Threads of rain, like dense silver lines, fell silently from the lead-gray sky, enveloping the entire town in a hazy mist.
The quest location was Oak Town, in the northeastern part of the kingdom. Although it was some distance away, it would take less than half a day by train or magic mobile.
But—
"Are we going on foot?"
Leaving the town, Roland looked at the green meadows and the tall, dense forest in the distance, and couldn't help but ask.
If not by train, at least a horse-drawn carriage... couldn't we rent one of those?
"After all, this is our first time going on a quest together. Naturally, we should properly experience the journey along the way..."
As if to avoid the falling rain, Levy moved closer to him and explained slowly.
"If we take the train, we'll arrive in the afternoon, but we'll completely miss the feeling of traveling!"
Her tone changed, and she couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
A quest like repelling bandits would only take a few minutes with Roland's strength.
If they left in the morning and came back in the evening, what was the difference from not going at all?
"I see..."
Roland nodded in understanding.
The woman had completely forgotten about the quest and was only thinking about the trip ahead.
But that suited him just fine—if the third quest was what he thought it was, he should be able to complete it tonight.
............
The rain soon stopped, and bright sunlight poured down through the thin mist, falling on the clear, blue lake in the distance.
It was now afternoon. Thanks to his 'Sun' magic, Roland felt no fatigue at all, but Levy was a different story.
As a girl who preferred books, after six consecutive hours of walking, she was exhausted and out of breath.
She couldn't help but bend over, her cute face flushed from the exercise. Sweat stuck a few strands of her blue hair to her fair cheeks.
"I can't... I can't walk anymore. Can we rest?"
Feeling her legs go weak, Levy hugged his arm and pleaded pitifully.
She suddenly regretted the decision she had made at the beginning.
This wasn't a light and sweet trip at all; it was pure self-inflicted torture!
"..."
Seeing her pitiful and disheveled state, Roland suppressed the smile on his lips and turned to look at the lake in the distance.
He remembered he had a fishing quest.
"Then let's rest here for today. The scenery is nice too."
"Okay~"
Levy leaned against him and drew out her words, responding weakly.
They had only walked half the way. It would take another day to reach Oak Town.
As expected, it would be better to rent a horse-drawn carriage tomorrow.
The girl thought to herself.
"Dora..."
Sensing that they had stopped, Mini-Dora also poked its head out of the travel backpack, rubbing its sleepy eyes.
Seeing the awakened Mini-Dora, Roland pinched his chin and asked it to use the Shrink Ray to move a table and chairs from the guild.
"Dora, dora." Mini-Dora nodded.
Then, to Levy's astonishment, Mini-Dora took out the Anywhere Door from its pocket, opened it, and jumped right in.
But its figure didn't come out from the other side...
"Is that a magic item too?"
"No, that's a scientific gadget," Roland said, wiping his wet hair with a towel and explaining softly. "Its specific ability is to go anywhere in the world."
"Amazing! Isn't that like an incredibly powerful spatial magic!?"
Science also existed in this world, so Levy quickly understood, but she found it a bit hard to believe.
After all, it was hard to imagine that a pile of metal parts could be assembled into a gadget with such a miraculous ability.
While the girl was in a daze, Roland also opened the travel backpack and took out all the items inside.
As expected, there was only one tent.
At this moment, the girl's intentions were laid bare.
"Ah, that—"
Noticing his thoughtful expression, Levy guiltily averted her gaze and said with a dry laugh.
"Sorry, I forgot to bring another tent..."
"I see. Looks like I'll have to sleep outside tonight."
Seeing the girl's expression, Roland sighed lightly.
"Wait, actually... we can squeeze in a little bit."
She blurted it out subconsciously. Levy's cheeks flushed red, and she slowly lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
It feels like I've gone from being the hunter to the prey.
But—a shy Miss Levy is also cute.
Looking at the shy girl before him, Roland took a deep breath, slowly leaned down, and moved closer.
"..."
As if sensing what was about to happen, Levy pressed her hands to her chest, slowly closed her eyes, and her cherry blossom-colored lips parted slightly, letting out a soft gasp.
"Mmph—"
As a soft sound escaped her lips, the girl felt her heart beat faster, her blood boil. Her usually clear mind was now a blank, and she even felt a little dizzy.
She could only passively respond to his actions.
Even though she had experienced it once before, she couldn't help but immerse herself in it.
Opening her hazy eyes, Levy slightly controlled her increasingly rapid breathing and responded in a very innocent and clumsy way.
"How does it feel..."
As a thin, crystal-clear silver thread broke in mid-air, Levy wrapped her arms around his neck, his face reflected in her amber eyes, and asked softly.
"Cute."
A smile appeared on Roland's lips. He reached out and brushed away the messy strands of hair at the girl's temple, tucking them behind her ear.
"You know that's not what I was asking..." Levy narrowed her eyes and pouted in dissatisfaction. "Why are you so skilled at this!"
"Don't talk nonsense. My first kiss was stolen by you."
"..."
Although that was the truth, it felt wrong to say it like that.
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