Ashes and Vestiges III

By the time the smell from Adam's cooking began to fill the area, the forest was dark and Kathy had completely calmed down. He only used salt as flavouring, but Carolyn didn't believe she could recreate this smell even if she followed his steps exactly as she saw them. It was just fried fish, but the scent was so tantalising that Carolyn's stomach broke etiquette and growled. Thankfully, her stomach wasn't the only one, so no one pointed it out.

The most unbearable time was while they waited for the fish to finish frying, but Adam was ruthless in stopping all wandering hands from interfering with the process. When Adam finally seemed satisfied and removed one fish impaled by a wooden skewer from the fire, he handed it to Carolyn.

"Have a taste."

She managed to ignore the hungry gazes that followed the fish and somehow kept her composure as she accepted it and took a bite.

"!!!"

Carolyn trembled with shock and elation as she lowered her eyes on the fish she had just bitten. Even Rilis' chicken sandwiches would have a hard time competing, and she could easily count the number of dishes from her mother's cooking that were comparable.

"It's, great."

"I'm glad that you like it."

While the others started to eat, Carolyn took a second bite, this time focusing on the flavour. It was a very simple taste, with salt perfectly in harmony with the soft flesh of the fish. She had seen him cook, so she hadn't expected a complex flavour, but she was still in awe at how well it turned out. She took a bite every time the flavour began to fade, but before she knew it, there was nothing but bones left.

She didn't want to seem greedy by asking for a second helping, but her eyes naturally moved to the remaining fish. Noticing her gaze, Adam asked, "Would you like another, young lady?"

"Uh, could I?"

"Thankfully, we have extra, so yes. But this will be your last."

"Then, please."

Harold and Kathy were still engrossed in their own fish, so they didn't notice Carolyn receiving her second fill. She was confident she could ignore any salivating or envious gazes they threw at her, but it was still nice to be without them. Her second fish tasted just as good as the first, and though she wouldn't mind another, she was able to curb her desire. Still, she was worried she might lose control of herself, so she told Adam that she was going to retire for the night.

"Very well. You don't need to worry about getting up. I'll have Kathy wake you up in the morning."

"Okay. What about the night watch?"

"Harold will stay up for the night."

"Eh?! You were serious, Captain?"

Harold heard Adam's statement right as he was licking his fingers and looked at him in fright. He remembered Adam saying he would be the only one on watch duty for his jokes in the daytime, but he hadn't expected for him to stick to it.

"Why would I lie? You've done it before, right?"

"Well yes, but,"

"Then you should be fine. If you want company, then you can ask someone to stay up with you."

Harold knew not to expect such a show of companionship from Kathy, and the forest seemed especially silent, so he shook his head in resignation.

"Understood."

He knew that Adam wouldn't seriously leave their safety to him alone with Carolyn in their mix, but staying up for the night without someone to talk to still didn't sound pleasant. Though she felt sorry for Harold, Adam's guidance, and fish, had impressed Carolyn, so she had faith in his decision.

"I will see you all again tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night."

Before entering her tent, Carolyn also waved towards the gazes she felt from the forest. The journey had been so peaceful that she still believed they weren't necessary, but she was grateful for their silent aid.

After Carolyn disappeared into her tent, Harold turned to Kathy with a confused look on his face.

"Did you tell her where they were?" he asked quietly.

All scouts under Hanson's command could lower their presence to the same level as highly rated assassins, so in a dark forest it would be easy for them to sneak up on even trained soldiers without them noticing. In other words, they weren't at the level that a village girl should be able to detect, even if only vaguely. Tristan and the twins had the same thoughts as Harold when they first noticed that Carolyn was looking at them in the village after kowtowing before the grave marker. They had wondered if they had given themselves away somehow, but Adam hadn't called them out for slacking, so that wasn't the case. Given Carolyn's circumstances, it wasn't impossible that she had been taught how to detect presences on such a high level, but it still hurt their pride.

Kathy shook her head in response, but she didn't find it odd.

'Considering the Young Mistress' background, it's not surprising.'

Adam had the same confidence in her as Kathy, but neither Kathy nor Adam tried to resolve Harold's uncertainty because they knew he would throw it to the back of his mind regardless.

Carolyn woke up especially early the next day, while the sky was still dark and the sun needed a couple more minutes to rise. She didn't have a nightmare, and her sleep was relatively pleasant considering the location, but once she opened her eyes, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. There was a send-off ceremony planned for the day, but it wasn't the reason for her early rise. There was something she had to do—a place she hadn't visited yet. She had mixed feelings about going there, and she didn't think her expectations of what was waiting would be betrayed. However, she couldn't leave the village without going there one last time.

When Carolyn left her tent, she found Harold sitting by the extinguished campfire. He also noticed her and turned to look in her direction. Although he had likely spent the night out here, he didn't look very tired.

"Good morning, Harold."

"I would still call it night, but good morning to you too."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Well, it's nothing I haven't experienced before. What about you?"

"I, couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to take a walk. I shouldn't take very long though."

"I see. All the best."

From Carolyn's perspective, it wouldn't be odd if Harold saw through her excuse, but he didn't bring it up. Though he played the role of the jester in the group, he was likely the most considerate of his comrades.

"Thank you."

She knew she would still be followed by the three in the forest, but since they had already watched her yesterday, she didn't see the need to hide this time. Furthermore, it would likely be near impossible to dissuade them given Hanson's orders. After leaving the campsite, Carolyn let her memories guide her to the place she was most familiar with in the entire village. 

Would there be anything left to remember? That was something she didn't know.