Chapter 640: Setting up camp

[Everything turned out okay, no? You found yourself a master to teach you the way of the sword, while I’ll specialise in the women front... Besides, I’m a harem system, not a sword system]

’But Uncle Dorian isn’t even a proper swordmaster,’ he complained.

[What does it matter? He’s still much better than you at wielding a sword. Besides, beggars can’t be choosers]

"Tch." Elion clicked his tongue, but Nora seemed to think his displeasure was directed at her. She flinched, her face flushing furiously beneath his gaze.

’In any case, we got sidetracked. You’ve always said I should get as many women as possible to farm points, and now you’re telling me to avoid this one. Why her in particular? You’ve never objected to anyone before now. Not that I have any intention of chasing after her, of course.’

[There’s a limit to everything, host. Her affection for you borders on absurd fanaticism. It shouldn’t even be possible for that value to be so high.]

[Aria’s is a good kind of obsession, and it helps that you occasionally indulge her tendencies quells her need for you. It also helps that your other women are so welcoming. You saw what happened when you were away for so long without her knowing your whereabouts.]

[As for this one, well, give her a chance, and all hell will break loose. The slightest encouragement might make her do everything in her power to have your love all to herself]

[Of course, this is my own assessment, and the decision is entirely up to you; perhaps you can fix her if you actually try. The question is, will you try, and do you have the time to spend on something like this? And going a step further, is it even possible for someone like her to be satisfied? Trust me when I say she’ll go to any lengths, perhaps even secretly attempting to kill your other lovers as time goes by]

Elion drew in a sharp breath, his expression stiffening slightly.

’That’s not good. We can’t have that now, can we?’

[No, we cannot]

All this was subjective.

Perhaps she wasn’t as destructive as they suspected, but Elion didn’t want to have a ticking time bomb on his hands, ready to explode whenever given the opportunity.

’So, how do we go about rejecting her without being cruel?’

[Is that what you’re worried about?]

’What’s wrong with that?’

[You’ve become too soft, host]

Elion chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

’Look at you, suddenly becoming an expert on all this stuff, even calling me soft. You’d think you were an actual living person.’

[You’re imagining it. As for this situation, I’ve warned you and done my job. Now it’s your problem to worry about]

With that, the system’s voice faded into the background.

’Just great.’

Elion let out a quiet breath and looked back to Nora, only to find that she was still looking at him with an uncertain expression.

Her fingers were lightly gripping the edge of her sleeve, and when their eyes met again, she seemed to gather enough courage to speak.

"D-did I do something to upset you?" she asked, keeping her voice low enough that Maya and Yaana wouldn’t hear. Elion paused, briefly remembering that he had clicked his tongue while looking straight at her.

"No, I was thinking about something else," he replied, feeling a little awkward now that he understood her reaction.

"Oh..." Nora’s fingers loosened around her sleeve. "I thought perhaps it was because of what happened earlier. You had to come and rescue me, and I didn’t even notice the monster until it was already grabbing me."

"None of us noticed it," Elion said, glancing toward the lake. "Besides, your buffs helped quite a bit during the fight. You did your part."

A light blush coloured her cheeks and brown freckles, her eyes brightening slightly at his words, though the change was so brief that he might have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention.

A small smile appeared on her lips, and she lowered her gaze before speaking again.

"I’m glad they were useful to you."

’To us,’ Elion corrected inwardly, though he decided that saying it aloud would be a little excessive.

For all he knew, she was simply thanking him for saving her, and he couldn’t exactly begin rejecting advances she hadn’t even made.

Still, the system’s warning remained fresh in his mind, making it rather difficult to look at her the same way he had before.

He found himself wondering whether there had been any signs he had overlooked, only to realise that he hadn’t spent nearly enough time around her to know.

"If there’s anything else you need, you can ask me," Nora continued, looking up at him again. "I know I might not be much help when it comes to fighting directly, but there are other things I can do."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Elion replied, then gestured toward the trees. "For now, we should probably see if there’s anything left to help with at camp."

Nora nodded, seemingly content with his answer, and stepped aside as Maya finally turned toward them.

The enormous green core was still resting beside her, its faint glow visible even beneath the afternoon sunlight.

"Elion, would you mind keeping this with the meat for now?" she asked, placing a hand on its smooth surface.

"Sure." He stepped forward and stored it away, leaving a shallow impression in the damp ground where it had been sitting.

Maya glanced at the empty space, then at his hands, though she once again kept whatever questions she had to herself.

With their work at the lake finished, the four made their way toward the camp, leaving the remains of the monster slowly sinking behind them. Elion walked beside Maya, listening as she asked Yaana about the tents, while Nora followed quietly on his other side.

The camp had been set up in a small clearing a short distance from the bank, with enough trees around it to provide some cover without completely blocking their view of the water.

The tents stood on the flatter patches of ground, and a cleared space had been left in the middle for a fire.

"We moved a few rocks, but the ground is still a little uneven in places," Yaana explained, pointing toward one side of the clearing. "Try not to trip over anything once it gets dark."

Elion looked around and nodded, rather pleased that they wouldn’t have to sleep out in the open.

It was still strange to think that they had only arrived that afternoon, considering how much trouble they had already managed to find.

"We put up a tent for you, but if for some reason you want to put up your own, there’s space over here," Nora said, stopping beside one of the tents and looking toward him. "The ground is quite flat as well."

Elion glanced at the spot she indicated, then let his gaze travel toward the other side of the clearing.

There was another suitable patch facing the path they had taken from the lake, and he pointed toward it.

"I’ll use yours, thanks, but I will have to move it there. That angle will give me a good view of anything coming from the water."

For a moment, Nora said nothing, her expression remaining unchanged as she followed the direction of his hand. Then she nodded and stepped away from the space she had offered him.

"Of course. That makes sense."

Elion felt a little ridiculous for paying so much attention to such a simple exchange, but he preferred that to accidentally encouraging something he would later regret.

He took down the tent and brought out his other camping gear, carrying it toward the spot he had chosen, deciding that having something to do would spare him from thinking too much about it.

He had barely begun pitching the tent when the sound of footsteps reached him from farther between the trees.

Looking up, he spotted Cole coming through the undergrowth, with Mayumi behind him and Uta bringing up the rear.

"We found a way down," Cole announced as he entered the clearing, brushing a few leaves from his sleeve. "It’s a bit steep in places, but we should be able to manage it."

Maya turned toward him, her attention leaving the camp arrangements. "Did you see anything that might help us figure out where we are?"

"A few things," Cole replied, glancing toward the others as they gathered closer. "You’d better bring out those maps."