The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 328 - Sharing The Showing Off, Will I Get Praise?

Chapter 328: Chapter 328 - Sharing The Showing Off, Will I Get Praise?

The two cultivators walked the long way back toward the camp in silence. Kefa trailed several paces behind Elua through the forest, maintaining a distinct and deliberate distance that hadn’t quite existed before. Not during their walk from the site of the invasion leader’s death.

Despite having mistaken the girl’s Physique for Swift before - and seeing it proven oh so wrong - she still had a mental hang-up of sorts. One that suggested she could react fast enough to run as long as she just stayed *enough* away from her. Which was further reinforced as a ’good idea’ because, to the twin blade wielder...

’I don’t want her to ever feel the need to get so close to me again.’

Images of Voidling limbs being sliced by a *hand* haunted her... even if she knew the consistency of their bodies were quite different from that of a humans, it did not make her feel better. Because solid stone was also a very different material - and she saw so much of it just now shattered like cheap sandstone.

Her own limbs were not as hard as stone!

The fox draped across the brunette’s shoulders watched the woman with unnervingly intelligent eyes. Fluff on its tail was stroked absently as the heiress was already arranging the narrative they would be presenting upon their return. Her plans had proceeded efficiently... with both the anomalous breach and their ’Kefa problem’ addressed.

While the illusionist was quite thankful for being led there due to the other woman’s persistence in following the fake trail, since it lowered the burden of problems on the region - something Qat was sure to praise her for! - that did not mean she would be too lenient on the woman.

Therefore, she had not hesitated to shove a fragment of her spirit within the Order member. One with plenty of instructions on knocking her senseless should she ever say or do anything that might ruin her plans.

’Something Qat is sure to scold me for... at least I did it only when she has malicious intent. Maybe she will be lenient.’

When the camp appeared through the trees, torches and late cookfires for the many hungry souls created denser pools of warm light under the evening sky. Qatrand stood waiting near the perimeter, since Elua had been broadcasting their approach through her fragment for some time. Her tall form began to walk forward as she caught sight of them emerging from a game trail.

"There you are."

Pigeon blue eyes moved from her wife to the trailing Order member, instantly registering the change in dynamic between them. While her tendrils of spirit were incredibly hesitant to get anywhere near Kefa in their current state of ’feeling too much’ from others, they quickly dove and wrapped around Elua.

"I made a new friend!"

A voice that lilted with that ’sweet’, enthusiastic quality tore out as the brunette skipped forward suddenly. She reached back and held up the fox slightly, presenting it like a prize. In a way, it was. For if her beloved wanted the creature for any reason... pet, pelt, or food - she would give it without question.

"Isn’t it beautiful?"

"So this is what took you so long to find her?"

"We got a little turned around on the way back. This clever one led us on quite a chase before we managed to catch him."

Mint eyes were wide with ’innocent’ apology, even as her real form moving out of the illusion as her spirit expressed her ’mischief’ let the taller girl know the smaller was lying. However, behind her, Kefa nodded stiffly in confirmation.

"Yes. It took us some time. It’s... unusually intelligent."

The woman’s voice carried none of her typical animation that had suffused her every interaction with Qatrand. Friendliness had vanished, replaced by a formal distance and seemingly a fear to even look at the Yecine. But even more, her eyes seemed to avoid looking directly at the illusion of Elua and the fox.

"Is everything alright?"

Qat asked with her gaze moving between them. Careful not to look directly at the real heiress. Her ’subordinate’ for this mission answered far too quickly..

"Just tired. From the endless walking we’ve been doing."

"Well, maybe you should go get some rest, then. I’m sorry I dragged you around like that!"

With such ’warm’ concern, the brunette suggested and apologized. Kefa’s spirit flinched at the duplicity. She knew that keeping the secret meant she had to go along with whatever story the girl had come up with.

But it burned a little to be made to lie for the sake of someone else. Even if she knew it was also for her own life... because the one holding it in the palm of their hands was the same person forcing her into it.

"The columns will move again at first light tomorrow."

"I’ll be up."

The woman wasn’t sure she would sleep, but she would be up to finish their duty either way. When she got to the center of the camp the observant archer from their group approached Kefa. Helace’s eyes narrowed with clear concern at the state she seemed to be in.

Considering she came back looking a lot better than this, even with the tale she told of Qatrand er Yecine’s bravery and skill... he had to wonder what was up.

"You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Everything alright?"

"Fine. Really."

She insisted, but the shield bearer joined them. His voice lowered but piled on nonetheless.

"You have a thousand yard stare. Like you just lost a bad fight."

"I said I’m fine."

She snapped, then immediately composed herself.

"I should go check the perimeter before dinner. Really, don’t mind me, just... rethinking some things."

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

With a hand firmly on the forehead of the ’squirming’ in ’protest’ but quite obviously pleased brunette, Qatrand watched this exchange from afar. Despite her reservations, the Yecine had allowed her wife to hide their presence to see the result.

"What really happened with Kefa, wife?"

"We had a lovely talk about appropriate boundaries."

"Lovely... and that left her looking like she faced a horde of Voidlings alone?"

Deep ’amusement’ rippled at the comparison. Mostly because it made her think of those few times she actually did threaten people with a large crowd of copies of herself. It was hard to dodge Acid when you didn’t know which one was real!

"Perhaps I was... particularly clear in my explanation."

Qat sighed, pinching the bridge of her own nose and the forehead she held tighter.

"El..."

"She needed to understand, because you needed her to and I couldn’t take it anymore."

Raven hair shook side to side as she let go of her holds. Carefully, she lifted the heiress into her arms in a princess carry and started to walk to where they were slated to rest. It displeased the swordswoman a bit, like with the birds landing on her wife’s head, that the fox just curled up on the cute girl’s stomach.

But that minor jealousy only made the ancient cultivator happier.

"You were just talking about how she was useful. I thought you were going to leave her alone."

"Well, yes, but that was then. A new situation popped up that I dealt with. One that I happened to use for this advantage as well. That’s all."

"What do you mean by new situation?"

"A little rulebreaker, like the voidling scout that appeared outside of the window of the Descent. Intermediate with an open secondary incursion space, with nothing else around."

The news made pigeon blues squint. Nothing about that sounded good or ’normal’ for a war cycle.

"Are you sure it was alright for you to handle it?"

"I was very careful, darling. Do not worry."

"...If you were careful, then why did she look like that?"

Looking up at the one carrying her, mint eyes dulled as she held her hand to the side of her spouse’s face.

"May I?"

After a nod was given, bits of the scene began to play at a stable but increased speed. From finding the fox to locating the twin-blade user. That was when she began to narrate.

"Well, for some reason the creature thought to take out the fox first. So, I gave the witness a practical demonstration of what I’m capable of when someone threatens what’s mine."

The fight began and the swordswoman gradually slowed her steps to a halt. It was dangerous to walk around and watch something like this.

"That’s your Ogre Physique in action?" freewёbnoνel-com

"Hm, among other things. I do have a lot of knowledge on using physical energy, my love."

Elua stroked the head of the fox. It leaned into her touch like they’d been companions for years rather than hours. When it got to the part where she was actually threatening her, the reincarnator did become a little uncomfortable.

While her husband-wife’s spirit was exceptionally calm and only very lightly disturbed, it was still the first time to be shown something like this. No matter how she told the story of what she said to Dima at the train station long ago, the admirer at their wedding whose name she couldn’t remember, Anper over the years and encounters, or even the way she washed her hands of Sevra...

"Don’t worry, I didn’t harm her. Physically. Or even spiritually really. Though depending on where she is when she collapses if she betrays me she might... be harmed?"

A soft and whining voice admitted as Qat began to walk once more. All of this had troubled her some, but she was not entirely displeased. In fact, it was something else that troubled her most of all.

"The way she was looking at me did make me uncomfortable. Thank you."

"Mm, it’s why I took care of it. She’ll still praise your achievements like I wanted. She’ll still tell the story of your victory."

"And who will tell people of yours?"

The brunette’s mouth opened and closed. She knew what her ’fortress’ was implying... but...

"What I did wasn’t for praise from anyone... but perhaps you. And because I was angry at being interrupted. I also have my own reasons for hating rule breaking Voidlings, and-"

A calloused hand clamped softly over the excuse bearing mouth as she was sat to her feet in their little spot of the camp. With a startled fox that slid to the ground and yipped twice, the wedded pair became lost to each other completely. Eyes locked and spirits tangled.

"Just say no one, mint-drop. Then I can tell you that you did a wonderful job."

’Hnng~’

Physically shaking, her face pressed into the hand more and mumbled what she wanted to say most.

"...Love you."

"Hm?"

Both of them knew quite well, because of the close distance and from the shifts in each other’s spirits, that Qat had heard the words well enough. The Yecine just wanted them said louder, clearer, and to hear it once more.

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