陶醉的妻子

These horses were not ordinary horses that would succumb to fear and panic. Even when their instincts realized something was wrong. They were horses that had been raised by the Elves, making them much stronger than regular horses.

Though still inferior in terms of speed and strength compared to their Unicorn counterparts, these horses were equally strong in intelligence and mental strength. Along the way, Saeldir also mentioned that there was a bit of Magic power within the horses\' bodies.

Hearing that, Erend, Adrien, and Billy felt reassured. They never expected the horses they rode to possess Magic, but that was clearly reassuring.

The robes they wore also had enchantments, allowing them to be protected from the rain and wind. They didn\'t feel cold at all, despite being battered by the storm for several hours.

Thunder roared above them, accompanied by rain falling so hard it felt like they were being showered with gravel. Strong winds blew against their direction, slowing their speed slightly.

Yet, despite all of this, none of the four complained. Even their horses still seemed eager to keep running, as if sharing the same spirit as their masters.

So they pushed through the storm until they saw the presence of a forest ahead. They all agreed to enter the forest, hoping the vegetation there could provide some protection from the storm.

They were forced to dismount their horses and walk. As they had expected, the broad leaves and wide trees in this forest shielded them from the rain. Although not entirely, the volume of water hitting them had significantly reduced from before.

Saeldir glanced back, looking at Adrien and Billy to check if they were feeling tired enough. He wasn\'t worried about Erend.

"What?" Adrien asked when he noticed Saeldir\'s looks.

"Are you both okay?" Saeldir asked, looking at them alternately.

"Of course we\'re fine. It\'s just rain," Billy replied.

Adrien nodded beside him with a flat expression, his face seeming to question why Saeldir bothered to ask.

Saeldir nodded, satisfied. After that, he said, "Alright then. Let\'s continue the journey. I thought we needed to rest earlier, but it seems you\'re both fine."

The forest was dense and thick. Its floor was filled with tall roots that sometimes required them to jump to get through. Even then, the horses never complained. They knew what to do, leaping when passing the high roots and uneven ground.

The day had turned dark, but they were still in the middle of the forest. The wind blew even stronger, the rain still hadn\'t stopped. The air was even colder than before, but their cloaks protected them from it. Keeping them warm as if they hadn\'t touched the water at all.

"Camp?" Saeldir looked at the three of them.

"I don\'t think we need to camp yet. At least for a few more hours," Adrien said. "We need to be fast, right?"

"Yes. But our journey is still quite far. The Dwarf kingdom is a distant place after all," Saeldir said.

"We can cut a few more kilometers before needing to rest," Adrien replied.

Hearing that, Saeldir nodded in understanding. "Okay. But be careful. From here, the road will become slightly more dangerous than before."

Adrien, Billy, and Erend nodded. They kept walking.

Erend glanced around. Activating his Dragon Eyes, he could see a lot more in the darkness, adding more protection to them.

The storm continued despite the late hour of the night. It was as if the water from the sky would never end. The wind still blew fiercely.

"This weather is clearly an anomaly," Billy muttered grimly.

"Of course," Saeldir responded. "This world is beginning to change. It senses the signs of the impending big disaster."

Behind them, Erend clenched his hands into tight fists. His chest was full of anxiety. Suddenly, he felt the urge to gulp.

He was feeling nervous. Even when he was at such a high Level. He didn\'t know whether what he was feeling was a premonition or just baseless anxiety because he should already be strong enough.

There was no sure way to know. So Erend could only hope that by finding this artifact, he could feel a lot more confident in himself.

His ears suddenly caught a rustle in the distance. It was too easy to miss because the sound was very faint, coupled with the noise from the storm. But Erend\'s Dragon ears could hear it.

"I heard something," Erend said, making them instantly alert.

"What is it?" Adrien asked, gripping his sword.

"I don\'t know. Maybe nothing. But my feeling isn\'t too good," Erend replied.

"Then it\'s probably not something good," Saeldir said. He, just like the others, felt that trusting Erend\'s intuition was the best choice.

"Where did it come from?" Saeldir asked.

Erend scanned his surroundings and sharpened his hearing. The rustling sound was no longer audible. He informed his friends, but they still didn\'t feel at ease.

They kept walking but now with higher vigilance than before. Saeldir spread his Mana to sense better. Adrien and Billy did the same.

Not long after, Billy, feeling curious, asked Saeldir, "What exactly is in this forest?"

"A lot. That\'s why I said we should be careful," Saeldir replied.

"Tell me something that could make rustling sounds and likes to stalk its prey," Billy said.

Saeldir was silent for a moment, thinking. "Goblins are one of them," he said after a few seconds of sorting through several possibilities.

"Goblins? What is that?" Billy asked again.

"They\'re small like a child, they have tough green skin, and they can sneak quite well, especially in the middle of their territory like this one."

Upon hearing Saeldir\'s words, they immediately became convinced that whatever was lurking behind the shadowy bushes was the Goblins. But what Saeldir said next made them slightly anxious.

"They usually don\'t wait this long to attack."

The four of them had been walking for about thirty minutes in vigilance and anticipation. Waiting for when those Goblins would come to attack with their screech. But no one came.

Saeldir continued, "They are indeed sneaky, but they are also impatient. They should have attacked us by now."

"Maybe it\'s not Goblins," Erend suggested.

"Maybe," Saeldir said. "We should move faster."

The three of them agreed and began to move faster. Although their preparations were thorough enough, they were not eager to take the risk of facing something they didn\'t understand.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a large opening inside the forest. The rain and wind intensified again as they emerged from the shade of the big trees.

They didn\'t stop. They kept going, leading their horses, which surprisingly remained calm, toward the next part of the forest. As they entered, they were shocked to see the sight of several corpses hanging from the branches of the trees.

"What is that?" Adrien asked.

Saeldir stared at the corpses for a moment. They had features almost identical to humanoid children. Instantly, he realized what they were seeing.

"It\'s Goblins," Saeldir said. "Something killed them and displayed them like trophies on the tree branches."

Adrien, Billy, and Erend exchanged glances. They realized that there was a new danger ahead of them.

"Let\'s move then!" Billy urged.

Saeldir nodded. Right now, moving faster might be the best solution for them.

However, as soon as they started moving again, something whistled through the air, piercing through the bushes and trees.

Realizing the danger, they immediately erected their Magic shields. Dozens of darts with tips coated in liquid stopped a few meters from them, halted by their Magic shield.

Without saying anything, the four of them immediately searched for the attackers from the shadows. The trees swayed in the wind, making it even more difficult for them to spot the attackers, who could hide behind the shadows of the trees.

And the attackers knew this, so they took advantage of it. But they didn\'t consider one thing: the fact that there was a Dragonborn among the group of four.

Erend\'s eyes emitted a golden light shining in the middle of the darkness. He picked up some movements behind the swaying trees.

[ Skill activated: All-Fire Based Power (Lv.3) ]

A fireball appeared in Erend\'s hand. He then threw it toward one of the shadows he had picked up. The fireball shot with incredible speed and hit the shadow.

*BOOM!*

An explosion occurred. It wasn\'t too big, but enough to knock the attacker down several meters to the ground.

Noises were heard from the trees. It seemed like the attackers were caught off guard because they didn\'t expect to be discovered.

In that split second of confusion, Saeldir, Adrien, and Billy were already able to locate them.

~~~