Erin took a deep breath. They were finally back in the forest. She became a little nostalgic after returning among the trees. The human city wasn"t so bad of a place, but she really missed nature. Although in the castle, she was still between the stone walls, it was a lot quieter than the city.She looked back for the last time at the walls which were now fading from the view and sighed. The last few days there weren"t really good. She felt restricted and although there were quite a few good things that happened, she wasn"t able to like the place, especially after the slave traders" attempt to enslave Lyse.
Memories from her first days in the forest surfaced to her mind. Those memories weren"t really good. The death of Sam, the hunters who attacked her- all came back to her mind. Still, those were her first memories from this world. Her eyes teared up a little.
"Erin, are you alright?" Anna detected that something was wrong with her master. Erin"s expression wasn"t looking good. Was there some problem?
"I am fine, no need to worry." Erin shook her head and once again focused on the present. There was no point in thinking of the past. The life Richard gave her was a really unexpected gift, but the training was equally hard. Now it was hunting humans, what would be next? She sighed. Whatever it was, she would have to face it.
Seth was silently following the group. The changes in his body after becoming a blood slave kept him occupied. He felt more powerful than before, his energy was surging through all his body. He was in the period of adjusting with his new strength. His speed and power were more than before. He looked forward, the night through his eyes was like a day now. He could see everything clearly. His hearing had improved, too. The wounds on his body from the battle were already healed. That just showed how fast his body could regenerate now. He was really amazed by those changes.
"After a few more kilometers, we will make a camp." Richard"s voice echoed from the front. Seth trembled for a moment as he remembered the aura of the man in the lead. That man gave him a really bad feeling. The killing intent in his eyes back then was as clear as a day for Seth. The only good thing now was that he was now Erin"s blood slave, or else he would be most probably dead by now.
"Alright." Erin smiled at Richard. She felt relaxed now. Even though the tempo they were using was fast, she felt like she was back at home. The scenery and smell of the forest was something she was already used with.
After a bit more journey, a clearing finally appeared in front of their eyes. They could hear the sound of running water nearby. Clearly, the spot was perfect for camp. Richard stopped at the clearing and looked at the surroundings, trying to detect if there was any danger nearby.
"Let"s make the camp here." With this, Richard was the first to move and make preparations. The girls followed suit and started looking for some materials for the camp. After half an hour, two shelters were created and some wood for a fire was piled up on the side.
"There is a stream nearby. Should we go and clear ourselves?" Anna asked.
"Sure, I need to change my clothes, too after the experiences today," Erin said as she looked at her barely recognizable clothes. They were torn at several places. Her clothes resembled rags at the moment.
"I w-will come as well." Lyse also needed to change clothes. She was still wearing the clothes from the inn. She wasn"t looking any better than Erin.
"Alright then, let"s go." Anna smiled and turned around, going for the stream.
"What about me?" Seth said, but the moment his sentence finished, he felt a piercing gaze on him. He shivered and couched a few times. "I mean, what should I do now?" Even though he needed a change of clothes and a bath too, to go with the girls had never been his intention. Even if he was a slave hunter and an a.s.sa.s.sin, he had his morals.
"You will provide the food for tonight." Richard"s tone was low and poisonous. He really wasn"t able to stand that guy.
"Alright, what should I catch?" Seth asked. He wasn"t sure what the menu of vampires would be.
"A few rabbits will be enough. Try not to kill them on the spot. After all, we need to drink their blood. It might be some other animals too. If you can find a magical beast, it will be even better." Anna explained from the side.
Seth nodded and dashed to the forest. He was too afraid to be only with Richard at the same place. "Better to go and do something," he thought After the girls finish their bath, he could take a bath, too. He was able to take a few clothes while they were leaving the city, so there was nothing to worry about.
After the girls returned from their bathing, they saw Richard sitting in front of one of the two shelters and watching Seth at the side. Next, to him, there was a dead shadow panther. Seth was motionless and sweat rolled down his forehead. He wasn"t able to understand why Richard would watch him with so much killing intent in his eyes.
Erin paused in her steps and felt a bit awkward. Should she be happy about the panther or not? Looking at Richard"s direction, she wasn"t sure what to do now.
Anna and Lyse watched with some amus.e.m.e.nt from the side. They both knew Erin"s favorite food was the shadow panther. They also knew Richard had feelings for her, but his actions right now were really childish. For a Demon Lord to be actually like that, he really was a lost cause for love.
"Let me prepare the food." Anna decided to help at that moment. Though it was funny to watch the show, she didn"t want Erin to suffer from that. She went to the panther and started preparing it for cooking.
There was no discussion happening when they waited for the food or when they were eating. Everyone was only focused on their food. Like always, Erin really enjoyed the meat. Her eyes sparkled as she ate. Richard watched this scene and his expression softened a bit. He couldn"t just feel angry anymore after watching Erin like this.
After finishing their meal, the girls prepared to go to their shelter, while Richard had already entered his. Seth watched both shelters and was at a loss for words. Should he go in Richard"s shelter or not? If he went in there, he felt that there would be only suffering waiting for him.
"Ahem, where should I sleep?" He wasn"t able to stay silent at the end and asked. The girls stopped in their tracks and looked over. They prepared two shelters, one for them and one for Richard and Seth. But looking at the situation, they thought it was really impossible to put Seth in the same shelter as Richard.
"Should I prepare another shelter?" Anna asked, ready to start the preparations.
"No need, he will stand guard for the night. Go to sleep." Richard"s voice echoed from inside his shelter. The girls looked at each other, but they couldn"t do anything about it. Erin felt some guilt, but she was too awkward to actually say anything. Finally, they entered their shelter, leaving Seth outside.
"A night watch, isn"t it? No problem." Seth murmured and came next to the fire, throwing a few branches in it to keep it going. "This is going to be a long night for me," he thought.