ALL NOVEL Volume 2 Chapter 5
At 6 a.m., I promptly greet the new day.
I’ve never been one to oversleep, and especially not during these special times; there’s no room for a 300-round battle with my bed.
It shouldn’t come back for a while, right? In my experience, periods last a few days, but it’s not like it’ll take me down to 1 HP after a while.
Outside the cabin, Siegrid is leaning against a tree for a short nap. I hesitate whether to disturb her, but it seems she senses me and opens her eyes.
“You’re up early, Anna.”
“Good morning, Rifa. Go rest, I’m fine now.”
The fatigue is gone, and I feel back to normal.
“I’m actually quite alert… two hours of rest should be enough.”
“Really?”
“We Moon Elves have a slower fatigue decay rate at night. Besides, we have no time for rest now.”
That’s true; we’re not out of the woods yet. We’re still within the barrier of Duke Obi’s territory.
“Anna, we need to make plans for the future. We can’t keep hiding in the Biliran Forest. Three groups of adventurers entered just last night, even though this place is relatively safe.”
“There are too many adventurers. Sorry, it might be because of me.”
The continent of Limoria is not small, and the reason there are so many adventurers in Duke Obi’s territory is me. They were originally coming to grind my favorability, but they ended up serving Duke Bogia’s purpose.
“It’s alright; they haven’t found Anna or Lily.”
Siegrid quickly adds.
With the nationwide search for Lily, the mysterious deaths of a few adventurers in the Biliran Forest go unnoticed. Although there’s no immediate need to move, we should prepare for the worst.
Before discussing with Siegrid…
I find a flat patch of grass, sit down, and wave at Siegrid.
“Rifa, let’s talk while resting. You can’t always be standing.”
“Oh, okay…”
I pat my thigh, giving Siegrid a heavy hint.
“???”
Unfortunately, it seems Siegrid doesn’t get it, so I have to spell it out.
“Come lie down here.”
“Huh?”
“That is… it’s a lap pillow. I’ve never done it before, but I’ll try my best.”
“A lap pillow? Isn’t that something between human lovers…”
Siegrid blurts out, quickly stops herself, but still seems a bit stiff.
“I’ve never heard of that… but it is something done between close people, like between a servant and their master.”
“Is it… okay?”
“Yes.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
Siegrid slowly lies down on my lap and whispers, “Am I too heavy?” This is nothing for me; logically, a lap pillow might make one’s legs numb if held for too long. As a maid, providing a lap pillow for any amount of time is part of my duties, so there will be no negative effects on my end.
“Anna.”
“Are you comfortable, Rifa?”
“It’s very comfortable. But…”
Siegrid’s tone changes, and I become alert. After all, this is my first practical experience with giving a lap pillow.
“I can’t see Anna’s face at all…”
“…”
I’m sorry; that’s a tricky problem I can’t solve.
“Back to the point, Rifa. We have three ways to get out of our current predicament.”
“What are they?”
“Plan A: Stay within the [Barrier], wait for it to run out of time, or wait for external forces to stop the [Barrier].”
“Is there a time limit for the barrier? I’m not very familiar with its mechanics.”
“Do you know that some skills require multiple people to cast together?”
“Combo skills?”
“The principle of the barrier is similar… but it involves hundreds of people, each of whom must have skills like [Barrier Construction] at Master level or higher, and it takes years to complete.”
Once the barrier is completed, it’s much easier to activate. As long as it’s maintained continuously, it can last indefinitely.
“Each use of the [Barrier] consumes its stored energy. Even if you can replenish the [Barrier] while it’s active, you can’t keep up with its consumption, even at the lowest power setting.”
In other words, the duration of the barrier is a potential vulnerability.
Siegrid catches on to a term I used.
“Lowest power setting? The barrier has different uses?”
“Yes, like a car’s gears… well, you might not understand that analogy. Simply put, the [Barrier] can be adjusted according to the situation, turning off certain functions to reduce its consumption and last longer.”
“So let me ask directly: how powerful is this barrier that Duke Bogia has set up?”
“It’s not about how powerful it is… It’s probably set to its lowest power setting to keep us trapped. I’ve never seen how long it takes for a barrier to run out of energy, but a barrier running at maximum power can last a week…”
If we want to hide within Duke Obi’s territory, we need to be prepared for a long battle.
I don’t think this is the best plan, and Siegrid agrees.
“That won’t work; it’s too long and too risky. What did you mean by external forces stopping the [Barrier]? Breaking it?”
“No way. Probably only a demon lord could destroy a [Barrier] head-on… What I meant is, Duke Bogia isn’t the highest authority in the Kingdom of Mikael. The king won’t just sit idly by if he’s using a barrier. Maybe envoys are already on their way to inspect Duke Obi’s territory.”