Chapter 136

〈 136. Journey 〉

Leaving the Mind entity’s Nest where she had spent several months, Asha soared into the sky and gazed at the panorama of the kingdom.

“It’s all really gone.”

In Asha’s memory, the kingdom was filled with grotesque Tentacle Nests erected on the ground and covered in purple Slime. Now, as if that past had never existed, the world was entirely a green field.

With her physical specs drastically increased, Asha could even see people picking their noses while floating over a thousand feet (300m) in the air. She smiled as she watched a woman holding an armful of harvested crops munching on an Energy Bar.

“Ugh… that stuff tastes awful. Is there still some left?”

Asha’s gaze naturally turned east.

“Hey, Anet. Can we go over there for a bit? Have you ever seen the ocean?”

Asha remembered the promise she had made with Lucia to see the ocean together. Anet shook her head at Asha’s words.

“I have not. The Queen’s assistance is crucial, but not urgent, so I believe we can stop by for a moment.”

“That’s good. Lucy, let’s go see the ocean with Mama!”

“Okay!”

Lucia, too, seemed to remember the past promise at Asha’s words, and a wide smile spread across her face.

The Mind entity’s Nest was not far from the capital, so the ocean was close enough to reach with a short trip east. It was a distance that would take an ordinary person almost ten days to walk, but Asha and Lucia could reach it in less than three hours if they flew with all their might.

Anet could also fly with the wings on her back, but her speed was woefully inadequate compared to Asha and Lucia, who were flying at full power. Asha, seeing Anet falling behind, flew while holding her close.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Anet didn’t know what to do, becoming a burden and being held by Asha. Asha chuckled at Anet’s embarrassed appearance, which seemed so different from her usual stiff demeanor.

“I just want to get there quickly, that’s all. Aren’t you dizzy or anything from going too fast?”

“I’m fine. It’s just… it’s too comfortable, that’s the problem…”

“Ahaha! If it’s comfortable, what’s the problem!”

She still had to rely on the Winged Garment to fly, but the Mana that Asha could wield was on a different level. Now able to create even localized gusts, she literally whipped up the Wind Magic as she flew.

The Wind Magic that Asha created was so strong that it would be difficult for ordinary people to even open their eyes, but Asha and Lucia were able to fly even faster without any hindrance. Only Anet neatly folded her wings and clung tightly to Asha.

In the end, Asha arrived at the sea before sunset, having departed when the sun was at its zenith.

“I’ve tried flying as fast as possible before, but I didn’t expect to get here this quickly. Lucy, weren’t you tired?”

“Not really? Mama, is this the ocean?”

“Yes, this is the ocean.”

The sea was still an unknown place to the humans here. The pebble-filled beach was devoid of any human traces, with only birds guarding the area. Asha was overwhelmed as she faced the ocean again in this world, not knowing when she had last seen it.

“Lucy, Anet! What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”

“It really is… vast. I wonder what lies beyond.”

“Hmm… I don’t really like it!”

“Ah, is, is that so?”

Asha was flustered when Lucia, for whom she had come to the sea, was indifferent. Lucia, who usually paid close attention to Asha’s feelings, couldn’t hide her disappointment this time.

‘I remember being so happy when I went to the beach when I was little, did I come for nothing…’

Lucia, glancing at Asha, rolled up her sleeves.

“Mama, watch this~”

Lucia, moving away from Asha and Anet, stomped on the ground.

Kugugung!!

“Hya!”

Asha was taken aback and struggled to keep her balance as the ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Anet had already retreated slightly and was floating in the air. Shortly after Lucia stepped back from where she had stomped, water gushed out violently from that spot.

Kwaaaaa-

‘What is this… did she just stomp and split the ground?’

The land, which had not been touched by seawater until just now, was submerged, and the earth cracked with a roar. Asha stared in astonishment as the coastline slowly changed, centered on the spot where Lucia had stomped on the ground. Lucia simply shrugged her shoulders under the gaze of the two people filled with astonishment.

“Something like the ocean, I can make it anytime if I spend some time on it.”

Only then did Asha realize that she had been wrong.

‘From the beginning, Lucy wasn’t ordinary.’

It was Asha’s misjudgment to think that Lucia, who could already freely change the terrain, would be simply amazed to see the ocean. Lucia realized that Asha was disappointed and looked at her cautiously.

“Mama, are you disappointed? Sorry…”

“No. There’s nothing to be sorry about. I was the one who was wrong. Mama should have thought more about Lucy.”

Anet, who hadn’t expected anything, seemed deeply moved by the sight of the ocean.

“Ah…”

Asha turned around at the sound of Anet’s voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“The sunset…”

“Huh? Ah…”

The sun was descending beyond the horizon, approaching the sea. The sight of the entire vast ocean, which had been so clear and blue, being dyed a warm vermilion color in the open space without any obstacles, was a sight that Asha was seeing for the first time in her life. Lucia, who had been indifferent, also stared blankly at the sunset together.

The three of them watched the sea for a long time until the sun sank into the water.

“…Wasn’t it so bad?”

“Yeah!”

For Asha, Lucia’s smile was the best reward.

Having come to the sea, the three of them spent the night on a nearby beach and set out on their journey back to the south.

“It’s snowing.”

“Yeah.”

Asha, who had left the kingdom for two days, encountered snow for the first time since entering the central region.

“Is winter ending now?”

“While Mama was with Papa, it snowed quite a bit outside. It doesn’t snow much anymore.”

It was just the beginning of winter when Asha first entered the Mind entity’s Nest. It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but as she saw winter coming to an end, she couldn’t help but realize how much time had passed.

“Anet, even if it’s cold, it doesn’t hinder your movement, does it?”

“No, there is no problem at all.”

Anet, who had quite a few insect-like features on the outside, such as antennae and wings, didn’t seem to be affected by the cold. Asha looked down at the Orcs below.

Unlike the northern region, which was mostly plains, the central region had a huge desert in the center. The sight of sand flowing underneath with snow falling on it was quite bizarre. The Orcs were wearing long clothes to block the sandstorms and snow, heading somewhere.

‘I’m curious about the Orcs living here, but it’s right to go to the bee’s Nest first.’

Anet had waited for her when the Tentacles left and when they went to the sea, so delaying the schedule any further would be unfair to her.

“Ah, it’s time again.”

With a ‘poof’ sound, the wings fluttering behind Asha disappeared. Asha was about to fall from the sky, but at her gesture, a waterspout swirled up from the ground, causing Asha to soar high into the sky again.

Guooooo!!

Asha now had no problem floating in the air without wings. As she drifted in the air, entrusting herself to the Wind Magic, she suddenly thought of the Orcs below.

“Oops!”

“Kueeee!”

“What the heck!”

When Asha looked down urgently, the Orcs were struggling to avoid being swept away by the suddenly appearing tornado. She withdrew the Wind Magic again. As the waterspout disappeared, the sky where snow had been falling cleared up, and Asha, Lucia, and Anet floating in the sky became visible to the Orcs. They stared blankly at the three people with dumbfounded expressions.

“Ah, ahaha… I’m sorry!”

After checking that no Orcs were injured, Asha quickly fled with the two. She vowed never to use flashy Spell in populated areas again.

After the Orcs were swept away by the Wind Magic that Asha had created and almost seriously injured, she moved a little slower. Even so, the Asha party, who had unbelievably quickly traversed the distance of over 6,400 miles (10,300 km), was about to cross the central continent and reach the Elf’s territory just six days after leaving on their journey.