Laira sat in the shade of the tree at some distance to the carriage as she heard Emilia's moans echoing.

'It has already been more than an hour, and they are still doing it,' Laira thought as she glanced around.

'And Elise and Sophia are also not back yet.'

Laira was feeling concerned and anxious as she thought she was left out and didn't belong with them. She grew up without any parents; when she was born, she was abandoned in the town as her parents were travelers and didn't want to carry a child with them.

She grew up with various adventurers who would pay for her growth. She met Elise when she was five years old, and they have been together since then.

Laira remembered her conversation with Emilia back in the inn.

Emilia asked Laira why she was going to the capital, and Laira replied honestly; she wanted to buy a house in the capital and move there to spend the rest of her life in peace.

She didn't have to worry about money because she was saving up all the fortunes given to her— by the adventurers— and she could easily spend her life in luxury.

Laira was back to her senses when the carriage stopped shaking, and Nero jumped out. Emilia came out a while later, and she was walking strangely because she was full from Nero's elixir.

Nero sat under the shade of another tree, and Emilia fell asleep on Nero's lap.

Laira smiled as she watched them.

'They look so lovely together.'

'I wonder if he and I can be…' Laira shook her head and threw that thought out of her mind. 'They are adventurers and travelers. I will just drag them down if I try to hold onto them,' Laira then remembered her conversation with Nero in the morning.

——

Nero, Laira, and Sophia were hunting animals in the forest, and Laira asked Nero why he hates kindness. Nero ignored her at first, but Laira kept following him and said she wouldn't stop following him until he answers.

Nero told Laira the same thing he said to Emilia, and Laira replied, "I am not really kind, but I just like helping people in need."

Nero told her there was nothing wrong with helping people in need, but most of the time— no one is helpless. There was always a different approach, and everything would change.

He said, "If people take advantage of someone's kindness, then it's their fault to be kind."

To which Laira replied with "Kindness is free, so why not spread it? It would bring peace and happiness everywhere."

Nero condemned her by saying, "If you give kindness to all, it will lose its value— it would become abundant. Kindness is precious— it's priceless, so don't disrespect its value and make it cheap."

Laira couldn't say anything in return as she knew he was right. Nero's mindset was as absolute as his powers, and there was no denying that. But, Laira couldn't accept it as hers, and Nero's ideals were the total opposite.

——

Laira watched Nero playing with Emilia's hair and teasing her while she was sleeping. He was using her hair to tickle her nose and ears.

'Will he accept me for who I am? Even though we are a lot different and there are too many anomalies between us?' Laira wondered as she grasped her feelings.

'I can't travel with them— but if I dedicate my body and soul to him— would he come back to me one day and love me like he loves Emilia?'

Laira was just a normal human with no magic or anything special. She thought even if Nero agreed to take her together with them, she would just drag them down as she was just a human and wouldn't be able to help them in any way.

As Laira was pondering, three people— two women and one old man— approached her and asked her directions for a village name 'Korrupt'. Laira told them it was about a ten-minute distance down the hill, but they insisted Laira to take them there.

Nero came to check if everything was alright, and Laira explained the situation to him. Nero told those people to fuck off, but they said they wanted to go there to attend the funeral.

Nero didn't give a thought before telling them to fuck off again, but Laira said she would go with them and show them the way.

"Are you sure? You don't have to go if you don't want to," Nero asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. It's just like a ten-minute walk from here. I will be back in no time," She replied with a smile on her face.

Nero still wasn't sure whether to let her go or not; he would have gone with her, but Emilia was sleeping, and he couldn't leave her and the carriage alone.

"It's fine. Elise and Sophia also aren't back." Laira handed her money to Nero and went with the three people to show them the way.

Nero glanced around and spotted a tall tree. He squatted once and climbed the top of the tree in one go— then used his God's eye to scan the area.

"I don't see or sense any danger or malice, so it should be alright."

Nero jumped down and sat beside Emilia as he waited for the rest of the party to come back.

A while later, Elise came back riding on the horse and brought some supplies.

"Where is Sophia?"

"She is on her way," Elise replied and jumped down from the horse.

"Don't tell me… she is also riding the horse?" Nero asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah. Though she was having a hard time handling it."

"Horses and Sophia never get along."

Elise glanced around, then walked to the carriage to hook the horse. She checked the carriage and asked, "Where is Laira?"

"She went to show the way to some lost mutts for the village name Korrupt," Nero replied as though he was still annoyed.

"Oh! That village is down the hill at about a mile from here."

"It's been more than ten minutes since she went, though."

Elise glanced in the direction of Korrupt village and muttered, "I have heard a rumor that there is a monster in this area."

Nero felt even more annoyed as he followed Elise's gaze, 'I don't sense any monsters in the next ten miles radius.'

After a while, Sophia came riding the horse with an exhausted look on her face.

"I am never riding a horse again!" She growled as she jumped on Nero.

Nero caught her and grinned, "You are bad at riding— even when you ride me."

Sophia got down and glanced at Emilia, "She is fast asleep."

"Yeah. She was wild a while—" Nero stopped and glared with an inexplicable expression on his face in the direction of Korrupt village.

"I smell human blood."