Kageyama's mournful voice echoed across the wasteland, but it was quickly drowned out by the engine roar of the magical four-wheeled vehicle.
On the vehicle, Lucy glanced back reluctantly at the figure that was shrinking into a tiny speck and asked, "Is it really okay to just leave him there like that?"
Don't worry, Lucy.
There are no innocents among the dark mages; feeding them a few mosquitoes is the best we can do. After we deal with the Iron Forest, we'll let the Council come and capture him.
Grey answered Lucy while he kept pestering the motion-sick Nazz. Habi pretended not to notice, cuddling Lucy and happily munching on his little fish snacks.
Elusa gripped the steering wheel and analyzed calmly: "Since Lala Bai is in Kana and Hope's hands, it means they're also aware of the Iron Forest's plot, so the people should be safe."
We just need to eliminate the Iron Forest entrenched at Oshi Banna Station, and then… I'll take you to Clover City for a free meal; the catering at the routine meeting is pretty good.
The moment they heard that defeating the Dark Guild's Iron Forest would let them show up at the routine meeting venue, everyone got excited, and even the nauseous Nazz briefly perked up.
Just as the others were still buzzing, Elusa changed tack: "According to that dark mage named Kageyama, Hope isn't an ordinary person. He's not only a mage who has mastered flight magic, but his physical skills seem impressive too."
But why would he hide the fact that he knows magic?
Hearing Elusa's doubtful tone, Habi raised a cat paw and said, "I know—Hope suffered amnesia and forgot he's a mage; he's just starting to remember now."
Grey also thought Elusa was overthinking: "When that guy first woke up, he couldn't recall even basic magical knowledge that any ordinary person knows. Imagine how severe Hope's amnesia must be."
Elusa, you've only met Hope once; spend more time with him and you'll see he's a good person.
After Grey and Habi's back‑and‑forth persuasion, Elusa agreed that baseless suspicion wasn't right and focused on driving, "Everyone buckle up, I'm about to speed up."
The moment she said that, Nazz, Grey and Habi's faces turned pale, "Wait… wait a second, Elusa! At least let us fasten the safety… "
But the response was Elusa flooring the accelerator, the vehicle hurtling forward like a bolt of lightning.
Confused Lucy finally understood why Nazz and the others looked so panicked when they heard Elusa was about to drive fast.
Amid the shrieks of the boys and girls, the magical four‑wheeler sped ahead… Meanwhile, Hope and Kana arrived at the city of Oshi Banna, where the next station lay.
Outside the city, Hope landed smoothly, his pristine wings turning into specks of light and fading. After flying continuously for nearly half an hour, he felt a hint of fatigue.
A mage's mana cap is the foundation of their power.
Clearly, Hope's mana cap isn't high; otherwise the original host wouldn't have been an ordinary person.
Kana looked at Hope, who was leaning against the wall gasping, and said, "You're not so great after all. I thought you were tough and could last long, but… heh heh~"
Hearing that, Hope instantly bristled. He could tolerate being called weak, but never being labeled as lacking stamina—that's a man's pride.
Can't help it, I'm just an over‑weight flyer.
Hope's retort was swift; Kana's mouth twitched, and she viciously grabbed his collar, "You're the one who slyly called me fat! Can't you see how gorgeous I look?"
Hope cast a fleeting glance at Kana.
She wasn't just good—she was explosively stunning. The pair of fatty mounds on her chest weighed at least as much as two grapefruits; is that even appropriate for an 18‑year‑old? "Let's head into town; the train station is probably occupied by the Iron Forest, so we'll go straight to the rental shop for a magical carriage."
After a brief side note, the two entered town, asked an elderly local for directions, and headed straight for the southern car shop.
But when they arrived, they found a dilapidated building; the shop owner had fled, and the ruins hinted at scattered wrecks of various magical vehicles.
Hope learned that it was the Iron Forest's mages who did it; they not only seized the train station but also wreaked havoc on every mode of transport in Oshi Banna.
Kana furrowed her brow, "Looks like they're trying to sow chaos, conceal their true motives, and quietly block information."
Hope nodded. If Kageyama hadn't slapped the truth in their faces, the Iron Forest would already have arrived at the routine meeting venue with Lala Bai, blowing its whistle.
While pondering how to get to Clover City, Hope noticed a faintly glimmering mana crystal among the rubble at his feet.
His eyes lit up.
Since the rental shop mainly offers magical carriages, they likely keep a stock of mana crystals to replenish the vehicles' energy.
So, Hope immediately started rummaging through the ruins, pulling Kana along.
Kana didn't understand why Hope cared so much about the crystals, but she didn't refuse a comrade's request.
The two scoured the entire ruin.
Hope came up empty‑handed.
Kana, however, casually dug up a whole box of unopened mana crystals in a corner; they seemed to be fresh stock the owner had just bought, not yet installed in any carriage.
'Sure enough, a girl who loves drinking has good luck,' Kana said smugly, giving Hope a look of a lucky girl teasing an unlucky guy.
Hope's eye twitched; he turned and counted the crystals—thirty brand‑new mana crystals.
Whoa, free mana crystals!
While Kana went to the next shop to buy alcohol, Hope placed his palm on the crystals, his mind racing.
[Detected host contact with pure mana]
[Use pure mana to accelerate decryption progress?]
After a brief consideration, Hope chose to apply it to the 'Divine Foot' decryption; for him, the skill to escape was top priority.
Eight fully‑charged crystals instantly lost all their glow.
The system's voice rang in his mind again.
[Successfully accelerated by 7 days 8 hours 12 minutes]
[Decryption complete. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the extraordinary power – the 'Divine Foot' spell]
In an instant, Hope mastered the spell that dramatically increased his running speed.
This decryption also revealed the rule: one intact mana crystal can speed up progress by one day.
Seeing the remaining twenty‑two crystals, he didn't hesitate and applied them to the 'Wooden Form' decryption.
Immediately, sixteen crystals were consumed.
And the system's voice spoke almost simultaneously.
[Ding~]
[Successfully accelerated by 15 days 20 hours 36 minutes]
[Decryption complete. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the extraordinary power – the 'Wooden Form' spell]
Having acquired two spells at once, Hope contentedly placed 'Reception Spell' (20 days) and 'Plant Spell' (12 days) into the decryption slots, then closed the system panel.
Pocketing the remaining six crystals, Hope smiled broadly as Kana returned with the alcohol, "Kana, meeting you really is my luck."
Kana was startled and instinctively shook her head.
She wasn't even drunk—why is this guy suddenly complimenting me?
It must be my untouchable charm, of course.