"We should move," she said, standing up with a small pack of supplies. "More goblins might come to investigate."
"Good point," I agreed. "Can you fight with that crest active?"
She gave me a flat look. "Not effectively. The crest suppresses my abilities."
"So you're what, like normal strength now?"
"E-Rank equivalent."
I had no idea what that meant, but I nodded anyway.
We finished gathering what we could carry and set off down the road toward Karakura Town. Solana walked with her son close beside her, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder. I followed a step behind, keeping watch for any movement in the trees.
My leg throbbed where the goblin had cut me. I'd tied a strip of cloth around it from one of the dead guard's shirts, but it still stung with every step.
"We should clean that wound," Solana said, noticing my limp. "Goblin blades are dirty."
"I'll be fine," I lied.
She gave me a look that said she knew I was full of shit but wasn't going to argue.
We walked in silence for a while. The forest around us buzzed with normal sounds—birds, insects, the rustle of leaves. No more goblin shrieks, thankfully.
"So," I said eventually, "how does someone go from B-Rank adventurer to... this situation?"
Solana's jaw tightened. "Trusted the wrong people."
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged, a small, economical movement. "It happens."
"Mom is the strongest," Kael said suddenly, looking up at me. "She killed a rock troll once. By herself!"
A hint of softness crossed Solana's face as she looked down at her son. "That was a long time ago."
"You jumped on its back and stabbed it in the eye!" Kael continued, miming the action with enthusiasm. "And then when it tried to throw you off, you broke its horn and stabbed it with that!"
Despite everything, a small smile tugged at Solana's lips. "That's enough, Kael."
But her hand squeezed his shoulder gently, and I could see the pride in her eyes. Not for herself—for him.
The sight made something twist in my chest. This woman, this warrior, reduced to a slave because someone she trusted had betrayed her. And her son along with her.
My Incubus Hunger stirred again, stronger this time. Her Mana Saturation called to me like a beacon. So much experience, so much power, just waiting to be tapped.
I pushed the feeling down. This wasn't the time.
"When we reach Karakura," I said, "I'll find a way to get the gold for your release."
Solana glanced at me, her expression skeptical. "How? Do you have skills? Connections?"
"I'm resourceful."
She made a small sound that might have been a laugh. "Four gold coins is a lot of money for someone with no shoes."
"I found boots," I protested, lifting a foot to display my newly acquired footwear.
"They don't fit."
"They fit enough."
She shook her head, but I caught the ghost of amusement in her eyes.
We continued walking as the afternoon sun filtered through the trees. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since... well, technically since before I died back on Earth.
"We should eat," Solana said, hearing my stomach. "There's a stream ahead where we can rest."
"How do you know there's a stream?"
She tapped her nose. "I can smell it."
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later we came upon a small stream cutting across the path. The water ran clear over smooth stones, bubbling quietly in the forest stillness.
We settled on the bank, and Solana divided the dried meat and bread into three portions. She handed the largest portion to Kael, a medium portion to me, and kept the smallest for herself.
"That's not fair," I said, breaking my piece in half and offering it back. "You need to keep your strength up too."
She looked at me for a long moment, then accepted the bread without comment. But something changed in her eyes—a slight thawing.
While we ate, Kael dipped his feet in the stream, watching small fish dart around his toes. The simple joy on his face made him look his age for the first time since I'd met him.
"How old is he?"
"Nine. Turning ten in three weeks."
"That's a big birthday," I said, remembering from somewhere that ten was significant in many fantasy worlds.
"His Awakening Ceremony," she confirmed. "When the system assigns his status."
"What class do you think he'll get?"
Something flashed across her face—worry, hope, pride, all mixed together. "I don't know. I won't be there to see it."
The flat certainty in her voice hit me like a punch to the gut.
"Yes, you will," I said firmly. "I'm going to make sure of it."
She turned to look at me fully, her green eyes searching mine. "Why? Why help us? You don't even know us."
I didn't have a good answer. At least, not one I could share. I couldn't exactly say: "Well, you see, I'm actually an incubus who feeds on the Mana Saturation of experienced women like yourself, and you're practically a sexy ass buffet to my supernatural senses."
Instead, I shrugged. "Why not? Better than wandering alone."
She didn't look convinced, but she didn't press further.
After eating, Solana insisted on cleaning my wound properly. She knelt beside me at the stream's edge, her fingers cool and efficient as she unwrapped the makeshift bandage.
"This needs stitches," she said, examining the cut.
"Do we have anything for that?"
She shook her head. "Hold still."
She tore a strip from her own shirt, dipped it in the stream, and began cleaning the wound.
Her touch was firm, her fingers cool against my skin despite the radiating warmth of her presence. A faint scent came off her—clean sweat, worn leather, and something uniquely her own, like dust after a summer rain.
The glow of her Mana Saturation was a low hum against my senses now, a pressure building behind my teeth. The Hunger wasn't screaming; it was a deep, coiling ache in my gut, demanding, insistent.
I gritted my teeth and stayed still.
"This will hurt," she warned, before pouring water directly into the cut to flush it out.
"Son of a—" I bit off the curse, remembering Kael nearby. "That stings."
"Better than infection," she said simply.
She bound the wound with another strip of cloth, tying it snugly enough to stay put but not so tight it would cut off circulation.
"Thanks," I said when she finished.
She nodded once, then moved away to wash her hands in the stream.
I watched her go, realizing that in any other circumstance, she would be exactly the type of woman I'd have approached back on Earth. Strong, independent, probably financially stable before the ambush. Classic sugar momma material.
Except now, things were different. She wasn't a potential benefactor. She was a potential power source. And that made everything more complicated.
"We should keep moving," Solana said, returning from the stream. "If we maintain this pace, we can reach Karakura by nightfall."
"Lead on," I said, getting to my feet.
As we continued down the road, my mind raced with possibilities. How was I going to get four gold coins? I couldn't exactly walk into a bank and apply for a loan. I had no skills, no connections, no history in this world.
All I had was my incubus nature—my ability to drain Mana Saturation from experienced women.
One thing was certain: I would find a way to free Solana and Kael. Not just because she was valuable to my progression, but because the alternative was unacceptable.
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[A/N:]
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