After this, the conversation kinda quickly went cold, and no one spoke a word safe for Aru and me trying and failing to make small talk with the other two. Sabljevo was just an hour's drive away from the dock town, but the difference between the two is almost night and day. Whereas the dock town is pretty bleak, muddy Blue and somewhat depressing, Sabljevo is practically all vineyards and trees, which meshes beautifully with the clear water of the sandstone beaches. Cecily mentioned before that Grim, Nelly and her went on vacation here, so I'm gonna trust her words on this being a safe enough spot to go to.

"Man, it's like I'm back in time!" Adam raised his arms up in a victory pose as he took in the familiar visage, "It's been years since I've last been here, but it really hasn't changed a bit!"

"Huh? You've been here before?" Issei asked, "I think I remember Cecily mentioning she went here with Lune and their kid once, but you? The busy king that refuses to stop getting busy with the queen?"

"That's an interesting way to put it, but yes." Adam chuckled, "In fact, Cecily was the one to tell Elaine and I about this place in the first place. Back then, Allen was whining a lot about wanting to go somewhere, so we..."

"No one cares!" Aru shouted, "Your son wanted to go to the beach, so you and your wife went there - the end! We have no time for flashbacks."

"So Cecily was the one who suggested you two go to Sabljevo?" I chuckled, "Then wouldn't this sorta be considered fate?"

"Fate?" Issei's ears twitched.

"Indeed, though back then, before they themselves went, they weren't really all that optimistic about it." He chuckled, "See, in our language, Sabljevo can be translated as the city of sabers, so they were hesitant to take the young and defenseless Nelly to such a dangerous sounding place."

"Saber?" Issei once again picked up an important detail from the conversation.

"Geez, what is it?" I turned to him a bit annoyed, "What is it about the words "fate" and "saber" that get you so riled up?"

"Heh, it's nothing." Issei brushed me off, "You just reminded me of an old game I used to play, that's all."

"Game? I'll have you know Sabljevo is nothing to laugh at!" Adam vehemently defended the tourist town, "It's called Sabljevo not because of some game, but because some of the oldest swords in history are being kept in its museums! Besides, I went here with Elaine during our childhood and can vouch for the beaches without hesitation."

"Huh? So you knew her before you two got married?" Issei let slip an odd question.

"Of course, we are childhood friends, first and foremost." Adam nodded, "Why do you ask? Is it that odd?"

"W-Well, it's just that..." Issei found it rather embarrassing to explain his reasoning, "The kings in my history often find concubines and such. I dunno, something like the king marrying his childhood friend, it just sounds way too... wholesome? Like, did your parents object to two royal families marrying into one another without any implied personal gain?"

"Royal family? Pish, her parents are farmers, through and through." Adam corrected him, "Though my in-laws are a wonderful bunch, they still value hard work over joining the ranks of royalty, so they're staying back at their village."

"Eee~, they're just like us, then." I figured, "And the previous king didn't have anything to say about that?"

"The previous king died when Adam became king, dumbass." Aru retorted, "And who is gonna oppose the king's wishes? He really could marry whoever he wanted to once his old man bit the dust."

"A rather crude way of putting my father's death into words, but effectively true nonetheless." Adam lightly applauded, "I did have other girls in mind back then, but many things happened over the years that steadily made me realize just how much I truly cared for Elaine. Before I knew it, I was knocking at her parents' front door, covered in sweat and with a bouquet of the most expensive flowers money could buy."

"That's so sweet!" I smiled at the wonderful story, but Issei was just trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Pff-!" He stifled his laughter before Adam noticed.

"What part of my story is humorous, Kaido?" Adam angrily asked.

"N-Nah. I-It's just...!" He stopped laughing immediately, "I just thought of something real funny, like a super damn funny joke!"

"Oh? And would you mind sharing this joke with us, then?" Adam smiled, though the expression didn't show the joy commonly associated with it.

"Uhhh..." Issei tried to think of one on the spot, "Two camels come in and one of them croaks."

"Okay...?" We waited for the punchline.

"...That's it." He shrugged, "That's the joke."

"Two camels come in and one of them dies, that's it?" Aru asked, "Where did they come to? And why did one die?"

"Because... it's unexpected?" Issei shriveled up from the embarrassment, and I couldn't help but feel his pain second-hand, "U-Usually people expect the joke to continue, b-but it's so short and abrupt that it surprises you. I-I think."

"Let's just chalk it up to a foreigner joke we're too local to understand..." I tried to at least be sympathetic towards him.

"Oh." Aru started to laugh, "Ahahaha! I see! Two camels... bahaha! And the other one just up and croaked! What the hell, that makes no sense, haha!"

"Aru, you get it!?" Issei was just as stunned as the rest of us.

"Yeah, it's funny because it makes no sense!" Aru said in between bursts of laughter.

"Yeah! That's it, you got it!" He gave her a fist bump, "This Goddess is becoming more and more lovable by the day!"

"Hehe, praise me more, foreigner!" She looked super happy to be praised, "Y'know, you're not half bad for a time anomaly!"

"Hooray! I'll take that as a compliment!" He lifted her up as they danced around together like a complete and utter goofball duo.

"Is that truly the Goddess I worship...?" Adam turned to whisper to me as we looked on at the rather funny sight.

"Yep, best get used to it." I remarked with an awkward smile, "This is the true face of the Gods..."

"Gasp! Don't you DARE lump my beloved with the rest of us!" Aru stopped the celebrations to correct her, "Just because the other Gods and I have been unserious bastards thus far doesn't mean Ouroboras is as well!"

"I didn't call you guys that." I denied the claims.

"Ouroboras? Allucius' beloved?" Adam looked even more lost than before now.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Hoo boy, this is gonna take a while to explain, isn't it... Actually no screw that, I'm not about to waste an hour of our lives explaining who the Sun God is to this guy, there are other more qualified people for that. Yeah, we're not here to talk about the Gods, we're here to see some vicious animals!

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"Chirp chirp." A small bird could be heard singing from a nearby grapevine.

"What's the matter, Ed?" Cecily noticed me staring at it intently, "See something interesting?"

"Yeah, maybe..." I thought of an idea, "There are all sorts of animals here, but it's not like they're all vicious, right?"

"Yeah?" Issei let me finish, "So?"

"So, what if we ask them in addition to the locals!" I presented the idea spectacularly, "Let's have the Aru and you go into the city while Adam and I visit the forest. Aru's all-knowing, which would greatly help them in navigating around the place, and I could use Adam's help if we run into any dangerous animals in the area."

"Hm, it's an excellent idea." Aru nodded, "The king's sheer size will probably scare away any real threats in the vicinity, his noble rank will also fend off any bandits and hunters that may come about, and you and the foreigner both know the Animal Tongue. It's a foolproof plan, safe from one small detail."

"Then how can it be foolproof if there's even one small detail that's missing?" Issei furrowed his brows.

"Because if you're willing to risk it, your chances are 99,99% safe." She advised, "Bring me along, what with my favor and all, and you'll get the last 0,01%."

Ah, I get it now. If we go with my setup, we'd have the most optimal chances for normal people standards, but going far enough out would make us leave Aru's favor's range. We'd essentially be vulnerable to any and all unexpected factors, and given Issei's foreign origins messing with the delicate equilibrium of the world, we could very well die out there. I'm suddenly feeling kinda scared...

"So then, why don't I accompany Kaido in Allucius' stead?" Adam suggested, "My rank might not mean too much when presented to hunters and bandits, if anything it'd only make them attack us more. On the other hand, having someone like me with him would both keep us safe and allow Allucius to go with Edward to the forest."

"Yeah, I'm fine with that." Issei didn't mind either option.

"I'm not." Aru surprisingly objected, "I was more so thinking of letting the three of you go while I hit the town. The three of you will be fine, with or without the favor."

"But we can't just let a little girl like you go on your own, though." Adam shook his head, "Goddess or not, I'm worried something might happen to you."

"Uhh, hello? Were you even listening at all?" She pointed to herself with her thumb, "Everyone on my side and near me has my favor keeping them safe, and this includes me! I am exempt from any and all danger at all times, at least the lethal kind."

"Mn..." Adam wasn't quite convinced yet, so...

"Adam, I agree with Aru." I grabbed him by the shoulder with an innocent smile, "Don't you wanna be part of The Boys?"

"The Boys?" Adam seemed way too interested.

"Yeah, we didn't get to talk all that much before, but now's the perfect chance!" Issei chimed in, "The weather's nice, the tree's shade feels perfect... Really, what more can you ask of a forest camping trip with The Boys?"

"Oh, so that's what you meant!" Adam smiled.

"Yeah! We're all capable of taking care of ourselves, right?" I reasoned, "The chances of something dangerous happening are, according to Aru at least, a hundredth of a single percentage! Besides, both of us can vouch for Aru's favor's credibility. So come on, live a little!"

"Hahaha, alright!" He dapped us up, "Then, what are we waiting for? Let's depart!"

"Yeah, departure!" Issei and I celebrated as we sneakily gave Aru a thumbs up, "Let's go!"

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Now that we were inside the forest, how do I put this...

"It's fucking horrible!" Issei shouted, "It's hot as hell, it reeks of animal shit wherever you look, and these damned bugs are incessantly biting me! Ow, why you little...!"

"So what, guys?" Adam's thick and heavy armor help keep him safe from the little critters, "They're not so bad? Besides, we're The Boys! Nothing can get in our way, right?"

"Y-Yeah..." I tried not to stifle my pained expression as I walked through the tall grass, "Oh, hold on! Shh!"

"What, what?" The other two ran to hide behind me, "Oh, a doe."

"Think you can read its mind from this far out, Ed?" Issei asked.

"No, I can't discern the letters from this distance, but I'm afraid of startling it if we move too close." I thought, "Alright, you guys stay there for now."

"Be careful." Adam nodded, "The Boy."

"That's not how you... Ugh, whatever." I ignored him as I inched towards the doe.

It was currently drinking some water. There doesn't seem to be any rivers or channels nearby, so I assume this is just a puddle that formed from when it rained recently. The doe looked feeble, its legs shaking and quivering as it carefully propped itself down to drink. If I wanted to establish a meaningful conversation with it, I'd need to be patient. Animals feel the most anxious when they're either drinking or eating, so I needed to wait until it finishes to offer it some more water from my bag.

"Parched..." A single word flew out of its mind.

Huh? That word... it's in Entropic? No, surely I must be seeing things. There's no way, right? Why would an animal be thinking in Entropic? It's still kind of far away, so I must've just seen an Animal Tongue word and confused it with Entropic, surely.

"More, please don't go, water..." The doe begged for more water to show up out of thin air.

"No way..." I couldn't help but to utter these very words of astonishment as I finally realized I wasn't delusional.

"!!!" The doe heard me and jolted, thinking, "Who goes there!?"

"...I am a friend." I slowly and carefully showed myself from the bushes with raised arms, "Non possum intellegere te."

"Huh?" The doe stammered back, "Potesne me audire?"

"Yeah, in short, I am a mind-reader." I thought it best not to overload her with knowledge, "My name is Edward Saint. Do you understand?"

"Edward... I am Bamb." The doe sounded delighted to hear that, "It seems we both have an interest in each other's races."

What the hell is going on... A doe that knows Entropic? And I thought I had seen it all with those stupid-ass Gods...