Chapter 14: A Path ForwardRight—my goal was clear. I needed to leave the forest with Iris.

  If we hurried, we could be on the move by sunset.

  Iris still wore nothing but my shirt. It would have to do for now. I took a shirt from one of the bandits I had killed—not exactly clean, but it was better than nothing.

  Once we reached a vilge or town, we’d need money for a pce to stay. I rummaged through the pockets of the four men I had taken down and collected whatever gold coins they had. There wasn’t any paper money, so I figured gold coins must be this world’s currency.

  The two men I had killed earlier had water containers, so I filled them up at the pond. It’s a shame I can’t take the whole pond with me. One sip was enough to refresh me and rid me of my thirst and hunger, but we still needed actual food.

  While Iris checked on the horses and wagon the bandits had left behind, I made a few trips back and forth between the cave and the wagon, carrying fruits I had gathered earlier. I piled them into the back of the wagon. Luckily, it had a roof—good for storage and protection.

  By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, we were ready to leave.

  Iris and I sat at the front of the wagon, the horses standing still, waiting for the command to move.

  As I looked back at the dense forest, a strange feeling settled in my chest.

  It grew on me.

  This pce had almost started to feel like home.

  I took a deep breath and turned to Iris. "Before we go… we should make a pact."

  She tilted her head. "A pact?"

  "Yeah. Let’s say what we want to do in this life—our goals." I had been thinking about it for a while now, and I had finally made up my mind. "I want to travel the world. Visit pces no one has ever been. Carve my name into history."

  I turned to her. "What about you, Iris? What do you want to do?"

  She fell silent.

  Her grey eyes flickered with thought, as if she was carefully choosing her words.

  Then, at st, she spoke.

  "I want to stay with Shiro. Wherever you go… I’ll follow."

  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

  That was… the cutest thing ever.

  I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure. "Ahem. That’ll have to do for now."

  I grabbed the reins. "Alright. Time to move."

  With a light flick, the horses started walking, pulling the wagon forward.

  The path ahead was uncertain.

  But as long as we stuck together—

  We could overcome anything.

  …Hopefully.