Chapter 45: A Desperate Landing and Dire Omens

“Let’s rest here.

After swaying precariously in the sky for some time, the pain in my wings became unbearable. Coupled with my dwindling energy and mental fatigue as night deepened, I ultimately had no choice but to descend to the ground.

“The other Ghost-Faced Dragonflies shouldn’t be chasing us for now.”

The moment my feet touched the ground, Sally untied the ropes that had bound us together, finally separating herself from me.

Gaining her freedom, she immediately rushed behind me to inspect the wounds on my wings.

“You angels are truly slow to react; I warned you, yet you still got hit.”

It felt as though she rarely spoke kindly to me whenever we were together; I was almost accustomed to her scolding.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s a serious wound. It looks like I can even see bone.”

“I… I can’t hide my wings anymore.”

I uttered, horrified.

Overwhelmed by the pain, I had tried to conceal my wings the moment we landed, only to discover that it was utterly ineffective; the Wing Concealment spell, which I had used countless times, had now completely failed.

With no other recourse, I could only endure the agonizing pain.

Beads of sweat began to prickle on my forehead, and unable to stand any longer, I collapsed onto the ground, landing squarely on my backside.

“It’s probably because of your injury. I’ll heal your wounds first.

It might be a bit slow, so bear with it for a while.”

Seeing my suffering, Sally’s resolve softened, and she began to chant a spell under her breath, initiating her magic.

A faint blue light gently blossomed from her hands, and the moment it touched my wounds, I immediately felt the pain subside considerably.

“Is this water elemental magic?” I had seen magic of this color before; Tiffany had used it when she was injured.

Moreover, each time, I distinctly sensed particles resembling light elements being released from her hands, which I presumed to be water elements.

“Yes, but unfortunately, I only know low-level healing magic.”

Sally continued to chat with me while healing, helping to distract me.

“If it were high-level water magic, your wounds would heal much faster.”

“It’s fine, it just means it’ll take a little longer.”

I was already content to have magic aiding my recovery, especially since the unbearable pain had subsided, allowing me the clarity to observe our surroundings.

We seemed to be in a vast, desolate expanse of gravel, shrouded in complete darkness.

Aside from the magical glow emanating from Sally’s hands, there was virtually no other light, limiting visibility to less than ten meters.

Beneath our feet, the ground was barren, devoid of even a single blade of grass.

“It seems we won’t be able to return to the Royal Capital tonight; we might have to consider sleeping outdoors.”

The mention of sleeping outdoors brought back memories of my time in the Amara Forest, a period I now yearned for even more, especially in our current predicament.

Though those initial days were tinged with the apprehension and unease of arriving in a new world, the camaraderie of our group, filled with laughter and conversation, made everything so much more joyful and carefree.

“Do you think our predicament might be connected to the war in the north?”

Sally, however, paid little mind to the prospect of sleeping outdoors.

Instead, she abruptly shifted the topic, posing a hypothesis that utterly stunned me.

“Are you referring to Amos and Brook’s expedition?”

Her question immediately brought to mind the situation I encountered when I went to find Tiffany and the others not long ago.

“Oh, they went to war too?”

Judging by her reaction, she seemed unaware, so I briefly recounted the events to her.

“So, you really think that city we saw earlier was temporarily constructed by infiltrating demonic beasts?”

I was somewhat speechless, recalling who had just accused me of joking with her…

Yet, even so, it still didn’t make sense.

The city’s scale and the sheer number of orcs and demonic beasts were simply too exaggerated.

Could so many demonic beasts have infiltrated the rear lines without anyone on the front lines noticing? Unless, of course, they were all dead.

“If magic was used, it’s still possible.”

Sally seemed quite insistent on her perspective.

I was clearly out of my depth when it came to using magic in construction, and the mere thought of Navareli’s lake castle rendered me incapable of voicing any opinion.

“This dark elemental pollution in the air can easily sicken people, while dark creatures, on the contrary, can use it to enhance their combat prowess.

This ebb and flow creates an immense advantage for the enemy.”

“So, this dark pollution was intentionally released by the enemy?”

From what she described, it sounded akin to biological warfare, not only weakening foes but also empowering allies.

“Most likely.” Sally seemed to strongly agree with this assessment.

“But I still feel that polluting such a vast area, with a man-made toxin as the explanation, seems a bit too far-fetched.”

“It’s generally difficult, but with meticulous preparation and disregard for cost, it can still be managed.”

Sally’s expression, implying I was ignorant and lacked experience, irritated me, yet I truly didn’t understand.

“Don’t worry, the Royal Capital will surely detect it soon.”

Having reached this conclusion, Sally suddenly grew optimistic.

“But will we also fall ill because of this?”

Come to think of it, we had been in this environment for quite some time, which made me uneasy.

While I believed an angel shouldn’t fear such things, I dared not be blindly confident and thought it best to clarify.

“Not that quickly! It’s barely been a day.”

As expected, she rolled her eyes at me, clearly exasperated by my timidity.

“Even ordinary people might take several days for symptoms to manifest, let alone you, an angel, whose entire being is composed of light elements.

It would be truly strange if dark elements could contaminate you.”

“What about you? You’re not an angel!” This was my primary concern; though I disliked her constant bickering, I certainly didn’t wish for her to fall ill.

“Don’t worry! Anyone with even a little strength generally won’t be affected; specifically, exceeding a Tier 2 level should grant sufficient immunity.

Furthermore, I am a light magic user, and the light elemental magic within me makes it impossible for these dark elements to harm me.”

Sally’s dismissive, ‘everything’s fine’ attitude made me feel as if she were comforting a kindergarten child.

It took approximately fifteen to twenty minutes for my injuries to be fully healed.

I tried stretching my wings; there was no unusual sensation, let alone any pain.

“That’s incredible! If only I knew healing magic, I wouldn’t have to fear getting injured.”

I praised her, the pain from my wing injury having left a profound psychological scar; I never wanted to suffer like that again.

Then, attempting to conceal my wings once more, I succeeded in making them vanish.

Given our recent conversation, we had reached a tentative conclusion regarding the situation’s origins.

We could only continue flying south, hoping to reach the Royal Capital as anticipated.

However, fate seemed to conspire against us; after flying for several more tens of minutes, there was still no sign of Navareli.

“I think we’re truly lost.

Let’s find somewhere to rest; flying aimlessly in the dark like this, we’ll never find the Royal Capital.”

I felt utterly unable to continue flying.

The night had been fraught with unexpected events, and carrying another person had added to my exhaustion, completely depleting my stamina.

I had no choice but to land once more.

“Could my deduction really be wrong?” Sally pondered in a low, disbelieving voice.

Yet, no matter how she thought, she could find no reason for the Royal Capital’s disappearance.

“Don’t you find it a bit strange? Does the Asante Kingdom even have a place like this?”

I asked, pointing at the ground.

Beneath our feet and all around us, it seemed to be nothing but a desolate gravel wasteland.

Although the darkness obscured a clear view, we hadn’t seen a single tree along the way, making me feel increasingly uneasy as we progressed.

“It’s hard to say.

The kingdom’s territory is quite vast, after all.

However, this place gives me a feeling similar to the ‘Barren Lands’ in the north.”

“‘Barren Lands’? How could we have flown to such a place! Didn’t you say we were far from the border?”

I pulled out my quest card and, using the magical light emanating from Sally, re-examined it.

The simple map clearly marked the border’s location, and the distance to Tedles Town was even further than the distance from Tedles Town to the Royal Capital.

“That’s strange then.

Looking at Tedles Town, the closest border is to the north.

No matter how much you fly, you shouldn’t be able to leave the kingdom.”

Sally also saw the map, but it offered no help whatsoever, only deepening our bewilderment.

“Never mind.

Let’s discuss it tomorrow, in daylight.”

I truly couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Once my mind relaxed, I was overcome by an endless stream of yawns.

“Remember not to use light magic anymore, lest we be discovered.”

After giving the instruction, and without caring about cleanliness, I found a flat spot, cushioned myself with my wings, lay down, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

“Hey, you can’t just fall asleep like that…” In the last vestiges of my consciousness, I seemed to hear Sally calling out to me.