No one meant any harm; it’s just that this season, these flowers bloom so beautifully, right?
Ayla looked up and smiled sweetly, accepting the flowers.
“Are we going inside, or should we head straight to the gathering point to prepare for departure?”
“We’ll go inside.”
Celes said, “We’re the Human Delegation, here on a formal diplomatic visit. Before we set off, there has to be a small ceremony.”
Stepping into the inner hall, Ayla saw that everyone who was supposed to be there was present.
Princess Grell still stood beside the Elf Delegation, smiling as she exchanged friendly greetings, expressing the hope that the relations between the two races would remain amicable and long-lasting.
Maken sat a little lower down, giving them a slight nod, signaling that he had conveyed their message.
As for the Elf Delegation on the stage chatting with the princess, especially the female elf leader, she even took a moment from her busy schedule to glare coldly at them.
Ayla was utterly baffled.
Ha, why get angry?
I don’t even know you.
Before they left, Princess Grell presented each of the girls with a Kingdom Hero Medal.
It was delicate and small, with rose branches adorning the edges and a star embedded in the center.
She had intended to pin them on their chests, but since Ayla was the first to approach and Leah was second, she decided against it.
“Please keep them safe; they are symbols of your honor.”
Vina made a funny face behind her back.
Princess Grell either didn’t notice or pretended not to.
Ayla thought, see, this is what it means to be a mature adult—knowing when to pretend not to see or know what you shouldn’t.
After the brief ceremony, it was time to depart.
This time, they wouldn’t be riding horses.
The Elf Delegation had brought several extra Dilu, just enough to pull two carriages, allowing the five girls to split up comfortably.
“They’re really beautiful.”
Zero surveyed them.
The Dilu from the Great Central Forest were truly different from ordinary deer elsewhere.
They were large, almost horse-sized, with antlers that were no less impressive.
If you covered them with a cloth, you could still see a faint shimmering glow beneath.
“Don’t put anything on their heads.”
Tereka walked over and removed a towel, looking down arrogantly at the girls.
“By the way, we brought extra Dilu because we’re worried your horses are too slow to keep up.”
Ayla wasn’t angry or offended; instead, she smiled and said, “That’s why we came to you for introductions.” Not just the Dilu—they’d want the dragon eagles too.
Tereka took the soft jab in stride and sulkily returned to her companions, calling the others to mount the Dilu.
The convoy bound for the Elf Territory set off.
Before getting on the carriage, Ayla thought about the journey ahead.
They would spend most of the day on the road, riding in the carriages—or rather, the Dilu carriages.
She and two companions would share one, the other two would take the other.
Chatting with her randomly paired companions about the future sounded like a pleasant way to pass the time, and maybe forget about last night.
Then she stepped into the carriage and saw Leah sitting on the left and Zero on the right.
“..”
Was it still possible to switch to the other carriage now?
“What are you standing there for? Get in.”
Leah reached out and gently tugged the girl’s arm.
“Hurry up!”
Looks like it was too late.
Saintess Leah made the first move, so Ayla sat beside her.
That meant she had to face Zero’s gaze directly.
The girl’s eyes were pure, friendly, calm—like a little girl from the neighborhood.
Ayla didn’t dare meet her gaze.
It was all well and good to be the friendly girl next door, but the problem was, this was the girl who caught you red-handed—caught on the spot.
Leah didn’t know about this, so she patted the seat cushion and said, “Why are you all so quiet? We’ll be riding for hours. Isn’t it boring to just sit there? Shouldn’t we talk about something?”
Yes, it was boring.
But Ayla was even more afraid of talking too much and accidentally spilling something.
What if something got exposed?
At that moment, Zero spoke up: “Miss Leah, what would you like to talk about?”
“Anything’s fine.”
The Saintess thought for a moment and raised a finger.
“By the way, you’re already eighteen, right?”
“Mm.”
“Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?”
“No.”
The assassin girl shook her head gently.
“I just left that organization not long ago, less than half a year. For now, I just want to do whatever everyone else does.”
“I’m not talking about career plans.”
Leah unconsciously twisted her fingers.
“I mean, life plans.”
Ayla’s heart skipped a beat.
Everyone knew that when someone wants to talk about a specific aspect of your life, it usually means they have achievements there and are actually trying to show off while pretending to ask.
So.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Zero countered, “What about you?”
“As for me? It’s pretty simple. I just want to do something with a certain person from time to time, then find a chance to surprise you all.”
Leah’s pretty face flushed red like a teapot, and she cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Ahem, well, that’s pretty much it.”
Zero smiled: “That sounds wonderful.”
Then she turned to the pink-haired Ayla.
“Ayla, what do you think?”
Ayla didn’t dare say anything and could only smile.
Haha. (flat tone, no emotion)
Leah grew more animated, straightening her back and puffing out her chest: “Don’t envy me, you can do it too.”
“Me too?”
Zero pointed at herself.
“How can I be like you?”
“It’s simple. First you do this and that, then that and this, and finally that and this is done.”
Ayla couldn’t help but glance at her, wondering if her ears were playing tricks—or if the Saintess really said that.
Perhaps noticing she hadn’t explained anything clearly, Leah concluded: “You’re still innocent now, but once you have someone you like and gain experience, you’ll understand.”
Leah’s words were logical, reasonable, and naturally convincing.
Zero listened attentively, looking like she was truly taking it to heart.
Only Ayla was drenched in a cold sweat.
“What about you? Why don’t you say something?”
Leah nudged her with an elbow.
“Where did your voice go?”
“I… think we’re about to enter the Elf Territory, and there’s a mission ahead. Who knows what difficulties or dangers we might encounter.”
Ayla spoke seriously.
“So it’s better to talk about serious things.”
“More serious talk? You only ever think about serious things.”
Leah snorted lightly, crossed her arms, and leaned back against the seat.
Serious things, serious things—why don’t you just draw the character for ‘serious’ on your thigh and spend your whole life living with that one word?
Zero was intrigued, resting her chin on one hand, apparently waiting for Leah’s next brilliant insight.
Ayla felt awkward under her gaze and forced herself to speak: “Although we don’t know the internal situation of the Elf Kingdom, it must be very complicated. The more complicated the situation, the more important it is to identify the key problems. Because solving a problem depends on finding its core issue. Once you grasp the core, you solve the problem.”
After saying this, she wasn’t even sure what she was talking about anymore.
Zero didn’t mind what she said—as long as there was sound, and it was a pleasant voice.