Chương 17: Chapter 16: A Small Journey
(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 31/August/2024 8:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
Greetings, dear readers
I just wanted to share this before the chapter.
As most of you remember, I mentioned a reddit user, worev11, and how I asked for permission to use worev11's map of the lower realm. worev11 granted me that permission.
Here it is, all the credit of its creation goes to him.
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the chapter's footnotes.
"..." small moment of silence.
"Talking"
[Different Language Dialogue (Different from the language of the PoV)] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Inner Dialogue'
{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}
(PoV)
(Flashback, including the text)
Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
(Line Break)
(Parts of Henryk's Diary)
Monday, 10/11/1057:
Bart's love interest accepted his confession and they started going out.
I hate his newly-acquired braggart attitude, claiming to have beaten me.
That comment came from the fact that Shira has been flirting with me openly, on a daily basis, starting a few weeks ago. Everyone seemed to have realised that we aren't a thing yet.
She started with mild things like kissing my cheeks randomly in front of people and trying to hold my hand when she thought I wasn't looking. That was also accompanied by her praising what she came to like about me while bashfully looking away some of the time.
Jokes on her! She was tasting my facial hair with every kiss!
More than 8 months of only trimming it to shape left me with an impressive beard. If one looked at my face, they'd think that I was 3-4 years older.
Friday, 14/11/1057:
I guiltily admitted what I might've done to Shira by telling her certain things during last spring festival. I expected the worst.
I was then surprised when Shira chuckled lightly before she said that she'll continue, saying that she chose this path herself, that if there was a fault, it was hers for stepping foot in it.
Sunday, 16/11/1057:
Although it hasn't been long, I recommended Shira to start shooting moving targets starting now. She isn't competing in the Olympics, but practicing to hunt animals and monsters alike. She needs practical experience however way it is.
I made her practice with blunted wooden arrows. The targets were anyone between me, a flying Fey, the wolves, and boards I'd throw from behind cover on intervals.
She started with disastrous results.
Tuesday, 25/11/1057:
We left Shira with Futura to practice shooting a moving target.
For the rest of us, I was too vindictive to not try this. We went to the area now occupied by the loup garou. We hunted a few dozen with pitfall traps and circling them and shooting them with arrows.
Fey divebombed the hell out of some of them.
When we returned, I was made to kneel and apologise by everyone.
It was unwarranted, as I destroyed all the traps I used on the monsters and filled the holes the traps were made in.
Sunday, 30/11/1057:
Just a couple of weeks of practice with moving targets, and here we are. Shira has improved.
She started hitting 4 out of every 107 targets. An odd number, sure, but much better than never.
It also served as stealth practice for the wolves and aerial maneuvers for Fey.
Sunday, 14/12/1057:
Things started to stagnate. Progress is being made, don't get me wrong. But something like introducing new things to my lifestyle have started becoming a rare occurrence.
Monday, 15/12/1057:
Leave things for Shira to make a mess of them.
I wrote what I wrote only one day ago, and here she is, starting the day by leaning on my shoulder right in front of her parents during breakfast. All the while, she was asking me to spoil her.
Arnold glared at both of us to no avail. I was a dense person by choice, and Shira was ignoring him, also by choice.
I had a little laugh when Shira wanted me to feed her. I pretended to entertain her desire until she tried biting the spoon. I simply grinned as I swallowed what she thought I was giving her.
Clarification from a few days later: I was ignoring both him and his daughter. As for his wife, she was just eating peacefully at the time, blissfully ignorant to her daughter's feelings being one-sided for now. No one could blame her when I didn't react to Shira leaning on me.
Thursday, 18/12/1057:
I got to that same level of boredom again. And, so, I decided to have a change of pace.
I incorporated playing the flute into my daily life. I had someone make me a wooden flute. The imperfections of human hands would only go to make it feel even more natural and genuine than machine-perfect flutes.
...
WHY ISN'T HE HERE YET?
Wednesday, 25/3/1058:
Preparations for winter have been done faster than last year.
That is, with the exclusion of one of our members, Old Mort. He has been pushing himself so he could teach his sons until some months ago. He was content with the results of them accompanying me and finally took his well-deserved rest.
Ronan was still healthy, since there's life in him yet.
Friday, 27/3/1058:
Enhancing myself to be a better vessel of excellia has been going smoothly until today. I reached the limit with this one as well.
Monday, 30/3/1058:
Starting today, and through winter, I'll be altering the sizes of the wolves and Fey. I want to be able to ride on their backs so we arrive in Orario faster.
That has the added benefit of not needing to ask around like beggars until someone allows us to accompany them.
Tuesday, 18/8/1058:
Winter sucked as much as last year.
At least, this year I had Shira's shenanigans to pass my free time with.
The wolves remained outside for the entirety of winter like last year.
And, for the record, Ouros hooked up with both Prata and Platina. From what Futura told me, they weren't his blood relatives, so it was fine.
Heck. Even animals knew how bad incest is.
Thursday, 20/8/1058:
I had to deal with a prideful and dominant female wolf.
She got the jump on me today. The lady bided her time for more than a year to have this chance, and she got it.
She made a bed out of me to nap on for the rest of the day.
I had difficulty breathing at first, until I shoved her to the side with a scandalised yelp from her. She pursued me with the face of a demon, but never caught me. She was playing.
Wednesday, 2/9/1058:
Lady Artemis visited again. I asked Shane, considering his position, and she didn't do this at all in the years preceding the last.
When I approached their camp, those who looked at me angerly last year looked at me and sighed tiredly.
When I locked eyes with my lady, the brief look I glimpsed coming from her disturbed me. But other than that, I asked her to update my falna for the first and only time before we depart to Orario.
She was shocked at the progress. My lowest stat was at F, while my highest was only at a disappointing D. I fought monsters and strengthened animals on the daily to raise my stats as much as possible, and this's all I could manage.
Sorry, I forgot. I gave myself an unfair advantage by enhancing my ability to absorb higher amounts of excellia. I should be grateful for my cheats.
Thursday, 3/9/1058:
I discovered that some of the theoretical enhancements were mind-gated. I simply hadn't enough mind to perform them before this.
Armed with this knowledge, I immediately started with {Mind}, {Mind Efficiency} and {Mind Regeneration}.
(A short intervention, Tuesday, 8/9/1058)
(3rd person PoV)
Henryk had finished hunting and foraging for the day. He and Fey were at the river to wash off the blood and its smell. While doing so, he was intruded on by the Artemis familia members, coming in all bloodied and desiring to clean themselves.
Henryk stared at them for an extended period, half submerged in the river with his lower half clothed. He slowly submerged himself further until only his head was visible.
"Perverts" He called them on their double standards, dying from laughter inside as he called them out on not asking loudly if a man was in the river, and submerged the lower half of his face. Hearing him, they got flustered and turned away then left.
And thus, the lucky perverts were the women and not the man.
(End of Intervention, '1)
Sunday, 13/9/1058:
I'm looking forward to the spring festival.
(Thursday, 18/9/1058)
(Henryk's PoV)
I looked back a year ago, when I attended my first spring festival. The residents of Preblica... No, let's reiterate. My fellow villagers welcomed me as if I was one of them. They let me participate in the preparations, they celebrated it with me counted among them. And a year later, here we are, celebrating another spring festival together.
I should make this time of year free so we can visit them on the festival.
'I shouldn't say this, but I'm feeling old already' I thought as I saw some people impatiently lighting the bonfires with their torches, completely disregarding raising their hands at the start. Bart was among them, being congratulated by Fenton, with Old Mort overlooking it from a distance.
Oh, Old Mort, I can read your mind. "I should leave the young folk merrily celebrate while I watch from the side," all the while thinking that you'd spoil it for them.
"Old Mort, go congratulate him" I said as I punched his shoulder. He snickered and brushed it with his other hand.
"Leave the young folk be congratulated by other young folk. An old fogy like me should just observe and give his blessings from afar" He took a chug of ale from his flagon. Yes, a whole flagon of ale, the liter+ type of flagon.
'God bliss them, old people'
I left him to his devices. I knew that we both knew that Bart'll come over and ask for his old man's blessings. In fact, it was Bart and his girl that kick-started the festival by throwing their torch, preceding everyone else, while the entire village was laughing in unison, amused by the young couple. And wouldn't you know it, they're going over to Old Mort.
I had to hold in a good laugh when I saw Old Mort strangle Bart under his elbow while heartily laughing, like nothing was wrong. He was proud of his son. As for Fenton, he expressed his desire to wait a bit longer before getting married.
He released the kid before sitting back down. He gave them his blessings and shooed them away, drinking more as he told them to, and I quote, "Start dancing 'r s'mthin!".
"I see you are enjoying the event alone? Mm?" Shira snuck up on me, which I noticed. I looked back and saw her in a light-purple dress, the color of which looked close to her violet eyes and had white accents. She didn't put on any make-up.
'Maybe that's because she asked about my opinion of make-up, with me profusely expressing how much I hate it' For me at least, it hides the woman's true beauty, and also plays a device for cheaters to hide their real faces. Cheaters should be hell's firewood.
Her face was radiant, expectant of a compliment from me.
Wordlessly, I got out a platinum necklace with bits of gold scattered in it. I put it on for her, making her go all red while I smiled evilly and walked away.
'I had to go to great lengths to have a merchant bring this here, and then haggle it down to a reasonable price' I knew he still made a profit, since he was smiling greedily while counting the money. 'My pockets suffered lots of damage that day'
The merchant I thought about was one that comes by mid-spring and another time mid-fall, bringing supplies with him. I foresaw Shira grabbing a hold over my heart, what with me being a naive little idiot. So, I requested him to bring it.
As I took a few steps more, Shira wrapped her arms around me from behind.
"I want to throw our torch now" She whispered. Her voice hinted at her being flustered. She's excused, as I've shown no signs of her efforts succeeding up to date.
"Why now? Something you want to do as soon as possible?" I teased her. I knew what she wanted.
"Both of us know what I want, Henryk. Stop teasing me" Shira started calming down. She took her hands off me before hugging my left arm, which she knew was my dominant arm.
'Even now, she's trying hard to get my attention on her. Whenever I want to hold something, I'd remember her since she's holding onto the arm I use for almost everything'
I surrendered. We made our way to the torches and took one for ourselves, with me glaring daggers at my smirking, soon-to-be father-in-law. He hated that Shira would be in danger following me, but still vied for her to pursue what makes her happy. And that meant throwing her on me, right into my accepting, widely-open arms.
'Asshole. When is he when I need him? I needed my best man here. Oh, Norman, where are you right now? I hope you are fine, after what made us apart'
I was a little embarrassed to realise that I stopped walking in the middle of the way to the bonfire.
"You suddenly stopped, Henryk. What's on your mind?" Shira asked me while tugging my arm. She wanted me to tell her as we walked. I obliged.
"I was thinking of my only friend back home. I would've hoped he was here for me, to share a happy moment with me" I said as we threw our torch, sealing our fates together.
In the corner of my eye, I caught sight of lady Artemis absentmindedly letting go of the cup in her hands with a hurt face, tears starting to well up in her now closed eyes. She shook her head, sporting a face filled with sadness and a great deal of loss, before standing up and silently leaving the event.
'Only if she was as openly insistent as a certain someone. By now, she might've wormed her way into my heart. More than a year of flirting can do a lot to a man's defences' Unbeknownst to me, I'd meet a man embodying what I thought, and soon.
"By the way, I'm a terrible dancer. I'd hate to crush your feet" I refused to go with the next step.
To my dismay, I was dragged into the dance. I just couldn't refuse Shira when she dragged me while showing me that face, a face marred with relieved tears. She was so happy she cried.
'I should indulge her tonight. Tonight's the night when her feelings and efforts are returned and rewarded'
I'm embarrassed by how Shira took hold of the dance in sight of everyone. Some looked at me, being led around during the dance, and I knew that I needed to make my escape before sunrise to avoid any teasing by the older folk.
'It's at these moments when I hate communities. They tease each other, me included. Dammit. I'm the one who teases'
"Oh, please. Don't shed a tear over this, you giant!" Shira smiled radiantly. This, by far, was her best smile since we met. It also doubled as a smug grin, for some weird reason. I wanted to pull on her cheeks to teach her a lesson, but I abstained from that.
When we finished our dance, awkward as hell it was, we sat down with Shira leaning so close I might've seen it as uncomfortable if we weren't what we are now. She was practically stuck to me top to bottom.
"Can you tell me your family name now?" Shira asked me in a soft voice.
"Williams. Now that we're married, you have the choice of taking that surname for yourself" I just allowed the silence to take over, until a giant eagle crash-landed behind us before I got the chance to help Shira clean her face off of the tears.
"Cough! Cough!... Fey! Land slowly and carefully next time!" I shouted light-heartedly at my naughty daughter.
"MAMA!!" Fey sees! Fey attacc! It was that simple.
I had to fall under Shira so she doesn't get dirt all over her dress.
'She's definitely been eavesdropping on us from somewhere. Enhancing her hearing was a mistake'
(AN: For those who want to know, Fey squished them under her without harming them)
(Friday, 19/9/1058)
(3rd person PoV)
Henryk was sneaking his way out of the village. He made sure to take the longer routes that took him away from the well and away from people's windows. He was accompanied by Shira, who was imitating him. Fey was flying overhead while the wolves got out on their own, not arousing suspicions as they did it often to grab a quick breakfast.
'B&... w@l$...' Grysia has become a little more capable between the last update of his falna and his grand escape. As a last gift, Henryk poured all his mind into two last enhancements yesterday, prolonging the tree's life once more and granting it clearer thoughts. No one knew now, but this Grysia would have died in a decade had it not been for Henryk. The old tree would go to live another half a century before breathing its last as things are right now.
"Where are you going, this early in the morning?" Arnold stopped the young couple. He took a glance at them before closing his eyes. "Escaping the well-meaning villagers, I see" He smoked his pipe as he reminisced over the memories he made while raising Shira with his wife, Sharon.
They heard scribbles being made.
"What are you scribbling, son?" Arnold took another smoke from his pipe.
"It somehow eluded me to note down how much you love your pipe, or that you had one at all" Henryk closed his diary after noting this detail down.
"Forget it" Arnold shook his head lightly. "Just take care of her for me. I entrust my daughter and her safety to you, Henryk" He patted Henryk on his arms.
"You have my word, old man" Henryk called him like that as a joke and a challenge, that Henryk would outperform Arnold, but did not expect it to be taken so well.
"Haha! That's the spirit!" Arnold slapped his arms as he let them go. He stepped back a few steps and bowed his head. "As mayor, words cannot express my gratitude towards you, Henryk Williams. Without you, Preblica's villagers wouldn't have survived the last two winters as well as they did. Without you, Mort wouldn't have the time to both hunt and teach his kids. And now that they are able to replace both you and him, to some extent, Preblica is in safe hands, all thanks to you"
"No need to thank someone whose aim's to protect one's home. I mean, I'm already a part of the village as any" Henryk said as he tried to have Arnold raise his head. After Arnold raised his head with a content smile, he had some other things to say.
"The villagers bid you farewell. They've prepared a small cart for you to use. Your wolves could pull it with their current sizes. Just adjust the straps" He walked back in, waving a hand goodbye. He didn't hug Shira because he knew that she might hesitate and lose an opportunity that may never come again.
'We got got, it seems' Henryk smirked. He didn't think that Arnold would trace the increase of the wolves' sizes back to him.
"Shira..." Henryk brought her closer as he supported her. No amount of preparation would have prepared the young woman for separating away from her parents.
"Thanks... *sniff*" Shira hid her face from him.
Henryk silently patted her on the back.
'This is awkward!' Shane lowered his visor as bit his lips, followed by the other 2 on duty at the moment.
"Come on, Shira. We need to go somewhere and regroup with people" Henryk expected Artemis to not want to escort them to Orario after the event yesterday, not after her heart was broken.
Before they went on their way, Henryk helped Shira wipe her face off of any traces of tears.
Henryk put the straps on the wolves, with Ouros being the only obedient one among the bunch. After boarding the cart, they arrived where they should have found the Artemis familia camp, but they were welcomed by a deserted campsite. The only trace of them was a light-blue haired half-elf who straightened up as she saw them coming closer. She got up and approached them.
"Sorry, but lady Artemis had to leave for an urgent matter. She leaves this with you" She handed Henryk The Arrow of Orion and a letter, then gestured for him to lend her his ears. She whispered something to him before going on her way, no doubt to where the familia will set up their new campsite.
Henryk read the letter with a heavy heart then sighed.
'This, along with what she told me about lady Artemis, means that our goddess wants to meet me again. She didn't give up yet, it seems' Henryk thought.
"Shira, we need to talk about something detrimental" Henryk climbed back into the cart.
"What is it, Henryk?" She sat beside him rather than in the back, where a comfortable space was made for her.
'Clingy. Me likey' Henryk liked this side of her.
"We need to talk about how you'll endure the journey to Orario" He mentally told the wolves to start moving again.
"You wanted me to receive a falna?" Shira's mind connected some dots. Her eyes widened slightly in pleasant shock. "I love you!" She buried her face into him.
"I know" Henryk said matter-of-factly as he put an arm around her shoulder. He then continued.
"Well," Henryk entertained the thought of propose subjecting Shira to his skill, but he saw that it was too grotesque to apply to a living creature who could understand him perfectly. That also risked damaging, warping or altering either or both of their minds, considering that both were humans, and their minds perceive things much more closely to each other than, say, a wolf or any other animal. Assimilating two minds of similar nature into a hivemind, with one being the dominant mind and the other being the subject, risks them combining or fighting for dominance, instinctively so. He decided against ever proposing this unless it was a last resort, or when he got his own resistance so high that nothing matters anymore. "Since you didn't get a falna, avoid being anywhere near your enemies. Keep as far as possible. Platina, you'll be her guard when she fights someone or something" "ARF!" Platina agreed as she was dragging the cart with the other 3.
"I will do as you say, Henryk" Shira elbowed him playfully. He replied by pulling her cheek.
"I need to tell you another thing"
Shira tensed. Something inside her flared up, telling her to be ready. "What is it?" Her voice was a bit strained.
"You see, my dear new wife" Henryk got her good, with her forgetting her alertness and getting pleased instead. "I was told that a certain goddess has become depressed after she saw us together, but left us be. Lady Artemis was probably gonna confess to me yesterday" He waived the letter around.
"She what?" Shira's mind short-circuited for a second. "Wait! She almost confessed to you?" She shrieked, took a breath, calmed down, stared Henryk down as she stood up from shock, sat down again, then her face hardened, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel plates.
"What would have been your answer?" In her justifiable fury, she cared more about Henryk's opinion on the matter than what Artemis would have done. She may have also forgot to consider how he knew that for sure.
"Nothing. As I knew nothing of her beside her good leadership of her familia, I got no reason to be attracted to her romantically, or even reject her outright. Even rejecting someone has to be done with a certain modicum of respect and consideration" Henryk shrugged.
"Do you find her beautiful?" Shira, if possible, asked with even more edge to her voice.
"A man could appreciate the beauty of others without being in love with them. Not to mention, I already got you" Henryk dodged a bullet by redirecting her attention elsewhere. To redirect her attention again, he caressed the cheek he was pulling a minute ago.
After a moment of relishing in the feeling, Shira had something to say.
"I still can't believe this. I got the man I was flirting with for the past year" She purred into his hand as she kept it on her face.
"Believe it" He asserted. "Let's go" And so, the 7 of them started going on their journey to Orario.
(End of Chapter)
'1:
This one had to be included. The scene was originally brought up when I was discussing the first chapters with RikuKage. And when he brought up the lucky bastard troupe, I didn't tell him that I would include it in the story, nor that I would be flipping it the other way around. Thanks to my evil mind, the lucky bastards were the women this time.
(Line Break)
Greetings, dear readers
So, I want to explain this astronomical advancement into marriage this soon into the story. As was stated in the previous chapter, Henryk wanted to change, to trust people again, and he did just that.
He also wanted to form his own family and settle down somewhere. To do that, as he said, he had to give someone the chance to be close to him. And, from their perspective, it took Shira a year of their unspoken engagement to capture his heart. She succeeded, as Henryk himself had seen a friend in her for some months prior to her first confession.
From their point of view, it took a year and a half for them to get together. I hope that answers some of your unasked questions, if there were any.
Now, what do you think of Artemis' actions? I certainly don't know how to evaluate them myself. But if I had to, I would say that she may have had a chance if she made a move much earlier than she did. Do you think she still has a chance? Or do you not?
There is also Shira. I stumbled and wrote some things out of line. Let me explain. You see, from what can be concluded from Henryk's diaries, Shira comes off as a woman with a strong personality, someone who gets what she wants without using much force, doesn't get flustered easily, or often if it ever happens, she doesn't feel down much either.
Now, the problem comes from the next 2 chapters. In them, I added some moments where she became too shy for what I showed of her. And while she won't be the dictatorial, controlling, girlboss type, she is still a woman with a strong personality that wouldn't bend. She wouldn't become an easy-to-blush girl just because she got married to her crush, and would still be confident of herself and her choices.
Have a great time, ladies and gentlemen.
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