"Move quickly! Pack your things—just take what's necessary!"
The muffled shouting came before the first light of dawn.
"Leave the useless stuff! Food, clothes—only what you can carry!"
The voices belonged to the hunting party. They were moving through the camp, pounding on doors, urging the villagers to evacuate.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The wooden door of their small shed rattled violently as someone pounded on it.
"Bloodbeard's thieves are coming!" a voice roared from outside. "We're heading to the Moon Lake Tribe for safety—move now!"
The announcement was brief. Before Mino could even sit up, the hunting team had already run off to warn the next family.
The girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, her body still wrapped in the warm wolfskin she used as a blanket. Her gaze softened as she listened to the fading footsteps outside. "They're really up early," she murmured with a tired smile.
She stretched, yawned, and brushed her soft silver hair away from her face.
"Breakfast's ready," Luciel's voice came quietly from the fire pit. He had been up for a while, tending to a steel pot that simmered gently over the flames.
"When did you even go to sleep?" Mino asked curiously, tying her hair back. She remembered waking in the middle of the night to find him still awake, scribbling something with charcoal on a piece of animal hide by the firelight.
"About midnight," he said softly, stirring the pot. "Didn't sleep much, but it was enough."
The scent of stewed meat drifted through the shed, rich and savory.
"It smells so good," Mino said, her little nose wrinkling as she leaned closer, blue eyes gleaming at the sight of the bubbling broth.
"It's just meat soup," Luciel said, smiling faintly.
The girl frowned a little. "Still… I'll do the cooking next time. You're using too much."
Luciel blinked, confused. "Too much?"
"Yes!" Mino scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "We need to save food. Don't you know how hard it is to find meat around here?"
"Relax," he said, handing her a tin lunch box filled with steaming broth. "We've got enough dried jerky left to last twenty days."
"Twenty days?" she repeated, doubting him but still taking the box.
Luciel chuckled. "Last night, you insisted on eating nothing but small lizard jerky. You barely ate enough to fill a third of your stomach."
Her face reddened a little. "It's not my fault those things taste awful."
He just smiled.
Mino looked down at the food, torn between guilt and hunger. "We should save some for dinner," she muttered. But despite her words, her stomach betrayed her with a low growl.
Luciel ladled another spoonful into his own bowl and nodded toward her. "Eat. I'll roast more jerky tonight."
She hesitated, then took a sip.
"Ah—hot!" she yelped, fanning her mouth as she tried to cool the burning soup.
Luciel chuckled and blew gently across his own spoon before sipping. "Be careful."
Mino pouted but took another bite. The warm, rich flavor spread across her tongue, and she let out a quiet, content sigh.
"It's delicious…" she said, voice barely above a whisper. The meaty aroma, the salt, the heat—it all mixed perfectly. Her blue eyes softened with something almost nostalgic.
"It's been so long since I've had real broth," she added, blinking quickly. "Back when Big Sis was still around, we only managed to cook something like this once in a long while."
Luciel reached over and gently brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. "Drink as much as you want. We can always make more."
Mino shook her head quickly. "No, no… broth is too extravagant. We should save the meat."
Luciel tilted his head. "We usually drink water, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Well," he said with a small grin, "when you make broth, you get both food and water. Seems like a fair deal, don't you think?"
Mino blinked, tilting her head as if processing his logic. "…When you say it like that, it almost sounds smart."
Luciel laughed softly. "Then hurry and drink before it gets cold. It doesn't taste half as good once it does."
"Yes, yes." She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile.
Outside the shed, the world was chaotic—villagers rushing, shouting, preparing for flight. But inside, the two of them sat by the fire, sharing warmth and calm amid the panic.
Eventually, Mino couldn't stop herself. Spoonful after spoonful, she emptied the bowl until there wasn't a drop left. When she looked down and realized what she'd done, she pursed her lips guiltily.
"I was supposed to save half for later," she mumbled, staring at the empty tin. "But… I just couldn't stop."
Luciel smiled gently. "So? How does it feel to finally eat until you're full?"
Her cheeks flushed pink. "It's… nice. But it feels too extravagant."
"The meal you just had," Luciel said, "is worth maybe ten lizards."
"Ten?!" she gasped, horrified.
He chuckled again, standing to ruffle her hair. "Don't worry about it. Let me take care of the food from now on."
Mino froze, her heart skipping a beat. "You—You don't have to—"
Luciel's hand lingered for a moment on her head before he pretended to frown. "Wait. You've still got that turban on. How am I supposed to pat your rabbit ears through that?"
"What?!" she yelped, covering her head with both hands. "I'm not some pet!"
"Then prove it," he teased.
With a little huff, she hesitated—then slowly untied the strip of cloth that covered her long, soft ears. The two snowy-white ears sprang upright, twitching slightly in the air.
Luciel couldn't help but grin at the sight.
When she caught his amused expression, her face went crimson. "D-Don't get any weird ideas! I just—just wanted to let them breathe!"
"Of course," Luciel said innocently.
"Hmph!" she muttered, cheeks puffed.
Trying to change the subject, she asked quickly, "So… are we going to move onto the Black Tortoise's back today?"
Luciel glanced toward the east, where the faint glow of dawn was beginning to paint the sky. "Not yet," he said. "We haven't built the house. And before that, I want to evolve the Rock Tortoise to level three."
Mino's eyes brightened. "Level three? Does that mean it'll grow bigger?"
"Much bigger," Luciel replied. "Big enough for us to build a proper home on its back. But I'll need to see how large it gets before I can plan the layout."
The girl's excitement bubbled over. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Luciel smiled and rose, fastening the straps on his gear. "All right."
As he pushed open the shed door, Mino suddenly turned back, eyes wide. "Wait—what about all our stuff? Everyone's leaving today. Someone might come in and steal it."
"I've got that covered," Luciel said calmly, pointing toward the corner of the room.
There, a faint shimmer in the air rippled—and a massive, tri-colored lizard materialized from thin air, its camouflage fading away. Its scales glistened like polished stone, and its golden eyes blinked lazily.
"Skink will guard the place," Luciel said.
Mino blinked in surprise, then smiled in relief. "Good. Then I can rest easy."
With that settled, the two stepped out into the open wilderness.
The camp behind them was alive with noise—cries, hurried footsteps, the sounds of carts being loaded. But they moved in the opposite direction, slipping quietly through a side path that led toward the forest.
The morning air was cool and crisp. Dew clung to the tall grass, glimmering faintly under the rising sun. In the distance, a low rumbling could be heard—like stones grinding together.
"There it is," Luciel said.
Not far ahead, their massive companion came into view—the Rock Tortoise. Its shell was covered in jagged stone plates, its enormous form moving slowly as it foraged among the rocks. Every step it took left deep impressions in the dirt.
Mino's eyes widened in awe, as they always did when she saw it. "It's still so amazing… and this is just level two?"
Luciel nodded, watching the creature with quiet admiration. "If I'm right, once it evolves to level three, its shell will be large enough to carry an entire wooden house—and stable enough to move across rough terrain without shaking everything apart."
The girl clasped her hands together, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "A house on the back of a giant tortoise… that's like something out of a dream."
Luciel smiled faintly. "Then let's make that dream real."
The two of them stood there in the growing sunlight, gazing at the great beast that would soon become their home.
Somewhere in the distance, the rest of the camp was already disappearing into the forest—fleeing from Bloodbeard's wrath. But Luciel and Mino stayed behind, ready to build something entirely new.
And if Luciel's plan worked, by the time the thieves came for revenge… he'd already be robbing their stronghold.