[Finally, my Isekai begins!] I grinned up at the morning sky as we walked along a dirt trail with the forest pressing on both sides.
Amaya had dropped us in the middle of nowhere the moment morning came, saying, "We should go separately," before tossing a coin pouch at me, pointing north, and driving off.
Which was perfectly fine by me. I'm way past my capacity for mind games.
So we walked, soaking in the morning's stunning beauty and the chorus of birdsong.
The leaves, the moss on the trail, even the trail itself, were still damp from the morning dew while gentle golden rays of the morning sun trickled in through the canopy.
I've been in this world for three days now, but this was the first day I felt as though I was walking without looking over my back.
There was this lightness in my chest that felt… magical. Yeah, that's the word.
I took in another deep breath, filling my lungs with the sweet smell of the forest.
That's right, the air itself felt sweet.
And it felt even sweeter as I watched Nom-Nom strutting ahead, hands behind her back, while she hummed a tune she made up on the spot.
Watching her walk with her head tilted up and being who she is without a care in the world made lying to an entire nation in their time of desperate need feel worth it.
And if that makes me an evil bastard, then all I've got to say is, 'Bwahaha! Bite me.'
But even if things are going your way, and your chest feels light, there will always be that one thing missing.
Try as you might. Reach as high as you might… There will always be that one thing you just can't have.
[Wish I still had my Cloak of Flight.] I couldn't help but sigh.
Being able to fly had been my greatest crutch. It won't be far-fetched to say that, without it, I wouldn't have been able to help Nom-Nom and Peko escape.
Amaya had taken it with her to study it. And I didn't have the leverage to say no to her.
After all, this corporate Jesus has an image to maintain as the replacement for their Crusader.
[Boots on the ground, I guess… at least she promised to have it returned before the Night of the Red Moon.]
I had just prepared another sigh when –
-Woosh!
Peko softly landed beside me, "This trail indeed leads to the city… I saw its faint outline. At our walking pace, we should be there in three hours."
[Man, I'm really missing my cloak!]
"Good…" I replied with a final sigh at the sky.
"There's one thing I've been meaning ask you," Peko said as she walked beside me.
"Sup?"
"Why didn't you store your cloak in that storage of yours?" she asked with narrowed eyes, "What you did seems… unnecessary."
A strained chuckle escaped me before I looked up and took a deep breath.
"I… slipped up," I admitted.
Seeing Peko tilt her head, I continued, "It is exactly as I said… Look, I was nervous… No, scratch that, I was flippin' scared out of my mind. One slip-up could've blown everything up."
Turning my head to face her fully, I said, "And I slipped up… I forgot to hide the cloak in my inventory."
"You simply forgot?"
"Yeah… I forgot,"
Peko looked at me as though I had suddenly morphed into a stranger.
Looking at her expression, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"But look on the bright side… in the end, it helped cement their perception of us as Pantheon operatives here to help. I mean, if you think about it, Cloak of Flight is something Pantheon just might be able to come up with. And us letting them have it to… 'study' without so much as a grumble… have only deepened that perception."
Peko nodded as she walked beside me, her chestnut hair flowing in the morning breeze.
"So, now what?" she asked after a moment of silence.
Even Nom-Nom's ear perked up as she stopped her humming and turned around before walking backwards.
"Now… we should prepare."
"But aren't we safe now, Master?" Nom-Nom asked, tilting her.
"For a few months, yes, we're safe," I said as I adjusted the shotgun slung across my back before turning towards Peko, "Going by what you told me after sorting out the memories you extracted yesterday… Pantheon's complete focus would be on the upcoming Night of the Red Moon. But once that's over, I'm giving ourselves a week more before Pantheon figures out we're here."
"But how will they even find us?" Nom-Nom asked again.
"Nom, we're posing as them in a nation that has outlawed them… with the state's soft support." I chuckled, "If Pantheon's even ten percent of what we think they are… they'd know about by the end of the first week after the Red Moon."
"Then what?" Peko asked.
"Then… I don't know, frankly," I sighed. "I'm way out of my depth."
We walked in silence for a while. Nom-Nom had turned back, but I noticed she wasn't humming anymore.
Peko, beside me, had pulled out the envelope Amaya had given us with details for our covers and identities.
It was obvious to see that neither of them was able to enjoy the morning anymore.
And I couldn't blame them.
After all, you can't exactly enjoy these little things, no matter how beautiful, with an institutional sword dangling over your head.
At least, we've got time.
And this… time, might just buy us the options we couldn't afford before.
But still, as I looked at Peko reading through the document over and over with a deep frown, and Nom-Nom walking in silence without that jump in her feet.
I couldn't help but feel a knot in my chest.
[I didn't even realize when I became the person they'd trust with their next steps…] I sighed as I recalled the last few days.
Recalled how, at every turn, both of them looked at me for answers and guidance with gazes full of trust, and how badly I wanted to rise up to their expectations.
[If you're gonna do this, Nico… You hereby forefit the right to say, 'I don't know what to do.'... So, what's it gonna be? You have what it takes?]
[Heh. Who am I kidding… three days ago, I was dying on a hospital bed. I never even finished high school….]
As I emptied my mind and felt the silence permeating between us, I couldn't help but spin my mind once again.
[To go toe to toe against the highest order of powers this world has to offer … all for the sake of these two Chimeras that I've just a few days ago… Why does it feel kind'a worth it?]
[No, the bigger question is... do I seriously think I got what it takes?]
I let out a deep sigh as I looked up at the sky and tried weighing my options. Tried to think logically… or think this through.
But it came back down to...
[Let's find out… Besides, I'll be damned if I didn't at least die trying.]
With a silent chuckle, I took my little oath –
[I, Nico, hereby solemnly swear that I forfeit the right to say to those who believe in me, that 'I don't know what to do.']
-Ding!
{Module: Oath, initializing... Active.
Oath Registered -
I, Nico, hereby solemnly swear that I forfeit the right to say to those who believe in me, that 'I don't know what to do.'
Consequence of breaking the Oath: Death.
Boon: Skill Purchase Token (Epic) x 1.
The token is stored in the inventory.}
[Yo, what the... Know what, fine! Bring it on!]
"Alright," I said out loud, along with a clap of my hands, "… I got a plan."
And instantly, I saw Peko's frown disappear as she looked at me.
Nom-Nom, too, once again turned around and began walking backward with that noticeable jump to her feet as she looked at me with eyes shining in anticipation and a little curve up her lips.
While I didn't even realize when that wide grin stretched across my face as I said –
"Here's what we're gonna do."