Aldred made another hot bath and put a tent over the bath. They all entered dejectedly. Especially Mira. The boy wanted to calm her down, but he didn't know how to.
Mira felt her body turn weak and she fell asleep immediately.
Aldred, Mareona, Sophia, and Mary looked at each other. They didn't say anything but they knew that deep in their heart this was a moment of tragedy. Nobody wanted this or expected this to happen. But life had to go on, and so they slept.
When morning came, Mira woke up first thing before anyone else. Aldred was shocked to see her smiling as she donned her clothes.
Mira noticed his confusion. "I cannot let my emotions affect this journey. Although I am in grief, I must keep going so Arthur's loss must not be put to waste."
"Mira," Aldred called. "That's my first time hearing you say something that heartless."
Mira smiled. "I always say that you shouldn't fall for your emotions. It is unfortunate, but love and compassion sometimes have to be sacrificed to avoid sorrow and misery."
She looked at the boy. "I don't want to be a burden by mourning on my knees. Arthur will stay in my heart as a reminder that I should put more care and attention to my guidance."
'And as a reminder so that I don't make the same mistake to you, Aldred," Mira thought to herself.
Arthur's rage killed hundreds of people, but Aldred's rage could burn an entire world. If she had to kill her sorrow to avoid that outcome, she'd do it many times.
"I am sorry for your loss, Mira. He seems to be an important person to you."
Mira nodded with a slight tear in her eyes. She took a deep breath and shook her head to remove the sadness within her heart. "I am fine."
"That said, Mira. You haven't reached Gold Rank yet. Why don't you kill a few monsters."
"I am not fond of killing."
"Mira, if you're stronger, you can heal more people."
"To be stronger I need to kill."
"But to be stronger is having the ability to help others and prevent them from being killed," Aldred said. "It sounds hypocritical, but you have to choose which to protect and which to kill. If anyone harms you, Mary, Mareona, or Sophia, You can be sure they'd be dead in my hand."
Mira sighed. Aldred made a great argument. She did not have any offensive spells because she did not want to kill. But becoming stronger was a must if she wanted to help Aldred further.
"I understand, Aldred. I will do what you ask."
Aldred smiled to hear that she agreed.
Mary, Mareona, and Sophia woke up. They greeted him good morning and kissed him. Aldred was grateful he had them to accompany his journey. He can trust them with his life.
"I want to go kill some monsters with Mira. Are you guys coming?"
"Sure," Mareona said. "We cannot figure out the riddle yet anyway, so we might as well explore around. Who knows we might stumble upon a clue."
Aldred nodded. He then slapped Pongo who was floating on the hot bath.
"Pongo!"
"Go out and find some clues."
"Pongo pongo." He crossed his arms, pouting."
Aldred grinned and took out a large fish from his inventory. "I found this in one of the treasure piles. I don't know what fish this is, but looking at its glowing body and powerful aura, I am sure it will taste delicious."
Pongo stared at the fish with sparkling eyes as Aldred swung it around. The penguin dashed forward, trying to take it, but Aldred was quicker.
"Find us some clues, and you will get this as a reward." Aldred smiled.
"Pongo!" The penguin slid out of the tent.
Aldred looked at the girls. "Let's go.
Then they left the tent.
"Aldred, where are you going?" Bartrem asked as he cooked some food with the soldiers.
"I am about to hunt monsters."
Bartrem nodded. "Don't go too far."
Mareona waved to her female soldiers. A lot of them were pretty close to the males now. Because there were more females than males, the girls were having a hard time finding suitable partners.
Meanwhile, the males had a wonderful time of their life. One man was even surrounded by four women at once.
And he was Jeffery. He was blushing as four beautiful girls fed him food.
"Open your mouth wide, Jeffery."
"Aaa, there you go." She giggled. "Hey, I wonder if I can get in your tent tonight."
But even with such disparity, some men still could not find a partner.
One of them was Joseph.
He was staring at Jeffery blushing and looking down. Tears streamed down his cheeks. 'Jeffery you traitor!'
When Aldred explored the place, the adventurers and other groups that made camp there were shocked. They immediately pulled out their tent and made way for Aldred.
"Where is he going?"
"I don't know. Should we follow him?"
"Are you mad, lad? He's gon turn you to undead."
"I know. But what's up with that accent."
"My father used to punish me."
"How's that even related?"
Aldred and the girls kept on walking. The boy wondered why they seemed so scared of him like he was some kind of monster.
Soon, they arrived at another cliff. A pack of snow wolves lay on the ground below. They seemed to be guarding a cave made out of ice.
"Should we attack them?" Mareona asked.
Aldred checked the wolves' status and deemed that they were easy prey. He also analyzed the inside of the cave just in case there was a powerful monster inside. His godly eyes detected no living being.
That didn't mean he was safe. The pair of knight statues was an example. There were powerful non-living objects on this mountain, and they were a threat to his life and his friends.
"I will summon my undead to cripple them. After that, you can kill them one by one, Mira."
"Alright."
Aldred smiled and raised his fist. "Arise."
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