Chapter 231 A Talk
Aleshia felt refreshed after getting a good night's sleep. She couldn't help but remember how strange Lucia had become—or rather, how compliant she seemed. Aleshia had wanted to discuss the reason for this change earlier, but she hadn't found the time due to everything else happening and the thoughts swirling in her mind.
"So, Lucia," she tentatively asked through their mental connection.
"Yeah? What is it?" Lucia replied, curious about what the question would be.
Pausing to gather her thoughts, she announced, "Why does it seem like you're so much more obliging lately and doing things for me more often?" Finally, she let the question off her chest.
Lucia hesitated for a moment before responding, "Huh? That's quite a sudden question. If I had to guess, I think it's because we've grown much closer during our time together, haven't we?" She put on an elaborate display of friendship.
Aleshia appeared to buy into her ruse and seemed to accept that answer, without asking further questions along those lines. Instead, she changed the topic. "Do you think the others are awake by now?"
Thinking for a moment, Lucia said, "They are young and full of energy and the drive for a better life, so I would expect them to have been awake far earlier than you've ever woken up in your entire life." She added the last part in a playful tone.
"Yes, har har, very funny. Anyway, I've another question: do you even need to sleep at all? I've been concerned about that for a while and wasn't sure if you were exhausted from overexerting yourself the other day. I was also worried about any potential aftereffects from all of that magic you've been casting on everyone."
Lucia pondered her inquiry for a while before concluding, "I don't need to sleep, but I do need to recharge my reserves from time to time. I go into a low power state like humans do, but I find that I need to do this more often than before, especially since this place doesn't seem to recharge me easily." Her voice sounded uncertain. "Anyways, thanks for being concerned about me regarding that subject, but I think I'll be fine as long as I don't overdo it," she replied, providing a vague estimate.
When their conversation came to an end, they gathered together. Lucia perched happily atop Aleshia's head, which was now her usual spot, and they walked toward the main door of the camp. As they approached, they noticed a person standing there—it was Em, and she seemed alone.
"You're very punctual, Em," Aleshia greeted her.
"Uh, I suppose you're punctual too, Aleshia," Em replied, sounding unsure about the word, but since she used it, she decided it wasn't a bad term.