"Come on, let's just go back, think about the preparations. You left without preparing anything."
"Shut up, you can go back alone if you want."
We walked for quite a while, and Chronicler Beta kept complaining; trying to make us go back. But my sister stubbornly refused to return.
She had a point about preparations. I might have brought some important things, but I didn't think about provisions that far.
"What's wrong, my little sister?"
Walking for a long time made my armpit hurt, as it was a fulcrum rubbing against the stick. I decided to stop, rest under a tree.
I didn't ask them to stop or follow. But as soon as I stopped, all three followed. I sat leaning against the tree. I hoped this tree wouldn't change, like the previous one.
My sister sat beside me, following, while I saw Beta squatting, hugging her knees, her right hand carving the surface of the ground. She was probably drawing something.
As for the other one, my friend. I didn't see her anywhere, until finally a falling sound was heard. I turned towards the sound, and saw her figure lying on the ground.
"What are you doing, wild creature?"
My sister saw and commented.
"Looking for trouble, witch?"
They started fighting. During the walk, both had held back a lot from taunting each other.
I just watched them. From taunting each other, pushing each other, to pulling hair and rolling on the ground.
On the other side, the oldest woman among us; Chronicler Beta just sat silently. She didn't even pay attention to her surroundings, too focused on drawing on the ground.
Until finally, they both rolled and ruined her drawing. Making Chronicler Beta angry, and she joined in rolling around with them.
I had no intention of breaking up the three of them. I opened my bag and took out a book. Looking at and flipping through its pages.
"What book is that, bestie?"
My friend's voice startled me. They had stopped fighting, and now all three were on both sides of me; sticking their heads out, peeking at the book.
"Why is there no writing? Could it be your notebook, bestie?"
"Uh... I didn't know you had a notebook, my little sister. Can I see it?"
They were right, this book indeed still had many blank pages. But not all were blank, there were some pages containing notes, like for example the page about Decarya that I was currently opening.
"You haven't written anything yet, my little sister?"
I took out a small book, then answered using writing.
"This is not my notebook. And look at this."
I asked them to look at the two books in my hands.
"Yeah, I see it. But it's just blank pages."
"This time I agree with this wild creature, there's no writing there."
Oh, how can that be? Why is it blank? There's clearly writing here.
I tried flipping page after page, and showing them. But they all shook their heads.
Chronicler Beta was silent for a moment, while I kept trying to flip pages only to see them both shaking their heads.
"Could it be... that's the NLO Chronicle book?"
It's not surprising if a Chronicler of beta rank knows the name of this book.
I nodded in answer. My sister and my friend were silent, staring at Beta, waiting for further explanation about the book.
"Okay, okay, but I only know a little about this book. This book is very dangerous."
She said without continuing, making my sister and my friend curious.
"Then?"
"What's next?"
"Nothing, I only know that much."
Beta's answer disappointed both of them.
"If you don't know much, don't talk."
"Uh... wait, what are you doing..."
My sister felt betrayed, she attacked Beta, followed by my friend. Both of them pulled her, using her body like a rope.
I was also a little disappointed actually. Because honestly, I didn't know much about this book. My teacher only asked me to read and understand its contents.
"Stop... you two will tear my body in half."
Seeing her become a toy for my sister and my friend. It made me feel sorry for her, and also questioned her status as a beta.
Could it be that not all Chroniclers are strong, physically or magically? And again, if I look at her physical appearance. If I compare her to Chronicler Omega. Omega seems older, she might be around twenty-eight while Beta here might be around twenty-five.
I decided to help her from the grip of my sister and my friend.
"She fainted."
"It's your fault, for pulling her too hard."
"That's not fair, because I wasn't the only one pulling her."
"No, no, in terms of strength. You're stronger than me, and you have to take responsibility for carrying her."
Both of them argued.
"We can't leave her here."
I wrote, asking to carry her.
We were still in the middle of the forest, and after what I had experienced before. I couldn't imagine what would happen if we left her here unconscious.
The most important thing for now is to get out of the forest, or find a place to spend the night.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you. From up the tree, I saw a river not far from here."
There it is... water. We really needed it right now.
So that's why she fell earlier. It turns out she climbed up the tree and found a river.
Spending the night near a river might not be bad, because it's close to water and we can also catch fish.
"Don't spend the night by the river."
Beta made a sound. She was still half-conscious while being carried on my friend's back.
"Move a little away from the river, because at night many monsters drink water from the river."
She continued, after that she fell unconscious again.
She had a point. Following her advice, we decided to spend the night a little away from the river.
Because there was still time to look for firewood and catch fish.
"You look for firewood, and my sister catches fish."
I asked the two of them, who could still move freely, to do the work. While my own task was to guard Chronicler Beta, who was still unconscious.
A few minutes later, when it got dark. Both returned with firewood and a large fish.
After that, I asked my sister to make a fire, and my friend to process the fish.
The forest was still quiet, whether it was day or night. It's just that, I felt confused to express what I felt. When day turned into night in the forest, and so I sat by the fire.
This was still a quiet forest, even when the night air became more biting but strangely; with only a small fire, I felt a warmth that was hard for me to describe.
"This is your part, bestie."
My friend gave me a piece of meat on a leaf, which had been cut into small pieces.
The one fish my sister caught was processed into small pieces enough for everyone. We ate it together, sitting around the fire.
I felt strange, my chest felt tight. I didn't understand what or why, but my tears fell. My sister hugged me and let me cry in her arms.