Page 46

Elufiel fell suddenly silent, then turned her head in confusion and caught the fleeting loneliness in the mage's eyes. "What's wrong? I have other dragon mounts. Don't cry. As long as you don't slice up my dragon, I'll lend them to you—all of them."

Odovish: "..." Where had the elf gotten the idea that he wanted to cry? And... "Slice it up?" The mage looked at her. "Why would I slice up a dragon? It's a rare dragon."

Elufiel was briefly at a loss for words. "But dragons—their hides, scales, blood, and so on—aren't they all alchemical materials?" The moment the elf finished speaking, the Northwind Whelp flicked its tail in displeasure. "Oh, good boy, I wasn't talking about you. Don't get worked up. No one can turn you into alchemical materials." No matter where she was or what state she was in, Elufiel could summon her mount back into its mount slot at any time.

Odovish shook his head with an amused smile and pointed into the distance. "Over there. About seven hundred meters from the nearest dock, there's a mulberry grove. We need to land there."

The dock on Lake Inoma's southern shore was bustling with traffic from passing ships and crowds of mercenaries. The boatmen's cries mingled with the deep calls of enormous aquatic beasts.

It was Elufiel's first time seeing aquatic magical beasts with such strange appearances. They had massive bodies and round heads, with smooth, pale-blue skin. Serrated protrusions ran down their backs, yet they did not look sharp; instead, they were blunt. The largest hump in the middle was especially rounded, and paired with their curved eyes that seemed naturally smiling and their nearly invisible mouths, they were actually somewhat cute.

"Those are Lulus." Odovish leaned slightly closer to the elf. "Don't let their size fool you. They're gentle by nature, fast in the water, and incredibly strong. They're the most common transport labor on Lake Inoma. We'll spend roughly a day crossing the lake. The boat will be a little bumpy. Are you ready?"

Because the surroundings were extremely noisy, Elufiel had to lean toward the mage as well. "Lulus? Is that how it's pronounced? Isn't there any other way to cross? Do we have to take that crowded little boat?" She had personally watched at least forty people emerge from one of the boats that was currently unloading. Some of them even carried polearms and large bundles. That boat's normal capacity was probably only around twenty-five people.

"I'm afraid so." Odovish glanced at a boat not far away that was about to depart. "We need to cross as soon as possible, or a certain annoying church will catch up with us."

"So if something like this happens again, could you leave us more time on the road? I mean—enough time to leave calmly, instead of running away in a panic like groundhogs dragged out of their burrows after we clearly won." The elf was extremely dissatisfied with having to flee without even being free to choose their means of transportation.

After paying one silver coin, the two boarded the first boat set to depart. Inside the cramped, packed cabin, Elufiel felt like a sardine in a can, or something similar. Obstacles surrounded her on every side, making it impossible to move. The cabin was also filled with an indescribable smell—like old, piled-up stinky socks mixed with a hint of blood and the fishy odor unique to aquatic creatures, all topped off with a heavy layer of cheap perfume.

The moment Elufiel stepped into the cabin, she had felt the urge to vomit. Once the cabin was sealed, that urge became despair. She regretted it now. At the thought of spending an entire day in such a cabin, the elf would rather face the Burning Legion.

How had the mage talked her into taking a boat in the first place? To hell with being inconspicuous. They had thoroughly beaten up an archbishop already—couldn't they make a flashy escape just once? May the Holy Light fool that Spell Saint who had brought her such a horrible experience.

As Elufiel desperately tried to distract herself, a breath of fresh air drifted beneath her nose. Looking up, she found that the mage had somehow moved to stand directly in front of her. They were so close that she could seemingly smell the faint herbal scent on him.

Odovish winked at the elf, and a small current of wind blew toward Elufiel. She opened her mouth in a silent, delighted smile. Sure enough, the mage always had little tricks to make life better. As for Odovish, even if he had no choice but to squeeze into the terrible cabin of a ferry, he would not force himself to breathe air that smelled so dreadful.

Elufiel had initially stood with her back against the cabin wall. It was not until the boat began moving rapidly that she understood why the mage had asked, "Are you ready?"

This was only "a little" bumpy? After the elf's head slammed heavily into the wooden cabin wall, Elufiel silently moved away from it.

From high above, enormous Lulus could be seen towing one sealed boat after another across the broad lake at high speed, leaving huge splashes in their wake and forming clearly visible ripples.

The ferry boats, exceptionally tiny compared to the Lulus, rocked violently amid the waves, making it difficult for the people inside to keep their footing.

Once the boat began moving, Elufiel saw everyone sit down where they were. The folded wooden boards hanging from the cabin ceiling finally came into use. Several crewmen lowered them, then opened the crossboards, creating a very crude second level in the cabin. The crew shouted for lighter passengers to climb up, and Elufiel and Odovish happened to meet the requirements. The former was genuinely light, while the latter... at least looked like a tall, slender young man. Compared with the broad-waisted, burly warrior-class mercenaries, the mage was simply "too frail."

After climbing to the second level, the rocking became even more intense. The lowered boards were not sturdy; the boat swayed, and the second level made of boards swayed too. Elufiel hugged her knees and endured the nausea. It was the first time she had learned that she could get seasick. At that moment, the elf missed the gnomes' airships terribly—fast and stable means of transportation that were nearly perfect aside from the occasional air disaster.