The morning was a relatively cool one but there was a mist in the air that limited visibility. It was something that was quite often seen in Angleland and was more or less a typical morning in this part of the country. They were still many miles away from the coastline and there were vast open fields in every direction they looked.

There was a threat of rain as the sky was overcast but it didn't look as though there would be a downpour. Even so, the group would stay vigilante over this and with any change in the weather. The last thing they wanted was to be caught in a storm, not only could they get soaked but there was a decent chance of them being harmed.

Now that they had everything ready, the group continued on with their journey with Maxine mostly leading the way. Charles remained close to her and had now gotten used to walking at a quicker pace in order to keep up with her. She was considerate for him as she slowed her pace slightly, but she still walked at a greater pace than a regular person.

A couple of metres behind them, Asla, Jinshu and Taiyun followed, and they stayed close to one another. Charles would glance behind every now and again as he still thought about what he had heard earlier that morning. He was sure that they had been arguing but had no idea what it had been about. The language barrier meant that he hadn't been able to understand what they had been saying and he couldn't help but be curious.

There was a relatively simple way of him finding out was to simply ask Asla. However, he thought that it was best not to since it wasn't really anything to do with him. If they were hiding something however, then it could be something that he and Maxine would have to worry about.

From her vantage point, Maxine was able to glance down at Charles and she could see a look of concern on his face. At first, she thought that it was best not to ask but as they continued to walk, he expression didn't really change.

"Charles is everything alright?" asked Maxine as she looked at her squire. This was when she watched him turn his head up to her. The voice she used was quiet and calm as she was genuinely concerned for him.

"It's nothing really," replied Charles. His voice too was quiet in the hopes that Asla and her companions couldn't hear him.

"It can't be nothing if you have that expression on your face for so long. If there's something on your mind, I'd like to know."

"Well, maybe I can tell you a little later when it's just the two of us."

"Oh?" She glanced back towards their three companions before looking down at him. "Fine, I can wait. Just know if there's anything bothering you in the future, just come to me. I'm always willing to listen."

"Thank you, Maxine." He did watch a smile appear within the opening of her helmet and he was about to smile back at her. But they suddenly heard their names called out from behind. The voice was that of Asla and this caused them to look towards them again. "Is there something that you need?"

"Yes, my companion is having a difficult time keeping up," answered Asla. She was walking between the two men and both of them seemed to be walking at the same pace and the exact same distance from her. "Do you mind if we stop for a rest for a short while? Just so that he can catch his breath."

"If that is what you wish then so be it."

Charles hadn't asked Maxine what she had thought about this but since they were being paid to help transport the trio, they were ultimately at their whims. Off the side of the road that they had been walking down, they found a small patch of ground where they could sit down and take a rest.

It was true that they had been planning on walking some distance further before they stopped to rest. Rather than properly waiting, Maxine did take the opportunity to give Charles another lesson on how to use his sword. He was still unsure about it all, but he tried his best as he attempted to attack the woman that he now respected a great deal.

As expected, she was more than capable of deflecting the attacks, but she could definitely see an improvement over his technique. However, she did notice that his footwork needed to be improved as his stance would make it easy for many swordsman to knock him down. She wasn't expecting him to become the world's greatest swordsman, but she could see that he was at an upwards curve.

After the lesson was done, Charles did need a little time to rest as his arm ached after swinging the sword so much and he was glad that Maxine had not tried to attack him. He seriously doubted that he could have blocked but it was just a sign that there was still plenty more training to go.

Asla and her companions watched on during the training session and they were surprised with the swordplay that was on offer. It looked to be different to the style that they were used to seeing in their own country. There was also the fact that the weapons that were used were also different. The swords seen in their country was normally either straight but thin or thicker and curved.

They were also surprised with how quickly Maxine could move her sword as if she were attacking an invisible enemy. It was a feat that they thought would be impossible, but she had been able to do so with relative ease. It made them imagine just how much force was behind each strike and they thought that it would be enough to cut an unarmoured man in half with little effort.

"You did well there Charles," said Maxine as she stood in front of her squire. He was taking some deep breaths as he was recovering his stamina. "Keep this up and you'll be a competent sword fighter before long."

"Thank you," replied Charles. His arm was still aching, and he couldn't imagine how anyone could swing a sword for an extended period of time and not suffer some kind of injury. "It still seems odd that I'm actually using a sword."

"You'll get used to it, it's only a matter of practice. Next time, I think we'll move onto defence. It's all good knowing having a decent attack, but it's pointless if you can't defend from an enemy attack."

"I understand."

With that, he sat himself down on the ground and began to sufficiently rest as Maxine remained standing for the time being. She glanced over to Asla and her companions who were still sitting and talking to themselves. Their voices were quiet, and they were a short distance away so their conversation couldn't be heard. Even if they could, it was likely that they would be speaking in their native language.

With some care, she sat herself down next to Charles but even when she did this, she still towered above him by a great deal. Because of this, she needed to lean down to him until her lips were close to his ear. He had noticed what she was doing and simply waited until she could speak.

"Charles," said Maxine. Her voice was no more than a whisper and it was clear that Asla and her companions couldn't hear what was being said. "You wanted to talk to me about something, what is it?"

"This morning I heard Asla and her friends having a heated discussion," replied Charles. His voice too was a whisper and there was some concern in his voice as well. "Not so much a heated discussion but more like a full-blown argument."

"Hmm, interesting. Were you able to hear what they were arguing about?" This did concern the armoured giantess since it meant that there was some tension between their companions. It could spell trouble for them and something that she was concerned about was their payment. They were being paid a decent amount to help this trio reach their destination, but if there was trouble between them then that could be jeopardised.

"Unfortunately, no, they were speaking in their own language. Asla has been teaching me but of course, I only know a few words and they're very basic. No chance of me comprehending their argument."

"I see." She gave a small sigh as she was slightly disappointed by this. However, she knew that she shouldn't have expected Charles to understand them when Asla and her companions were talking to each other. "Keep an eye on them and if you learn anything, let me know immediately."

"Y-Yeah, I can do that."

Charles knew that Maxine had the best intentions, but he also thought that keeping too close of an eye on their fellow companions might be troublesome. Whatever they were arguing about, it was obvious that they didn't want either him or Maxine to know. A part of him did want to respect their privacy but he could also see how it could also cause some complications for their journey.

The group continued to rest for a short while longer as Jinshu attempted to recover. Every now and again, he would be checked by Charles who was concerned about his condition. He did consider that Jinshu's supposed injury was actually fake. However, this was something that he couldn't prove so he kept it quiet for now.

Not far away from where they were sitting, there was a large series of bushes that sat relatively undisturbed. They had been there for many, many years and over that time, countless travellers had walked by them. It was rare that anyone would really notice them as they would go on their way.

On this day, the bushes were being disturbed as a pair of eyes watched the party as they continued to rest. Their body was completely hidden away in the bushes and it impossible for anyone to see them. The focus of their gaze was the group and had always intended to be. Rather than planning some form of attack or a way to confront them. Rather, they just remained where they were and watched.

After a short while, Maxine decided that it was best to keep going. No one could really argue with the muscular giantess, but her tone made it seem as if they had a choice in the matter. However, it was clear that she didn't want to rest any further and that she really wanted for their journey to continue. None of them really wanted to argue with her and had to admit that she was right.

The group continued on with their journey and there were a few people who would walk by them as they travelled the opposite direction. All of them couldn't help but stare at them as they walked past them. As far as they were concerned, it was the most unusual group of travellers that they had ever seen.

A few of them even thought that they were some kinds of entertainment group that travelled all across Angleland and performed in order to make money. However, none of them could see the appropriate equipment that they would need for such a career. Even so, they still thought it was likely although none of them wanted to say that to Maxine. Although thanks to her armour and the fact that she was wearing her helmet, they didn't even realise that she was a woman.

At one point in time, Maxine did glare at one of the passers-by who quickly looked away and increased their pace. Being stared at was something that she had gotten used to over the years but having others stare at Charles was something that she didn't particularly like. To her, he was far more normal than she was and didn't deserve to be gawked at. The same went to Asla and her companions.

Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed by the foreigners, and they felt lucky that they had found someone who had been willing to help them. She and Charles were definitely not the type of people that they had expected to take them up on their offer. They had already asked around half a dozen others previously with all of them turning them down.

The trio weren't under any illusions that they were welcome in Angleland. Although they had met a few nicer folks during their time in this country, many people had shunned them. A few of them had even saw them as being subhuman. It was something that Asla did think that if a person from Angleland arrived in her country that they would likely be treated in a similar manner.

"Madam," said a voice. It took Maxine a few moments for them to realise that they were referring to her. She also thought that it was Charles who was attempting to catch her attention and she was going to remind him that he no longer needed to be so formal with her. However, she realised that it was actually Taiyun who was trying to get attention. Because of this she glanced behind her and looked towards him.

"Yes, what is it?" replied Maxine. She was continuing to walk and at first wasn't particularly looking in the direction that she was supposed to.

"We wish to know what to expect ahead. We are strangers in your land and are not aware of the local geography."

"Hmm, very well… There are numerous hills that we need to traverse and there should be a small lake a few miles from here. We'll rest there and resupply our water. Then continue moving towards an inn called the Beggar's Corner. I know the people who run it, they'll give us shelter for the night, for a price of course."

"You can guarantee that?" He had become wary of inns as he and his companions had been rejected from a good number of them.

"I can, you have my word." She wasn't too sure herself but she was still thought that it was likely. The owner of that particular inn probably didn't think too highly of foreigners but as long as they had the coin, then they didn't have anything to worry about.

"Very well, I thank you for that."

"If we keep going at this pace we should be…" Her words were cut off when she suddenly felt something strike her head. At first she thought that she could have had someone try to strike her but as she turned her head forward to see what it had been. Not too surprisingly, she could see a tree branch that was hanging over into the path. For practically every person in Angleland, it wasn't a problem. Everyone except for her.

"Maxine are you alright?" asked Charles with concern. He had seen what had happened and he feared that she might have hurt herself.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine." She used her knuckles to gently tap the helmet that she was wearing. "Thankfully my helmet took the brunt of it.

"I-I guess for you it has multiple uses. Protecting from enemy attacks and low tree branches." He chuckled for a moment.

In the past, Maxine probably would have berated him for such a comment but she couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that what he was saying was right and she even gave him a small pat for this little joke.

The first hill they came across was much higher than Asla and her companions had expected. Although their country did have mountains, the majority of the land was relatively flat and was ideal for growing crops and establishing townships. A hill wasn't an alien concept for them but they didn't look forward the climb up it. They did think about travelling around it but the quickest way of traversing it was to simply climb it and then ascend on the other side.

This time around, it was Charles who mostly led the way up the hill and did find it somewhat difficult to climb up the hill. On his back he still carrying a bag which contained a lot of food and his journal. Out of everything that he was carrying, the journal was definitely the most important thing. Not only had he written down his thoughts from time to time but it was also what he used to check their finances. Without it, he wouldn't know exactly how much was coming in and out.

It was something that he took some pride in as he knew that Maxine would struggle with such a thing if she were to do it herself. When they had first paired up, it was his talents that was able to balance the books for her. Although she had been a little short with him in the past, she now more than appreciated everything that he did for her.

It took a good few minutes or so before the group arrived at the top of the hill. Rather than walking down straight away, the group stayed there for a couple of minutes so that they could see the view. They could see the roaming fields in almost every direction and in the distance they could see a town.

The same happened when they looked towards the south and the north. To them, these towns looked to be quite close, even though they were many miles away. For all of them, it was rare for them to be so high up and see such a view. Maxine did think about her mother and sisters who could increase their size further.

She couldn't help but wonder if this was what they could see on a regular basis. In a way, it was something that she was jealous of. Besides her baby sister Rina, Maxine's other sisters could grow in size. Although she was the eldest amongst them, she was still the only one who couldn't increase her size further. The only time when she had been truly gigantic was when she had the magic first returned in her, she had found herself uncontrollably growing in both height and muscles.

Never had Maxine had controlled growth where she had become a true giantess but in a way, it did make things better for her. On a few occasions, she was glad that she didn't have the same abilities as her mother and sisters since she felt that she would use it as a crutch. If she could simply grow bigger and overpower an enemy, it would make her victory seem hollow and she preferred to use her own skills rather than cheating. Also being able to grow would make her quest to become a knight would be too easy as far as she was concerned.

After taking in the sights that were around them, the group began their descent down the hill. Unfortunately it was steeper than they expected and they had to do everything they could to prevent themselves from falling. However, this was too much for Asla who accidentally tripped over a small rock that had been below her view. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue as she would have staggered forward a few steps before regaining her balance.

Since they were on a hill, it caused her to uncontrollably launch forward. Both Jinshu and Taiyun called out to her as they tried to grab her but she had already fallen too far forward for them to reach her. They feared that she was going to hurt herself and even feared that she be killed.

Before Asla could fall too far forward, Charles was able to turn around and grab onto her. He grew had been somewhat taken by surprise but he was able to stand his ground and stopped her from falling any further forward. Thanks to her small size, she hadn't forced him to fall like she had been and was able to stop her.

"Are you alright?" asked Charles with some concern in his voice. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

"No, I'm fine," replied Asla. She looked up at him and smiled at him. "Thanks to you of course."

Charles couldn't help but chuckle to himself for a moment and he couldn't see Maxine's face. She was staring towards them and although she was glad that Asla wasn't harmed, she couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy. A small grunt escaped her lips as she chose not to properly react to what had happened. However, Charles could still sense her feelings, almost as if there was an aura around her that he was picking up.

"Madam you must be more careful," said Taiyun as he picked up his pace and made his way towards Asla.

"I know," replied Asla who let go of Charles. She was able to stand up properly and brush any dirt that might have attached itself to her dress. "Thank you for your concern." She then looked up to Maxine and thanks to her helmet, her facial expression couldn't be seen. "My apologises Miss Maxine. I did not mean to cause such a scene."

"It's fine," replied Maxine who was a little short with them. "Let's keep going before the weather decides to change. Travelling in the rain isn't fun."

The group continued their descent down the hill and this time were much more careful than they had been before. Maxine did make sure that Charles remained close to her and every now and again she would glance down to him. There were many thoughts going through her head and she did imagine that he had done something similar to her.

But if that were to happen it would likely end poorly as he didn't have the strength to be able to hold her body. It was one of the downsides of being nine feet tall and having a very muscular frame. In a way, she did wish she was smaller but found too many advantages to her large size. This was just something that led her to believe that there were pros and cons to practically anything.

After reaching the bottom of the hill they needed to make their way up another hill. Thankfully this one was much smaller and the trek up and down it was far quicker and less eventful than the previous had been. Both Taiyun and Jinshu stayed close to Asla as they hadn't wanted for her to fall again. Having Charles be the one who rescued her made her seem like they had not be fulfilling their duties properly. There was still a lot of distance that they needed to travel until they reached the coast.

Suddenly Jinshu felt a small pain in his neck which seemingly came out of nowhere. Rather than it feeling like an issue with his neck, it was as if he had just been stung there by a bee. He gave a cry of pain and had to stop for a moment as he placed his hand over where he had just been stung. This got the attention of everyone who quickly stopped and turned towards him.

Maxine was getting a little annoyed by all the distractions that were taking place but she was still patient with them. Asla was the one who mostly tended to her companion but Charles did show some concern. The whole thing had caught everyone by surprise as they thought that they might be under attack.

"Are you alright?" asked Charles with concern. "What happened?"

"I think something decided to try and make a snack out of me," replied Jinshu. "You needn't worry about me, it's nothing."

"Maybe it was a bee or a wasp that decided to sting you. Then again, I can't see why since I don't think you were doing anything to aggravate them."

"Wasps don't need a reason to sting someone," added Maxine who seemed to be safe from such things thanks to her thick armour. "They're just generally dicks."

"I-I guess you're right there." He chuckled for a moment as he couldn't help but think that this was funny. Although he probably would have used a different phrase, ultimately the giantess was correct in her statement.

"Now let's keep going, we've already lost time as it is."

The group agreed and continued on with their journey. However Jinshu couldn't help but feel off. He could still feel some pain from where he was stung but he still attempted to walk. However, he could feel the temperature beginning to increase and sweat was running down his brow. His walk was turning into a stagger as the world around him was beginning to spin around him.

At first his condition wasn't noticed by the others but after less than a minute the effects that he could feel was becoming too great for him and he couldn't stop himself from collapsing onto the ground. The fall was quite sudden and caught everyone by surprise. Instantly they all turned to him and it was Asla who was the first to tend to him.

Immediately she noticed that his temperature was close to feverish and he was beginning to shake. She started calling out to him and speaking in their native language. However, rather than doing so in order to hide their conversation, it was simply because she had been caught by surprise.

Maxine did look down from where she was standing and she too was concerned. Even from her vantage point, she could see that Jinshu was not in a good way. Just a few minutes ago, he was perfectly fine and now he was on the ground and was in a lot of discomfort. The cause of his sudden illness was mysterious to say the least.