Chapter 723 - Visiting the in-laws: Fortress City of Borg (Part 5)

As if realizing that he would have no choice but to spend the night with me in the wilderness, Ezrath suddenly became very quiet and awkward. He helped in the cooking but he did not speak unless necessary. He also kept his distance from me as if he was afraid of us touching.I was trying to keep myself from laughing for several minutes but when he was about to reach for a potato near me, I grabbed it and purposely bumped on his hand. He reacted as if he was electrocuted and even took several steps back, his face as red as the tomatoes and bell peppers I was chopping earlier.

He started stuttering, "You- I- I’m sorry. I was just- The potato- I was..." This time, I could not take it and started laughing for a few seconds then I abruptly stopped laughing and looked at him with a smirk on my face.

Ezrath took a few more steps back, his face this time was pale. I teased him as I said, "I did not think you would be scared about spending a night with a woman. You are way more innocent that I expected."

His eyes widened as he responded without stutters, I must have hit his delicate ego or something. He said through gritted teeth, "I am popular with women and I have even dated a few women before. I am not innocent."

I smiled at him and responded, "Sure. Say it one more time to make yourself believe it."

I snickered and continued cooking. I saw him bite his lower lip in frustration through my peripheral vision but he did not argue anymore and just helped out.

After about half an hour and with the help of some basic magic spells, our dinner is ready to serve. We ate in silence though I saw how Ezrath’s face lit up with joy when he placed the first spoon of the stew and rice in his mouth. He is a foodie like me, alright.

After the filling meal, I used magic to clean all of the cooking utensils and even buried the trash from the meal preparation under a nearby tree. I guess that tree got lucky since it has received free organic fertilizer.

I turned and went inside my tent and closed the flaps, pretending that I will be sleeping. I gave him a heads up that we do not need to have anyone staying awake since my barrier magic will protect us through the night.

I waited till Ezrath fell asleep and I could hear his steady breaths before I went back outside. It is time for my night time hunt and mapping. I don’t need much sleep so I’d rather use my time in a productive way.

I did not return till it was about an hour before sunrise. All the things I have harvested and hunted were placed inside my space. I also bathed in a nearby river and changed my clothes so I do not reek of blood and damp earth.

Since my companion isn’t awake yet, I started preparing breakfast with bread, fried eggs and some grilled sausages that I personally made. I also prepared some creamy wild mushroom soup to warm us up. This time, I craved for some fruit juice so I made some which doubles as a drink and dessert.

When everything was ready, I opened Ezrath’s tent flap which was left slightly open to wake him up. It was a wrong move because what greeted me was his almost naked body. Only that sensitive part was barely covered. The blanket did not help much due to the obvious morning wood under the blanket.

I don’t plan to be blamed for molesting anyone. I certainly don’t want to take responsibility for something I did not do so I quickly stepped back and closed the damn tent flaps. I closed my eyes like I am resetting my self then opted to wake him up again by just calling his name from the outside of the tent.

I rolled my eyes as I realized that this guy is more pretentious than I thought. Now, I don’t know if his reaction last night was just an act. He sleeps almost naked and he keeps the tent flaps open? Does he like being ambushed into having sex during sleep or something? He is not innocent at all!

After calling him a few times, I finally heard some movement from the tent followed by a sleepy groan. I simply turned around and walked away then sat in front of the bonfire to start eating. Ezrath finally came out from his tent fully clothed though it is not like I can unsee what greeted me earlier.

He sat down and started eating as well. It was a quiet meal at first but then he suddenly spoke about something that almost made me cough out all my food out. He nonchalantly said while eating, "You have peeked inside my tent earlier and seen my body, didn’t you? Don’t try to deny it since I marked the point where my tent flap opening starts and it was different when I woke up."

I continued eating as if I did not hear anything. He continued eating since he knew I was ignoring him. I placed all my things inside the storage and started walking back to the direction of the main road.

He followed me quietly just like yesterday but I can hear him rubbing on to his ring repeatedly, his heartbeat fast which meant he was nervous about something. It was an almost imperceptible sound but I could clearly hear it due to my body’s abilities.

I ignored it and still did not talk to him even until we got back to the missions hall. Ezrath was left to assist some adventurers while his mother accompanied me at the back of the hall so I could present the items to complete my missions.

The verification process was quick and I got the money quickly as well with a little bonus since I deliberately added a few extra sprigs of the herbs in the list and an extra animal that needed to be hunted. I also opted to sell the extra materials which were not part of the mission to the hall for efficiency.

After confirming that the money I received was correct, I bid goodbye to Crisandra and exited the mission hall through the back door. I promised her that I will be back soon for the remaining missions. I hurriedly went back to the my inn to rest, planning to check if I have received any responses from the letters I sent out yesterday afternoon.