Babel

Though he still woke up every hour or so, Linnaeus enjoyed one of the best nights of sleep that his mind could recall. Sleeping next to Eliza had always been strangely comfortable but, now that he was no longer afraid of his enemies exploiting a single moment of weakness, he was able to finally relax, even if only a little.The next morning, he awoke to feel refreshed and energetic so, after their early-morning ritual, once everyone had gathered for breakfast, he proposed, "Today, we'll move further to the Southwest. This may be our last day gathering here so we should try to accumulate some raw materials for forging."While Slime Gels were the most popular commodity to be harvested from Slimes, there were some varieties that also dropped highly refined ores. These were the evolution of Mimic and Rock Slimes, each significantly rarer than the common elemental varieties. In exchange, their drops were far more valuable and, with Krone's Blessing, obtaining purified metals would be extremely useful.As they had already discussed the possibility of visiting the area Linnaeus had in mind, none of his Party members were against. Rather, knowing he stood to benefit the most, Krone gave a curt nod of approval. As for Eliza and Emilia, the former generally supported all of Linnaeus' decisions while the latter was too busy engorging herself to really argue a point of her own.With everyone in agreement, the group made their way down a well-trod footpath, a common route used by Parties venturing deeper into the Southern Forest. Previously, they had gone out of their way to avoid such paths but, realizing they were well-trodden for a reason, Linnaeus felt as if his past self really was paranoid.Along the way to their destination, the Party encountered several wayward Slimes, including a rare jade-green Slime known, quite literally, as a Jade Slime. It was a mineral-type Slime but, instead of dropping refined ore, they instead dropped a piece of smooth jade. This looked like nothing more than a pretty stone at a glance but, in the hands of a skills craftsman, it could be made into a ring or amulet that was capable of holding additional items, much like an Inventory.There was no way they could pass up on the rare encounter so, while keeping in mind that the Jade Slime had a very potent venom, the Party moved to cut off its escape routes as Krone, covered in a [Barrier Aura] worked to smash the nebulous creature.Due to its size, being nearly 2m in diameter, it was a lot harder to kill than a normal Slime but, with a bit of persistence, combined with the fact he could absorb its traits, Krone ultimately managed to rip it in half. This cost Linnaeus most of his SP reserves but, considering they got a piece of Jadite Stone that weighed more than 2kg, it was more than worth it.After collecting the rare resource, Linnaeus had a genuine smile on his face as he turned to the Party and asked, "Should we just turn back now? A chunk this size should be enough for all of us. We can use any excess to buy raw materials for Krone's Blessing so there is no reason to venture any further than this."Since it had only been forty minutes from the time they set out, it felt a little strange to be calling it a day but, never one to chance fate, Linnaeus felt they should quit while they were ahead. This seemed to be the general consensus of the entire Party as well so, after a brief discussion, they decided it was time to bid farewell to the Southern Forests.So as not to draw too much attention to themselves, as there were people who kept track of when a Party entered and exited the forests, Linnaeus and co spent a bit of time killing various lesser Slimes to fill their totes. They would trade these in at the Hunting Guild before leaving the Southern Forest Settlement. Since it was still pretty early, they could easily reach Central before evening fell.Though Linnaeus felt as if their hasty retreat might draw unwarranted attention, he tried to keep his calm and go with the flow as, even after leaving the Guild behind, he never got the feeling that any danger was heading their way. His instincts told him that someone or something would try to bar their passage back to Central but, considering how easy it was to reach the Southern Forests, there was a good chance their trip back may very well be smooth...---While it wouldn't set back his new mentality too much, Linnaeus was soon reminded why he always trusted his gut instinct.About an hour out from the Southern Forest Settlement, the entire Party's [Sense Danger] started sounding alarm bells in their mind and, immediately after, various people could be seen trying to surround them.Other Parties may be caught unprepared for such occurrences but, expecting something like this to happen at some point, Linnaeus had already discussed countermeasures with his Party. As a result, Krone began absorbing the properties of his gauntlets. At the same time, Emilia used her [Phase Change] to create a thick cover of fog, obscuring the sight of both the Party and their attackers.Fortunately, everyone in their Party had decent [Perception] and, having already practiced fighting in the cloud of fog, they had a slight advantage over their assailants. This could all be invalidated by the enemy's Blessings but it was still better than being exposed to direct fire...Since it was created as a result of her Blessing, the fog cloud was able to follow along with Emilia and the Party so, rather than be stuck in one spot, they doubled their pace to make it harder for the enemy to surround them.Linnaeus left Eliza in the care of Krone and, using the boundaries of the fog to maintain the proper distance for his own [Barrier Aura], he began searching for enemies barring their passage.Most people were unfamiliar with fighting in an environment where they could hardly see beyond their own outstretched hands so Linnaeus ended up finding a red-haired youth with a rather vicious sword in hand. He was peering into the fog with his sword at the ready but, due to being immobile, he was caught off guard by Linnaeus' small stature and relatively high Agility.Despite this, the man still managed to swing his sword toward Linnaeus' neck on reflex but the latter had already made a rod-shaped barrier within the trajectory of the swing. This caught the youth's forearms, interrupting the swing and surprising him more than a little. Unfortunately, this wasn't the end of his surprises as, without anything barring his passage, Linnaeus buried his daggers into the youth's gut and chest in an instant.With a face of sheer incredulity, the light in the youth's eyes quickly faded away as, atop his head, the bar representing his health quickly flatlined. Direct strikes to the Heart and Brain had a high chance of causing the 'Instant Death' effect so, while people with higher Endurance may be able to survive such attacks, those specializing in Agility were very susceptible to such blows.Aside from throwing the youth's sword into his Inventory, Linnaeus didn't even spare him a second glance as he used his LV17 [Perception] to sense the next enemy. This was made easier by the fact that, immediately after the youth died, someone shouted out, "Fuck! These people killed Sahl! Kill these motherfuckers...!"Hearing this outburst, Linnaeus began making his way towards the source only to change his course when he heard another voice reply, "Fighting in the fog is a bad idea. We should attack from outside and wait for them to run out of SP. If we kill them too quickly, we won't be able to recover the items in their Inventories. Don't let your head get clouded by rage, Jack!"In live combat, those that could keep their calm were infinitely more dangerous than the type that let their emotions drive their decisions. When Linnaeus heard the voice of a woman pacifying the rage of who he presumed to be the leader, he immediately chose her as his second target. It was fortunate that they were foolish enough to shout as, understanding his intentions, Emilia followed along the same axis of movement to ensure he wouldn't be exposed.From the perspective of the enemies, the cloud of fog suddenly changed direction and, instead of moving away from them, it suddenly doubled-back to envelop several members. Those fearing the same end as Sahl immediately tried to retreat but, as they weren't priority targets, Linnaeus simply ignored them.After a few seconds of heart-pounding pursuit, Linnaeus saw a man that could only be described as 'wild' while, at his side, a lavender-haired woman with a buckler and needle-like rapier could be seen staring directly at him.Though it felt like his nerves were on fire, Linnaeus wasn't daunted by the fact his presence had been noticed. Instead, he pushed his speed beyond its natural limits, relying on the surge of adrenaline to propel himself forward.By the time the wild man noticed what was happening, the woman with the rapier lunged to meet Linnaeus' charge, a vortex of green energy wrapping around her blade and body. This indicated her Blessing was related to wind, one of the more powerful offensive elements, but Linnaeus couldn't afford to simply turn back at this point.Though he couldn't form anything more complex in the time allotted, Linnaeus was still able to form a marble-sized barrier in the path of the woman. He poured a quarter of his reserves into the super-dense ball of SP which, due to its size, went completely unnoticed by everyone. At the same time, he charged forward as if he was fully intent on crossing blades with the tempestuous rapier.As a result of his subterfuge, the woman, who had put her all into the charge, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest as her momentum was completely arrested. Her balance was destroyed and, while the blades of wind around her rapier still cut outward, they crashed harmlessly against the [Barrier Aura] of Linnaeus.Before the woman could even exclaim in pain, Linnaeus pushed his speed even further beyond his limits, pulling his recently acquired sword out from his Inventory in the process. Then, much to the shock of the wild man and his cohorts, Linnaeus buried his sword into the woman's neck, piercing straight through to the other side and leaving it there as he turned back to run.For a brief moment, silence dominated the foggy atmosphere until, finally reconciling what had happened, the wild-looking man released a feral-sounding bellow, screaming, "I WILL PEEL YOUR FLESH AND FUCK YOUR SKULL!"Without bothering to respond to the man, Linnaeus vanished into the fog as, moments later, the entire area occupied by the now-enraged man was suffused with a purple hue. He didn't even have time to enact his revenge as, from the moment they saw the purple aura, death descended upon the three people nearby, courtesy of Eliza's [Crush] magic.With gravity spontaneously increasing by 50x the normal amount, it was enough to spontaneously rupture the capillaries in a person's body and, while some people may have the physical strength to withstand the forces, it wasn't as if they could easily train their organs. As a result, all of the soft and fleshy bits in their body were forced downward with intense force, their brains and hearts included. One of them was unfortunate enough to be the type to wear heavy armor so, while his Strength was commendable, his 70kg of armor became a metallic press of 3,500kg in an instant...

Though there were exceptions at the Company level, most Parties were dispelled the moment their Party Leader was killed in battle. This was one of the reasons why the strongest or toughest member of the Party was elected as the leader.In this case, the man and woman Linnaeus and co ended up killing seemed to be a Company Leader and Lieutenant. As a result, the Company was disbanded and, without a good reason to face the fog of death, the remaining Party Leaders commanded their teams to retreat.They hadn't been able to take out a single enemy yet, in a span of only a few minutes, several of their strongest members had been wiped out. This was enough to terrify anyone without death-seeking habits so it wasn't all that surprising, at least to Linnaeus, that they would turn tail and run.Despite this, Emilia continued to spread her fog through the area as Linnaeus looted the corpses of their attackers. She made sure to move around occasionally to avoid having her location pinpointed but, even after twenty minutes, silence dominated the surroundings.To conserve SP, Emilia ultimately allowed the fog to dissipate through the surroundings as the Party made its way towards Central City. They didn't know the true purpose of the ambush but it was safe to assume their enemies didn't have good intentions if it required them to surround their Party...---It generally required a half day's travel to reach Central City from the Southern Forests. Due to the ambush, Linnaeus and co managed to reduce this travel time to only seven hours. They wanted to reach a relatively safe location before they began to discuss what had happened as the period of time immediately after an attack was, in many cases, a person's most vulnerable moment.Fortunately, the Party managed to enter through the security checkpoint after paying a small fee of Soul Kindling. After that, they found an Inn with decent rates and large food portions before topping themselves off and retreating to the relative security of their booked rooms.Since they had a few things to discuss, everyone gathered together in the same room to distribute loot and talk about their future plans. There was a small chance the group that attacked them was related to a larger group but, as none of the loot made this connection obvious, it was impossible to be certain.After having just gotten over his paranoia, Linnaeus was afraid this incident would reawaken his old mentality so, rather than regress, he looked toward the future, saying, "In a way, this is a blessing of sorts. Based on what I could tell, the woman I managed to surprise attack was well over my Level. It is safe to assume that the leader was even stronger than her so, despite our small number, we were able to defeat a much larger group of people with similar Levels. Really, good work, everyone...our teamwork and coordination really shined today."Linnaeus was generally a taciturn individual who chose his words very carefully. Hearing him give a small speech was a surprise to everyone, Eliza included. This caused a smile to spread across her face and, though she was still a little annoyed about the previous attack, she internally thanked the group for their sacrifice.Eliza wasn't the only one who was happy about the change in Linnaeus' behavior. The earlier battle had proven to Emilia that Linnaeus was a capable Party Leader. He was the one to come up with the idea of masking their location with fog and, despite the precariousness of their situation, he charged into enemy lines without any hesitation.As a result of his resolute actions, he was able to forcibly shift the momentum in their favor while simultaneously revealing the location of their enemies to Eliza. This had allowed them to defeat a group of enemies that, in any other situation, would have easily defeated them in turn.Now that she recognized Linnaeus as a 'real' Party Leader, something deep inside of Emilia clicked into place and, for very different reasons that Eliza, a smile spread across her face...Though he couldn't pinpoint the cause, Linnaeus felt a small shiver pass through his body but, as the rest of his Party didn't seem to have a reaction, he set it aside for the time being. It was a different feeling than the one he would get when something dangerous was approaching so, at the very least, he didn't have to worry about another surprise attack.---In total, the Party had managed to loot a greatsword, two longswords, five daggers, an ornate rapier, and, most importantly, two interspatial rings. Most of the equipment had sustained various amounts of damage from Eliza's [Crush] magic but, as they were often infused with unique enchantments, the interspatial rings were still in pristine condition.This was where the main haul of the ambush was found as each ring contained a plethora of useful items, such as potions, elixirs, and a small mountain of foodstuffs. Since even cheap potions could cost several hundred Soul Kindling, inheriting enough to support an entire Company of people as a Party of four was a major windfall.While these were all incredibly important, the greatest boon was the actual Soul Kindling that was present in each of the rings. There were nearly 170,000 to be split between them, bringing the total haul to more than 300,000 due to the Kindling dropped from the actual corpses.As he had learned on his first day in the Crucible of Souls, a person dropped their Soul Kindling upon death. This was what had led him to the assumption that killing would be common within the Crucible of Souls. Though he now realized that most people tended to avoid such bloody conflict, it could be seen from this most recent incident that not everyone had an aversion to violence.It was somewhat unfortunate that some enemies had been able to flee from the battle but, with such a large windfall, Linnaeus couldn't really complain. Trying to chase after fleeing enemies was difficult, especially if they went in different directions, so there really wasn't much they could have done. Now, they could only hope that their Party hadn't been targetted specifically. If that was the case, whoever gave the orders to track them down would soon learn of what had happened, including the fact that their Party now had more than half a million in total assets...Since there wasn't anything he could do about unseen and unknown enemies, Linnaeus decided not to let the matter weigh too heavily on his mind. He did mention moving around periodically to avoid being easily traced but, in the grand scheme of things, this was really just the basics. So long as they didn't establish any exploitable habits, their enemies would be forced to confront them on less-than-ideal terms, providing them more opportunities to counterattack.Eliza, Emilia, and Krone had no problems with this arrangement but they still wanted to venture into the Central District for a week or so to procure better equipment. Most of the items obtained were in various states of disrepair so it was better to scrap them for raw materials before buying equipment suitable for each person.This time around, Linnaeus was easily convinced by Eliza's reasoning since the 300,000 Kindling they had obtained was essentially extraneous profit. It wasn't accounted for in his initial projections so, while it was a little worrisome to spend precious Soul Kindling, ensuring his Party was well equipped was far more important...With their discussion finished, Krone ended up returning to his own room, this time without giving Linnaeus any kind of pointed looks. The earlier battle had left an impression on him as well so, while he didn't fully accept Linnaeus' leadership, the results spoke for themselves.Seeing the subtle changes in his burly companion's disposition, Linnaeus allowed an actual smile to cross his face, something that was noticed by the two girls in the room. Eliza was still in high spirits from earlier so, immediately after Krone left the room, she moved to give Linnaeus a big hug.Unfortunately, her actions were too slow as, from the periphery of her vision, Emilia's figure emerged like a blur as she pounced on the unsuspecting youth. This took Linnaeus to the ground while Eliza, frozen mid-step, stared at the scene playing out, her anger gradually increasing with each palpitation of her heart...More-so than Eliza, Linnaeus was caught off guard by Emilia's sudden pounce. His efforts to avoid counterattacking effectively turned him into a lifeless doll so, without any resistance, Emilia was able to freely rub her head and cheeks against Linnaeus.This went on for several awkward moments before Eliza, seemingly hitting the limits of her tolerance, exclaimed, "Get off him you...you...you...!"There were a lot of insults Eliza wanted to throw out but, not wanting to upset Linnaeus or genuinely offend Emilia, they all got stuck in her throat. This didn't stop her from taking action to carry out her own demand, however, as she grabbed Emilia but the scruff of her fur-collar, yanking her back while simultaneously reducing her weight.Emilia was pulled so hard that Linnaeus was actually yanked to his feet. As for Emilia herself, she was tossed about unceremoniously by Eliza. Her weight had been reduced to almost nothing so, for the first time, both Linnaeus and Emilia were able to witness how terrifying Eliza could be if she got her hands on someone...Due to the way she was raised, Emilia was fundamentally unable to resist the small beating bestowed to her by Eliza. She was taught to respect the strong and accept punishment when she misbehaved. Since she could tell that Eliza wasn't actually trying to hurt her, Emilia accepted her fate as she had already fulfilled her purpose.Vanargandr were able to emit pheromones from their body so, by rubbing her head and ears against Linnaeus, she had effectively marked him with her scent. Linnaeus and Eliza may not notice this but Emilia would now be able to track him virtually anywhere, so long as he wasn't solidifying his [Barrier Aura].Better still, anyone with a sensitive nose and animalistic traits would be able to smell her scent on his body and understand their meaning. If they tried to approach him, it was the same as declaring war on her as, until she returned to start her own tribe, Emilia had decided to follow Linnaeus.Previously, Emilia had been on the fence since he was still weaker than her. Now, however, she had been given solid proof to show that raw strength and speed were not the determining factors, just two elements of a complex equation.This reminded her of all the tales and legends she heard about the famous members of her species, people who had led the Vanargandr against insurmountable odds to secure victory. Linnaeus, while still immature, seemed to possess the qualities of these great leaders so, at least until she returned triumphantly to the outside world, Emilia would continue to follow and observe him closely. He may very well become one of the legends passed down to her own tribe in the future so, while it may upset Eliza, Emilia couldn't simply deny her instincts...Though she didn't know what Emilia was thinking about, Eliza could feel something was off so, for the better part of ten minutes, she smacked the cheeky Vanargandr before lecturing her for a full two hours. While this was going on, Linnaeus sat quietly at the side, a cold sweat making his palms feel clammy. He made a mental note not to upset Eliza in the future as, for reasons unbeknownst to him, she was somehow more terrifying than facing off against people that actually wanted to claim his life...---(A/N: Dat maternal instinct...)

After having stayed out pretty late, Linnaeus didn't have much time remaining until he was supposed to wake. Thus, despite falling into the deepest state of unconsciousness he had ever experienced, his internal clock stirred him awake at precisely 0500. This wasn't an exaggeration either as, due to only ever sleeping peacefully when he was knocked unconscious, Linnaeus awoke with a start, his body jerking upright in an instant as he quickly took in his surroundings.Remembering what had happened previously, Linnaeus was eventually able to calm down but, for a brief moment, cold sweat had covered his brow as his quick movement nearly sent Eliza tumbling from the bed.Being violently moved was never a pleasant way to wake up so Eliza had a grimace on her face after sitting up on the bed and asking, "What's the big idea, Lin? Is there an enemy...?"Though it was possible her senses hadn't detected anything, Eliza noticed that neither Linnaeus or Emilia were in a tense state. Rather, the latter seemed amused by what had happened while Linnaeus had turned statuesque, his mind clearly working in overdrive to come up with an explanation.Ultimately, Linnaeus decided to just be honest about what had happened so he explained, "I fell into a deep slumber so my body reacted negatively when it realized the time. Sorry, Eliza, I didn't mean to startle you like that..."Hearing the sincerity in Linnaeus's tone, Eliza felt that pressing the issue would be petty. Instead, she keyed in on his actual words and, realizing what he had said, a smile bloomed on her face. Then, as it was a matter of utmost importance, at least to her, Eliza had Linnaeus explain exactly what happened the previous night and subsequent morning.Since it would only strengthen their bond further, Linnaeus relented to Eliza's pestering and, while they all prepared for their day, he explained his stealth activities, his encounter with the same girl that had attacked them, and his speculation following the encounter.As if to punctuate the realization he had made the previous night, Eliza gave an understanding nod alongside Emilia, despite the latter having lived in a nomadic community.While they both knew how vicious some people could be, neither of them had the same mentality as Linnaeus, one which treated every unknown factor as a danger. It was honestly a point of concern for them as, while caution wasn't a bad character trait, it became a very big issue when it developed to a point where it was indistinguishable from paranoia.Realizing she needed to enforce this change in Linnaeus' perspective, Eliza patiently explained her own views on society and the inherent 'trust' required to be a functional member. Though her own perspective was obviously skewed due to her upbringing, one of the most important things she had been taught was how to read, understand, and empathize with people. These were important traits for anyone that was expected to lead others and, while ruthlessness was sometimes required during periods of conflict, it could not be the base state of a structured society.Though it would take a long time for him to truly understand what Eliza was trying to convey to him, the most important thing, at least from Linnaeus' perspective, was that the world wasn't the evil and vicious place he expected. He knew he would eventually meet corrupt, power-hungry, and outright vile individuals but, in the grand scheme of things, people seemed drawn towards a simpler way of life. They just wanted to be happy and, unless the situation drove them to fight for that happiness, they largely kept to themselves...---After a rather awkward morning, Linnaeus and co set out for another day of material gathering, now without the tense atmosphere that had been present during their previous excursions.Compared to the past few days, hunting in the Southern Forests was actually a little fun as, without having to worry about enemies attacking them, the Party was able to focus on the hunt itself. This was something noted by Linnaeus and, while he didn't particularly regret his past actions, he could tell that his behavior had been a detrimental factor to his Party's development.Rather than apologize for his faults, Linnaeus decided to take Eliza's and Emilia's words to heart and, while Krone obviously wanted to inquire about what had changed, he ultimately kept silent. After all, Linnaeus was acting like a proper leader and, rather than the mask of confidence he wore to conceal his fear and paranoia, he now seemed a lot more relaxed and focused.With this newfound focus, Linnaeus fell into a more supportive role in the Party, replacing Emilia and allowing her to become the group's Scout. This put him in a position to protect Eliza and, when the situation called for his intervention, he could easily move to support Krone.In this manner, the Party was able to clear out large sections of the forest and, after eleven hours of hunting, they had acquired more materials than their previous three days combined. Not only that, but everyone was in high spirits compared to the past few days, something Linnaeus took personally since he had been the source of the unrest.Still, he decided not to let it get to him as worrying unnecessarily would just be repeating the same mistakes as before. Instead, he would try to cultivate actual confidence and, while he couldn't really do anything about his cautious nature, changing his perspective of the world made a big difference.Now, instead of radiating a cold and detached aura to outsiders, Linnaeus casually glanced in their direction and, after confirming they harbored no ill will, he simply ignored them. He noticed that, as a result of his shift in mentality, the surroundings seemed significantly less dangerous than before. It no longer felt like everyone was machinating and scheming against him, rather, so long as he didn't do anything to draw their attention, most people simply ignored their group...By the time the Party returned to the Inn, Linnaeus felt as if his entire world view had been flipped on top of its head. Despite this, his mood had improved considerably and, though he couldn't willingly drop his guard, he didn't react adversely just because someone got near him. He even returned the greetings of a few patrons that crossed his path, people Linnaeus would have outright ignored in the past.Seeing how quickly he was improving, Eliza had a perpetual smile on her face as, more than Linnaeus himself, she felt gratified by his changes. She had been more than a little bothered by his recounting of the past and, knowing of the events that had shaped Linnaeus' character, Eliza had made it one of her missions to open his heart, at least to her.Linnaeus had been paying close attention to all of his companions so he had, obviously, seen the change in Eliza's mood. She was clearly happier than before, to the point she didn't even use harsh words when Krone or Emilia did something to annoy her. Instead, she just shook her head and, as if she was afraid to ruin the mood, she ignored their small slights.Because of these changes, the Party dynamic had improved considerably in a single day. This was further emphasized by the fact that, prior to going to bed, Krone gave a few parting words to the group. He would normally just walk off after they were done discussing the day's hunt and their future plans so it was a marked improvement, one which they discussed upon returning to their shared room...As the person with the weakest filter on her words and actions, Emilia was the first to directly state, "This is good. Compared to before, the Party is working a lot better. Keep doing your best and you'll become an even better leader in the future, Lin."Now that they were in the privacy of their own room, Eliza stopped holding herself back for the sake of the Party, immediately rebuffing Emilia by saying, "Don't be rude, Emilia. Linnaeus has been doing his best from the very beginning. He just lacks experience and perspective. Once he matures a bit, he will become a great Party Leader by default."Rather than refute her words, Emilia answered Eliza's remark with an affirmative nod, adding, "Yeah, he really isn't bad for someone his age. I can remember what I was like three years ago...really, it is amazing how much people can change, isn't it~?"By the time she finished her words, Emilia had approached Linnaeus's side and, using her hand, she tried to measure the difference in their heights. This caused the latter's brow to twitch slightly as his height was quickly becoming a sore spot that he couldn't really do anything about...Realizing she might have overstepped her bounds a bit, Emilia poked her tongue out at Linnaeus before asking, "Should I apologize~?" in a cutesy tone.Remembering Emilia's previous display, where she laid on her back and presented her stomach, Linnaeus ultimately shook his head in exasperation, saying, "We should prepare for bed. There is no way of knowing the future so it is important to rest when we can..."Hearing Linnaeus' response, Emilia brought her face a little closer to his and, a serious look on her face as she said, "You should be bolder, Lin. Not many men get the chance to share a room with two girls like this. You won't have this opportunity forever so make the most of it while you can, okay...?"Before Linnaeus was able to respond to her words, Emilia felt her head being jerked back, courtesy of Eliza pulling her ponytail. At the same time, the latter stated in a cold tone, "Don't put any weird ideas into Lin's head. I swear, if you try to corrupt him..."As Eliza was still pulling on her ponytail, Emilia could only offer a pained smile in response as she answered, "I'm only playing around, you don't have to be so serious, Liz~!"Sensing that things were becoming chaotic, Linnaeus shook his head and simply turned away from the duo. Curiously, this was enough to stop them from fighting and, after an awkward period of silence, they too began preparing for bed. This involved taking a bath, changing clothes, and tying up their hair.Refusing to share the bath with Emilia, Eliza quickly took over the bathroom for herself, albeit after giving the increasingly mischevious Vanargandr a starn warning.Though she was tempted to ignore Eliza's remarks, Emilia ultimately nodded her head since she didn't want to offend the former. Rather, her teasing of Linnaeus was the result of their increased familiarity and, while she didn't mind laying a claim to the white-haired youth, she wasn't serious.Back in her tribe, the girls enjoyed teasing the weaker males as it was just a way of fostering positive rapport with their future mates. She honestly didn't understand why Eliza behaved as she did toward Linnaeus so she just treated it as a cultural difference. Still, unless Linnaeus himself told her to stop doing it, Emilia wasn't going to stop teasing him when the opportunity presented itself. After all, he was supposed to be the Party leader and, while Eliza was still the strongest in the group, Emilia cared more about the established hierarchy than presumed structure of the group...With this in mind, Emilia waited until she heard the sound of water being moved about before she turned toward Linnaeus with a smile. He was an extremely perceptive boy so he immediately noticed her gaze, turning his head to meet her. This caused Emilia to smile mischievously and, knowing he wouldn't say anything about it, she bounced over to him before laying on her back and apologizing for her earlier behavior, tummy exposed and tail curled up between her legs in a pitiable manner...

Chapter 68: Guts