A few weeks later spent in the village, Reno was finally preparing to leave his friends and his companions.
Rita had enjoyed the village.
She had never been treated like a real human being before. She often played with the children, helped with construction, fought against warriors who wanted to train, and most of the time fought with Reno.
"You hit like a wimp."
"You're not even capable of touching me."
Sweat mixed with the dust that rose from the ground with every step. The sun burned on skin now accustomed to it. The warm wind blew pleasantly over their clothes. The club and the daggers often met under the amazed gazes of the men of the village and the children passing by.
The smell of meals reached their noses, slightly distracting them. But both were far too absorbed in their daily session to feel more than a faint desire to eat.
Reno no longer fought like a frenzied warrior, but seemed to have adapted his style into something playful, where he relaxed slightly, as if watching Rita more than truly trying to hurt her. He knew she was strong and surely deserved his full strength, but these fights were no longer demonstrations of power. Not anymore. They were simply good moments.
And Rita enjoyed them like never before.
Dodging the large mace, attempting a strike at the ribs, threatening Reno with her daggers, her smile never left her face since she had arrived.
She enjoyed every blow, every victory, as well as every defeat, forgetting her scarred past and seeing herself reflected in Reno's eyes.
Rita did not want to leave this routine. She felt good. Safe. At home. She could have died just to not leave this life.
But…
Reno was leaving.
"So you're leaving then?"
"Yeah."
Reno was still adjusting his sandals as he spoke to Rita. The two of them had gathered in his green tent. There was very little inside, but it was spacious. Only a wooden piece of furniture stood there, on which rested two weapons made of black stone, each the size of an arm; a strangely white mattress despite lying on the ground all day, with a blanket resting on it; and, at the back, another cylindrical piece of furniture where Rita was currently sitting, swinging her legs—these were all that occupied the room.
However, for the past few weeks, a pretty blonde-haired warrior—which was strange in Nozras—had often kept the man company in this tasteless empty tent. Her blue eyes brought a certain atmosphere into the air, and her braids flowed like gold down her back.
That day, the young woman wondered what to do when someone she appreciated greatly decided to leave for the dream of someone who repulsed her.
She pulled her knees to her chest, murmuring her words.
"Are you sure you want to leave?"
Reno looked at her with the most disappointed look in the universe, followed by a huge hint of sarcasm.
"Seriously?"
"Alright, alright. I get it. Did you say goodbye to the village?"
Reno brought back his disappointed look.
"Yeah. Yeah."
"Are you stupid or what, Rita? They're the ones who took care of me, how could I leave just like that?"
Rita thought back to her home village. They had fed her fruit and dried meat once a day. She slept very little. Never played. Received no support, only more training. She had not said proper goodbyes to her village and had never thanked them.
She was sure they didn't deserve it anyway.
Reno noticed she was lost in thought, so suddenly he placed his hand on her head and gently patted her for a moment.
"Here, this village won't treat you like that. You can breathe a little for the rest of your life. Never forget, despite everything you've been through, never let anyone walk all over you."
Rita felt a surge of heat where Reno had placed his hand. As if her heart suddenly received too much blood at once. It was different from comfort. She… couldn't stand… Reno treating her like a cat.
"Remove your hand, Reno."
"Huh?"
"Remove your hand."
Reno took a right hook. A simple punch that twisted his face in a fraction of a second. Surprised, he was. But confused, even more so.
But before he could wonder why, Rita grabbed his face and kissed him.....
The entire village was watching them, each hidden behind something, all peeking through the still-open tent entrance.
"She hit him…"
"Then she kissed him."
"Strange confession."
"You kidding? That's the most normal thing in Nozras."
"Oh really?"
Rita then let go of Reno. Reno was confused, showing so many emotions that he didn't know what to say. At first, he was moved, surprised, and very happy, then he found his teasing smile again.
"I didn't know you were so emotional."
Rita lowered her head and placed her hand on his face.
"Shut up. Shall we go?"
Reno first pretended to be surprised. He knew she would end up coming, so his expression was more teasing than shocked.
"Yes. Let's go."
Reno then left the tent with Rita and looked in the direction where everyone was hiding. Then, knowing they were all concealed somewhere, he gave them an OK sign of confirmation with his left hand and flashed them a wide smile.
The whole village returned the gesture with equally big smiles and thumbs up, while Rita turned her back to them.
They then headed toward the village exit as the villagers pretended to resume their activities, then walked as if nothing had happened toward the exit to prepare for departure.
The entire village patted Reno on the back before he left. On the bridge leading out of the village, the ogre turned toward his home while Rita looked at them from behind. She didn't feel like it was her moment, but to her great surprise, several hands turned toward her. Many children offered her flowers, and she ended up completely crowned. Dozens of pink flowers with green centers were woven into her golden braids. Their petals curved slightly inward, and the centers stood out like domes.
Still thanking the village, Reno's gaze crossed Rita's. His eyes were lost deeply in her, and he remained frozen for several long seconds. He simply couldn't take his eyes off her.
Those around him noticed his absence and waved a hand in front of his face. Then, realizing he was looking at Rita, they pushed him toward her and thus toward the exit.
"Go on. We don't want to take up too much of your time."
Rita caught Reno without any trouble, seeing that he had nonchalantly let himself fall toward her. Then she shifted her face to look behind him and smiled at the village.
"Become sovereigns."
Rita smiled, but deep down, she remembered her mother. It was her mother's order that she had to carry out once again. It hurt her. She didn't want to obey her. She didn't want to become the person her mother wanted her to be.
But at the same time, looking upward…
"Well then, I guess we don't have a choice."
…she found a motivation stronger than her mother's cruelty to fulfill her goal.
Moved by the fact that they were leaving, tears welled up in Reno's eyes. Rita mocked him, but her own eyes also filled with tears.
She too said goodbye to the village that had welcomed and loved her. It might be the last time she would receive so much comfort.
*
The two of them moved away from the village as Reno walked with a confident, determined stride toward his destination.
Rita walked at his side, trying not to look back. Seeing Reno so confident, she asked:
"Do you know where the capital is?"
"Absolutely not. I was told to follow the star, but right now the sky is gray, so we're going in the direction where I saw it last time."
Rita was surprised by his answer. To be exact, she was more at the end of her rope.
"This isn't going to be easy."
The journey to the capital was a small hell. Reno saw nothing but clouds on the horizon.
"Is this a joke, Reno?"
Rita looked up at the sky, fully aware that the sun wouldn't reappear for a long time.
"Don't look at me like that. Didn't your clan teach you how to follow the star or how to reach the capital?"
Rita tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, realizing that he had a point.
"Strangely enough, no."
She realized how foolish that sounded.
"Are you sure you're an Obu?"
"And are you sure you want to go to the capital?"
The arguments kept piling up between the young couple, but so did their energy.
The roads of Nozras were either dry and arid, or there were no roads at all. Most of the time, Reno and Rita climbed hills and mountains with nearly vertical slopes. Animals sometimes gathered in the crevices, ready to bite the first reckless person who put a hand there. But Reno was not reckless. He had lived outside the village as much as inside it. His elders, seeing that he didn't need to be taught strength, taught him survival instead. And that served him enormously outside his village.
Rita, on her side, had no trouble with survival either. She had spent several months wandering across a large part of Nozras, far from civilization. Her senses were sharper, more refined. Everything Reno saw, she saw slightly ahead of time.
Reno moved forward guided by the lessons he had learned, but what truly carried him was his instinct. Reno could see and sense things more easily than the average person—enough to feel a bird approaching when it was still two hundred meters away, even if he couldn't see it yet.
Rita, on the other hand, relied on senses that had been honed down to the finest detail. Her intensive training surpassed instinct itself. To be precise, she had forged her instinct to a level that could no longer truly be considered human.
Together, they were an unforgiving precision machine and an instinctive beast whose power was almost unmatched.
Needless to say, surviving in Nozras for them was nothing more than a simple walk in the park.