A Chance Encounter with a Little Bird / I Am the Unbound Wind, and the Unpredictable Thunder

Hearing Ilena's words, Kanna planted her small hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and wore an expression that practically shouted, "Go ahead and praise me."

Seeing her act this way, Dasohan didn't know what to say instead, and could only nod. "We'll be careful. But roughly how long will those spells out at sea last?"

"Until tomorrow morning!" Kanna stated very matter-of-factly.

Dasohan looked at the ceaseless thunderstorms striking down upon the ocean, feeling somewhat dazed inside. After all, even a fool could see that this was no ordinary tempest, but rather a targeted cataclysm of a specific scale and effect.

For the other party to dare expose herself so boldly, wasn't she afraid they would trap her and drag her off for experimentation?

Yet upon second thought, she certainly had no need to fear. After all, she could whip up natural disasters with her bare hands; if they truly dared drive her into a corner, this catastrophe would likely fall right upon their own heads, or even the heads of any city in Iberia.

Kal'tsit had also based her reasoning on this consideration.

Every nation wanted to win over an individual of cataclysm-level might, but no nation was willing to provoke one.

Because the price required to defeat someone capable of conjuring a natural disaster was far too heavy, and defeating her wouldn't bring any benefit to their country whatsoever. Hence, rather than making an enemy of her, it was far better to establish good relations—who knows, perhaps at some point they might secure her action and support.

Later, as he chatted with Ilena, cold sweat broke out all over Dasohan's back. This little fellow who looked somewhat foolish not only could conjure disasters with her bare hands, but treated those very disasters as nothing as she moved freely through them, single-handedly beating back a nearly hundred-meter Great Beast in its own home turf of the ocean.

Moreover, that gigantic thunder-transformed dragon they had seen in the distance was also her doing.

Viewed this way, even if he had truly harbored malicious intentions, neither he nor the entire Inquisition standing behind him would likely have lasted until the reserve forces entered the fray.

"I know you harbor evil thoughts toward Kanna, but Kanna is not afraid!"

How could Kanna fail to notice Dasohan's eyes constantly rolling around and his expression shifting unpredictably between light and shadow, but she didn't feel scared in the slightest.

"Uh! Ahahaha... Kanna helped Iberia with such a massive favor, how could Uncle possibly harbor evil thoughts toward Kanna? ...Ahahahaha... Uncle was just wondering what kind of reward should be given for Kanna's immense contribution."

Hearing Kanna's words, a few drops of sweat inevitably welled up on Dasohan's forehead. This unruly child's eyes were certainly sharp, and he immediately racked his brains for how to make Kanna let down her guard against him.

"A reward! Is there food?" Hearing there was a reward, Kanna's eyes lit up. After coming to Iberia, she had tasted the food here a few times; indeed, the style differed greatly from Victoria and Leithanien, but the flavor was quite decent, which immediately hooked Kanna's foodie cravings.

"Hungry? It's only normal to be hungry after fighting such a big battle. I'll have people make food right away!" Hearing that Kanna wanted to eat, Dasohan immediately spoke up with an agreement.

Soon, cooking fires were lit not far away, and the preparation of food began.

Kanna sniffed the air. Compared to the exquisite dishes of a restaurant, this kind of military mess-hall cooking lagged behind in presentation, but the flavor and nutrition vastly surpassed those ordinary foods.

Kanna wasn't picky about this either. She squatted right beside the large pot, her eyes fixed steadily on the food within, holding a basin larger than her face as she waited for the exact moment the food came out of the pot.

Seeing Kanna's attention drawn away by the food, Dasohan finally let out a sigh of relief.

Ilena walked over to Dasohan's side. "I advise you best not to treat Kanna as a mere child."

Dasohan turned his head to look toward the sea. "See that thing out on the water? Knowing she did that made me tell myself inwardly that she is a figure we must treat with solemn respect. Yet her appearance is truly deceptive; even knowing she's extraordinary, I still can't help treating her like a little kid."

Ilena made no comment on that. Along this journey, there were many times when she, too, regarded Kanna as an ordinary, gluttonous child, but whenever she found herself somewhat helpless, Kanna could always deliver precise assistance. This feeling made her extremely awkward.

"Another bowl!" Not far away, with the chef staring in dumbfounded awe, Kanna finished the food in her basin in a flash, then held the basin up and trotted back before the giant pot.

"No matter what, Kanna is the great hero thanks to whom Rock Bay Town was preserved and the townspeople didn't suffer a greater disaster. We Iberians are not the type to burn bridges after crossing them. Send the situation here to Lord Saint Carmen; since he knows that Doctor Kal'tsit, the reward for these two shall be handled personally by Lord Saint Carmen."

Dasohan thought for a moment before speaking.

At this moment, Kanna not far away gave a nod. Though she initially held a trace of hostile emotion toward this muscle-bound middle-aged man, looking at it now, his actions deserved to be called those of a true soldier.

Of course, whether this meal played a role in her changed attitude remained unknown.

After devouring well over half a pot of food, Kanna finally stopped with a look of satisfaction. Of course, the reason wasn't that she had eaten enough, but rather that a dragon always had to leave a bit of leeway, right? Besides, there were still plenty of wounded and exhausted fighters back in the lighthouse who needed food, and eating it all by herself would be far too unethical.

Before leaving, she carried a small basin and bounced her way to the coastline. At this moment, Skadi was patrolling along the shoreline, walking up to give any Sea Creatures she found still capable of movement a finishing blow, fully carrying out the spirit of leaving no survivors.

Kanna brought the food to her. "Skadi, time to eat!"

Looking at the food basin perched right on top of Kanna's head between her dragon horns, Skadi silently nodded and took it.

"Um, Skadi..."

???

Skadi tilted her head to look at Kanna, somewhat uncomprehending what the hesitant girl wanted to say.

"The battle is already over. Aren't you wearing sunglasses because you feel things aren't quite clear enough?" At this moment, though Skadi's clothes were somewhat disheveled and stained with the blood of Sea Creatures, the wide hat on her head and the sunglasses beneath it were particularly eye-catching.

Hearing Kanna's words, Skadi wore a look of sudden realization. No wonder she felt her field of vision wasn't quite broad enough—she had almost stepped into a pit back on the beach just now. It turned out she had forgotten to take off her sunglasses.

It wasn't until dusk fell that Kal'tsit finally walked out of the lighthouse.

Under Ilena's guidance, she arrived beside two figures—one large, one small—completely covered in slips of paper to the point where they were scarcely recognizable as human.

These two paper-covered individuals were none other than Kanna and Skadi.

After eating, Kanna and Skadi had swept the beach once more. Confirming that no living Sea Creatures remained, Kanna looked at Skadi standing in a daze by the ocean and proposed a game of rock-paper-scissors, with the winner pasting a slip of paper on the loser—the slips provided courtesy of Dasohan nearby (when he saw Kanna furrowing her brow trying to think of a punishment for the loser, he had made the suggestion and presented a thick book of blank paper).

Skadi thought about it and agreed, and from then until Kal'tsit emerged, the two of them went all out on this activity that was originally meant merely to pass the time.

"Sigh!" Kal'tsit felt that even the fatigue of a day's worth of surgery couldn't compare to the mental exhaustion generated upon seeing the two figures before her.

"Clean yourselves up! We've done everything we could for Rock Bay Town. There's still plenty of work for Rhodes Island, so we need to head back." Kal'tsit spoke after composing her emotions.

"Right now?" Kanna asked, looking at the moon hanging in the sky.

"Tomorrow, of course! Ilena has already prepared guest rooms for us. Go wash up first and get a good night's sleep, and we leave tomorrow morning."

Unable to hold back anymore, Kal'tsit ultimately gave Kanna a flick on the forehead.

Following a sequence of bathing events that could not be written out,

they finally got a sound, solid night's sleep after arriving in Rock Bay Town.

Early the next morning, Kal'tsit expressed her intent to leave to Dasohan, Ilena, and their party. The two prepared individuals both nodded in assent. However, because Rock Bay Town was heavily ringed by the Iberian army at this time, Ilena and Dasohan discussed it and decided that the former should continue accompanying Kal'tsit's group.

This time it wasn't surveillance; without an Inquisitor present, the vehicles simply wouldn't be able to drive out of Rock Bay Town.

Just as they were about to leave the city, Dona stood by the roadside, waving her hand to signal the vehicle, accompanied by two members of the Inquisition.

Seeing this, Ilena said, "Although Dona claims she wasn't contaminated by Sea Creatures, you all know how terrifying those monsters are. In the days ahead, Dona will remain under the surveillance of the Inquisition. However, I guarantee that in light of her exceptional contributions during this battle, once basic vetting is complete, the Inquisition's surveillance of her will be kept strictly covert and will not affect her normal life."

Hearing Ilena's words, Dona didn't look unhappy; it seemed she already knew. She smiled and nodded at them, then bowed deeply toward Kanna.

"My survival this time relied entirely on Miss Kanna's unsparing protection, and Dona will keep this grace engraved in her heart forever. Iberia is not a land that rejects outsiders, and Rock Bay Town warmly welcomes everyone to visit for leisure. When you all come to Rock Bay Town next time, we will receive you with the most enthusiastic attitude and service."

After saying their goodbyes, the convoy vanished into the main road amidst Dona's waving hand.

Emerging from the small town, the group saw tens of thousands of Iberian soldiers standing densely along the roadside outside.

Checkpoint after heavy checkpoint blocked the middle of the road. If anyone wanted to break through here, the ultimate outcome could only be a dead end.

Ilena explained:

"Aside from Dasohan and his Inquisition team who first entered the urban area, once the news that the Sea Creatures had retreated was received, all the mobilized main forces were covertly stationed outside the city. For one, this is to guard against any Abyssal Cultists secretly escaping; for another, should the Sea Creatures stage a comeback, the main force lying in wait will immediately pour out in full force to deal them a heavy blow, letting them know that even if Iberia's former glory has faded, it is still not a place where any nation or creature can casually throw their weight around."

Hearing her explanation, everyone suddenly understood. Clearly the tower keeper had said the surrounding main forces were closing in on Rock Bay Town, yet all day yesterday only Dasohan's team had entered the city—it turned out they had all been hidden outside.

At this moment, the vehicle drove up to the checkpoint, and Ilena pushed open the door and stepped out to converse with an Inquisitor standing before the barrier.

"Good morning, Grand Inquisitor Dario."

"Good morning, Inquisitor Ilena."

After exchanging morning greetings, Dario looked toward the vehicle behind Ilena.

"Inside the car are the heroes of this mission, Doctor Kal'tsit from Rhodes Island, along with her subordinates, Miss Skadi and little sister Kanna. Having concluded the great battle, they are preparing to leave Iberia. Per the orders of Lord 'Saint Carmen,' I am responsible for escorting them the entire way. This is Grand Inquisitor Dasohan's departure permit."

Amidst the vigilant gazes of the surrounding crowd, Ilena drew the permit given by Dasohan from her bosom.

Dario nodded and accepted the permit without examining it.

"Dasohan and I just communicated and knew you would be passing through here, which is why I came personally. However, we still must inspect the entire vehicle; I hope everyone understands, given how impervious the monsters from the deep are."

Under Ilena's guidance, the group stepped out of the car, and several Inquisitors holding instruments proceeded to scan around the vehicle.

Soon, they walked back over.

"Reporting to the Grand Inspector, the vehicle has no anomalies."

Dario nodded upon hearing this. "Then I won't delay your journey any longer. Elinni, open the gate!"

Accompanied by Dario's shout, the tightly shut roadblock behind him swung open to reveal an exit leading to the outside world.

After parting ways, the group boarded the vehicle once more and drove outward.

Kanna, sitting in the car, looked this way and that. Hearing the two of them converse, she recalled this stern-looking man, as well as his disciple, the Gale Swordsman, Roaming Gunslinger, Samira—Elinni.

The reason Kanna kept craning her neck to look around was to see what the little bird looked like now.

Pity that perhaps the girl was too short, blocked completely by the surrounding big-buffy soldiers, and Kanna didn't catch a glimpse of that flash of silver until they left.

"What are you looking for?" Kal'tsit, who was driving, felt a wave of throbbing pain in her temples at Kanna's bouncing-around behavior inside the car.

"Aha, nothing much, just felt like someone around here had ties to Rhodes Island, but unfortunately I didn't spot them." Failing to find Elinni, Kanna slumped back into a classic couch-potato sprawl against the seat.

"Aside from the Inquisition, there's only the Punishment Army and National Defense forces nearby..." Kal'tsit's words trailed off halfway, meant as a reminder for Kanna not to run her mouth carelessly since there was still an Inquisitor in the car.

"So what? Life is unpredictable, and people always have different experiences. Besides, even if they're soldiers now, they won't necessarily be soldiers for life—what if they contract Originium infection? And speaking of which, Rhodes Island's medical treatments are high-quality and reasonably priced. With our grace today, having Iberia purchase a bit of our goods to turn a small profit surely won't get rejected, right?"

A week later, the vehicle arrived at a familiar small town—the very place where Kal'tsit and Kanna had encountered "Saint Carmen."

Just as Kal'tsit had anticipated, they met him right inside the town.

"Many thanks for Doctor Kal'tsit's intervention back in Rock Bay Town." Carmen stood as steady as an ageless pine, instantly giving people a sense of steadfast reassurance.

"I am well aware that everyone contributed plenty of effort to defeat those monsters from the sea." Catching sight of Carmen's posture and surveying the surrounding situation, Kal'tsit's heart harbored a trace of rising vigilance. Based on her understanding of the man, even if he came to greet them, he wouldn't bring this many people.

"I certainly know that, but according to Ilena and the tower keeper's reports, the primary hero this time was this little fellow, wasn't it?" Carmen looked toward Kanna beside him, who was holding a chicken wing handed to her from the side and crunching down on it noisily.

"What is it, want to praise me?" Kanna's speech was muffled as she chewed her food.

"Naturally. Little one, what do you think of Iberia?" Carmen squatted down, looking at Kanna with a benevolent smile.

"Not bad, they've got mountain delicacies and seafood of all kinds. It's a pretty good place." Given the old saying about eating people's food making you soft-spoken, Kanna thought it over and still offered some pleasant words.

"Then how would you feel about staying in Iberia long-term?" Hearing Kanna's praise, Carmen revealed his objective.

Kanna cast a sidelong glance at Kal'tsit, only to find her expression calm and seemingly indifferent to Carmen's poaching attempt.

Huh?

Hearing Carmen's query, Kanna snapped back to her senses and let out a sigh. "Forget it! I'm the type who likes running around everywhere; if I look at the scenery in just one place for too long, I'll still get bored."

Saying this, Kanna glanced around at the people vaguely surrounding her group, understanding the situation somewhat in her heart. She continued, "Grandma used to say the wind is unfettered and thunder has no fixed home. As for me, well, I don't much like being reined in by people."

Before her voice had even faded, Kanna suddenly vanished from right in front of Carmen, then reappeared amidst a howling gust of wind holding a piece of fruit, which she handed to Carmen.

"The last time we came here, Kal'tsit bought fruit from this stand. The taste is pretty good."

Looking at the fruit before him, Carmen's pupils contracted violently. He knew that fruit stand—it was about half a street away, more than five hundred meters from his current location. Yet this fresh appearance clearly showed it had just been snatched straight from that fruit stall.

In less than a single half-breath's blink, this young girl had run a round trip of one whole kilometer.

Her meaning was equally obvious: his party simply couldn't trap her.

Carmen couldn't help letting out a wry smile. Honestly, he hadn't wanted to pull a stunt like this, but alas, whether within Parliament or the internal circles of the Holy See, quite a few people were eyeing Kanna with covetous gazes. After all, in their view, a mere pharmaceutical company like Rhodes Island was unqualified to possess a living weapon capable of unleashing natural disasters like Kanna.

Thinking that if others came instead, it would instantly turn their currently amicable relationship into bitter enmity, he decided he might as well come himself—at least, given his friendship with Kal'tsit, it might keep the situation from turning entirely sour.

However, it appeared the other party's response was equally resolute. Given the speed Kanna had just displayed, if his group provoked her, not only would they fail to hold her, but the losses would undoubtedly be quite catastrophic.

Carmen sighed, then waved a hand to signal the surrounding Inquisition personnel to disperse.

"Sorry about this, Kal'tsit."

Kal'tsit nodded. "I anticipated as much. But did you really think that when I dared let Kanna take action, I hadn't considered this kind of scenario might arise..."

"I know that too, but unfortunately quite a few people have had their minds addled by Kanna's combat power. If they were the ones sent here, they would inevitably stir up a storm of blood and slaughter. Better that I come instead; at least I feel that as a 'Saint,' I still hold some weight of speech in Iberia." Carmen looked somewhat helpless regarding this.

He had known from the moment he received the report that Kanna was not someone Iberia could manage to keep. It's just that his comrades had remained unceasingly persistent regarding Kanna, which was why he had personally stepped out here.

"Since Kanna does not wish to remain in Iberia, we will not force the matter. However, her contribution to Rock Bay Town is indelible, so I have specially prepared the status of an honorary viscount. I hope you will accept it, Kanna."

Carmen crook-finked his finger, and an Inquisitor stepped forward holding a box. Carmen opened the box to reveal a certificate and a medal resting inside.

Kanna looked up at Kal'tsit, who gave a slight nod, before Kanna reached out and took the box.

Watching the two of them, Carmen felt a trace of a sigh. It seemed Kanna and Kal'tsit shared a deep bond (though in truth, it was with Rhodes Island). To that, he could only say heaven did not favor Iberia. If he had met Kanna before Rhodes Island did, he would have had the confidence to make her stay; as things stood now, he could only watch helplessly as they departed.

"According to the Rock Bay Town reports, Kal'tsit, you and the Rhodes Island operators made enormous contributions toward resisting the assault from the deep. By joint resolution of Parliament and the Holy See, starting today, Iberia shall regard Rhodes Island as a friendly mercantile house. Rhodes Island operators may rely on this status to enter and leave Iberia freely without the need for applications.

Furthermore, Rhodes Island is permitted to conduct medicine sales and property rentals in all towns across Iberia, and all municipalities will roll out the green light for your business applications."