The moment they stepped out of the tavern onto the cobblestone street,
the man summoned the flying carpet, suspending it before him, and scooped the elf girl nestled against his side onto it.
Celia looked dazed. Once placed on it, she simply sat there obediently.
He chuckled softly, his fingertip grazing her cheek.
The experience gained that morning had taught her much about maintaining balance on the carpet; she wasn't as scared anymore.
Looking at this exquisite, innocent girl, Liam felt an inexplicable softness in his heart.
He stepped onto the carpet, pulled the warm little figure over, and settled her on his lap.
His large hand cupped her cheek, holding it gently, and he couldn't resist lowering his head to capture her full, moist lips.
"Mmph~ Lord Liam... Didn't we... mmph... just kiss?"
The carpet rose into the air.
People below turned their gazes upwards.
A plainly dressed commoner shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and exclaimed, "Flying contraptions are rare here in the Kingdom of Silverdew! Must be a mage from another kingdom, eh?"
"Hard to say. But I'm quite interested in that elf in his arms. Wonder how much gold he paid for her."
"Look at his clothes. Probably nobility. Doubt he'd care about the cost."
The wind at high altitude was much cooler than on the ground, gently tousling both their hair.
This time, secure in Liam's embrace, Celia properly enjoyed the view from above.
Looking down, the Kingdom of Silverdew stretched vast and seemingly endless.
It was spectacular, but Celia couldn't be bothered to look much. Soon, carried by the carpet Liam controlled, they arrived above a stretch of grasslands.
The man leaned close to Celia's fair little face, which carried a faint milky scent.
He took the parchment map from his robes, gently spread it open on her lap, so they could both look at it carefully.
Then, pointing at two faint, wandering red dots on the map, he whispered by her ear, "These markers indicate goblins. Not far below us. Can you see them clearly?"
"I can see them clearly," Celia spoke timidly, though her attention wasn't really on the map at all, her face blushing.
The man behind her was stroking her two elf ears with his fingertips.
It felt a little ticklish.
Lately, Celia couldn't help but blush around Liam, which she found incredible herself.
She had been a man, after all.
How could she have fallen so far, so fast?
"Then... shall we go down?"
Liam hadn't lied.
The Guild badge was still properly pinned to Celia's chest; he had truly gifted it to her, only taking it out for use when accepting quests.
With everything ready, the carpet descended beside a large tree and was then stored away.
"Look, right ahead." Liam guided her, pointing forward.
Not far ahead of their position was a small stream bordering a forest. Loitering around the stream were two or three strange creatures.
They were short in stature, their bodies entirely blue, without a trace of fur.
"Celia, these are the goblins you like. Give it a try?"
"Use the nature magic you've learned."
"I don't like them..."
How could she possibly like goblins?
It was just that in the games she played in her previous life, she had felt a yearning for defeating goblins and leveling up step by step.
But actually becoming an adventurer and standing here, looking at the goblins in the distance, she didn't feel much excitement or interest.
Even...
She felt inexplicably afraid...
"Here."
The man, holding a wooden staff that had appeared in his hand at some point, offered it to her.
Celia curled her thumb, then numbly gripped the staff.
Looking at it, she realized it seemed to be the same one Liam had given her before, which her husband had been keeping for her until now.
"Same first-tier level. Goblins have low intelligence, only knowing how to attack wildly. With your talent, defeating them shouldn't be a problem."
"Or, if you do like goblins as monsters, there's no harm in looking a bit longer."
"I said I don't like them!" Celia retorted sharply.
She didn't know why Liam kept fixating on that point, but she couldn't explain it either.
How could she say she was reincarnated?
She clenched the staff in her hand, took a deep breath,closed her eyes, and focused on channeling natural mana, gathering it within the staff.
With difficulty, she aimed it at the dormant monsters ahead.
To be honest, Celia's legs felt a bit weak now, trembling uncontrollably...
Fantasy and reality were different, after all.
It was like bungee jumping.
Before trying it, there's always some desire, but when you stand on the platform, your heart races, and thoughts of retreat emerge.
Just like Celia's current state of mind.
The sky was overcast. Before long, the strands of hair on her forehead were damp with cold sweat.
A slight breeze brought a tinge of coolness.
Celia worried faintly...
What if, once she cast the spell, those monsters would swarm over like stirred-up hornets, rushing at them madly?
Thinking this, she couldn't help but lean closer to the man.
"What's wrong? Scared?"
Liam, sensing the girl's trepidation beside him, found it quite amusing.
—After all, he was a pervert who loved seeing Celia cry.
"If it's too much, I'll handle it, and we can head straight back?"
"No..."
Celia bit her lower lip.
How could they go back?
She was the one who wanted to come.
She steeled herself and shut her eyes tightly.
Bang!
In an instant, a green sphere condensed at the tip of the staff and shot out like an arrow from a bow, striking one of the goblins squarely in the back with startling speed.
A hit!
Celia relaxed, a secret thrill in her heart.
Her first goblin defeated in this other world?
Being able to defeat a goblin was all thanks to the results of her hard work and struggle since childhood, growing up...
Ahhh!!!
The goblin is charging over!!!
The attack had only caused a minor injury to the monster's back.
Not only was it ineffective, but it also alerted its three companions nearby.
They let out sharp shrieks, picked up crude clubs lying nearby, and instantly charged towards them!
"L-Lord Liam!"
"Hurry!"
Tears welled up in Celia's eyes from fright. Scared out of her wits, she clutched desperately at Liam's sleeve and hurriedly hid behind him.
She had forgotten.
This wasn't elf territory.
The natural mana emanating from the World Tree here was minimal, drastically reducing the spell's power.
That was why... after noon, [content removed for privacy] it hurt a bit more, and she felt more tired... So, after the integration with natural mana weakened, even her self-healing ability had diminished significantly.
"Really now."
A frenzied-like smile spread across Liam's lips. He inexplicably called out lightly to the timid girl behind him, "Are you crying?"
"No!"
Her voice trembled, indeed carrying a hint of a sob, her eyes completely moist, but she stubbornly refused to admit it.
—Admitting she was scared to tears was far too shameful.
Celia couldn't do it, especially after assuring Liam beforehand.
"Not crying, huh..."
Liam's lips curved, his tone dimming, seeming rather disappointed.
The next moment, he used his long arm to grab the collar of the girl behind him and violently pulled her in front of him.
Celia struggled desperately, crying out with tears in her eyes, "Wah, Lord Liam... What are you—?"
Before she could process it, she found herself being held in front of the man?
The three goblins were getting closer.
"Then it seems my little wife still has untapped potential."
"Come on, Celia!"
"Show me your power!"