"Hah... hah... hah..." Margaret panted, wiping the sweat from her neck. "Can we stop for a while? I'm really tired of running all the time."
It had been more than ten minutes since they escaped from the wooden house, and during that time, they had been running as fast as they could toward the depths of the forest.
For Margaret, who rarely ran, this was definitely a challenge. Her body felt exhausted, and her legs were starting to cramp.
Merlin stopped without protest. "Alright, let's rest for a bit. I happen to hear the sound of a stream nearby. You can sit and drink some water first."
With that, he led Margaret to the right side of the forest. Just as he said, about a hundred meters ahead, they came across a small stream.
The water was clear and not too deep—only about half a meter. Rough rocks lined its banks, enough to serve as seats.
Margaret hesitated. The stream was unfamiliar to her, and she feared some animal or monster might attack if she got too close.
