Javier scratched the back of his head nervously, his usual grin faltering under Liana's piercing glare.
"Buddy," he muttered, nudging his pekko gently, "wake up. Our 'madam' is mad, and it's not looking good for us."
The pekko stirred, squawking softly before standing and ruffling its feathers.
"Young master," Liana snapped, hands on her hips, her erald eyes practically drilling into him. "Do you have any idea how worried your mother was?"
Javier gave her an awkward chuckle, raising his hands. "Ehehe... but Liana, it's not like I was slacking! I found this amazing ore mine! Look at all the ore we've mined—it's practically a treasure trove!"
"Ore mine?" Liana's tone was icy. She took a step closer, forcing Javier to lean back slightly. "You caused Lady Francesca sleepless hours of worry over an ore mine?"
"Well... yeah?" Javier muttered, scratching his cheek.
Liana sighed deeply, pressing her fingers to her temples. "This is your family's land, Javier De Armand!. Do you think anyone would dare to steal from a viscount's territory? And if they did, they wouldn't live to tell the tale!"
"But it's such a great find!" Javier protested, gesturing toward the mined materials he had stored away earlier. "Think of the potential, Liana! All that ore, all that profit... we could—"
"Enough!" Liana cut him off sharply. "We're leaving. Now."
"But Liana—"
"No buts." She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. "Here's what we're going to do. You'll tell everyone you were hiding in the ore mine because of the monster activity outside. That's the excuse, understood?"
Javier's jaw dropped. "You want to lie?"
"Yes." Her voice was steady and firm. "Unless you want to explain to Lady Francesca why you were out here mining instead of staying safe like a proper young master."
Javier slumped his shoulders, groaning dramatically. "Fine, fine. But for the record, this whole thing could've been epic!"
"It could've been a disaster." Liana turned on her heel, heading toward her pekko. "Now, unsummon your knights and let's go."
Javier sighed, raising his hand to dismiss the puppet knights. As the glow from the mana cores faded and the knights disappeared, he muttered under his breath, "Man, she's scarier than any monster out here."
Liana didn't even turn around as she replied, "I heard that."
Javier froze, feeling the weight of her words. With a sheepish grin, he hopped onto Buddy, patting the pekko neck. "Alright, buddy. Ti to head ho before Madam Liana breathes fire on us."
The pekko squawked in agreent, and the group began their journey back
As they rode through the dark forest, lit faintly by the glow of the light crystal Liana had brought, she couldn't help but glance at Javier. His clothes were soaked with monster blood, and despite his usual smug grin, he looked every bit the part of a reckless adventurer who'd gotten in over his head.
"This excuse will work," Liana thought to herself, her lips pressed into a tight line. "With all that blood, no one will question that he was forced to hide in the mine."
The ride was tense but quiet until suddenly, the bushes to their left rustled violently.
"Watch out!" Liana snapped, pulling the reins of her pekko to a halt.
From the shadows erged a monstrous creature unlike any they had seen before. Its glowing red eyes glead nacingly, and its sharp fangs dripped with venom. The monster let out a guttural roar and lunged toward them.
Before Javier could react, Liana was already in motion. Her expression turned fierce, and with a quick motion, she raised her bow. The air shimred as her mana surged into the arrow, illuminating the area with a brilliant green light.
"Not tonight," she muttered angrily, releasing the arrow.
The magic arrow tore through the air with a sharp whistle, striking the monster in its chest. A second later, it disintegrated into ash, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
Javier stared at her, wide-eyed. "Whoa! Liana, that was... insane!"
Liana shot him a sharp glare, her erald eyes still blazing. "And this is exactly why you shouldn't be out here alone! If that thing had caught you off guard, what then? You'd be monster food!"
Javier gulped, scratching the back of his head. "Well, uh... I had my knights, you know..."
"Knights or not, you're still reckless!" Liana snapped, lowering her bow but keeping her gaze locked on him. "If anything happens to you, do you know how much trouble you'll cause for everyone? Your mother, your family... !"
Her words struck a nerve, and Javier looked away, feeling a rare pang of guilt. "Sorry..." he mumbled.
Liana took a deep breath, calming herself. "Let's just focus on getting ho safely. No more detours, no more excuses."
"Right," Javier replied, his tone unusually subdued.
The two rode on.Liana kept her bow at the ready, her eyes scanning their surroundings, while Javier stayed close behind, for once without his usual mischief.
As they continued through the dimly lit forest, Javier leaned forward on his pekko, patting its neck with a grin.
"Look at my buddy here," he said with a chuckle, glancing back at Liana. "Leveling up like a champ! Did you see that stomp? Took that monster down like it was nothing! Ehehehe."
The pekko squawked in agreent, almost smugly, before casually stomping down on another smaller creature that tried to ambush them from the underbrush. It didn't even break its stride, its cheerful deanor almost mocking the creatures that dared to cross its path.
"See? Told you he's the best!" Javier bead, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
Liana, however, was having none of it. She sat stiffly on her pekko, her piercing erald eyes fixed ahead. Her grip on the reins was tight, her jaw clenched, and her silence was as heavy as the tension in the air.
Javier chuckled nervously, glancing over his shoulder. "Co on, Liana, don't be like that. I an, everything turned out fine, right? No one got hurt, and we even—"
"Stop talking," Liana interrupted, her tone icy.
Javier blinked, his grin faltering. "Uh, Liana—"
"Not. Another. Word," she hissed, not even sparing him a glance.
Javier swallowed hard, deciding it was best not to push his luck. His pekko squawked softly, as if sensing the tension and wisely deciding to keep quiet as well.
The rest of the ride continued in an uncomfortable silence, punctuated only by the sound of hooves and the occasional rustle of the forest. Javier couldn't help but glance back at Liana from ti to ti, but her expression remained unreadable, her anger simring just beneath the surface.
"Man, I really ssed up this ti," Javier thought to himself, slumping slightly in his saddle. For once, he felt genuinely nervous about the scolding he was bound to receive once they got ho.
Javier grinned mischievously as Liana's icy words cut through the air. "Focus on the road and your surroundings," she had said, but he had other plans.
"Heh… Buddy! Let's dash toward the road. Let's see what she does!" Javier whispered, urging his pekko forward.
The pekko squawked enthusiastically and took off in a sudden burst of speed, kicking up dirt and leaves behind them.
"Young master!!!" Liana's sharp voice rang out in the forest, but Javier simply turned his head with a playful smirk.
"See yaaaa, Lianaaa!!" he called, laughing as his pekko dashed ahead.
Liana's eyes narrowed, her patience snapping. "Chase him!" she commanded her pekko, and the creature responded imdiately, leaping into a full sprint with incredible grace and speed.
Javier, glancing back, caught sight of a blur closing in on him.
"Huh? What the—sothing's fast behind —wait, is that…?" His eyes widened as realization hit.
"Younggggg massssterrrr!!!" Liana's voice roared, growing louder with each passing second.
Javier panicked, kicking his heels into his pekko's sides. "Eeeeeek! Run faster, Buddy!! Don't let her catch us!!"
The chase was on. Javier clung to his pekko's reins as it dashed through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over roots, but Liana's pekko was relentless, its speed almost unnatural.
"Co on, Buddy! You leveled up! Don't let down now!!" Javier pleaded, his heart racing as Liana's voice grew dangerously close.
Despite his pekko's best efforts, Liana's mount had the advantage. With a powerful leap, it closed the gap and ca alongside Javier's.
"Got you!" Liana growled, her hand shooting out to grab the back of Javier's tunic.
"Ahhh!! rcy!! rcy, Liana!!" Javier yelped, flailing uselessly.
The chase ended abruptly as Liana reined in both pekkos, forcing them to stop. Javier hung his head in defeat, panting and muttering under his breath.
"You've got so explaining to do when we get back," Liana said coldly, her piercing glare making him shrink in his saddle.
"Yes, ma'am…" Javier muttered, ntally bracing himself for the lecture of a lifeti.
( End Of Chapter )
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