The three gust carriages rushed down the mountains like they had become the very wind itself. They cared not for monsters that obstructed them, slamming into them with abandon and leaving only mists of blood in their wake. Even large monsters like trolls and ogres were no exception.
Kwang!
It seemed like another monster had been killed by the carriage.
Wow, isn’t it completely shattered?
Theodore clicked his tongue as he watched the blue blood streaming across the window. The giant mantis, a foe that even first-class mercenaries treated with wariness, had been summarily pulped by the carriage.
Could one actually use this carriage as a weapon?…. No, it costs too much.?
Theo rejected his idle thought almost immediately. The carriage boasted incredible speed and power, but it required too many magicians. It was far more efficient to task the 5th Circle magicians who would be required to operate it to fight directly.
He turned to Mitra who was playing in the seat next to him.
[Hoi!]
Pororong.
She was playing with the sylph Ellenoa had summoned. The elemental, which looked like a translucent sparrow, spread its wings at Mitra’s signal. The scene of a little girl and a bird playing together happily looked right out of a fairy tale. Theo felt a sense of peace envelop him.
At that moment, he felt a soft touch as fingers entwined with his.
“Eh, Ellenoa?”
Theo looked down at his hand and was shocked to find Ellenoa holding his hand. The pleasant sensation of her slim, soft hand was vividly transmitted through the palm of his hand.
However, her voice was as calm as always as she said, “Are you worried about your mentor?”
Those words pierced right through Theo. His blush immediately cleared as his thoughts turned to his mentor’s decision to stay behind in Bergen. They had talked a few times about the decision, but Theo still couldn’t fully understand it. To Theodore Miller, Vince was his one-of-a-kind mentor, and his value was immeasurable.
“Yes, that’s right.” Theo nodded with a bitter smile.
It was funny that he was worried about his mentor, but Vince was the one who was injured. According to Shugel, Vince’s injury would worsen if he moved using space magic. Theo was reluctant to let his injured mentor act as bait.
Ellenoa squeezed his hand and whispered quietly, “Don’t be too concerned. His fate has yet to reach the moment when the knot will be tied.”
“Huh?” Theo’s eyes widened.
He would’ve ignored her words if she had been a fortune-teller on the streets. But Ellenoa was a high elf. Furthermore, elves were famous for not being able to tell lies.
Theo mulled over the meaning of Ellenoa’s words before asking in a trembling voice, “… Ellenoa, can you see the future?”
Seeing the future—or in other words, Foresight—was a type of power given to gods, demons, and ancient dragons a long time ago. Mortals would forever fear the future, and scramble for more time. As such, prophets who could see the future were considered as gods.
Ellenoa was a descendant of an ancient species, but could a high elf really see the future? In response, Ellenoa shook her head with a subtle expression. “It isn’t anything so tremendous. I can just understand when the end comes. It is a half-power that appears when I’m in danger.”
“No, but…!” Theo tried to say something, but he soon fell silent.
Ellenoa wouldn’t lie just to reassure him. As long as his mentor was safe, there was nothing more to ask. Besides, there was something he should say before asking about her abilities.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Ellenoa smiled gently. “It is nothing.”
He had to show his appreciation for exposing her ability in order to comfort him. As Theo’s face brightened a little bit, Ellenoa smiled and shook her head. Then Mitra leaned back a little too far while playing and toppled over.
[Heeeng?!]
The awkward air in the carriage broke.
“Pfff!”
“Ahaha!”
The atmosphere inside the carriage became brighter, and as the two people laughed at Mitra’s behavior, Mitra hit Theo’s feet sulkily. She tried to tell them not to laugh, but it just made the duo laugh even more. As pleasant laughter quietly spread through the carriage, they crossed the halfway point of the mountain range. The sun was gradually going down, so the magicians reduced their pace and handed Theo a packet of food.
“This is your meal with Ellenoa.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Theo quickly spread out the fare on the table in the middle of the carriage. He hadn’t realized it, but he was really hungry. Theo opened the bag and pulled out a few fruits, baked sweets, jerky, and two bottles of water. The fruits were probably prepared for Ellenoa as it was commonly known that elves didn’t enjoy eating meat.
However, Ellenoa denied that common knowledge outright when Theo mentioned it to her. “Well, it isn’t that we don’t enjoy meat. It’s just that living beings are all the same, so is there a reason to discriminate between plants and animals? Rather, our bodies will weaken if we don’t consume meat at all.”
Theo asked, “Uh, then why do the Elvenheim elves only eat fruits on their missions?”
“I’m not sure.” She ate an apple slice and thought about it for a while before answering the question. “Maybe there is a problem with the way the meat is cooked?”
Theo thought out loud. “The way it is cooked?”
“An elf’s taste buds are a few times more sensitive than that of humans, so it’s hard to eat food with a lot of spices. I guess they only ate fruits that weren’t cooked separately.” Ellenoa proved her words by eating the jerky. “We basically eat raw food, so there isn’t much food that is cooked using fire. It is common to eat a fresh and lean cut of meat.”
Theodore involuntarily imagined an elf hunter running through the forest, shooting a boar, and then cutting its flesh with a dagger and eating it. He imagined the elf’s mouth covered in blood and felt like his fantasies about elves were being broken. People usually imagined elves as graceful beings who enjoyed fruit and tea leaves while they played with wild beasts.
However, that was just a fantasy of humans.
***
It happened around the time Theo finished his meal and Ellenoa was putting down the last apple core.
“2nd Carriage, 3rd Carriage, stop!” ｎ𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｃｏ𝚖
The carriages jolted as they came to an abrupt stop.
Thump.
Simultaneously, the door of their carriage opened, and a blue-robed magician entered. He was powerful enough to make Theo’s perception tingle. The Blue Tower’s magician had come front the escort carriage role and quickly explained why the convoy had been brought to a halt.
“The 1st Carriage that’s two hundred and fifty meters ahead has started to engage with something. We will go as soon as the ‘all clear’ signal is received, so Ellenoa shouldn’t worry.”
“Wait a minute. You aren’t joining the fight?” Theodore asked with a strange expression.
He was questioning a senior, but the magician replied calmly, “That’s right. The Red Tower’s formations are too unique for the other towers to easily assist them. Moreover, Elder Herman is there, so there is no reason to join.”
Theo frowned. “But what if—”
The magician interrupted, “If it can destroy the 1st Carriage in a short amount of time, there’s no way to win even if we join. And the important thing isn’t winning.”
They were escorts, not combatants. The convoy’s mission was to deliver the high elf, Ellenoa, safely to Manavil. Defeating enemies was secondary to the prime directive, which was to eliminate any possibilities of Ellenoa being harmed.
However, Theo had just been thinking about winning. The experiences he’d absorbed had all been situations where the objective was to ‘survive by winning’, not escorting someone. Theo was convinced by the difference and fell silent. No, he was forced to shut his mouth.
Kukukung…!
Theo felt someone cast Heat Wave Chain in the distance. As a pale red pillar rose in the distance, the earth started to cry out and tremble like an earthquake. The dim sky took on a reddish glow as clouds were torn apart by the strong flames and explosions rang out. Theo could feel the turbulent mana in the atmosphere despite being a few hundred meters away.
It was the aftermath of a spell collision which was at least of the 6th Circle!
“Kuk…!” Theo grimaced as he reflexively cast a wind shield as hot air blasted his face.
The cold wind spell only brought the ambient temperature down a little. If there was this much heat just from the aftermath, the center of the collision must be as hot as lava. It was proof that Herman’s group was pouring out every iota of their magic power.
He could detect eight sources of magic power in the distance.
Five 5th?Circle magicians and three 6th?Circle magicians.
One of the 6th Circle magicians was half a step away from the boundary. That would be Herman, who used to be at the 7th Circle. His presence alone was a huge threat to the enemy. No matter who the opponent was, they absolutely couldn’t be safe. Even a master level opponent would fall under this much firepower.
However, Theo’s face creased in a frown. Why? He could feel a cold tickle coming from his left hand that was causing unease. Was it a warning from the sleeping Gluttony? Or maybe a feature he didn’t know about had been triggered? Either way, there was no way to resolve the question immediately.
Kukung…!Kururung!Kung!
A thunderous fire pillar tore apart the clouds and a mushroom cloud covered the sky. It was a spell which would tear apart any defenses Theodore had. It seemed like the battle was still raging.
But moments later, every sound of the battle was cut off like it had been sliced by a sword.
The burning flames died away to a few embers flickering on trees in the distance as darkness reigned over the night again. The silence was so absolute that Theo heard someone gulping behind him.
“… Is it over?” someone asked.
They had yet to receive the ‘all clear’ signal. As the magicians of the 3rd Carriage waited for instructions, something fell from the night sky.
Tok, todok, tok…
It was dark red and round as it bounced between the two carriages. One of the magicians reflexively cast Light and illuminated the object.
White hair ended in charred strands, wrinkles melted together by extreme heat, and wide eyes which were filled with fear…
A name slipped out of Theo’s mouth. “… Elder Herman.”
It was the head of Herman, who had been brutally murdered.