Using Kim as our guide and thanks to the help from animals assisting him, the trek through the jungle was a breeze. We traveled with our group and the prince, and his bodyguards. We did not even have to use our own food rations because monkeys would bring us fruit down from the trees all the time. When he told me he survived in a jungle like this for a month I can understand him.
During the breaks I tried teaching Kim about druid stuff. Because he is level 0 in it he still needs guidance in order to unlock his own potentional. I hope that I will be that guidance. In a short time I noticed improvements. Because after being told how magic works in this world he made a blade of grass frow several decimeters tall. Impressive, but not impressive enough in actual battle.
As for adjusting to our new life with Kim? Well, since he is a boy he was not too keen to sleep together with Izumi. So he ended up sleeping together with me side by side in a sleeping bag. Somehow he did not mind sharing it with me. Probably because we are not that sexually interested either in the opposite sex.
After trekking through the jungle for a week we come upon a pond with an long extinguished campfire by it. The animals seemed to be very eager to lead Kim towards it.
”I think I remember this place...”
Kim then ran ahead of us, and sat by the pond on his knees.
”What is the matter, Kim?”
Izumi shouted towards him. And we hurried to him.
We then saw Kim holding a broken arrow with bitemarks on it, in his hands. There was traces of dried blood on it. He studied it very intently.
”What do you mean, you remember this place?”
Izumi asked more properly this time.
”...I think he still lives...”
Kim answered Izumi with. And he look at us with hope in his eyes.
”...who, excuse me. Who lives?”
The ever dense Izumi followed up with another question. He must had missed Kim’s latest title.
”Fang.”
Kim grinned as he answered.
”Is that your familiar?”
”No. My first friend.”
Kim then threw the arrow aside. It is not a memory he wanted to hold onto I thought.
The sun had now started to set. And because we are a lot more south now, it would get darker even faster. So we decided to camp here for the night.
I sat together with Kim, Seris and Laurel the prince by the campfire. We all got cups of tea in our hands as the darkness creeps ever closer. Kim seemed to be the one which enjoyed the tea, the most. Probably because he lived out her all alone by himself for a long time.
”Mmm~”
Kim made noises of pleasure as he sipped his tea. The prince looked content and smiled. Me on ther hand looked up into the sky. They sky still had no clouds and I could see the crescent shaped moon clearly. I sighed as I contemplated the various mysteries of life.
”No matter how tiring it becomes, I gotta still say that the moon is beautiful.”
I said and took a sip of the refreshing tea. Kim and Seris then looked at the moon with me.
”You always talk about the moon.”
Seris said. I chuckled.
”I may have got a fascination with it ever since I arrived to this world.”
”Have you heard the myth of how Harjan created the moon in order to let the night have its own sun too?”
”No... I wouldn’t.”
”It is a myth that is has circulated a long time among us elves. It is said that our ancestors helped Harjan in creating the moon.”
”That sounds... Fantastical?”
”Indeed. And that is why the moon is a popular symbol in our culture. There is a popular tradition in where lovers get two amulets which are halves of the moon. And whenever they are they together, they snap the amulets together as a vow of getting married in the future.”
”And this is related to the myth?”
”Yes, a representation of Harjans love for all of the gods creations down here.”
Seris then looks down at her amulet which got a half of a moon for a moment. It got burn marks and is heavily tattered. For a moment heartbreak is visible on her face.
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”I- I’m sorry.”
All I could say to her. I guess she lost someone important in the past, and this the only memory she had remaining of them.
Kim who had listened to the story, then looked at the arrow he previously threw away. He put down his tea on the ground and picked it up. He then tore it in half, and put the half with the arrowhead in his pocket.
”I.. I’m going to bed.”
Seris said and hurridly drank up the last of her tea. Then went to sleep with Izumi and the girls. It looks like being reminded of the long gone past made her incredibly sad.
After Seris was gone sleeping it was just me and Kim by the campfire. I brewed more tea because I did not plan on going to bed anytime soon. By this time, Kim had made a amulet out of the bloodied arrow tip.
”Why did Seris get so sad?”
Kim asked. I have no idea what his mental age is, but it seems to still be in the teens.
”She remembered something bad that happened to her a long time ago.”
I calmly answered his question.
”Oh. What do you think happened?”
He then followed up with another question with his curiousness not sated.
”From the story and the amulet. She promised to engage and marry someone. War happened and shortly after she got enslaved. It is heartbreaking just to think about it.”
Yet again I answered and then I looked at the newly made amulet Kim wore.
”That is horrible...”
Kim said as he looked visibly saddened by my conclusion.
”Did you make that amulet in memory of your friend, Fang?”
I asked Kim.
”Yes... I know he is still alive, but I can’t find him. Until then I want something to remind him of with me. His blood is stained on this after all.”
Kim looked sad, but not beyond the point of crying. There was still hope gleaming in his eyes.
”What happened to Fang?”
”It was a hopeless situation right here. A dozen men with bows all aimed at Fang, who was protecting me. He wanted to fight to the death for my sake...
Yet I forced him to flee. Instead I got captured and enslaved.”
As he said that I felt an animalistic fury in eyes. And an immense killing intent being directed at a certain direction.
”I traded my freedom for his life...”
Kim then calmed down a bit. I then went and sat behind him and hugged.
”You care a lot about those you love.”
I comforted him with.
”...you can’t bring back the dead after all...”
Kim then said. But that fact is wrong, with me around at least.
”Hard to bring back the dead, so do not make life choices you will regret. Do you regret becoming a slave in order to ensure Fang lives on?”
I start asking the hard hitting questions now.
”...no. At least I do not think so. I would be even more happier free though.”
I then patted his head and afterwards put my cheeks to his.
”Under master Izumi you are practically free. He has never treated me badly or forced himself upon me. Like you and me, he is from another world and still retain morals from that.”
I softly said to him. He then looks up at my face while I make him sit in my lap.
”...if you say so... I am happy Fang is alive, and one day we will meet again.”
He then starts touching the dried blood of the amulet.
”Then I will work hard to not make you regret becoming a slave.”
I hugged him and smiled.
Living a life full of regrets is your personal hell. If you can’t stop thinking ”What if I did this instead?”, ”Why didn’t I do that?” and ”My life could be so much different.” then you will never ascend from it unscathed. Hard to think of the future, when you are stuck in the past which can’t be changed.
Instead of regretting becoming a slave when I was still weak and unable to defend myself, I accepted what I have become now. And as a result I have become a much happier and calm person. Though Izumi which is my master, sometimes make me mad when he acts like a child.
I guess if anything, my role in this family have become that of an mother. The kind that does her best to try supporting her family the best she can.
”I am tired.”
Kim said as he yawned.
”Yes, let’s sleep. We got yet another long day ahead of us.”
I said as I yawned after him.
This conversation gave Kim a lot to think about. I noticed it even as we cozied ourselves together in our sleeping bag. It took not long for me to finally fall asleep.
The day after I noticed that Seris and Kim was in a much better mood as we continued our trip to the factions. When I woke up this morning I felt how Kim had hugged me from behind, and he had buried his face in my hair. It did not feel like it was out of lust, but a longing for a mothers love. Seris when she woke up was much needier than usual of Izumi. It looks like bringing up bad memories made her crave his love even more.
Laurel which had quietly watched us could not help but look happy. Maybe he is longing for a family like this too? Is there something wrong with his family?
After we left this den of memories for Kim, the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. At least for adventurer standards. We only got into two fights with squads of jungle tribe goblins. But they was easily dispatched by a single spell from Seris. It looks like she needed an outlet to calm down.
During the trip Kim tried to call out for Fang, but it was hopeless. Each time he called, he earnestly believed Fang would come to him. But the only thing that came to him was sadness. I tried my best to support him.
After a total of twenty days we finally got out of the jungle. What we saw was a beautiful landscape. It was scattered with waterfalls and roiling hot springs everywhere as far as the eye could see. The smell of sulphur was always faint in the background. Far in the horizon snow covered mountains could be seen from where a glacier had a stream coming out of it.
So this is the holy land?