Returning to the Village IV

Not long after leaving the village, Tristan, Nathan, and Nate disappeared into the trees, and Carolyn's group arrived at the river bank, where she first saw Alan and Atla. Whether she had done it subconsciously or otherwise, Carolyn had avoided coming back here despite how near it was, so this was her first time here since entering the village. As she watched the flowing river, the sight of her mother's body being carried by it came to mind.

'Mom...'

"Are you still down here with us, young miss?"

Noticing that she was in a daze, Adam called out to her.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Let's continue."

After that episode, Carolyn focused on following Adam. He seemed nonchalant, but even without turning around, he could tell whenever she was about to step on an obstacle or creature and warn her in advance. She wondered if her family would have been able to escape if he had been there with them, even though she knew it was a futile hope.

"Captain Adam is good, isn't he?"

The suddenness of Harold's question surprised her, but Carolyn soon responded.

"Yes. I can certainly see that he's as experienced as Mr. Hanson said he was."

"Right! He's even good at gambling too. Whenever I play with him, I have to bring an extra pair of clothes, or else he'll leave me as bare as a skinned cat."

"Harold, phrasing," Adam interrupted.

"That's right. Don't dirty the Young Mistress' ears with your vulgar tales."

Against the backlash from Adam and Kathy, Harold pouted, "I was just trying to have a chat with her to lighten the mood. I was being her spiritual bodyguard. Okay?"

As they had much experience interacting with Harold, both Adam and Kathy shook their heads with a resigned sigh at his uselessly smooth tongue. Carolyn could almost hear a sigh from the forest as well.

"My apologies, Young Mistress. I should have noticed your discomfort before this rogue used it as an excuse to speak."

"Kathy, aren't you being a little too harsh to me?"

"No, I was just reminiscing a little. You could say this forest holds some special memories for me."

Realising what sort of memories Carolyn had in this forest, Kathy tried to assemble words to comfort her, but speech was never one of her strong points. Fortunately, Harold was still eager to send a lifeboat.

"Then it's even more important that you smile. Would the one you remember here want to see you with a frown on your face?"

Carolyn was shocked to hear such lines, but as she thought about it, she realised that Harold was right. While it couldn't be helped that this place reminded her of her nightmares, if her parents were still watching over her, then she couldn't let them worry any more. And so, with a firm resolve in her eyes, Carolyn showed a confident smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Harold. You reminded me of something very important."

"No, given how quickly you recovered, it looks like I was worrying too much."

"To think Harold would give decent advice. Perhaps we should have checked the weather before we departed."

"I know I've said this already, but aren't you a little too callous to me? Even I find it hard to joke around when you're dragging my self-esteem to the ground."

"If my words are so effective, then maybe I should speak to you more often. After all, someone like you would do well with more humility."

"Captain! Are you gonna let her hurt me like this? At this rate, your poor subordinate is gonna be sad."

"I don't care if you get sad; just don't make me hear you cry."

"Ehh? Captain, is that your way of saying you couldn't bear it if I cried?"

"I forgot. Choosing to respond to you was a mistake."

"Ah, you're just being shy. Don't you think so, Young Mistress?"

"Well, that's hard to say. Maybe you could ask him again when there's no one around."

"That's a brilliant idea! So Captain, for tonight's watch duty,"

"Thanks for reminding me. You seem like you have extra energy, so you can do it by yourself."

"Captain!"

While Harold appeared to be nothing but a frivolous jokester, the way Adam and Kathy made an effort to play along allowed Carolyn to figure out that they were doing this for her. Kathy's attitude was especially telling since she truly seemed to have difficulty keeping up with Harold. Although she told Teri that they could get along, she hadn't imagined that she would be able to talk with them this much. While thanking Harold in her heart, Carolyn continued the journey in a light mood.

A few hours and a short break later, Carolyn's group arrived at a plank bridge with safety rails made of wood. The river was narrower here compared to where her village was, so a simple bridge like this could be quickly made and then removed once it wasn't needed. Still, that meant it was less stable, so Adam cautioned her before stepping on it. After Adam was Harold, and then it was her turn with Kathy behind her.

Though Adam cautioned her, from within their midst Carolyn felt little unease as she made it across the bridge despite the slight rockiness. She wondered if this was an added benefit of having bodyguards, but if she brought this up and it made it to Hanson's ears, then he might try to stick her with a bodyguard in the village, so she kept it to herself.

Once the four of them were across the river, Adam continued forward, so Carolyn hastily asked, "What about the others?"

"There's no need to worry about them; they're already on this side of the forest."

Carolyn hadn't seen Tristan or the twins since entering the forest, so she wondered when they crossed the bridge, but she didn't doubt that Adam was telling the truth, so she didn't bring it up. After crossing the bridge, they were in a section of the forest that Carolyn had never been before. With her belief in Adam, she didn't worry, but her body was starting to get tired. She tried to keep her condition hidden, but her acting wasn't enough to fool Adam.

"We should be almost there. Can you make it?"

Her stubborn self nearly made her give a positive answer on reflex, but she hadn't forgotten about Teri's teachings; one who practices medicine must know their limits. Furthermore, she didn't want to trouble Adam and the bodyguards Hanson had arranged for her by falling sick, and it would be worse if they decided to turn back because of her. Therefore, after a careful self-assessment, Carolyn gave her answer.

"I should be good for another hour or two, but any more than that would be dangerous."

"Then you should be fine. Keep it up."

Adam's long experience allowed him to have a good idea about Carolyn's limits, so he knew that she was telling the truth, and that fact put a rare smile on his face. Even Hanson could count the number of times he saw Adam smile on one hand, so Harold would have surely made a fuss if he saw it.

As Adam had assured, in less than an hour, Carolyn began to spot familiar scenery. Unfortunately, the fact that she could clearly recall this sight from memory made what they came upon later even harder to bear.