After spending some time cooking dinner, everyone sat around the bonfire in their group to enjoy their food and drink.
"Umm... Hilda, is everything okay with you? You seem distracted..." Alicia asked her with concern written all over her face, as Hilda had been staring into space for some time while they ate dinner.
Hilda gave an awkward laugh before answering, "I'm just thinking about my late husband. I didn't expect to experience anything like this after his death..."
"Oooh... I see what you mean. It must have been hard on you. How long has it been since you lost him?" Alicia probed, wanting to know more.
"A little over a year. He passed away last spring because of an illness that he never recovered from. Now that I'm alone again, it can get lonely sometimes... Although I try not to dwell on it too much. I still have my job and friends to keep me company."
"That's good! I'm sure your husband would have wanted you to stay strong even after he's gone. Life can be cruel, but it can also be wonderful. You just have to find the right balance, don't you think?" Alicia said with a smile.
Gregory took one of Hilda's hands and looked into her eyes, trying to comfort her. "Yes, you should keep beautiful memories of him inside your heart while moving forward. Otherwise, you'll never be happy."
A blush crept up on Hilda's cheeks when he took her hand, and she remembered how wonderful she had felt with him earlier.
"Mmhm... I understand."
She couldn't help herself from wanting to be touched again by him, but she refrained from acting on those feelings.
For starters, he was old enough to be her father, not that she minded much.
Still, she wanted to avoid making things complicated, as she knew they were just having fun.
However, Gregory wasn't some innocent old man that couldn't read women's emotions.
He was able to notice the way she looked at him, and he smiled, taking the initiative to say, "Well, if you don't mind me saying so, Hilda, I've been alone myself all these years ever since my wife died. Maybe we could keep each other company as we move forward with our lives!"
Alicia's eyes widened, surprised at the sudden development happening before her.
Even Nova and the two young men looked interested.
On the other hand, Hilda looked like she had just heard something unbelievable.
She turned her eyes away from him and played with her hair as she said, "I... I don't know how to respond to this. Are you being serious here, Village Chief? Or are you just joking with me?"
"Why would I joke about something like this?" he asked back, not understanding her reaction. "Besides, we did enjoy a passionate moment together earlier. Don't you think it would be nice to experience more of such fun in the future as a couple?"
It took Hilda a while to realize he meant every single word.
As soon as that knowledge hit her, she blushed even further.
She couldn't help but stare at him, trying to search his face for any hint of humor.
When she found none, she lowered her gaze and then nodded after several moments.
"Okay... If you're serious about this, I guess we could give it a try!"
Gregory laughed out loud as he hugged her in response, pulling Hilda into a passionate kiss.
She was caught off guard but didn't resist or try to stop him.
On the contrary, she melted in his arms, feeling excited about the prospect of becoming lovers with him.
"Haha! Good, good... We'll get along very well, I'm sure of that!" he exclaimed happily.
Alicia cheered along with them, "Congratulations to you two!"
After the brief excitement of this unexpected new pairing between an old man and a beautiful middle-aged woman, everyone got back to eating and drinking in good spirits.
Half an hour later, they were almost finished with their meals, and it seemed like this evening would end without any more surprises.
However, just then, Alicia felt something unusual...
A strange sensation spread throughout her body.
She shivered involuntarily and closed her eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening to her.
At first, she thought it might be due to exhaustion from today's journey, but soon, she realized that the cause behind this feeling was far more complicated than that.
She sensed that there were several presences approaching their campsite from all directions, and they seemed to have hostile intentions towards everyone present!
"Um... Nova..." Alicia whispered, tapping on her husband's shoulder to grab his attention.
"What's wrong?" Nova looked at her with concern, noticing the serious expression on her face. "Are you feeling sick or something?"
Alicia shook her head. "No, I think there's trouble heading our way!"
Before she could elaborate any further, screams of pain sounded nearby.
Everyone stopped eating and stood up abruptly, looking towards the source of the sound.
That's when they saw a group of dark figures appearing around their campfires, coming out of the night without warning.
They attacked the guards standing watch nearby, killing two of them in an instant.
The screams of those two poor men alerted the rest of the people present in the caravan.
"By the goddess!" Hilda cried out in horror, clutching onto Gregory's arm for comfort. "Are those bandits? What should we do?"
Gregory narrowed his eyes, watching as several guards charged forward, drawing swords and shields to engage with the attackers.
"No. This isn't some bandit attack... I've got a bad feeling about this."
Just then Captain Vaan rushed out of one of the tents with his sword drawn, shouting loudly, "Don't just fight alone! Get into groups and attack these bastards together! Also, do not let them take anyone hostage!"
"Yes, sir!" The men roared back, brandishing their weapons and beginning to fight as a group.