I Reincarnated as a Noble Bastard, So I'm Seducing All the Villainess-Chapter 110: Constant Uncomfortable Feeling

This journey is turning out to be more peaceful than the one we had on the airship, but what bothers me are the occasional earthquakes Ragna causes. Since she doesn't have a mount, she's literally leaping from one side to the other, terrifying at least all the local wildlife just by her presence.

I'd also be pissing myself in fear if a two-door closet fell from the sky near me.

According to Victorian, we are two days' travel from Luie, however, he doesn't intend to go directly to the city because it could be problematic. The ideal scenario would be to talk to the Empire's forces to get immediate support in resolving the issue, if it weren't for the small detail that we have a former general from the Northern War of Independence with us.

Showing up there demanding things with that brute would look bad, so it would be better if we dropped him off home before continuing the journey. It's also because of this that he asked to change the route, so instead of going straight through the main roads, we'll take the path through the woods, looking for a nearby village, and leave him behind.

With Ragna as a bodyguard, it should be more than enough to scare off any group of thieves or monsters on the way. Finally, our green closet is an advantage here...

"And where are you going? Do you have any idea?" I ask the brute, who is eating a piece of jerky near the campfire.

"I intend to reunite with my family. Even if it is dangerous, I think with the help of acquaintances and colleagues I can quickly find them. I pray they are well."

"That plan of yours sucks, you know?"

"Why do you say that, Master Darius?"

"Because the moment you separate from us, you also become an easy target. Any noble who doesn't like you or simply identifies you will immediately put the guards on your back, so both the search and your own life will be at risk."

"I am aware of those dangers. I am willing to bear them if it doesn't further delay your trip..."

I flick Victorian's nose, which for a moment causes him to fall back in pain, putting his hand where I hit him. I take a bite that tears a huge piece of jerky off, before standing up and dusting the dirt off my clothes.

"Man, you're a bastard. I worked my ass off to keep you alive and you're going to throw yourself to death, holy shit. Is there something wrong with your brain?"

With a frown, I look back at Elizia, who is carrying a compass and looking at the stars.

"Hey, Elizia, let's make a detour again to help this idiot, then we'll get back to the normal route."

"As you wish, sweetie."

And just like that, I go look for a place to lie down and wait for the next day, without even waiting for that idiot Victorian to mention anything else. Seriously, the guy wants to screw up the plan, there's no way I can have so much patience with that kind of thing.

I slowly walk away, hands in my pockets, trying to keep my mind busy while the open field stretches out until it's out of sight. Elizia doesn't take long to follow me, having finished taking care of the horses and the map, as if she was just confirming our next steps.

The campfire crackles behind us, and even in this damn emptiness, I don't care about leaving it lit. With Ragna jumping around like a walking earthquake, I doubt any monster would dare to come near us in this region, even if she has now settled down on top of a tree.

I sigh. This view is breathtaking, I never thought I would see a landscape like this, where nothing, not even the sound of the cicadas, bothers your ears. The breeze messes up my hair, with the chill giving a stir to the bones. It's the first time I've seen such an open and cold place, I think from here on, the temperature will only drop until we encounter snow.

"You're tense, Darius," comments Elizia, hooking the compass onto her belt. "The journey from here on should be much calmer. Before the real trouble starts, of course."

"I'd love to believe that, but... I don't know. I'm finding everything too calm."

She laughs. That laugh that always makes me want to pretend I'm not nervous, when in fact I'm inwardly churning over how strange this whole adventure is.

"Honey, let's face it, your spirits are low and you're finding everything suspicious before we've even left the capital."

"And before, it was just because I wasn't used to going so far, but... Hah, look at this." I point toward the horizon. "Where are the monsters? Not even a miserable goblin to say hello. Weren't these beasts supposed to be roaming around at night, looking for women to abduct?"

Elizia tilts her head, pondering what I said.

"Are you afraid of something, Darius? You have plenty of bodyguards to have a drink while watching any creature being dismantled in front of you, so why the fear?"

"It's different, Elizia. Even in Efel, I occasionally saw a disproportionately sized lizard or a harpy, but the difference is that from the Galbraith marquisate until now, we haven't seen anything. You could justify it because the main routes are cleaned frequently... but here? In this lost wilderness, in a region in a state of war? It should be full of these creatures. There's nothing."

I take another step, kicking a stone that rolls away into the open field. Even though I spent most of my life in the Imperial City, I still have some memories of the village, where dealing with monsters is more normal than in big cities. There, they occasionally hired mercenaries or hunters, and if I remember correctly, there were at least two nests that were destroyed in the process, one of spiders and one of giant lizards.

That's why I'm so bothered by not finding anything here...

"It doesn't make sense. There should at least be scattered goblins. They swarm these places."

"Perhaps Ragna's presence is warding everything off."

"Elizia... even goblins are too stupid and don't have an ounce of self-preservation. I doubt those bastards have gone extinct between the time we left and arrived here, since they come right at us and die trying. That plague almost asks for a hug."

Instead of helping me think, Elizia gives me an amused look. Recently, I started to think that maybe it's annoying to be near her all the time due to her cynical personality, but her beauty and body make me yield.

"So you're saying you miss them? Would you like to sleep cuddled up with a goblin tonight?"

"No. I'm saying something strange is happening, it's my male intuition screaming. I don't believe the Northern War has been so brutal that it drove out every creature within such a large radius, unless they're all concentrating up there."

Her laughter breaks my bad mood a little, until a tremor shakes my feet and brings it back. The Orc must have gotten down from the tree where she was patrolling. It's impressive how a living being can be a natural disaster with legs, lucky for me that we managed to bring her to our side.

"If it consoles you," Elizia continues, adjusting her hair that the wind insists on messing up, "I think the road will stay like this until Luie. Maybe you'll find the answer there."

"And that makes me furious. The last time things got easy like this, I almost died inside that airship with Philomeu."

"The last time you almost died, you kept breathing. That should already be suspicious."

"Are you saying you wanted me dead?"

"Never, sweetie, you're still a sweetheart of a person who I want to stay alive forever, but I'm mentioning it because you're not normal for resisting so many... life-and-death situations."

I roll my eyes, but she smiles satisfied, so I let it go. We walk a few more meters, the wind hitting our clothes hard, and I feel a strange pang in my stomach.

It's something I can't avoid, because I really have a bad feeling. Things already went wrong just by the King sending me on this suicide mission, but I wasn't expecting it to be like this.

The nature around us is practically empty. There isn't an owl with those long, drawn-out hoots, the kind that curses a dark night like this. The chill of being so "alone" is what seems to scratch my head like a broken record on a turntable.

Elizia adjusts her coat, looking at me with her perceptive manner.

"Honey, are you sure it's not just a coincidence?"

I shake my head.

"Nothing in this world brings me luck by coincidence. If even goblins have disappeared... then someone or something is sweeping this region before we arrive."

For the first time in a long time, I have no idea if this is good or if we are walking straight into a dragon's stomach.