"Who would have thought I'd ever be able to get a shower again!" Jannet exclaimed happily as she hugged herself. They had both taken a warm shower and finally gotten all the mud off their skin and hair. When Luna came out of the shower, a dress and new underwear were already ready for her. But the best thing was that her nose could finally smell pleasant scents again.
"Finally, that disgusting smell is gone. My nose was already numb," said Luna as she scratched the back of her neck.
They were just being led to their tent and would later be given a warm meal.
The last problem Luna had to solve was the damn infection. The monsters were way too calm. They avoided the wall altogether as if they knew only death awaited them there. She wasn't dismissing the possibility that someone in the shadows was controlling them, but who could handle such a massive wave of monsters? Luna had no idea and also didn't want to know.
Next to her, Jannet jumped up and down excitedly and looked around curiously. The tents were all organized into layers, and no space was wasted. From the short stay, Luna figured out that white was used for housing, while other colors housed weapons and other resources.
It was the first time Luna had seen Jannet happy. Luna guessed she felt safe for the first time and could get a shower and a comfortable bed. The last few days must have been a nightmare for her, but luckily Jannet handled the stress well and got through the wildness.
They followed the knight quietly. He wore a black robe with two silver stripes on the front and an elemental symbol on his back, like all the other knights she saw in the camp. Luna wasn't an armor expert, but she was sure that a few layers of cloth wouldn't protect anyone in combat. She was aware that clothing could be upgraded with spells, but as far as she knew, it was expensive and unworkable for an entire knight unit. They stopped in front of a relatively small tent. A gesture was enough to know this tent would belong to them. It was small, white in color, and fresh as if they had just constructed it minutes ago. But was that possible? She saw no footprints on the ground, so it had to stand her for a while now. The inside was luxurious. The tent's interior was larger than its exterior, which was the first thing she noticed.
A gorgeous table on which lay a beautiful tablecloth stood in the middle with a blue flower to decorate it. Two beds with cloud-white bedding were placed on each side of the room and covered with fluffy duvets that had to come from a noble house. Even a faucet was in there. While Luna was surprised, she remained as calm as the sea. Jannet, who came after her, got big eyes and a mouth as wide as a tunnel. She most likely had never seen something like that.
'How the hell did they take beds to the outpost?' Luna wondered. It must be a technique she wasn't familiar with. Maybe they store it in another dimension? It was an issue for Luna to keep an eye on as it would make travel much more enjoyable when they could carry a bed on their journey.
"I'll leave you alone for the time being and come get you once it's lunchtime. Keep in mind that guests are not permitted to roam freely in the square." The knight elucidated. He bowed and left the tent as fast as a person possibly could. His voice was completely monotonous, and his face lacked any emotion.
Now Luna had time to take a closer look at the tent. It was more luxurious than she initially thought. She looked to the side where Jannet had already slipped out of her shoes and jumped headfirst into the bed. Jannet instantly vanished under the duvet; only her hair was hanging out of it. Luna snickered under the childish behavior displayed by Jannet.
"Haha, finally a fluffy bed again," she cried happily.
Luna was surprised at how much more modern everything was. Some showers worked with magic, a heater that worked with fire runes, and even a faucet in the tent. Everything your heart desires
"Sounds like you're enjoying our stay," said Luna with a grin as she sat down on a chair. She knew well how difficult the past few days must have been for Jannet. Nobody could handle being taken from their everyday life and forced to fend for themselves in a monster-infested forest without any assistance. Jannet had Luna's help, but without mental strength, even Luna's aid would be useless. She had seen monsters that came out of a nightmare, creatures larger than a house, and to top it all almost died at the hands of Rose Demons. She had earned this moment of rest.
She looked back at Jannet, who crept under the covers, and only the duvet lifted by her breath could be seen. She would definitely fall asleep if Luna didn't do anything and would miss the dinner. Besides, she had another question. They still had to solve the language barrier.
"Jannet, could you explain to me in more detail where the problem with the language was?" asked Luna. She was confident that the same language was spoken here for some inexplicable reason, so she had no clue why Jannet had trouble comprehending it.
Luna saw Jannets's head crawling out from under the covers like a rabbit. The rest of the body remained in the protection of the warm shelter she dug for herself like a mole.
"I don't know how to explain this to you. I know you spoke my language, and I also understood things. But for reasons I don't know, it felt like an unfamiliar language."
Luna just looked confused while Jannet smiled crookedly. This could be a bigger problem than initially thought. If Jannet cannot communicate, Luna must always be an interpreter for her.
"Perhaps this is best compared to colors," Jannet said. "Bees can tell when a flower is ready to pollinate by color. The ultraviolet of a flower is invisible to us but not to the bee. So we both see the flower, but we see it in different ways."
"So you're suggesting that there is an aspect that I can perceive without any problems, but you can't?" asked Luna. The whole thing seemed very abstract to her.
"Why not? With everything I've seen here, that wouldn't be so strange."
"I guess I can't argue with that. But maybe we need to contact someone if I don't get a solution to your problem."
Luna and Jannet had just finished eating. As agreed, a knight picked them up and led them to a large table that was equipped with several things. From bread and meat to bean soup, everything was there. Luna had watched Jannet dig in like a vacuum cleaner, which was why she now lay comfortably in bed. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up to her.
Luna was happy. She had brought Jannet alive through the Orchid Forest. At that time, she wasn't even sure if Jannet would survive the little trip. But luck was on their side, and with only minimal incidents, they were able to travel through the forest.
But there was still one problem, what should be her purpose in this world? Both of them were strangers in these lands. She knew that Jannet wanted to go back to her old world, and Luna wanted to support her. It was not logical; why was she so obsessed with helping Jannet? They have been friends for about two weeks, and Luna was confined to a cell for more than half of that time. However, her instincts told her to keep an eye out for Janet's presence. Maybe it was the blood that she desired so badly?
In her previous life on Earth. She had no family and didn't even know if she ever had one. She worked to pay her rent but had never made friends to hang out with. She knew less about her family than she did about the new world, and that's supposed to mean something. For as long as she can remember, she has always existed in the world, doomed to watch the passage of time.
For now, she decided to assist Jannet in locating a route back to her previous reality. After that, she had an eternity to determine a new chapter in her life. Would she succeed? Unfortunately, she had no idea. Suddenly there was a knock at the tent door. Luna crawled out of her bed and sat on the edge of the bed.
The door opened, and a woman with brown hair and a red dress entered. Luna held up a finger for Kanah to be quiet. She just nodded and signaled to Luna that she should follow her outside. Luna quickly put on the boots she was loaned by the Order of Knights. Kanah stood outside, leaning against a pillar of the tent. She looked into the night sky and didn't even react when Luna came out of the shelter.
"I take it that you wanted to speak with me?" Luna questioned to appear as curious as possible. Kanah didn't look back and continued to look straight up into the sky. Beautiful stars glittered in the dark, peaceful night.
"You strike me as a peaceful person and made it your mission to protect your friend. So now I'm just going to ask out of curiosity and with no bad intentions. What's a vampire doing so far north?" When Kanah didn't get an answer, she continued.
"It wasn't nice to have me hypnotized during our first conversation. Too bad my chain prevented that. I didn't say anything earlier because you were trying to hide your characteristics and nothing else."
It got quiet again. Luna didn't know how to answer that, as she couldn't assess the situation. Knights could watch her from afar and strike if she proved hostile.
"Does Jannet know you're a vampire?"
Luna nodded her head slowly. "She knows. What are you going to do with the knowledge?"
"Oh, nothing. I just want to know what you're doing so far north. Normally, your species only lives in the south," yawned Kanah.
"I don't have any plans at all; circumstances that I'd rather not mention brought me and Jannet here." Luna shifted her gaze to Kanah, her shoulder twitching.
"That's very vaguely put if you ask me. But can you prove that too?"
"I've given you almost everything I know about the infection and saved your recruit squad. Do I need more?"
"Mhhh, how do you like the night?" Kanah asked suddenly. Luna was confused, as she didn't know what Kanah was getting at. Was it just a statement, or was there a deeper meaning behind it?
"I'm afraid I can't quite follow; the stars are twinkling, and it's pleasantly quiet."
"That's what I mean; it's too quiet. I know this environment better than anyone. Many creatures inhabit the night, but today all I can hear are the sounds of my men and guests. Do you think the infection is causing that?"
"If you want my opinion, I assume it's probably the infection. A crushing aura lies in the distance. So dense and evil, like it wants to devour everything." Now that they were outside of the forest, she sensed the presence of a beast that was out to consume all in its path. In the forest, the horrible stench had always told her that the infection was close by, but now, only the intense feeling concerned her.
Kanah frowned but didn't have time to reply. "Your kingdom should prepare for war. With every moment that passes, more anger is directed toward us."
Kanah was slightly surprised. "How much time do you think we have left?"
"Unfortunately, that's very difficult to estimate, but I don't think it will be more than two weeks."
"Athylia's walls are strong. No other wall in the world compares. No attack can break through them. This is how it has been for a very long time and will be in the future. " Luna found her voice trembling with pride. The masonry had to be really impressive.
"Pride always comes before a fall." To her side, she felt Kanah glare in her direction. "Assuming that something lasts forever is never a good thing. Eventually, the wall will fall, be it from the outside or from within through a civil war."
"I would like to know why someone would unleash such a plague on the world and what that goal should be. Maybe it was just an experiment that went wrong after all, and our worries were completely useless. You seem pretty sure it's aimed at Athylia; may I ask why you think so?" Luna asked before yawning. She had to go to bed soon.
"It's just a feeling. But even if an organization or another kingdom uses the infection as a pawn, I can't imagine what use they want to make of it. They will finally bounce off our gates."
Luna sighed at the comment.
"If it is a kingdom, I speculate they want to expand and take control of your lands and treasures. If it's an organization, they'll probably be after a specific item, but only the stars can tell you what that is."
Luna looked in Kanah's direction. Her facial expression didn't change. From this, Luna concluded that even Kanah had no idea what it could be about, or she was so blinded by Athylia's power that she didn't even bother to think about it. The second thought was not of good quality.
"We just met today, but would you be willing to teach Jannet the basics of elemental magic?" Kanah looked surprised in Luna's direction. Her eyes were slightly widened, and her hand became entangled in her hair as she ran it through it.
Luna was aware that involving Kanah in her personal affairs and divulging information was not a good idea. Luckily, Kanah could only conclude that Luna had no elemental magic, and since Jannet had never worked with magic before, this information was of absolutely no use to her.
Unfortunately, she could hardly help Jannet learn elemental magic since her mana flow was different from that of ordinary elemental magicians. Her magic field was affecting the other aspect too much, preventing her from teaching Jannet properly.
Luna had noticed in the conversation that Kanah could be very stubborn at times, but at heart, she was a good person. At least Luna believed so and was therefore confident that Jannet would be in good hands.
A gust of wind caused their hair to flutter wildly, and leaves were tossed past them. They fell from the sky like colorful snowflakes. Kanah hadn't said anything the whole time, watching Luna as closely as possible.
"Would you be willing to do something for me in return?" she asked after a while and then started playing with her left hand in her hair. With a smile on her lips, she looked in Luna's direction. But the fake mask Kanah put on couldn't fool Luna. She had something on her mind, and from the excitement, her body was radiating; it was something important.
"That depends on what you're asking of me," Luna replied in a calm voice. But she didn't let Kanah out of her sight.
"Then would you be willing to go into the forest and gather information about the queen?"
"How long would you be willing to teach her?"
"Until she gets the basics down."
"Then we have a deal," Luna replied, holding out her hand to Kanah. Kanah hesitated, visibly surprised that Luna agreed so quickly. In your mind, Luna's mission was probably a suicide squad. "Why are you so sure you're coming back alive?" she asked, shaking Luna's hand.
"Since I navigated Jannet alive through the Orchid Forest and saved a party of Knights from infection, I guess I can do it."
Luna said goodbye to Kanah under a sparkling starry sky, her limit had been reached, and she urgently needed to go to bed.
A nice calm wind let her hair flutter before she retired to the tent. Jannet was still sleeping like a log, and Luna realized she had forgotten to use the cream on her feet.
She put on the sleeping clothes that were provided for her and laid down on the other bed next to Jannet. With a last look to the side, Luna said goodnight and entered the land of dreams.
