"I think I can hit them. Should I snipe them?" Nana asked.
"We will do so for the time being. Though in the future, caravans might need a dedicated anti-air device for them," Leafa said.
"What about the workers we left behind? There are about 300 people there. Nana couldn't possibly protect them all," Rebecca said.
"Cylia can handle them. This open field is perfect for her abilities. As long as her enemies are alive and have eyes, her abilities will work," Leafa said. She knew that Cylia's ability worked best when she had an open view like this.
"Hm… I think we should return and make camp on this hill today. Then we should depart tomorrow. It would be best if we clear this mountain in one go," the cartographer said. "Not that I underestimate the esteemed symbiote user, but even she would have trouble using her ability for days and nights, right?"
"You think they will also come at night?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe?"
"No. She is right. Cylia is weaker if she can't see her target. So approaching at night would be disadvantageous to us," Leafa nodded.
"You seem to know her powers well."
"My mother had studied extensively to obtain her symbiote. But she was a bit too old, so she imparted her knowledge to me, hoping I can obtain her symbiote. Of course, I am Hiro's host now. I have no intention of accepting any other symbiote," Leafa shrugged.
Apparently, her mother had been applying to become that symbiote's successor right before Leafa accepted Hiro.
Hiro frowned. He felt NTR'd. Or maybe he had stolen Leafa from that symbiote? He was not sure. He felt conflicted. As a virgin in his previous life, he wanted women to dedicate their lives to him. Like a fated lover. When a woman had someone they aimed for before him, he felt like he was their second choice.
He knew Leafa wanted to be a real symbiote user even before she became Hiro's host. He hadn't known the symbiote she was aiming for was Cylia's.
The vanguard then returned to the slope, where Cylia was enjoying a tea party as she oversaw the workers patching the soil with wood so carriages could pass.
"Greetings. Was the path traversable?"
"Yes. But there are many predatory birds there. I plan to traverse it in the morning and reach the forest and possibly the sea by evening."
"Oh. Thank you for making such a concession for me. I do not wish to work until late at night. I hope you are not like your mother. You do have Hiro now, right?"
"... Yes. I have Hiro, and he has been very helpful. The best symbiote I could ever hope for. Unlike yours, who can only stay on the lookout at a military outpost, Hiro could make metal. Our blacksmith relied greatly on him. Moreover, your symbiote fell in a mere coup by humans. Please make some friends. Our knights and people were willing to die for Hiro. Unlike you and your symbiotes."
"She was poisoned! It was your family who did it! Your filthy faction was jealous because Emry chose me and not you!"
"I can't speak for the other nobles, but my mother chose the legal path. She always did. Tell me, why did Emry's line fall to you and not the others? Didn't your mother persuade him to give his offspring to you? That's borderline illegal, you know."
"Your accusation is baseless. I accepted Emry fair and square against four other candidates. What about Hiro? Are you sure you even went through the proper channels to accept him?"
"I did. I have the king's permission," Leafa challenged her back.
"See? We are the same. You must have also used your influence to get ahead, right?"
"Let's move on." Leafa sighed. Hiro could feel her body stewing in anger. They are like water and oil. Irreconcilable.
"Will you take the rear or the front?"
"I will take the middle, on top of a wagon. It would be best if I could see the whole area, including our people," Cylia said.
The group then walked in silence. If there were people in the caravan who didn't know they had bad relationships, they did now. The silence was infectious.
Nevertheless, they reached the peak.
Cylia still sat atop a wagon, observing her surroundings. She even brought out her symbiote. Her purple symbiote sprouted several eyeballs on her back.
Cecile, Rebecca, and Nana huddled together. The silence was deafening.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Cecile asked.
But Rebecca refused to budge. She didn't want to get mixed up in noble business.
"This is why nobles are troublesome. I'm glad we refused that invitation," Rebecca said. Her body language said it all. She had had enough of politics. She didn't even approach Cylia and Leafa, even though she was usually the caring type.
"Just let them be. As long as they don't hinder the mission, we'll work at our own pace. Now, Hiro…"
Nana invited Hiro out, wanting to play with him.
Hiro refused her. The hostility between Cylia and Leafa was suffocating. He didn't feel any desire to play for now. He could only hope they reached the shore as soon as possible. That way, they could separate, and he could finally play with his girls in peace.
The silent night continued until dawn.
Leafa had called Cylia and the cartographer over, telling them what dangers they thought awaited them when they descended the slope the previous day.
The moment the sun rose, the caravan marched down the hill with Cylia atop the wagon.
Hiro had only seen her skills once during the Latvin War, so he was not sure what she could do except inflict fear on the opponent or make them hallucinate.
But she did her job. Frighteningly so.
This gothic girl, sitting alone on a wagon with a large chair, stood out like a sore thumb.
Hiro thought she was a narcissist, but she was not.
Through Nana, who guarded the rear, Hiro saw that any bird that laid eyes on her dropped from the sky, presumably dead.
"If you could spare the manpower, could you retrieve the birds that fell? I want meat for dinner."
"Yes. I will send a squad to collect them," Leafa nodded. A squad was soon sent out.
"It's turkey tonight!" Cecile, trying to ignore the tense atmosphere, cheered. She had grown tired of the stale hardtack that was the standard ration.
They were really hauling them in. Leafa had to send two additional squads as many birds came for their lives in vain. All of them were defeated by Cylia alone. She hypnotized them, making them crash into the ground. Even if the birds were still alive, they were in no condition to fight on the ground with broken wings or necks. The squads only needed to stab them with their spears to deal the finishing blow.
"After this forest, we will reach the ocean. Thank God. That was easier than I thought," the cartographer sighed.
There were almost two dozen gigantic birds that had come after their lives. Hiro was once again reminded of how powerful symbiote users were. But unlike Seraphine, who exuded friendliness and bravery, Cylia was filled with wariness. She looked at everyone with suspicion.
While his girls might be able to defeat the birds that attacked them, he wasn't sure he could protect the rest of the caravan.
Poisons were deadly. If you had no poison resistance, you would die unless you received antidote magic. But poisons could kill within minutes, and in the heat of battle, you might not have a priest nearby to cast it.
He had died because of poison before.
No wonder Cylia was extremely wary of insider attacks. She checked all her food with magical tools. Hiro could see several pouches inside the bag she insisted on carrying at all times.
"I have done my duty. I am fairly weak in a jungle. I hope you will do yours and clear it. You are a symbiote user too, right?"
"You know Hiro is a production-type symbiote," Leafa said, sensing another verbal fight was coming.
"He did pretty well in the Latvin War. Are you sure it wasn't just your lack of skill?"
"Hah… I will do what I can. You can stay perched on that wagon. It would do us wonders if you didn't talk. So, should we camp here or continue?" Leafa asked the cartographer.
"Hm… I think we can push on. But if you want to play it safe, we can always camp here. If we are worried about an ambush from inside the forest, we can ask the workers to clear the entire path to the sea from here. That would take about a week, but on the other hand, it also means we would have enough wood to build the harbor. We will need wood anyway."
"Alright. Let's ask the woodworkers to do so. This will become the permanent path to the harbor anyway," Leafa nodded.
"But won't transporting the wood from here to the harbor take time? Shouldn't we just go there as soon as possible and cut our wood there instead?"
"We would save at most one or two days. Better than losing people in the woods," the cartographer said. "And, just as Lady Leafa said, we need to clear a path to the harbor anyway."
"Alright. But I refuse to stand guard at night. I am weak against night ambushes."
"Hiro is an excellent lookout. He will notify us if any monsters prowl the area," Cecile said.
Hiro extended his tentacle and pummeled her on the head. He hated it when people overestimated his abilities. He didn't have such skills. His only real advantages were that he didn't get tired and didn't need sleep.
He needed to punish his girls later in bed.
"Ouch. Sorry."
"Let's start cutting trees now. The butchers can process the giant falcons that Cylia hunted."
"I will get preferential treatment, right?" Cylia smirked as if proving she was better.
Hiro thought she was completely hostile. But he tilted his tentacle at her earlier behavior.
She should know who the leader of this expedition was. If she really thought Leafa had murdered her mother, she could simply refuse this expedition. The kingdom couldn't exactly force her if that were the case.
Was there another reason she couldn't refuse? Or did she accept it willingly?
"Hah… Alright. The first dinner will go to you. And you can have the center tent. I need to round up the guards anyway," Leafa sighed as she accepted the smaller tent.
It didn't differ much, but somehow, Cylia insisted on having the center tent.
It seemed there was another story behind Leafa and Cylia.