Heaven knows how I survived last night—tried to flirt with Aefina only to get flirted back at, and couldn’t even do anything… intimate. This kind of repression would make anyone sick!

Luckily, my inexplicable physical boost after transmigrating seemed to have upgraded my stamina too. One sleepless night barely fazed me.

"Luo Sa, you look slightly paler…?" Aefina’s eyes held a flicker of concern.

Though she was the direct cause of my sleeplessness, this was ultimately my own problem.

"Yeah, just didn’t sleep well last night…" I forced a reassuring smile.

Aefina only grew more uneasy. "Was I… biting too hard?" She pressed closer, trying to inspect the spot she’d bitten. Weak as I was, I wasn’t *that* fragile!

"It wasn’t that… Aefina was very gentle last night," I said while gently holding her back. The words slipped out like some scandalous confession. At this rate, I’d be letting her take the lead soon… Though having her on top might not be… No. Stop thinking.

She still insisted on checking. Only after confirming no wounds remained did she relent. Proof that if Aefina didn’t hold back, I stood zero chance against her.

"Whoa! Morning sunlight’s blinding!" Norma shielded her eyes dramatically, as if wearing an invisible sign: *Blinded by couple’s glow*.

"Cut it out, Norma. Pack up, eat breakfast, and move out," Viter ordered as captain. From experience, once she started, she wouldn’t stop. A good leader nipped threats in the bud.

"Mr. Gray," Ilan said before departure, "we’re entering the forest’s depths soon. Monstrous Beasts here are far stronger. Leave combat to us—you just stay safe."

Gray was an earth mage noble, but magic wasn’t his main profession. Damaging mid-tier Monstrous Beasts was already impressive for non-mage nobles. (This excluded noble *mages*, of course.)

This world followed standard fantasy tropes: mages were rare, requiring innate talent. Like adventurers, they ranked from 1 (highest) to 10 (lowest), with Circle Mages above Rank 1 and apprentices below Rank 10.

The Magic Association granted lifetime titles to certified Rank 5+ mages. Hereditary titles required national contributions. "Noble mages" meant those with inherited titles—not just any titled mage.

Magic demanded exceptional talent. Mage descendants started leagues ahead. Noble mages rarely competed with regular nobles—it was no contest. Exceptions existed (like commoner-born protagonists crushing noble heirs), but they were rare.

Gray, a regular noble’s heir, was already skilled for his background. In a normal adventuring party, he’d shine. Here? He’d slow us down. Everyone here could take on two Grays effortlessly—even if they acted goofy daily. (Okay, fine. Everyone *except* me.)

Honestly, if Gray were strong, he wouldn’t need to hire escorts through Rajeno Forest.

Gray nodded silently. His life mattered most. Paying for protection was only sensible.

"And Aefina, Luo Sa—do your best too~" Ilan winked at us. I felt she’d noticed something… but if she knew my true strength, she’d have warned the others, right?

The forest depths looked unchanged to me. Later, Leo explained: green flowers marked the true depths of Rajeno Forest.

Instantly, Viter’s team shifted gears. Playful masks vanished. Even Norma turned serious.

I’d hoped to see how deep-forest Monstrous Beasts differed from outer ones. But none attacked that morning.

At lunch, Norma dropped the act, sighing with relief. *Just stop pretending—it’s exhausting to watch.*

Halfway through the meal, Norma slammed her bowl aside and sprang up. Her bow—somehow already in hand—creaked as she drew an arrow to full draw, tip aimed ahead. She looked every inch a master archer… if you ignored her frantically swallowing a mouthful of meat.

"Monstrous Beasts incoming!" Her words stayed clear despite the food. *How?* It ruined the tension, but I was morbidly curious.

Everyone scrambled up, weapons ready.

Aefina had sensed them at the same time—but while she merely glanced up, Norma’s theatrics drew all eyes.

As the team assessed the threat, Norma released her arrow… and missed. Calmly, she nocked another. The others barely blinked. I was stunned.

Norma was the greatest archer I’d ever seen. While Aefina dominated fights, Norma always scored first blood—without fail.

She’d strike the fastest beast the moment it entered range, hitting vital points. One arrow usually killed; two finished the stubborn ones. Misses? Unheard of. At least, not in my experience.

Yet this peerless archer’s opening shot had failed?

The beasts didn’t charge. They circled, using terrain for cover, hunting for weakness.

Since they held back, the team stayed put—letting Norma handle ranged attacks. Her second arrow struck a beast’s leg. It tumbled from a tree, revealing our attackers: crimson feline Monstrous Beasts, larger than house cats, with three tails each. (I dubbed them "three-tailed cats"—no official name known.)

Norma nocked another arrow, aiming at the injured one.

*Whoosh—*

The arrow flew like a viper… and missed again.

A larger red blur dropped from above, deflecting the arrow mid-air. A bigger three-tailed cat blocked Norma’s line of fire, growling low. (Definitely not a house cat’s meow.)

Four more cats emerged behind it, shielding their wounded comrade. This one was clearly the leader.

With enemies exposed, Viter’s team prepared to strike. No mercy for aggressors.

Just then, Aefina moved—a blur of terrifying speed.

She lunged forward, then abruptly halted. Whirling back, she seized my hand. In half a breath, she’d teleported us between the team and the cats, facing the leader.

No one saw us move. Viter’s group didn’t even register how we’d gotten ahead of them.

Aefina said nothing. She unleashed her aura—dragon’s dread.

The suffocating pressure washed over everything *except* me. Yet even beside her, I felt it like standing near a simmering kettle. All eyes locked onto her. Everyone but me stared with raw fear. *That look… really grates.*

Norma’s bow instinctively aimed at Aefina—then lowered just as fast.

Aefina raised her left hand in a shooing motion and retracted her aura. The cats understood. They fled with their wounded, vanishing in moments.

"Aefina, what’s wrong?" She’d never spare attacking beasts. She wasn’t soft-hearted—and monster cores meant coin. Worse, this risked exposing her dragon nature. Something was off.

"Cats… remind me of Mother. Of… before she died. I don’t want to see her… gone again." Her face turned icy, porcelain-doll perfect. Yet I knew: this mask meant deep sorrow. Dragons either lacked a "grief" expression, or Aefina did. Her sadness always wore this chilling, mismatched guise.

*Cats? Mother?* Did she mean her mother *was* a cat, or just that cats triggered memories? Not the time to ask. I still knew nothing of her past.

"Aefina’s amazing! Norma’s never felt such power!" Norma broke the silence, grinning at Aefina.

Aefina scanned the group. Surprise lingered in their eyes—but no fear remained.

"My apologies," I said quickly. "Aefina has… personal reasons. Cat-like Monstrous Beasts trigger strong reactions in her."

I pulled Aefina over, hugged her tightly, and pressed her head against my chest. Then I turned to the members of Mithril Edge and began explaining.

"No need to apologize, Aefina—you did us a huge favor. If you hadn't driven those Monstrous Beasts away, we wouldn't have eaten lunch," Ilan replied, waving his hand dismissively. Glancing at the others, I saw surprise at Aefina's dragon aura, but no fear. Instead, they looked genuinely delighted to have such a powerful teammate.

Maybe I'd stumbled upon a pretty good bunch of people.