“I am sorry for last night,” Cecilia mumbled meekly, and quite uncharacteristically, as they made their way through the dark terrains of the canyon. “I was about to come change shifts with you, but then I don’t know what happened. One moment, I was just mediating, and the next moment, I woke up to find myself lying on the ground… It was like someone had cast an Arcana on me.”

“…It’s alright,” Yuri said, shaking her head with a smile at Cecilia’s clear lies, hidden behind her embarrassed smile. “If you truly feel guilty, then we can discuss some countermeasures after we return back to our camp. Right now, you need to focus completely on our surroundings. No more slip ups. And you too, Alnea. You cannot make any mistakes either.”

“I won’t,” Alnea said, as he continued to explore the dark canyons with the senses of his Spirit. He had already recovered his Spirit Power consumed from feeding Oren to his ring, and his Spirit Forging Session after that. Cecilia had taken quite a long nap, after all. Of course, that also meant that of the three of them, her Spirit was in the best condition. But then, her Heart, loaded with guilt, and shame, was in the worst state.

So, for the first leg of their exploration, they decided to let him take the lead in exploring the canyon, while Cecilia worked towards regaining her Serenity. Though, from the way she was apologising, it did not look like she was making any progress in that direction. Or was it a deliberate manipulation on her part? No, Cecilia was not crafty like that. If she wished to avoid the taking the lead, then she would have just said so. She probably really was feeling guilty…

Alnea shook his head, and brought his attention back to the surroundings around him. After reaching the False Rank, the range of his Spirit’s senses had increased quite a bit. But at the same time, the amount of Spirit Power consumed had increased as well, balancing the two effects out. So, to conserve his Spirit Power, he was observing just ten metres around himself.

That was not much, considering that he could see about a hundred metres in any direction with just his naked eyes. But at that distance, all his eyes could see were just vague silhouettes, and shadowy figures. And that was if those figures were not hidden. Even up close, the dim light of the canyon was not enough to properly illuminate his surroundings.

Within the senses of his Spirit though, everything was clear as crystal, as if he was seeing them under the brightest lights of Enn. No, not just seeing them, he was also feeling their texture, hearing their beats, smelling their breath, and tasting their essence. And so, even though the senses of his Spirit were controlled only within a distance of ten metres around himself, that was enough for him to sense any immediate danger. And of course, also for—

Feeling something strange enter the range of his senses, Alnea put up his hands, motioning the girls to stop, before taking a few steps towards the strange sensations. Just to be sure, he even squatted down, pinching some of the dirt from the ground in his hands, observing it with the senses of his Spirit.

“What is it?”

“The ground feels a bit salty, and bitter at the same time. And the texture is a bit flaky… As if something is missing from the ground… If I am not wrong, there is either a plant type Oren Beast just ahead in this direction, or some environmental hazard… What should we do?”

“You are the one leading us, so it is your call,” Yuri said, with a bit of amusement in her voice. “Or have you forgotten about your Oath already?”

Alnea stiffened for a moment, before shaking his head with a smile. Getting up from the ground, he walked back to the girls, and said, “I think there might be some unknown danger ahead on this path, so let us skip this direction, and check out the other areas.”

But his words were not enough to convince Cecilia. Looking towards the direction he had just walked back from, she said, “Why not check out what danger is first?”

“Because fighting is not our priority today,” Alnea said. “If we intend to live peacefully in the cave, then we need to have a complete understanding of the area around us. We can surely go check out lies ahead, but there is a great chance that we might get injured in the process. That would bring our day to an end. And if the injury is serious, then we might even have to take a few days off to recuperate. It would be better if we skip deliberately courting danger, and map our surroundings first.”

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“…Why do you sound so logical?”

“Because I am logical.”

“Fine, fine, we will not go there,” Cecilia said, turning away from the direction of the danger with reluctance. “Now, stop showing off, and start leading the way.”

“You look like a kid who had just had her toy stolen,” Alnea said, letting out a soft, and subdued laugh. And though he did earn Cecilia’s glare, seeing her embarrassed face made it worth it. Still, he was not stupid enough to keep standing by her side. Using his ‘official’ duty as an excuse, he turned around, and began leading the way once again, venturing into the darkness of the canyon, while mapping the area around their cave.

They had not planned to do so initially, but after having barely escaped from the claws of Shadow Moles the day before, when they were dragging the panther’s body back to their cave, they figured that it would be best if they could map their surroundings, and mark all the dangerous zones. If nothing else, it would at least help them secure a safe path for their retreat. If they ever needed it. After all, Goddess Ilea was not going to favour them every time they encountered their enemies.

“Was that the right choice?”

“There is no right choice… only the most appropriate one. And yes, your choice is indeed logical.”

“…Why am I getting a feeling that there a but involved?”

“…But your logic will hold true only if our main objective is to explore the canyon.”

“…Is it not?”

“…Why are we training together?”

“To develop as a team.”

“And why do we need to develop as a team?”

“To fight the Heterodox Wanderers…”

“And will we be able to fight the Heterodox Wanderers if we keep skirting around dangers?”

“But you were the one who said that we need to figure out our surroundings…”

“So? Am I denying the logic of your reasoning?”

“But…”

“Cecilia may have been a little impatient, but she is right in a sense. You cannot keep avoiding danger, Alnea.”

“…I am not avoiding danger. I just think that it would be better if we do not deliberately walk into danger on our own initiative.”

“…Are you afraid that we will get hurt?”

“…I am not afraid. Because I will not let either of you get hurt.”

“We are Wanderers, Alnea.”

“…I know.”

“Every time that we go Wandering in the Origin Sea, there is a chance that we might not return.”

“…That will never happen.”

“No matter what you do, as long as we keep walking on our paths, the dangers that we will have to face will keep on increasing.”

“…I will not let anything hurt you.”

“You can keep us away from danger for now, but what will you do when we have to face those dangers on our own? Without any experience of tackling all kinds of situations on our own, once you fail to keep us away from danger, then…”

“…You can be annoying at times, you know?”

“Truth can often be annoying. Especially if it is an uncomfortable one.”

Alnea ignored Yuri, and kept walking in silence, as one after another, memories kept playing in his mind. Memories of his Spirit Test. The day when the Heterodox Wanderers had attacked the city, only to be forcefully Enthralled. Whether it was Yuri, or Cecilia, both of them had fallen into danger because of him. Cecilia was even captured by the Heterodox Wanderers. If he had not been quick enough, if he did not have his master, then he might even have lost them that day. All because of his stupid Oaths…

Just like how Alnea Oathkeeper of the world of Attuners had lost his salvation. Even if he had managed to save her in the end, he could not change the fact that his salvation was captured, and held captive for almost two years, all because of his Oaths. Because he was too weak to do anything… And because the girl was too weak to resist. If only she had not been abandoned by the Origin Sea… If only she had had enough strength to resist the Acolytes of Origin for a while…

“Fine. I won’t avoid any dangers from now on...”