"Pfft!..."
"Seriously, why are you laughing, Lynn?"
"Nothing... Just continue what you're doing, Mr. Arezu... Pfft!..."
As dusk gave way to darkness, Lynn and Arezu arrived at their campsite on the open plain along the road. Once the campfire was lit, the two set about their respective tasks for the night.
As usual, Lynn was exempt from most camp duties in exchange for driving the wagon all day. Still, she took care of her loyal steed, Chevaline—feeding and grooming her as always.
She also handled the three Wargs they'd taken as loot from their recent battle. Though the malnourished creatures offered little of value, she did harvest the monster cores—found near the heart—which could be used for Mana storage, along with the canine teeth, which served as proof to the Adventurers' Guild of their victory over the Warg horde.
After burning the bodies and burying the remains with her mystic spell, Tremor, Lynn was free to rest. She lounged near the campfire, watching Arezu tend to his remaining tasks.
With the fire maintained and their tents in order, the only thing left to do was prepare dinner—leading to the current situation.
"Pfft!... Hahaha!" Lynn finally burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer.
"Just say it already, Lynn." Though unsure, Arezu had a strong suspicion about what she was laughing at.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Arezu... It's just... I never thought I'd see an adventurer making pancakes while camping on a quest... It's kind of cute, actually... Pfft!..."
"I'm sorry that my cooking repertoire is limited, okay?!"
"Hahaha~!"
Their dinner consisted of two sets of four-layer pancakes: half topped with honey and butter, the other half coated in a melted mix of cheap chocolate and milk.
Despite Lynn's teasing and Arezu's embarrassment, the two enjoyed their evening meal.
After dinner, there was still some time before one of them would head to bed and the other would take first watch. Since it was just the two of them—Chevaline excluded—it would have been awkward to sit in silence, so conversation naturally followed.
"Say, Mr. Arezu, aren't you going to give me a chance to know more about you?" Lynn asked, her trademark mischievous smile already warning Arezu that another bout of teasing was coming.
As a two-person party, mutual understanding was important. Lynn had previously allowed him to ask three questions about her, which she had somehow answered in a way Arezu found acceptable. So, it was only fair for him to do the same.
"Alright, I'll answer three questions from you, Lynn," Arezu said, attempting to return the favor—and the mischief—from the other day.
"No need, Mr. Arezu. I only need one."
To his surprise, Lynn countered his offer effortlessly. And then came the kicker...
"Just one?"
"Mhm! After all, unlike someone, I appreciate the chance given to me. Besides, I'd rather see you than hear some secondhand story from you—or from anyone else."
Her words hit harder than Arezu had anticipated, reminding him of how rude he'd been the other day... and of the embarrassing remark he had failed to deliver. Yet she had completely understood what he meant to say. Then, her satisfied smile, delivered the finishing blow.
"Just ask what you want to know, Lynn." Trying to hide his embarrassment, Arezu invited her question. He was ready with a vague answer or clever dodge—just in case she asked who he really was.
But her question caught him off guard.
"Mr. Arezu, how are you planning to live your life?"
It was far more sentimental than anything he expected from Lynn. And although he thought he had masked his reaction perfectly, her question struck deeper than anything else.
With a wistful smile and a flicker of nostalgic sadness—both of which he hadn't realized showed on his face—Arezu calmly replied.
"I just want to see this world that I once dreamed about..."
Though she didn't fully understand what he meant, Lynn ended the conversation feeling satisfied with his answer.
Still, she didn't want him to feel down while on night watch. So, before retreating to her tent, she left him with a playful remark.
"Just to be sure... You are prepared to take responsibility, right, Mr. Arezu?"
"Just go to sleep already, Lynn!"
The next morning, Lynn and Arezu resumed their hunt for the Orcs' nest, heading deeper into the western forest. Thankfully, the paths remained wide enough for them to continue with their wagon.
Lynn used her scouting skill, Search, repeatedly—this time with extra caution to avoid alerting other monsters, unlike their encounter the day before with the Warg horde.
Before long, they finally found what they were looking for: a group of four Orcs. However, the Orcs weren't alone.
Approaching carefully and silently—having left the wagon and horse behind—Lynn and Arezu took in the scene.
The four orcs were engaged in battle with five familiar-looking adventurers. Four guys and one girl—around Lynn's age, or so Arezu guessed.
"Hmm... Do I perhaps know them from somewhere?"
Whether her remark was a joke or not, Arezu decided to answer her musing.
"You do remember slapping her the first time you met, right?"
"Right! It's Ms. Haughty and her three minions. Wait... Why is there an extra one this time?"
Putting aside Lynn's mocking tone and obvious disdain, Arezu recognized the female adventurer as Gwen, the leader of the party that had unofficially taken the goblin-slaying quest.
Rather than her attractive looks—shoulder-length black hair, a black short dress with off-shoulder long sleeves, and thigh-high boots—it was the presence of her so-called minions that reminded them who she was.
"Should we sabotage their fight or help them? What do you want to do, Mr. Arezu?"
The seriousness in Lynn's expression made Arezu anxious. Not just because she was genuinely considering sabotaging another party's monster hunt—but because she was clearly trying to shift the blame onto him by letting him decide.
Then, as if to tease him further, Lynn explained.
"I doubt we'll find more Orcs nearby, and I'm tired of searching. How about we convince them to let one Orc escape so we can follow it back to its nest?"
"Then say that before anything else!"
It was a sound plan. Both groups were probably pursuing the same goal. The question was whether the other party would agree to cooperate—especially since the four Orcs were already their prey.
Understanding his concern, Lynn offered her first "option" again.
"That's why I'm saying we should sabotage them..."
"Please—enough with your teasing, Lynn. For now, let's just watch and see if they even need our help."