Honey

The first light of dawn pierced through the clouds, and darkness slowly receded.

Dewdrops trembled on the tips of grass blades, and faint insect chirps echoed in the surroundings.

It had been a peaceful night.

Aina slowly opened her eyes.

Something felt missing. A vague unease settled in her heart after waking.

She stepped out of the tent. The campfire from last night had long since burned out, leaving only cold ashes behind—Aina could even spot the traces of fish bones she had tossed in earlier.

Ah, that was it. Xia Lun had been scolded by Liyana the previous night, so he must have gone elsewhere to practice his swordplay. That was why she hadn’t heard the familiar whooshing of his blade this morning.

Aina didn’t find Xia Lun’s sword practice noisy. On the contrary, the rhythmic, powerful sound of his swings brought her a strange sense of calm.

No.

Aina frowned slightly.

Why should she care about such trivial things?

A sphere of water condensed before her, and she began her morning routine.

A soft rustling came from behind.

"Ah… Morning, Aina." Liyana crawled out of her tent like a zombie, her hair disheveled, and yawned widely. "Mind making me a water ball too? I need to wash my hair…"

A massive water sphere hurled straight at Liyana’s face, drenching her from head to toe.

"Hey! Aina, could you be a little gentler next time?" Liyana snapped, instantly more awake, her temper flaring.

Aina remained silent.

Under Aina’s calm gaze, Liyana’s anger inexplicably faded, replaced by self-reflection.

Had she somehow offended the mage lady again?

Aina watched Liyana’s soaked, disheveled state and felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Sorry."

Liyana’s eyes widened.

Had she just heard an apology from the ever-stoic Aina?

She was almost flattered.

"By the way… Where’s Xia Lun? He’s usually the first one up. Why isn’t he here?" Liyana glanced around but saw no sign of him.

Aina replied, "He seems to have gone somewhere else to train with his sword."

Liyana suddenly understood—she had offended Aina.

Last night, she had been the one to tell Xia Lun to practice farther away.

But… had their relationship already progressed to this point? Aina actually missed his presence after just a short absence? Xia Lun… what a terrifying man.

Xia Lun returned soon after, bringing breakfast for everyone—a massive wild boar.

"Such greasy food first thing in the morning?" Liyana complained.

Xia Lun shot her a look. "We’re in the wilderness. Beggars can’t be choosers. You’re welcome to keep chewing on dry rations if you prefer."

He added fresh firewood to the remnants of the campfire. Without a word, a small flame flickered at Aina’s fingertips.

Liyana’s eyes nearly popped out. Since when had these two become so in sync?

"Liyana, if you’ve got time to stand around, go pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms," Xia Lun said, exasperated by her idleness. "And don’t bring back any poisonous ones."

"I’m an elf! Xia Lun, you jerk, are you mocking me?" Liyana stomped her foot indignantly. "I know these woods better than my own home!"

"Ah, so you’re an elf? Hard to tell sometimes." Moke emerged from his tent, stretching lazily. "I thought elves were supposed to be graceful and refined… You’re certainly a rare breed."

Liyana stormed off in a huff.

Not long after, she came sprinting back, screaming, "Help! Xia Lun, help!"

A deafening buzz followed her—a swarm of fist-sized killer bees, darkening the sky as they surged toward the camp.

"Liyana! What the hell did you do?!" Moke’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.

"I don’t know!" Liyana wailed, utterly bewildered by her own misfortune.

"I thought you knew the forest better than your own home?!"

"I can’t control a sudden bee uprising!" she retorted, indignant.

Xia Lun sighed wryly, then turned to Aina. "Can you handle this?"

If Aina couldn’t, their only option was to run—even if Xia Lun swung his sword for three days straight, he wouldn’t be able to kill all these bees.

"Easy."

Aina raised her staff, and flames erupted skyward, forming an impenetrable wall of fire around the camp.

The swarm crashed into the flames like a torrential downpour, crackling and popping as the bees burned—not a single one made it through.

"W-we’re saved…" Liyana collapsed to the ground, gasping in relief, still clutching two mushrooms in her hand.

"What rotten luck… How did this even happen? Did some monster disturb the hive?" she muttered, staring at the meager harvest—nowhere near enough to share.

Meanwhile, Xia Lun’s wild boar had already been skewered and roasted over the fire, its fat sizzling, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

"Still… we’re stuck here until these bees return to their nest," Xia Lun said, eyeing the fiery barrier. "Aina, can you sustain the magic?"

Maintaining such a large-scale spell must be draining her mana.

Aina replied coolly, "No problem."

Her nose twitched slightly as the scent of roasted meat wafted toward her.

Xia Lun chuckled. "Want some?"

He glanced at the faint red glow emanating from Aina’s staff as she maintained the fire wall. "If your hands are full… I could feed you."

"Unnecessary." Aina remained expressionless, cradling her staff. "I can manage."

Xia Lun looked almost disappointed.

"Anyone there?"

Suddenly, a booming voice called from beyond the flames.

Xia Lun blinked in surprise. With the killer bees swarming outside, who in their right mind would still be out there?

"Mind if I come in? These bees are a real nuisance!" the voice continued.

It sounded familiar.

Xia Lun glanced at Aina, and a small gap opened in the fire wall. A figure dashed through the flames and landed inside.

It was a tall man in white robes.

Pulling back his hood, he revealed a gleaming bald head.

Musen—the priest they had rescued from the belly of a land dragon.

"Ah! Sir Xia Lun, what a coincidence! Fancy meeting you here!" Musen beamed with delight.

"Musen! What are you doing here?" Liyana gasped. "The killer bees are going berserk—are you okay?"

"Well, they did sting me a bit…"

Musen plucked out several stingers from his skin—but there was no blood. The barbs hadn’t even pierced his flesh, and the venom had no effect.

"Oh, right." Musen suddenly produced a large clay jar from who-knows-where. "Care for some honey?"