Shadow Slave

Chapter 1808 Down the River Sunny held Neph's hand to help her step into the boat, then untied it, pushed it away from the berth, and jumped inside nimbly. His movements were so light that the boat did not rock at all.

Nephis sat down on the bench at the front, while he took his place on the bench at the stern. They were facing each other, with only the picnic basket between them.

He took the oars and moved them gently, guiding the boat to the middle of the river. It floated smoothly, cutting the water with a pleasant sound. The lively streets of Bastion crawled past them, with plenty of interesting scenes to be seen. The further from the shore they moved, the quieter it became, until the bustle of the city had turned into a quiet hum.

Sunny was not looking around, though. He was looking at Nephis, and in turn, she was looking at him.

Both were smiling.

Nephis leaned to the side and lowered a hand into the water. Watching her fingers cut its surface, she sighed deeply, and then closed her eyes for a moment. Her features relaxed.

"How peaceful."

Hearing her say that made him happy.

Sunny extended his shadow sense in all directions, so he knew that there were no Nightmare Creatures hiding under the water. He did not spoil the mood by telling her to be careful. Instead, he used the few moments she had her eyes closed to stare at her with an unabashed craving.

Then, he averted his eyes and concentrated on rowing.

After a while, Nephis looked at him with a subtle smile. The city was behind them by then - there were no other boats on the river, and no ships in sight. The only sounds breaking the silence were the rustle of water and the soft splashes produced by the oars.

She leaned back a little and asked in a leisurely tone:

"Won't you grow tired from rowing?"

Sunny chuckled. It was obviously a question asked for the sake of being polite. He was supposed to be a Master, after all - guiding a small boat downriver would not tire him. lіght\nоvel\world~c\о\m. He could have used a measure of strength suitable for an Ascended and sent the boat flying at great speed to strain himself, but then the oars would probably explode into splinters.

That wouldn't be nice at all.

"Oh, I might not look it, but actually, I'm quite strong."

He let go of one of the oars for a moment and showed her his hand.

mine

Nephis laughed.

I feel guilty watching you do all the

Then, his smile

don't you come here and help me,

Sunny shifted to the side to give her some

fit two people, so their bodies were pressed tightly against

river was peaceful and

He inhaled deeply.

had to move both simultaneously and with equal amounts of force - otherwise, the

into a comfortable rhythm. They were perfectly in syne - the oars rose and fell in tandem with each

little, though, and due to the fact that they were so close, each holding an oar with one hand,

free arm and wrapped it around Neph's waist, firmly holding her in place. She glanced at him with a smile,

rowing in harmony while enjoying

wasn't awkward or tense. Instead, it was comfortable and soothing,

a while, Nephis looked at him

are you thinking

a

life, I guess. How it is sometimes full of sorrow,

his face carefully, then turned to enjoy

joy or sorrow that much. Mostly, I am just... focused. Actually, I feel a little guilty if I am too

at

her goal... which didn't mean that she was miserable. It just meant that her mind was preoccupied with practical matters, and she mostly drew both satisfaction and discontent

valid way to live a life. Still... Sunny felt that she was being

hesitated for a

last time you felt joy? And when was the last time you felt

the river with a faint smile. She remained silent for a bit, then

"I don't quite remember."

at her, not saying

was not important to her,

her joys and sorrows had all