Half a month had passed. After all that time, the group of five had finally left the Grand Duchy of Kandela and formally entered the territory of the All Nations Alliance.
Though small, the Grand Duchy of Kandela was still a sovereign state. Since they were traveling on foot, it was impossible to cross its borders in just a day or two.
One morning, Cipher leaned against a tree, her legs crossed on a branch and her hands propped behind her head. Her tail coiled around an apple-like fruit, bringing it to her mouth. She took a small bite.
Come to think of it, she had been in this world for roughly two or three months now. Humans were truly remarkably adaptable creatures. From her initial struggles to adjust, she had now fully acclimated to life in this new world.
People often said that modern humans couldn't survive a day without their phones, but after enduring the initial withdrawal period, Cipher was actually doing alright.
Over the past two weeks, the group's rations had dwindled to almost nothing. They now conserved every scrap, supplementing their meals with hunted game and foraged fruit.
Before long, Cipher saw Dio returning to the tent, each hand clutching a rabbit.
Cipher had been baffled when Dio first announced he was going to hunt. Shouldn't that be a Ranger's job? she thought. Fine, we don't have a Ranger, but a Thief would be the logical substitute. What business does a Bard have getting involved?
Then Dio pulled out his violin, played a few notes, and small animals began gathering around him.
Cipher stared in bewilderment. "What did you do?"
"It's a First-Level spell called [ Charm Animal ]," Dio explained. "As you can see, these creatures are quite fond of me now."
"They like you so much," Cipher said, "and you're just going to kill and eat them?"
A disturbing image flashed through Cipher's mind: adorable animals crowding around, chirping "Good person! We like you! Friend!" while Dio muttered, "So hungry... Smells delicious... Looks tasty..." Isn't that a bit too... hellish?
"Uh..." Dio paused, as if he hadn't considered the ethical implications before. After a moment, he suggested, "Well, how about you catch them? And when it's time to eat, I'll pretend I don't recognize the meat."
Cipher stared at him, speechless.
How is that any different from burying your head in the sand? she thought. Then, another question occurred to her. "Speaking of which, if you can charm animals, can you charm humans too?"
Dio nodded. "Of course. The First-Level spell Charm Human is practically mandatory for all Bards."
Cipher was immediately shocked. Such a powerful spell was only First-Level? "So if you took a fancy to a girl, you could just use this spell to easily win her over?"
"Technically, yes," Dio replied, "but I think... probably... maybe... no Bard would actually do that, right?"
Most Bards had quite the "colorful" pasts. They were notorious playboys, renowned throughout the world. While it couldn't be denied that most Bards possessed considerable charm—they were eloquent, handsome, and effortlessly skilled at winning over women—they also had a reputation for mischief and recklessness.
Whether any Bards had ever used magic to seduce women was anyone's guess.
Seeing Cipher's disgusted expression, Dio quickly clarified, "I've never used that spell on anyone else, and I certainly wouldn't use it on you!"
He paused, then added, "Though even if I did, it probably wouldn't work on you anyway."
Cipher raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Dio explained, "Because of Aria. After living with her for so long, don't you know about her ability?"
As a Paladin of the Oath of Devotion, Aria possessed a passive ability called Aura of Devotion. This aura allowed her to redirect any Control Skills targeted at her allies to herself.
In other words, if Dio were to cast Charm Human on Cipher, the spell's target would ultimately shift to Aria.
Similarly, enchantment spells like Human Immobilization Spell and Slow from the Enchantment School would also be redirected to Aria.
At first glance, it seemed like a simple magnet, not particularly impressive. After all, controlling one person was the same as controlling anyone else, right?
But it's important to remember that all Paladins possess astonishingly strong willpower. Control magic like this is almost completely ineffective against them. So, in essence, with Aria present, their entire team was immune to control.
"Oh~" Cipher nodded after hearing the explanation. "So, it's not that you don't want to use it, but that you can't?"
Dio's mouth twitched. "Were you even listening to me?!"
Cipher suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, I'm curious... if Aria wasn't around and you used this magic on Douglas, would he fall in love with you?"
Dio stared blankly. "?!"
Then he shook his head violently. "Impossible! I wouldn't use that spell on Douglas even if my life depended on it!"
In any case, from that day on, the task of hunting wild game fell squarely on Dio's shoulders. Back in the present, as he returned, Cipher jumped down from the tree and began helping prepare breakfast. Two rabbits divided among five people was clearly not enough, but it was just breakfast—they'd have to make do. At least it would stave off starvation.
After finishing breakfast and packing up their tent, the group of five continued their journey. By afternoon, the first town within the All Nations Alliance came into view. As Cipher entered the town, she noticed that most of the residents had furry ears atop their heads and tails behind them. It seemed that ordinary humans were the minority here.
Dio explained, "That's how the Alliance is. You'll see all sorts of races here. From what I understand, humans make up only about fifteen percent of the total population."
As they spoke, a Catgirl with short black hair walked past Cipher. Sensing her gaze, the Catgirl's cat ears twitched slightly. She turned to meet Cipher's eyes.
They exchanged a brief glance. The Catgirl gave Cipher an incredibly cute smile before continuing on her way.
"So... so adorable!" Cipher murmured involuntarily.