Chapter 4 - Part 35 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

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Raising her visor, Valessandria wiped away the sweat from her eyes, blinking several times as she adjusted to the light and to remove the sting. Though the metal of the helmet was hot to the point where she'd likely burn without her armored gloves, it did provide some shade from the sun. Feeling the sting beginning to fade, she lowered her visor, feeling the temperature quickly rise as she breathed in the dusty air of the road. Her eyes slowly observed the tall grass along either side of the road, wilting under the hot sun. But despite seeing how the grass drooped from the heat, she couldn't help but feel envious and imagined the flow of air through her hair. Each time a breeze passed and entered through the various openings of her helmet, it felt like a flash in the pan, the cool fading away to be replaced by an oven.

Despite how her body felt inside her armor, sweat dousing the clothes under them and running down her skin after oversaturating the fabric, she quickly checked that she wasn't revealing anything to the students behind her. Taking a moment, she made sure to keep her back straight as she rode her horse. The knowledge of the students being able to observe her actions helped to keep her mind occupied and not let her thoughts stray about how uncomfortable she felt.

It had been some time since they had turned onto the road and now were on the main path to Illumin. The sun was slowly making its descent toward the horizon.

Though she was happy for the coolness of the night, at the moment, her thoughts were preoccupied with trying to spot any forests. Even if the night was several hours away, finding a forest in the endless sea of grass of the grasslands would still take time. Time would also be needed to cut down trees to use as firewood. Wood from a dead tree would be ideal.

William moved his horse closer to hers. "It seems the scouts have yet to find any spots to set up a camp." His voice was low, covered by the sound of armor and hoof steps.

It had been some time since the scouts ahead of them had returned. Only the one making sure no one was following their movements had returned to switch with another student while they rested.

She nodded. "We may need to think about what to do on the chance we do not locate an appropriate spot." She didn't mention continuing on the road and forgoing sleep. Gritting her teeth, the thought was kept in the back of her mind as an emergency.

The training they received would allow them to work for several days without sleep, but it would increase the chances that they'd make simple errors due to sleep deprivation. Forgoing rest may allow them to shorten the trip but at the cost of making themselves vulnerable to unexpected threats. With that thought in mind, she didn't think it would be worth the time saved. She didn't even consider an obvious solution to their problems, understanding the dangers of over-relying on such resources.

Her heart beat strong in her chest due to their present location in the grassland. If it weren't for their horses, the grass on either side would be nearly as tall as them. The lack of visibility was often why bandits would be found in these areas, taking advantage of the environment.

They were presently in a grassland area, where visibility was nearly nonexistent, another reason she was hoping to find parts of the forest that penetrated into the ocean of grass.

"Fortunately, we have yet to encounter any monsters or bandits." William sighed with relief.

Nodding, she said, "This is true. Things would be far more problematic if we had to deal with bandits. But even they would be preferential to dealing with chowon gwemuls. Those things are difficult to spot in areas like where we are." Her eyes slowly scanned the grass to make sure that there were no unnatural movements. As the breeze blew, the grass swayed like the waves of a lake. The swaying grass was a typical flowing pattern that helped expose anything moving through it.

William shivered at her words, bowing his head as he prayed to the gods he followed.

She could understand his emotions. Bandits may be dangerous, but it was nothing compared to a pack of chowon gwemuls. Her lips curled into a snarl at the thought of the nasty and sneaky creatures.

Turning her head to check on the students, Valessandria saw that they were quiet as they scanned the tops of the grass. They had been silent since entering the area where the grass grew taller on the main road to Illumin. Instead of chatting and making jokes, the atmosphere had become heavy with an unknown pressure.

She didn't like to put her students in danger, but there was nothing they could do. The world was full of things that wouldn't find them a threat, seeing them purely as a feast. The only solace she had was how their group was large enough to discourage most monsters from seeing them as prey. It was primarily bandits they had to worry about, considering what they were transporting. Even the most spineless bandit would overcome their trepidations and attack a readied group of Illumin students due to the absurd amount of wealth they currently had.

Putting her hand into one of the pouches around her waist, Valessandria opened it and searched for the familiar rough edges of a mana crystal. If it wasn't for her gloves, she knew that the mana would easily be absorbed through her skin and provide a sensation akin to touching charged metal -- a spark that was dull and merely tingled. She pulled one out and closed the pouch out of habit. Raising her visor to expose her face to the slightly cool breeze and breathing in the smell of grass, she eyed the clear crystal barely the size of half her thumb. Even with it close to her nose, she could feel a slight rush as the concentrated mana was breathed in, in addition to the remote feel of energy contained inside it. Immediately, her senses felt charged, even if a little bit, and her weariness immediately decreased. Her mouth couldn't help but salivate as it anticipated what would happen next.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Valessandria opened her mouth and gently inserted the rock inside.

As soon as her tongue touched the crystal, the world brightened, and everything felt more alive. In the air, she could barely see what looked like blue pollen dancing and flowing along with the breeze. She couldn't help but smile, enjoying the feeling of the mana coursing through her body. It felt for a moment like anything was possible.

But the feeling quickly faded as she reined in the sensation, making sure not to allow it to influence her mind. The world still felt alive due to her increased exposure to mana but significantly subdued.

William looked at her, his brow furrowed, "Are you sure taking a mana crystal was appropriate?"