"Shh-ha--too far, shh-ha--even if we hurry over, shh-ha--we won't make it in time." Crocus kept making "shh-ha" sounds like a panting dog.
He was drenched in sweat. He had leaped into the seawater, then sprinted all the way to the island without a moment to rest or catch his breath.
The mountain seemed close, but the horse would die before reaching it.
Little Garden was an island that preserved prehistoric civilization. Although it was called Little Garden, the island was actually far from small.
And as soon as they reached the island, they encountered the island creatures hiding along its edges and naturally suffered attacks from some of them.
Crocus and Dr. Kureha had no choice but to kill those creatures and hurry onward. Yet after covering only a third of the island, they were already exhausted.
Dr. Kureha was nearly a hundred years old, so she was even more spent. She braced both hands on her knees as beads of sweat rolled down onto the ground.
Her heart pounded wildly. She had no idea how long it had been since she had exercised so strenuously. Her face was deathly pale as she panted and suggested,
"Ha--ha--ha--Crocus, we're out of time. We have to find those two Giants and have them take us to Ares!"
Crocus gulped in air and wiped away the sweat about to run from his forehead and eyebrows into his eyes. "Yeah. Then let's find those two Giants first!"
After making their decision, he and Dr. Kureha hurried toward Brogy and Dorry.
On the way.
Dr. Kureha complained nonstop as she ran. "That brat Ares had better give me triple the payment later, or I won't let him off easily. I'm exhausted!"
"If I'd known this would happen, I never should've been tempted by that brat's