was trying to keep her distance from me. I'm feeling uneasy right now, so I'll keep trying to find a topic for us to talk about.

"Oh that's right, how long will it take from here to Sailos City?"

"You want to go to Sailos city? It should take about 2 months,"

"It was longer than I thought," I held my chin.

"That's quite a long time indeed since our current location is far from Sailos city,"

"When are you all going back to Academy?"

"We'll likely be back a month later," Shelly explained.

"Is there a reason not to come back sooner?"

I looked at Shelly in confusion as they shouldn't be waiting here for another month.

"There is no reason at all, it's just that we want to enjoy staying in the village longer, also many villagers tell us to stay there," Shelly smiled bitterly.

I can understand what Shelly said, I was offered something like that too. But that was impossible, maybe villagers wanted to show their gratitude to us.

Shelly and I talk a lot and we sometimes laugh when we see Yua's funny behavior. Yua is very cheerful, I'm happy to see her grow into a cheerful girl. Unknowingly night fell, the carriage stopped and everyone began to prepare camp for rest.

I helped Shelly build her tent, and after that I built mine. My tent is bigger than others, actually this tent I bought from the system and it has several uses to drown out sound in it.

Well, I'm sure Dina also wants to do it again because she was looking at me with a hot gaze, of course, I won't refuse it.

"Lute, can you help me prepare a bonfire? I'll try to cook something," Shelly asked me.

"Okay,"

I looked for firewood around the forest and made a bonfire afterward. Shelly brought a pot for cooking, I also helped her cook food. After dinner was ready, we shared it with others.

"This is delicious, thank you miss,"

"Sister, your cooking is delicious,"

"I'm glad to hear that," Shelly smiled.

After dinner, it's time for bed. When I was going to my tent, I saw Shelly going into the forest, out of curiosity, I followed her after saying goodbye to Dina and others.

Once there, I saw a river reflecting moonlight. Shelly looked left and right, after which she sighed. She took off her shirt slowly and showed a big melon covered in a bra, unconsciously I gulped behind a tree.

Shelly's body is very sexy and looks smooth, every inch of her body fascinates me. After her body was not covered by a piece of cloth she entered the river. I feel a little disappointed that I can't see her body anymore. Since I didn't want to be found out, I turned around and was about to leave.

*Crack*

Unknowingly I stepped on leaves and tree branches, my back immediately broke out in cold sweat.

'Come on, why did this happen to me? Isn't this usually the case with protagonists!?'

"Kyaaa... W-who's there,"

Shelly hastily hid in the water, she hugged her body so as not to be seen.

"I-it's me, Lute,"

"Lute? What are you doing here?" Shelly looked relieved when she heard it was me, but her face was still blushing.

"I-I want to talk to you, it's about you trying to avoid me, can you tell me why?" I said nervously behind a tree.

Shelly heard this felt her heart stabbed with needles. She held her chest to calm herself. Having calmed down, she now had a resolute expression.

"Lute, we have to keep our distance from now on, I don't want to disturb your relationship. Especially for Leila, I've heard she loves you very much. Leila is my best friend, I-I don't want to hurt her just because of me,"

The more Shelly spoke more her voice trembled, tears slowly dripping from her eyes corners. She quickly wiped her tears and turned away from me after that.

"Keep distance? I don't want that, Shelly I will say this. I have liked you since the first time we met, you saved me even though I was a stranger. Since then you've been in my heart, I can't forget it anymore,"

I came out of the tree, looked at Shelly. I'm not lying after she saved me that time I felt very warm in my heart, she saved me despite that I was a stranger she didn't know. After she said she wanted to keep her distance from me, I felt my heart hurt so much like someone was holding it tightly.

Shelly heard me her body immediately trembled, more and more tears fell from her eyes. She covered her mouth so I wouldn't hear her crying sound. Shelly likes me too, but her heart is currently conflicted, she doesn't know what to do.

Even though Leila said she accepted her to be a Lute woman, she still wasn't sure if that was a good thing, plus she didn't want her beloved to have another woman. All she wants is her beloved for herself.

Looking at silent Shelly, I slowly moved towards the river.

*Splash*

The sound of water startled Shelly, she turned around and looked at me trembling, she slowly backed away trying to get away from me.

"No Lute, we can't be together, you already have a woman beside you,"

Tears dripped from Shelly's eyes, seeing her cry I felt pain in my heart.

"I know I am not a good man for you, I have many women beside me. But Shelly I love you so much, every time I think of leaving you my heart hurts. When I thought you were going to be with another man, I felt my body shatter like glass. Even when you said you would keep your distance from me, I felt a thousand needles pricking my body," I said with a pained expression heading towards her.

Shelly covered her lips with her hands, she didn't expect to hear those words directly from my mouth. But she still refused and backed away from me.

"No Lute, we can't do this, we have to Kyaaa..."

"Shelly!!"

Suddenly a strange aquatic plant pulled Shelly's feet into the river, I quickly entered the river. Shelly was seen to have been bound by an aquatic plant and was pulled deeper, she was struggling to breathe. I didn't stay still, I swam towards her. Another aquatic plant attacked me which overwhelmed me.

I crushed them with my chains and tried to pull Shelly with my chains. But it's all in vain because aquatic plants bind very tightly. Shelly who had reached her limit couldn't hold back anymore.

*Blurg*

Shelly let out air from her mouth, I panicked, without thinking I immediately used Berserk. A crimson red aura began to gather, I broke bonds that were in Shelly's body, suddenly the main body of aquatic plant was seen.

A giant mouth was visible there, it was very similar to a giant worm with sharp teeth in each mouth. I tried to run away from there by hugging Shelly, but the aquatic plant tied my legs tightly, it tried to pull us into its mouth.

Seeing Shelly getting paler, I kissed her lips and gave artificial respiration, Shelly slowly opened her eyes to see me, but she seemed to be half-conscious. After giving her artificial respiration, I threw her out of the river with my chains until she was on land.

I was relieved to see this, but now I'm in danger because now I'm close to the mouth of this aquatic plant monster. Plus I can't breathe and have given Shelly artificial respiration.