"...You misunderstood. I don't have any power. It's all thanks to the artifact I stumbled upon."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man took out the necklace he had hidden in his clothes.

Meredith glanced at Oscar, who stared at the necklace carefully and shook his head at Meredith.

"It's just ordinary jewelry."

"It's just that you don't understand. Let me make it clear that I have no intention of lending or giving it away. If you insist on snatching it away—"

"I'm sorry, but your lie is useless. Didn't I tell you that we are also users of magic from the Age of Gods? This Ao is probably the only modern alchemist capable of creating divine artifacts. No one understands divine artifacts better than him."

The man was speechless and his eyes turned to Oscar.

Oscar made the chains and the black umbrella float in the air. Both of them emitted electric shocks through lightning magic. No matter how you looked at it, they were not ordinary magic props.

"The magic that allowed me to float in the air just now wasn't wind magic, but magic that controlled gravity."

This time, Meredith unleashed the magical power of the sky, and then seemed to lift up the earth, uprooting the surrounding sand.

"We embarked on this journey in search of someone who possesses similar extraordinary powers. Please, listen to us."

The clear blue eyes looked at the man.

The man remained silent for a while, staring at the floating mass of sand and the black umbrella. Meredith and Oscar were at a loss for words to describe the emotion in his eyes.

But, maybe that's just envy...

"...My answer remains the same. I have already decided how I want to live my life, and I won't be with anyone else."

The man stared at Meredith with his eagle-like eyes.

"Why? You're using such incredible power to save people, so why do you choose to live alone?"

"—Because it's an ominous force."

Perhaps because of something that happened in the past, there was a sense of sadness in his reddish-brown eyes.

"This conversation is over. Please don't bother me anymore."

The other party refused outright.

Meredith lowered her head, her body trembling slightly.

The man looked a little guilty.

On the other hand, Oscar looked at Meredith coldly, and for a moment he showed sympathy to the man.

Oscar had anticipated what was to come.

"No! I won't give up that easily! Don't underestimate Xiao Mi, who can even win over Ao!!"

"Could you please not use the word 'win over'?"

Oscar's protest fell on deaf ears!

Meredith moved closer to the man, waving her arms and legs like a child.

The man retreated in embarrassment! No, it was Meredith's inexplicable aura (I didn't know whether to call it courage or boldness) that undoubtedly frightened the man.

"Even if it costs me my life, I want you to listen to me!"

“Hmm, Hmm!? I told you to leave me alone—[Kai-Crossing]!”

Meredy, dashing forward, vanished in a film of light that suddenly appeared before her eyes. Before she vanished, she seemed to hear a strange cry of "Huaaa!?"

For some reason, the man who caused Meredith to disappear was panting, and his expression was as if saying, "I think someone's targeting me!"

"Our leader is sorry to trouble you, but I still want to ask, is she okay?"

"Hoohoo, Y-You'll know soon."

The man waved his hand, and a film of light appeared beneath Oscar's feet. "Wow!?" Oscar, suddenly without a foothold, cried out in surprise and vanished.

Only the man with a very tired expression was left standing there.

The sound of something falling into the water was heard in a small oasis.

"Cough, cough, water has entered my trachea..."

This oasis is located halfway between an uninhabited town and a town, so there is no sign of human life. If someone were there, they would definitely see someone suddenly falling from the sky.

Oscar paddled forward, coughing in the shallows.

Then he took off his glasses, lifted his hair up, and looked around.

"I've been transported to an oasis... What an amazing magic. But forget about that, where are the Meredi people..."

Yes, she sat by the water and cried.

Looking closely, the front of her clothes was covered in wet mud, her face looked like it had been washed, her hair was still stained with mud, and her nose seemed to have been rubbed and looked red.

There was a spot by the water in this oasis that looked all muddy, as if something had slid across there.

Oscar understood it all.

Meredith was running when she was transported, and if she were suddenly transported to the shallows of the oasis, she would surely fall as her feet sank into the mud. Her arms and legs flailing aimlessly, unable to support herself, she would crash headfirst into the water.

Oscar walked over to Meredith.

"Anyway, I'll make a shower room, shall I?"

"Um."

Meredy sniffed and nodded meekly.

After a while, even though her nose was still a little red, Mireidi had straightened her appearance and came to Oscar's side. Oscar was sitting by the pool, adjusting the silver tray in his hand.

"Ao, thank you for the shower."

"You're welcome."

Meredi sat on the ground, hugged her knees, and looked at the water of the oasis.

Then she said quietly:

"Those who use magic from the Age of Gods are all troublesome people."

"You're talking about yourself, too."

Of course, Mireidi ignored Oscar's complaints.

"His magic is a magic that allows one to travel through space, right?"

"I suppose so. That magic probably uses a light barrier—no, should I say a portal? It connects to another place through the portal, but it seems he can move without a portal. Either way, it's an amazing magic, but it's very difficult for us."

"If he sees us approaching, he'll either move us away or flee himself. We won't even be able to say a word."

"You were moved away just now. I think it was because you ran over and scared someone."

Of course, Mireddi chose to ignore it.

Oscar coughed.

"And what? Even after he rejected you outright, you still won't give up?"

"Of course! Because he didn't just refuse. You could tell from his eyes that he had other reasons."

The implication was that Meredith would not give up until she heard his true feelings. Oscar smiled slightly when he heard this, because according to her, he was also won over in this way.

Oscar felt sympathy for the man in his heart.

"That being said, we don't know where this place is, nor do we know where that person is. If he moves around, it'll be hard for us to track him down by asking around... Ahhh, seriously, what should we do~~"

Meredith lay down and moved her arms and legs, turning into a sulky child once again.

Oscar smiled bitterly and shook the silver plate.

"It won't be difficult to find him."

“Huh? Why!?”

Meredith suddenly stood up in surprise, and Oscar showed her the silver tray.

"After you were transported, I thought I'd be next. So, while talking to him, I controlled a metal wire equipped with a transmitter and sneaked underground, sneaking up on him. Finally, I managed to attach the transmitter to him before falling through the portal."

In the center of the silver disk are two points of light representing Oscar and Meredith, and farther away is another point of light that is as bright as the two of them.

"By the way, while you were showering, I looked around and found a sign that said we were back two days east of Caldeia. Judging by our location, he seems to still be near Caldeia."

Meredith trembled violently.

Is this withdrawal symptoms? Oscar wondered. The next moment, Meredith pounced on Oscar and hugged his head tightly.

"Well done! Well done, Ao! You're worthy of being my partner! You don't wear those glasses for nothing! I thought you looked perverted because you were wearing a black coat in the desert. I'm so sorry!"

“Stop teasing me with those glasses, okay? No, is that how you look at me? No, let me go! Let me go now!”

"What? Let me hold you again!"

“Aaaaaah! This is so annoying!”

Oscar pulled Meredith away with all his strength.

He adjusted the position of his glasses, his cheeks slightly flushed. Did he really pull Milady away just because he found her annoying?

"Alright~! Now that we know where he is thanks to Ao's outstanding performance, let's head to the town!"

Meredy didn't seem to care about being pulled apart. She raised her fist and spoke with full energy.

Even though it was hard to let go, Oscar still nodded in agreement.

On the other hand, when Meredy and the others set out for a day.

The man who forcibly transferred the somewhat scary girl and the hard-working young man with glasses was now walking in [Caldea Town] with four Irakus.

The so-called Irakul is an animal used as a replacement for horses, beloved by desert dwellers. These animals are generally lazy and leisurely, perhaps even finding eating difficult. They require little food, needing only water once every ten days, and can function for a month. They are incredibly strong.

Their speed is roughly the same as a human's brisk walk, and even when urged, they rarely obey their riders. However, they have a nickname: "No Reserve When Needed." When faced with a crisis, they can run at horse-like speed for four hours straight, even in the desert.

By the way, if you try to force them to obey, they will spit on you, so be extra careful.

Such an Iraku that is lazy, tenacious, and able to be effective in emergencies can certainly be sold at a good price as long as it is of good quality.

Men also make a living by buying and selling iraku.

He had already sold a few in the nearby villages. As long as he sold a few more in this town today, he would just have to transport the goods to a few villages and the work would be done.

The town's streets were bustling with people, and the shops were filled with the sounds of bargaining over prices, explaining products, and soliciting customers.

To avoid annoying the Iraku, the man gently gripped the reins and finally arrived at a place a little further away from the street. In front of him, he could see several Iraku tied to pillars with ropes.

There is a store that specializes in selling Iraku.

"Oh, it's you. I was thinking you'd be here soon."

Seeing the man approach, someone who looked like the shop owner smiled. He was a portly man, his pure white jumpsuit bulging around his abdomen. The clothes he wore were obviously made of high-quality materials and tailored by a first-class craftsman, indicating that his business was booming.

"...I want to sell three. Please check."

"You're still as dull as ever. We only see each other once every few months, so a little chat wouldn't hurt."

Hearing the shopkeeper's friendly words, the man lowered his head, seeming embarrassed.

"But I won't force you. If you go and sell it elsewhere, it'll be a huge blow to our business... Well, the Eraku you brought this time is also very strong."

The shopkeeper tied the three-headed iraqu's rope to a pillar and nodded with satisfaction. Because it would take a moment to verify, the shopkeeper asked him to sit down on a chair inside the shop and wait. As soon as he was seated, the apprentice immediately served him tea.

They had met several times before, so the boy had a smile on his face and was not very nervous. The man also smiled and thanked him.

The apprentice boy didn't know whether he was ordered to serve customers while the owner carefully checked the condition of the Irakus, or whether it was his own will, but he started chatting with the man.

"Brother, the boss was just sighing."

"?"

"The church has been buying up Iraku a lot lately... Of course, our store's Iraku is completely sold out, but because of that, there's no Iraku left on the market. Adhering to the principle of 'specialty stores can't run out of stock,' the owner has been running around trying to get stock, but most other places are also sold out, so the only Iraku we can buy is of subpar quality."

“…Why did the church acquire it?”

"I'm not sure about that... Anyway, the boss is eagerly awaiting your arrival, big brother. Um, could you please sell us all four?"

"This will give me a headache when I go back."

In fact, he was not troubled at all, but he claimed that he lived far away and could only come here once every few months, so it would be very unnatural to return without Iraku.

Moreover, this Iraku, which he always used as a means of transportation, was actually his favorite. It had been with him for many years, like a companion. In this sense, he would not sell this Iraku.

The young apprentice seemed to understand this as well, and nodded in response with a wry smile.

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