Because the pancakes were very delicious, it took Lucy and Rina no more than 5 minutes to eat them all. However, due to Lucy's antics, they were running a bit late, so Lucy bought two cleaning potions from Ninja Shop, one for herself and one for Rina, in order to set off on their journey as quickly as possible.

   "This potion is amazing. Even after taking a hot bath, I didn't feel as refreshed. No wonder you always look so impeccable and smell so nice...", Rina told Lucy as they headed towards the exit of the village.

   Hearing what Rina said, Lucy wasn't quite sure whether to be happy or upset.

   'Well, Rina said that I always look impeccable and smell nice, so I could take it as a compliment. But the fact that she attributes so much merit to the cleaning potion kind of annoys me. It's like telling a girl that the only reason she is beautiful is because she has quality makeup at her disposal...'

   "It's not exactly as you think, Rina. This potion is just meant to clean you, not to perfume you. So, the fact that I smell so good is solely because of me...", Lucy finally told Rina, unable to refrain from taking credit.

   Upon hearing Lucy's words and observing her pouting like a child who feels deeply wronged, Rina couldn't help but laugh.

   "Huh? Why are you laughing, Rina? Don't you believe me?", Lucy asked Rina, forming various plans in her mind to prove to Rina that she was right.

   "No, no... I believe you. My Lucy is the most fragrant... she's like a true flower fairy..."

   "Hmph, it's good that you know that...", Lucy said, satisfied with Rina's response, which, though a bit clumsily formulated, was spoken sincerely (at least in Lucy's opinion).

   "Hey, Rina! Where are you off to so early? Are you going to meet your grandfather to introduce him to his future daughter-in-law? Too bad I won't be around to see how thrilled he'll be, hehehe....", one of the guards at the village entrance, who had a closer relationship with Rina's grandfather, asked.

   He had made great efforts over the past two years to tolerate Jarek, who, every time they met, complained that Rina didn't want to settle down and start a family, so it wasn't surprising that he had begun to resent Jarek for spoiling everyone's mood at the parties, a sentiment shared by other villagers as well.

   Seeing the elderly lionkin man laughing, Lucy was sure he didn't really believe that Rina's grandfather would be too excited when he found out about her and Rina's relationship. Probably, he just wanted to see Rina's grandfather get worked up.

   "No, we'll meet my grandfather when he returns to the village...", Rina replied, a bit irritated by the old guard's apparent mischievous mood.

   "Don't worry, Rina. Even if Jarek doesn't agree, know that we all support you. Besides, from what I've heard, besides being very beautiful, this catgirl is also a great fighter. Seeing her with my own eyes, I can be sure that at least the first part is true. As for the second part, well, I wouldn't want her to demonstrate it like she did with the others on guard duty yesterday, hehehe... Anyway, Jarek would be a fool not to accept her as a daughter-in-law..."

   Since Lucy was very pleased with what the elderly guard said, she immediately changed her initial opinion of him, that he was an old man who liked to cause trouble, so she promptly bought a quality bottle of whisky from the Ninja Shop to offer it to him as a gift, wanting to show her gratitude for his support and also to increase her popularity among the villagers.

   "Thank you for your blessings, uncle! Please accept this small gift from me and Rina as a token of our gratitude for the support you've shown us. We hope you'll attend the party we're organizing for our wedding...", Lucy said to the elderly guard, then handed him the 1-liter bottle of whisky that appeared in front of her a few seconds earlier.

   "It looks truly good. I don't think I've had the chance to enjoy a drink of such quality before...", said the elderly guard, showing no hesitation as he took the bottle from Lucy's hand. "It's a pity both my granddaughters are already married because it would have been great to have you as a daughter-in-law. Yes, I would have preferred a daughter-in-law like you over their stingy husbands anytime..." he continued in a joking tone, but with visible regret in his eyes.

   "No problem, uncle. Rina is more than enough for me...", Lucy hastily replied, hoping her words would calm Rina, who seemed ready to confront the elderly guard after hearing that he might have intended to set Lucy up with one of his granddaughters if they hadn't had partners.

   As Rina seemed no longer in the mood to talk to the elderly guard, Lucy had to exchange a few more words with him to avoid an awkward situation. After she explained to him the reason why she and Rina were leaving the village so early, he realized that the two didn't have much time for further conversation, so he bid them farewell, wishing them success.

   "I remember that we were in a hurry, weren't we, Lucy? It wasn't appropriate to give so much importance to an old man who has nothing else to do all day but chat...", Rina said to Lucy after they had moved about 100 meters away from the village. Her words clearly indicated that she was still irritated by the old man's remarks.

   "I didn't have much choice, Rina. In case your grandfather doesn't agree with our relationship, I'll need as many allies as possible...", Lucy replied, leaning her head on Rina's arm, the atmosphere around her suggesting that she sought comfort.

   "Well, whatever my grandfather says, I don't intend to separate from you...", Rina said, then began to pet Lucy between her cat-like ears, a gesture that made Lucy feel weak in the knees.

   "Mmnn, it's so pleasant... It would be great if we had more time... Unfortunately, we have to pick up the pace... we won't make it in time if we continue like this...", Lucy said between pleasure-filled moans, then made a great effort to separate her head from Rina's hand, as Rina seemed completely absorbed in petting her.

   "Um, yes... You're right... We need to hurry...", Rina agreed, completely forgetting about her irritation caused by the elderly guard's words, her mind being focused solely on thoughts about the fluff on Lucy's ears, which her hand had brushed against several times more or less accidentally.

   ................................

   "It seems the work of the elders of the village has gone to waste. Now anyone will be able to find the location of our village...", Rina said after seeing the path Lucy had made through the thorny bushes area.

   "Well, I didn't have much choice. If I hadn't made a path, I would have been covered in scratches and lost more than half the hair on my head and tail...", Lucy said, realizing that creating a path to the lionkins' village might not have been the best decision. "By the way, how do the people in the village navigate through this area?", she continued, suspecting that the lionkins might have secret tunnels or special garments to protect themselves from the thorns.

   "Honestly, I have no idea. None of the villagers venture in this direction for hunting, to prevent the humans from discovering the location of our village...", Rina replied.

   'It seems humans pose the greatest threat to the lionkins of the village. I wonder what Rina's opinion is about them. Does she hold hatred toward all of them? How would she react if she discovered I was once a human in my past life?... Well, it's not the time to seek answers to these questions. First, we must complete this mission...', Lucy thought after hearing Rina's response, which reminded her that there are many things yet to be clarified between her and Rina.

   The two wasted no time, and after drinking a potion for stamina recovery, they started running again, the sound of their steps being entirely masked by the songs of the birds that had begun to awaken.