Watching the embers fly from the flame, we all sit in silence as we are practically forced to overhear the spirit and human duo reconcile.

"Why do you all follow that boy?" Freya, the elf commander, asks us.

"Fufufu, isn't it obvious?" Elsa cups her cheeks, blushing like a maiden in love, though I suppose she is one, albeit crazy.

"If Onee-chan is here then so am I, and because Nii-san "hired" us." Meili sighs, as she continues to eat the dried meat Ren provided us from who knows where, but I had a feeling I knew where it came from. That being the system, which also brought me here.

"We're old friends." I continue the lie he and I agreed upon. 'This couldn't taste worse.' I gulp down water from the canteen so that my dinner can stay in my stomach. "And I don't want to be…" alone again.

Cutting that lost thought short, I notice the curious looks I'm getting from everyone. "N-Nevermind! Just forget about it."

"Bonds, both platonic and intimate, and money. He doesn't quite sound like a natural born leader, nor does he seem like the type to naturally attract those around him." Freya observes, and I honestly couldn't deny that fact.

"If you really must know." Elsa starts. "Ren-kun is simply just lucky."

Ren

"Betty forgives you, or rather, she doesn't care enough to get mad over something so insignificant. Betty and her Contractor are lifelong partners, she will accept you, flaws and all." Now, I'm all flustered, here I thought I'd have to beg even more.

"Oh." Getting out of the dogeza pose, I sigh in relief.

"Though, there is a flaw Betty would like to help her contractor overcome, I suppose."

"A flaw?" It's gotta be the cursing.

"Your incessant lying."

Luck

Staring at the artificial sun, thoughts swirl in my head. "Freya? How does the day and night cycle work here exactly? Cuz, I'm going to assume you guys didn't pluck a star and asteroid out of the sky. Actually, how does this space work? The Flugel's Tree is big, but I don't think it was this big." I ask the elf, as we continue through the forest.

"You will continue to assume then, boy." Yeesh, who shit in her cereal?

"You're doing it again, I suppose. Are you part-moth, perhaps?" Beatrice asks.

"No…" Looking away, I notice that my retinas aren't burned. "Just a really curious mind."

"Is that so? Aren't you the least bit curious about me, Ren-kun?" Elsa butts in, leaning on to me from my left.

"Actually? Yeah." I respond, much to her apparent pleasure. "We both know your clothes don't regenerate, but what about your hair?"

"Eh?"

"Or, actually! If you got a tattoo on your arm, then cut off that arm, would the tattoo still be there? Better yet, if your head gets cut off does your previous body regrow its head, or does the decapitated head regro…" Trailing off, I notice the perturbed looks I'm getting from everyone. "What? What is it?"

"Let's continue this conversation some other time, Ren-kun." Elsa, being the only one who didn't throw a weird look my way, pats my head.

"Uh? Sure?"

"If these are the type of thoughts that run around in your head, then allow me to correct your assumptions before you reach an incorrect answer. The Sage, along with our first queen, created our sun and moon. With it, he too made artificial seasons and events. As for the tree…I do not know."

"Hm…I guess It always leads back to him, huh? Did you ever meet the guy, Freya?"

"No." Freya crosses her arms under her breasts, which strained them against…shut up, brain.

"I see…" I instead find the trees more interesting.

"So what's with the change in personality? Get tired of being doom and gloomy?"

Popping my ear a few times, I am reminded of my system's moderator's existence after she makes herself known after a few days of silence. 'Oh, right, 2B. If you must know, I am perfectly capable of having multiple personality traits.'

"Is that right? Well, any who, I just added a few things to the system, quality of life changes if you will, and thought I'd let you know."

'You can do that?'

"Well, no durr. I literally run this thing, you know?"

'...I see.' Waiting patiently for a pop-up screen, I am completely disappointed as nothing of the sort appears. 'Hello? Do I not get any patch notes?'

"Hm…No. You'll see the changes soon enough."

'Why not?'

"Let's call it payback for accusing me of kidnapping Furina."

'Reputation with Ren Fujimura has decreased by ten.'

"Huh? Wait, what?"

'...' Giving her the silent treatment, I feel Beatrice's grip on my hand tighten. "We're here, I suppose."

"Yeah? Okay then. Elsa, make sure none of these things get away. Meili, Furina, be on the lookout for any of them coming from the forest. Beatrice? You ready?" I don't give orders to Frey-Frey, since she's a big girl.

"As ready as ever, I suppose."

"Alrighty! Hold on tight." Jumping out of the carriage, I get into a sprint as I carry my spirit in my arms.

Orc Camp

I can't explain it, but something's not right here, and it isn't the elf-obsessed, rapey pigs, surprisingly enough.

Orcs Defeated x72

Level up! x2

"The chieftain, it hasn't shown itself." Stepping over a pile of purple crystal pigs, I start making my way to the chief's tent. Which looked far differently from the one in the other camps, but still had the same vibe to it. That being, looking important.

Stopping in my tracks alongside Beatrice, the flap flaps open, revealing a blonde elf of the male variety, he was a dark elf too, something I hadn't seen so far.

"Well isn't this a surprise?" Ugh, I already hate him, what's with that condescending voice? "The human that I, Silven Wyndell, was sent to kill, has brought himself to me!"

'Is this guy serious? Wait, Wyndell?' Adopting a more guarded stance, I watch his movements carefully.

"I see that my minions weren't able to stop you, so there is at least some merit to the rumor of you single handedly defeating an entire camp. Honestly, just what is mot…" He soon begins to rant about how useless the orcs are, which I use to my advantage as I give Beatrice the go ahead.

"Could you disable him? He knows something I want to know."

"That's simple, I suppose."

"Vita."

"Anyway, my point is, you messe-buffaw!" Suddenly kissing the ground beneath him, I realize just what Vita is.

"Gravity manipulation? Just what is Yin magic?" Shaking my head, I focus on the more pressing issue, this idiot. "So, mind telling me who sent you…" Observe.

Name: Silven Wyndell

Title: Commander of the Orcs

Level: 50

Silven is a ???. He is also a ???

"Silven, right?" Crouching at his side, I observe his features better. Unlike the race he was made in the image of, he did not possess their signature green eyes, and instead had purple orbs. "Who sent you? Why? And, did you seriously think you could kill me, especially at that loser ass level?"

Grabbing him by his hair, I met his gaze, which looked scared out of its mind. "Talk …Better yet, squeal, just like your minions."

"Screw…you, …hu…man." Good answer, but…

"Wrong." Pulling out Elsa's kukri knife, I stab into his palm, which elicits a scream from my newest friend. "Try again."

"Human…scum. You'll regre-AAHHH!" Looking down at the sight created by me, I try not to show how disturbed I actually am.

'I did that? Oh god.' I didn't have any pity for the guy, since he was the commander of the very gross rapey orcs, but I was still human, and the scene in front of me looked like something out of a live leak video.

"Didn't Elsa reach into your stomach twice now? Why are you so queasy about this?"

"This is different."

"What is it you're doing?" Removing my knife, I focus on Freya, who just made herself known.

"Ah, Frey-Frey. I was just getting answer from my friend Si-"

"Prince Silven!" She immediately rushes to his side, both horrified and confused at the current state of the guy. "What happened?!"

'Fuck. Prince? Why didn't observe tell me this?!'

"Help me, that monster did this!" He points with his only functional hand.

"Hey, you brought this upon yo-" Raising my arm, I barely stopped a sword from cutting me in half with my knife. "Okay-" Jumping back with Beatrice, I now focus on the mad elf commander. "-What the hell are you doing, Freya?!"

"I knew our queen's trust in you was misplaced! You wretch!" On the defensive, I do my best to dodge her attacks, which I can just barely do thanks to my constant leveling up these past few days.

I parry a sword swipe, causing her to falter, which I quickly capitalize on. "Tsk! Sol!" Or try to, before she immediately recovers. With a golden glow, I am quickly reminded of a fact I had forgotten.

Freya was a spirit arts user, like me.

"Beatrice! Shield u-Ghk!" Biting down a yell, I endure the pain of having a sword ran through my gut.

"Ren! Minya!" Flexing my abdominal muscles, Freya's sword is unable to get out even as she struggles.

Abandoning her weapon, Freya dodges the crystallized yin magic, and now stands a few feet away, unarmed.

Breathing in a shaky breath, I pull out the blade after a moment. "That…fucking hurt." Throwing it away to the side, I feel my body begin to stitch the hole in my gut and back.

"I was raised to never hit a woman…but I'm sure mom and dad would understand. Mana Reinforcement. Grit your teeth, Freya." Releasing Betty from my hand's grasp, I breathe out, and…

Punch.

'I can't believe this shit. Nearly had a fucking heart attack from that.' Unconscious and at my feet, I try not to get too angry at the elf captain. Try. "What the hell was that? Do you always fight first, ask questions never? Maybe this is why you guys are all losing to fucking orcs."

'Tsk. Whatever, I have better things to…' Looking over to the dark elf, I immediately noticed a very big difference from before, that being that he was no longer here.

"Of fucking course." I curse, gripping the sword in my hand tighter.

"Betty can not feel his presence in the immediate area, in fact." Beatrice remarks, which only makes things worse.

"Weak as all hell, but great at running away? …Slimy little fuck."

"While Betty feels frustrated as well, she would rather not listen to such crude language."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not exactly the happiest fucking camper right now…" Rubbing my temples, I take a deep breath and exhale, repeating that process a few times, I feel most of my anger simmer down. "...Sorry, didn't mean to snap at you. Guess I had a lot more pent up emotions than I thought."

"That's not a good thing, Ren."

'Never said it was.' Craning my neck to my left, I find the elf now awake and struggling under a Vita, courtesy of my spirit.

Crouching down next to her, I notice the swelling on her right temple. "Answers would be nice, but somehow I doubt I'll get them out of you. So, sit tight for now."

Reaching into my inventory, I scroll along looking for-Aha! Raising the flare gun I got out of yesterday's coin, I shoot it into the air.

With a loud and bright light in the sky, I wait for the rest to return. "You will not get away with thi-"

"Listen, Freya. I tolerated your standoffish behavior because your queen was nice enough to trust me with such a big job, but now I feel both betrayed and confused. So, unless you're going to apologize or explain the entire situation to me, shut up before I stuff your mouth with a dirty sock."

"I do not fear your threats, you filth-ommm…" Yesterday's socks were already at the ready, so the second she opened her mouth, I put them in.

"There." I smile, at the now very humiliated elf.

"Betty would call it disgusting, but even she grew bored of hearing the elf's needless drivel, in fact."

"No, it's still pretty gross." I respond.

"What is?" I hear from my right.

Turning in that direction, I find Furina, Meili, Clara and my cart, and three sea animal spirits.

"Is that a crab, a seahorse, and an octopus? All of which are wearing cute little accessories?" I ask, curiously approaching the crab, which allowed me to touch their shell.

"I know right?" Furina excitedly agrees. "That beautiful lady with a hard exterior is Mademoiselle Crabaletta. She is also my head maid."

"Ah, Is that right? It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Crabaletta." I get on one knee and offer my hand to the cute little crab, which she eagerly takes with her claw, as she bubbles out a reply.

"Hehe. The multi-legged gentleman on your right is more formally known as Gentilhomme Usher, my loyal conferencier. Oh, and psst! He and Crabaletta are kind of, you know, together."

"Well, I can certainly see why." Approaching the floating octopi, I offer my hand in greeting. "A dashing man like him, and a beautiful lady like her are certainly a match made in heaven."

"What are they doing?" I hear Meili ask.

"Betty couldn't even tell you, I suppose."

"Ahem! And, finally! Surintendante Chevalmarin, the one who keeps my life in order." Approaching the last spirit, it shies away from me. "Though she can be reserved at times, so please don't take it the wrong way."

"Oh, no. I understand, completely." I backed off. "I look forward to working with you all." I bow, in an over exaggerated manner.

"Ahem, now that you're done with that. What happened with the elf commander, Nii-san?" Meili asks.

"Honestly? I don't know enough to give you a satisfactory answer."

"So I shouldn't kill her?" I hear Elsa from the elf's direction.

"No. We're going back to the Queen, so we'll need her around." Reaching into my inventory, I put away the kukri knife, and pull out an appa. "Here you go, Clara. Eat up."

'...I miss Roswaal, at least I knew he was trying to control me.' Pulling out another appa, I feed it to Clara once she's done munching on the first one. "Either tie her up, or knock her out. Just be careful, she might have something under her sleeve." Maybe, literally.

Rolling onto my back, I spread my arms out to stretch. Feeling my joints pop, I sigh in relief. 'Man…How long have I been asleep?' Glancing at the sky, I notice the fake moon already beginning to descend. 'More than half a day, huh?'

'Not that it matters, we're probably still another half day away from the elf village.'

"That's a surprise."

'What is?' I ask the voice in my cranium.

"I never took you for a pervert. Hormonal? Sure, but never a full blown degenerate."

'...What the hell are you talking about? That accusation is baseless and quite literally slanderous.'

"You're groping Elsa's butt, right now."

Glancing to my unusually warm right hand, I am met with the sight described to me. 'Damn it.' Pulling my hand away from the admittedly soft posterior, I throw a betrayed look at my hand.

"Don't get me started on your other hand, so lewd."

Glancing to my left, I find my left hand being held by my spirit in her sleep. 'Oh, shut up.' I roll my eyes, holding back a laugh out of consideration of the others.

Sitting up, I arch my back until I hear a satisfying pop. "Mn…"

"...Ren?" Turning around, I find Furina seated on the driver's seat, fixing up her hair. "You're awake."

"Yeah, I just woke up." I answer.

"I…didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, you didn't."

We both sit in silence, as she continues the grooming of her hair. Looking back to my spirit, I smile as her hold on my hand tightens.

Running a hand through her hair, I realize just how bad this journey has been for her as my finger gets stuck on knotted hair. 'No…not just her, all of us.' Glancing back at the assassin sister duo, I notice that they too are wearing my offered clothes, since they weren't able to pack beforehand.

Freya, fortunately (for her), was only a tag along for the last three days, and she had spare clothing for herself. Though…she couldn't exactly change at the moment.

'Wait, do I stink?' It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter, but my last shower, or rather, my last bath was over a week ago.

Sniffing my pits, I am relieved at the lack of an abhorrent odor. '...I do smell like sweat though…'

"Ren, you would smell a lot worse if it weren't for Gamer's Body."

'Seriously? …That's nice to know.'

Slipping out of my spirit's grasp, I take the seat next to Furina in a swift but quiet motion. "Been awake long?" I ask, but don't look her way as I feel the weight of my insecurities on my entire being.

"No…E-Elsa was on lookout before me, about…two hours ago?" She mostly mutters, still focusing on her hair.

"Yeah? Getting along well?" I ask, actually curious about the group dynamic when I'm not really around.

"...Sure, just like water and oil." That bad? "Look, it's not your fault…it's just…even if what had happened didn't happen, she and I still wouldn't get along." She puts her brush down and faces me, and I do the same, allowing her gaze to meet mine.

"Why do you say that?" I ask, confused by the certainty in her words. "I don't want to say you're wrong, but isn't it too soon to say that? You've only known each other for a week at most."

"Intuition, I guess? Her personality and mine don't mesh well, and honestly? She reminds me too much of someone from back home." I guess first impressions do matter a lot.

"I guess I can't argue with that." Leaning back, I break the gaze between us. 'And here I thought everybody was buddy-buddy.'

"Really?"

'No.'

"...Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm only around for you, Ren." Furina reveals, which doesn't surprise me one bit.

"I don't want to assume this is a confession, but the way you phrased it makes me think it-"

"Oh, Shut up, Ren. Don't make it weird." I could practically hear her eyes rolling. "You know exactly what I meant by that."

"Really? Do I?"

Flick.

"Ow. That hurts, you know?" I nurse the spot where my forehead got flicked by the evil blue woman.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Offering me her brush, I raise an eyebrow at her. "Mind helping me with a few spots?"

'She doesn't really have that much hair to brush, why would she need me to help?' Before I can ask that very question, I'm interrupted by the voice in my head.

"Ren. Just do it."

'Okay, okay.' Grabbing the brush, Furina turns her back to me. "Thanks, it's pretty hard doing it without a mirror."

"Hm." Reaching towards the more unkempt hairs, I stop just before making contact. "Are you sure? I've never done this before, …What if I mess up?"

"Woah…Where'd that come from?" Furina responds with a question of her own.

"What…What do you mean?"

"You're usually so self-assured, it's weird to hear you talk like that." Furina explains, still not looking my way. "Maybe it's because you're always weird. Regardless, I trust you, Ren."

"I…" To put it really simply, her words flustered me more than I'd like to admit. '...Damn it, mouth, say something.'

"I'm weird?" I finally ask, starting with the brushing.

"...Uh, Yeah?" She responds after a moment, her mind probably absorbed in her own thoughts. "Oh. Don't worry, you're the good kind of weird." She giggles.

Reputation with Furina De Fontaine Has Increased By 30!

'...2B? Turn off all Reputation notifications for Furina.'

"Huh? …Just her?"

"Yeah…Just her."

"Okay."

Ignoring the giggling from my system mod, I notice Furina's gaze on me. "Ren? You stopped brushing." She points out.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry about that…"

To Be Continued…