Enci, who Callan said he would persuade, switched places in an indifferent manner and without saying anything.

But Jiwoo could tell right away that Enci was upset. His long ears were lowered so close that they were touching his shoulders, and even though everyone was about to leave, he didn’t even say a word to them to have a good time.

Callan told her to think nothing of it and said that Callan would follow without much thought, but from Enci’s point of view, it was no different from Jiwoo expressing that she would leave him behind.

“Enci, I’m going now, okay?”

“…….”

He didn’t even answer.

It seemed like he was really sulky this time, so she felt like if she left it like this, she would keep thinking about it for no reason.

While thinking about what to do with this, Jiwoo saw the other husbands behind Enci saying something silently using only facial expressions and hand gestures.

They tapped their lips and waved their hands in the air, trying to convey something. After watching that movement a few times, she felt like she knew what the answer was.

Jiwoo went closer to Enci, grabbed him, and lifted her heel.

She pressed her lips against his cheek until it made a sound. Then she pulled away, and only then did Enci open his mouth.

“…D-Don’t think this is going to work.”

Although his attitude had calmed down a bit, it seemed like his heartache had not all been resolved yet.

The husbands were shaking their heads in the background and pointing to their mouths again.

‘Lip? Words, not liips? Ah!’

Actually, they have been telling her to comfort Enci for quite some time, but somehow she wasn’t doing it.

“That… Enci.”

“…….”

“I’ll bring Enci a gift when I’m back.”

This time there was a definite response. He didn’t turn his head, but one of his ears perked up. The part of the ear that was continuously lowered was turned towards Jiwoo. As if he would listen without missing the sound he wanted to hear.

“Hey, we’re on a strict schedule! Finish talking quickly!”

As Enci was still with his arms crossed, an impatient Tevon shouted from behind Jiwoo.

“…What are you going to give me as a gift?”

“It’s a secret. Wouldn’t it be okay to wait for it?”

“Hmm…”

His expression was still cold, but his ears were twitching, showing that he had already relaxed.

“You mean you will come back and give it to me yourself?”

Thinking about it, it wasn’t a difficult task.

Since other groups considered Elandos as important, it was obvious that they would give quite good rewards. Jiwoo had no intention of receiving the ‘compensation’ that the people here were particularly anxious about, so she seemed fine with using it as an excuse to refuse and ask for something else.

It was only when Jiwoo nodded that Enci looked this way. He didn’t change his attitude easily because he was so angry, but it still felt like she could get a proper send-off.

Enci took Jiwoo’s hand and kissed her.

“…Have a safe trip.”

“Yes.”

Jiwoo walked towards the other group waiting at the village entrance and the group that would be joining her on this journey.

The other group that was supposed to guide the group was already walking ahead.

Jiwoo looked at them, who were still waving their hands in this direction, and then she held the hands of the group.

The expressions on their faces as they waved their hands were noticeably brighter than before.

“If I had known that you guys liked receiving gifts, I would have tried it before. I’m not sure what I can do for you now…”

Even if it wasn’t a grand task like healing Elandos with the power of Akarna, couldn’t she have given them at least a small gift? Even if she couldn’t buy something nice, she could have made something like a bouquet of flowers.

When Jiwoo felt regretful, Tevon put his hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll like it only when Seo Jiwoo gives it to us.”

“Really? I would appreciate it if you thought so, but…”

“Well, more than that.”

Callan chimed in.

“You promised that you would come back, right?”

“…Isn’t it obvious? I have somewhere to go.”

“It could happen. You would be welcome anywhere in El Ragneil.”

Callan smiled and said nicely. However, Jiwoo thought his words and attitude were strange.

It was as soft as always, and as kind as always, but it still bothered her a little.

“Seo Jiwoo, I’m really glad that you think of it as your business and hurry.”

“Ah yes. you’re welcome.”

“We will ensure that there is no inconvenience during your journey.”

Jiwoo smiled and expressed his gratitude.

The journey was quite noisy from the start as several groups joined. While making small talk with them, Jiwoo quickly forgot what Callan had said that made her feel uncomfortable.

* * *

For those who walked the huge sky path connecting Carnazion and El Ragneil, finding another old tree was not that difficult. However, they did not move in a straight line as they did when crossing the continent or as quickly as before.

No one walked in the sky like black then, nor did a quick-footed person run while holding Jiwoo. They moved leisurely and quietly, like a river moving, leaving behind winding traces. The reason was that unless something special happened, the radius of action should not overlap with other areas.

“Maybe this is better. You need to know more about El Ragneil in order to choose a place to stay.”

Jiwoo had some doubts about Lanceil’s words.

Choose a place to stay?

They were people who lived around trees that had already taken root in one place. So does that mean if she finds a place they like, she can move there?

Jiwoo laughed as she imagined that legs would sprout from under the roots of the Elandos and that it would be able to walk around. But even if something like that moves around, the fact that this is a beautiful continent will not change.

In fact, Jiwoo thought El Ragneil was a continent made only of forests. A land of sacred trees where Elandos stands out, with occasional pillars supporting the sky.

But the green mountains in the distance, the ice caps whiter and colder than Elandos, and the huge river that flows along those mountains. And when she saw the cone-shaped coniferous trees hanging down all over the mountains and rivers, she thought she was seeing the travel destination she had always dreamed of.

The scarlet colors of autumn were mixed among the bright green conifers. The water of the river flowing along the path made by the trees was so clear that it could be considered a lake stagnant in one place.

Helka, who was standing by the river and moving his ears for a while to gauge something, looked back at Jiwoo, who was watching nature.

“It would be best to cross from here.”

“We don’t have a boat though?”

“There is no need for that.”

Helka held out his hand like he did when she walked on the sky path, and Jiwoo took his hand.

She was just about to set foot on the water.

“Wait.”

Callan came up to Jiwoo and took off her shoes. Callan kissed the top of Jiwoo’s foot once and washed it lightly with clear water.

The deep blue sky, the river that contained the sky, and the refreshing temperature enveloped her toes.

“It will feel better this way.”

Jiwoo walked along the river, which was colored in autumn colors by the red fallen leaves. From a distance, it seemed to reflect the sky, but when she walked and looked down, she could clearly see the bottom of the river. Perhaps because it was flowing slowly, but she could see that there were many round pebbles at the bottom of the river. So it just looked like a clear lake.

Jiwoo walked with Helka’s help, and then played by splashing around while holding other people’s hands.

Others were also walking on the river without difficulty. This level of magic seemed like nothing to them.

She could see why the children of Elandos did not need enormous fortifications like a human being’s castle walls.

They were a race that was born magical and lived their entire lives using magic. There was magic in Caranazion, but only a few special people could use it. It was closer to a weapon of war or engineering than to magic.

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