The meal slowly drew to a close, though the village's festive atmosphere hadn't quite faded. The fire continued to crackle in the center of the square, the tables were emptying, and yet Selis still held onto that strange warmth.
Elsa was the first to stand up. "If you want to see the baths before it's too late, now's the time."
Rin immediately placed both hands on the table. "Ah, now we're talking!"
Elena followed quickly. Then it was Towa, enthusiastically. Peko, however, looked at Nao with despair.
The small group crossed the square and walked past a few low houses. The closer they got, the more the air became thick with humidity and mana. A light mist was already floating in the night, visible in the glow of the crystals attached to the posts.
The Nelyr baths were even more imposing than Kai had imagined from a distance. The polished stone there was lighter in color than elsewhere in the village. Half-open pools released long trails of mist, and behind these walls one could sense a living, almost breathing spring.
Elsa stopped right in front of the entrance. "Here are the baths. It's the only thing you won't find better in Elronde."
Rin stepped forward, already won over.
Kai, however, stopped. Nao, who had been watching him until then, did the same.
"Enjoy yourselves. I'm going to bed," said Kai.
Rin turned toward him immediately, her eyebrows already raised, ready to argue.
But Nao spoke before she could. "Same here. Don't make too much noise when you come back."
Rin blinked. "You too?"
Nao shrugged slightly. And pointed to Peko, who was standing on his shoulders. "Peko doesn't really like water either, anyway."
As if to prove him right, Peko lifted his head, looked at the baths, then immediately turned his snout away with a slightly offended expression.
"Whatever," Rin said, resuming her walk toward Elena, Elsa, and Towa, who were now waiting for her at the entrance to the baths.
But Kai stopped her with a gesture. "Wait a second."
She turned back to him, already impatient. "What?"
Kai glanced quickly at Elsa and Elena, then lowered his voice slightly.
"I'm going to try to cancel the Agility Boost share. The one I left you yesterday. So don't worry if you lose it."
Rin hesitated at first, then her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, right."
She raised a hand, as if testing something in the air again.
"This thing is absurd. It really stuck. I've been using it all day. Honestly, if you can do that again whenever you want, it's outrageous."
Kai couldn't help but smile a little. "We'll see."
At that moment, a dark shape slipped between their legs. The village's black cat had just appeared silently. It too made its way toward the baths and rubbed against Elsa's leg, and she immediately bent down to gently scratch its head.
"There you are."
The cat purred. Towa, leaned down as well. His large, armored figure seemed almost clumsy next to the small black form, but he reached out his hand cautiously nonetheless. He gently scratched its chest, where a small white patch broke up the uniformity of its black fur.
"He cames around often during mealtime, doesn't he? "
"He does that with the ones he likes," Elsa replied.
This time, the cat rubbed against Towa's boot, then against his leg, as if he'd adopted him in turn.
Rin watched the scene for a second, then looked at Kai and Nao. "Alright. I'm heading out, or I have a feeling our frontlane is going to switch teams."
Towa immediately looked up. "What?"
"Nothing at all," Rin replied with an unbearably smug smile as she hurried toward the entrance.
She grabbed Elena, who was also getting impatient, by the wrist before she could even reply, then disappeared inside with her. Elsa gave them a quick wave before following, not without casting one last amused glance at Towa.
Kai watched the door close in the steam.
Then Nao turned away already. "Shall we go?"
Kai nodded. Peko climbed a little higher up on his shoulder, and the three of them resumed the path they had been shown earlier.
Their room was in a side building, attached to the old hall without really being part of it. Inside, they found not so much a room as a dormitory. A dozen bunk beds took up most of the room, separated only by a few chests and two small casement windows. The smell of wood, damp fabric, and blankets that had been reused far too often still lingered there.
Peko immediately jumped off Nao's shoulder to test one of the bottom mattresses. After rolling around twice, he curled up on it as if he'd always known it was the one.
Kai placed his hand on one of the posts of the nearest bed and turned to Nao. "If we have to fight outside Selis. I think you should stay in the village tomorrow."
Nao didn't even wait for him to elaborate. "I agree."
Kai looked at him.
Nao slumped down on the edge of a bed, folded his hands, and continued calmly: "The wolpertingers have already shown that they attack first what they deem the weakest. I don't want to be an easy target, nor do I want to be a burden to you all."
He said this without bitterness, as if it were a logical conclusion. That was precisely what made it hard to argue with. But Kai never wanted to argue that.
"On the other hand," he added, "You should take my mana crystals. They might come in handy for Peko tomorrow. Especially if the fight drags on."
Kai was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I have a better idea."
Nao looked up.
Kai sat down in turn, on the bed across from him. "I could borrow Folded Pouch from you for the day."
Nao frowned slightly. "My inventory?"
"Yes."
Kai searched for the right words. He didn't want to explain the whole mechanism, not here. But Nao deserved at least the basics.
"If I have it with me, I can carry the crystals for Peko. And… it would also give us a way to communicate if we get separated."
Nao stared at him for another second. "To communicate?"
Kai gave a slight smile. "Yes, you'll see."
Nao's mind raced. He was far from slow, especially when it came to piecing together details that Kai had left only half-stated. "Is that Shared Skill that you have? And do you use it through your blessing?"
Kai looked up at him slightly. "Yes, I tested it with Rin yesterday. And the borrowed Skill stayed, even after it was repaid."
Nao frowned, then his expression suddenly changed. "Wait. You mean you shared a Skill you didn't originally have… and it stayed with her?"
"Yes."
"Even… "
Nao stopped himself mid-sentence. The word wasn't easy to say out loud, even between them.
Kai finished for him: "Even with a borrowed Skill. "
The silence that followed was brief, but heavy.
Nao blinked once, then twice. "That's incredibly powerful."
Kai let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "Yes."
Nao watched him for a few seconds before asking in a lower voice: "Can you really borrow that many Skills?"
Kai then lowered his head slightly. The memory of Oden, of Brann, of that cold tone despite the politeness, came back to him immediately. He took his time answering. "That's why I chose this blessing."
He didn't say the name. He didn't need to. And he didn't want to.
Nao sensed it in his gaze for a moment, then understood what those simple words had brought back with them. "Kai…"
But Kai continued, as if to prevent the awkwardness from settling in. "Shared Skill is limited to a single share at a time. So yes, it's powerful. But it's not a total aberration either. I have to choose."
Nao tilted his head slightly. "It's still huge. Even with that limit. You could share a Legendary Skill with someone once, and let them keep it forever."
Kai looked at him, then finally gave a genuine smile. "Not with my current reserves. I'd first have to be able to borrow the Legendary, then keep enough left over for Shared Skill as well."
He rested his index finger against the bedpost. "But looks like… yes. With an Epic, at least, it should be possible."
This time, it was Nao who let out a breath of disbelief.
Peko, for his part, was already in position to sleep. But his ears betrayed the fact that he was listening too.
Nao finally laid down. "Alright. Then let's do it that way. Tomorrow morning, I'll lend you the Folded Pouch. And then I'll give you the crystals to put inside."
Kai nodded but added, "Don't worry, you won't need to give me them."
Nao narrowed his eyes but let it pass. Then, after a brief silence, Nao added more softly: "And as for the guild…"
Kai replied immediately, staring at the dark window. "I don't expect them to accept me. I won't change people's beliefs in a few days."
Nao looked at him for another moment, then didn't press the issue. He knew when someone had come to terms with an idea.
Kai removed the bandage from his leg, revealing a scar that no longer caused him any pain.
His arm was in the same condition. Only his stomach still bore the marks of the battle. As did the holes in his clothes.
A little later, voices and laughter broke the silence of the room. Rin spoke far too loudly for a minute before Towa called her to order. Then they entered, all still flushed from the heat of the baths. Everyone quietly took the last beds on the lower level.
Kai noticed them, but didn't let it disturb his sleep.
Night then fell for good over the dormitory.
And despite the village being surrounded, despite the nearby forest, despite what they would have to face the next day, they all eventually fell asleep.
⸻
Morning came too quickly.
When Kai opened his eyes, a gray light was already filtering through the windows. The dormitory was still quiet, but not silent. Outside, they could hear footsteps, low voices, the sound of a bucket being moved, and the sound of a door opening and then closing.
Peko was already awake. He was sitting by the window, waiting. Towa was already getting ready to go out, moving very quietly so as not to wake anyone. The others were still fast asleep, especially Rin, whose arm hung off the bed and down to the floor. Which Towa stepped over to reach the door.
A few minutes later, everyone had gathered in the main room of the old building. Brann and Oden were waiting for them in front of a table on which a rough map of the region had been laid out. Shizu was present, while Mirel stood slightly in the background. Elsa and Elena naturally joined the group.
Nao, for his part, stayed on the village side.
Just as the others were taking their places, Kai approached him and discreetly held out his hand.
Nao placed his hand on top of it without asking any questions. The consent was brief, clear, and sufficient.
A few seconds later, Kai felt the Folded Pouch Skill take its place among his own.
Nao exhaled softly. "Is that it?"
Kai produced a mana crystal out of nowhere. He tossed it into the air, caught it, and looked at Nao with a slight smile. "Yes. And normally, you won't have access to it until we break the link."
Nao froze for a few seconds, staring intently at the crystal. Then he understood. "I see."
"Is your notebook in there?"
Nao reflexively tried to make it appear, failed, then looked up. "I think so."
Kai searched for a few seconds, then nodded. "And if I need to send you something… check your inventory as soon as you can use it again."
Nao nodded without another word.
Then everyone took their places.
Oden placed a finger on the map. "Elronde is here, to the west."
His finger then slid toward another, narrower road. "And here, at the end of the road to the north, is Alvane. We've already tried sending messengers in both directions. None reached their destination."
Brann immediately added: "We only have two horses left. So we really can't afford to make any mistakes."
Oden's finger then traced around the village, almost drawing a circle. "Nursery Wood almost completely surrounds Selis. It runs along the road to Elronde, then circles the village until the start of the northern road. Once someone sets out on either one, they'll be under the cover of the trees for far too long. And if our assumptions are correct, the wolpertingers are already hiding everywhere in there."
Kai followed the outline in silence. Realizing there were few options.
"That's why you'll head south," said Brann.
Towa lifted his head slightly. "South? But there's nothing out there."
"Exactly," replied Oden. "No direct route, but the forest is least dense there. And if the wolpertingers really do choose their targets based on vulnerability, we need to offer them a prime one."
Shizu took over in a sharper tone: "Someone will have to pose as a messenger. Or at least as someone harmless, protected by a group, and who needs to be taken out first."
Elena's gaze froze instantly. "Why do I feel like you're all looking at me?"
Rin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Perfect, you're already nailing the look of a panicked, harmless messenger!"
"No thanks."
Towa placed a hand on her other shoulder. His smile was there, reassuring. And his gaze was serious, like that of a promise. "You won't be alone."
Elsa, on the other side, had already furrowed her brow. "Is the goal really to make ourselves a target for the whole forest?"
"Yes," Brann replied bluntly. "You'll go far enough south that a sizable pack will follow you. Once you've got them locked onto you, you'll fire a green flare. That will be our signal."
Oden then pointed toward the northern road. "Only then will we send our real messenger down that road. If all goes well, most of the pack will be busy chasing you."
Kai finally spoke up. "What if they figure out the plan and ignore us?"
"They'll have no choice but to deal with you. If they don't, you cross the forest. A few hours' journey to the west should be the Verdant Cradle camp. From there, you contact Elronde," Brann replied, looking up. He fixed his gaze on Kai and continued. "But believe me, they won't let you pass."
The silence that followed hung briefly in the room.
Then Oden continued: "Once the messenger has left, we'll wait about ten minutes. Then we'll fire a second green flare. That will confirm his departure. And it will be the signal for you to fall back. Don't come back until you see the flare. But if you have the chance to escape the forest to the south, do so. Just don't try to be heroes."
Kai mentally ran through the timing. Ten minutes to give the rider time to reach the northern road, disappear into the trees, and then emerge before the pack could regroup. It was tight. Calculated. Brutally logical.
"Enough time for him to cross the danger zone," Nao murmured from the back.
Oden nodded. "That's the idea."
Rin crossed her arms. "What if the wolpertingers are even smarter than expected?"
No one answered right away.
It was finally Brann who did. "Then we'll have no choice but to all abandon the village."
Shizu interrupted before silence fell again. "Your objective isn't to discover the origin or the leader of the pack. On their own, the wolpertingers already pose a D-Rank threat. Or even C-Rank, depending on their numbers. It's not your job to deal with them. If you feel this is still exceeding our expectations, fire an orange flare and get out of there."
Kai felt Folded Pouch within him like a discreet door, ready to be opened. He glanced at Nao. Nao responded with a simple nod.
Everything was already in place.
The crystals. The flare. But also the fake messenger. The real messenger. The retreat. And amidst it all, an entire forest waiting.
Some minutes of preparation later, they left Selis.
Nao remained behind the palisades, alongside the village.
Towa led the way with Elsa. Elena, hooded, was between Rin and Kai. Peko was back on his feline summon. The morning air was cold, but the southern edge seemed even colder, as if Nursery Wood were holding onto a night that refused to yield, all for itself.
No one spoke during the first few steps.
Behind them, Selis faded away between the stakes.
Ahead of them, there were only trees. For now…