I still can't believe Elizia is with us. First, she clearly refused my offer to become a maid and didn't even want to get into that thing. I thought that would be the end of it, especially after that day we met on the street... but who would have thought, she's literally going to be our guide!

I wasted no time and sat on the coachman's bench next to Elizia mid-way, since that's better than being near Victorian with his sweaty alpha smell or Ravenna's intimidating gaze! Hah, it's so good to have someone you've known for a long time helping with this kind of thing!

But still, it's strange.

Maids receive an excellent amount of money for working in the royal palace, while adventurers or guides don't get as much, so why did she choose to help us anyway?

My eyes turn to the road. We've been out of the Imperial City for a while now, there's a dirt road and trees in all directions, with a few birds here and there flying over our heads. The sun is quite pleasant, and so is the weather.

"Hey, I still want to understand why you accepted this job and who recommended you."

Elizia pouts, firmly holding the horses' reins while she ponders exactly what to answer. Ugh, can't she even help me with this?

"It's a favor" she replies, without any trace of concern. "I'm compensating for everything you've done, aren't I?"

"Still, I didn't even know you had a skill with other things."

"Now you're offending me, sweetie. Someone who is skillful with their body inevitably learns other things in the process, you know?"

She flashes that naughty smile and places one of her hands on my thigh. Wait, is that a green light? I lift my face, exchanging glances, only to notice a dollar sign appearing in the middle of her pupils. Ah, she's going to suck my money and my dick too, is that what she's trying to say.

Anyway, in any case, it's better to go with someone I know than a stranger. We are on our way to the North, it's going to be a long and problematic trip, but first, we have to make a few stops along the way.

For example, Ravenna asked to be dropped off at the Galbraith property, which is on the way, so we'll first pass by the mansion she inherited before continuing on our journey. If I remember correctly, there are exactly two stops, or at least that's what my father explained to me before the day of the farewell.

The carriage creaked slowly along the road, and the constant rocking made me lose track of time a bit. The smell of mud mixed with the surrounding trees reminded me that we were already far away from the heart of the Imperial City, with no white towers or guards parading in the streets.

"So that's it?" I insist, crossing my arms and looking suspiciously at Elizia. "You just woke up one day and decided to abandon a comfortable life as a courtesan to become a guide for people who don't even know if they'll come back alive?"

She shrugs and rolls her eyes, maintaining the same small smile as always. It's an indirect way of saying "that's not how it works," and one of the many customs I noticed after so long hiring her services.

"Don't talk as if I were a nun from a convent, sweetie. I choose the risks I want to take. Besides, they paid me a hefty sum, so why not?"

I wanted to retort, but my eyes ended up falling on the road that snaked toward the horizon. If all went well, our first stop would be in Veyren, the city where the Galbraith property was located. Ravenna had already made it clear that she needed to sort out matters there before anything else, and that she would stay for the next few days, so we would say goodbye one day after resting at the property.

After that, the route would continue straight north to reach a city called Luie, a famous commercial hub among adventurers, practically the last "civilized frontier" before the icy lands. That's what my father explained, although he made it sound much simpler than it seemed now.

Elizia notices my silence and lightly squeezes my thigh, this time without that mischievous way of manipulating my emotions.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing. If I wanted to screw you over, I would have done it before we left the Imperial City."

"Thanks for the consolation."

"You don't have much right to use the word 'consolation', you know that, right?"

Why is she still provoking and joking with me even here, outside the situation? I honestly don't understand what goes through this woman's head...

The carriage continues along the road until it leaves the forest, now passing by a type of farm farther away from the city walls. You can see the wheat fields covering everything in the distance, with some cows and sheep grazing as usual.

This gives me a certain nostalgia. Before being taken in by the Moonlight family and living that shitty life, I spent a lot of time in a rural village that lived off agriculture. I remember spending a lot of time alone, because... No, I think it's better to go there than relive the past.

If I remember correctly, I think my hometown is in that direction, right?

"Hey, can we make a detour? I want to visit a place too, I think it's closer than the Galbraith property."

"Hmm? Why?"

"I want to visit my hometown village. I need to resolve something... important."

Elizia raises an eyebrow, keeping the reins firm while giving me that calculating look that mixes suspicion with pure amusement.

"Your hometown village, huh?" she asks, stretching out each word as if she were about to discover a juicy secret. "And what could be so important there, sweetie? Are you going to tell me you left a bride crying for you?"

"It's nothing like that" I answer too quickly, which only makes her laugh even more. "It's just... there are things left behind. Things I can't just ignore."

She clicks her tongue, shaking her head like someone who already knows she's going to get into trouble.

"You men, always with this talk about 'resolving things from the past.' But, look, if the detour doesn't delay the stop in Veyren too much, it might even be interesting. If it's a trap to get me involved with someone, or even to try to force me to marry you, I'll tell now: no."

I roll my eyes. Of course, she saw through my intentions and feelings, Elizia is too sharp to let it slide when a great client starts developing this kind of thing. As is to be expected of someone in that profession, she is too perceptive about others.

"You can relax, no one in their right mind would attempt that kind of thing with you."

"Good thing we agree."

The carriage continues along the open road, and I see Victorian stirring in the back, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. Ravenna, as always, is quiet, but the way she raises her eyes for an instant makes me think I'll be better off dead when all this is over. Where did so much murderous desire come from?

I inhale deeply. The smell of sun-scorched wheat brings back memories of when I ran barefoot through similar fields, before I knew I had a curse connected to my dick and also before all this shit started. Honestly, I wanted to have lived in that place forever, but I never had the courage to go back, as if the past still had chains attached to my ankle.

"The name of the village is Efel" I finally say, breaking the silence. "It's a little to the east, between the woods that border the road. It shouldn't delay the trip too much."

Elizia whistles softly.

"Efel... I've heard of it. Small, but known for being tough when bandits try to steal the harvests." She smiles, giving the reins a little tap. "So it's decided. First your land, then Veyren. Are you really not going to say why you want to stop there?"

"No, it's better to just leave it alone."

I prefer that these things stay between me and the matter I'm going to resolve. The other two don't need to be in the loop either, even though... even though I should tell Ravenna, and she will certainly be extremely pissed off when she finds out.

Well, I'll worry about that when the time comes. The sun slowly moves on the horizon, hiding behind some mountains far away, until it disappears and night falls. We set up a small camp and lit the bonfire to eat, but no one feels like talking, especially the witch, who won't stop staring at me with that "I'm going to kill you" look. As for Victorian, now I feel sorry for that guy.

While our lancer friend stands guard for the night along with Elizia, she and I sleep inside the carriage. Now would be a great opportunity for some intense and hot activity, but instead of paying attention to me, Ravenna's eyes are focused only on a book she brought.

Yeah, that's definitely not happening tonight.