Chapter 30 - It’s technically not stealing if you’re gonna return it
Soon enough Scarlett found herself outside in the dark forest again, where Garside stood waiting for them with a lantern in hand. Kat crawled out from the bushes behind Scarlett not long after, standing up and brushing away some dirt from her clothes—an action without much point considering the woman's clothes were already ruined by all the warg blood that had soaked into them—as the butler turned his attention to the two of them.
"I presume there were no major difficulties?" he asked, his eyes shifting from Kat's disheveled appearance to Scarlett's mostly untouched one.
"None whatsoever," Scarlett responded, taking in the clear forest air. She'd have to get used to dealing with places like this dungeon, considering some of the plans she had for the future. "We will leave this village in the morning," she continued, turning to the grey-haired butler.
"If that is your wish, my Lady," Garside said, lowering his head. "Am I to assume you have accomplished all that needed to be done for the night?"
"Yes. There is not much else of interest left around these parts." She'd considered trying to look for the Kilnstone that was supposed to be somewhere in the mountains close to here, but she'd decided to give up on that. With how distances changed and increased in this world compared to the game, there really was no telling how long it might take to find that particular Kilnstone. And it wasn't as if it was a particularly important one. Nor did she even know if she'd be able to make use of it. Considering how regulated the old Zuverian artifacts had been in the cities it might not be a good idea to try and use one without any warning to the right authorities.
She'd have to look into that matter more in the future. There were some Kilnstones that it would be very convenient if she could use as she wished in the future.
She noticed that both Kat and Garside looked at her as if they were expecting her to say more, but she simply waved her hand at them. "I suggest we get moving if we wish for any rest before the night is over."
Garside's mustache quivered slightly as he examined her for a moment, his face still as a mask, before he gave a short nod. "Of course, my Lady. I can lead the way back to the village," he said, then turned around and started walking with the light from his lantern revealing the way.
Scarlett stared at his back for a short while before she too started moving behind him. She was pretty certain Garside had noticed she was acting odd quite a while ago. It would almost be weird if he didn't think so, at this point. But she wasn't sure what he thought of it, or how far she could push her actions when around him.
It genuinely didn't feel like he meant her any harm, or was hostile in any way. He'd been more than amenable to anything she'd asked of him, and if it weren't for the butler she probably couldn't have accomplished even half of the things she had so far. But she also wasn't a real noble and wasn't used to the kind of games those people and the people around them might play in this world. For all she knew Garside could just be a good actor. It really wouldn't do for her to get exposed or ousted because she put too much trust in the wrong person. But she also couldn't not rely on other people to some extent when she was still new to both this world and the position she'd found herself in.
...For now, she'd keep her eyes open. She would have to deal with this particular problem somehow eventually.
"Are we really just leaving now?" Kat's voice suddenly sounded out from beside her. Scarlett turned to look at the woman, finding the Shielder walking beside her with a questioning expression.