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Chapter 57

Grrrrrrrrrooooo…

“Hungry?” I asked.

“No…” She responded, but her cheeks turned red.

It had been a week since we abandoned the Tanner farm, leaving it burning in the distance. I hadn’t directly aimed for Arcford. Rather, my goal had been to put a fair distance away from the farm, so much so that no one would possibly recognize this cart or Mara. The Tanners had packed plenty of oats and hay for their horse, but they must have planned to get food on the road because there was very little they brought. Mara had already consumed it within the first week, and it had probably been a day or two since she had last eaten.

Mara barely spoke anymore, and every night she cried herself to sleep. She didn’t do it where I could see though. She was determined to not be seen as a burden, and the result was that she didn’t complain about anything. I didn’t need to eat. My body could produce energy from Photosynthesis, and that was all I needed for a day of riding on a carriage. Thus, I hadn’t thought much about food. However, Mara was different. She was a growing young woman of sixteen, and she needed a proper diet.

“We’ll stop.” I decided, expanding my senses to determine there was a small village up ahead which included a tavern.

We had already been traveling for some time, so it was probably safe to stop now. At the least, we could enjoy a peaceful meal, stock up, and get a feel for our bearings.

I wasn’t too worried about interacting with the village. I had a week now to grow familiar with my body. I could move normally now, and if pushed, I could probably speak normally. The reason I used so few words was less from discomfort, and more from habit. Mara and I had spent a decade and a half communicating with only bubbles and squirts. Little communication was needed between us to get our point across.

As for my skills, there were some things I could do again, like project my senses outside my body and feel the world around me, and then there were some things that I couldn’t do, like control my external environment directly. Most of the skills I had accumulated over my nine evolutions were still useable, but they had all seemingly evolved, and adjusted to work on a macro level where they once worked micro. Water Jet was a prime example of that change. I could expel water from my body, from massive waves to tiny streams. I could also pressurize them to the point of being sharper than a knife, or gentle as the rain.

At least, when it came to water, I had a little pond’s worth stored within my Vacuole inventory. That was something that Mara wouldn’t run out of. As we reached the village, I pulled my hood down. No one could recognize me, but I still would rather we weren’t noticed. Thankfully, Mara kept her head down too, although that was more from her change in demeanor than any attempt to hide.

A short time ago, she would have been bubbling with excitement at the prospect of a new place. Even a small village like this would have been something new that she would have relished just for the chance to see something different. However, after everything that happened, her behavior to the outside world had changed. She now had a hint of distrust and fear. She gave the setting a single look and then glanced away.

I brought the cart to a stop in front of the inn. After parking it and tying up the horse, and carefully left some of my cells to act as a warning system and defense should someone try to steal from it. Then, I grabbed Mara’s hand and brought her into the tavern. It was a quaint building with a thatched roof and wooden beams. The door swung gently in the wind portraying the name “Lightning King’s Tavern” with a lightning bolt through it. The sun was still high overhead, making it about noontime, so I was surprised when I walked in to see the common room full.

Most of the room was taken by a large group of rowdy, drunken men. They had pushed several tables together and were all drinking and laughing excitedly. There was a fat innkeeper in an apron who was watching them, his eyes slightly wrinkled with worry. In a corner was a group of three people. Like me, they were robbed with their hoods up. I felt Mara’s hand tighten on mine.

I could understand her worry. These men were dressed very similarly to the ones who had attacked our farm. However, they didn’t have the air of professionalism that the others did. They had been knights in disguise pretending to be bandits. These men were likely just a group of hooligans.

I gave the innkeeper a nod and he quickly gestured to a place out of the way of the unruly men. I pulled Mara over and we sat down in a corner opposite the other group of travelers.

“Passing through?” The innkeeper asked, patting down his apron. “There have been a lot of strangers these days.”

“We’re not staying,” I responded. “Just need some food on the go. Also, is there a general store in town so we can get supplies for the road.”

He met my eyes and then grunted. “Yeah, just down the street. I’m not sure how much you’ll find though. His stocks were recently cleaned out.”

His eyes flickered to the group of rowdy men, but he didn’t say anything else.

“That’s fine. Just feed the girl whatever she wants.”

She looked up at me unhappily. “You’re not eating?”

“It’s not needed,” I responded.

“I don’t… want to eat… alone.” She spoke softly.

I frowned, but after a moment I nodded. “Bring two plates. Whatever is filling.”

“It’s day-old vegetable stew and bread. I have no meat.” He held up his hands as if he was expecting me to argue. “The war has caused prices to skyrocket. That’s all I have and it’ll be four silver, upfront. Can’t be helped.”

I reached into my pocket pulled out four silvers and dropped them on the table. “Take it.”

He nodded again, scooping the coins up and scurrying off to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned with a small bowl of soup which appeared to even be missing most of the vegetables and a thin slice of bread.

“Two silver each? This is one copper of food.” Mara muttered under her breath.

The man stiffened as he walked away, but then he shook his head and continued. She was correct. When her father taught her numbers, it was specifically to sell their produce in the market. She had a better idea of how much things cost than anyone. We had taken the Tanner’s life savings, but that only came to about fifteen gold, which was a hundred-fifty silver coins. If we had to keep eating like this, we’d be starving in a month.

“I’ll come up with an alternative source of food.” I declared. “For now, just endure.”

“Y-yes…”

I could probably create traps to capture animals. If we were desperate, I could program my cells to make my food. Even though I wasn’t human, the thought of feeding Mara parts of my body unsettled me a bit. It felt a bit like cannibalism. I took a spoonful of soup. I didn’t have my tastebuds active. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by just taking this meal as supplemental nutrients, whatever meager amounts it provided.

After a few spoons full, I noticed Mara wasn’t eating anything. Instead, she was idly stirring her spoon while staring at her bowl.

“What is it?” I asked.

“We’re out at a tavern… eating together.” She spoke so lightly I might not have been able to hear her if I was a mere mortal. “It’s like… a date…”

“Don’t fill your mind with silly things.” I tossed her my bread piece. “Eat.”

“Y-yes…” She puffed out her cheeks unhappily, but she still started eating.

I shook my head. It was anyone’s guess what silly things went through the mind of a teenage girl. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I knew women very well. I knew I had saved her, and I was all she could depend on. This kind of thing left a deep impression on a girl. However, I wasn’t even a human, let alone a mortal. We existed in two different worlds. It was better that she didn’t grow too dependent on me, so I had to be harsh with her. This was preparing her for the time we’d split.

I didn’t plan to stay by her side forever. Once I fulfilled Tanner’s wish for Mara’s safety and her wish for revenge, I’d be leaving. Where? Well, I didn’t know enough about this world yet. I’d decide as I learned more. It would probably be somewhere without people.

“Well, hello, beautiful.” Just in time, a human arrived to make my point for me.

It was one of the rowdy men. I had noticed from the moment we entered the inn that they had been shooting Mara’s looks. This was a bald man with a scar, a rough-looking sort that would scare most young women, but that didn’t seem to give him the self-awareness to keep him from shooting his shot.

It seemed it was too much to hope for a peaceful meal. I’d have to choose violence.