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n“They’ve left.”

nBelow Rodel City, a group of people watched as Howard and his companions departed into the distance.

nThey were dressed in uniformly neat black robes, the silver-embroidered lotus on their chests particularly conspicuous.

n“This is just the beginning,” one of them spoke up.

n“Along the way, they will encounter even more calamities. This is his mission.”

n“To witness, then to change.”

n“This is the path to redemption.”

nWith that, the speaker turned and walked in another direction.

nNula had her responsibilities, and they had theirs.

nEach person fulfilling their role is what keeps the organization functioning.

nIf Nula’s duty was to guide Howard, their task was to discreetly handle all the aftermath in the shadows.

nUnnamed, that was their code name.

nThey had no names, only identifiers.

n…

n“Ali! How much longer until we reach Sorona?” 𝑖𝘦.𝘤𝑜𝘮

nThe hazy daylight cast shadows through gaps above, and the morning air still carried a hint of chill.

nAli and Jelia, one tall and one short, ambled along an uninhabited pathway.

nTheir pace was steady, imbued with an air of leisure.

n“Not long now, not long!” Ali waved his hand dismissively.

n“In half a month, we’ll see the walls of Sorona. Let me tell you, it’s a grand city, the walls are thirty meters high! Even the titans we saw a couple of days ago wouldn’t be able to climb them! And it’s not just about the height, the walls are five meters thick! Even a level 2 magus wouldn’t be able to breach them!”

n“You’ve told me this for the thirty-fourth time!” Jelia yelled, her voice rising.

n“But you’ve asked me that question fifty-five times!” Ali retorted, then playfully smacked Jelia on the head.

nShe screamed, clutching her forehead and glaring up at Ali’s chin, her nose twitching.

nAfter a pause, Jelia said, “I miss Howard.”

n“Last night, I dreamt about him. I saw him covered in blood, but he still had that silly smile on his face. It scared me.”

n“That’s indeed something to be scared about. That’s not a good sign in a dream,” Ali nodded in agreement.

n“Don’t say bad things about Howard!” Jelia attempted a kick at Ali’s shin, but her young age and lack of strength meant it didn’t hurt him.

nInstead, she almost ended up sitting on the ground herself.

n“Relax, that guy isn’t so easy to get rid of.”

n“If he could survive Lorinda, he’s not going to just die that easily.”

n“We’ll find him soon enough, once we get to Sorona.”

nBut as much as he said that, it was more of a reassurance than a certainty.

nBoth Jelia and he knew the truth very well; they weren’t people who relied on significant powers.

nIn a place as chaotic as Sorona, finding someone was no easy task, especially when Howard was likely to hide his tracks deliberately.

nMaking oneself disappear is always easier than making others vanish.

nYet, they didn’t let on; they needed that hope, even if it was a false one.

nIt’s not as if they couldn’t survive without Howard; they weren’t that melodramatic, and the world certainly doesn’t stop for anyone’s absence.

nBut just as everyone has wishes, they simply wanted to help Howard.

nCompanions ought to assist each other.

nThis was not just for Howard’s sake but for theirs as well.

nBanding together signifies stronger power and better conditions for survival.

nThis is a harsh world, never suited for playing the hero alone.

nYou can choose solitude, but it also means endless difficulties and trouble.

nAs time passed, the warm sunlight gradually spread across the land, awakening the world.

nThe flow of people began to increase, noises from the sides of the roads grew louder, and occasionally, wolf howls could be heard, causing Jelia to cling closer to Ali in fright.

nShadows moved in the roadside bushes, Jelia looked towards them with a mix of fear.

nGlossy-furred grey wolves!

n“Wolves!”

nStartled, Jelia screamed, clutching Ali’s clothes tightly.

n“There are wolves!”

nAli diverted his gaze to look, patting Jelia’s hair, “Just a pack of wild wolves, not even spellbeast subspecies. Nothing to be scared of. In two years, you’ll be able to take down such creatures with a single strike.”

nIt wasn’t a matter of Ali comforting or deceiving Jelia; orcs genuinely possess such capabilities.

nThough they lack any special talent in mana, that’s because the majority of an orc’s strength is manifested physically.

nAmong magi of the same level, having orc bloodline almost guarantees invincibility in close combat.

nSharp senses, formidable physicality, coupled with an intuitive understanding of human nature, make orcs unparalleled in one-

non-one melee combat.

nFew humans could defeat an orc in such confrontations.

nThough currently just a little one, Jelia’s combat prowess was beyond doubt.

n“But its mouth is so big!” Jelia pointed towards a grey wolf by the roadside, yawning widely, “It could bite off my leg in one go!”

nPerhaps sensing Jelia’s focus, the wolf’s icy gaze landed on her.

nThis action made the little girl squeal softly, hiding behind Ali.

nWith the girl clutching his clothes, Ali couldn’t move forward.

nLooking down at Jelia, who had hidden her head but not her backside, Ali sighed with a wry smile and patted her head, “Let’s go. There’s a village up ahead where we can rest, and I’ll buy you honey bread.”

n“Really?”

nFood has always been the best way to divert attention.

nThis tactic was once again proven infallible; the mere mention of honey bread immediately shifted Jelia’s focus away from the roadside wolf.

nShe looked up at Ali, eyes gleaming, almost drooling.

nProbably due to hunger, Jelia had virtually no resistance to such exquisite and tasty offerings at the moment.

n“When have I ever lied to you?” Ali said, patting his chest.

n“Once we reach the village ahead, it’ll be just about lunchtime. We can stop to rest and eat something before continuing on.” 𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮

n“But you lied to me when we left Breeze City!” Jelia eyed Ali suspiciously.

n“Back then, you said it was just half a month to Sorona! And now, you’re still saying the same thing!”

nAli’s forehead creased with several lines.

nAt that time, annoyed by Jelia’s constant questioning every few hours, he’d vaguely said “half a month” to appease her, not expecting Jelia to hold onto those words.

nSometimes, what might be a careless remark to you can carry a completely different weight for someone else.

n“Stop nagging! If we don’t hurry, we’ll only have bread crumbs to eat for lunch!”

nAli gave Jelia a playful thump on the head, and while she was busy covering her forehead, he walked a few steps ahead.

nHolding her forehead and letting out a yelp, Jelia glanced at the roadside wolf, its cold gaze and bared, sharp white teeth sending shivers down her spine.

nWith a shiver, she hurriedly caught up to Ali’s steps.

n“Wait for me, Ali!”

n…

nThe village Ali mentioned wasn’t far, at least, not on the map.

nHowever, two kilometers on a map and two kilometers under your feet are not the same; the former is just a couple of finger-

nwidths on paper, but the latter translates to more than half an hour’s trek.

nThough the distance turned out to be longer than anticipated, fortunately, neither of them was delicate.

nDespite the lengthy journey, they both persevered to the end.

nIt was just a bit messy, that’s all.

nPerhaps motivated by the prospect of delicious food, Jelia surprisingly didn’t stop much along the way.

nHowever, once the village was in sight and her enthusiasm began to wane, the soreness in her feet and legs brought her crashing back to reality.

n“I can’t walk anymore! My legs hurt…”

nFinding a large rock at the village entrance, Jelia sat down with a pained expression, looking up at Ali.

n“Should I carry you in?” Ali suggested, rubbing his chin.

n“Wouldn’t that make you look like a kidnapper?” Jelia eyed Ali as if he were some kind of dangerous individual.

n“Do I look like that kind of person to you!” Ali’s face darkened.

nThroughout their journey, Jelia had pricked him with her sharp tongue more times than he could count, despite her young age.

nAli thought to himself that Jelia would surely grow up to be adept at verbal sparring.

nWith a wave of his hand, Ali said, “Eat or don’t, it’s up to you. Or you can just stay here, waiting to eat bread crumbs!”

nBread crumbs certainly couldn’t compare to honeyed white bread!

nJelia’s eyebrows shot up, and after massaging her legs, she suddenly hopped down from the rock.

n“I’m okay now!” Jelia grinned, patting her chest.

n𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

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