Spencer glanced at Preshea.
Earlier today while Luna left to find a bow, Preshea approached him.
"Help me train more with swords."
It was not only him who was present when she spoke but even Aaron and Richard.
All three of them looked at her as if asking if she was serious.
Though Preshea does not use bow and arrow and also uses a sword, she was mainly in a supporting role. Her sword skills could not compare to the four of them.
"Luna wishes to try things out for herself. And I also want to try something more. To become a better version of myself than I already am. I can tell I can become even more."
Spencer had a slight frown as he looked at her.
"Live our own lives, right?"
She repeated Luna's words.
Spencer looked at Aaron and Richard before sighing, "Okay. I will help with your training."
Preshea's eyes twinkled as she smiled brightly, "You are serious, right?"
A smile rarely seen on her face.
It is not that Preshea never smiles but that she had never shown a smile of excitement such as this for the past two years.
Spencer shook his head, "Fine, I will help you out."
And that is how they bought a different sword for her.
They also took time to buy one as they tried every length and weight of the sword to find what was completely compatible for her.
He then looked at Luna, who continued having her arms around Preshea's arm.
"She knows, don't she," Aaron whispered to him.
"She had always been fast to pick up things," Spencer replied.
They knew that luna understood that Preshea took up sword in order not to lessen their strength in the front line because of Luna deciding to step back.
"Oh," Luna looked back at them.
"Let's go back to the Dark Forest."
Richard, who had been silent all this time, instantly frowned.
"Calm down. What happened? Are you that tired of the Dark Forest?" she asked.
It was a bit unnatural that he would have such a strong reaction.
Richard side glanced at Spencer.
Spencer raised both his hands.
Richard did more than them since every single time they were to take care of someone, such as escort missions and the last being Kyle and his group, it was Richard who was left to look after them.
Not that they are bullying him but the three of them seriously sucked at watching over someone.
Spencer loves sleeping.
Aaron's attention can easily be taken by something since he was always the one on the lookout with his wind.
While Preshea focuses on supporting them, she doesn't care about the escorts at all. If they are wounded then she will heal them but that's the extent of it.
In the end, Richard was left to keep watch.
It is also already engraved in him to watch over people entrusted to them to protect for he had always done it with his siblings and even his younger cousins.
He was the one who rarely speaks but he was also the one who watches over everyone the most.
"Well, I guess you can stay here-"
Richard raised his brows, "I didn't say I wouldn't come."
Luna pursed her lips, "Okay. Don't worry, we are not on any escort mission right now. Take it easy. I really just want to try my hand in bows since it has been a long while for my body."
Those looks made her instantly understand what was going on.
"Don't explain," he furrowed his brows further.
Luna finally laughed while Aaron placed his arm around Richard's shoulder.
Since he really didn't like to speak, his facial expression is what they always rely on to see what he was thinking. But despite the time they spent together, sometimes they forget that he simply reacts negatively but he would never say no or decline what they wanted.
He was just that kind. The kindest among the five of them.
"Don't push yourself too much."
Richard sighed.
He reached out and patted the side of her head before looking away.
Luna touched her hair that he patted before smiling warmly.
'Richard seriously took the 'I am the oldest among us since I was born the earliest despite us being born in the same year' seriously, until now, he still carries it. He acts grumpy when pushed around by the younger ones but he was ready to be there for them when he needed to.'
"Shall we have a bit more of an adventure before entering the imperial city then?"
Richard's lips raised on one side.
Soon, the five of them are back in the outer area of the Dark Forest.
Luna was able to familiarize herself with her weapon.
"Three arrows in one shot, aren't you becoming better in just one hour," Aaron complimented her.
"This is nothing compared to how I am before."
Bows may not be her main weapon but she had loved it more than her main weapon.
Because she can support and fight alongside everyone even if it's in a distance. Seeing them get wounded and being unable to help because of the distance, she didn't like it at all.
And when the shop owner suggested that she try to look for a better bow in the imperial city, another idea came to her mind.
And that is something she hoped she could get.
A weapon made only for her.
"Yeah, yeah, shooting ten arrows at a time. You were seriously a monster back then," Aaron raised his sword as another swarm of dark bees came their way.
Dark bees aren't as strong as the orcs or the wolves but due to their number and size, they are among the few monsters in the Dark Forest that gives adventurers and knights difficulties.
No, they are not those small cute little bees that fly around the flowers blooming on a beautiful spring day. Instead they are the size of the fist of an adult man.
But they do have identical habitats, a place filled with flowers. Though the flowers in the Dark Forest aren't the beautiful refreshing ones but instead the dark gloomy ones.
Dark bees may be difficult to handle especially with the poison in their stinger, they are the perfect practice monsters for Luna who wished to train her aiming and shooting.
While Aaron and Richard were tasked to protect her from other monsters, Spencer and Preshea are also training on another side.
This is not simply training.
The stinger of the dark bees can be bought for its poison.
The teeth of the wolves and the skin of the orcs.
These things have their own usage that adventurers also take them down for the money.
Luna's head snapped to the side when she felt something from deeper within the forest.
"What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Aaron asked.
Richard looked back at her.
And seeing that something seemed wrong, Spencer and Preshea returned to their side.
"In the inner area..." Luna was looking towards it.
"There is something in there-"
She stopped talking when she realized what she suddenly felt.
Upon waking up, she had not felt this way even within Circinus Kingdom.
This feeling that only she could feel towards the other party.
A feeling she always had even during their time.
"What is it?" Spencer asked.
He was the one standing in front of her, ready to attack whoever or whatever it is that suddenly caused changes in her.
The other three were the same, they are actually surrounding her. This warmed her heart, even though they knew of her strength, they still took it to themselves to protect her since she had taken a bow as her weapon.
She is supposed to be not fighting in the front line.
Luna raised her hand as she took a step forward. She placed it on top of Spencer's hand that is holding on his sword before pushing it down.
"You got it wrong. It is not a battle that took my attention."
That is the only time the four of them relaxed.
"Then what is?"
"Have you ever met anyone with moon ability in the past two years?" she asked them seriously.
They shook their heads before understanding showed in their eyes.
"Are you saying that deep in the forest there is a moon ability user?" Spencer asked her.
"Though weak, I can feel it. Our distance to that person must still be far for it to feel as weak as this but I can tell, there is a moon ability user in the Dark Forest."
After waking up and investigating for the past two years. They realized that moon ability users who are not abundant but not scarce either during their time have lesser numbers this time.
Or to be precise, they are already considered very rare.
It is not a shock for how strong someone is when they have the moon ability. Which means their physiques are quite special as well.
One thousand years ago, moon ability users would marry one another in order to ensure that the power would be passed down.
If lucky, two of their children would be born with it but it is true that one will surely have the ability. And it is a very special case when one is born from a moon ability user and a non ability user.
That is how special moon ability users are.