Chapter 645: First night in the legacy world II

Once or twice, she opened them again and tried to add something to the conversation, only to lose her train of thought halfway through.

Elion gradually lowered his voice, allowing the conversation to slow with her.

The next time he paused, no reply came, and he turned to find her head tilted slightly to one side, her cheek resting against the tree.

A small smile appeared on his face as he watched her for a moment.

The girl who had come out complaining that she couldn’t sleep had finally dozed off, with one hand resting loosely in her lap.

He retrieved a spare blanket and quietly laid it over her, taking care not to disturb her position.

Yaana shifted a little beneath it but remained asleep, leaving Elion to settle back beside his tent as the clearing grew quiet once more.

The clearing remained quiet for a while longer, with only the faint sounds from the forest breaking the silence.

Elion stayed beside his tent, occasionally glancing toward Yaana to make sure she hadn’t shifted into an uncomfortable position, though she seemed quite content sleeping against the tree, which was kind of ironic.

Eventually, Maya rose from her place near the path and stretched her arms, drawing his attention.

Uta stood a moment later, covering a yawn as he looked toward the tents, and Elion realised it was already time for the next change.

Mayumi emerged shortly after Maya quietly called for her, pushing her hair away from her face as she stepped into the clearing.

Her gaze moved toward the sleeping Yaana, and she was about to approach when Elion raised a hand.

"Let her rest," he said softly, getting to his feet. "She only fell asleep a little while ago. Apparently, she couldn’t manage it in her tent."

Maya glanced between him and Yaana, her brows lifting slightly before she looked back at him. "Are you offering to take her turn? You didn’t even sleep."

"Yeah, I really don’t need as much sleep as the rest of you," Elion replied, picking up Kurogoroshi and securing it at his waist. "I’m still wide awake, so there’s no point in making her get up."

Maya studied his face for a moment, seemingly checking whether he was simply trying to be considerate. However, he didn’t look tired at all, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded.

"Alright. Nothing came close during our watch, but keep an eye on the path," she said, looking toward Mayumi as well. "Wake us if anything happens."

The two nodded, and Maya finally made her way back to her tent, with Uta heading toward his own. The boy gave Elion a brief glance as he passed but said nothing, disappearing inside a moment later.

Mayumi watched them leave before returning her attention to Yaana, who hadn’t stirred through any of the conversation.

A small smile appeared on her face as she noticed the blanket covering her.

"She’ll probably complain when she finds out we let her sleep through her turn," she said quietly.

Elion shrugged, stepping around the remains of the fire as he made his way toward the side facing the lake.

"She can complain after she’s rested. For now, we might as well enjoy the quiet."

Mayumi let out a soft laugh and moved toward the tree overlooking the path, taking the place Maya had left behind. Elion sat down where Uta had been sitting, with a clear view of the lake through the gaps between the trees.

For a while, they spoke quietly across the small distance between them, mostly about the path the scouts had found and what they might expect when they reached the ruins.

Mayumi described a section of the descent where loose stones covered the steps, and Elion made a note to examine it before anyone tried walking down.

Neither seemed particularly interested in filling every moment with conversation, though, and their exchanges gradually became less frequent.

Before long, they were simply sitting in comfortable silence, each keeping an eye on their side of the camp.

The night passed without much trouble, despite the occasional noise drifting up from the lower slopes.

Once, a sharp cry echoed from somewhere far below, but it faded without anything approaching their position.

Elion listened for a while longer before relaxing again, his gaze moving over the dark surface of the lake.

The remains of the monster were difficult to make out now, though he could occasionally see an uneven shape breaking the water when the light caught it.

Every so often, one of them stood and walked a short distance around the clearing, checking the spaces between the tents and the nearby trees.

They stayed close enough to remain within sight of each other, and nothing disturbed the sleeping group beyond a few leaves falling onto the canvas.

As the air grew cooler, Mayumi pulled her outer clothing more tightly around herself and shifted closer to the shelter of the trunk.

Elion added a little wood to the remaining embers, keeping a small fire alive without allowing it to grow bright enough to attract unwanted trouble.

Yaana slept through it all, tucked beneath the blanket with her head resting against the tree.

At some point, she drew her legs closer and turned slightly onto her side, but after a quiet murmur, she settled again without waking up.

By the time the darkness began to thin, Elion had grown rather accustomed to the quiet presence of Mayumi across the clearing.

He looked toward her as she stood to stretch, noticing that her gaze had already been drawn toward the pale strip of sky visible above the trees.

"Morning already," she murmured, rolling one shoulder before lowering her arms. "That went better than I expected."

Elion nodded, watching as the shapes around the camp gradually became clearer.

The trees lost their heavy shadows, the surface of the lake took on a faint grey-blue colour, and the first calls of birds began rising from the forest below.

They remained at their posts until the first sunlight reached the upper branches, bringing a little warmth back to the clearing.

Only then did Mayumi turn toward Maya’s tent, while Elion rose and looked over the still-sleeping camp.

’Well, that was an uneventful night...’

Their first night in the legacy world had passed without another fight, and he was quite happy to leave it at that. Now they could finally see what waited for them farther down the mountain.