Chapter 722 - Visiting the in-laws: Fortress City of Borg (Part 4)
I did not stop walking nor bothered to turn around to face Ezrath. This time though, I did answer him. I simply said, "Nope, just being careful."My short answer seemed to have made his mind even more confused, not that I bothered to explain what I just said. I simply meant that he did not slight me though I dislike him for being too overconfident earlier. As for being careful, I don’t want any trouble a.k.a. scandalous relationships with anyone.
He tried starting another conversation but I did respond anymore. Instead, I had no choice but to start putting barriers around the two of us for protection and so that we won’t be detected. I don’t want to be robbed because of the idiot.
Once I have all the safety things on, I started running without giving him a heads up that I would do so. I wanted to see if he would really not be a burden to me as my assigned companion.
Upon reaching the periphery of the forest area, I stopped abruptly and started spreading my senses to the surroundings as far as I can go. One reason is to map the area and second is to check for any wild animals around. With my current mana pool, I was able to efficiently push my mana forward in a fan shape, reaching even the bottom area of the mountain a few kilometers away.
As for my companion, I had to wait for him for a few minutes before he was able to catch up.. When he finally arrived, he was all sweaty and panting while holding a water bottle. Well, he is human with limited stamina and I bet that damn backpack is almost half his own weight so it is weighing him down.
I am starting to get irritated with how slow he was walking and the panting sounds I hear behind me so I eventually fished out a ring from my space. It was one of the earlier and uglier ones I made after learning enchantment. It has a smaller storage space compared to the newer version (only 5 cubic meters) and the ring was made with cheap metal that you could easily find in flea markets.
Holding the ring in my hand, I turned around and walked towards him. Seeing my annoyed face, Ezrath started apologizing, clearly knowing that I am getting impatient with him. When I was just a couple of steps from him, I slapped his shoulder, where the bag straps are, successfully storing the bulky item.
The sudden absence of weight from behind him surprised Ezrath as he looked back, seeing that the backpack was gone. He was about to ask me what just happened but I grabbed his right wrist and inserted his thumb into the ring. He gasped as a needlepoint-like protrusion in the inner area of the ring drew a bit of blood from him to complete the ring ownership.
After the ring has absorbed his blood, it became even more dull looking but this time, it would be impossible to remove it from his finger without my help. He looked at me with widened eyes and asked, "Is this your way of telling me that you like me? Isn’t it too early to be giving gifts?"
I looked at him with a cold face and replied, "That is one of my trash items but 5 cubic meters of space is still useful for everyday things. That is bound to you now as it drew your blood earlier. Everybody has a bit of mana in their body which should be enough for you to use it. And, I do not like you."
I turned around and started brisk walking towards the first area where the herb I needed was located. He shouted for me to wait for him but I ignored him.
Without the burden of the backpack, it became easier for him to follow me around. He also harvested a few things that I told him were edible or medicinal which he excitedly put inside his new ring while I continued harvesting the things listed in my mission as well. We spent the entire afternoon not meddling with each other’s affairs though he chattered nonstop like a parrot even if I do not respond to him most of the time.
He was having so much fun about learning new herbs and edible plants from me that he didn’t even notice that I have already brought him towards the foot of the mountain. He only noticed that we have spent so much time outside when it finally started getting dark.
When he noticed, he took out his map and that was the only time he realized that we are already several kilometers away from the main path back to the city. It would be too dangerous to travel back at this time.
He sighed while looking at me then murmured, "This is the reason why I have that heavy ass bag." Afterwards, he started focusing on pulling out things from his storage ring.
As for me, I started taking out my camping essentials as well from my personal space as if it is just any other daily activity. The things that we both pulled out from our spaces were quite different as mine was already set up and ready for use. The only thing I needed to do is to set the location of the tent poles and attach the already made up tent.
As Ezrath tired his self even more with setting up his own tent next to mine, I cleared the central area which I intend to use as a bonfire for cooking. I also discreetly placed 4 barrier stones around us for protection. Creating the fire itself was easy and I have all the cooking utensils and ingredients that I need to cook whatever.
Being in the deep forest, it became quite cold compared to the temperature in the city area. Thus, I decided to have some meaty vegetable stew and some freshly cooked rice for dinner. I would also make some hot chocolate to warm me up later. Even though I am very territorial with my food, I had no choice but to share it with the other person here who’s now drooling.