“I feel so much stronger!” Jason said with a smirk, basking in the aftermath of his victory.
Are you proud of yourself, Jason? You really took all the experience Sienna should have gotten, the experience she deserved.
I glanced at Sienna. Remarkably, she didn’t seem to care about the stolen glory. I admired her for that. If it had been Jason, or worse, Aiden, they would have snapped at such a blatant steal.
As I looked around, I saw Amelia speaking with the other group, who had nearly met their end at the bear’s claws. From what I gathered, they had encountered the terrifying bear on their way back and started running for their lives. Just as they were about to be torn apart, Sienna intervened, fighting the bear head-on and saving them.
I was quite surprised, considering the bear was over level 80 and Sienna was only level 58. Her Skill, Sword Hero, was truly something else. It fit her perfectly, I had to admit.
“Are you okay, sister?” Siara, who had arrived with Jason, quickly rushed to her elder sister, her face etched with worry.
Sienna, utterly exhausted, managed a weak smile. It was already a miracle she hadn’t sustained any severe injuries.
“I’m fine, fine,” Sienna reassured her sister before glancing in my direction. “Nathan saved me.”
Siara turned her gaze toward me, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and curiosity.
I looked at her briefly before feeling a slight tug on my shirt.
“Courtney?” I asked, noticing her unusual expression.
Courtney stared at me strangely before muttering, “Thanks for saving me. I thought I was going to die, really. I was… scared.”
In the end, she was just a high school girl, barely sixteen. Despite her experience fighting monsters, this was the first time she had faced such a terrifying creature. Still, from what I had seen, she had played a significant role in the battle, helping Sienna and taking great risks to divert the bear’s attention when I was with Sienna, unguarded.
I smiled. “You also saved us. We’re even.”
Courtney looked surprised by my smile, then blushed a little. “Heummm. Yes.”
“Are you okay, Courtney?!” Jason suddenly pushed me aside, his eyes filled with concern as he addressed her.
This guy, who was smirking moments ago about all the experience he had gained from stealing Sienna’s prey, suddenly remembered to show worry for Courtney?
“Well, yes…” Courtney replied awkwardly.
Normally, she would have been overjoyed by Jason’s concern and would have clung to him for the rest of the week. But this time was different. She seemed uncertain, her gaze flickering between Jason and me.
The subtlety of her actions apparently wasn’t enough, as Jason caught on. He cast a brief glance my way before suddenly wrapping his arms around Courtney in an embrace.
“I was so worried! Why didn’t you come with my group? I would have protected you,” Jason exclaimed, his voice filled with concern.
I silently doubted his claim. Courtney didn’t seem particularly hurt, and her being with Sienna was likely far safer than being with Jason. In fact, I had a feeling my presence played a role in her current state.
Courtney flinched slightly before gently pushing Jason away. Her actions took him by surprise.
Was this the first time a girl had ever pushed him away? He seemed so confident in his looks and charm. It was clear he believed Courtney was already his.
Courtney, equally shocked by her own actions, quickly stammered, “S-sorry… I’m just a little tired…”
Jason scratched his head awkwardly, trying to recover. “A-ah, right, ahaha,” he laughed nervously.
The situation must have been quite uncomfortable for him. Too bad for you, Jason.
Courtney glanced at me before swiftly walking away.
Too bad indeed, because Courtney is already mine, and there’s no way you’ll win her back.
Right now, I don’t have time to deal with my stepsisters or handle Jason’s jealousy. There’s a bigger issue at hand.
Besides Siara, there was also Cecilia, and she was currently talking to Amelia, who seemed quite serious.
What was the subject of their conversation? Of course, it was Oscar, who had suddenly disappeared.
Cecilia’s gaze shifted towards me. I quickly pretended I wasn’t watching her as she approached.
“Hero Nathan, do you have a minute?” she asked.
“Yes, sure,” I replied with a smile.
“I’m relieved to see both of you are fine, but…” Cecilia hesitated, looking awkward. “Do you know where Oscar has gone? Usually, he sends me messages every three hours, but he hasn’t since this morning, which is quite unusual.”
Every three hours? I didn’t know they had devices for that kind of communication.
I considered my response. Oscar likely hadn’t sent any messages that would implicate me since his plan was to get rid of me covertly and blame it on monsters. But I needed to tread carefully.
“No, sorry. When I woke up, he wasn’t there anymore. I looked around but didn’t find him anywhere nearby,” I said.
Cecilia looked at me intently. “Hero Amelia told me that the last time she saw Oscar, you were going to gather wood for the fire,” she said.
“Yes, indeed. Oscar gave me a hand, and then we returned to the camp. The teacher was already sleeping. Oscar took the first guard shift, but as I said, when I woke up, he wasn’t there anymore,” I said, feigning a thoughtful look. “I hope nothing has happened to him.”
“No, of course. Oscar is quite strong, there’s nothing to worry about,” Cecilia said, noting the concern on my face.
“You mentioned having some kind of device to communicate with him, right? Can’t you track his location with it?” I asked, trying to sound curious rather than anxious.
“Yes, we can. I just need some help once we are back outside the forest,” Cecilia nodded.
So, they can find the place where I left him to die. I was only worried about one thing: the way I killed him, a sword stab. Even though I left him to be devoured by strong beasts, I hoped they were hungry enough to consume everything. If they didn’t, I was doomed. The Emperor only needed a reason to get rid of me.
“Thanks for the answers,” Cecilia said, nodding.
Judging from her behavior, she didn’t seem particularly close to Oscar. At least, not enough to make this personal for her.
I smiled and nodded as she walked away.
Starting from now, it will become much harder to hide things.
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