Chapter 121: First day of the trip 2

No seven women asking questions at once.

No Shiora calculating a deal.

No Selene trying to devour the entire table.

Just the three of them.

A fire.

A small water source.

And a hot stew.

Adam discovered that he, too, enjoyed this kind of meal.

When they had finished, they sat by the fire.

Not for long.

But long enough to let their stomachs settle.

Adam looked at the Destriers.

"Aren’t we leaving right away?"

Lyriana shook her head.

"Ten to twenty minutes."

"For us or for them?"

"Both."

Elaria explained:

"Resuming a gallop immediately after eating a lot isn’t pleasant for anyone."

Adam nodded.

He had no desire to find out what a stomach ache would be like at eighty kilometers per hour.

After about twenty minutes...

They got back in the saddle.

Then they continued on.

The afternoon passed quickly.

The plains stretched on for hours.

Then they gradually became more hilly.

A few small forests appeared.

They crossed several bridges.

They crossed paths with two military patrols.

And drove past several more villages without stopping.

Adam was now beginning to be able to maintain compression even when his Steed accelerated suddenly.

Sometimes, he almost forgot he was maintaining it.

Which probably meant that Vespera would increase the pressure even more when he returned.

He preferred not to think about it.

The sun finally began to set.

The light turned orange.

Then red.

Lyriana gradually slowed down.

Adam looked ahead.

And remained silent.

A gigantic forest filled the entire horizon.

But unlike the ordinary woods they had seen so far...

This one was red.

Literally.

Thousands.

Hundreds of thousands of trees.

Dark red foliage.

Bright red.

Burgundy.

Sometimes almost black.

In the light of the setting sun, the whole area seemed enveloped in a still fire.

"Is this the Red Forest?"

Lyriana nodded.

"Yes."

Adam had read its name on some maps.

But nothing had prepared him for its true scale.

"It’s immense."

Elaria looked at the trees.

"It covers almost a quarter of the Kingdom of Aurelis."

Adam turned his head sharply.

"A quarter?"

"Almost."

That explained why going around it was practically impossible without adding an enormous distance.

Adam observed the first trees.

Many resembled red maples.

But some had much darker trunks.

Almost metallic.

"Those?"

Elaria replied:

"Iron Trees." "

Adam moved slightly closer to the edge of the forest.

"Is their wood really as strong as its name suggests?"

"Once they’re mature, yes. The wood is much denser than that of ordinary trees. It’s used in construction and for certain objects."

Lyriana added,

"But they’re difficult to cut without the proper tools."

Adam looked at the forest.

Red maples.

Iron trees.

And several species he didn’t recognize.

Some trunks were entirely white despite their red leaves.

Others were covered in bluish vines.

A few plants were already emitting faint glimmers even though the sun hadn’t completely set.

"Shall we cross now?"

Lyriana looked at the sky.

"No."

Elaria nodded.

"It will be dark before we get far enough." "

And in an unknown forest...

Adam certainly wasn’t going to argue.

"Then we’ll camp here."

They chose a spot a few hundred meters from the edge of the forest.

Flat ground.

Not too close to the water.

Far enough from the road so as not to attract unnecessary attention.

Adam unpacked the gear.

The tent was much bigger than it looked when packed away.

He pitched it with Lyriana’s help while Elaria prepared the protective barriers around the camp.

A few minutes later, Adam surveyed the result.

"Who’s taking the first watch?"

Elaria looked up.

"No one."

Adam frowned.

"No one?"

"I’ll ask the spirits."

He stopped.

He had almost forgotten.

Elaria knelt near the ground.

A faint green light appeared around her fingers.

She placed her hand on the earth.

For a few seconds...

Nothing.

Then Adam felt something.

Not exactly mana.

A presence.

The ground seemed to vibrate very slightly.

Two small shapes appeared near the stones.

Silhouettes made of earth and roots.

No taller than Adam’s knee.

Elaria then turned toward the fire.

A new glow appeared.

This time reddish-orange.

Two small, luminous shapes emerged from the flames.

Adam stared at them.

"Elemental spirits?"

"Yes."

Elaria pointed to the two figures.

"Earth and fire."

"Can they watch over the camp all night?"

"No problem." "

Lyriana added:

"If anything approaches, they’ll wake us up."

Adam watched the small elemental creatures take up positions around the camp."

"Very practical."

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"I know."

They gave the three Steeds more water and food.

Then Adam reheated the rest of the stew.

They ate quietly around the fire.

The stew even seemed better after resting for several hours.

The spices had infused more fully.

Adam finished with a cup of hot tea.

Lyriana gazed at the red trees in the distance.

"Tomorrow will be slower."

"Because of the terrain?"

"Yes."

Elaria added,

"And because patrols are less frequent inland."

Adam looked out at the forest.

Today, they had covered a tremendous distance.

More than a third of the total journey.

The first regions were open.

Well-maintained.

And regularly patrolled by the kingdom’s forces.

Starting tomorrow...

The real journey would begin.

Adam finished his tea.

Then he looked at the tent.

"You know we could just go back to the manor to sleep."

Lyriana smiled slightly.

"Yes."

"The bedroom would be more comfortable."

"Much more," Elaria confirmed.

Adam waited.

Neither of them moved.

He sighed.

"You really want us to spend the whole journey like this?"

Lyriana nodded.

"You’ve hardly ever traveled in this world."

Elaria continued:

"Sleeping outdoors, setting up camp, managing mounts, recognizing dangers... all of that is part of the experience."

Adam looked at the two elves.

"So this is just more training in disguise."

"An adaptation," Elaria corrected.

Adam closed his eyes.

"Vespera has infected you."

Lyriana laughed softly.

They finally extinguished the main fire, leaving only a small flame controlled by the spirits.

Then they entered the tent.

The interior was large enough for three people.

But not so large as to leave much wasted space.

Adam lay down in the middle.

Lyriana took her place to his left.

Elaria to his right.

He turned his head slightly.

"You planned this?"

"What?" asked Lyriana.

"Me in the middle."

Elaria replied calmly:

"It’s the most efficient arrangement."

Adam burst out laughing.

"Of course."

The two moved closer together naturally.

Lyriana rested her head against his left shoulder.

Elaria did the same on the other side.

For a few minutes, they simply listened to the sounds outside.

The wind.

The occasional stirring of the steeds.

The rustling of the leaves in the Red Forest.

A few distant animal cries.

Nothing like the perfect stillness of the Bridal Chamber.

But it wasn’t unpleasant.

Lyriana sat up slightly.

She placed a brief kiss on Adam’s cheek.

"Good night."

Elaria did the same from the other side.

"Good night."

Adam smiled.

"Good night."

A few minutes later...

The breathing around him became regular.

The spirits stood guard.

And, under the sky of Aurelis, a few hundred meters from the vast Red Forest...

They fell asleep.

The sunlight filtering through the tent canvas woke Adam first.

He slowly opened his eyes.

For a few seconds...

He forgot where he was.

Then he felt Lyriana’s weight against one shoulder.

Elaria against the other.

And he remembered.

"Ah, yes. Journey."

He tried to move.

Impossible without waking at least one of them.

"Lyriana."

No reaction.

"Elaria."

The elf stirred slightly.

Adam sighed.

"Get up."

Lyriana finally opened one eye.

"Already?"

Adam remained silent.

"I never thought I’d hear you say that."

A few minutes later, all three of them were outside.

The spirits summoned by Elaria gradually disappeared after she thanked them.

No incidents occurred during the night.

The Destriers were perfectly fine.

Adam prepared a quick breakfast.

This time, nothing complicated.

Lightly fried eggs.

Seasoned chicken slices.

Bread.

Some fruit.

And coffee.

Lyriana took her cup.

She tasted it.

"I’m starting to understand why Vespera likes this."

Adam smiled.

"Careful. It starts like this."

Elaria also took a cup.

"It’s convenient in the morning."

"There. Two more victims."

They ate quickly.

Then they broke camp.

The tent disappeared into the storage area.

The belongings were put away.

The steeds were saddled.

Adam positioned himself in front of his mount.

Then he looked up at the immense red wall before them.

The Red Forest seemed almost more impressive in the morning light.

The first leaves glistened in the sunlight.

Beyond them...

Kilometers and kilometers of forest.

Lyriana mounted first.

"From here on, we slow down."

Adam mounted in turn.

"Monsters?"

"Among other things."

Elaria settled into her saddle.

"The terrain is also much less even."

Adam looked at the shadows of the trees.

He smiled slightly.

"Very well."

Yesterday, they had crossed plains and safe roads.

Today...

They were entering the Red Forest.

Lyriana gave the signal.

The three Windsteeds advanced.

And a few moments later...

Together, they crossed the edge of the forest.