"Emilia...!?"
Seeing Emilia suddenly collapse, Sylvia was taken aback as well.
However, Sylvia reacted swiftly, immediately reaching out to catch the falling Emilia.
Then, Jeanne's voice suddenly rang out from the pendant before Sylvia.
"Everyone, be careful! Someone is approaching!"
Almost the instant Jeanne's warning fell, the Dragon Carriage suddenly slammed on the brakes, jolting the entire cabin.
"Roar!"
The Earth Dragon pulling the carriage let out a roar.
Yet that roar carried a faint trace of fear.
"Everyone...!"
Rem's somewhat tense voice also sounded from outside the cabin.
Her gaze was fixed tightly ahead, as though facing a formidable enemy.
That was only natural.
Earth Dragons were extremely intelligent creatures. Not only did they possess the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion, but their ability to sense danger also surpassed that of demi-humans like Rem, Ram, and Frederica.
Now, the Earth Dragon's reaction told everyone something.
Something dangerous was approaching.
No.
More accurately, a dangerous being was approaching.
And that person soon appeared.
"You've got some nerve. Enough to make me wonder if you're some 'fruit coconut that ate until it burst.'"
It was an utterly incomprehensible remark.
The voice came from ahead of the Dragon Carriage that had screeched to a halt, gradually echoing through the forest.
"You actually barged straight in from the front. Looks like I've got no choice but to play with you."
As he spoke, the person slowly emerged from the forest path ahead.
He was a youth with short golden hair standing on end and a conspicuous white scar across his forehead.
He wore revealing clothes like those of a thug, deliberately mismatched and discordant. His sanpaku eyes held an exceptionally sharp gaze, while his expression was vicious and feral. White canine fangs, like those of a feline predator, protruded from his slightly parted