The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 291

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 89

The most worrying aspect of heading north was the stamina of the household retainers who had unexpectedly joined our group.

The distance from our starting point to our destination would take at most four days or so with my pace and stamina, but considering the stride of these frail women, it would take at least a week.

Walking non-stop for a week isn’t as simple as it sounds.

This is especially true for those like the women here, who are malnourished and thin, weak, and mentally and physically exhausted.

“Ouch!”

“…Sage? What’s wrong? Did you twist your ankle?”

“No. It’s just… I think a blister burst.”

The clothes they wore were all old and shabby.

Among them, their shoes were particularly worn at the heels and toes, only slightly better than walking barefoot. They said it was because they went back and forth through the forest daily to gather herbs and fruits.

If the weather had been even a little colder, heading north would have been impossible altogether.

Fortunately, though their bodies and minds were exhausted, they were all accustomed to taking care of and protecting themselves.

“It’ll be getting dark soon.”

At the words from behind me, I stopped walking.

The land we were crossing was a vast plain.

Fortunately, a thin stream flowed through the center of the plain, coming down from the north and reaching the strait, which was a great help for quenching our thirst and maintaining minimal cleanliness.

One woman who approached the riverbank tested the nearby ground and asked me.

“Should we spend tonight under this tree?”

When I nodded, everyone gathered together and began preparing a place to rest.

As if they had divided roles, someone began collecting branches while someone else gathered leaves to prepare sleeping areas.

I laid the unconscious Sword Master in the roughly prepared spot and turned toward the plain. It was for dinner.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes, don’t worry about us.”

The dinner ingredients I brought back that day were deer meat.

Butchering isn’t difficult in process, but it’s certainly burdensome for the weak, especially young women, to watch and learn up close.

However, when I brought back game and began removing the organs, skinning it, and removing fat and tendons, a couple of women would stick close and observe my actions in detail.

“Why are you throwing away this part?”

“I’m not throwing it away, I’m collecting it. The sirloin is the most edible.”

“What about the organs? It’s such a waste… Can’t we eat them?”

“It’s better to remove them if you want to preserve the remaining meat. The lean meat might become inedible. Or do you want to try eating it now?”

When I held out the heart, she sniffed it and turned her head away. It would be fine to cook and eat in fresh condition though.

After butchering by parts, it’s the cook’s turn next. There’s no position as important as the cook in group life.

The wise woman who had packed what few seasonings we had when leaving the village was our cook.

Just sprinkling a little salt and pepper on raw meat made an excellent meal. Moderately salty meat and fish (naturally hunted from the river) were our main, no, our only food source.

“My body is definitely exhausted… but I feel stronger since leaving the village.”

“My legs have gotten much thicker.”

“Even so, my soles are a mess so it’s hard to walk.”

“Daisy applied ointment for you. If you don’t overdo it, you’ll be fine soon.”

“How can I not overdo it? It’s not like someone’s going to carry me…”

“Servia, you carry Rien tomorrow morning. Tomorrow I’ll have to support this complainer.”

At those words, the grumbling woman pouted her lips then smiled slyly.

“Yes.”

After one day passed, then two days, then three days, I suddenly realized that people’s laughter had increased.

At such times, I would silently gaze at the deeply sleeping Rien, then embrace the equally deeply sleeping Lu.

I wish Lu would wake up soon.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the women sang for a long time while listening to the sound of grass flutes.

Honestly, their singing skills were seriously lacking. But during those noisy moments, our traveling speed noticeably increased, so I said nothing.

That evening.

When I returned after catching 20 fish, the first sight I saw was two women dumping river water they had carried in their skirts all over the Sword Master’s face.

Splash-

Startled, I tried to rationally deduce the meaning behind the women’s actions.

So, suddenly pouring water like that was probably…

“Was his face too dirty?”

One of the two women looked at me with an expression asking what nonsense I was talking.

“How long are you going to carry around a perfectly healthy adult man? From what I hear, he hasn’t lost consciousness or had any major health problems. If that’s the case, it would be better to wake him up as soon as possible so he can walk on his own.”

“R-right. Daisy is our leader. It’s enough that you guide us and hunt for us.”

When I turned my head, the second team was also coming up carrying river water.

‘This guy has been sleeping for quite a long time, even for someone who crossed the wall.’

While I was debating whether to leave it alone or stop them, the river water the other women had brought arrived right in front of me.

The moment I decided to just leave it alone while watching the water rise in the air.

“Kyaah-.”

With a short scream, the women shrank back.

The Sword Master, who had instantly sat up in a flash, grabbed the wrist of a nearby woman and threatened her.

‘What, was he awake the whole time?’

…Though for that to be the case, he clearly had the face of someone who had just woken up from a deep sleep. It seemed he had instinctively sensed and responded to danger.

The Sword Master turned his head to clear his mind and slowly looked around with a frown.

“Where is this…”

No one answered his questioning words.

The women brushed themselves off, stood up, and left. The one who had been grabbed looked at me anxiously, and when I lightly gestured with my chin, she freed herself from the Sword Master’s grip and quickly ran away.

“…”

“…”

Heavy silence descended.

The Sword Master, who had been staring intently at my face, let out a long sigh.

Then he examined my face again, looked toward the riverbank where the women were gathered doing laundry, and immediately searched my features once more.

“It’s not a dream, so snap out of it.”

“…”

A second long sigh burst out.

“…Where is this group traveling to?”

“My home.”

“This place is north of the Wall of Fire.”

“That’s right.”

The Sword Master had eyes full of things to say, but also wore an expression of not knowing where or how to begin.

Judging by the most docile and obedient demeanor I’d seen from him, it didn’t seem like he was in the mood to start a sword fight yelling ‘Why didn’t you find me when you were alive!’

I sat down on the ground and called to him.

“Come here, Sword Master.”

He stood silently for a long while before finally approaching me.

I pulled the Sword Master’s arm to force him to sit down and unwrapped the bundle full of game.

“Scale the fish.”

“…”

“There are twenty, so don’t slack off and move quickly.”

“…”

“I did well to catch whatever I could. When you cross the wall, your stamina and strength increase dramatically, so you need more energy too. Since this is your first meal after waking up, make sure to eat heartily.”

“…”

“Congratulations on crossing the wall.”

“…”

He could just say thank you.

Whatever thoughts are occupying his mind, he won’t even open his mouth once.

When I scolded him to stop being dazed and move, the Sword Master slowly drew his pearl sword and began scraping the scales off the fish. He definitely had skill. It seemed I had done well to watch when the women woke him up.

The next evening.

We arrived at our destination that we had been heading toward non-stop for the past six days, the Land of Death.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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