Free Web NovelChapter 6: Voices in the Shadows
Far away in the distance, deep within the shadows of the frozen forest, two figures stood watching the perimeter of the human camp.
"That’s thirteen," the first knight said, his voice dripping with pure disgust as he looked over the casualties.
"Relax," his mage companion replied, her tone sharp and thoroughly annoyed. "Once the reinforcements get here, we’re gone."
"Tch. You damn mages have it so easy on the back lines," the Holy Knight spat, gripping the hilt of his sword. "You don’t have to constantly worry about being eaten alive by some random creature." Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and walked off into the darkness.
The mage stared at the knight’s retreating back, seriously contemplating blasting a hole right through his body. Ultimately, she held back. It was far too dangerous to travel through demon territory alone as a mage, and she needed a meat shield.
"You’re lucky this time, you ass," she muttered under her breath, her fingers white-knuckled as she gripped her magic staff.
Back at their temporary base, Yuki and Vee prepared to set out on their long journey through the demon mountains to reach the human settlement. Yuki carefully optimized their food supply, using local spices and natural preservatives to cure the meat. It was a necessary precaution, considering his locked-in Lifestyle Shop didn’t sell raw food items, and the interface itself was only accessible once every seven days.
Meanwhile, Vee mapped out a strategic travel plan for them. As they traveled, they would hunt small essence creatures for their meat and blood. If they crossed paths with larger beasts, like the snow wolves, they would kill them and harvest their valuable hides to sell for Store Points the moment the shop’s weekly cooldown ended.
"Man, I’m so dirty," Yuki groaned, looking down at his dust-and-sweat-stained gown.
"Well, you didn’t buy a bag or a dimensional ring to hold the harvested items, so what did you expect?" Vee countered dryly.
Yuki pouted, crossing his arms. "Why have you gone back to being mean to me?"
"I’m not being mean. I’m just stating a fact," Vee said, floating in a small circle.
"Are there any hot springs around here? I seriously need to bathe," Yuki said, completely exhausted. "Check the map, Vee. Please?"
"Yes, yes, I’m on it," she muttered, rolling her digital eyes.
Opening the system map, Vee scanned the unlocked perimeter of their region, searching for any signs of natural hot springs or geothermal vents in the area. A small blinking indicator finally caught her eye.
"I actually found one for you, pretty boy."
"Oh, thank goodness! Lead the way, please," Yuki cheered, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
"Right away, Your Royal Majesty," Vee replied, her voice dripping with playful irritation as she buzzed ahead to guide him.
The journey to the hot springs wasn’t easy for Yuki at all. He had expected Vee to find a spring out in the open in some easily accessible, secluded clearing. Instead, she had tracked down one tucked away from prying eyes at the very peak of a steep, treacherous hill.
After an exhausting, grueling climb, Yuki finally made it to the top.
"We’re here," Vee announced, floating gracefully over the steaming water while Yuki wheezed heavily behind her.
"Oh god... my lungs... they’re on fire," Yuki groaned, clutching his chest.
"Stop being so dramatic. Go bathe, we don’t have all day."
"K..." Yuki mumbled dejectedly.
Yuki waddled over to the edge of the hot spring and began slipping off his dirty clothes. After neatly setting aside his belongings, he grabbed the metal pots he had purchased from the shop, scooped up some of the piping-hot water, and began aggressively scrubbing his attire. He was incredibly meticulous with his cleaning, rinsing each piece thoroughly before hanging them up to dry on a makeshift drying rack he constructed from nearby branches.
With the laundry done, Yuki pulled out his newly acquired sweet-scented soap and waded into the water to wash his hair.
While Yuki was busy cleaning himself, Vee stood guard nearby. Her digital mind was working overtime, trying desperately to convince herself that she wasn’t a pervert, but rather a deeply responsible familiar.
’I’m just watching to make sure nothing sneaks up on him while he’s distracted,’ she repeated like a mantra. ’Yes. That is the exact and only reason.’
But deep down, Vee knew that was a blatant lie.
Yuki sank into the water, blissfully relaxed and humming a quiet tune as he lathered his hair. He tilted his head back, using his nimble fingers as a comb to clear out the lingering debris and dried wolf blood from his locks.
’Think pure thoughts, Vee. Think pure thoughts,’ she told herself.
Unfortunately, Vee was far from thinking pure thoughts. Every time Yuki shifted in the water, the glistening liquid cascading down his slender, flawless figure, Vee’s mind wandered to a very inappropriate place.
’I just like his hair. Yeah, that’s why I’m staring. I like the way his inner-aqua hair looks when it’s wet,’ Vee reasoned with herself.
[Get closer,] the core System interface suddenly chimed in. [You want to see everything, don’t you? You can’t properly inspect the specimen when his long hair is covering up the good stuff.]
’System, not now!’ Vee snapped mentally.
[What’s wrong? Didn’t you just say you liked his hair?]
’Yes, his hair! Nothing else!’ Vee thought nervously, her aura flickering. ’He’s... just him.’
[Him, indeed,] the System responded knowingly. [One could say you are falling victim to his natural charms.]
’Charms? What charms?!’
[His seduction skills.]
’You and I both know he has absolutely zero intentional seduction skills!’ Vee argued back. ’He’s just naturally cute and a total airhead. That’s the only reason women fall for him! He doesn’t even do it consciously, even if he attributes everything to his ’Seduction’ stat because he doesn’t know any better!’
[You certainly seem to know a lot about someone you claim not to care for.]
’Hey, he’s our Master! I have to observe these things!’ Vee stammered, her core flushing a deep pink.
[Sure. Whatever you say. You can stop living in denial and just join him in the water. You do possess a fully functional avatar package now, after all.]
’No! I am absolutely not doing that! Now go away!’
[...Suit yourself, then.]
Vee let out a long, digital sigh of relief as the cheeky system interface faded away. But just as she relaxed, a pair of soft, wet hands suddenly reached out of the spring and grasped her small form.
"Eep?! Yuki, what are you doing?!" she squeaked, startled.
"You need to bathe too," Yuki said innocently, giving her a bright, dazzling smile. "Come on, get in."
"Hey, wait! I’m a familiar, I don’t actually need to do that, you know—"
"We’re already here, so I might as well wash you too," Yuki insisted, entirely ignoring her protests as he gently pulled her down into the hot spring with him.
As Yuki sat the hovering entity down on his lap and began gently splashing the warm water over her, Vee completely gave up, her digital form slumping in defeat. She accepted her fate. She was only staying because Yuki might get sad if she left.
And. Absolutely no other reason.
