At the campsite, inside the wooden shed—
Mino hugged the wooden box tightly, worry clouding her face.
"If we bury it here, won't someone dig it up?"
"No," Luciel reassured her, glancing at the run-down shed. "There are plenty of houses in this camp. No one would bother with this place."
His voice softened as he added, "And if anyone does search here… it'll be your Big Sis."
From his training as a special soldier, Luciel knew that people searching for missing family always scoured old homes for traces of life, clinging to any clue. By the same logic, soldiers used such instincts to their advantage—turning homes into traps for enemies.
"I guess that makes sense," Mino murmured, though still unsure.
"Alright, put it in."
Luciel stomped his foot, and a sharp earthen spike jutted up before crumbling, leaving behind a neat hole.
Mino carefully lowered the wooden box inside.
"I'll make sure your Big Sis finds it," Luciel said softly.
A strand of spider silk slid from his fingertip. He wrapped it around the box, tying the other end securely to a stone.
"Okay, fill it back in," he instructed.
"Oh." Mino obediently shoveled the soil over the hole.
Shusha—
Luciel picked up the stone, carved it with his saber, and soon the shape of rabbit ears emerged.
Mino leaned closer, curious. "What's that?"
"A marker," Luciel explained, setting the carved stone upright in the center of the shed. "It'll draw your Big Sis's attention and lead her to the box."
The crude rabbit-ear carving stood stark against the dirt floor.
"You really think she'll find it?" Mino asked, uncertain.
"She will," Luciel said firmly, staring at the empty shed. "If she comes back and sees a stone carved by her little sister, she'll definitely pick it up. The silk will guide her straight to the box."
This was just his habit—professional instinct. If it were an enemy instead of family, that stone would be wired to an explosive.
"That's it?" Mino blinked at the carving. It looked much better than her own drawings, and she felt an odd urge to keep it.
"Trust me—it'll work." Luciel patted her shoulder.
He stepped outside, glancing up at the roof. A red ghost spider hung there silently, its silk trailing. Luciel caught the meaning it conveyed: the spies who had been tailing the camp residents were already dealt with—bound and poisoned.
"Let's go. Time to track down the Bloodbeard spies," Luciel said, striding toward the Rock Tortoise.
"Coming!" Mino hurried after him.
With that, everything at the camp was settled. The rest was left to fate.
Together with the spider, the two climbed onto the Rock Tortoise's back and set off toward Bloodbeard's base. With the three-colored lizard's mental link pointing the way, they had no fear of getting lost.
---
Inside the hall of the hut, the two busied themselves with the last chores.
Mino fiddled with the wooden shed's broken door, trying to fix it onto its hinges, though her movements were hesitant, distracted.
Luciel, choosing wood to fashion a table, noticed her expression.
He didn't scold her. Instead, he said calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Mino bit her lip. "Luciel… are we leaving too late?"
She worried that her hesitation had ruined his plans.
"No. I left it late on purpose." Luciel sliced through the wood with his saber.
"If we rushed too soon, Bloodbeard's people might still be at their base. By waiting, we avoid a head-on clash."
"I see…" Mino's shoulders relaxed, and she quickly fastened the door. Then she turned to him again. "Luciel, is your room packed up?"
"There's nothing to pack." He shook his head.
They lived simply—no tables, chairs, wardrobes. Mino's "bed" was just a few old planks. Everything they had, they'd built from scratch.
"Then… what should I do?" Mino asked blankly.
Luciel looked at her—her dirty face, her dust-caked hair, her ragged animal-hide clothing whose color was impossible to tell anymore.
He lowered his gaze to himself. Not much better.
"Water shortage," he muttered with a sigh.
"Now you admit we're short on water?" Mino planted her hands on her hips, pouting. "I've been telling you to save!"
"I don't mean for drinking," Luciel said dryly. "I mean for bathing."
"What?!" Mino's blue eyes went wide. "We don't even have enough to drink—how are we supposed to bathe?"
"When was the last time you washed?" Luciel asked curiously.
"Seventeen days ago…" Mino admitted, cheeks turning red. "There was acid rain. I ran out into it and rinsed off."
Luciel raised a brow. "Brave of you."
"I—I wore clothes while I washed!" Mino sputtered, flustered.
Seeing her about to explode, Luciel decided to stop teasing.
"We'll need some kind of rainwater collection system," he mused. "We can't predict when it'll rain again, but it's better to be ready."
"You can't drink acid rain!" Mino gasped, grabbing his arm. "It makes people go insane. Someone from the hunting team drank it once, went mad, and started hacking people with a knife!"
"Relax. I wasn't planning on drinking it." Luciel reassured her. "Of course it'd need filtering, and I'd test it on an animal first. I was thinking about bathing."
"Bathing… in acid rain?" Mino blinked, dumbfounded.
"Of course." Luciel gave her a sidelong glance. "Can't you smell yourself?"
"I—I'm not smelly!" Mino pouted, face flushing. She stomped off into her room.
Inside, she froze.
Sniff… sniff…
Her expression twisted.
"What?! I really do stink?!"
Her horrified scream echoed through the hut.
"Damn it—how could I be this smelly?!"