Chapter 31 The Next Morning with the Teacher

    It was a bright morning, with gentle rays of sunlight filtering through the dense canopy of trees.

    "Nnnn..."

    Amelia''s green eyes fluttered open groggily. A massive headache pounded in her temples, and she felt as if she had been asleep for a week. Despite the fatigue weighing her down, she slowly raised her body, holding her head in her hands.

    She glanced around, noting the unusual calmness of her surroundings.

    As her thoughts began to clear, a sense of panic set in. "N...Nathan?" she called out, her voice tinged with worry.

    "Nathan!" she repeated more urgently, standing up and scanning the area.

    The spot where Nathan should have been sleeping was empty.

    "Lord Oscar?!" she called, but there was no response from him either. Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.comelia tried hard to recall what had happened. Bits and pieces of memory floated back: Nathan had gone to collect firewood, and Oscar had urged her to rest. She remembered drinking something and then falling asleep.

    The last image in her mind was of Oscar smirking, but she couldn''t be sure if it was real or just a hallucination brought exhaustion.

    Uneasiness gripped Amelia as she noticed both Oscar''s and Nathan''s belongings still scattered on the ground. She feared something had happened to them. Grabbing her sword, she quickly prepared to search for them.

    "Teacher?"

    Amelia flinched at the sound of a voice behind her, but relief washed over her when she saw it was Nathan.

    "Nathan!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him. She checked him over quickly. He had a few bruises and his clothes were dirty, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

    "You woke up late, teacher," Nathan said.

    "I... I know. I''m sorry. But can you tell me what happened? Where is Oscar?" Amelia asked urgently.

    Nathan shook his head. "I don''t know. When I woke up, he was already gone. I went to look for him but couldn''t find him."

    "You should have woken me up! Going alone was dangerous, Nathan!" Amelia scolded, her concern evident.

    "I know, but you were sleeping so peacefully. I didn''t want to disturb you," Nathan replied, causing Amelia to blush slightly.

    She felt embarrassed for having slept longer than her student, especially when she was supposed to be the one protecting him.

    "Are you okay, Ms. Carter?" Nathan asked worriedly, reaching out to touch Amelia''s face.

    "Haa!" Amelia gasped, feeling a sudden, intense reaction in her lower body.

    With a pale face, she realized she was uncomfortably wet below. It didn''t take much to understand what had happened.

    What made it worse was remembering the very lewd dream she had—one involving her and Nathan, her student.

    Nathan plunged his hand into the water and cupped some of it. "It looks really clean, professor," he said before taking a sip. "And it tastes good too, I guess?"

    "Yes, it seems so," Amelia agreed, checking the water herself. Satisfied, she put down her bag.

    "What are you doing, teacher?" Nathan asked.

    "I''m going to freshen up a bit. Can you stay here and watch over my things until I''m done? After I finish, you can take a quick wash too," Amelia said, setting down her sword.

    "Teacher, I don''t think this is a good idea," Nathan said apprehensively.

    "What is it, Nathan?" Amelia asked, confused.

    "If you leave, I can''t know if something happens to you, and you won''t know if I''m attacked by a beast," Nathan explained.

    "You''re right, but..."

    "Oscar might have been attacked by a stronger monster, even for him. If that monster finds me or you, it will be over, wouldn''t it?" Nathan said.

    Amelia''s expression turned uneasy at the worst-case scenario Nathan described. The prospect of a monster capable of taking on Oscar reaching them weighed heavily on her mind.

    "I would probably die without being able to do anything. I know I''m being a burden... I''m sorry," Nathan said, his face filled with guilt.

    "N... No, you shouldn''t feel that way, Nathan," Amelia quickly shook her head. "Y... you''re right. I can''t leave you alone here."

    "Professor, if you don''t mind, I have an idea," Nathan said hesitantly.

    "Yes?"

    "How about we take the ''bath'' at the same time?"

    Amelia''s eyes widened in shock.

    "I think it''s better and safer if we stay close. We will both be at ease," Nathan explained.

    Amelia''s eyes turned stern. "Nathan, we can—"

    "Of course, we won''t see each other. We just have to do our things with our backs facing each other," Nathan quickly added before Amelia could refuse directly.

    It eased Amelia a little, but she still wore a complicated expression. Normally, in such extreme situations of danger, she would have accepted Nathan''s proposal. However, she feared that being naked with him could stir up more unwanted reactions. After all, her primary goal was to wash away these troubling thoughts.

    "I... If you don''t want to, it''s okay, teacher," Nathan forced a smile. "I... I''ll just improvise something if monsters come for me," he added, scratching his head with a tone that lacked confidence.

    Amelia looked at Nathan bitterly. She felt guilty seeing how she was putting Nathan in such a dangerous spot because of her own problems.

    ''Get it together, Amelia!''

    She mentally slapped herself. Her student could be in danger, and she was preoccupied with something so trivial. Biting her lip, she resolved to handle the situation somehow.

    "No, I''m sorry, Nathan. You''re right. We should stay together until we leave this dangerous area," she said, retrieving her bag and sword to find a suitable spot.

    As she turned around, she failed to notice the smirk on Nathan''s face.