On day three, a torrential downpour flooded the road. The unpaved path turned muddy and rough within a few minutes.

Pulling the carriage through the muddy path was difficult. The horses that did so quickly became exhausted. This prompted the coachman to stop, giving them some time to rest.

Meanwhile, Zephyr closed his eyes and meditated, leaning onto the side of the carriage. The inside was warm and cozy because of the luxurious material used to build the carriage. While meditating, the comfortable, soft fabric rubbing against his cheeks almost made Zephyr drift off to sleep.

The other two who were with him were reading books they had brought along with them. Their presence gave a sense of security, allowing Zephyr to drift back and forth between meditation and sleep like a careless child.

As they were resting leisurely, a sudden howl grabbed their attention.

"AUOOOOOooorrr!"

The deep, guttural howl forced through the partially opened window, vibrating their eardrums simultaneously.

Snapping himself out of meditation, Zephyr opened his eyes. The howl was unlike anything he had heard before.

No wolf or any normal animal, for that matter, could create such a sound.

It must be a monster.

Turning quickly to the front, he glanced at Aurelia and Elenor sitting opposite him.

Elenor closed the book silently. Aurelia put away the book in her hand and nodded.

Without speaking a single word, they communicated.

Zephyr didn't know what they were communicating or how, but he could feel the tension in the air rise.

The coachman sitting outside tapped on the carriage door and said,

"Your highness, there seems to be a monster nearby."

Aurelia acknowledged his presence with a single word.

"Yes."

"It sounds like a troll."

"Yes, it does." Aurelia nonchalantly turned to Elenor. "We should prepare," she added.

Zephyr, who heard them mention a troll, winced. It was a creature beyond his ability to fight.

Trolls, the smallest ones generally seen across the inner parts of the kingdom, were fifteen to twenty feet tall. They look as if a gorilla had a baby with a person and later turned into a monster. It was a humanoid creature known for its gravel-like skin, voracious appetite, immense ability to heal, and…poor hygiene.

A fully grown adult troll could be classified as a 4-star threat. Some mutants among the trolls could be 5 stars in strength.

For Zephyr, battling such a foe and winning was an impossible task. Still, he smiled.

For some reason, the thought of seeing a real troll excited him. The danger it posed became an afterthought in his mind.

He, by no means, was deliberately ignoring the danger. The two sitting before him were giving him an overwhelming sense of safety.

Aurelia and Elenor were both 4-star mages. A troll, which primarily attacked its foe with brute strength, paled against these mages who could rain fire from the skies. Simply put, they were enough to take it down.

"Are trolls generally seen in these parts of the kingdom?" He inquired.

Aurelia and Elenor shook their heads.

"But a couple of them appear within the kingdom every year," Aurelia said, taking a deep breath.

As she was speaking, she tightened the robes around her neck and covered her head with the hood. Elenor followed suit while picking up her staff.

"Did you fight a troll before?" Zephyr couldn't stop himself from asking.

"We killed a couple of them during our last training exercise."

"Are they difficult to kill?"

"Not if you are an intermediate mage who can dual cast." Aurelia exuded confidence.

That was a humble brag masquerading as an answer.

"If there are more mages, it becomes a lot easier," she said, smiling at Elenor.

"Oh!" Zephyr's excitement rose. He wanted to see the battle up close.

But suddenly, another howl greeted their ears.

"HAaaaawwooo."

It felt like a battle cry.

Zephyr felt his muscles tighten instinctively as the sound wave passed over him.

"Wait a minute, what if there is more than one?" He inquired.

Aurelia smiled and stood up.

"There could be more than one if they are doing…you know what." She winked. "So, wait here, little Zee. Big sisters will take care of them and hurry back."

"Pufft…" Elenor almost laughed, but quickly covered her mouth.

Zephyr sighed.

After Corvinus took him as a disciple, Aurelia had taken on the role of a big sister and was treating him like a kid. Technically, he was older than the nineteen-year-old Aurelia. But he couldn't mention this fact, so he accepted his fate and let it be.

In this life, he was a sixteen-year-old kid. He had to act the part not to be suspicious.

Besides that, being called 'little Zee' was not that demeaning. He was called many different names in the past—mostly unpleasant. Compared to those, 'little Zee' was downright reasonable.

"Yes, big sister Aurie." He replied similarly with a smile.

The reply made Aurelia pause. This was the first time someone had called her with a nickname.

She aborted and rolled her eyes before opening the door of the carriage.

"We will be back soon," she said, stepping into the rain.

The muddy water splashed as her foot fell onto the ground. Then, taking a moment, she cast a spell and rose into the air. Elenor followed her silently.

Zephyr wanted to see the battle up close. However, he knew that he shouldn't distract them. Thus, he waited patiently, watching their figures disappear into the sky.

Now, the coachman and Zephyr were the only ones within the carriage. They smiled at each other awkwardly, turning away to do their own thing.

—

A couple of hundred meters away, Aurelia hung above the sky, looking down at the canopy of trees below. Through the gaps, she could see something huge moving.

"It's there," she said, turning to Elenor.

"Yes."

Elenor could also see the troll walking. Each of its steps was making the trees tremble. Although the rain made it difficult to discern, she could still see the leaves move unnaturally.

"It's going in the direction of our carriage. It must have caught the horses' scent."

She paused for a second before looking at another shadow a few dozen meters away.

"Hm…there is one more lying near the tree over there. It looks injured…perhaps exhausted," she added with an embarrassed smile.

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