Hello, folks! It's unfortunate, but in a week's time my examinations are going to start, and it is going to last for a few months at that... guhh -.- But that doesn't necessary mean that I will be totally gone from writing or anything like that, no. I'll still be writing, but new chapters will take longer time to come out, and I'll be updating y'all on the situation on those chapters' notes. Updates shouldn't take more than two weeks though, if I can.

Well, as always, write down whatever you have on your mind about the story and suggestions, and please, enjoy the chapter.

~ Artemis University, Spiral Staircase of the Central Building, Day of the Annual Marth Tournament

I don’t know… but it just feels like something is off. I told Earth, but he just said that he can’t do anything if he doesn’t know what it is.

“Calm down Salty, having doubts would only make the plan derail even further than what is inevitable.” Earth said in his mind as he walked up the seemingly never ending stone staircase. I guess there really is nothing I could do but… arghhh whatever!

We reached the large door again at the top of the staircase, but this time, alone.

*Knock knock*

We waited patiently in the cold, silent atmosphere, watching as the disturbed dust swirled about and sparkling in the dim moonlight of an early morning. A muffled reply is heard coming from the other side of the door, “How unexpected for you to find me yourself! You may enter the room, I’ll hear what you want.”

What a smart girl. Expected of someone of her calibre.

The door creaks at an uncomfortable pitch as it opens, revealing the same setting. The black-haired girl sitting behind a table with a big window behind her. This time, lamps are lit as it is still dark outside.

The maid that was holding the door open for us closed the door, however this time the door was silent. She then went off to another room which I assumed for is for making tea.

“Please do take a seat.” The girl gestured at a coffee table with soft seats all around.

Earth took a seat along with the girl, sitting opposite of each other as the maid served tea to us.

“Well, let me cut to the chase - I need your help in scouting the areas outside the city. I need your mana sight.” Earth broke the slightly awkward silence.

“Woah, right straight to the point aren’t you? I’ll let you use… but since this mana sight is my own invention, if you want to use it, then I have got to know the reasons. Can’t let you go peepin’ off into the girl’s dormitory, can I?”

“Haha, guess you’ll say that! Here, this should explain what happened quite well. I say it’s pretty darn well done!” Earth said in a rather self-satisfactory tone as he proudly pushed a few pieces of paper across the coffee table.

Those few pieces of paper… how should I say it. It’s like a story book, but with things drawn on it. He explained it was called a ‘comic’ but I still don’t understand what is the point of drawing things out when you can just write it. He did say something like ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, but aren’t pictures and words totally different?! I can’t believe that I, the great dragon queen of the Marth Forests is unable to understand something I was taught, even with my great wealth of knowledge! It’s frustrating how this monkey knows more things than me, but then again, he is not of this world just like those heroes…

“Wow… these are really well-drawn… -oops yes the story. Hmm… eh… mm… ahh! That’s one hell of a feat you’re going to attempt, and I know that you’re not something to scoff at, but don’t you think that this is a little bit… too much for you to do by yourself?” The girl replied after a series of strange expressions, the aligned the paper on its edges and pushed the pieces of paper back to us.

“Oh no, it’s not just me, that short comic only showed what I would be doing to the enemy troops. If I’m not wrong, the blast radius will be able eliminate the entire enemy army in a flash, and it will be troublesome if there was somebody from our side that gets caught in the blast. Besides, I’ll have my grandmother protect the city itself, and also you helping me.”

“Your grandmother?” Lily asked with furrowed eyebrows but showed signs of curiosity. Well, definitely not me… w-why would I be c-curious about how he has a grandmother when he came to this world alone… right?

I felt him move his right hand as my point of view changed, since I am on the first finger of his right hand. I could feel a sudden increase in energy flowing through his hand, and then there was a sudden white glow of light coming from behind his hand. I can’t see what was appeared on the back of his hand as he curled his fingers into a fist, but I can feel the aura emanating from it. I know it’s a magic symbol, I just don’t know exactly who the creator is. But I can feel from the aura that she’s someone to be reckoned with, at least with the weakling humans’ standards.

“Woah… she’s your grandmother?! I never knew that… I thought she only had three grandchildren.” Lily sound shocked at the display.

I could hear Earth’s self-praising thoughts again, “Oh man… I bet I look so cool right now…”

“No you don’t” I replied back in his head.

“Come on, don’t be so salty…”

“...did you jus-”

“That was a compliment about how cute you are!”

“Wait what?! Me… c-c-cute?! Cute…”

“Anyways, with that the city should be safe, so now I just need to scout out their positions so I know where they are. Do you know what is the effective range of your magic?”

“I can extend all the way to the plains outside the city, but the further the distance, the more mana it requires. If you’re scouting enemy troops, they will probably be several kilometres outside the city, and I’ve hardly ever gone that far so I don’t really know.”

“Ah, that’s good enough, let’s not waste any more time. Come sit here, it’ll be easier.”

“Easier… for what?”

“For me to use your magic of course. Oh well, I’ll move then.”

Earth has no idea how misleading his words just sounded. Well, what did I expect from a monkey anyway.

“Wait wait woah hol-” That girl couldn’t even finish her sentence before Earth placed his right hand on her forehead. I could feel a small and carefully controlled surge of mana flow through his hand and fingers, which is what he does whenever he ‘connects’ to other people’s minds

I connect myself to this flow of mana and somehow or someway I ended up in a white place, which is what Earth calls a ‘virtual’ room. It’s somewhat like the environment in the ring, but feels much better than that stupid old ring. I look around and find both the girl and Earth in the room, the girl being shocked at what just happened. I guess she never experienced anything like this before, I mean, out of nowhere you’re inside a white room that seems to lack walls or roof, where everything feels completely unreal.

“Alright, calm down, we’re inside a space I created in your mind.”

“A what in my mind?”

“Ahh, don’t worry about the details, it’s totally harmless, trust me. Just imagine using your mana sight like you normally do.”

The girl took a deep breath then steeled her face, closed her eyes and said, “…alright.”

Earth created strange buttons and long bars in mid air, and started pressing on them and suddenly the entire room became the girl’s vision in the real world… no, mana sight. We could see the room and the maid, who seems to be moving very slowly for some reason.

*Click click click click...*

Earth pressed a few more buttons and suddenly we’re moving upwards into the sky, then towards the outskirts of the city. It was as if we were actually in the sky, though there isn’t wind at all and doesn’t feel cold or anything. I bent down and I could see the bird eye’s view of the city, then we headed outwards out of the walls and to the plains. The girl started to show some signs of fatigue, so Earth increased the mana flow from his body to the girl, which I also felt since I am on his finger.

Once we were high in the skies at what I would call a good vantage point, Earth also felt the same and stopped at that particular position. We could see all of the plains and even the forests beyond the city quite clearly. Earth pressed another button, this one a little bigger than the ones before.

*Beep*

Red silhouettes appeared not too far into the plains, and suddenly the area with the red silhouettes are enlarged, and now we could see them all clearly. That’s the enemy! They have set up a temporary camp at the site, and that size… I would say it’s only at most a hundred men, just as Earth predicted.

“Mmm… so there they are… hmm?”

The view suddenly returned back to normal, and now a large group of blue silhouettes appeared under us… wait. Isn’t that the city’s army? So, they do know that their enemy is attacking them.

I looked at Earth for his reaction. He furrowed his brows a little, then replied, “Hmm… well, at least the main threat of the attack on the city, that is the bombs, is gone now. Hehehe, I want to see their reaction when their plan just failed miserably, as if it was a stupid joke. With that size of the army here, we’ll definitely win… well, not really. I still have literally hundreds of these live, ticking bombs which are going to explode when the tournament starts, which is in like, 2 hours, so I have to deal with that somehow. Hmm.”

The view enlarged once more, but now at the blue silhouettes.

“Hmm… wait, hohoho? Is that Ceris and Jax leading the pack? What a surprise! I knew they were something, but to be the Generals of Marth’s army, quite impressive indeed. Ah! I have a plan!”

What plan?

Earth immediately disconnected everything and returned the girl her senses, which she was in a daze for a few seconds before regaining her composure. Everything disappeared, went black for a split second and we’re back into the real world. The tea on the table still looks as hot as it was before, giving off mists of vapour into the cold, dry air.

“Brrr… that wasn’t the most pleasant thing I have felt in my life. So, what are you going to do now since we already have our army going against the enemy?” The girl shook her head a little, then asked Earth.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan already in my mind. Thank you so much for your help, see you next time if our fate allows!”

Earth finished cup of tea served to him before leaving hastily, not giving a chance for the girl to ask anything. Again, what plan? He isn’t even talking about it in his mind.

“Hey, what’s this plan you’re talking about?” I finally asked him in his mind.

“Ah, Salty, you’ll know that soon enough.” He gave a half-hearted reply.

Oh come on! What’s this monkey think he is doing?! Not that I’m concerned about him or anything… but what insolence! Fine, do whatever you want. I’ll just watch!

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