The next morning, on the road toward Golddale City, inside a tent pitched by the roadside right next to the forest, "Ugh," Dash woke up. He lifted his head and saw Shel, Marle, and Lilin sleeping, hugging his right arm, left arm, and draped across him, all completely naked. Dash slowly leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling of the tent.
"That's right... we left the village last night... alright, I'm up."
Very slowly, Dash slipped both his arms out of Shel and Lilin's embraces. Then he sat up slightly, moved Marle off his body, held her briefly, and then laid Marle down between Shel and Lilin. After that, he climbed out of the tent and immediately inhaled the fresh morning air. He then sat down on the grass right in front of the tent, looking around and enjoying the early morning sun.
Dash sat contemplating the ice-covered mountain range in the distance ahead of him—their next destination, Golddale City, nestled at the base of the mountains. Then he looked at his large hands, clenching them into fists and then opening them. His mind began to drift back to his life on Earth. He imagined the state of his mother and Sophie, his younger sister, wondering how they were now. "Is Sophie in college now, or even married? Is my mom happy, maybe remarried? Did they receive my life insurance money after I died?" He didn't know anything at all and tried desperately to picture it.
His face grew a little sad because he knew he would never see them again, no matter how much he wanted to go back and tell them everything he'd been through. Then he also remembered being in outer space, between worlds, and meeting Darhnel there. His teeth instantly ground together, and his jaw hardened. The large hands he was looking at immediately clenched and trembled.
"If it wasn't for that cursed dragon, I'd still be on Earth, and even if I died, I'd definitely meet Mom and Sophie again someday... that arrogant dragon. He didn't even let my dad go... it's outrageous," Dash muttered internally.
He kept staring at the ice mountains ahead, trying to calm himself down, and bent his head low as his tightly clenched fists slowly began to open again. "Sraack," the sound of the tent curtain opening suddenly reached him. Dash turned back to see Shel, Marle, and Lilin peering out with anxious and worried faces. As soon as they saw Dash sitting in front of the tent, they immediately felt relieved. Dash, seeing this, naturally smiled and asked,
"What's wrong? Why do you look like that right after waking up?" Dash asked, smiling.
"I thought you left. I told you not to leave me, right? I'm relieved now," Shel replied, feeling relieved.
"Yeah, I was shocked too when I looked left and right and only saw Shel and Lilin," Marle added, also relieved.
"Please, next time you go out, wake us up. Don't just leave. I was scared," Lilin added, relieved.
"Hahaha... you three. Relax, I won't leave you. I don't even know where to go, even though I have a map," Dash said casually.
Hearing Dash's words, all three immediately came out and hugged Dash, completely oblivious that they weren't wearing a stitch of clothing. Of course, Dash hugged them back and held them close. Then he looked at Shel's face, who was half-orc with dark green skin but a beautiful face. Then he looked at Marle, who had wolf ears, yellow eyes, plus a tail that was wagging gently. And finally, he looked at Lilin, who had red horns on her head and a thin, sharp-tipped tail, though she still looked mostly human.
Dash smiled because his sense of loneliness and the feeling that he should be back on Earth with his mother and sister instantly vanished.
"Even though they aren't human, after a few days in this world and spending time with them, I feel like I'm already home and like I've known them forever, so I guess it's okay... Mom and Sophie, I hope you're happy too. I won't bother you anymore," Dash mused internally.
After that, they went back inside the tent. Shel, Marle, and Lilin immediately kissed Dash passionately in turn, while Dash's hands began exploring the bodies of the three girls in front of him, and the three girls' hands explored his lower body. Naturally, they went at it again on the side of the road without a care in the world. After getting satisfied and resting for a bit, they all got dressed, packed up the tent, and continued their journey.
"So, are we still heading to Golddale City?" Dash asked.
"Yep, we're still doing the quest," Marle answered enthusiastically.
"But didn't those knights last night come from Golddale City? Won't we be targeted there?" Shel asked.
"That's why before we go there, we'll hit the small village or town to the east, right at the foot of the mountains, lined up with Golddale City. The small village or town is called Eastfoot. We can chill out there for a bit because they have a hot spring bath," Marle said.
"Oh, really?" Dash asked.
"Yeah, and we can stop by the guild there to get permission to use the mountain path, just in case we need to escape or go to the Nilfaria Kingdom, the vampire kingdom of the demon tribe. We'll buy some robes that hide who we are in Eastfoot, and then head to Golddale," Marle replied.
"Hmm... a vampire kingdom, huh? Interesting," Dash mused.
"Wow, a hot spring bath! I've never been to one, but a vampire kingdom?" Shel said, starting to imagine it.
"Yep, the vampire kingdom," Marle answered.
Then they all looked at Lilin, who was looking toward the distant hills in the middle of the field and the mountains behind them.
"What is it, Lilin?" Dash asked.
"Nothing... I just feel like I've been in this area before," Lilin replied.
"Oh really? Are you starting to remember?" Dash asked.
"No... just a feeling," Lilin answered.
"Don't tell me you're from the Nilfaria Kingdom? The direction you're looking is where the Nilfaria Kingdom is, behind the mountains," Marle suggested.
"I... I don't know, I don't remember," Lilin replied, confused.
"Whatever. Come on, let's hurry up and go. I want to see that little village or town with the hot spring bath, and to hell with the Grandias Kingdom, we've been their enemy since the beginning," Shel urged, raising her fist excitedly.
"Yeah, since last night, we're officially fugitives of the Grandias Kingdom, hahahaha," Marle said enthusiastically, throwing her hands up in the air.
"That's right! The important thing is, if we see anyone from the Grandias Kingdom, smash 'em!" Lilin added, instantly getting pumped up too.
Shel, Marle, and Lilin immediately linked arms and walked cheerfully. Dash, walking behind them, smiled. This time, he wasn't thinking about his life on Earth anymore; all the regret, the sense of loss, and the anger toward Darhnel vanished. He was genuinely looking at the three girls ahead, who were whooping happily because they felt like fugitives.
Without a second thought, Dash jogged up to them. He picked up Marle and sat her on his shoulder, then he also picked up Lilin and sat her on his other shoulder. After that, he carried Shel princess-style.
"Let's speed up our trip," Dash said.
"Okay!" the three girls responded cheerfully.
"Bum," Dash instantly jumped a great distance, then began running through the air, making the three girls scream with excitement and cheerful faces, just like Dash, who was laughing loud and wide. They headed toward the village or small town named Eastfoot at the foot of the mountains, not far from Golddale City.