"Tsk, if you guys are so eager to die, then don't resent me in your next life." Fennelis's expression grew cold as she said those words. The next instant, the temperature in the room began to drop rapidly. For the first time, the middle-aged lady stopped her quill pen and turned her gaze towards Fennelis with a surprised face. In a second, she identified Fennelis as a noble rank beast kin and smiled lightly.
Meanwhile, the fatty officer Vicar got annoyed by Fennelis's behavior and shouted while standing up from his seat.
"You are just a filthy beast. How you dare act like that in front of me?"
"You are the one who started it, Pig." Fennelis was driven mad by Vicar's insulting words and retorted with a sharp look.
Vicar's face turned red in anger and embarrassment.
"Capture her!" He roared at them.
On the other hand, Fennelis calmly analyzed the guards' strength and coldly snorted.
'They are just third-tier warriors!' If it were before, she would be no match against these people. But now, she had already strengthened her bloodline by potion and could kill them with brute force.
Moreover, she could even cast bloodline spells and turn this place into a bloody mess.
But she didn't want that.
'All we want is an official permit to cross the border, but this moron is making things more complicated.'
While thinking, Fennelis didn't even evade the sword coming towards her chest. Instead, she raised her hand at an incredible speed, touched the sword tip with her finger, and released some uncontrolled ice elemental energy.
A shocking thing happened as Fennelis's icy finger and the guard's sword point collided.
The guard felt that his right hand suddenly went cold and lost its sensation. A heartbeat later, he loosened his grip and backed away with a startled expression.
As the sword fell, it broke into multiple pieces and caused others to freeze in shock.
They all shifted their gazes towards the guard's hand a moment later and got chill.
At that moment, they noticed that the guard's right hand was already frozen in ice and the ice-elemental energy appeared to be spreading towards his forearm.
"Eh? W-What did you do to my hand?!" That guard stuttered in panic.
"Hmm, I am still inexperienced in controlling my elemental energy." With an understanding nod, Fennelis sighed heavily and shifted her gaze towards the other guards.
The next instant, everyone's face went death pale.
'H-How could a normal beast have this much power?'
Vicar hadn't thought that a single beastkin woman would be this strong and got terrified inside. A chill went down his spine as he stepped back in fear!
"Vicar, give them the official permit to cross the border." Unfazed by the coldness, the middle-aged lady, who still sat on her seat, started talking.
"Lady Elianor? But she-" As Vicar was about to refute, the middle-aged lady Elianor interrupted him with sharp words.
"Do it now. If you want a fight, get out of this fort and do it outside. Don't involve me in this mess." As he heard those words, his expression turned worse. He tried to ask for help from the other five guards, but they stood there, lowering their heads. Without any other choice, he quickly took out two scrolls with the kingdom's seals and gave them to Fennelis.
"Hmm, if you had done that earlier, this guy wouldn't be losing his hand now, isn't it?" Fennelis gave Vicar one last glare and took those two scrolls from him. After glancing at the kingdom's seals, she nodded her head and put it inside her spatial ring.
She had taken this ring from one of the Holy Knights.
After that, Fennelis grabbed Umi's right hand and turned around to get out.
"Wait! Do you have a minute?" Elianor suddenly stood up while shifting her gaze towards Fennelis and asked in a low voice.
"Is there anything else?" Fennelis also halted her movement and turned back while furrowing her eyebrows.
"No, if you are okay with it, can you do me a little favor?" Elianor asked while signaling other guards to get out of the room.
"Not you, Vicar." Elianor stopped Vicar and gave him an odd look.
"Y-Yes, my lady." Vicar instantly halted his footsteps and stuttered in reply.
Meanwhile, Fennelis looked suspiciously at both of them and was puzzled.
"What do you want? What benefit do I get from this?" Although she would take missions mostly from Adventurers' Guild, she first thought of listening to the details.
'If the mission involves more dangers, I will decline it.'
'I don't want to put Umi's life in danger anymore.' She thought.
"Thank you. Well, we are short of a hand to send a letter to one of our associates in the Keris kingdom. If you are willing, can you give this letter to Silverland's Adventurers' Guild? It would be helpful." Fennelis frowned deeply at Elianor's words.
'If this mission is just sending a letter to Silverland City, why did she choose me instead of hundreds of people?' Doubt appeared in her mind.
"What are you plotting, madame? You can give it to other adventurers if it is a letter, right?"
"No, due to the civil war, they will face more attacks from bandits and thieves. With their current strength, I'm not sure who is going to die or who is going to live. But I don't have to worry about failure if it is you." Fennelis nodded at her words in understanding.
"How many white gold coins are you willing to pay for this mission?" She went straight to the point.
Tapping her silver ring, Elianor took out a pouch and a sealed letter and gave them to her.
"There are 20 white gold coins in this pouch. Once you give this letter to the receptionist, she will give you the remaining amount." Elianor paused for a second and made another request.
"Also, if you are okay with it, can you also bring a person with you?" Fennelis furrowed her brows as her gaze fell on Vicar. Noticing her gaze, Elianor shook her head in denial and explained.
"Not him. That person is staying in the next room. Due to some reason, she is on a journey to the Keris kingdom capital. Although her strength is enough to protect herself, I will always feel uneasy if I send her alone." Elianor finished her talking and waited for Fennelis's response.
Meanwhile, Fennelis stood there with a dazed face and was deeply troubled inside. At first, she thought of refusing this request, but she changed her mind as her sights fell on Umi.
'It's better to have another companion with us.' After a short silence, Fennelis finally nodded in agreement.
"Ha! Thank the lord of Light. I thought you would reject this request. Vicar, go and call my younger sister Roysia." Elianor heaved a deep sigh and smiled brightly.
Meanwhile, Vicar ran out of the room with his big body and soon returned with a lady knight. She looked around 35 to 40 years old and wore tight black pants, a half-sleeve cardigan, and black leather boots. Roysia strolled behind Vicar while tying her pink wavy hairs. She had average height and looked similar to Elianor. They have the same hawk nose, ordinary eyebrows, and thin lips. Their only differences were their age, eyes, and hair color. Roysia was a little younger than Elianor and had pink hair and amber eyes.
"Why did you call me, Elia? Who are these two?" Roysia asked in an annoyed tone and glanced at Fennelis and Umi. A heartbeat later, her hooded amber eyes widened as she noticed Umi's fluffy ears.
"Foxkin! She is so cute. What is your name, little one?" She squatted down and tried to pick Umi up, but Elianor stopped her.
"You are scaring her, Roysia." Elianor massaged her temple in helplessness and added,
"Listen carefully. These two are the ones who are going to accompany you for the rest of your journey to the Keris Kingdom. So, please don't cause unnecessary trouble for them. Got it?"
"Are you not coming with me?" Roysia turned her face towards Elianor and asked with a stunned expression.
"I have other important work to do. But both foxkins will accompany you to Silverland City as companions. Then, you will be on your own." Elianor said solemnly.
"Hmm, but do you think I will get a clue about the Red python organization from Black Watchers?" Roysia asked while rubbing her chin.
"If you want your title and position back, then they are the ones who could help you with this," Elianor responded with a wry smile and returned to her seat.
"Okay, I will go and pack my belongings then." Roysia nodded and walked out hurriedly.
After a few minutes, she returned with her backpack and joined Fennelis and Umi.
"Elia, I will be back in a month or two, so take care of your health." She shouted towards Elianor and walked out of the building along with Fennelis and Umi. Then, the trio walked away from the main building and moved towards the five-meter tall wall on the northern side. They arrived in front of a small metal gate and greeted the guards within a minute.
"Permit scrolls." One of the guards asked.
After Fennelis and Roysia gave him the sealed scrolls, he nodded towards them with approval and opened the gate. Soon, the trio moved to the other side of the large wall.
On the other side of the wall, the soldiers from Keris kingdom did another check. But unlike the last time, the trio didn't face any obstacles and walked out of a small check post.
As they moved away from the check post, they soon noticed a vast dense forest in front of them and were pleasantly surprised.
"Be careful when traveling in this Birch forest. We received many reports of monsters appearing near the roadways recently." The guard, who stood near the check post, suddenly noticed them entering the forest without any security and warned them.
"Thank you for your warning, sir. We will be careful during the journey." Fennelis looked behind, gave him a nod, and then shifted her gaze towards the thin-leaved deciduous trees that covered the forest. She also noticed two types of birch trees mixed in this forest and breathed the fresh air. After that, she slowly turned her head and looked ahead at the narrow dirt path that entered deep into the forest.
'Keris Kingdom… This is the place where the Taiga Sloth woodland is located. I hope you are safe and sound, my dear!'