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"Everyone, be on your guard. I can't sense anything from the canyon but that doesn't mean it's not a trap" Nao reminded the group as she stood at the entrance of the town.

The gateway that read 'Grand Canyon' looked abandoned and uncared for but it was still fairly new. It had no wear and tear that came with time, just neglect. It seemed as if the people of Grand Canyon held no respect for its town.

"From the information, Lady Karin left us with, the node entrance should be in the underground tunnel beneath the canyon. We will need to walk down on foot and then climb down" Nao walked around as she repeated the words Lady Karin had told her.

She had to repeat them since Maria had been unconscious at that time and Suna had not joined them yet. They felt needed to be shared again with the group for safety reasons.

"We should find a guide first to show us around. Cliffs can be dangerous if we don't secure a safe path down" while falling down the cliffs was not a real concern for the group, it could very well delay them if the cliff did break down.

Not to mention, there was a scarce lack of supply among their group. They needed to restock in food and water since they had emptied their supply before reaching the Grand Canyon.

There was no way they would trust the traveling company to not spike their food to get rid of them. It was just better to stay on alert against such people. Not to mention, there was always a risk of them getting recognized if they mingled too much with the general public.

It was just better to stay away and in their own lane for now.

"But don't you find it weird how bare this town actually is? I don't think I've actually seen any humans at all. I can't even feel anyone here" Suna complained as she looked around the empty roads. There really was no one around which was a huge red flag.

"It really is weird. Let me go ahead and check this place out" Nao observed as well with a frown. There were things really wrong with this place and Nao was not in any hurry to get caught in another curse. They were so close to achieving one of the goals Nao had been given.

Maria had no choice but to agree to separate for now. Nao was already off and Suna looked eager to go off as well. She had looked as awkward around Maria these past few days as Maria had felt around her.

It was clear that the misadventure at the cursed forest had unimaginably changed Suna. It had changed them all but the changes brought forth in Suna were the most obvious ones and she seemed closer to the original novel Suna than ever.

Somehow, that thought was terrifying on its own for Maria and she was not sure how to feel about it. On one hand, it meant that things were moving in the right direction. But it also meant that the things that happened in the original novel might happen again.

"So they left me behind. Might as well start gathering supplies on my one now" Maria was not salty about being left behind like this. She was just irritated to be thought of as the weak link that needed to be protected.

Maria entered an antique store to look around for treasures. This was a part of her powers she hated the most but she had no other choice but to do some 'borrowing' again. She was running low on items to barter the system shop with and this place looked empty.

Maria would have to be really careful though. She did not want someone to actually walk in on her while she was stealing, er, borrowing things from strangers.

Maria picked up a bow while she made a show of examining it. It was well crafted but merely for decorative purposes. It did not look like it could even fire a straight arrow but somehow it attracted Maria.

There was a certain charm about the bow that compelled Maria to touch it and interact with it. Maria wanted to hold the bow in her hand and pull the string back. She needed to let the arrow fly and hit its mark and…

…She never got to do anything because she was tackled to the ground by something small but heavy landing on top of her. Small caws dug themselves into Maria's arms and they stung with pain.

"T-Thief. P-Put the bow b-back. I-It's mine" the voice was too loud pitched to be a full-grown person so Maria concluded it to be a kid that had attacked her.

He had one hell of a grip on Maria's leg and it was starting to hurt as well. Maria needed to get out of the hold as soon as possible before something bad happened. It would be hell if Suna and Nao came back to find Maria in such a situation.

Despite everything that was happening, Maria did not want the kid to die at her companion's hands.

"Fine, I'm letting go of the bow so you can let go of me now as well. There is no need to get violent" Maria carefully put the bow down so as to not damage it. She knew that the kid had his eyes trailing Maria and the bow while she did this.

The bow likely held a great significance for the kid. He had attacked Maria for the bow, not even caring about his life. That took some serious guts and a lot of willpower even the best of the soldiers did not possess.

This kid was interesting and it made Maria curious. He was obviously terrified but was trying to defend the shop from Maria at any cost.

In response, Maria decided to do what she had specifically been asked to never do by her teachers. She held her hands up in a surrendering pose and sat down in a defeated way.

"I surrender. Please don't hurt me. We were just passing through this town as tourists" Maria explained as she watched the kid relax at her words. Her unarmed posture along with her surrendering pose must be making the child comfortable around her.

Now she needed to steer him to tell Maria what she wanted and then she could focus on getting out. Hopefully, she will be able to do it before Nao or Suna decide to make a comeback and check in on her.

After all, Maria was not sure she would be able to explain her current condition to her companions.

(There won't be an update tomorrow since I'm not feeling well )