“What the heck! What is this? An earthquake?”

Ethan panicked and turned the direction of the cart. But something felt off.

If it had been a normal earthquake, it should’ve lasted longer. However, that terrible catastrophe only wrecked one huge mansion and ended there.

“Th-that’s the Idra Ducal Estate!”

“What the hell is going on? Huh?”

“Wait, wasn’t today the day of the tea party at the Idra Ducal Estate?”

“Yeah! I heard Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was hosting it!”

“Why would Her Majesty the Empress Dowager hold a tea party at the Idra Ducal Estate instead of the Imperial Palace?”

“It’s because she’s not on good terms with His Majesty the Emperor these days, and the atmosphere at the palace is a mess.”

People nearby began to murmur and gather.

Ethan muttered blankly too.

“That mess really is the Idra Ducal Estate?”

The estate’s walls had all collapsed. The situation inside was entirely visible from the street.

“Linna!”

The Empress Dowager, who had crawled under the table due to the quake, shouted while trembling in a dirt-stained dress.

“What the hell is this! What do you think you’re doing, huh?”

The Duke of Idra, too, was pulled out from the dirt heap with the help of his servants. He shouted furiously.

“Linna, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing all of a sudden? Huh?”

It seemed it was true that the Empress Dowager had held a tea party at the Idra estate.

From the wrecked garden, nobles dressed in formal clothes slowly began to emerge one by one.

And on top of a tall column of dirt sat a woman, looking down at them all.

She was laughing as if having the time of her life—it sounded exactly like a witch’s cackle.

Her hair was like a bomb had gone off, bright red and tied up high, and she wore a short, shockingly bold dress with a giant skull pattern.

‘What the hell.’

Ethan swallowed dryly and flinched.

‘She’s insane?’

Her golden eyes gleamed with madness, and countless piercings sparkled under the pouring sunlight.

She suddenly stopped laughing. Stroking the black cat in her arms, she spoke in an eerie tone.

“What am I doing, you ask.”

Her bomb-blasted red hair stood out vividly.

“I’m just doing what Father always wanted—taking my place as the successor. Watch closely.”

“Linna, how dare you—!”

“Huh? And who do you think you are, to be lecturing me? As Father always said…”

Thud. The ground shook again with a rumble.

“I am Idra now.”

Everyone standing in the garden staggered and fell down clumsily.

“A-hahahahahahahaha!”

Linna clutched her stomach, laughing at the sight.

“This is too fun, right? Isn’t it? Better than any party I’ve ever attended.”

When the Empress Dowager and the Duke of Idra barely managed to stand again and were about to hurl insults, the ground trembled once more.

“Uwaaaagh!”

“L-Linna! Ugh! Just—wait!”

By now, even people from other neighborhoods had gathered to witness the scene.

In the end, the Empress Dowager fainted from the sheer mental shock of becoming a public spectacle, and the chaos only grew worse.

‘Honestly, that’s for the best.’

Ethan quickly seated himself back in the cart.

‘While that crazy woman draws everyone’s attention, I’ll just get the hell out of here.’

Just as Ethan was about to inject mana into the cart wheels—

Clunk. The earth rose in front of the wheel.

“Wh-what the hell!”

Panicked, Ethan jumped down and frantically cleared away the dirt in front of the wheel. But just as he tried to climb back on—

That insane woman was already sitting in the cart, cat in arms.

“This thing looks really fast. Mind if I borrow it? I’ve got someone I need to meet, like, right now.”

All eyes were now focused on them.

Ethan protested in horror.

“What the hell? Not just anyone can ride this. You’d have to be a grand mage to handle it.”

But Linna, unfazed, crossed her long legs and replied as if it were nothing.

“Then just give me a ride.”

“What? No way! I’ve got somewhere to be too!”

“Where are you headed?”

Linna asked as she casually filed her nails, clearly not intending to get off.

“I’m taking this road too, so just give me a ride to wherever our paths overlap. There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

“No!”

“Then you don’t get to go either.”

In an instant, the road in front of the cart began to morph into a bumpy mess.

Ethan’s jaw dropped.

‘She’s insane… She’s genuinely insane… A lunatic in a totally different way from Rosie…’

In the end, Ethan pulled his robe low over his face and climbed into the cart alongside Linna.

“I’m going my own way. If our paths diverge even slightly, you’re getting off.”

“Of course. I’ve got a conscience too.”

Linna grinned, flashing her teeth.

As the road smoothed out again, Ethan began injecting mana into the wheels.

“Okay, okay, bye now. Goodbye, everyone.”

Linna waved around gleefully, cackling.

“Wasn’t that fun, everyone? I thought so too. Best party ever. Sharing fun with others really lifts the mood. I was born for parties, seriously.”

Ethan lowered his head.

He already hated being the center of attention, but now it was even worse.

“Ugh, and what’s with this creepy cart? Why’s it so dreary? Let’s pretty up our Boong-boong!”

The cat flicked its tail a few times. Flowers scattered across the garden began sticking all over the cart with mud.

‘The world is wide, and lunatics are everywhere…’

Ethan shook his head in despair.

‘So many crazy people outside the Noart estate… The only safe place is the Magic Tower…’

And with that, he set off toward Arhad with Linna.

* * *

The moment we crossed the border, we abandoned the boat.

After that, we rode Fire straight toward Arhad.

“Promise me, Rosie.”

Zahid whispered to me throughout the journey.

“Promise me you’ll let me protect you.”

He didn’t say anything like, “Why did you stop my awakening?” but instead began saying something else.

“Physically, I’m way stronger than you. So don’t ever step forward.”

“If the master of the Divine Beasts doesn’t step forward, what do you expect me to do?”

“I’m saying just stay put so your Divine Beasts can protect you.”

“Zahid.”

I let out a deep sigh and said,

“You sound just like the old Julian Noart.”

“……”

Zahid was briefly stunned, but even so, didn’t change his mind.

“Anyway, you being exposed to danger is harder for me to bear.”

He said quietly.

“I… I just want you to…”

“You want me to?”

“…I just want you to…”

Zahid mumbled anxiously, then changed the subject.

“Anyway, even if you get a little hurt, I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it.”

“Zahid, look here. A tiny hangnail’s come loose on my pinky.”

“……”

“You’re bearing it. See? You’re doing great.”

“Oh, come on.”

Fire galloped like lightning. It was so fast that it felt like a miracle I’d been able to catch it back in the Kingdom of Itaa.

And when the holy land of Arhad finally came into view—

“Uwoooooong!”

<This way!>

Athena, cradled in my arms, suddenly cried out loudly.

The order was so sudden that Fire jolted in surprise and skidded to a halt by the roadside.

“Uwooooooong!”

<Rayyyyyyy!>

“Oh.”

I smiled faintly and let Athena go from my arms, then explained to a bewildered Zahid,

“You think you’re the only mutt with an owner? Mine says her owner’s here too.”

Athena flapped her wings joyfully and flew off into the forest’s edge.

Not long after, Ray appeared, with [N O V E L I G H T] Athena perched on his arm. He must have been hiding around Arhad all this time.

“You’re alive.”

He looked at Zahid atop Fire and chuckled.

“How’s it feel drinking a bit of the afterlife’s water?”

Zahid proudly wrapped his arm around my waist and replied.

“Getting rescued by my fiancée, who came running for love? Feels fantastic.”

“You just had to say that in front of someone who got dumped, didn’t you?”

“…Wait, don’t tell me you confessed?”

Zahid gaped in shock.

“There’s no way you misread the situation, and yet you still did something that gains you nothing? You, Ray?”

It was exactly the same reaction Linna, Abraham, and I had.

“Hey.”

Ray muttered in disgust.

“Either say you had no idea how I felt, or act guarded like you usually do… That would’ve felt less shitty…”

In any case, even as they bickered, Zahid and Ray seemed to enjoy it.

Having worked together for so long, it seemed their thin layer of camaraderie hadn’t changed one bit.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep