It was our second day on the road.

Yesterday, we were able to travel about 10 to 15 miles, give or take. Chance said to us that we should be in Prosk after three more days.

On the second day of our trip, we saw a lot of wagons. It turned out, there was a small village. It was practically out of nowhere. It was called Brin.

Although it was small, there was a lot of market and trades going around and the people came here made the small village bustling. The village also had guards and security, so it made the place assuring.

My party, including Risa, went out and bought supplies. Chance went to a maintenance shop to check if the wagon was working properly.

“Risa, what’s wrong?” I worryingly asked. Her shoulders were slumped and she looked a bit pale. She was looking at her back and sides frantically. She was also holding my hand tightly.

It’s like she’s really a little girl.

“There’s so many humans…this is tantamount to torture.”

“Hang in there. I’ll buy you some snacks after this.”

“Just don’t let go of Shakna.”

As we walk along the alley, we discussed about where we should go next.

“What do you guys want to buy next?” Fuyuki inquired.

“Does this village have anything we can use for hygiene?” Kihana asked.

Yeah, we do need those.

“Before that….Why are we the ones carrying your stuff!?” Takana complained.

“Huh? Of course, it’s because you’re a man!” Fuyuki-san said.

“This is gender inequality! Come on, complained with me Terrin!”

“No, I’m okay with it, to be honest.”

“Shakna’s incapable to fathom that Shakna’s going to be travelling with this baboon. Onee-chan, please save Shakna.” Risa quietly said. You haven’t even with him for a month.

“I-Is that so, Tanaka-kun? Well then, let me help you.” Kihana tried to get the bags from Tanaka but he quickly gripped the bags and he moved it on his side. Probably in Takana’s eyes, Kihana was like an angel.

“O-Oh, it’s okay. Look at me! I’m so strong! You don’t have to worry about anything Kihana.” Takana was a simple man, all right.

We made it back to the entrance of the village and saw our wagon. I noticed that each wagon going to the way to Prosk had security with them while those that were going to the way to Roq had little to no security.

I asked Chance what was that all about and he said, “Yeah, there are bandits around here. It’s best we be careful. As for why there are no securities with those who are going to Roq, ever since the witch was defeated, less and less wagons had been coming to the town, so I guess they probably gave up on that.”

He has more experience than us, so he’s most likely right. Guess we better prepare ourselves for the worse.

Come to think of it, what would we do if bandits attacked us? Needless to say, these bandits were humans. We would hurt and possibly kill people like us. People who were a lot like me. Could I do it?

*

“What are you reading, Kihana?” I asked her. She was sitting in the corner of the wagon.

“…I-I’m reading a book about medicine in this world.” Kihana showed the book to me. The cover had a bunch of plants and animals in it. The title was “A Rudimentary Guide to Fauna and Flora of Ergaos: Medicine and Remedies, Book I”.

Rudimentary? It’s so thick! And it’s only the first book?

Kihana seemed a bit embarrassed. “I-It’s an uninteresting book…”

“Not really, I was just surprised how thick the book is.” But still though, books were expensive, let alone thick books. “How’d you get this, anyway?”

“A-A book like this one is necessary for those who want to be a priest. I was going to return it but Fuyuki brought it with her when she got my things…” Over by her side, there were more books.

How did she even carry such heavy books? One could only wander. “Anyway, why are you learning this stuff? Don’t priests pretty much heal any sickness or injuries?”

“Onii-chan,” Risa butted in. As usual, she was beside me. Merry and Fuyuki were talking with each other while Takana was sleeping. “is your head okay?”

“Huh? Why is that?”

Risa facepalmed and sighed very deeply. That sigh was clearly telling me I was doing something wrong. “It’s a common fact that priests don’t heal or cure all kinds of maladies. They could only heal maladies that are man-made, whether intentional or unintentional. If they could, then nobody would be sick. Really now, Onii-chan, what have you been eating lately, huh?”

“I-I knew that.”

“Really now? It’s as if you came from another, what’s the word, place, perhaps?”

“You better stop that now or else…”

“Or else what?” a boastful grin appeared on her face.

Kihana laughed. “I-I’m sorry but you two looked really close just now. I didn’t mean anything wrong by it…”

“Your words are as shallow as your confidence, human.” Risa said. Though I didn’t understand it, I knew that she was harsh.

She should really take it down a notch.

“Risa, don’t say things like that.”

“Sha—, Risa was just stating fact.” She said nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry about that, Kihana. Please forgive her.”

She shook her head. “S-She’s right. Anyway, Risa sure is mature for such a young age...”

“First of all, human, Risa’s not that young. Second, Risa’s not only mature but also absurdly knowledgeable. Risa knows the content of the book that you are reading like it’s the very air that Risa breathes.”

“W-Well, it’s not that strange for you to know a couple of plants and animals…” Kihana was having a hard time with her. I was not sure if Kihana was great with children but since Risa was a witch, anyway, she was doomed to fail in the first place.

“Risa doesn’t just know a “couple” of them. Risa knows all of them.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Takana woke up. It seemed we were too noisy. “Listen here, you little schmuck. There’s only one prick in this wagon and that’s me. Why don’t you be a kid and go cry in the corner?” Takana put his foot down, figuratively.

“How about a challenge, prick? Ask Risa anything about that book. If Risa guessed it correctly, you’ll have to be Risa’s slave for the day. If Risa lose, which will not happen, Risa would do anything you want.”

He turned around and said, “Ha! You think I would challenge a kid? Not even worth my time.” He turned around again. He basically spun. “Okay, you got a deal! I never back down on a challenge! I’ll remove that cocky attitude you have.”

“Bring it on, prick.”

“Just so you wouldn’t cry later and call it unfair, I’ll let you get help from Terrin.”

“Why, Risa was about to say the same thing. I’ll let you get help from that pathetic girl.”

The two picked their team. Although I was there, she quickly told me to basically just shut up and be a good dog.

“What’s happening?” Fuyuki and Merry came over. I told them what happened. “She sure has a sharp tongue, huh?” Fuyuki was right. I had to talk to her about this or else, there won’t be any peace in this wagon.

After talking to Kihana a bit, Takana was ready to fire away his question.

“Go ahead. Don’t make Risa wait.”

“It is a great medicine for those who suffer from a stomachache. A —“

“It’s Alqui. A herb that is native to Ergaos and Kisha. The root of the plant makes a good remedy for stomachaches and not only that, but it also can help alleviate stomach-related diseases. Although the plant can cure diseases, it has its own way to survive in the wilderness. The plant secretes a small amount of deadly air poison that can kill any life within minutes. Is that all? A child’s play for Risa.”

Everyone was confused and amazed, especially Takana and Kihana. Based on their bewildered looks, it seemed Risa was right.

“Y-You cheated! One more! This time turn around!”

Risa complied and turned around. “Sure. It’s not like the outcome would change.”

Takana was angry. He really didn’t want to lose, especially on a child.

“How do you make an Uqin?”

Now that was hard. Not only did you have to know how to make it but you also had to know what an Uqin was.

Risa didn’t speak and went quiet. She was opposite of what she was earlier. Maybe she doesn’t know?

“Cat got your tongue?”

“Surely, you jest.” Risa finally spoke. “I was just thinking of what I would make you do once you become my slave for the day.”

“Pfft!”

“An Uqin is a soup that is great for curing colds. The Qin’s leaves is put in water then boiled for half an hour. After half an hour, you have to replace the leaves for new ones to make the soup effective. It is called Uqin because when you drink the soup, it makes you form a U with your mouth because of its effectiveness and taste, which is sweet.”

“…S-She’s right.” Kihana said.

“Wow! She sure is intelligent!” Fuyuki said.

“It’s nice to see Takana losing to a child.” Merry said.

“What the heck!? Did you read this book before or something!?”

“Yup, Risa did.” She did? Well, she was a witch. “Also, your questions are simple at best. Even a child knows what those two are. Colds and stomachaches are common occurrences, after all.”

“O-One more!”

“No, Risa’s bored. Do what your kind is always doing and be a good slave.”

“This kid…”

Suddenly, the wagon stopped. I heard people talking outside, so something must have happened.

I went to Chance and asked him, “Is there something wrong?”

“Yeah, an old man is blocking the path.” Chance was right. Additionally, there was a man and a wagon on the side of the road.

“Please, help us!” the old man begged as he spread his arms, not letting anyone passed.

“These people want our help with their but I can’t take any chances. They might be bandits in disguise.”

“We should help them!” Fuyuki chimed in. “What if they weren’t bandits? I just can’t leave them there.”

“She’s right. Besides, I think they only need help with the wheel of their wagon.” The wheel of their wagon was looking a bit dislodge, so they probably need help with that.

Chance was still looking a bit worried but nonetheless agreed with us.

I was right. The problem was the wheel. We helped them and went on our way.

“Glad everything worked out,” I said.

“I hope our kindness doesn’t come back to bite us…”

*

After eating and cleaning our mess, each of us were doing our own thing. The girls were having their usual girl’s talk or whatever it was and Takana was using secretly using his phone since he didn’t want Chance to see him using it. It was surprising to know that his phone was not yet dead. Risa was with me.

“Did you really read that book before?” I asked.

“Of course not. What would Shakna be doing with a human book, anyway? Shakna learned that from Onee-chan, by the way.”

“Onee-chan? You mean Castella?”

“Yup! Onee-chan taught and gave me a lot of things. Shakna sure misses her.”

“What was she like?”

“Onee-chan is like Merry.”

“Like a half-beast?”

“Yup! But of course, Shakna’s sister is better. She’s been with Shakna ever since Shakna was a child. If it weren’t for her, Shakna wouldn’t be what Shakna is today.” You could see that she really loved her sister as I’d never seen her talk about someone so enthusiastically.

So she’s the one who taught you how to hate humans, huh…

“That’s why Shakna has to go to her. Onee-chan will help me and together we will crush the humans again…”

I was going to say something but Takana went to us. “So, what’s my punishment?”

“You’re really doing it?” I said. I was perplexed, I mean, this was Takana were talking about, right?

“As much as I hate it, I would still keep my end. That’s just how I roll.”

Well, that’s commendable.

“Risa wants you to be the only one on night watch today.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh…?”

“Right, right! I mean, it’s easy but I’d rather not do it than do it.”

“That’s a roundabout way of saying you can’t do it.”

“Hey!”

“Risa’s decision is final. I want to sleep with Onii-chan.”

Takana looked at me. “Good for you…lolicon.”

“I told you I’m not a lolicon.”

“I bet a lolicon like you had been waiting for a child to say those very words.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine, fine. I can just sleep in the wagon tomorrow, anyway.” Takana went back to his spot.

“Do you really want to sleep with me…?”

“Nope. Goodnight, Onii-chan.”