Correo laughs at himself as he deactivates his boots. He can feel how his magic is almost fully depleted. He used his relics too often, even some of his hero-barrier powder, which has its magic imbued, yet is limited.

That the hero-barrier has a weakness... that the elf was able to figure it out... Elves really represent everything that can go wrong.

Where are Lent and Star? After observing Katsuragi, he knew that he heard something, something that told him that something is wrong.

With a sigh, Correo takes out another pendulum from an inside pocket. He had three of them in total, one to lend, one which he uses when he occasionally teams up with heroes and one that no hero shall touch so that he can always find them.

Seems like he skipped Lent and Star while under the effect of his boots. Seven League Boots are a rare item that allows the wearer to walk vast distances, yet it makes it impossible to notice much on the way. The magic of the boots allows them to follow paths, avoiding walls and other hindrances, yet it's nigh impossible to use them for small distances.

There are some other restrictions as well, that's why he usually only uses them inside the Deep Trails. He can also take things along as long as he can move them by himself, which is easy if he wears his belt which increases his physical strength.

Following his pendulum, he comes to a sight he wasn't prepared for. This rather unremarkable site has turned into a battlefield with broken walls, a cracked ground, and a hole the size of a person. Lent is on the ground, unconscious. Star is nowhere to be seen. “Lent?” Correo knees down next to him. It seems that he's out for good.

Correo puts him into a more comfortable position, before he does a last leap with his boots, back to where he dropped Inoue-dono's party.

Akiyama-dono takes care of Inoue-dono's wound, who has lost consciousness. Kita-dono is repeatedly kicking a wall, Kurosawa-dono curses the sky and everything, while Yamauchi-dono has given in to exhaustion and sleeps.

“Sorry, I couldn't save her.” He convinced them that he would return and try to grab Momokawa Kyou. “I was right before her, but I couldn't overcome them on my own. I also think she doesn't want to be rescued.”

“Correo-san...” Akiyama-dono says in a broken voice. “We lost badly, right? Where are Yoshimura-kun and Hoshibashi-kun?”

“I left Hoshibashi-dono with Yosimura-dono, who was ambushed by Katsuragi-san before. I can't return for them for a while, I need to recover some magic before.” Recovering magic means waiting for a while until the mana in the atmosphere is transformed into magic by the body.

“What do we do?”

“I can bring you back to Feuerberg, if you want. There you can recover and continue to partake in the war.” This would be the smartest move for them at this point.

“...no.” As if Correo's suggestion has woken him up, Inoue-dono refuses the offer. “I agree, we need to recover. Yet we also need to become stronger. Correo-san, is there a way?”

“...yes, but it will be dangerous.”

“Tell us.”

“First, you need to recover. I know a village nearby that I frequent, nice people that will take care of you.”

“...you're right. I'll recover, I promise. But what comes after?”

“When I was a lad, I took a risk and entered an old cave. It turned out to be a dungeon, infested with monsters. I never went deeper than the first floor... yet, I found something. Do you know experience crystals?”

Correo is sure that he will have a use for a couple of heroes in the future. Especially, if he will face the princess and her party again, a likely outcome considering the personality of the Lady. Yet for now, he needs them to grow before they become useful. In the time they hone themselves, he can gather more resources and make a new plan.

Everything considered, this learning experience was a success. He has underestimated and overestimated the princess and her party at the same time. Underestimated their growth in power and overestimated their mental maturity. The only thing that's left is to use the knowledge and make a plan that takes both into account.

Yet Correo needs time, and he learned of something in Feuerberg that would have spoiled a capture before long anyway. He also needs to tend to his other projects. The true delight of Seven League Boots is that he can scheme on much larger scales than any other person.

―○●○―

It's evening. No further attacks. No one’s following us. We just had to overcome a wall that may have been part of a trap to get us which hasn't sprung. It concerns me that we didn't meet Yoshimura and Hoshibashi again, but I won't complain about it.

While I wish to keep traveling through the night, I'm sure that if we don't make this break now, we'll end up being [Worn out]. Especially after fighting our way through more monsters.

Ara-san uses the pendulum which trudges towards in the direction we're coming from. Or maybe the Spirit Swamps? The movement is only minute. “Fufufufu.” Her laughter gives me uneasiness, yet I know what's going through her head: With a relic like this, she can easily find heroes to research.

“You know that Zethtrin comes first?” I better make sure that she keeps her priorities right.

“I'm positive that we will meet a lot of heroes in Zethtrin.” She answers. Yes, her priorities are straight, yet not the same as mine. Yet she's also lazy, so she combines the thing we need to do with what she wants to do.

“Well, it'd be great to know if a hero is close before they can cause trouble. Stupid drama-effect.”

“Speaking of drama, maybe you should talk with Katarine-san and Momo?”

“...do I have to?”

“Both of them have been brooding since we separated from Correo. Also, Katarine-san hasn't come back from fetching water and Momo is taking several minutes for the so-called 'quick look' at our ingredients to see what she will serve us at dinner.”

“Why don't you talk to them?”

“Because they have human problems.”

“What's that supposed to mean!?”

“Let me rephrase it: It's obvious even to me, that you're the cause of their inner turmoils and it's beyond what I can understand.”

She's right and knows it. “Phew... You know, I really, really suck at this.”

“Both of us. So have fun.”

Figures. “Then keep an eye on Kyou-san, while I look for Rine.” We have already found a pond with potable water nearby, so I know where she went.

She sits there on her heels with our wooden buckets still empty next to her, glaring into the water. Seriously, I don't know how to handle it. I sit down next to her and she turns her head to me. “Kenta? Were you worried?”

“Somewhat. Trying to avoid the whole issue, honestly.” I look at her eyes, still the bright embers as always. “Can you tell me what I can do to make you feel less shitty?”

She smiles at me while giggling. “You're bad at this.”

“I know.”

“I never really paid attention to it. Look at the water.”

I do as she says. It's a small pond without any fish. It's attracting animals and monsters, that's why we don't camp close to it. It takes around ten minutes from the camp. “What about it?”

“It's calm. No fish to disturb it, just mirroring the sky. It will soon become dark, yet at this moment, it shows us the beginning of dusk.”

“What do you want to tell me?”

“I don't know... I tried to think of something smart or poetic to tell, maybe saying that you're like the pond, but in the end, I can't think why you should be.”

“Maybe because I'm muddy and nothing lives inside me?”

“I wouldn't say that... I mean...” Rine has an expression I have never seen on her, a bit melancholic, yet somehow happy. “You have touched my life.”

“For the worst, I think.”

“For the better. When I was fighting, I saw how much Inoue-dono struggled. Trying to overcome me. How can I say it... I pitied him. Then I saw myself in him, trying to overcome something much bigger than me. The [Wizard]-class, my own emotions, trying to learn how you and the others feel.” She grabs my sleeve. “Now I have you.”

My heart throbs, this smile is so beautiful. If anyone would see her like that, they would fall in love with her immediately. “What do you mean?”

“Thanks for having me fight Inoue-dono. I know, it wasn't your intention, but I had a revelation. There are like two urges inside me: To do what is right and to do what I want to be right. Inoue-dono did what he wanted to be right, he wanted to fight you because of conviction. Yet you sent me... Did it feel good for you?”

“You, beating him up? Sure, I loved it.” No reason to be dishonest here, though Rine seems to have reached some sort of enlightenment and this may not be the best time for my bad personality traits.

“No, stupid. I mean, sending me into this duel.” I somewhat feel offended being called stupid by Rine!

Yet I scratch my head, as she doesn't have any ill intention with her words. “Phew... No. I mean, it made sense on all accords. But it's not like I liked it or disliked it.”

“Kenta, you struggle with the same thing as me. Doing what is right and doing what you want to be right.”

“Eh? No?”

“You have some nasty streaks, yet inside you care. You just don't want to. Let me say this to you: You're a wonderful leader.”

This hit me. I didn't even know that it was something I wanted to hear, yet here I am, almost breaking into tears. I turn away. “What are you even talking about? Seriously.”

She knows better than me what bothered me... since I was named leader of the party, I saw one decision after another turning bad. I harbored doubts, self-hatred, and regrets. So many decisions, so much pressure, with almost no experience to boot. I mean, I know games. I can use very specific experiences to use it to my advantage in regards of the hero-system. I have also learned much about survival, but I was suddenly thrust into leading three other people.

Kyou-san, who talks back which irritates me to no end. Rine, who I work to death. Ara-san, who follows my lead whenever it's convenient for her.

It's not like I want everyone to blindly follow me, but somehow... because of the decisions I made, I put everyone into danger.

“Kenta,” Rine says while still holding my sleeve. “I'm sorry.”

“...for what?”

“I'm the one who should lead us. I mean, that's what I have learned, how to lead people. But you know... you're my first real friends.”

No, I can't do that. The self-loathe I feel is overcoming me. “You know that Kyou-san and me were tricking you from the start.”

“Maybe. Yet here we all are.” Rine looks at the sky. “Kenta, nobody thinks about details like you can. I want you to know that I respect that. Remember what I say about the struggle between what is right and what you want to be right? You're greedy, you don't want to give up anything. I'm the same. Yet unlike me, you already know that this is impossible. Still, I’d like to keep trying for a while.” She turns back to me, with wet eyes. “Please let me be a child for a while. I know, you think of all of this as trouble, but for me, they're the most fun days of my life. Thank you, Kenta.”

Oh god, how is this girl able to break me apart like this? Unable to speak a single word without breaking into tears, I stand up. I wave at her without looking at her, while she waves back.

I thought she was the one who needed council, yet she has dissected sides of me even I didn't know existed. I don't even know whether she has figured out her own share of problems or not, yet if I speak to her more, I'll start bawling like a child.

Speaking with Kyou-san in this state is impossible. So I decided to take a walk around the camp. Looking for tracks and such. This will calm me down.

You gain 2 WP. Being honest with your wife is an art, yet you have taken an important step to know each other well.

Shut up, curse!