Reed approaches the shrine with eyes brimming with determination and heart resolute to perform the task he himself has given. Towards the towering Sacred Mountain that even the top cannot be seen from his place as it is bathed in clouds, he didn’t waver.

However, he abruptly stopped in his tracks as someone blocks his way. Someone he, in the corner of his mind, most expected to be here.

“Please don’t stop me, Lady Emeralda.” Reed pleaded with eyes piercing through the visage of Emeralda as he already set his goal towards the mountain path that could lead to where Sigrun is.

“Oh? That is not my intention, lad. There’s just one thing I wanted to confirm with you. Either you stay with me for a little while or you’ll never pass here.” Emeralda subtly gave a threat mixed with a little demand as she gave a wry smile towards Reed.

“Do I have a choice? What do you want to confirm?” Reed asked impatiently.

“Lad, what do you see of this mountain? Don’t you think it’s so peaceful and lovely? Full of greenery and sweet cold breeze surrounds it. Even with its size, it doesn’t look imposing.” Emeralda stated as she glances back to the mountain behind her as she affixed her glasses.

“I can see nothing wrong. I’ve heard that there are magical beasts here but that alone will not stop me. I want to bring back Sig. It’s the only solution I came up in my mind!” Reed exclaimed as he clenches his fist to still his passion.

“I see, then, lad, you’re already dead.” Emeralda simply said.

“Wha--?! Why?!” Unable to comprehend what Emeralda said, Reed took one step forward as if to show his indignation from her remark.

“You are already disillusioned by the nature of this mountain. Do you think it is that simple? It is as they said, you are quite reckless.” Emeralda shook her head left and right as she held the bridge of her nose to still a headache she was about to experience.

“I see…if Lady Emeralda said so. Please tell me, what lies ahead of this path? I want to get to Sig no matter what!” Reed realizing that Emeralda pointed out something crucial, his changes attitude.

“Wow, you are not as obstinate as I thought. I thought I need to give you several smacking to input logic into your head.” Emeralda exclaimed with a disbelief tone.

“Ahahaha! Between Alisa and I, I am the reckless one but I listen to others when it matters the most…in some cases. For most of the time, Alisa is the one who is obstinate.” Reed couldn’t help but laugh at what he said.

“I like that attitude of yours. Well then, to answer your question, what lies ahead this path is, a world connected and at the same time, disconnected from reality.” She said as she directs a sight of sternness to Reed.

“Is this…some kind of a paradox?” Reed could only mutter as he tried to comprehend those words.

“Lad, I myself missed Sigrun. I’ve always missed him for these past eighty years.” Emeralda said as she shows an eye tinged with misery and loneliness.

“Then, wouldn’t climbing up the mountain…Wait…if you, Lady Emeralda, the Third of the Ten Paladins, is strong, shouldn’t it pose no problem?” Reed’s eyes widen as he caught a whiff of something.

From his expression alone, Emeralda regarded Reed as someone who passed. She wanted to see if Reed could think of the reason but he immediately shows his insight into his tone.

“That’s right. This mountain there is nothing sort of sacred. Truth be told, this is easily one of the scariest places on this planet.” Emeralda said with a far off look.

“Lady Emeralda, what happened to you…back then?” Reed asked a question trying to gather more information.

“To be brief, when I was fifteen years old, I and some Magus tried to climb this mountain. The Ten Paladins wasn’t founded yet so I have nothing else but people who are quite experienced. As we reached midway…” Emeralda closes her eyes as she pauses, relieving those memories like they are still fresh in her heart.

“All fifteen magus were killed without even a single resistance from the mountain’s wilderness. Hunted by a two-meter tall pack of wolves, beaten to a meat paste by a five-meter tall ogre, eaten alive by a huge arachnid which has a span of four meters, and so much more…” Emeralda’s voice is bathed with remorse and guilt as she telltale about her experience.

Reed immediately felt it. His heart clenching as he vividly imagines those situations, his knees shaking from trying to shake it off, his palms sweating trying to still his fear visibly.

“And then, at last, I was about to meet my end as a dragon opens its mouth to devour me as a snack when the strongest predator of the mountain came.” Emeralda sprouted a smile.

“Strongest predator?” Reed, trying to get over his fear, asked with eyes full of curiosity as he got seeped into the story.

“Yeah, that would be none other than Sigrun himself. He didn’t specifically save me though. His presence is feared by any living things there so naturally, the dragon fled. Me, at that time, followed him to safety until I got at the top of the mountain.” Her tone changes into a comical and laid back one.

“So that’s how you and Sig met…” Reed spelled a smirk as he imagines that scenario.

“Yeah, so, skipping a lot of the story and bedtime activities, for five years, I trained there because Sigrun won’t take me down the mountain. So, instead of continuously begging him, I trained under his guidance until I can go down the mountain myself.” Emeralda shrugs as she smiles.

“Then you can definitely go back at the top, right?” Reed, finding hope, said.

“Unfortunately, I am unsure. Going down and going up are two different things. You could also say that I am only strong enough to escape by myself. Not to fight.” She stated like it was an obvious fact.

“Strong enough to escape? Even if you told me that magical beasts there are unbelievably large, won’t Lady Emeralda can come out victorious?” Reed quickly inquired the question.

“Lad, you do not underestimate that mountain. Once you fought one, another one will come. It will draw more magical beasts around you and you will be fighting non-stop. And what’s more…” Emerald pauses for a moment as her expression freeze in perplexed.

“What…?” Reed hurried for an answer.

“Unlike common magical beasts outside the cities, magical beasts here are capable of using magic. And on top of that, they are an adept user of Vitas Magic, auto regeneration. If you quite get what I mean, do you still think you can do it?” Emeralda ushered answer from Reed.

“Yeah!” Reed’s only answer.

From Reed’s immediate response, Emeralda was shaken a bit as she took a step back. She stares at the lad, no, at the man whose eyes are sincere and full of unshakable resolve. One may dare to say that he is just simply reckless, however, this man is quite tricky.

“Lady Emeralda wanted to bring back Sig too, right? I wouldn’t be seeing you here and asking me these kinds of questions if you don’t want to.” Reed asked with certainty towards the shake Emeralda.

“You…!” Emeralda couldn’t refute Reed’s words.

“Lady Emeralda could easily wipe the floor with my face and drag me back but, you yourself are aware of your own desire. Then, Lady Emeralda, please lend me your strength!” Reed uttered those words as he affixed his stare directly at Emeralda’s eyes.

“Ah…Ahahaha…AHAHAHA! Interesting! You are a really an interesting lad! I don’t know if that’s the reason why Sigrun became attached to the two of you! Well then, I am going to give you two a hand!” Emeralda broke out into a laughter.

“Thank you! But…wait! Two?!” Reed suddenly shouted as he noticed something amiss from Emeralda’s words.

Seeing that Reed realizes what she just said, Emeralda broke out into a happy grin. She nonchalantly walks towards a tall tree and grabs its body. With her monstrous strength, Emeralda uprooted the tree like she is just picking up a toy from the ground.

She raises the tree overhead and walks towards Reed with her face still grinning. Reed looks at Emerald with eyes of disbelief because of the display of her prowess and at the same time, the confusion of what she did is something unneeded.

“Kyaaa! I get it! I get it! Please put me down! Or rather, please put down the tree! My…my skirt is flailing!” A shriek, almost pleading voice of a girl resounded.

Reed peered hard at the top of the tree as a familiar voice entered his ears. From the cover of the leaves of the tree comes…something pink…

“Ah…ahh…” Reed's voice leaked out with his face burning in cerise as he realized what it is that he is peering at. The fluffy fox tail already gave out her identity but something came as a bonus too.

“Here, here! Ahahaha! Hey, lad, can you see it?!” Emeralda keeps shaking the tree in a glee.

“Put me down! Ahh! I’m going to cry!” Cried Alisa as she tightly clings unto the tree. Then and there, Alisa’s wishes have been heard as Emeralda took pity on her.

Emeralda gently lowers the tree where Alisa can safely land…beside Reed. Actually, she intends Reed to catch Alisa as she playfully shakes the tree again as Alisa is just above Reed.

“Eeek! What the hell!? Uwaah!” As Alisa delivers another complaint, she loses her grip and fell.

“Alisa!” Reed cried as he catches Alisa in his arms. As her body is brought close to him, he embraces Alisa tightly.

Emeralda then leaks out a horrible grin as she walks away to return the tree from where she uprooted it. After that, she sat in one corner to observe the two.

“Alisa…” Reed muttered under his breath as he stares at Alisa’s eyes which on the verge of tears. Once again, it incited a hot and tingling feeling in his chest.

“Y-you see…Reed…I was just taking a stroll and then…I uh…this is a stupid reasoning, isn’t it?” Alisa fell into a slightly miserable countenance as she immediately concluded her own words to be ineffective in the given situation.

As she ran out of things to say, Alisa fiddles with her thumbs, still in Reed’s arms. She is unsure of what to say at this point.

“Why are you here, Alisa? No, did you…followed me?” Reed asked those question in disbelief.

“No…I actually got here a little earlier but then, you came by and I panic. I climbed that tree to hide but then…Lady Emeralda appeared. I lost the chance to come out…” Alisa said as she looks away from Reed. “And…can you put me down…?” She added.

Following her plea, Reed gently set Alisa down on the ground on her feet.

“Now that I’ve said it…I can not hide the fact that I want Sig to go back too, huh? I guess I’m just as lonely as you, Reed…” Her voice is tinged with a little melancholy but nevertheless, driven like Reed.

Seeing Alisa talking to him like this, Reed felt a little happy inside his heart. He then realizes that, maybe, maybe, Alisa’s voice is somewhat soothing too. He didn’t notice from year all round that they are together but he got used to Alisa, however, as they were torn apart momentarily, he came to learn that he longs for her.

Without saying a word, without asking for her permission, Reed reaches out for Alisa’s back and pulled her close to him. So close that he immediately felt her breathing, her warmth, and her presence that he misses.

“What--?! Reed! This is! So…so…um…” Alisa face immediately boiled piping red and her hand panics but she showed no resistance.

“I…miss you so much. I didn’t know it myself. Even though we were so close, at that time, I felt so far from you. I’m glad that we could talk again.” Reed words enter Alisa’s ears like a dripping honey that glued her to his chest further.

Alisa, on the other hand, felt Reed’s manly physique. She felt how vastly different a man’s body to a woman despite their race. In the first place, she is already infatuated with Reed, however, she also learns that this simple infatuation grows ever so passionately.

“Wooo! Get a room you two!” Emeralda teases.