22 Sealed

"Good morning, Sylphy." (Ember [Usagi])

"Morning, Little Rabbit ... Let's go eat something." (Sylphy)

This morning was much more peaceful than yesterday.

Ember was still asleep and Sylphy was in tip-top shape.

We got out of bed, cleaned our hands and faces with water magic, and then went to get our free breakfast.

Today, the polite waitress brought us a simple dish. An egg, a sausage, and toast.

We ate in silence but unlike yesterday, we were also smiling happily.

Then, we went to a small grocery store to buy condiments, fruits, vegetables, and basic necessities like toilet paper.

I was surprised when I saw it. This world was not as primitive as I thought. I also found some things made of plastic ...

However, Sylphy didn't seem as impressed as I was, like this was all years old and no longer a novelty.

"Since Wolf Girl loves meat, we will have to hunt some beasts along the way. For that, there are certain things that we need to get. Follow me." (Sylphy)

Afterward, we went to a weapons and equipment store and also bought a sharp iron knife to dismantle beasts and monsters and a special field bag to store their parts.

Lastly, we purchased a large black leather saddle so that Ember can hold the bags at her sides while in wolf form and Sylphy can ride as comfortably as possible.

Sigh. "I wonder if we will have enough money to rent a room once we get to the southern city ... " (Sylphy)

" ... Sorry. Making you buy all this for us ... " (Ember [Usagi])

She looked at me for a moment before flashing me a beautiful smile while shaking her head.

"No, don't worry. This should be cheaper than paying for a trip to the capital. Besides ... I like being with you two." (Sylphy)

My heart skipped a beat and my face blushed.

' ... Don't fall in love with her smile! I already have Ember!' (Usagi)

I will be loyal to Ember for the rest of my life ...

After I calmed down, we returned to the White Sheep Inn to hand over our key, collect the clothes we asked to be washed, and say goodbye.

"Have a safe trip!" (Gentle Owner)

"You two are so cute! I was holding back earlier, but ... can I give you both a hug?" (Not so Polite Waitress)

She didn't wait to hear our responses and did it anyway ...

Her body was soft and she smelled great ...

"Thank you! It's hard to see pretty girls like you in this little town!" (Easygoing Waitress)

" ... No." (Ember [Usagi])

Being a girl and being hugged by one are different things.

I've gotten used to the first, but not the second.

Also, I could count on one hand how many times a cute girl hugged me in my past life ...

But I didn't get depressed. This life is different after all! I have Ember!

She is still a bit young at the moment. However, she will definitely be a beauty in the future!

Smirk. 'I am a pretty lucky guy.' (Usagi)

When I can see my parents in heaven in the distant future, I will be able to hold my head high. Your loser son finally achieved something in life! Hahaha!

Although, if Ember was not a wolf but a human when I found her, it is possible that I could not have gotten that close to her ...

"Don't just stand there. We have to go, remember? Also ... don't smile like that. It doesn't look good ... " (Sylphy)

'Damn. I should try practicing smiling correctly once I have the chance ... ' (Usagi)

However, I think my smirk wasn't bad at first, but it was affected halfway by my mixed feelings.

In any case, using a mirror made with water magic to practice my expressions in my spare time should suffice ...

Soon after, we left White Town.

. . .

"We should take a break, Little Rabbit." (Sylphy)

" ... Sounds good." (Ember [Usagi])

I've been running nonstop for a few hours while using Ember's wolf form and it was already past noon ...

Sometimes I ran slowly to save strength and other times I used my full speed in addition to activating Acceleration.

We crossed a meadow full of yellow flowers, we went around a large mountain, and even jumped a fairly wide river ...

Although I wouldn't have gotten to the other side of the latter so easily if Sylphy hadn't helped me glide through the air with her wind magic.

Thanks to all this, both Ember and I managed to become a little stronger.

Getting stronger outside of my inner world sure is easier.

However, I also think that Ember's inherent growth rate and the Experience Boost ability that she got from me when she evolved played a part in this as well.

"Wolf Girl truly is fast. We should be able to reach the southern city, Myra, tomorrow evening or the day after tomorrow." (Sylphy)

"She is ... When I met her, she was just a wolf this small, you know?" (Ember [Usagi])

After Sylphy removed the saddle and bags from my sides, I changed into human form and showed her with my hands how small Ember was before.

Since I didn't have a lot of topics to talk about, I started telling Sylphy more about the time I met Ember.

She was a malnourished wolf pup who suffered from isolation caused by her pack and hated the way she looked.

Not because she thought she was ugly, but because she believed her pack rejected her for being different.

As for why she ended up being so pitiful, Sylphy already knows.

I also told her that I wouldn't have met Ember if it weren't for all the things that happened in that nameless village.

"I see ... It's good that you found her, Little Rabbit." (Sylphy)

We didn't say anything more about this and started looking for a place to rest.

The best option we found was a large, lonely tree in a small clearing near our location.

Sylphy pulled out a small blanket from her magic bag and sat in its shade before returning to her true form.

Sigh. "Come here. I know you are tired too." (Sylphy)

I did what she said. In truth, I wanted to do something more productive, but over-exhausting Ember's body wasn't an option.

If my body was still that of a man, I probably would have sat cross-legged or just lay down. However, I felt that a young woman wearing a dress shouldn't.

So I sat a little more dignified so as not to wrinkle my clothes. Soon after, Sylphy sat on my lap and gazed out at the tree-covered horizon.

Her expression was not the brightest and she slowly opened her mouth to speak.

"You see ... I've felt very lonely since I took that 'vacation', so I was really glad when you and Wolf Girl came to my dungeon. Well ... if she hadn't evolved at that time, I wouldn't even have met you." (Sylphy)

Certainly, no one in their right mind would treat a dangerous and terrifying monster as a guest.

If Ember hadn't assumed a demihuman-like form and instead just grown into a bigger, stronger wolf, Sylphy wouldn't have let us into her dwelling.

"I didn't spend a decade there because I wanted to, but because I was ordered to ... Before the day those ten lonely years finally ended, you two came to me." (Sylphy)

If we hadn't met her, we would have simply left the dungeon and she would resume her frugal life until she completed her orders ...

The series of events that brought us together seemed like mere coincidences ... However, I felt it was something different.

'Is this ... fate?' (Usagi)

I do not know. But there is one thing that I am sure of and it will be better if I tell her.

" ... Sylphy, I'm happy to have met you ... I'm sure Ember feels the same way too." (Ember [Usagi])

I smiled as brightly as I could while saying those words.

Fate? Coincidences? I don't fucking care.

"I am also truly glad to have you by my side and ... to be with you right now." (Ember [Usagi])

She is very important to me now and that is all that matters.

Beyond that, I realized a fact from her memories.

Having an extremely long lifespan didn't mean you could spend ten years alone and keep your mind straight.

Even if she went to see Fae sometimes, she had to return to the dungeon as fast as she could, so her happiness was always short-term.

It is not about how long you can live, but how you live the life you are given ...

Those words came to my mind. Then, Sylphy opened her mouth to speak once more.

" ... Yes! I'm also glad to have met you! I love you, Little Rabbit! Also, you two scared me to death yesterday, you know? Please don't leave or disappear like that anymore!" (Sylphy)

I likewise hope that none of us have to experience anything like that incident yesterday. However ...

Love, huh? It may not be the same kind of love Ember has for me.

However, seeing her beautiful smile and tearful face aimed at me still made me the most fortunate "man" in the world.

" ... Yeah, I promise." (Ember [Usagi])

Ember won't remember any of this, so I'll surely tell her once I wake up.

Sylphy is not only our friend but also our new companion.

Then she hugged me with her little arms and cried once more for a long time ...

After Sylphy finally calmed down, she fell asleep on my lap.

. . .

'Hmm ... What should I do?' (Usagi)

I had enough rest and wanted to do something else.

However, Sylphy was still sleeping soundly on my lap ...

I also couldn't go to see Ember because I was standing guard in case a monster came to attack us.

'Oh! I know!' (Usagi)

I grabbed Sylphy's magic bag that was next to me and used Appraisal.

≪Magic Shoulder Bag (Rare). Medium grade Space Magic infused leather bag. Compared to a normal bag of its size, it can hold ten times more items inside.≫

'Huh ... Interesting.' (Usagi)

Based on Sylphy's memories, it is difficult to find someone with space magic.

In this world, humans are different from any other race.

While monsters and demihumans can acquire Magical Attributes and know how to use magic instinctively, humans are born with something called Magical Affinities.

Human mages can learn magic spells from any of the four natural elements. Fire, water, earth, and wind, but they need affinities to learn spells of any other attribute.

Furthermore, a mage who uses fire spells and has an affinity for that element is a lot stronger than other fire mages.

On the other hand, it doesn't matter if a human is young or old, noble, or even a commoner.

If they want to use magic, then they need to study a lot of things like magic circles, mana control, and even chanting in order to cast spells.

'This world is quite mysterious ... ' (Usagi)

Once I analyzed the simple yet classy design of this magic bag until I got bored, I grabbed the black-hilt longsword I received from Sylphy and pulled it out of its scabbard.

Schwing!

It made a nice sound and now I could fully appreciate its appearance.

Its blade is silvery-blue in color and has some black and blurry engravings in a straight line from its base to its pointed end.

Like the ones on Ember's breastplate, they were written in an ancient Elvish language.

If I didn't have some of Sylphy's knowledge, I'd think these marks were just random squiggles. As for their meaning, I still had no idea.

Truthfully, I am more curious about this sword than the magic bag, so I used Appraisal with enthusiasm.

≪Ancient Mithril Longsword [Sealed] (???). Extremely sharp longsword made from the highest quality mithril by the Legendary Dwarf Blacksmith, Blackburn. It is predestined to fall into the hands of a pure maiden and will unleash its power at a time of great peril to save her.≫

Gasp. ' ... ' (Usagi)

It's more amazing than I thought. Extremely sharp? Legendary blacksmith? An unknown rank?

The highest-ranked items I've seen so far are only rare-rank like Sylphy's magic bag and Ember's magic dress. They are both quite impressive.

As for other ranks ...

In this world called Aegis, there is a commonly used classification system that uses ranks to determine the value and power of any item. They go in this order.

Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and the last one that is doubted to exist is ... Mythic.

As for sealed items, even Sylphy hasn't seen any ...

This must be a pretty strong longsword, but ...

The condition to remove the seal it has almost makes me want to pass out.

'Pure maiden? Great peril?' (Usagi)

Don't fuck with me! There is no way I can ever unseal this damn sword!

"Mmm ... mmm~ ... " (Sylphy)

While my emotions were still in great disarray, I could see that Sylphy was slowly waking up.

Like the "gentleman" that I am, I raised my right hand and used water magic so that she could wash her sleepy face.

" ... Thank you, Little Rabbit ... I feel better now ... We should go as far as we can before the sun begins to set and avoid wasting time." (Sylphy)

She had a cute smile on her face and somehow seemed more relaxed.

As if she was more carefree now than before.

" ... You're right, Sylphy. Let's continue our journey." (Ember [Usagi])

I calmed my disappointed and angry heart, and also managed to smile when she looked at me.

Then I changed to Ember's wolf form. The white dress I was wearing became a thin white scarf along with my other clothes.

Sylphy put the saddle on my back and hung the bags at my sides.

Before we left, I looked once more at the tree we were resting on.

Its leaves were pink, while red flowers also grew on it. Its appearance piqued my curiosity, so I appraised it too.

≪Pink Flowering Dogwood (Rare). A difficult tree to find. It usually has white leaves and flowers. However, they turn pink and red respectively for a short random period once a year. It is said that if two people declare their love for each other under its shade, they will be together for all eternity.≫

' ... ' (Usagi)

I'll pretend I didn't see that ...

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