Yunyun x Reader (God's Blessing For This Poor Lonely Girl!)

Chapter 10: Further On Up The Road

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Having set the girl down on soft ground, removing her from his shield turned sled, YN went about making camp for the evening, considering Megumin still hadn't recovered almost any of her strength yet.

On the way to this resting point, she had lazily spoken about how she only knew one spell, and could only cast that spell once per day, and that when she did, she'd pass out like this.

Well... That is one way to get yourself a bad reputation with parties... A lot of people might really hate to have to deal with someone like her...

YN had chosen a spot to rest for the night just off the main road they had been traveling, among a small thicket of trees he'd hoped would help conceal them from any potential night-time visitors of questionable intent. Like monsters.

Trying to get a fire started, he had built a makeshift pit and was in the process of bashing two rocks together to get a spark to start the dry grass he had collected. Using strength he never possessed in his old world, he managed to get a small flame going, and introduced the smoldering pile of grass to the rest of the wood and kindling that had been set up.

As the fire began to catch, Megumin went to sit up and had moved closer to the fire now as a chill ran through the air with the coming of darkness.

"You're awake again. That's good. Maybe after that long nap of yours you'd be willing to take the first watch on guard duty?"

Halfway expecting the girl, with her chuunibyou tendencies, to gloat and say it should be him who takes the first watch while she sleeps, all on the fact that it had been her who had defeated the Rookie Slayer, YN had been prepared to not argue against that on the merit alone. Yet, what he got in reply was not something he had expected at all.

Giving him a very un-conceited look, Megumin stared into the fire as she answered him.

"Why are you still being so friendly and going along with this Quest?"

Taken back by the humility in which she spoke with now, YN had to reply with a simple "Hmm?" as his own puzzled expression couldn't be seen by her under his helmet.

"Any other party I've joined in the past would have just left me behind or called off the Quest entirely after I passed out... or at least would have by now..."

Surprised to hear such a confession, YN threw some more wood on the fire as he replied.

"And what? Just leave you on the ground like that?"

Getting a somber nod in silent reply by how cruelly accurate that was, YN sighed at the girl's melancholy.

"Your magic is incredibly powerful. There's plenty of use to that, so leaving you behind or quitting the Quest makes no sense to me. If it comes to using that magic again, I'll carry you on my back if I have to. Besides, I doubt you're that heavy."

At first softening her expression upon hearing YN say that, it then turned into a frown as she held her own hands up in a more defensive way.

"I'll warn you, you better not try and get too hands-y! I can still protect myself even if I've already cast my explosion magic for the day!"

Pitying the thought, YN waved away her concern with his heavily armored gauntlet.

"Caaaalm down, I just have a personal goal of protecting others. I tend to step in to help those who get in over their heads."

Losing her nerve again it seemed, Megumin went back to looking into the growing fire. She was silent for a few moments as the crackling of the flames snapped a few times, but then she spoke back up again.