After making sure we had cleaned ourselves, we headed back toward Flui Village.
We could not very well return there while still drenched in blood and reeking of death. So before that, we had gathered the corpses of the bandits we had slain, piling them up like broken dolls at the edge of the clearing. Then, with a wordless nod, Alice set them ablaze using her fire magic. The dry crackle of burning flesh and the rising stench of smoke filled the air, but none of us flinched. It had to be done.
Afterward, we moved to the river to wash away the grime and blood clinging stubbornly to our skin.
"It has been a long time since we last bathed here, has it not, Leon?" Alice asked, her voice carrying a gentle warmth, almost wistful.
"Come to think of it, you are right," I replied, my own tone softened by memories.
