After I had finished brushing my teeth with the toothpaste, which tasted sweet, like honey, I splashed some cold water on my face as I sat there by the river's edge. Honestly, I had never expected that this realm had such good personal hygiene, as Brenna had explained to me earlier. Aside from brushing their teeth, they also bathed twice a day, though they couldn't do that here while they were out in the field. Aside that it was apparently dangerous with the woods teeming with wild creatures, it was also hard to find a hot spring unless they happened to be lucky. That got me thinking and wondering about volcanoes in this realm, because a natural hot spring couldn't exist without a volcano, right?
Brenna did say that hot springs were common in this kingdom. In fact, she said that the palace alone had their own system, and that all the lords had their own hot pool chamber. I guessed she meant their bathrooms, as in an en-suite. Furthermore, the palace also had a bigger hot pool as a common area for the higher-ups. I supposed she meant a public bathhouse of some sort for the head honchos.
Everything sounded grand and extravagant, and I found that I couldn't wait to visit their palace. After all, I simply loved visiting old castles in Europe during our family trips when I had been younger.
After I had finished wiping my face dry with the facecloth, I returned to Brenna, who was sitting there on one of the boulders, watching me, smiling prettily.
We were heading back to the clinic when Brenna said, "By the way, would you like to come along with us to gather some wild herbs? It's for Lord Noah. He's using them as ingredients for a new potion he's developing." She chuckled. "When he heard that the team was venturing to this part of the land, he couldn't help but assign me to gathering those herbs for him, with Aria's help of course."
"Wild herbs, eh? That sounds interesting," I said. "I'll be glad to come along. You can tell me what they look like, and I'll help pick."
It was obvious that Brenna was pleased with my answer, because her eyes were sparkling. She said, "That's wonderful. I'll inform the lords about it."
In which case, she immediately closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she started talking.
"My Lord Caleb? It's Brenna here," she said as I watched her closely while we continued our walk.
She paused for a moment and then continued. "Is it all right if we take Alfie with us to gather wild herbs?" She paused again for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, of course. Thank you so much, my lord. We'll definitely be careful." She nodded furiously some more and then said, "All right. Thank you, my lord." Then she terminated the chat.
She turned to me and said, "All done."
That easy, eh? Chatting with someone with personal qi via the WIFI communication system.
After I'd found a free spot to store my newly acquired personal hygiene items at the back of the clinic, Brenna and I headed out. As we came down toward the marquee where we had the morning meal, we met up with Aria, who was helping the other soldiers clean up the area. Brenna and I were just starting to help, too, when I suddenly noticed a loud commotion going on.
Soldiers were rushing about everywhere, armed to the teeth with weapons. Then loud engines rumbled across the area, and I saw military vehicles, not unlike the army trucks back at home, filing along and moving toward the edge of the clearing. I was awed at the sight before me.
Amid the soldiers were Felix and Caleb, gracefully saddling their winged lions and issuing commands loudly to their underlings. They sounded like a pair of sergeants doing a morning drill, their deep reverberating voices loud and clear. I was sure anyone within a mile could hear them.
They looked every damned bit the part of head warriors of the kingdom. Everything about them exuded power, influence, and control, and I felt my tummy fluttering and heart racing in excitement as I watched them.
I couldn't help myself and found that I was using my newly acquired military lenses to zoom in on Felix. He had his masked face directed away from me so all I could see was the defined line of his jaw, which was strong and sharp. My eyes lingered about his dark-brown hair, which was stylishly cut, the length resting snugly about the nape of his long neck. His dark leather garments fit his masculine body to perfection, showing the defined line of his biceps, forearms, and those long, muscular legs. Everything about him exuded manliness and power.
I then shifted my eyes and zoomed in on Caleb. The moment I did so, I noted him swiftly turning his eyes away from me.
Eh? I had the nagging feeling that Caleb had been watching me, and the moment he sensed me turning my attention to him, he bailed. I secretly smiled. Tsundere Caleb.
I couldn't help myself and studied him, too, my gaze running along the line of his toned, firm physique. His black hair, like Felix's, was cut stylishly, and the strands rested snugly against the nape of his long neck. I must admit that seeing him in profile, he was the definition of a Greek god, with aquiline features: straight nose, firm lips, and strong, sharp jawline. In his dark warrior garments, he looked ready for a battle.
"They're ready to leave," Aria said, drawing my attention away from the men.
Brenna nodded, her hands clasped together as if in a prayer. "I hope all will go well and everyone returns unharmed."
I found myself nodding my head as well. When I returned my attention to the men, I saw Felix looking our way. He lifted one hand and waved. Beside me, both Aria and Brenna waved their hands back at him.
I stood there quietly watching as Felix and Caleb both shouted for their soldiers to depart. In an instant, the winged lions flapped their wings and then off they went, ascending to the sky, carrying Felix and Caleb with them.
As the soldiers—some riding the military trucks and others on horseback—started marching out, I had my gaze fixed on Felix and Caleb up in the sky until they disappeared from my sight.