67 Shif

After having stayed out pretty late, Linnaeus didn't have much time remaining until he was supposed to wake. Thus, despite falling into the deepest state of unconsciousness he had ever experienced, his internal clock stirred him awake at precisely 0500. This wasn't an exaggeration either as, due to only ever sleeping peacefully when he was knocked unconscious, Linnaeus awoke with a start, his body jerking upright in an instant as he quickly took in his surroundings.

Remembering what had happened previously, Linnaeus was eventually able to calm down but, for a brief moment, cold sweat had covered his brow as his quick movement nearly sent Eliza tumbling from the bed.

Being violently moved was never a pleasant way to wake up so Eliza had a grimace on her face after sitting up on the bed and asking, "What's the big idea, Lin? Is there an enemy...?"

Though it was possible her senses hadn't detected anything, Eliza noticed that neither Linnaeus or Emilia were in a tense state. Rather, the latter seemed amused by what had happened while Linnaeus had turned statuesque, his mind clearly working in overdrive to come up with an explanation.

Ultimately, Linnaeus decided to just be honest about what had happened so he explained, "I fell into a deep slumber so my body reacted negatively when it realized the time. Sorry, Eliza, I didn't mean to startle you like that..."

Hearing the sincerity in Linnaeus's tone, Eliza felt that pressing the issue would be petty. Instead, she keyed in on his actual words and, realizing what he had said, a smile bloomed on her face. Then, as it was a matter of utmost importance, at least to her, Eliza had Linnaeus explain exactly what happened the previous night and subsequent morning.

Since it would only strengthen their bond further, Linnaeus relented to Eliza's pestering and, while they all prepared for their day, he explained his stealth activities, his encounter with the same girl that had attacked them, and his speculation following the encounter.

As if to punctuate the realization he had made the previous night, Eliza gave an understanding nod alongside Emilia, despite the latter having lived in a nomadic community.

While they both knew how vicious some people could be, neither of them had the same mentality as Linnaeus, one which treated every unknown factor as a danger. It was honestly a point of concern for them as, while caution wasn't a bad character trait, it became a very big issue when it developed to a point where it was indistinguishable from paranoia.

Realizing she needed to enforce this change in Linnaeus' perspective, Eliza patiently explained her own views on society and the inherent 'trust' required to be a functional member. Though her own perspective was obviously skewed due to her upbringing, one of the most important things she had been taught was how to read, understand, and empathize with people. These were important traits for anyone that was expected to lead others and, while ruthlessness was sometimes required during periods of conflict, it could not be the base state of a structured society.

Though it would take a long time for him to truly understand what Eliza was trying to convey to him, the most important thing, at least from Linnaeus' perspective, was that the world wasn't the evil and vicious place he expected. He knew he would eventually meet corrupt, power-hungry, and outright vile individuals but, in the grand scheme of things, people seemed drawn towards a simpler way of life. They just wanted to be happy and, unless the situation drove them to fight for that happiness, they largely kept to themselves...

---

After a rather awkward morning, Linnaeus and co set out for another day of material gathering, now without the tense atmosphere that had been present during their previous excursions.

Compared to the past few days, hunting in the Southern Forests was actually a little fun as, without having to worry about enemies attacking them, the Party was able to focus on the hunt itself. This was something noted by Linnaeus and, while he didn't particularly regret his past actions, he could tell that his behavior had been a detrimental factor to his Party's development.

Rather than apologize for his faults, Linnaeus decided to take Eliza's and Emilia's words to heart and, while Krone obviously wanted to inquire about what had changed, he ultimately kept silent. After all, Linnaeus was acting like a proper leader and, rather than the mask of confidence he wore to conceal his fear and paranoia, he now seemed a lot more relaxed and focused.

With this newfound focus, Linnaeus fell into a more supportive role in the Party, replacing Emilia and allowing her to become the group's Scout. This put him in a position to protect Eliza and, when the situation called for his intervention, he could easily move to support Krone.

In this manner, the Party was able to clear out large sections of the forest and, after eleven hours of hunting, they had acquired more materials than their previous three days combined. Not only that, but everyone was in high spirits compared to the past few days, something Linnaeus took personally since he had been the source of the unrest.

Still, he decided not to let it get to him as worrying unnecessarily would just be repeating the same mistakes as before. Instead, he would try to cultivate actual confidence and, while he couldn't really do anything about his cautious nature, changing his perspective of the world made a big difference.

Now, instead of radiating a cold and detached aura to outsiders, Linnaeus casually glanced in their direction and, after confirming they harbored no ill will, he simply ignored them. He noticed that, as a result of his shift in mentality, the surroundings seemed significantly less dangerous than before. It no longer felt like everyone was machinating and scheming against him, rather, so long as he didn't do anything to draw their attention, most people simply ignored their group...

By the time the Party returned to the Inn, Linnaeus felt as if his entire world view had been flipped on top of its head. Despite this, his mood had improved considerably and, though he couldn't willingly drop his guard, he didn't react adversely just because someone got near him. He even returned the greetings of a few patrons that crossed his path, people Linnaeus would have outright ignored in the past.

Seeing how quickly he was improving, Eliza had a perpetual smile on her face as, more than Linnaeus himself, she felt gratified by his changes. She had been more than a little bothered by his recounting of the past and, knowing of the events that had shaped Linnaeus' character, Eliza had made it one of her missions to open his heart, at least to her.

Linnaeus had been paying close attention to all of his companions so he had, obviously, seen the change in Eliza's mood. She was clearly happier than before, to the point she didn't even use harsh words when Krone or Emilia did something to annoy her. Instead, she just shook her head and, as if she was afraid to ruin the mood, she ignored their small slights.

Because of these changes, the Party dynamic had improved considerably in a single day. This was further emphasized by the fact that, prior to going to bed, Krone gave a few parting words to the group. He would normally just walk off after they were done discussing the day's hunt and their future plans so it was a marked improvement, one which they discussed upon returning to their shared room...

As the person with the weakest filter on her words and actions, Emilia was the first to directly state, "This is good. Compared to before, the Party is working a lot better. Keep doing your best and you'll become an even better leader in the future, Lin."

Now that they were in the privacy of their own room, Eliza stopped holding herself back for the sake of the Party, immediately rebuffing Emilia by saying, "Don't be rude, Emilia. Linnaeus has been doing his best from the very beginning. He just lacks experience and perspective. Once he matures a bit, he will become a great Party Leader by default."

Rather than refute her words, Emilia answered Eliza's remark with an affirmative nod, adding, "Yeah, he really isn't bad for someone his age. I can remember what I was like three years ago...really, it is amazing how much people can change, isn't it~?"

By the time she finished her words, Emilia had approached Linnaeus's side and, using her hand, she tried to measure the difference in their heights. This caused the latter's brow to twitch slightly as his height was quickly becoming a sore spot that he couldn't really do anything about...

Realizing she might have overstepped her bounds a bit, Emilia poked her tongue out at Linnaeus before asking, "Should I apologize~?" in a cutesy tone.

Remembering Emilia's previous display, where she laid on her back and presented her stomach, Linnaeus ultimately shook his head in exasperation, saying, "We should prepare for bed. There is no way of knowing the future so it is important to rest when we can..."

Hearing Linnaeus' response, Emilia brought her face a little closer to his and, a serious look on her face as she said, "You should be bolder, Lin. Not many men get the chance to share a room with two girls like this. You won't have this opportunity forever so make the most of it while you can, okay...?"

Before Linnaeus was able to respond to her words, Emilia felt her head being jerked back, courtesy of Eliza pulling her ponytail. At the same time, the latter stated in a cold tone, "Don't put any weird ideas into Lin's head. I swear, if you try to corrupt him..."

As Eliza was still pulling on her ponytail, Emilia could only offer a pained smile in response as she answered, "I'm only playing around, you don't have to be so serious, Liz~!"

Sensing that things were becoming chaotic, Linnaeus shook his head and simply turned away from the duo. Curiously, this was enough to stop them from fighting and, after an awkward period of silence, they too began preparing for bed. This involved taking a bath, changing clothes, and tying up their hair.

Refusing to share the bath with Emilia, Eliza quickly took over the bathroom for herself, albeit after giving the increasingly mischevious Vanargandr a starn warning.

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Though she was tempted to ignore Eliza's remarks, Emilia ultimately nodded her head since she didn't want to offend the former. Rather, her teasing of Linnaeus was the result of their increased familiarity and, while she didn't mind laying a claim to the white-haired youth, she wasn't serious.

Back in her tribe, the girls enjoyed teasing the weaker males as it was just a way of fostering positive rapport with their future mates. She honestly didn't understand why Eliza behaved as she did toward Linnaeus so she just treated it as a cultural difference. Still, unless Linnaeus himself told her to stop doing it, Emilia wasn't going to stop teasing him when the opportunity presented itself. After all, he was supposed to be the Party leader and, while Eliza was still the strongest in the group, Emilia cared more about the established hierarchy than presumed structure of the group...

With this in mind, Emilia waited until she heard the sound of water being moved about before she turned toward Linnaeus with a smile. He was an extremely perceptive boy so he immediately noticed her gaze, turning his head to meet her. This caused Emilia to smile mischievously and, knowing he wouldn't say anything about it, she bounced over to him before laying on her back and apologizing for her earlier behavior, tummy exposed and tail curled up between her legs in a pitiable manner...