The Conquerors Path

The turmoils of the trip only continued to come forth as the group kept trudging forward. As the group reached towards the more cluttered group of trees forming a small forest, the area to move started to shimmer down. Now in this situation, taking a flying beast and reaching the destination would be much easier, but doing that only poses danger.

This area, being much more towards less developed parts of the Empire, these places have powerful beasts claiming certain territories as theirs. Trying to move around with a flying beast here would just be calling for trouble. But then again, in a sense with Nini around, the trouble of those beasts seems close to null.

But she did make an assurance to the powers before itself; she would only protect them in case of a big or extreme danger; otherwise, they are on their own. Though again, among the group, only Austin knows of her true might, while the rest are just clueless and think of her just as a good guide.

The area leaned in with Nini taking the lead, her horse trudging forward, while behind her caught up Austin and Carmel, the two of them moving side by side in the area, followed up by Nix and Melvin, both of their eyes red and their faces looking quite pale. The reason for this was all the trouble they had gone through here.

For reasons 'unknown,' a lot of trouble seems to find them as they keep moving forward. At one point, the soil under both their horses was dug up by some beast, which ended up with them being thrown off the horse. The same thing happened first for Austin, who took control, while it followed up to Carmel.

Before she could fall, Austin had moved and saved her princess-style, holding her safely, earning her friendship, the scenes being imprinted in the minds of the other two boys as they fell to the ground, hitting their bodies, while somehow they ended up falling face-first into some excrement, staining both their faces.

The same could have happened to Carmel, to which Austin, with just a cold face, didn't give her any value, he just going forth to say 'Be careful,' while giving the two of them a disgusted look, which made them even more enraged, their faces filled with excrement and their bodies hurting. Well, nothing would be done with that other than the fact of Nini saying out.

"Oh, that must have been the worm crawlers; those beasts like to play pranks like these along the road, so be careful."

That's all the guide has to say about the situation, though the look on her face, desperately trying to hold back her laugh, says how much she enjoyed it, that from such a 'low' class citizen towards the two boys flaring up their extreme anger, their pride being wounded, and worst of all, they had even seen Carmel chuckle a bit at the situation.

'She laughs at us like this after we are suffering for her?'

The same question being passed around both their minds at the same time, the situation not giving them any rest as the group set forth immediately again, with the two now cleaned their faces, but the disgust in their hearts and minds hadn't gone away at all. Normally, with their strengths, such an attack should have been easily dealt with by them.

The loss in balance should also have been easily dealt with, but the worm crawlers specialize in forming situations like this, plus the horse too played a part in their misfortune. Now they move around the small forest, the focus of everyone sharpened as they kept moving forth.

"This is a much safer area, though, in return for safety, this place has more mischievous beasts crawling around."

Nini said with a smirk. Several of the beasts within the Sylvie realm, beasts of lesser power, are more focused on causing mischievous and small torments, which only make Nix's and Melvin's faces pale. The horses moved forth when suddenly a swarm of buzzing huge bees, special to this region, burst forth from a part of the forest.

This time the two boys were specially prepared, as Nic burst forth with a fire wave spell burning towards those bees, all of the attacking bees being burned by that attack. To which Nini, turning back to Nic, spoke.

"Tch... I told them before not to do that."

She murmured, after which the whole skies soon filled with bees, the sight being towards a degree that cannot be measured.

"This whole area's theirs; if you had let them bite you a bit, it would have been fine, but now we have to run out of here."

Nini spoke out, her horse rushing forth in power, and Austin and Carmel followed, the other two catching forth. Though sadly for Nix, he attacked, his scent lingering everywhere, and sadly for Melvin, he was stuck beside Nix, the two being in the back and the main attack point, the swirling of the hive majorly focused on attacking them. Plus, they can't make major attacks here; Nini already has told them against it.

Their powers of each just being at the Origin level 1 and certain ones at 2, but the major attack kept happening such that even with all the defense that kept taking place, certain ones slipped through and kept hitting the two boys. This pissed off the horse that soon broke out of the negligent and rushed off to two sides, both Nix and Melvin disappearing from the back.

"Nix! Melvin!"

Carmel called out in worry, sadly for her, her words didn't meet the required recipient, to which Nini replied.

"Don't worry about them; the horses moved to escape the bees; hence they would be safe. All of them have collective smell recognition; they would find their way back to us once we stop at a location."

Her words brought relief to Carmel, though the rest of the bees focused on the other three, a few of them following towards the three, while the rest went towards the two boys.

"They are coming!"

Carmel shouted out, to which Austin, looking back suddenly, stopped in his tracks, he jumping out and letting out a burst of his life energy. The moment he did that, the bees themselves stopped, their buzzing filling his ears, yet they didn't move to harm as they soon started to curl around him, forming a protective layer.

"This is amazing..."

Nini muttered, the scene of Austin even in his demon guise with the bees hovering all around him in worship like a king looking quite mystical; they're circling him like a cyclone, all of them forming a certain buzzing tune. Even Carmel looks at this scene with shining eyes; it is a beautiful scene.

"Sorry for that; we should have taken into account that you guys were just playing a prank."

Austin spoke, his voice being heard out, to which the bees made some buzzing tune, they were seemingly communicating.

"Don't go too hard on them..."

As Austin said this, the bees moved forth, certain powerful ones soon appearing right in front of Austin and dripping in certain covered honey special of their kind.

"Oh... the honey of the Accurnemnt bees is a delicacy that anyone desires, but it's rare to get as those bees protect them with their lives; your boyfriend is quite amazing."

Nini whispered, coming right beside Carmel, who, breaking out of her thoughts suddenly, spoke with a blush, though that too with a sad smile.

"We aren't in a relationship or anything! In fact, I don't think he even cares about me too..."

The ending of her words was sad, to which Nini with a confused look asked her.

"What are you talking about? Hasn't he been talking and looking after you this whole trip?"

These words of hers made Carmel look at her with a questioning gaze, to which Nini with a sly smile spoke.

"During the whole trip, he was using his focus on you, his tracking light mana all around you, taking in a huge amount of strings to his own mental health to monitor your situation all around. From his body sitting, I can also see that he was prepared to act at any moment danger comes to you."

Her words surprised Carmel, they flowing deep into her heart. It's only after this did she clearly sees Austin, noticing the fact that he looks quite paler than he normally does. Then she focuses on the situation of him helping at any moment of problem for her, all of these flowing deep into her heart.

'So he doesn't hate me, he was just angry and disappointed at me at the time...'

This thought only going forth to put happiness, sadness, and disappointment in herself into Carmel's heart. She knew she could be lenient with her best friends, but at that moment, having lived her life like that, she didn't go forth to think really about the side for Austin. Yet even after she did that, Austin made sure to go with her whims.

'I really need to make it up to him.'

If one were to think about it, without Austin, perhaps Carmel might have completely lost her own sister to suffering, maybe even having to watch her sister die. But thanks to him, she would be able to have her sister with her, all of these being Austin's indulgence of her.

'I will definitely make it up to him.'