“Amaryl!~” Esser’s voice reverberates as she lightly pounded her hand on Amaryl’s door in glee. Her perking cat ears tried to sense what’s happening inside the room but to no avail, found no signs of movement.

“Amaryl?! Are you there?” Esser once again asked as she barges. However, her worry worsens as she saw Amaryl still lying on the bed with feverish countenance.

“Ah, Lady Esser, I’m sorry. It seems I’ve caught a cold and now, I am somewhat bedridden. I can’t attend today’s class so can you please call the academy?” Amaryl said with a troubled smile.

“Oh, I’ll just call Meld and everything’s fine. More importantly, since you are sick, I’ll nurse you back to health! However, how did you even caught a cold?” Esser voices her concern with a gentle voice.

“Sorry, from time to time, I get sick like this. I don’t know why but my magical power just get a little unstable and it leads to lowering my immune system. My doctor back at Ehon City told me that it might be the flow of my magical energy in my nodes that disrupts it.” Amaryl explained as she forces a smile back at Esser.

“Ah…yeah…I see…” Esser was lost at words from what Amaryl told her. “The more reason I need to take care of her, huh…” she said inside her mind.

“Is there anything else that seems off, Amaryl?” Esser further inquired.

“Seems off? Why do you ask? Well, now that you mentioned it, I feel like my chest feels heavier…” Amaryl replied with a worried face as she takes a glance at her chest.

“That’s just your breasts growing…” Esser retorted with a knitted brows.

“…Lady Esser, are you perhaps measuring my bust size with your eyes?” Amaryl asked with a half-closed eyes.

“…I’ll make you some porridge.” Esser said as she retreated with a pale countenance.

Esser rummage through Amaryl’s kitchen for the right tools and ingrdients in making the porridge she desires to feed Amaryl, however, her mind is restless.

“Long time ago…Amaryl…and me…are…” Her words trailed off as she prioritize her task at this moment.

And so, Amaryl wasn’t able to attend classes today and have to suffer a stomachache.

Meanwhile, Sigrun and friends are now climbing down the mountain with a steady pace as they traverse through foot.

“Say, Reed, you don’t…have any interests…in that, right?” Alisa asked meekly.

“That?” Reed replied with a question whilst, tilting his head quizically.

“I mean, you like someone in your age bracket, right?” Alisa threw again a question.

“Huh?! What do you take me for?!” Reed panics as his countenance turns pale as he alternately glances from Alisa who is walking by his side to Nio who is riding at his back, peeking her face to his.

Currently, the three of them are walking in line with Sigrun at the front and Emeralda at the back. Since they aren’t Sigrun who can just leap across the whole mountain or fly like Emeralda, they decided to just leisurely walk.

“I bet we could have already solved this foot trip if Sig were to give us a lift with his wind magic. All the more since no magical beasts even dared to approach us with Sig on the lead…” Alisa muttered.

“Well, since we will be missing Monday classes, why don’t we just take it easy? Whether we arrive day or night, it’ll just be the same.” Sigrun said in a carefree tone.

“As expected of Sigrun. Anyway, what are you going to do with that girl, lad? If possible, could you hand her over to me?” Emeralda asked with a grin plastered on her face.

“Umm…in the end, won’t it be for Nio to decide that? I mean…isn’t she older than me?” Reed said with a troubled face while feeling a little guilty.

“…Savior!” Nio shouted in anger as she sent palm on the top of Reed’s head.

With a soft sound of palm beating a hair, Nio angrily taps on Reed’s head furiously.

“Eh? Nio? Did I said something bad?!” Reed asked in panic as he comfortably receive Nio’s relentless soft attacks.

“Yeah…you deserve that.” Alisa casually said with a pitiful gaze towards Reed.

“Why?!” Reed asked with a snap.

“Hmm, it seems Nio is also aware of such concept, thus, do not touch the subject regarding age, lad.” Emeralda said with a nod.

“I-Is that so…? Then, I’m sorry Nio.” Reed apologizes in a meek tone, not knowing what he actually did to upset Nio.

“You guy are actually bantering about age…” Sigrun voices out a depressed cry.

With such conversation, they proceed throughout the vastness of the mountain slopes. True to his reputation, no magical beast has ever approached them, even by mistake.

The so forth travel downward didn’t even amount to more than three hours as they already reached the exit of the mountain’s most dangerous part.

Soon after, they passed the misty clouds that served as a barrier to hide the mountain’s true face and they are met with a proper sky with the sun brimming into their faces.

It was around afternoon when they reached the midway of the mountain.

“Ah…sky…blue…” Nio muttered in a quivering voice as she stares at the vastness of the blue sky indifferent from the place where she grew up.

“That’s right, Nio. That’s the color of our sky. Despite lacking in multitude of color, it is still pretty, right?” Reed said as he pats Nio’s head who is in daze.

“Don’t get too excited. You haven’t seen everything yet. Wait till you get to the sea.” Alisa said in glee as she stretches her body after a while of not being able to bask in sunlight.

“Sea?” Nio tilted her head upon hearing another word she is not familiar with.

“Yes, the sea. It’s a nice place where you can splash all day in the salty water and have fun in the beach. Someday, we’ll take you there.” Reed said with a smile.

“It is as he said, it’s a place that everyone will enjoy. I promise to take you there one day so please behave, okay?” Alisa gave out her words to Nio.

“Ah…how nostalgic…I made a promise like that once…” Sigrun’s mind relieve himself of a somewhat distant memory that he had once dreamt of.

“Hey, hey, let’s not waste time here. Since it’s not that cold anymore, can’t we just jump all the way down?” Emeralda said impatiently with an anxious face.

“I guess you’re right. Hey, Reed and Alisa, who do you want to hang onto? Since Nio can fly, the two of you are odd one out.” Sigrun asked with a devilish smile.

“Thanks for your concern, Sig, however, I’ve been thinking of ways to cope with being flightless, that’s why, I’ll try doing things on my own.” Reed said as he sprouted a fearless smile.

“Yeah! I’m the same too! I don’t want to embarrass myself anymore so I’ll do this on my own way too.” Alisa said the same thing as she clenches her fist tightly.

“Oh, then show me what you’ve got!” Sigrun said in a tone where he seemingly challenging the two.

Without hesitation, Reed blasted from the ground with a torrent of wind. Seemingly boasting, he didn’t left Nio behind and carried her in his arms. The vortex of wind swirls around his body and propels him in the air. He bravely dives downward with the wind made of magical energy as his driving force.

“He is literally showing off, huh. Well, can’t say I didn’t developed a card of my own. Here goes nothing!” Alisa sprouted the same smile a daredevil would do.

Alisa leaps into the sky and easily reached a peak point using her naturally gift as a Vaster. After that, from the sole of her feet, a blaze of raging flame suddenly streaks throughout the sky. Boosted by the flame’s explosive power, Alisa surfs into the sky with a flabbergasted smile.

“I… I pulled it off!” She shouted in joy as she kept on her pace.

“Oh, did they perhaps developed a nerve of steel just going through the mountain’s wilderness? I’d say, they improved a lot.” Emeralda said to herself as she watches the two soars into the sky.

“I shall go now too. Sigrun, see you below!” Emeralda said as her scaly wings emerges from her rear and took off.

“Ahahaha, everyone is so lively. I guess I am really going back, huh…” Sigrun muttered to himself with a melancholic expression.

“Well, it’s not like I am not going to visit. Maybe once a month is good. This time for sure, I’m going to start my life for sure together with them.” Sigrun said to himself as he look back towards the mountain top.

“I’ll be off then.” His finally words before storming out from the place.

And so, they went downhill without a problem as Reed and Alisa mastered a new skill from their experience.

After a several hours again after they met up in the base of the mountain and head towards Brent City in a leisure walk while telling Nio some common sense of the world, they have arrived.

Emeralda walks ahead in joy as she once again set her foot on the city.

“Ah, the brazen smell of the city! After some nature trip, I can now relax in the comfort of the civilization!” Emeralda said in a glee as she went around, looking at the buildings.

However, in the next moment that they took a step in the vicinity of the city, a battalion of police came rushing.

“EH?!” “Wah?!” “Oooh!” Reed, Alisa, and Nio said in succession as they are flooded with military dressed people not less than a hundred in numbers.

Eight Exturbo with heavy firearms even came rushing to them. The police and soldiers line up together with their guns equipped with magic pointed to them, no, to someone else. In didn’t even end there, some of them took hold of Alisa, Reed, Nio, and even Sigrun all together like they are some special personnel, confirming their safety while leaving Emeralda behind with all firearms pointed at her point blank.

“Well, now that’s a welcome parade…” Emeralda said in a funny voice and stiff smile.

A man, seemingly the commander of the troops, stepped in and confronted Emeralda. He took off his helmet and reveals himself as none other than Meld Valker.

“Emeralda Hearnt, you are under arrest for kidnapping two…” Meld pauses for a bit and look towards Reed’s group. He made a huge grin and continues with his words. “Four people. Anything the you will say will be used against you. You have the rights to remain silent.” Meld declared with a creeping smile on his lips.

“Hey, hey…! Why did the count increased?! You are actually enjoying this, aren’t you?!” Emeralda barks at Meld who showed an evil grin as he saw how pale Emeralda’s face is.

“Silence, criminal! Cuff her and take her away. You will be lawfully judged in accordance with our rules.” Meld ordered his men and they faithfully cuffed Emeralda with magic seals.

“Meld! You piece of-!” Before Emeralda could complete her sentence, her mouth was taped and she was taken away by the police.

Reed, Alisa, and Sigrun are all in daze from the sudden event where Emeralda was taken away. They all have blank stares at Meld who ordered Emeralda’s capture.

“It’s pretty easy to testify for her but that would be a huge pain. Considering that she is one of the Ten Paladins and you guys cooperate obediently, we could lessen her punishment into a community service and paying a fine. That said, I’ll have a word with all of you.” Meld said towards their group.

“Isn’t she…” Sigrun wanted to follow another word.

“Ah, even with those magic sealing cuffs, she’ll be fine. She is sane enough not to break the law or escape through brute force. I mean, this is Emeralda we are talking about, a person who kidnapped four kids and caught in act.” Meld said in a joyous mood.

“But…she really didn’t…” Alisa then tried to voice out her own opinion.

“Yeah, she isn’t. But would you rather explain everything to your father who sent out wanted poster of her face all over the town?” Meld countered Alisa’s upcoming words.

“I guess…we are at fault too…” Alisa could only say as her face pales, knowing the extent of her sudden disappearance.

“I want to have a word with all of you, however, taking you three back home safely would be our priority. As for Sigrun, I’m taking you back in my house as you are my adopted child. For this little girl here…hey, she’s a girl, right?” Meld doubted Nio’s gender knowing that he got tricked once by Sigrun.

“It’s a she…Her name is Nio.” Reed said as Nio clings closer to him as she showed visible wariness to Meld.

“Thank goodness. For that girl…since she seems pretty attached to you, Reed Chelle, care for her in the meantime. I’ve got mountains of things to do. Well then dismissed.” Meld said as he turn around and started talking to his men again.

“Ah, sweet revenge.” Meld’s only thought as he was able to put Emeralda behind the bars even though it’s only temporary.