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The old man came walking back from the guild as if nothing happened. The bench was a mild distance away from the guild, so the noise just sounded like a lively group of adventurers, leaving the two others in the dark about what really occurred on Mr. Legot’s trip inside.

“Mr. Legot, did everything go okay?”

Aliza did not hesitate to raise from her seat to check on the elderly’s well-being. It actually surprised her for him to come out without a care in the world. He was practically a celebrity in this town after what happened yesterday, so she thought there would definitely be complications when Mr. Legot entered the guild to retrieve his stuff.

“Hoho, all good. They didn’t catch onto me, surprisingly. Helen is behind the guild, so we can just pick her up, then get the carriage, and we’re all set.”

His smile was still beaming from earlier, when he found out that his partner had been okay. Once again, Aliza found this super unnatural but brushed it off, thinking that moving along with their plans was more important.

“Oh, okay... then let’s do that right away.”

Ace nodded as Mr. Legot already turned towards the guild once again, in a rush to reunite with his dear friend. Ace gave a small jog to catch up to the old demihuman, then they proceeded towards the rear side of the guild.

“Mr. Legot, now that we’re actually starting to leave, may I ask what town you will be stopping at?”

Aliza also caught up with a speed walk and asked where they would be parting ways. Mr. Legot said when they first met that he would be travelling in the capital’s direction, but not directly to the capital. Aliza wanted to get the specifics, just to be prepared.

“Oh, I have decided to follow you two along your journey. It seems like it’d be fun. Is that okay with you two?”

Ace and Aliza both stopped in their tracks, letting the mouse create some distance. He stopped after a few slow steps, then looked back at the two, wondering why they had frozen.

“Are you serious?”

Ace could not help but ask after hearing an offer like that. Mr. Legot has been nothing but helpful since they have met, and now he’s offering to give them transportation throughout their whole journey.

“Of course. I try to avoid lying.”

Not a shred of hesitation in his response, wanting to state clearly that he wants to journey along with these two teens. Aliza was the next to speak up, wanting to share her thoughts.

“Yes, that is okay with me, and I’m sure is okay with Ace. Thank you very much Mr. Legot. You have done a lot for us.”

She bowed her head at the old man, whose smile hadn’t disappeared since he’s returned. Since Aliza has met Ace, it has felt like she was accompanying him on his journey, but after all they have been through, it’s now starting to feel like it’s ‘their’ journey. Hearing Mr. Legot’s offer to help them on their journey left her with a strong feeling of gratitude accompanied by pure happiness, to know they had gained another partner.

“Hoho, you don’t have to do all that. You two are good kids and I’m sure it’d be hard to make some connections in Felona, so that’s the conclusion I came to.”

She lifted her head and returned the smile that Mr. Legot has retained. He felt as if the smile was wasted on him, so he did not hesitate in offering a suggestion.

“Save that cute smile of yours for Ace here. I’m sure he would appreciate it a lot.”

“Wha--?!”

Watching in silence as the two interacted, Ace jumped hearing his name brought forward. He also witnessed the smile Aliza displayed, so hearing it reserved for him didn’t sound so bad. It was a little embarrassing though, causing the small hop.

“Hehehe...”

Normally, Aliza would also blush a little, but the pleasant feel in the air dragged out a giggle from her soft-looking lips. Ace turned forward and kept walking, also brushing off the embarrassment to smile and indulge himself in the pleasant vibe.

“Let’s just get Helen already...”

• • •

“Helen!”

The fastest walk she has ever seen by an old man was performed in front of her eyes. This was not an exaggeration, she truly wondered how he walked so fast. The curiosity dissipated though, seeing the partners reunite.

“I see you’ve been doing good, haha...”

He wrapped his arms around the head that was bent towards the ground, rubbing against the old man’s chest. The Llorse’s head raised and licked Mr. Legot’s head, causing a laugh and a quick rub on her mane.

“The name really fits...”

Ace could only watch and witness the animal that stood in front of him. Its name was too perfect for what it was. The animal had the muscular body and shape of a horse, but the hair and head of a llama. The similarities were too grand, Ace thought he would ask Deepa about it today.

“Did you say something?”

Hearing his whispers, Aliza felt the need to ask. Ace glanced over, seeing a continuation of the smile from earlier.

“Oh, it’s nothing. But look who’s all smiles.”

Now a little more self-conscious, Aliza blushed a little but explained her reasoning. Her hands linked together; she turned her gaze to the two who were still reuniting.

“How can you not feel happy after seeing them like that? It’s really cute.”

“I guess...”

Ace didn’t want to admit to anything being cute, but she wasn’t wrong. Anyone witnessing the scene in front of them would smile just as she had. It reminded him of his own recent reunion and left a smile on his face. Ace’s reunion could have easily become a source of sadness, but he decided to use it as motivation, which made him able to have a smile on as he watched Mr. Legot.

“My apologies for taking so long. We can get moving now.”

His embrace with his partner ended shortly, and the old man walked back towards the other two, Helen’s lead in his hand.

“Don’t worry about it. I know how fulfilling meeting up with your family members after a long time can be. Take your time.”

Ace didn’t want Mr. Legot to rush for him and Aliza. Spending time with your loved ones was of high importance, and Ace recognized that.

“Hoho, thank you, but we’ve had our talk. Helen is raring to move around, so let’s get going.”

Ace glanced at the highly loved Helen, then extended his hand to pet the white mane that looked so rich.

“Ah...”

His hesitation kicked in, remembering back to his multiple quests. Bitten by multiple monsters has left Ace with a slight fear of animals, that his hand just floated in the air a few centimetres from Helen’s body.

“Rrrrr...”

The animal hummed and slowly lowered its head into Ace’s hand, sensing the fear in his eyes. She twisted and turned in Ace’s palm, then raised her head to lick the palm that was now free.

“Haha, it was dumb of me to be scared of you, wasn’t it...?”

He placed his hand on her mane and gave it a shake, letting the hairs rub across his skin. Helen let off one more hum, then rubbed her head against Ace’s.

“Am I also allowed...?”

Aliza stood back, also hesitant to indulge in the rich mane in front of her. She wondered if it was okay to just start petting her out of nowhere, that she stood away, looking disappointed.

“Haha, Helen seems fine, come here...”

Ace grabbed her arm and placed it right onto the new partner’s mane, next to his own hand. Aliza was surprised to be pulled but was appreciative for the lack of hesitation that Ace pulled off. She wasn’t worrying anymore about being allowed or not now that her hand embraced Helen’s mane.

“We’re going to be with this girl for a while, so don’t be so shy, haha.”

Feeling her hand touching Helen’s hair, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She started slowly rubbing, which transitioned quickly into mid-speed rubbing, which turned into two arms around Helen, rubbing her own cheek into the mane.

“Ahhh, Helen... you’re so pretty! You’re such a good girl! Mr. Legot is so lucky! Come here!”

Ace retreated to leave Aliza to her own devices. Seeing her excitement, he could tell that she was going to be like that for a little longer. He sat back and watched, letting her spend some time of uninterrupted enjoyment. All of yesterday was a little weird, so to see her like this left Ace feeling a sense of satisfaction.

“Good for you Mr. Legot.”

The two men stood back and watched as the females of the party embraced each other. They might not have been of the same species, but the sparks were already flying between the two. Ace wanted to express his thoughts to Mr. Legot, who seemed so happy to discover the positive well-being of his comrade.

“Hoho, thank you. I knew she would be okay, but I couldn’t help but worry.”

The mouse brushed his pointy beard with his fingers as he spoke with the younger human. His gaze was kept on his Llorse, but his attention was on Ace. Ace giggled watching Mr. Legot’s gaze, thinking that he truly was worried for his partner and that it was funny seeing an elderly so kiddish. He was serious now, but just a few moments ago, Mr. Legot was jumping into Helen’s mane with a wide smile, as a kid would.

“Haha, I can tell.”

• • •

Aliza received her fill of Helen and the three set out for the Merchant’s Guild once again, where the new carriage was waiting. Travelling through town was not very easy, especially with a large animal like Helen roaming the streets in such a small town. It wasn’t very uncommon, but any attention on themselves was unwanted, considering the threes’ situation. They all placed their hoods over their heads and continued, safely making it to the Merchant’s Guild.

“Rrrrr!”

Seeing the wooden carriage waiting for her caused an excited hum from Helen, who did a little gallop to stand beside the new extension of her body. It seemed like she liked pulling carriages or may have just got used to the last one and it grew on her.

“Hoho, look who’s raring to go. Seems like we should set out right away.”

The three did not waste any time when it came to moving their plans along. Mr. Legot sat in the front with Ace and Aliza in the back. A tarp covered the back portion of the carriage, allowing the rear two to drop their hoods and enter a space of freedom.

*CRACK*

The sound of a whip got the carriage moving, most likely Helen, to mark the start of their journey. After about 20 minutes of feeling the ground underneath him bump and shake, Ace peeked outside the tarp.

“Woah, it’s really starting...”

The town was now behind him, and the distance multiplied as they moved forward. The journey has felt like it’s restarted multiple times since coming to this world, like when he came back from Earth, or when he beat his first monster, but now he was actually progressing. His goal filled his mind, causing a dedicated smile to plant itself on his face.

“I’ll make it back; I can feel it.”

He dropped himself back inside the carriage to do something that’s been on his mind for a while. He leaned back on the sides of the carriage and closed his eyes to open the menu that he has been gifted with. It has felt like a while since he’s used it, and he’s wanted to speak with Deepa once again, so he thought this was a perfect time, when he had nothing else to do.

358 Days

12:56 PM

Level

Map

Support

Skills

“Aliza, I’m going to talk to Deepa.”

He did not want to be rude, and she recognized that, but he was basically saying not to bother him for two minutes. She gave a small nod, which he did not see due to his eyes being closed, but he trusted that she got the idea. Ace focused his mind on the word “Support” and immediately words shot at him, as they always did.

--Yoohoo~ how’s it going today, my little Ace~?

His kiddish voice entered Ace’s mind, but this was normal at this point. Ace did not waste any time in throwing questions at Deepa, who was sort of like an unhelpful but helpful assistant.

--I don’t know much to ask today, so I’ll start with what’s at the top of my head, although I don’t think I’ll get an answer.

--Go ahead~ Ask away~

--Did you show me that dream of Mila’s dad? There’s no way my power is just that convenient. That would just be overpowered.

Hesitation, followed by an annoying giggle from the inside of his head. Ace’s brow furrowed hearing the giggle that he couldn’t mute. Aliza noticed the change but did not say anything, knowing Deepa was the cause.

--Hehe~ Just go off the premise that the dreams are random~ I won’t tell you the extent of its powers~

“*tch*”

A click of his tongue. Another change Aliza noticed but decided not to speak about until after he was done. Ace continued questioning Deepa inside of his head, with a quick shuffle of his body on the floor of the carriage.

--Okay, another one off the top of my head. I remember you saying that you had the power to boost someone’s stats like you did to Aliza. I don’t know how this “power” works, but can it also be put into me to boost me even more?

Deepa thought to himself for a second, but not for too long as he came up with an answer. Ace did not like any time wasted, so he liked how fast he received responses.

--I can, but is that what you want to do~? I think partners can be pretty helpful, although I don’t really care for them~

Ace asked the question purely out of curiosity, wondering if he actually would get another partner like Aliza. He had Mr. Legot now, but if he was being honest to himself, he didn’t want to boost the stats of an old man who could not fight. As long as he knew the option was available to him, he can discuss it with Aliza. Aliza... that brought another thought to Ace’s head, who shuffled his bottom once more on the wooden floor.

--Wait, can you use the rest of that on Aliza too? If you can use it on me, you can use it on her, can’t you?

--Hehe~ yes, I can~ I told you though, the boost will not be as strong as yours~

Ace was confused about how this ‘power’ of Deepa’s worked, but basically, he has the power to boost Ace’s level growth, skill growth, and increase how many magical attributes he can use. When Ace asked about giving these boosts to Aliza also, Deepa responded with only being able to increase her level and skill growth, and it would not even be equal to Ace’s. Now, he says that he can use more of his ‘power’ to increase Aliza’s growth further. It was confusing on what exactly this ‘power’ was, but he got the gist of it.

--Okay, seems like I’m running out of time. Last question. The writing here is different from Earth. Can you do something about that?

Deepa’s slight hesitation repeated, but his response was swifter this time compared to before.

--Yessir~ I will fix that for you~ Seems like we’re out of time, make sure to call me tomorrow, byee~

The voice disappeared, and Ace opened his eyes returning to reality. The carriage continued to move, Aliza sat across from him, and Mr. Legot sat in the front managing Helen. Ace took one more peek outside, the distance from Furio Village continuing to increase, then he looked back at Aliza, wanting to ask her something.

“I just finished speaking with Deepa.”

He received a quick nod, Aliza’s attention already fully on him. She was catching all the slight differences in his facial expressions as he conversed that it got sort of funny, and she just could not look away.

“Before I go into that... Aliza... should I tell Mr. Legot everything...?”

A drop of sweat trickled down his face, wondering if he should reveal everything to their new permanent partner. Ace thought this question was of great importance, especially when remembering back on his parents and his friend’s reactions. Aliza stopped and looked away to think for a second, but quickly glanced back. Her face looked determined, and Ace could already tell the incoming answer.

“Yes, we should. If he’s going to be our partner for the next year, we have to spill everything.”

Ace’s trust in Aliza was high, so any opinion she had would be considered very strongly. Ace’s past experiences were valuable, but he did not want to not trust anyone anymore because of them. He decided to follow along with Aliza’s suggestion, and spill everything. Ace pushed himself off the edge of the carriage and crawled to the front where Mr. Legot was, then opened the entrance to the front.

“Mr. Legot... I need to tell you something...”

Another drop of sweat trickled down his forehead and onto his cheek, as he looked at the old man to who he would reveal everything. How would he react, is all Ace could wonder.