Before they did leave the inn, Maxine was able to grab something to eat since she hadn't had a proper meal in over a week. Normally, it would take enough food to feed a small family in order to satisfy her hunger. Now it was significantly less as even an average meal was too much for her.

To her foreign companions, it was strange seeing such a change in her. A short time earlier, she was by far the largest person that they had ever seen. Now she was the smallest woman that they had met in Angleland. It was a very jarring change and it almost seemed as though every aspect of her was different. They even noticed how her voice had subtly changed as well.

Whenever she spoke, they could hear that her voice was at a slightly higher pitch than it was before. Her voice wasn't particular low before, but it had been slightly lower than had been expected for a woman. But in a way, they weren't too surprised since she had been nine feet in height and had large muscles. It was just another way that this smaller Maxine was different to her larger self.

There was some salvation that came the way of the group. Despite their low funds, they were able to guy themselves a horse and cart after Charles had done a lot of negotiating with a local seller. Unfortunately, it did mean that they spent whatever money they had remaining which left no money for food or board.

This was another problem that they faced but they could still travel with Maxine's sword and armour and not have to worry too much about carrying it. There had been some protests from Taiyun about this, but Charles had paid it no mind. He knew how valuable Maxine's equipment was to her. It wasn't its monetary value that he was concerned about but the personal value to the now former giantess. Only if it was absolutely necessary would he recommend to her that they got rid of it.

Eventually, the group found themselves leaving the town on the single horse and cart that they were able to afford. In a way, they were glad to have such a mode of transport. Although they had gotten used to it, walking was very tiring for them and by using the horse and cart, it was something that they didn't need to worry about.

There was another problem that they faced though; this was the fact that by using this transport that they also made themselves a bigger target. There were still people out there trying to assassinate them. Next time Maxine was struck by a poisoned dart, she wouldn't survive.

Charles and Maxine sat at the front of the cart while the others sat in the back. When they spoke to each other, they did so in their own language. This made the small woman feel paranoid as they thought that they were talking to her. Charles sat next to her and although he was still feeling tired, he was still awake enough to hold onto the reins. He was more or less in control of the horse as it made its way on the path that took it away from the town. They were still on their way to the coast, although progress had been slower than they would have liked.

"Are you alright Maxine?" asked Charles as he glanced over to the woman sitting next to him. It was still odd for him seeing her so small. Normally, he was barely taller than her leg, but now he towered above her.

"I-I'm fine," replied Maxine. She too felt a little uncomfortable thanks to the fact that she wore a dress. It was an item of clothing that she didn't like wearing but under the circumstances, she didn't have too much of a choice. "It's just still really strange seeing everything so big."

"Well, it isn't the first time that you've been like this."

"I know, I know." The memories of when she was shrunk like this wasn't too pleasant for her and she preferred not to remember. "It's still jarring nonetheless. It's a little hard for me to believe, that if my mother hadn't been so large that this is what I would have been. Kind of polar opposites if you ask me. The other me is huge and strong, and this me is small and pathetic."

"You're not pathetic. You just need a little time to adjust that's all. If you become big and strong again, then you can go back to what you were doing before. But if you stay like this, it isn't the end of the world."

"You try saying that when you've lost the very thing that made you, you. Being big and strong was the only thing I was really good at. Without it, I'm more or less nothing." She looked down and sulked after saying these words.

Charles didn't say anything for a moment as he looked at the situation and tried to think of the best thing he could say. He could see that Maxine was very upset after her shrink spurt and he didn't remember her acting this down the last time it had happened. Back then, she had a clear goal of retrieving the magic that allowed her to be the large and powerful woman that she had been.

This time was different, as it was almost like the magic inside of her was burned out after ridding the poison that had been killing her. It was true that without her size that she would have succumbed to the poison but it seemed that a small part of her did actually wish that it had done its job.

"Don't be like that Maxine," said Charles as he looked over to his companion. It was still strange to be looking down at her, rather than craning his neck up. "Just because you're like this doesn't mean that you're useless now."

"Aren't I? Tell me Charles, what can I do? I'm too small to wield my own sword, I can't wear my armour and I still can't read a word that's longer than three letters. Tell me, what good am I?"

"You're my friend and that's all you need. Even when you're like this, you're still brave and you stand up for what is right. If you ask me, that's the best qualities that you can have. Besides, maybe this isn't a permanent change. There is a theory that I have if you want to hear it."

"Y-Yeah go on." She didn't know whether she should have that much hope in his theory. But she'd rather have false hope than no hope at all.

"The magic that is inside you has simply subsided for now since it burned the poison out of you. Like an injury, it simply needs time to recover and when it does, you'll become the giant that you were before."

"Charles I…" She wanted to say that it was impossible but there was a chance that what he was saying was correct. At least she hoped that it would be, the problem was that she still feared that her magic was gone for good. That being a nine-foot powerhouse was simply a thing of the past now. However, she did give him a nod as she did hope that he was correct. "Y-Yes, it is possible. How long do you think it'll take?"

"That's the thing, I have absolutely no idea. It's all guess work right now so any suggestion is as good as mine."

This didn't fill Maxine with much confidence but she knew that he was trying his best under the circumstances. He was doing everything that he could to try and make her feel better, even if he didn't have the answers that she wanted to hear. But she still could appreciate his efforts and because of this she did have some hope. Even if it was a very small hope, it was still there.

Although they had gotten a horse and cart, the group were doubtful that it would be able to take them the entire way to where they needed to go. Thanks to growing up on a farm and working alongside farm animals, Maxine could tell that the horse wasn't in the best health. It was likely why they had gotten it so cheap and she knew that it wouldn't be long before it could go no further.

Already, they had to stop, purely because the horse was too tired to continue for the time being. This did raise another question between them, this was what would happen to Maxine's sword and armour once more? They thought that by obtaining the horse and cart that it would eliminate this issue. But they thought that the extra weight that the horse was pulling was causing it to tire out quicker.

The fact that it was pulling a cart with five grown adults hadn't gone unnoticed by them, but the armour was seen as an unnecessary cargo. Out of all of them, it was Charles who was the most resistant to getting rid of it. He knew how much it meant to his companion and he didn't want to see her give it up. Even if she knew that it would be for the greater good if she did sell it on.

The only problem with that was the actual value of the sword and armour. Under normal circumstances the sword and armour that the former giantess possessed would be worth a fair amount of money. Such objects were quite highly sort after due to the fact that waiting for such things to be made was often a long wait and expensive. Buying some that had already been created was often cheaper although sometimes it could be an ill fit.

It was Maxine's former size that caused the issue as there was simply no one in Angleland besides members of her own family who could use it. She was simply too big as she had been a little over three feet taller than the average man. Because of this, anyone who bought her equipment wouldn't see it as a sword and armour that they could possibly sell off to someone of a similar size. Instead, it would be purely for scrap as they would melt down the metal and reuse it in other metalworks.

Such a thing would be a massive waste as a lot of time and effort had gone into creating them and getting rid of it like that would be a shame. Even Maxine admitted this to herself as she remembered how much effort her uncles had put into creating it and melting it down would seem like an insult as far as she was concerned.

The group found themselves sitting on the side of the road and were eating the food that they had been able to obtain before they had left. One good thing about Maxine becoming smaller was that the amount of food she needed to eat had reduced significantly. Because of this, this meant that their budget for food too had reduced and this was something that was welcomed between them.

The food that they had was relatively bland and of low quality but it was enough to get the job done. They sat around in a small circle with Asla sitting in-between Taiyun and Jaxin with Maxine sitting next to Charles. For the foreign travellers, they had gotten used to the food of Angleland by now. Back in their home country, they were used to tasting many spices which were abundant.

Such spices could be found in Angleland, but it was expensive transporting them half way across the world. Because of this, only the country's elite could afford it while the commonfolk had to simply eat whatever food that they could grow. Whatever way that they looked at it, if they wanted to eat the spices from their homeland, they would have to have deep pockets.

Out of all of them, it was Maxine who mostly attended to the horse. Since she had the most experience with such creatures, she felt that she was the most qualified to look after it. She could see that it was an old horse and most likely wouldn't go too much further on their journey.

She did think that it could possibly take them all the way to the coast, but she had her doubts. She thought that if she had been her regular size, she could have carried the horse herself. Even if it had been a strong and healthy horse, she still could have done the job. However now, she doubted that she would be able to lift a puppy.

There was something that she did notice as she grabbed onto the reins of the horse. It was moving its head more than usual and a couple of times it stomped its feet on the ground. Maxine could feel her arms being pulled up and she thought that she was going to be lifted into the air. Thankfully, her small feet remained on the ground, but she was feeling some concern.

"Hey, calm down," said Maxine as she continued to hold onto the reins of the horse. It continued to move its head and also blow out of its nostrils. Even without her experience on the farm, she knew that there was something that was causing the horse to become scared, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.

"What's wrong Maxine?" replied Charles as he looked over to her. He could see her struggling to hold the reins and he was on the verge of getting up so that he could offer her assistance.

"Something is spooking the horse. Be on your guard, there could be trouble nearby." Normally, this would lead to her drawing her sword and taking a defensive stance. But this time, it was impossible for her, and she would have to rely on the protection of others. She still had some skills with the blade, but she was unable to wield the one that had been forged for her.

This did get the attention of the others as they also got up to their feet. Taiyun and Jaxin stood close to Asla in the hopes of defending her. For the former, he had pledged his life to protect her, and he knew how important it was for her to survive. For the latter, he didn't have the same loyalty as her. But he remembered that he was promised lands and a lordship if he was able to get her back home.

That was more than enough motivation to ensure her safety as he would earn more money than he could ever have hoped for as an assassin. Plus, it was likely that whatever warrants were out for his arrest would be wiped away. Anyway, that he looked at it, Asla was worth much more alive to him, than dead.

There was still an air of fear around them as they wanted to see what exactly the threat that the horse had been able to sense. The first thought was that it was another group of bandits like they had faced recently. But they found this unlikely since horses weren't normally known to act like this to people. Some could scare a horse a little, but none to the degree that it was now.

Most likely, what they were facing was some kind of predator. Even so, they still had to be on their toes. Maxine had killed a few during her time, but without her size, she was vulnerable and saw as Charles stood by her and held his sword in his hands. Even though she knew that he wasn't too skilled with it.

He even made sure to stand in front of her so that he could try and protect her. This was something that the both of them found ironic. In the past, it was her who would stand in front of him in order to offer her protection. Now it was the other way around and it just showed the shift of power after her shrink spurt.

Something potentially dangerous did come out from some nearby bushes. A creature on all fours with greyish fur. It was a creature that that Asla and her companions had never seen but Maxine and Charles had done on a few occasions. It was unmistakably a wolf that had appeared not too far from where they were standing.

Rather than trying to attack or antagonise the wolf, the group simply watched in order to see what it was going to do. They feared that it was merely one that was a part of a pack, but as the moments went by, they couldn't see any more wolves. This made them realise that it was a lone wolf. It was still a threat but they didn't think that they were in the same level of danger that they had been before.

As the wolf walked, it had been able to smell the horse and thought that it could potentially have an easy meal. However, it could see the group as well and rather than attacking, it simply walked away. The danger too itself was far greater than the potential reward that it could potentially receive. To not risk an injury, it decided to leave and find much easier prey elsewhere.

No sooner had the wolf disappeared once more, Charles gave a sigh of relief and placed his sword down. To him, it had been quite stressful as he wasn't sure what he would have done if it had decided to attack. He had hoped that he would have been able to defend Maxine, but he wasn't entirely confident in his abilities. He was just glad that it was over and quickly, he turned to his companion.

"Maxine are you alright?" asked Charles with concern in his voice. As he looked at her, she responded with a quick nod, but she also crossed her arms.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine and there was no need to step in front of me like that," replied Maxine. It seemed as though she was overestimating her might in her smaller form. "I could have dealt with that myself."

"Oh I see…" There was dejected tone in his voice as he thought that he had just annoyed his companion. But he did see a smile appear on her face.

"But I do appreciate your efforts, thank you."

This did make Charles feel better and in a way, it was Maxine accepting that she couldn't have handled herself in the situation. The truth was that if the wolf decided to attack her, she would have stood little chance. With him by her side, her chances of survival had been increased dramatically. Even if all he could have done was scare it away so that it didn't harm them.

After checking the wellbeing of Asla and the others, the group carried on with their journey, but thanks to the age of the horse, it was still slow going. Rather than thinking that they had gotten a decent deal, the group now considered that they had wasted their money. Such a thought was displeasing for them.

Unfortunately, they couldn't turn back and attempt to get a refund. Instead, they could only keep going as there were still several dangers awaiting them. They didn't forget that the assassin who had killed Jinshu and also poisoned Maxine was still out there. He might not have killed her, but he had definitely robbed her of her greatest asset and now made her the weakest in the group.

All throughout the time that Maxine sat next to Charles in the cart, she considered telling him about how she really felt. She knew that Asla hadn't told him and in a way, she respected her for that. But it was something that she simply didn't have the courage to tell him. In a way, she found it ironic since she could take on a dozen well-armed enemies without batting an eyelid. But when it came to telling Charles that she loved him, she was a bag of nerves and just wanted to get away from the situation.

One thing that she did think was that he would prefer her when she was like this. At least in this smaller form, she was more in line with what was expected for a woman in Angleland. When she was like this, she needed to look up at him and a part of her did want him to lift her in his arms. Something that was impossible for her when she her previous large form. If he tried, it was likely that she would crush him.

"Charles why are you doing all of this?" asked Maxine as she glanced over to Charles. He was still holding onto the reins of the horse.

"Because someone needs to steer the horse," replied Charles. "Or else it'll just walk around aimlessly."

"No, I mean why do you still want to help Asla and the others? I know that we're getting paid, but if you ask me, this is getting too risky. Don't you think that it's best to simply leave them be and let them go on their way?"

"I could, but if we don't help them, then there's a good chance that they won't make it. Plus, we promised that we'd help them reach their destination and I'm going to make sure that we achieve that. It isn't just her life that is at risk, she's the princess of an entire kingdom. If we don't help her, then many, many others could die."

"Even if it means that you could be killed yourself? There's still someone out there who is trying to kill her and you saw what happened to me. A week ago I could crush the skull of a man using my bare hands. Now, I'm like this." She gave a sigh as the answer that she was given was more or less what she had expected.

"Don't worry about that, you'll be back to being big before you know it. Besides, you are pretty cute when you're like this."

The instant that Charles said this, Maxine began to blush. It was as if someone had thrown red paint onto her face and she found herself unable to say anything for several moments. This was a statement that she hadn't been expecting but to hear it had sent her mind into overdrive. A part of her even wanted to feint but she remained conscious as she continued to look at him.

She had no idea what she was going to do in this situation. A part of her wanted to tell her how she felt but doubt quickly filled her mind. Her fear of rejection was far too great for her to even risk telling the truth. Instead, she kept it to herself and hoped that either one day, she would know when to tell him. Or that the feelings would go away and that there would be no need to say anything.

"Are you alright Maxine?" asked Charles with some concern in her voice. "Your face seems to have turned red." He was worried in case this was some kind of side effect to the poison that she had been exposed to. Even though some might say that her decreased height was side effect enough."

"I-I'm fine," replied Maxine. She was passing it off as if it wasn't that big of a deal but she still felt embarrassed by it. All she could do was hope that her face would return to normal very quickly.

All of this was noticed by Asla who glanced over to them and smiled. She was glad to see what was happening between them and she thought that it would only be a matter of time before Maxine told Charles the truth. Until then she would stay quiet on the matter and simply observe.

If the former giantess asked for her help, then she would happily give it to her. But she thought that it was best not to force things along. Instead, she thought that it was best to allow Maxine the time that she needed to get her thoughts together and then tell him. Her smaller stature also seemed to put a knock on her confidence, but even if she was her former size. It would still be a task that was very difficult for her.

Instead, all they could do for the time being was keep going and hope for the best. Although there were still many dangers ahead and their progress was slow. Problems were piling up constantly and it would eventually reach a point that even they couldn't continue until at least some were resolved.