The following morning, after a long night of planning with Arthur, Alexis, and the "Abel" who was actually Baalbel, Ard and his friends prepared to depart for the elven forest. They stood before the palace gates, ready to board the royal carriage, with Abel standing by to see them off.
"Safe travels, Your Majesty," Abel whispered to Ard.
"Hey, you're playing the part of my brother right now. Don't call me Your Majesty," Ard whispered back.
"Right... ahem... safe travels, Ard," Abel corrected himself.
"Yeah, thanks, Brother," Ard replied with a smile.
Suddenly, with a quick "hug," a girl lunged forward and threw her arms around Ard. He was startled to find Adeline clinging to him, but what shocked him more was her outfit—she was dressed for the road and carrying her own dimensional rucksack.
"I'm coming too, hehe," Adeline chirped.
"Wait... why? This isn't some playground field trip, you know," Ard replied, sounding confused.
