SWNOVELXO Chapter 3: Encountering a Storm Right After Setting Out
Chapter 3: Encountering a Storm Right After Setting Out
The protagonist’s journey is rarely smooth, especially at the beginning. Take this unfortunate little princess, for instance—she and Yake had only just embarked on their quest to find the Ice Dragon when they got hit by a storm.
“Damn it! Is the heavens deliberately targeting me? Just as I start my journey, they throw this storm at me!”
Aierjisi was clearly not enjoying this sudden downpour. The rain drenched her clothes and hair completely.
“Well, there’s not much we can do. Maybe today just isn’t a good day to travel. Instead of whining, we should hurry and find a cave to hide from the rain.”
Yake was in a similarly tough spot. The storm was so intense that he could barely keep his eyes open. To make matters worse, they were halfway up a mountain, and they couldn’t go up or down without risking a landslide burying them alive. Although at the moment, being buried alive wasn’t much of a threat to them, being pelted by rain was definitely no fun.
“If only it were that easy to find! Yake, do you know this area well?”
Since they were near Chester Town, Aierjisi thought Yake might have some knowledge about the mountains around here.
“Sorry, I’m not familiar with this area. I must disappoint you.”
“What the heck! Aren’t you an Adventurer? How do you not know about this little hill? What good are you as my servant?”
“Not all Adventurers know every little nook and cranny. I usually stick to ruins with important treasures. I wouldn’t come to a rundown little hill like this.”
“You really place too much emphasis on money!”
“I have to; it’s a matter of survival. Anyway, you should look around and see if there’s a cave nearby to escape the rain. My eyes are about to close!”
“Fine. I’ll use my Plant Control Technique to see if I can find something.”
With a sigh, Aierjisi used her Plant Control Technique to connect her senses with the plants on the mountain to get a rough layout of the terrain.
“Oh! Would you believe it? There’s actually a small cave not far from here where we can hide from the rain. Follow me!”
Thanks to the plants relaying the information, the little princess successfully located a cave.
“But I can’t see! I can’t follow you.”
“Ugh, fine! I’ll lead you by the hand.”
With no choice, Aierjisi grabbed Yake’s hand and led him toward the cave.
Five minutes later…
“Phew! Thank goodness we found this little cave to escape the rain. And it’s so close!”
As they huddled in the cave, watching the rain pour outside, Yake couldn’t help but feel lucky that they found a safe place so near to where they were.
“Hmph! You can thank me for this. If I hadn’t used my Plant Control, you’d still be out there searching and probably wouldn’t have found it.”
Aierjisi was a bit miffed; clearly, all the credit should go to her, yet Yake seemed indifferent.
“Yes, thank you Aier for your help. Without your Plant Control, I’d probably be buried under a landslide by now.”
Realizing that the prideful little princess wanted some praise, Yake didn’t hesitate to flatter her.
“You know it. Serving such a little princess as me is your honor, got it?”
“Yes, I understand now.”
Watching Aierjisi, who was still very much a little girl both physically and mentally, Yake tried to comfort her as if he were soothing a child. Surprisingly, it worked.
“Alright. Come here and warm yourself by the fire! That last downpour soaked me to the bone. Only this roaring fire can give me some warmth.”
Using vines as fuel, Aierjisi conjured a small fire with her magic and quietly stretched her hands out to warm herself.
“Okay, thanks Aier. I’m going to warm up too; I feel like a drenched rat after that rain.”
“Yake, turn around for a moment. I need to take care of something personal.”
Yake had just settled next to the fire when Aierjisi asked him to turn away.
“Personal? Is it that kind of ‘personal’?”
After witnessing Aier’s earlier ‘scene,’ Yake’s first thought at hearing this was something suggestive.
“Of course not! What’s wrong with you?! I meant I need to change clothes! How long will it take for these wet clothes to dry by the fire? And it’s uncomfortable wearing them! Now turn around, it’s lady’s changing time!”
“Oh, sure, I get it. I’ll look away.”
Yake obediently turned his body away. Aierjisi removed her wet clothes and pulled out a fresh outfit from her Subspace to change into.
“Just so you know, if you dare sneak a peek, I’ll smash your head!”
【Oh no, I really want to see her change! What do I do? But if I’m caught, I could die.】
As he watched Aierjisi change in the shadows, Yake wanted to turn back for a peek, but his brain warned him that while peeking might be tempting, the consequences would be disastrous if he was discovered.
【No, no! It’s definitely better not to sneak a peek. If I want to, I should just openly look. Dying for that would be worth it!】
So, taking advantage of the time while Aierjisi was changing, Yake turned back around. He found Aierjisi completely undressed. Wow, as expected of the princess of the Blood Clan—her skin looked so smooth and tempting he wanted to lick it, especially her soft, round backside.
“Yake! Why did you turn back? Didn’t I tell you not to peek?!”
Seeing that Yake had completely turned to face her, Aierjisi quickly covered her chest and lower half.
“I wasn’t peeking! I’m just looking openly. And honestly, you really don’t need to cover up; a flat chest like yours doesn’t need hiding.”
Yake remarked seriously about Aierjisi’s covering-up. Seriously, what was the point? She was just a little pancake!
“Do you… have any last words?”
Looking at him, Aierjisi felt that this guy was hopeless. It felt like she saved a total pervert.
“Yes. Can you not hit me in my ‘important area’?”
“Fine. I won’t hit your little buddy. But be ready for everything else.”
Once she was dressed, Aierjisi cracked her knuckles and unleashed her barrage of punches at Yake!