Little Guest - 74
A gentle smile rested on his face as he took in the moment, appreciating every second of the peace surrounding him. There was no need to think about anything else, nor was there anything he needed to do. For once, he could simply lie there and enjoy the company of those beside him.
And in that moment, Bell felt a genuine sense of peace and happiness.
The three of them lay beneath the clear sky, content to do nothing more than enjoy the moment together.
All three were content.
…
Bell stared up at the bright blue sky for a moment before Marc suddenly exclaimed, "The sky looks really pretty."
Bell smiled. "Yeah."
The three of them stayed lying there for a few moments in comfortable silence. Then Marc sniffled and wiped his nose before bringing his sleeve closer to his face. He gave it a small sniff.
Juro opened one eye and noticed what Marc was doing. A smile formed on his face.
"Feel smelly?"
"Ah… ahahah… I guess all that sweat got me a bit smelly," Marc admitted, embarrassed.
Juro casually said, "Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
Juro raised a hand.
"Shui busda Shita."
The moment those words left his mouth, Bell immediately recognized the magic. He quickly closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut.
Marc, however, was still confused. "Did you say something, Teacher Juro?"
Then Marc noticed something above them.
A stream of water was falling from the sky.
His eyes narrowed as he realized what was happening. He quickly took a deep breath and closed his eyes just before the water came pouring down over them.
The stream continued for nearly fifteen seconds before gradually weakening and finally stopping.
Marc immediately gasped and opened his eyes.
All three of them were completely soaked.
"Woaaa…"
Juro casually spoke up. "Well, that's the shower part. Now time for the drying part. Marc, wanna do the drying?"
Marc's face lit up.
"Yeah!"
Meanwhile, Bell simply stared ahead, his wet hair hanging over his face and his clothes soaked through.
Juro casually instructed Marc, "Flow your mana out from your body and spread it beneath us. Then produce some hot air beneath us."
"Okay!"
Marc began letting his mana flow from his body. It spread across the ground beneath all three of them, stretching outward until it covered the area where they were lying. Slowly, warm air began rising from below.
Juro especially enjoyed the feeling. His body relaxed against the ground as the warmth reached him, and he let out a quiet yawn.
Marc felt the same. The sudden cold water had left him chilled, but the warm air quickly replaced it with a comfortable heat. He closed his eyes and relaxed.
Bell felt the warmth spreading through his wet clothes as well.
"Well… it isn't bad."
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the warmth.
For a few moments, the three of them simply lay there, letting their bodies and clothes slowly dry.
Then a drop of water fell from Marc's hair and landed directly on his nose.
Marc opened his eyes.
He looked down at the front of his shirt and noticed that it was still somewhat wet. He paused for a moment, realizing that while the warm air beneath them was drying their backs, the fronts of their clothes would take longer.
So Marc continued flowing his mana.
But this time, he changed what he was doing.
Instead of simply spreading the mana farther across the ground, he slowly guided it upward, letting it spread around and coat their bodies and clothes.
Bell and Juro noticed what Marc was doing.
Neither of them said anything.
They simply smiled lightly with their eyes still closed, allowing Marc to continue.
With Marc's mana now coating all three of them, the warm air was evenly distributed across their bodies and clothes, from their backs to their fronts, even reaching their heads and hair. The warmth was comfortable, almost cozy, especially with the gentle wind passing through the field.
Marc closed his eyes again, completely satisfied, and the three of them simply relaxed there.
A few minutes passed before Juro opened his eyes. He noticed that both kids had fallen asleep.
What caught his attention, however, was that the warm flow around their bodies was still going.
Juro lifted himself and sat up, looking over at Marc.
"Even while asleep, he's still consistently maintaining this mana flow? Juro thought, a smirk forming on his face. Haha… these kids keep surprising me."
He quietly muttered, "Lavandore." After saying the word, Juro smiled before laying back down.
Time quickly passed, and eventually, nightfall arrived.
…
Bell slowly opened his eyes.
Above him, the stars filled the dark sky, with the three moons gazing down from above. He sat up and stretched his arms before noticing a small campfire burning nearby.
He looked around.
Juro was gone.
Bell assumed that Juro had left the fire there before going somewhere else. He then looked down at the ground and at his own hands, noticing a faint layer of mana still coating him.
Bell turned toward Marc.
Even after sleeping all this time, Marc was still consistently pouring out mana.
Bell made an amused expression. "I know he's one of those kids with a natural talent for mana, but dang… this is actually really impressive."
A moment later, Marc slowly began to open his eyes. As soon as he woke up, the mana flowing from his body quietly dispersed.
His mouth was slightly open, a little saliva resting at the corner as he stared blankly at the stars and the three moons above.
Then his upper body suddenly jolted upright. "Whaaaat??? It's nighttime already??"
Bell chuckled at Marc's reaction. "Yeah. I guess all that tag and chasing after that creature really tired you out, huh?"
Marc stared at the sky for a few moments before smiling. "Yeah… but it was fun."
Then he suddenly smelled something.
Marc sniffed around before eventually bringing his sleeve toward his face and smelling his own clothes. "Woaaa, Bell! My clothes smell niceee!"
Bell smelled his own clothes as well. He smiled when he recognized the scent. "It's lavender."
"Oooo, lavender. It smells really nice."
After saying that, Marc looked around. "Oh wait, where's Teacher Juro?"
The moment he asked, a voice suddenly called out from nearby.
"Psst. Kids, over here."
Bell and Marc turned toward the trees.
Juro stepped out from between them, carrying a chicken in one hand and a deer in the other.
Both Marc and Bell got up and made their way toward the campfire and Juro. Juro placed the dead chicken and deer down beside the fire. "Well, I got us some dinner."
Marc looked down at the creatures with a slightly disappointed expression. "Awee… I wanted to help hunt too."
Juro smiled. "It's fine. It's important to also get some rest." As soon as he said that, he handed Marc a knife. "Here. You can help with the skinning on the creatures instead."
Marc smiled and took the knife before turning toward Bell. "Bell, which one do you wanna choose?"
Bell crouched down and picked up one of the chicken's legs. "I guess I'll go for this one."
Marc's face lit up. "Ooo, then that means I'll handle the big deer!"
Bell smiled and nodded. The two of them then began cutting and skinning the two creatures.
Meanwhile, Juro stretched his arms before walking over toward a nearby tree. He lifted his right hand and enveloped it with mana, shaping the mana around his hand into something sharp. He moved his hand toward the base of the tree and sliced through it.
As the tree began to fall, Juro caught it with his other arm before it could hit the ground. He continued moving his mana blade along the branches and connected parts of the tree, cutting them away until he was left with a perfectly neat wooden log. He then carried the tree back to the camp with one hand and placed it down before cutting it in half and arranging the logs into a simple seat.
After dusting off his hands, Juro looked over at the two kids. Bell was already finished cutting and slicing the chicken and was now gathering some sticks, while Marc was still working on the deer. Juro simply smiled before sitting down on the log and letting out a yawn.
Then, all of a sudden, some rustling came from the nearby bushes.
All three of them noticed it, though Bell and Juro remained calm. Marc, however, quickly became alert, tightening his grip around the knife while still holding onto the deer meat. His eyes stayed fixed on the bushes, already thinking that it could be some kind of creature.
But what came out of the bushes was a little girl.
Marc's eyes widened, and his grip on the knife immediately loosened. He was about to ask what had happened when the girl spoke first.
"C... could you help?"
The little girl began sniffling. "I... I'm lost... I wanna go back home..."
Marc immediately dropped his knife and hurried toward her. The little girl was about the same height as Nelly, and her clothes and shirt were covered in leaves and dust. Marc quickly wiped the dirt from her face and brushed the leaves and dust from her clothes.
"Are you lost?" he asked.
The little girl nodded.
Marc smiled warmly. "Don't worry. We'll help you get back."
He gave her a bright smile, and both Bell and Marc looked at her with gentle expressions.
Then a loud grumbling sound echoed through the air.
Marc looked down and realized it was coming from the girl's stomach. He chuckled before saying, "Pff… alright, how about we go eat first, okay? Then we'll help you get back home. Is that okay?"
The girl nodded.