The rain poured down heavily, soaking Charles and Nora's drenched tunics as they moved across open terrain, far from the cave they'd just left behind.

The night sky was blanketed with gray clouds, and the cool air smelled of wet earth and grass.

Charles carried Nora on his back, the black sword in his right hand.

The golden light pulsing from the sword's hilt lit the path, casting a soft glow that contrasted with the darkness of the night.

Each step splashed water on the ground, the sound of rain filling the silence.

In Charles's mind, the sword's voice wouldn't shut up, its cheerful tone clashing with his growing frustration.

"Oh, the rain!" it exclaimed with almost childlike excitement. "It's been so long since I felt it! Well, I can't exactly feel it now, but being out here is so much better than that nasty cave. And the air… do you feel how fresh it is? Nothing like that damp rock stench! And look, the moon!"

The sword let out a giggle.

"It's so pretty! I haven't seen it in centuries."

Charles frowned, feeling like the sword was chattering like a little kid.

'Seriously…?' he thought, a touch of annoyance in his tone. 'Are you a powerful sword or a kid hyped up about rain? You're driving me nuts with all this commentary.'

The sword made a sound like an indignant huff.

"Hey!" it said, its tone irritated. "I'm way older than you, human! I've got centuries of experience! So show some respect, got it? Don't treat me like a child just because I'm happy to be free."

Charles rolled his eyes, though he knew the sword couldn't see it.

The thought of tossing it into the mud, just to shut it up for a moment, crossed his mind.

He gripped the sword tighter, as if about to drop it into the dirt, but as he raised his arm, the yellow mark on his palm flared with a warm glow, and his hand froze, as if something had stopped it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the sword exclaimed, its tone a mix of fury and shock. "How dare you try to toss me into this filthy, muddy ground! I'm an ego sword, not some random stick!"

Charles blinked, surprised.

The mark on his palm still glowed faintly, and he felt a slight tingle in his arm, as if the sword had taken control for a split second.

'What the hell?' he thought, incredulous. 'Can you actually control my body?'

The sword made a tongue-clicking sound, clearly annoyed.

"Don't be so dramatic," it said. "I just stopped your arm to keep you from doing something stupid. I'm not going to possess you or anything. Or would you rather I transform into a human right now, in front of that girl you're carrying? Because I can, you know."

Charles swallowed hard.

'No, thanks,' he thought quickly. 'Keep your transformations for later. I don't need more complications right now.'

The sword laughed, its tone smug.

"That's what I thought," it said. "By the way, don't forget you owe me one hour of freedom a day. And since it's already night, and morning's probably coming soon, that means you'll owe me two hours tomorrow. It's cumulative!"

Charles's eyes widened, furious.

'Cumulative?' he thought. 'You never said it was cumulative! What kind of shady contract is this?'

The sword let out another laugh-like sound.

"Relax, human," it said mockingly. "If you want, I can transform right now and strut around in front of your friend. I know you don't want her finding out all your secrets, right? So better not complain."

Charles clicked his tongue, frustrated.

The sword was right—he couldn't risk Nora learning more about his powers or the talking sword.

She was already confused enough without adding more mystery.

Before he could respond, Nora spoke, her tone more tired than sarcastic.

"Rian…" she said, shifting slightly on his back. "This princess carry is getting uncomfortable. My back feels weird, and I'm exhausted. Can't you put me down for a bit?"

Charles glanced at her, realizing carrying her like this for so long probably wasn't ideal.

Without overthinking it, he decided to switch positions.

With a quick motion, he tossed Nora upward, letting her land on his back in a piggyback carry.

With his left hand now free, he grabbed her by the backside to keep her from falling.

It happened so fast that Nora let out a small yelp of surprise.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, her cheeks slightly flushed. "What are you doing? That was… way too fast!"

Charles grinned, adjusting her on his back.

"Relax," he said. "I thought this would be more comfortable for you. Plus, I don't want you falling off."

Nora blinked, still processing what had happened.

Then, with a teasing tone, she said:

"Wow, Rian, since when are you so strong and agile? Did that sword give you superpowers, or have you always been this cocky?"

Charles laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't need the sword to be strong," he said with a hint of pride. "Reminder: I took down that guardian snake without any magical sword."

Nora huffed but leaned closer, wrapping her arms around his neck for better grip.

Charles felt the softness of her chest against his back, and a faint blush crept up his cheeks.

He tried to ignore it, focusing on walking through the rain, but he couldn't deny the closeness made him a bit nervous.

"This position's better," Nora said, a smile in her voice. "It's like you're my personal packhorse. How about I hire you to carry me everywhere?"

Charles rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but laugh.

"Packhorse…?" he said. "How do you come up with these dumb ideas so fast? I'm not your personal transport, you know."

Nora laughed, tightening her grip around his neck.

"You volunteered," she said playfully. "Besides, don't complain. You like playing the hero, admit it."

Charles was about to reply when he felt Nora shift slightly, adjusting herself on his back.

His hand, holding her to keep her steady, slipped a bit, and for a moment, he worried she'd fall.

Quickly, he moved his hand to grip her better, his fingers landing closer to a sensitive spot, causing her to let out a small yelp and tense up.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, her cheeks now definitely red.

Charles's face heated with embarrassment.

"It wasn't on purpose!" he said quickly. "I'm just making sure you don't fall. Don't make a big deal out of it."

Nora huffed but didn't let go.

Instead, she hugged him tighter, as if trying to hide her own embarrassment.

Then, changing the subject, she said:

"Alright, since we're here, how about I take you to the clan's market tomorrow? You could get a sheath for that sword."

Charles frowned, still walking through the rain.

"A sheath?" he said. "First, you should rest. I healed your back, but that doesn't mean you're ready to go running around. You need time to recover."

Nora made an indignant sound, tightening her grip on his neck.

"Don't start with that!" she said. "You're one to talk about rest, Rian. Have you forgotten the arena fight a few days ago? You were a mess, and here you are, carrying me and exploring like it's nothing. If you don't rest, I'm not resting either."

Charles sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

He kept walking, the rain soaking their tunics and Nora's weight steady on his back.

But something began to nag at him.

They'd been walking for a while, and there were no signs of the clan's village—no lights, no sounds, not even the smell of chimney smoke.

The terrain felt different, more wooded, with tall, dense trees he didn't remember seeing before.

'Where are we?' he thought, frowning.

Nora seemed to notice too, lifting her head to look around.

"Rian," she said, her tone more serious. "Do you recognize this area? Because I don't see anything that looks like the village."

Charles stopped, scanning their surroundings.

The rain made it hard to make out details, but the trees and terrain didn't feel familiar.

"I just kept walking straight," he said, his tone more defensive than he intended. "I thought it'd lead us back to the clan."

Nora stared at him in disbelief, tightening her grip on his neck.

"Straight?" she exclaimed. "Are you nuts? You can't just walk out of a cave and go straight like it's no big deal! We entered through one side of the forest, and now we're somewhere completely different! Didn't you think about that?"

Charles swallowed, realizing his mistake.

He'd been so distracted by the sword and its chatter that he hadn't paid attention to the path or asked the system for guidance.

'What an idiot,' he thought, annoyed with himself.

But a bigger question crept into his mind.

What if we're already outside the clan's territory?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.