After preparations were finished the next day, Ard, Eva, and the others were ready to head out. They stood behind Bedryt's house on top of a cliff, right in front of a cave featuring a vortex portal that swirled like a whirlpool. Bedryt stood beside them with Irina to see them off.

"Alright, you will step inside and travel through a dimensional corridor. Simply pass through and walk straight until the exit comes into view," Bedryt instructed.

"We understand, Dragon God," Ard replied.

"Be careful. Since yesterday, I've been trying to locate the Githiess egg. A dark elf elder living in the city of Whitdale has a clue about its location. You will emerge right on a cliff above Whitdale; that city is your first destination," Bedryt said while handing a scroll to Ard.

Ard took the scroll and placed it into his dimensional storage. Then, everyone bowed to Bedryt, offering their thanks and saying their goodbyes. After that, they entered the cave's vortex one by one. As Irwin was about to step inside, he turned back to see Irina waving her hand; he nodded and raised his hand with a smile, then stepped into the vortex.

After everyone had gone inside, Bedryt turned to look at Irina, who was standing slightly behind him but still by his side.

"Irina, please follow them and watch over them. Their abilities are already far above average—each one could take on a whole platoon of knights—but just to be safe, I want you to accompany them from a distance, without them knowing," Bedryt said.

"Alright, Grandpa, I'm going," Irina replied.

"Thank you, Irina," Bedryt replied.

Then Irina hugged Bedryt, who returned the embrace. Afterward, Irina nodded with a steady gaze and a smile, then turned and stepped into the vortex portal, leaving Bedryt alone to stand and watch the vortex while stroking his beard. Inside, Ard, Eva, and the others walked along a path that seemed to be made of flowing, rainbow-colored light. All around them, countless stars were visible in an endless sea of darkness—the vastness of outer space.

Adeline looked down right over the edge of the wide rainbow path and saw the bottomless dark filled with points of light that were stars, planets, and even galaxies. Her face instantly turned pale; she pulled her head back and stumbled backward, bumping into Beatrice.

"Um... if we fall down there... we'll die, right?" Adeline asked, terrified.

"Relax, look," Ard answered. He reached out and touched the side of the path, and a ripple of light traveled around them, revealing that they were actually inside a tube-like corridor that was otherwise invisible to the eye.

"Thank goodness, that means this rainbow bridge is safe," Adeline said with relief.

"Don't worry, Adeline, I'm right here with you," Beatrice said, though she was actually just as scared as Adeline was.

"Yeah, I'm safe with Beatrice," Adeline replied, giving Beatrice a hug.

"Come on, let's pick up the pace so we get there sooner," Eva said, looking back over her shoulder as she walked.

"But I really didn't expect that we'd end up coming out in Whitdale, Mirea's destination," Alicia noted.

"Yeah, so that means you'll be able to check on your mama after all, right, Mirea?" Pyria asked.

"That's right. I can introduce you all to her at the same time," Mirea answered, feeling relieved.

"Finally, we're heading to Mirea's hometown. I'm curious to see what the conditions are like in a city out there," Claudia said casually.

"If I remember correctly, that city is always covered in snow because it's perched on the cliffs of the snowy mountains. There's a mining operation there too, isn't that right, Mirea?" Geoffrey asked.

"Correct. My mama comes from a merchant family that sells mined goods like mithril and bronze. There's a massive mine with a whole network inside the Whitdale mountains, which they say was dug out by dwarves who built their kingdom inside the mountains in ancient times," Mirea answered.

"Hmm... dwarves. I've read about them before," Claudia muttered.

"Yep... dwarves. Anti-social creatures who love to get angry, drink until they're drunk, and have booming voices. According to the elders, they're still in this world somewhere, but no one knows exactly where," Pyria added.

"Legends about dwarves exist in the Ateras Kingdom as well," Ainsley chimed in, pushing up his glasses.

"Aside from dwarves, in the territory of the Ateras Kingdom and among the barbarian tribes, there are also legends regarding lizardmen who collaborated with the dwarves to create the underground networks beneath where we stand. Whether it's true or not is unknown since it's only a legend," Claudia added.

"I hope we get to meet them there, right Adeline?" Beatrice asked.

"Yep, exactly! I want to see what the dwarves from the legends actually look like," Adeline replied.

"I agree this time; I'm curious too," Rosalind added, nodding as she folded her arms across her chest.

"They look similar to humans and elves, only they're short, stocky, and have thick hair and beards. Even their women have beards and short, stout bodies. On top of that, they are incredibly strong and smart—surpassing humans," Mirea said.

"Huh... bearded women?" Adeline asked, sounding confused.

"Well... that's what I've read. Dwarves and lizardmen are two legendary races said to be extinct within the territories of the Durnhill and Ateras Kingdoms," Mirea explained.

"In my territory in the west of the Durnhill Kingdom, bordering the coast, there are ruins of the dwarf tribes right on the sea-cliffs. The ruins are sealed tight, and the only door leading underground can't be opened at all because it's sealed by runes," Milia said.

"Huh... is that true?" Beatrice asked.

"Does that mean dwarves still exist?" Ainsley asked curiously, and it was obvious he really wanted to visit those ruins.

"Yep. My father's people reported it to him before I go and attended to the academy. They said the ruins had only recently been discovered," Milia answered.

Ard and Eva, hearing their friends' conversation behind them, turned to look at each other. They knew exactly which ruins Milia was talking about, because they were the ones who had sealed them at the request of a friend who hadn't joined their journey 3,000 years ago. The two of them simply smiled and kept walking straight without saying a word. Meanwhile, at the very back, Geoffrey was getting a bit annoyed seeing Irwin constantly glancing behind him. When Irwin looked back once more, Geoffrey finally asked.

"What's up, bro? Why do you keep looking back?" Geoffrey asked, glancing behind him as well but seeing nothing.

"I don't know... I feel like someone is following us from behind, but it's hard to explain," Irwin answered while continuing to glance back over his shoulder.

"Huh... really? This rainbow bridge just goes straight ahead; if someone were following us, they'd have to take the same path, and we'd definitely know it, right?" Geoffrey said, becoming alert as he turned around and started walking backward to keep pace with the others while watching the rear.

"I don't know... maybe it's just my imagination," Irwin said.

"No... I feel like someone is following us too. It's clearly not just your imagination."

Geoffrey and Irwin turned to see Alicia standing beside them, looking back to check the conditions behind them. Her eyes were narrowed and her face looked so dead serious that Geoffrey and Irwin continued to stare down the long stretch of the rainbow bridge behind them, which had grown quite lengthy since they had already walked a good distance from the portal they entered.

Suddenly, Ard and Eva moved to the back and stood beside Alicia. They also glanced behind them before looking forward again and turning toward Alicia, Irwin, and Geoffrey.

"What's the matter?" Ard asked, feigning ignorance.

"Someone is following us, I'm sure of it," Alicia answered while looking back.

"Ah, it's just your imagination. Don't think too much about it. Let's pick up the pace; we need to get there today because I don't want to camp out on a bridge of light," Eva countered.

"Just head to the very front with the others. Come on, hurry up," Ard urged.

"Alright, come on bro, Alicia—let's move up," Geoffrey said, putting his arm around Irwin.

"Fine, let's go," Irwin replied.

"Alright, I'm heading up too," Alicia added.

Once they had gone forward to join the rest of the group, Ard and Eva glanced at the space between them, and both of them broke into a smile.

"If you're going to follow us secretly, don't stay quite this close, Irina. At this rate, we might as well just be walking together," Ard murmured softly with a smile.

"Yeah, you were almost caught. Even though you're using invisibility magic, your presence is still felt," Eva added quietly, also smiling.

"Oh... is that so? Jeez... I failed, then. Grandpa told me to follow you guys secretly. Please don't tell him, okay?" replied Irina, whose form remained invisible between them.

"Relax, I'll pretend you aren't here. No need to worry," Ard said.

"Same here. Only Ard and I know, so don't be afraid of us leaking your whereabouts," Eva added.

"Alright, thank you, Your Majesties," Irina replied.

"Hey, just call me Ard. No need for the 'Your Majesty' stuff, I'm not a king yet," Ard said.

"Yep, exactly. Call me Eva," Eva added.

"Alright, Ard, Eva. Thanks again," Irina replied.

Finally, they continued their journey along the rainbow bridge, with Irina following—or more accurately, walking right with them—while remaining completely invisible.

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