Reincarnated as a Princess's Pet: With Trash Stats, but SSS-Rank Skill-Chapter 55: The Road to Bloodleaf Village

Sunlight filtered through the fabric of the tent.

Max slowly opened his eyes.

He blinked a couple of times.

The forest was quiet.

He heard singing.

A deep voice.

Singing something in another language, but he could understand it.

Max sighed.

Only two people in the group could understand that language.

Him.

And Varis.

The song talked about mountains.

About beer.

About a particularly aggressive goat.

"...Of course."

He stepped out of the tent.

The morning air was cool. The sun was barely rising between the trees.

And there was Varis. With his back turned. Urinating exactly where the campfire had been the night before.

Still happily singing.

Max watched him for a few seconds.

"Are you seriously singing while—?"

Varis turned around in surprise.

"AH!"

And as he turned...

The stream of urine changed direction.

Straight toward Dorian’s tent.

At that exact moment the fabric opened.

Dorian stepped out.

Yawning.

The stream hit him directly in the face.

Varis froze.

Max too.

Dorian slowly wiped his eyes.

Lowered his hand.

Looked at the dwarf.

Varis pulled up his pants at lightning speed.

"I’M SORRY!"

And ran.

Dorian raised his staff.

"Get back here, you miserable dwarf!"

He started running after him.

Max crossed his arms.

’...This is going to be a long morning.’

Varis ran toward the forest.

"I’m sorry! It was an accident!"

Dorian chased him with his staff raised.

"I’m going to rip your head off!"

The dwarf turned between some bushes.

And ran straight into something solid.

THUD.

He fell on his back.

Neros was standing in front of him.

With a small pile of fruit in his arms.

He looked at the dwarf on the ground.

Then at Dorian approaching.

"What is going on?"

Dorian pointed at Varis.

"Thank you very much for stopping that stupid dwarf."

Varis raised his hands.

"I’m sorry!"

Dorian lifted the staff.

"Stench."

A small green light appeared at the tip of his staff.

He tapped Varis on the face.

The dwarf blinked.

"Huh?"

A second later—

He wrinkled his nose.

"...What is that smell?"

Dorian crossed his arms.

"That’s you."

Varis sniffed his shirt.

"...ugh."

The smell was terrible.

"For one hour."

Dorian smiled.

"Everything around you will smell like that."

Then he pointed at himself.

"Clean."

A small light surrounded him.

The smell vanished.

"Now we’re even."

Varis opened his mouth.

And vomited into the bushes.

Dorian laughed mockingly.

Neros sighed.

"Again?"

He looked at the dwarf.

"Don’t be childish, Dorian."

He stared at the elf.

"Remove the spell."

Dorian raised an eyebrow.

"What? Not even a little revenge?"

Neros crossed his arms.

Dorian sighed.

"Fine."

He pointed the staff again.

Another small light.

The smell disappeared.

Varis breathed in relief.

"Thanks."

He looked at Dorian.

"And about earlier... it wasn’t on purpose."

Dorian looked at him with a serious expression.

Then shrugged.

"I suppose."

At that moment Max called out from the camp.

"Hey!"

The three of them looked toward him.

Max was standing beside the carriage, holding Varis’s map.

"If I’m reading this right..."

He tapped the map with his finger.

"We’re two hours away from a village."

Varis stood up.

He brushed off the dust.

"Bloodleaf Village."

Max raised an eyebrow.

"That one?"

Varis nodded.

"That’s where we have to convince someone to let us enter the Kingdom of Devils."

Max folded the map.

"First we need to get there."

He pointed at the camp.

"So pack everything up. We’re moving."

Near the carriage, Sophie was putting several seals into her bag.

Moonlight was folding a blanket.

She yawned.

A huge yawn.

"Uaaaah..."

She rubbed her eyes.

Max looked at her.

"Did you sleep badly?"

Moon nodded.

"Yeah..."

She stretched.

"It’s not as comfortable as my chest at the castle."

Then she yawned again.

"But it was still fun."

Max looked around the campsite.

The tents were almost dismantled.

The blankets folded.

The supplies packed.

Then he remembered something.

He looked at Sophie.

"Hey."

Sophie looked up.

"Yes?"

Max pointed to her bag.

"Could you lend me one of those message seals now?"

Sophie tilted her head.

"To write to the princess?"

Max nodded.

"Yeah."

Sophie opened her bag.

She took out a small rectangular piece of paper.

It had a red seal in one corner.

She handed it to Max.

"Write on this side."

Then she took out a small quill and a bottle of ink.

She handed them to him.

Max placed the paper on a crate from the carriage.

He thought for a few seconds.

Then began writing.

The quill scratched softly against the paper.

"Elanor. We’re fine. The trip has been calm. We’re about to reach the Kingdom of Devils and soon we’ll go find Abby. Don’t worry about us. Moonlight is having a lot of fun. And I can’t wait for the day we return to the castle. —Max"

Max blew gently on the ink.

Then lifted the paper.

"All set."

Sophie nodded.

"Good."

She pointed to the back of the seal.

"Now touch the magic ink behind the seal."

Max turned the paper over.

There was a small circular black mark.

He touched it with his finger.

He felt a faint vibration.

"And now?"

Sophie pointed at the air.

"Let it go."

Max lifted the letter.

Then released it.

For a second the paper floated.

Then—

WHOOSH.

It shot through the air.

It flew above the trees.

Straight toward the road they had come from.

Moon looked up.

"Woah!"

She followed the letter with her eyes until it disappeared among the treetops.

Sophie put away the ink and the quill.

"It will arrive in a few hours."

Max nodded.

"Thanks."

Then he looked around the camp.

"Alright."

He rubbed his hands together.

"Let’s finish packing."

Varis was already securing the last ropes on the carriage.

Neros placed the fruit he had gathered into a bag.

Dorian checked his pouch of potions.

Moon finished folding the blanket.

Max climbed onto the carriage.

"Let’s go."

Varis grabbed the reins.

The horses began moving along the forest road.

The group was heading toward their next destination.

Bloodleaf Village.

***

The carriage rolled along the forest road.

The horses walked calmly.

For a while no one said anything.

Only the sound of the carriage and the wind between the trees.

Then Moon leaned toward the carriage window.

"Huh?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Max looked up.

"What is it?"

Moon pointed outside.

"Look at that."

Max looked out the window.

The forest was changing.

The leaves on the trees were now red.

Like blood.

Sophie also looked outside.

"We’re close."

The ground on the road began to change.

The dirt slowly disappeared.

The path became completely paved with stone.

Varis spoke from the driver’s seat.

"This is the road that leads to Bloodleaf Village."

Max looked up.

Something fell from the branches.

A drop.

It landed on the wheel of the carriage.

Red.

Moon frowned.

"...Is that blood?"

Dorian leaned forward to look.

Then shook his head.

"No."

He pointed to the treetops.

Small red drops were falling from the leaves.

"It’s sap."

A drop landed on the stone road.

Plop.

Another.

Plop.

Dorian smiled slightly.

"Perfect."

Max looked at him.

"Perfect?"

Dorian opened his potion bag.

He took out several empty bottles.

"I needed bloodleaf sap for some potions."

He shook one of the bottles.

"It’s hard to get."

Sophie raised her hand.

"Varis."

The dwarf looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Stop the carriage before we reach the village."

Varis raised an eyebrow.

But gently pulled the reins.

The horses stopped.

The carriage stood still on the stone road.

Max looked at Sophie.

"What’s wrong?"

Sophie opened her bag.

She pulled out several dark pieces of cloth.

Long cloaks.

With hoods.

"This."

She tossed one to Max.

Another to Moon.

Another to Neros.

Another to Dorian.

"I made them before we left the castle."

Max held the cloak.

"What for?"

Sophie crossed her arms.

"To avoid drawing attention."

She looked at Neros.

Then at Dorian.

And finally at Moon.

"We’re about to enter a village where people from the Great Main City almost never go."

Moon raised her hand.

"...Makes sense."

Dorian was already putting on his cloak.

"As long as no one touches my bottles, I have no problem."

Varis pointed ahead.

"We’re less than a kilometer from the village."

He adjusted the reins.

"So hurry up."

Max put on the cloak.

The hood covered part of his face.

Moon did the same.

Neros adjusted his silently.

Sophie put the remaining cloaks back in her bag.

Varis looked back.

"Ready?"

Max nodded.

"Ready."

Varis snapped the reins.

The horses began moving again.

The carriage followed the stone road.

Heading deeper into the red forest.