Gera guided our group out of the orc territory. Although this short adventure was fun, I feel very tired.

I was sitting on Yoko’s lap, while Chizze rested on mine. I didn’t quite understand this strange relationship I was in. It wasn’t a feeling of discomfort... it was more a sense that I didn’t have much control over my actions.

Gera looked at me with eyes that showed how amusing she found my current situation.

When we left the orc forest, it was time to say goodbye to Gera, and I had to thank her properly: “Gera, tha…”

Raiza interrupted me and hugged Gera. “Gera, dear, it was so much fun meeting you. Really, the wine you showed us was delicious. Someday, we’ll come back to see you.”

I was surprised to see Raiza so close to Gera.

Kharla gave Gera a kiss on the cheek. “I still can’t believe that at just three years old, you’re so intelligent. Really, thank you for your advice; you changed the way I see life.”

Kharla too... what did I miss?

Then I looked at the dryad who was crying as she said goodbye to Gera. The only one who didn’t say goodbye was Chizze, but she apologized with her boar.

“Gera, thank you for everything. You’ve helped me in my darkest moments, and it hurts to say goodbye to you.” Yoko was also crying as she said goodbye to Gera.

“Little Yoko, I know you haven’t yet overcome your traumas, and perhaps you never will, but live happily, and when you die, don’t regret even your worst mistakes.” Those two shared a very tight hug; I didn’t even feel this many emotions when she said goodbye to her real sister.

I think I should have spent more time with Gera; she seems to be the best character in this adventure.

After saying goodbye to Gera without forming any personal bond with her, we were reviewing the details of our journey.

“Lady Raiza, which path will we take now?”

Raiza answered Kharla, “We have to pass by a river that flows into a large waterfall. It’s a bit of a dangerous area, and it will be hard to get our carriage down there, but we believe it’s safer. Also, it’s a zone with rare materials.”

I interrupted her. “It’s not just any rare material; it’s unique to that area: the blue blood of the horseshoe crab.”

“Hey, priest, why are you so excited about that crab’s blood?” says the half-elf, half-orc woman.

“Look, Yoko, you know how much I love studying medicine, and that crab’s blood is an ingredient for an elixir that can cure anything.”

“Are you sure there’s really something that can cure everything?” Yoko asks while moving closer to Chizze.

I look at Chizze and Yoko and answer, “It’s not exactly a cure-all; it doesn’t heal severe wounds, but it purifies the body of poisons and diseases.”

“Then relax, priest. Your wives will get you that crab blood,” Yoko says, while the beast-woman looks very excited for some reason I don’t fully understand…

Yoko was very enthusiastic. I think she wanted to become more integrated into the group. I suppose this will be easier than other adventures we’ve had.

We traveled by carriage for two days. Though I didn’t sleep very well, being sandwiched between Chizze and Yoko made it uncomfortable to rest, yet I could feel their love… a very strong love. Those two are stronger than I am; it really hurt. Fortunately, I had my passive healing, or I would have been dead by now.

I really need to sleep alone… just once.

That’s why I was falling asleep while driving the carriage, though it was really Kharla who was handling it.

"Lord Ester, you look terrible. I suppose this is the painful part of a pathetic man’s harem."

Kharla took advantage of my vulnerable state to insult me, and I replied angrily, "Since when do you talk to me so casually? I know it hurt when you looked at me with fear, but it’s also painful to see you look at me with pity… can you just let me sleep?"

Kharla put my head on her shoulder. "Relax, pathetic man. This Kharla will protect you from those women who only see you as a piece of meat."

Is it just me, or does her behavior remind me of how Yubel, Eduard, and Amelia used to treat me? They also treated me like this. It used to bother me when they made fun of me, but I’m so tired, and combined with a feeling of nostalgia… it makes this very relaxing…

...

While I was sleeping, we were attacked by a horde of undead. It didn’t matter since my companions were so ridiculously strong that they managed while I slept.

Raiza inspected the zombie corpses and noted that the source of their mana was artificial. “Someone was controlling these zombies remotely,” Raiza said, and Chizze added, “Boss, do you think it could be the work of a herald?”

Kharla replied, “I doubt it. If it were a herald, they’d attack us with more force. These undead are very weak; they’d barely be enough to scare people away from this area.”

After passing the zombie zone and moving on for another hour in the carriage, we were approaching the waterfall, which we could see on the horizon.

From the top of the waterfall, there was a magnificent view… too bad I was too asleep to see it.

My companions began planning how to descend the waterfall with the carriage and horses. They considered walking the rest of the way and leaving the carriage and horses behind, but Kharla opposed.

"We’ve spent so much of our journey with the carriage and its horses; it wouldn’t be right to abandon them." Raiza looked Kharla in the eye and said, “Tell me the truth.” Even under pressure, Kharla didn’t break, but Yoko spoke up.

“The albino girl traded with my sister for those wolf hides and armors we brought. She exchanged them for wine from our village.” Kharla felt betrayed by the new member of the group.

No one else noticed this little scheme since the hides and armor were in wooden crates, and she made the trade while the others were spending time with Gera. And if you’re wondering, Kharla didn’t tell Raiza anything out of simple embarrassment.

Just think about it: how do you tell a legendary hero that her group is smuggling liquor to her nation’s capital?

Raiza looked directly into Kharla’s eyes; it almost seemed like she was looking into her very soul… but Raiza just smiled and said, "You’re right, Kharla. It wouldn’t be right to leave our carriage behind. Dryad, help us get the horses down." After that discussion, my companions worked together to descend the waterfall.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

What I’m about to describe took several hours, but in summary:

The dryad used her powers to create vines to lower the horses down the waterfall slope, leaving the vines hanging for the others to use to lower the rest of the supplies. I went down on Yoko’s back, and Kharla went down on Chizze’s back.

Raiza, with the help of Chizze and Yoko, brought down the crates that previously held armor and wolf hides, which were now filled with expensive wine.

I think they were more careful with those crates than with my own body.

Then, Raiza and Yoko dismantled the carriage while Chizze took the pieces and lowered them, one by one.

Once the disassembled carriage was at the base of the large mountain, where I was still asleep, they slowly and carefully reassembled it.

When everything was ready, they loaded our belongings back into the carriage.

We had finally descended the steep slope, but it was already late, and my companions were tired, so they set up our improvised camp next to the waterfall.

Taking advantage of the nearby water, they decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bathe, which, honestly, was overdue.

Yoko, wanting to earn our favor, offered to wash the group’s clothes. After this long journey, our clothes had a strange smell, so her help was much appreciated.

When I woke up, I found myself completely naked inside the carriage.

“What happened? Where is everyone, and where are my clothes?”

I covered myself as best I could with a scarf I found on the floor, and as I peeked out, I saw something very interesting.

All my companions were bathing in the waterfall, while our clothes dried in the sun. I didn’t want to be a pervert, so, without anyone noticing, I grabbed my clothes, which were already dry and clean and had a faint floral scent. I assume that touch of floral scent was the dryad’s doing.

I took advantage of my friends being busy bathing to tend to the horses. I fed them and checked them over to ensure they were in good health and condition.

When I finished checking the horses, I saw a naked Chizze, with a huge fish on her back.

“Master, look what I found. I think this fish was hunting animals that came to drink near the waterfall, but Chizze hunted it instead.”

The fish Chizze brought looked like a giant piranha with enormous teeth, but I noticed its scales weren’t very thick. It seemed this fish had no predators, so it put all its energy into devouring its prey...

I congratulated Chizze and told her to get dressed when she finished bathing, that I’d cook the fish.

Once I was alone, I prepared the fish, separating the meat from the bones. With the bones, I made a fish soup, and I wrapped the meat in large leaves, seasoning it only with salt.

First, I buried the leaf-wrapped fish. On top of the buried fish, I lit the campfire, where I placed a pot and prepared soup with the fish bones and the vegetables we’d bought in the orc village.

When I finished, I had a thick fish soup as a first course, and for the second, a fish that looked like it was baked in an oven. When the meal was ready, my companions arrived.

They looked very lovely, with that rosy glow a woman has after a good bath, and the clean clothes only made them look better. They were all starving.

The fish that Chizze brought was huge, but my companions completely devoured it. I think they were very tired, as after eating, they went straight to the carriage and fell asleep.

I stayed up on guard by the fire, as they had watched over me while I slept, and now it was my turn to watch over them.

…

Days later, we were traveling on our way by carriage until we reached a rocky area along the river, full of giant stones that wouldn’t let us pass. Yoko jumped out of the carriage and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll move these rocks.”

Just as Yoko was about to move a rock, Kharla shouted, “Yoko, watch out!” A spear fell in front of Yoko, who dodged it and jumped back.

"That was a warning shot. I won’t miss twice," said an unfamiliar voice.

From behind those giant rocks emerged a man with greenish-blue skin, dark blue hair, and red eyes with reptilian pupils. I asked Kharla if his aura was that of a human. “He is human, but his aura resembles Eurisia’s and Rockson’s,” she replied.

Raiza shouted at the man, “Hey, are you a Herald?”

The man answered, “Yes, I am, but I’m not interested in fighting. I’m just here to look after my pets.” It was then I noticed that the giant stones began moving towards the man… they weren’t just stones; they were horseshoe crabs.

I’d always wanted to see those crabs, so I said, “Hey, I’m a priest with an interest in medical studies. I’ve always wanted to study horseshoe crabs, but we don’t want to harm them. We just want to pass through this path.” The man looked at me intently and asked a question.

“How long have horseshoe crabs existed?” I replied, “They’ve been around since prehistoric times. They’re living fossils, and their blue blood is used to make miraculous elixirs.”

The man softened his hostility and said, “I’m Ivan. I consider myself an animal healer. It’s true, I’m a Herald of Amber, but I don’t follow her commands. I never asked to be her Herald, but life isn’t fair… Given the dryad hiding in your carriage, I think I know who you are, and I’d like to ask a simple favor: keep me out of your trouble.”

I was shocked. I never thought a Herald wouldn’t obey their master’s will. Ivan commanded his crabs to move out of our way, and as we passed, he said, “Wait, priest… tell me your name.”

I replied, “Pleased to meet you, I’m Ester, a priest from the Southern Lowlands.” Ivan then pulled out two small vials of blue liquid and tossed them to me.

“Take them, Ester. It’s horseshoe crab blood. Consider it a gesture of goodwill and proof that even Heralds can have a will of their own.”

I thanked Ivan, and with Kharla’s permission, I offered him a bottle of orc wine. “Wow, this wine is quite expensive in the capital. Are you sure you want to give me such fine wine?” the Herald asked.

I replied, “Think of it as payment for the blue blood.” After that exchange, we bid farewell to Ivan and continued on our journey.

Even after passing by the horseshoe crabs, Raiza seemed quite unsettled. I suppose anything related to the Demon King causes her anxiety, but I trust she has the strength to overcome it.

Though I know the strongest warrior doesn’t always have the strongest mind. “Ester, do I have something on my face, or are you thinking of adding me to your harem?” Raiza said, looking back at me.

Oh, damn, she noticed I was staring. “Don’t joke about that, Raiza. You know I see you as an older sister, a very cruel older sister…”

Raiza started laughing while Kharla hugged her and shot me an angry look.

Don’t worry, Princess, I won’t steal your lovely elf.

…

We reached a point where our path was blocked by a wide river. My companions managed to get us down a waterfall, but a rushing river… I think the stronger ones could cross it swimming, but I’d probably be swept away. Then something caught my attention: I heard a melody. I asked my friends if they heard anything, but they said they only heard the river’s rushing water. However, I was hearing a woman singing…

I followed the melody to some rocks, where I saw a half-bird woman, similar to a harpy, who was bathing and preening her feathers. I think she was the source of the singing. The bird woman noticed my presence and shouted, “What do you think you’re looking at?” Then she let out a louder song that left me writhing on the ground. “Wait, I’m not bad, I just wanted to cross the river!”

The bird woman looked at me suspiciously, but then Yoko interrupted. “Ester, what are you doing?” She saw the bird with wet feathers and me on the ground. “Ester, if you wanted so badly to see a woman bathing, you could’ve just told me.” Somewhat flustered, I shouted, “It’s a misunderstanding! I just followed the bird’s song.”

"Who are you calling a bird, filthy human? I am a siren."

I didn’t understand what the bird-woman was saying, so I asked, “Aren't sirens supposed to be fish women?”

Yoko replied, “Ester, that’s a racist comment. She’s a sky siren, an evolution of the sirens that left the sea and took to the skies.”

The siren added, “Hey, Yoko, what are you doing with this foolish human?” Yoko responded, “Milenna, this man is my new husband; his name is Ester.”

The siren, Milenna, looked at me with disgust and said, “Wow, you have strange taste in men. Still, that’s your problem. But, what are you doing so far from your village?”

Yoko told her how we met, how I cured her stomach infection, and that we’re now on a journey to the capital.

“I see, Yoko. I can help you cross the river, but I’ll need payment.” Yoko smiled and said, “I have a bottle of wine from my village with me; if you want it, help me cross the river.”

…

Yoko and I went back to our group to tell them that Yoko would arrange for us to cross the river in exchange for wine.

Well, to be more specific, she carried me in her arms, as the siren’s song affects men strongly; that’s why only I could hear her… It’s funny how I can handle physical blows well, but I’m so vulnerable to this kind of magic.

“Hey, Yoko, how do you plan to get us across the river?” Kharla asked, and Yoko smiled, pointing up to the sky, where we saw a giant bird. Milenna jumped down from the bird and said, “Let me introduce you to my winged friend. Now get ready.”

The giant bird grabbed the carriage in its claws and flew it to the other side of the river. The dryad, using her vines, tied the horses, and with the bird's help, they also crossed the river.

Finally, we climbed onto the bird. It was a short but thrilling ride.

Yoko thanked Milenna and handed her a bottle of wine. “Hey, Yoko, couldn’t you ask Milenna if she could take us all the way to the capital?” I suggested.

Yoko replied, “That’s not a good idea. Human cities have anti-air turrets, not to mention that sirens, whether of water or air, are highly sought after by humans. It wouldn’t be safe for her.”

I guess she was right; maybe that’s why Milenna seemed startled when she saw me… I tried to apologize to Milenna, who accepted my apology, though not very sincerely.

We thanked her and the giant bird accompanying her, then continued our journey.