"Are you really going to set sail?"
Kroya looked at the excited Orpheus Oak, unease gnawing at him. "Tredan told me it was a Cardinal from the Church of Light who came to summon you, not the Elves!"
His sixth sense had always been keen. This affair probably would not end well.
When that powerful Cardinal entered the waters, the young Merfolk prince had come to tell him. Ever since then, he had felt deeply uneasy.
So he could not help trying to persuade the oak. "You can insist that they send someone from the Orpheus Family to collect you, my oak friend..."
But the Orpheus Oak had not listened to a word Kroya said. It was so happy that tiny flowers had blossomed all over its body.
Its expression was one of sheer delight. "Human friend, this ship's wheel is my key. Only my master could create something so exquisite.
"He must have sent someone to fetch me!
"I'm about to see my master. Human friend, please don't say any more!"
As it spoke, it pushed a whole pile of ancient scrolls toward Kroya. "These are the things I promised you. Take them!
"I give all of them to you."
"Ah..."
Kroya looked helplessly at the great pile of Elven scrolls in his arms. Although he knew they must contain important knowledge, he felt no joy at all.
Instead, his unease grew stronger. He could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
After wrestling with himself for a moment, he suddenly grabbed the oak and said solemnly, "My oak friend, if you insist on going... then accept a spell from me."
It was an abrupt request. Not only could it expose his special magic, it could also make the oak think he had sinister intentions.
After