Since it was clearly a nightmare-level situation, Leo was tempted, but he had no intention of making a move on her right now.
He planned to properly train his stamina first and get familiar with the effects of the potions. By the time he returned to Huttonmar, Tangie should have finished dealing with her affairs.
After that, he could quickly gain energy points by sleeping with Tangie, then return to the Seven Days world to help Lux get away.
As for Rias, that would depend entirely on her own choice.
Leo didn't mind getting involved with her.
But whether she was willing or not was up to her.
In any case, once Lux had been sent away, Leo had no intention of continuing to stay in the Seven Days world.
That cursed, unlucky place—whoever wanted to stay there could stay there.
If it weren't for the fact that Tangie was genuinely a good person, and that this world offered a clear path to becoming stronger, he wouldn't even feel much desire to return to the Arad world.
He, Leo, would rather jump off from here and die outside than ever have the slightest connection with that damned Seven Days world again.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Leo and the others gradually walked out of Huttonmar.
The bustling streets slowly disappeared, replaced by cracked stone paving that gradually gave way to packed dirt roads.
Fortunately, the compacted earth road wasn't too difficult to travel. Although traces of old stone slabs could still be seen in places, it was clear that dirt paths had long since become the main routes for merchants.
Lush green trees lined both sides of the road. From their neatly trimmed branches, Leo could vaguely imagine how prosperous this trade route must have been in the past.
Now, however, only the occasional exposed stone slab hinted at how many years this road had endured.
"This used to be a very prosperous trade route," Luo Hua explained, seemingly noticing Leo's curiosity. "But after the great fire in the Grand Forest and the Empire's invasion, fewer people lived nearby. Dark Elves also began raiding merchant caravans more frequently, so the local population gradually declined. With fewer residents, fewer caravans traveled this route, and that made it harder for people to buy supplies. In the end, it became a vicious cycle. Now, this is basically the only caravan that still uses this road."
Walking beside the wagon and observing the surroundings with Rosh, Leo finally understood the situation.
"So does that mean this trade route will disappear in the near future?" he asked.
Luo Hua shook her head.
"I don't know. Who can say?" She wasn't familiar with the region's deeper circumstances. After all, she wasn't from this land, and even if she knew more, she had no standing to interfere.
She gestured to the surroundings.
"There aren't many monsters nearby. At most, you'll see goblins. We mainly need to watch out for them and for cat creatures. If we run into Dark Elf raiders, then…"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Stick with me."
So basically, run if things go bad?
Leo looked at her calm face and realized just how reliable she was. Although someone with such an ordinary, upright personality didn't seem like the type to retreat, when faced with certain death, a truly sensible person would make the obvious choice.
Still, Dark Elves coming out to raid caravans was something he'd never seen in the game.
That alone surprised him.
"But there's no need to worry too much," Luo Hua added. "After the Dark Elf Empire was defeated by the Empire, they no longer have the strength to launch raids. Our main threats will be goblins and Minotaurs that can't survive the winter. Occasionally there are bandits, but they're rare around Huttonmar."
She rotated her wrists slightly. This was exactly why she took escort missions like this one.
They paid well, and she could fight monsters to her heart's content.
"Understood. Thanks," Leo said.
"It's fine. Tangie already paid," she replied.
…
Another morning passed. Leo's initial interest in the scenery gradually faded into boredom. Walking for hours with nothing happening was simply dull.
Luo Hua, however, showed no signs of impatience, continuing to carefully observe the surroundings.
Rosh, on the other hand, was gesturing with magic and flames in her hands, clearly experimenting with something. Seeing this reminded Leo of his own magical abilities.
"By the way, Rosh, what was that magic you said you'd teach me last time?" he asked.
"Oh, that?" Rosh replied casually. "It's very simple. You directly convert mana into different attributes and launch it. It's a great combat method for beginners. It works roughly like this."
She extended her hand. A mass of colorless mana instantly formed a symbol. In the next moment, the mana shifted into the color of flames, and she casually flicked it forward.
"That's just a basic trick," she said. "But for beginners, it's a great way to get familiar with attribute conversion and mana control."
Leo watched with obvious interest. This was exactly the kind of supernatural power he'd sought out when he went to study magic under Sharan.
"So how do I do it?" he asked.
Rosh tilted her head slightly and raised her hand again, mana forming a rune in front of her.
"You just shape part of your mana into the 'fire' rune, then imagine it turning into flames and flowing outward. That's all. It's very simple."
"…."
Leo extended his hand as well. His mana control wasn't as refined as Rosh's, but he still managed to outline the fire rune with ease.
However, when he tried to imagine the mana transforming into flames and flowing outward, something went wrong.
The rune instantly flared into a small flame and then vanished like a fleeting spark. Forget launching it like Rosh did—if not for the lingering afterimage on his retinas, he wouldn't even have been sure he'd succeeded at all.
He turned to look at Rosh, who gave him an awkward but polite smile.
"Well, that's how it works. Just keep practicing."
She didn't offer an evaluation, but Leo already understood exactly where his skill level stood.
Looking at the mana gathering once more in his palm, Leo couldn't help but sigh.
If only he could conveniently add stat points—or get a skill book.