Chapter 2: Shelter in the Silence

The sound of Nahida’s soft breathing echoed quietly through the forest.

I walked carefully, searching for a cave so as not to wake Nahida.

Signs of night were appearing, so I had to find a place to stay.

‘It’s not like I’m a survival expert who can just whip up a house out of nowhere.’

“Whew.”

My breath was ragged, perhaps from walking for so long.

My bare feet were covered in scratches.

But my heart felt refreshed.

Nahida, who should have been suffering right now, was instead sleeping soundly on my back with the happiest look on her face.

The corners of my mouth crept up without me realizing.

After walking for a while, feeling Nahida’s warmth, I spotted a cave in the distance.

I was relieved to have found a cave at just the right time.

‘I had been worried we might have to keep wandering through the night.’

I briefly considered waking Nahida, but I thought it would be better to let her sleep soundly, so I gently placed her on the ground.

I had gathered grass and leaves on the ground to make a makeshift blanket, so she probably wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.

Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, I stretched my back.

“Grrrgh.”

My back was incredibly stiff from carrying Nahida all day.

My face contorted from the stiffness that lingered even after stretching.

I gathered a pile of leaves and plopped down on top of it.

“What should I do now…”

I had fled in a hurry with the single-minded goal of protecting Nahida, so I was at a loss for what to do next.

“Should we go to Sumeru City?”

“No, that place would be crawling with people from the Akademiya.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

As I was lost in thought, chewing my nails, Nahida woke up, rubbing her eyes.

“Sister…?”

“Ah, Nahida, you’re awake?”

‘I must have been muttering too loudly.’

“Sorry, was I being too loud?”

At my words, Nahida shook her head and ran to me.

And then, she buried herself in my arms.

“I want to sleep with you.”

Nahida said with a wide, happy grin.

The sight was so devastatingly cute that my hands trembled.

“Uh, y-yeah. Okay. Let’s get to sleep.”

I swiftly lifted Nahida and lay down with her.

Whatever she was so happy about, she kept giggling and clung tightly to me.

As I gently stroked her hair, Nahida began to drift off to sleep with a drowsy look on her face.

“Sleep well, Nahida.”

I placed a kiss on her forehead and hugged her close.

The warmth in my embrace made my eyes close naturally.

I opened my eyes to the sunlight filtering into the cave.

The first thing I saw was Nahida, drooling in her sleep.

I couldn’t help but laugh at how silly and cute she looked.

I let Nahida continue sleeping and got up from my spot.

It was important to move quickly, as the Akademiya’s sages were surely still hunting for us.

‘But still… what about food.’

‘Can a god go without eating?’

‘I’m not particularly hungry.’

‘Although, I do feel like I’m losing a bit of strength…’

‘Yes, it would be better to eat.’

“Ummm.”

‘Should I really leave Nahida to go find food?’

‘No matter what, I feel too anxious leaving her all alone.’

“Nngh….”

‘Still, how could I possibly wake her?’

“Just for a little while.”

“I’ll only look around the immediate area and come right back…”

‘It should be fine… right?’