Three wagons carried the surviving Golden Rose troops from the Ebon Forest encampment toward the borders of Red Dawn.
The front and rear wagons held the fighters, while the middle wagon carried Laura, Azure, and Aqua.
As the Golden Rose neared the border, the old forest road changed beneath them. Rough stone gave way to masterfully crafted pavement, so smooth that one could almost fall asleep in the carriage.
"Such craftsmanship. I haven't seen such attention to stone cutting outside holy temples," Azure said as she looked at the road ahead.
The road leading out of the Ebon Forest was wide enough for two large carriages to pass side by side, with Mystic Lamps illuminating each side through the entire day and night without rest.
"Red Dawn is the only kingdom on the continent with the money and means to build roads like this," Laura said.
Azure took a while to gather her thoughts before answering, a small hint of sadness showing on her face. "Not even the elven capital would be able to afford so many magical lights and wards."
The thick ebon woods and foliage grew sparser as the scenery was taken over by more and more artificial constructs.
Where trees thinned, wards rose in their place, preventing any monster from wandering onto the road.
While the depths of the Ebon Forest held no dangerous monsters, the outskirts were different.
Screamers, fearsome Bauks, and even lesser dragons could be found throughout the outskirts, but never near the borders of Red Dawn.
Laura shook her head. "Red Dawn is an anomaly; you shouldn't have your pride be hurt that humanity was able to build it."
As Laura explained to both Aqua and Azure, Legions of Red Dawn would regularly sweep both the borders and the kingdom clean of any wandering monsters and non-humans.
"Their military is equipped with the best enchanted equipment money can buy," Laura said with a hint of pride in her voice.
"But that is not the only thing that secured them their supremacy over their neighbors. The thirteen inquisitors and their king allowed them to even resist the wrath of the divine in the past." Laura gave both elves a warm smile, hoping to at least rile them up.
While Azure showed a hint of panic, Aqua just looked with curiosity in her eyes.
That is quite interesting, so they can isolate themselves from divine will. Aqua thought that perhaps she could learn something from the monstrous Red Dawn.
In her past, no kingdom was able to isolate itself from the divine; any that tried were smitten and their history erased by followers of the divine tyrant.
Such was the cruelty of gods, the most despicable of creatures, and yet always existing, no matter which world.
And yet the stark difference is the sheer amount of divine entities I feel, Aqua thought to herself as she let Azure and Laura talk.
The gods of this world were not nearly as powerful or influential as the parasite that had ruled her old one, yet their presence carried the same stench.
She could sense their gazes disappearing from her one by one, all but two of them.
The same goddess who had her filthy influence over Azure was now watching Aqua, too.
Watching but not trying to establish control.
The second gaze was more subtle, barely noticeable, like a professional thief hiding in the dead of night.
And yet even that presence was only watching.
It was impossible. No divine merely watched.
She is up to something; perhaps I can glean something from her, she thought as her mind entered a state of trance.
It was a technique she had used once before to find where the divine chain of the Supreme Deity led.
While current deities did not have any control or influence, it was possible to find where their domains were from their presence alone.
The meditation freed her soul and expanded her senses, even toward the hidden realms of the divine.
You won't hide for long, parasite. Aqua concentrated on a more visible connection as she followed it.
But before Aqua could locate the divine parasite, the connection was cut off completely; she couldn't sense the divine gaze anymore.
Impressive. So that parasite knew I was about to find her. Perhaps the more subtle connection will yield a better result. She concentrated on the barely visible tether.
And yet, she couldn't find who it belonged to; no, it was like one who was observing them didn't exist at all.
God of Illusion, perhaps. Aqua strained her mind and soul, and yet she couldn't find the observer.
Useless. I can't even find the second parasite. She sighed as she was shot out of her trance.
One parasite noticed her and severed the connection. The other remained hidden so perfectly that Aqua could not find its source at all.
God of Illusion, or something similar... She thought about possibilities.
Whatever the parasite was doing, it reminded her only of Master Umbra: the ability to trick the world and make reality itself think one did not exist.
I was right not to underestimate them. I will need to find a way to figure out what these divine parasites are up to. Aqua finally opened her eyes to find a worried Azure shaking her furiously.
"Lady Aqua! Wake up, what is wrong?" Azure's face was full of worry for her new friend.
"Azure, I am fine. I was just meditating." Aqua put up her hands defensively.
"Why do you have to keep worrying me?" Azure asked, squeezing Aqua's shoulders, a tear rolling down her face.
She is crying... for me. Aqua had no idea how to react to the beautiful woman crying above her.
"I was trying to wake you for a long time, but nothing I did worked," Azure said as she squeezed even harder.
Long time? Is it possible that my search took longer than I anticipated? She thought.
"Please, Azure, you do not need to worry about me. Also, you are grabbing me really tightly."
She smiled as she gestured at Azure's hands, which were squeezing her like a toy.
Azure's eyes widened as she let go, wiped her tears, and stood back up. "Forgive me, Lady Aqua, this was unsightly."
Aqua shook her head before answering, "You shouldn't be ashamed of your emotions, even if you don't believe so."
Aqua tried to keep a straight face without laughing at the knight crying out of worry.
She was sure she only worried because of the rescue mission and only because she needed her help, and yet she seemed like she cared more than that.
Could it be possible that she already considered her a real friend? She thought.
It was surreal. Aqua knew Azure was naive, but she didn't realize Azure would be this attached after only a short amount of time.
Aqua appreciated it even if she didn't say it. Perhaps we could be real friends, without any mission bringing us together.
Their exchange was interrupted by Laura shouting to other wagons.
"We are approaching the border! Prepare for inspection!"
Both Aqua and Azure sat next to each other, trying to look like they belonged inside this organization.
Aqua felt a change in the atmosphere as they approached the border of the kingdom.
The mana in the air was almost nonexistent, which would make any caster that she had met until now powerless.
She looked around as she scanned the surroundings near the border checkpoint.
Many crystal pillars protruded from the ground, each distanced evenly from the others in a deliberate way.
"Siphons," Aqua murmured as she scanned each pillar.
Siphons were used even in her old world as weapon batteries; they were capable of sucking in World Soul's excess mana and storing it for later use.
While these Siphons were smaller, they were even more advanced than the siphons used in her old world.
While the devices Aqua knew would reduce mana in the air and ground to a great degree, these Siphons reduced that mana to zero.
Impressive. Aqua was indeed impressed at such a display of mystic engineering.
Mortal hands built something to rival even the divine constructs of the most powerful priests.
This kingdom already had her interest before, but now it was her top priority to investigate.
As the wagons approached the checkpoint, four men in bronze plate armor stepped forward, the metal sturdier than most metals Aqua had known.
On their backs, they carried large metal packs, each pack radiating intense power.
Mystic Batteries, Aqua realized as she looked over each man approaching the first wagon. Such a small mystic battery, and yet it stored so much power. Worse still, it had been given to a mere border guard.
What impressed Aqua most was not only their power, but the fact that they were light enough for a human to carry. In some ways, they surpassed the energy storage of her old world.
This world seems to be on a similar technological level to the one ruled by the Divine Tyrant, Aqua thought.
It was incredible; she wanted to explore the kingdom, and yet she knew how they treated her people.
No matter how impressed she was before even entering the kingdom, she couldn't forgive such actions against her kin.
Be it a Mortal or Divine tyrant, both are the same in the eyes of the oppressed people they were supposed to lead.
Aqua took a look over her companion, the illusion still holding strong, but she was visibly nervous, her legs shaking slightly.
How could she not be nervous? This was the kingdom where most elvenkind would never gain their freedom.
Aqua knew that if she were in Azure's position, she wouldn't have trusted an illusion to keep her safe.
Alas, it wasn't only the illusion keeping her safe, but Aqua herself would incinerate everyone present to protect her companion.
While they were surely proud of their siphons, they couldn't prevent Aether conversion.
She thought about all of the priests of the divine tyrant who tried to restrain her.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the guards approached their wagon and ordered all occupants to exit and follow a pair of guards.
Both Aqua and Azure obeyed as they followed closely behind Laura as men entered the empty wagon and searched it.
The trio was led by two guards to a nearby building before they were ordered to take a seat.
The trio was alone inside a room with only a table and chairs; nothing that could be used as a dangerous weapon could be found inside the room.
The room had no windows and only a steel door serving as an exit.
After a couple of minutes, a well-dressed man entered. Unlike the other guards, he wore no full plate, only an officer's uniform. His build resembled a caster's more than a soldier's, and his face looked almost childlike.
This one seems important. Aqua leaned forward as she observed the man.
Many things could be gleaned from the way someone walked, talked, and acted.
From the way he walked and from his confidence, Aqua could tell he was a man of importance, and yet it was suspicious that they were stopped.
Aqua focused on connecting her mind to Azure, and with a bit of work, she was able to establish a telepathic connection to her companion.
[Azure, this seems suspicious. Do not act rashly.]
The moment Aqua finished, the connection snapped.
Azure never had the chance to answer.