The Author's POV

"Haa...haaa..."

By the time I reached the top of the cliff, I was already starting to feel exhausted. It wasn't because the climb was hard. No, rather, that was the easiest part. The main problem was the constant attacks coming from the monsters in the sky.

"Kow!"

Jumping back and twisting my body in the air, my foot landed on a small ring, and I placed my hand on the sheath of the sword.

Click—!

What followed the low clicking sound was black blood that spilled toward the ground like heavy rain. Whilst this was happening, I twisted my body in the air.

"Huup!"

Placing my right leg on another ring, I propelled my body to the top of the cliff, and I rolled a couple of times.

"Haaa..."

With my back facing the ground, I took a few moments to collect my breath.

"I'm tired."

Getting up, I walked back and extended my hand toward Angelica who was still climbing up.

"Here."

My gesture seemed to have caught Angelica off-guard as she paused for a moment. After a while, she took my hand and helped herself up.

"...Thank you."

"No problem."

Letting go of Angelica's hand and massaging the back of my neck, I finally got a better view of my surroundings.

It was then that I finally spotted it.

"Looks like we're in the right place."

A large black castle at the very edge of the cliff. Above it was a large beacon that attracted the mana in the air, creating a large vortex; closely resembling a tornado.

'Seems like some part of the future is still intact.'

For the castle to be here, meant that not all of the future had changed. I was secretly relieved by this as it meant that I could still make some changes to it.

That aside.

Placing my hand over my forehead, I got a better look at the castle in the distance.

"It looks the same..."

The castle was almost identical to the castle where I first met Everblood, and it didn't bring me any good memories. Sometimes I wished I had never gone into that dungeon, but I knew that it wasn't something I could've controlled.

Leaning a bit, I looked beneath the cliff.

"Are they still following us?"

"No."

Angelica replied, also looking beneath the cliff.

"Strange…"

My brows creased.

"Was I perhaps wrong?"

Were the people really just some random people who had nothing to do with the matter? It was possible.

But I didn't think things were that simple.

"Angelica stay on high alert, there's a high chance we're going to get ambushed."

Regardless, I wasn't planning on letting my guard down.

"…yes."

"Alright, let's get going."

I turned to face the castle in the distance. Surrounding it, and behind it was a large expanse of dead trees, giving off a desolate and cold feeling. Compared to the bottom of the cliff, the trees were a lot denser, and taller, evoking a creepy and ghostly feeling.

If I had to make an estimate of how far the castle was, I would say it was about five kilometers in the distance.

It wasn't that far. In fact, it was quite close.

Even then.

There's most likely going to be a lot

the forest, it was that it was the perfect place to create

my guess wasn't wrong. They had most likely taken a shortcut up and were waiting for

the mana

"Let's go."

***

canopy of white, leaving behind a sunken trail of

we need

caught up to Ava. With the speed the wolf was going, added with the fiercely blowing wind, his

into the distance, Ava squinted her

"We're close."

even a second after her words faded, she tapped her right hand

"Stop."

wolf came to a

distance, her face had a

coming to a stop, Hein

"Is this the place?"

"Yes."

Ava replied.

precaution, Hein took out his shield which was

"Burp, we stopping?"

loud burp, Leopold also

"Wow."

Stabilizing his footsteps, he stared at the half-filled bottle in

a lot stronger than

enough, and it was no longer needed. Any more and

eyes, Ava adjusted

we can only walk for

currently at the bottom of one of the mountains, and so, Ava realized that going up with the

raised her flute and blew

Tootle too~

in the air, and

her hand which was tightly clenching onto the flute, Ava

two, we're probably going

"Finally."

unveiling his shield which

"Burp…"

a gun-like device

me sober up a

***

"Stop."

I stopped Angelica

down a little, I

something wrong with this

choice, I wouldn't have entered the forest, but since it was the only way that led to the castle, I had no

the place,

up the whole time, yet, I was unable to

That was until now.

area in front of me, I extended my hand forward and raised my finger

"What are you doing?"

Confused by my

answered in a

"…just checking something."

my finger at a particular point. Making sure that I wasn't sensing wrongly,

Pluck—

guitar, a plucking sound reverberated throughout the air, It was then that I was finally able to catch a glimpse of an

"As I expected…"

together, I felt a wet sensation. It

But.

didn't have time to care

my sword, I got ready

ready, it looks like

using my left hand and taking out three cards from my bracelet, I threw them in different directions. Left, right,

for the cards to ignite, and once they did, I was finally able

from before, the

the fact that Angelica and I didn't notice this at all. Upon closer look, I

pinched my fingers. Feeling a hard sensation on the tip of my fingers, I turned my fingers a bit to

"It's these fuckers…"

size of a nail appeared in-between my fingers. In fact, it was probably even

managed to

made it hard for me to notice them. Our attention was focused elsewhere, resulting in this

Rustle—! Rustle—!

sound arose from the distance,

"There is someone here."