I finished my conversation with Enda.

Enda looked over at Nainiae, and then asked if we were ready.

“Yep. Again, thanks for the favour.” I smiled at her.

“Dumbass…” She looked at me and rolled her eyes, “…Teleport.”

Her Mana surged like a wave, swirling and surrounding the carriage. With barely no effort at all, Enda cast the Seventh Circle Magic. Which made sense, since she was a Ninth Circle Mage.

Nainiae was wide-eyed, shock and awe on her face, admiration in her eye.

If Nainiae was going to cast Teleport, she would have had to shut her eyes to focus on the coordinates, and then recited a two minute chant, without being interrupted. Only then, would a Magic Circle have appeared and the Magic activated.

‘I don’t think that is the normal method. It’s definitely different from how us Humans use Magic.’

The Magic Circle generated by Enda was at a whole another level when compared to what Astroa used when he cast Teleport.

However, this Teleport wasn’t just for moving around within a city. Enda’s Magic was for Teleporting great distances between cities--it was perhaps obvious that the size of the Magic Circle would be much larger.

However…Nainiae was still impressed.

‘Would I be able to do that?’

It was obvious why Nainiae would wonder such a thing, after all, she was a Mage as well.

“Buy me a gift there, bring it back to me.” Enda said.

“If I remember.” I laughed as I gave her a thumbs-up.

“You rascal…” She spoke with a grin, the silver light exuding from the Magic Circle underneath the carriage became much more intense.

With a flash, the light disappeared, along with Nainiae, the Carriage, and me.

***

‘Is that the sound of rain?’

Nainiae wondered, hearing a strange noise of the roof over the driver’s seat of the carriage. Because of Enda’s Teleport Magic, Nainiae’s vision was blurry.

As she blinked several times to clear her eye--she could hear the sound of screams.

“Sheesh, of all the places to send me--why did she send me here?” I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice.

As if in response to my voice, a roar sounded out. It was incredibly loud and fearsome, enough that it felt like the atmosphere shook.

Nainiae screwed up her face and narrowed her eye, she seemed to be trying to regain her sight.

‘Just what is going on…’

While Nainiae still couldn’t see, she did, however, her a sharp noise. Having been taught swordsmanship by Sara, she was well aware of what that sound was--it was the sound of a sword being drawn.

“--Young Master?”

She felt the seat…no…the entire carriage being shaken--something large was shaking the ground.

The shaking was growing stronger, the roar was getting closer.

“You still can’t see, can you?”

I asked her.

She looked ashamed as she responded, “Yes--I still can’t.”

With a shake of my head, and a pat on Nainiae’s, I hopped down from the carriage, “Stay there for a while, okay?”

“Okay.” Nainiae had no idea what was happening at the moment--however, she had made up her mind to follow me unconditionally. So, she simply nodded and sat there, waiting for my next order.

The sounds of steps shaking the ground stopped.

She could suddenly feel a chill above her head--she knew that the giant…thing, had come all the way over to the carriage.

Despite that, she waited quietly, her face, her eye, filled with trust.

“Hmm, from the distance, I thought you were carrying a stick; but it seems to be almost an entire tree. You are pretty strong, huh.” I was irritated.

“There will be blood that will splatter all the way to the carriage, so cast a barrier.”

Nainiae immediately used Barrier--a round, semi-transparent shield surrounded the carriage.

Looking at the innocent and trusting girl, I sighed--before drawing my sword. The massive green ogre stood with a tree in its right hand. It snarled as it swung the tree at my head, a ‘Swoosh!’ rang out.

With a grin subconsciously tugging at my lips, I swung my sword.

***

After hearing a beastly roar--Nainiae suddenly heard something dripping onto her barrier, something that wasn’t rain…something sticky.

Nainiae was pretty sure that it was blood.

‘Finally. My eye is slowly--’

She quickly scrunched her face, squeezing her eye shut and rubbing at it, before opening it again. Her vision, which was still slightly blurry, gradually returned.

Nainiae could finally see her surroundings.

The carriage was in the middle of a forest.

With her vision finally back to normal, the first thing, other than the scenery, that she noticed was a giant Monster with one of its arm cut clean off.

It was stumbling backward.

The Monster had deep green skin, and a huge gut protruded from its giant form. Its face and arms were wrapped in tough muscles and it gave off a terrifying aura.

‘Ogre!’

It stood at around five or six times the height of an adult human, with an ugly face and fangs jutting out over a fat lower lip. It looked like the drawings of Ogres that Nainiae had seen in books.

“This is an Ogre, right?”

Resting my sword on my shoulder, I looked back at Nainiae and double-checked the identity of the Monster that had ambushed us.

“Yes. I believe it is.” Nainiae’s eye met mine, an innocent smile on her face.

“Hmm, it seems that Enda dropped us in a place with a Monster--that rascal, I wonder if she did it as payback because I woke her up.” I tapped my shoulder with my sword, massaging the muscles.

I looked back at the Ogre which I had cut the arm off.

Suddenly, it roared.

“Urgh, it’s so noisy, Nainiae.”

“Ah, yes.” She nodded, and cast Silence.

The loud roar coming from the beast’s mouth suddenly vanished and the forest’s silence was restored.

“Young Master, if you don’t quickly finish this Ogre off..it will go berserk.”

Although the sound was blocked, it was still screaming--its massive mouth was open, huge fangs exposed, spit flying. Its eyes were turning red.

“Berserk?” I asked Nainiae.

“Yes. Running berserk is an innate ability of Ogres, when its eyes are completely flooded with blood--it has a massive increase in speed and strength, it can also regenerate.” Nainiae said, “If you don’t mind, shall I finish it?”

“Hmm, nah, there is no need.”

“Pardon?” She tilted her head at me.

“Actually, I was in the middle of testing it, so…”

“Testing it?”

“Yep, so, it’s actually working pretty well.” I turned back to the Monster and shrugged.

The Ogre’s eyes had turned completely red, it seems to have gone completely berserk, charging towards me with drool running from its now slack jaws.

“Young Master! It’s dangero…” Nainiae was about to shout a warning--but she stopped before she could finish the words.

It was because the drool falling from the Ogre’s mouth began to fall slower.

“I tried using Time Magic, and…”

The drop of drool finally fell, and following suit, it’s head slid off its neck and fell. Perhaps because of Nainiae’s Silence Magic that was still in effect--but the absolutely silent scene was somehow eerie to watch.

“Since I can do this much, will it be alright if we got started on the next step?”

There was no sound from the impact, because of Nainiae’s Silence Magic, but the ground shook violently from the impact of the immense mass.

“Y-Yes.” Nainiae stuttered a little as she answered me, her eye locked onto the shoulder and neck that I had severed, then at my sword.

‘As I expected, Young Master…’

There was so much blood splashed on the Barrier that Nainiae felt like she was looking through coloured glass--but there was not a drop of blood on me, or my sword.

“What are you staring at?”

Impressed…and smitten--the red colour seemed to turn pink, in her eye--Nainiae was at a loss for words; but my voice pulled her from her shock.

“I was thinking that you are simply amazing.” Nainiae spoke in a dazed voice.

“Thanks.” I raised an eyebrow at the now blushing Nainiae, who coughed, and asked, “How was my Time Magic?”

She may have been my servant, but she was very strict when it came to Magic--she wanted to make sure that I didn’t struggle in the future because of having faulty Magic.

“100 points…If I could give you more, I would…it was perfect.”

“I see--thanks.” I smiled at her, sheathing my sword and walking up to her.

“So, where are we now?”

“Please wait a moment.” She shook her head clear and took out the map, “I think we are near this area. However…there doesn’t seem to be any landmarks near us. So, making a hasty decision about which way to go is…”

With her small finger on the map, she traced the approximate path that we should follow.

I waited for her to continue.

“Young Master, I used the Search Spell, just in case, and I think that there are a few carriages parked not far from here. My guess would be that they’re headed to Rainfield…should we join them?”

“Sure, why not.” I smiled up at her--with a small sigh, I jumped up onto the seat next to her.

She blushed and her eye swam, before she removed the Barrier and started driving again.

***

It was probably twenty or thirty minutes after the carriage left that something happened. The Ogre’s dead body twitched, moving and twisting in disturbing directions--along with the sound of bones snapping…

The dead Ogre’s eyes opened, completely black…like the deepest pitch.