CHAPTER 102: WOODLAND CAMOUFLAGE

From what Gara learned with Unlimited Water, Talents were controlled entirely through thought. The clearer the intent, the stronger the result.

Chanting the words, he glanced down at his hands and feet.

Still visible.

Trying another position, he pressed himself against the trunk of a tree.

Still nothing.

It’s not active, yet?

Amidst his effort, faint footsteps reached his ears. Already ten minutes?

His thoughts raced. He remembered the time at the crossroad, when only his soul existed, without hands, feet, or body.

At the same time, his arms and legs began to blur, edges fading.

It’s finally active!

While cheering in his heart, he leaned against the tree, and his entire form melted away. Nothing left but bark and shadow.

Soon after, Fian appeared, searching for him. He looked worried, a lantern in hand, his pointed ears twitching.

Gara felt a bit of guilt. He hadn’t meant to make anyone anxious.

Just this once, Fian, he thought, a little remorsefully.

Eyeing Fian’s movement with slight nervousness, he saw Fian walk in the opposite direction.

Can’t he smell my scent? Gara wondered.

But suddenly, Fian spun around and came straight toward him, his eyes fixed on the tree where Gara was.

From Fian’s point of view, he was only staring at the big trunk. But Gara felt as if the elf stared directly at him.

Fian reached out.

Puk.

His hand brushed something soft, definitely not rough bark. In that instant, Gara’s body flickered into view.

Fian’s eyes widened in surprise.

"This is my Talent. But you don’t need to tell anyone about it, alright?" Gara spoke quickly. "Sorry, I just wanted to test if you could smell my scent."

Fian nodded.

So Woodland Camouflage worked better when he was close to a tree. And it couldn’t hide a druid’s scent.

After that small incident, Gara returned to the tent so his mother could come out to eat.

That night, only Madha and Fian took turns on watch. Madha went first, since he’d be driving the carriage in the morning.

Even though Gara and his mother didn’t stand guard, they were still up often to change diapers and feed the triplets. Gara especially breast-fed his baby a few times that night.

Luckily, with Fian and Madha sleeping in a separate tent, they never had to witness the breast-feeding directly.

...

At dawn, after a quick breakfast, the group set out again.

The journey ahead was only about three hours, but for Gara it felt endless. His stomach churned like it was about to empty itself at any moment.

He silently vowed to create a motion-sickness remedy for this world.

Swaying inside the carriage, he barely noticed when the road narrowed and two guards came into view.

"We’ve arrived, Gara." Wina gently patted her son’s shoulder as she lifted the curtain a little, worry on her face at his pale expression.

Hearing that, a spark of life returned to Gara’s dull eyes.

Outside, Madha was already speaking with the guards.

Gara thought he’d have to show his Liner ID, but apparently not. Tristan must have sent word ahead to let them through without excessive checking.

The carriage rolled on, but Gara was too focused on not vomiting to pay attention to anything else.

When it finally stopped, he stumbled out, his body swaying. Fian steadied him with one hand, though he still had Aldwin in his arms, so Madha quickly stepped in to help.

Once Gara managed to stand straight, his gaze fell on an old man with wrinkled face waiting in front of the house where their carriage had stopped.

"I’m Gara, the Liner assigned to this mission. And this is my mother, Wina—she’ll be staying here," Gara said warmly, pushing aside his nausea to introduce himself.

He had no idea who the old man was, but if he stood waiting at their destination, he must be someone important.

"Welcome, young man. I’m the village chief here. Call me Hari," the old man replied kindly. "This is the house you purchased, right next to mine."

He gestured toward a small wooden-fenced house, separated from his own by only a few scattered trees. His eyes lingered curiously on the odd group of newcomers:

There was a Liner, three babies, a woman far too old to be the babies’ mother, and a slave from the elf race.

"They’re my children," Gara said honestly.

After all, Tristan had told him half-humans were allowed to enter. He wasn’t planning to announce to everyone that the babies were half-human, but even if the truth came out, they wouldn’t be breaking any rules.

Hari was clearly surprised. Gara was still so young, and bringing three infants without their mother could only mean something tragic had happened. Choosing not to pry into another’s sorrow, Hari let it go.

"This village used to be full of children. I only hope the water here can be purified soon, so it’ll be lively again like the old days." Hari gave a bitter smile.

"As a new resident of this village, I hope for the same," Gara replied.

They then revealed the contents of the second carriage, supplies sent from Wina.

"Thank you, young man. Because of the water, nearly every aspect of life here has fallen apart. Our herbal harvests failed, since the fields were poisoned. We survive only by hunting and foraging in the forest. But even then, sometimes the plants we gather or the animals we hunt are already contaminated."

Gara hadn’t realized just how dire the state of Bota Village was. No wonder it had been marked with a red code.

While Wina spoke quietly with the village head, Gara, Fian, and Madha carried their belongings inside, including the triplets, who were gently settled into a crib after it was assembled.

Hari mentioned he had already cleaned the house for their arrival.

The house itself carried a story. Normally, village homes stood far apart, but this one sat unusually close to the chief’s residence.

It had belonged to his son, who had abandoned it after poison claimed both his and his wife’s lives, leaving behind a small daughter whom Hari now raised alone.

This was just another tragedy in Bota Village.

...