The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 37

Avani turned and looked towards the eastern island. “We should head there next,” she mused. “But not tonight, I think. I don’t know about you two, but I’m all in. Let’s go home, get something to eat, and get a good night’s rest. We’ll return in the morning and tackle the next obstacle.”

“What about the guards? Not that I mind fighting them, but it’ll slow us down a lot if we have to go through a major fight every time we take the airship there,” Dylas said dubiously.

Avani shook her head. “I don’t think that will be a problem. We just wiped out a hefty percentage of their troops—they’ll be scrambling to replace them and won’t have the resources to mount aerial attacks on approaching ships. Maybe if we waited a few days, but overnight won’t given them enough time to be a problem. Even if they summon gates to call forth monsters, there’s still not enough time to get them in place by morning.”

“Sounds logical,” I commented. “We’ll find out in the morning if it holds true.”

Moments after we appeared in Avani’s rooms, Clorica came knocking on the door. I’d already shed my armor while Avani and Dylas were still struggling with theirs, so I answered it. She looked up at me, blushing a little at the sight of my bare chest, and said, “Oh! Excuse me, Mr. Leon, sir...”

“Just Leon is fine, Clorica. What’s up?”

“O-okay, Mr.—I mean, Leon. I wondered if you three would like something to eat? You see, I made a big pot of stew, in case you were hungry when you returned….”

“Did someone say stew?” Avani called, wriggling out of her mail shirt and bounding over eagerly, peering at Clorica from below my arm as I held the door open. “Clorica, you’re a godsend! I’m so hungry, I could eat a dragon, scales and all!”

Clorica giggled, replying, “Then please wait here, and I’ll be back shortly with some food for you. Oh, and if you would care to change out of your dirty things, I’ll see to it that they’re clean and dry by morning.” Then she turned and hurried happily away.

I looked down at Avani, who was nestled up against me and grinning so ecstatically at the thought of a hot meal, I couldn’t help but smile myself. I closed the door and we returned to where Dylas was removing his boots. We finished removing our armor, and following Clorica’s suggestion, we changed out of our dirty clothing and into pyjamas. Avani had purchased a few pairs of boxers and a robe similar in cut to the ones Dylas and I favored, only much smaller and a different color—Dylas’s were dark blue and mine were tan, but she’d had hers made in a bright blue-green color that complimented her pale green hair.

Dylas looked disparagingly at her choice of clothing, saying, “What happened to all your pretty nightgowns? You look like a boy in those!”

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, saying somewhat disdainfully, “Oh, really? Like a boy? Funny, I would have thought my breasts were a dead giveaway.”

I laughed as Dylas turned crimson. “Don’t mind him, Avani,” I said, still chuckling. “You look adorable, as always.” Then it was her turn to blush, making me laugh again.

Just then, Clorica knocked on the door. She walked in bearing a large tray of food, and Vishnal followed with a second tray. There were three deep bowls of piping hot stew, plus a large tureen containing still more stew. A loaf of bread, a crock of butter, a large pitcher of foamy ale, and three slices of still-hot apple pie rounded out the meal.

The butlers gathered up our dirty clothing and left us to our meal, smiling in acknowledgment of our gratitude. I had to confess, it was far more delicious than I’d hoped. She was certainly a better cook than Vishnal—far better—perhaps almost as good as Dylas, judging from the samples before us.