INFINITE 34
Marc immediately sat across from her beside Bell and Juro.
"We're going to the Kingdom of Nerlarnd!"
Right after that, Heth entered the carriage and sat beside Noria.
"I invited them to help escort and protect us on the way back to the kingdom," he explained politely. "I apologize for not informing you sooner, Princess."
Noria smiled softly.
"It's fine."
And with everyone finally aboard.
the carriages slowly began moving forward.
….
As the carriages continued along the path, Marc couldn't help but look around in wonder. Vast fields stretched beneath the calm early morning sky, their colors softly illuminated by slowly the rising sun.
Meanwhile, Juro simply crossed his arms with a faint smirk, his eyes closed as if enjoying the peaceful ride. Bell quietly gazed out the window, taking in the scenery.
Marc eventually turned toward Bell and watched the endless fields outside together with him.
Noria couldn't help but smile as she watched Marc's excitement. A moment later, Marc turned to her.
"Noria! Do you always travel like this? It's so coolll."
Noria smiled softly. "Most of the time, yes. Though sometimes I travel using horlenses."
Marc tilted his head. "Horlenses?"
Before Noria could answer, Bell spoke up.
"It's like... a flying horse creature... or at least that's what the book said... back at the library..."
Marc's eyes widened.
"Whaaaattt? Flying horses???"
Noria nodded. "Indeed. Just as Bell said, horlenses have somewhat the same body structure as regular horses. However, their ears are mixed with wings, and like birds, they also possess wings on their backs."
Marc's eyes sparkled.
"Is that how they fly???"
"Not entirely," Noria explained. "Their bodies are already quite heavy, and adding a carriage filled with people would make it even heavier. Instead, horlenses use magic."
The moment Marc heard the word magic, his eyes lit up.
"Magiiicc!! ✨✨"
He leaned so close that his face nearly reached Noria's.
Caught off guard, Noria let out a small chuckle before Bell grabbed Marc by the shoulder and gently pulled him back into his seat.
Heth secretly smiled at the sight.
Noria continued with a warm smile.
"Yes, magic. Horlenses are creatures capable of using a specific magic. Their magic allows both themselves and anything touching them to become weightless."
"Woaaa! So that's how they're able to carry carriages and fly themselves??"
Noria nodded.
"Indeed. Although the magic becomes weaker the farther you are from the horlenses, even if you're still touching a rope connected to them."
"Oooo, I seee. That's still so cool though. I wish I could meet one of those horlenses and maybe even ride one too!."
Noria chuckled softly.
"Don't worry. You'll be able to see them."
Marc smiled brightly upon hearing that.
At that moment, Juro opened one eye and chimed in.
"Another fun fact about horlenses, they need to be fed with mana fruits."
Both Marc and Noria tilted their heads.
"Mana fruits?" Noria asked. "I haven't gotten that far in my lessons yet."
Marc quickly turned toward Juro.
"What are mana fruits, teacher Juro?"
Juro opened his eyes and answered.
"Mana fruits aren't technically rare since they grow naturally in demanas."
He raised a finger.
"But most of the time, they're a matter of chance. Mana fruits can appear on almost any kind of fruit. If you have an apple garden, for example, there's always a chance a mana apple might grow. Basically, mana fruits are ordinary fruits that developed under a high concentration of pure mana."
He paused.
"And eating one normally would lead to mana intoxication."
Marc blinked.
"Ooo, just like drinking water straight from mana magic?"
Juro nodded.
"Exactly. Mana fruits are usually vibrant in color, mostly blue with a few other colors mixed in. Creatures like horlenses eat those fruits to perform their magic. Without them, they won't be able to use it."
Both marc and Noria listened intently.
"I see. This is very informative. Thank you."
Noria gave a polite bow.
"Yeah!" Marc grinned. "Now I'm really curious about horlenses and mana fruits."
Juro laughed and waved a hand dismissively.
Meanwhile, Bell continued staring out the window.
"I guess he didn't tell them..."
"There is a way for humans to control the growth of mana fruits. It's difficult, but still much faster than waiting for them to grow naturally."
"Usually, a mage has to continuously exert their mana into the surroundings until a mana fruit eventually forms. It's extremely exhausting... and unhealthy for mages to force out that much mana."
Then, for the briefest moment, both Bell and Juro felt something.
The knights and mages outside felt it as well.
Immediately, the mages reacted.
"Aspida!"
The carriages and horses briefly glowed before the light faded away. At the same time, the knight driving the carriage urged the horses to move faster.
Aspida was a defensive magic. Once cast, it formed a thin shield around an object or living being. The barrier would become transparent afterward, though someone with keen mana perception could easily see the shield surrounding its target. It also provided resistance against heat and cold, though only against ordinary flames and normal ice.
Both Marc and Noria looked around in confusion.
Noria leaned out slightly.
"What's going on?"
"It seems we're being tracked, Princess. Hold on!" one of the knights answered.
Suddenly..
BOOM!
A massive ball of fire crashed onto the road ahead.
Thankfully, the knights managed to stop the horses in time before the carriages reached the burning patch of grass.
Marc's eyes widened.
"Teacher Juro, what's happening!?"
"Were being attacked," Bell answered casually.
Marc whipped around.
"What!?"
Juro opened one eye and shrugged.
"Yeah. Seems like they caught up."
As the flames spread across the grass, several unfamiliar mages slowly descended from above.
The knights immediately drew their swords.
The leading knight stepped forward.
"What are you doing!? Attacking us is a bold move. Have you lost your minds!? Leave now!"
The unknown mages remained silent.
Then, they stretched out their hands.
"Pyrini sfaíra!"
The mages accompanying the princess instantly reacted.
"Megen!"
A bright blue shield appeared in front of the horses and knights, intercepting the incoming fireballs.
But the mages quickly noticed more attacks coming from behind.
The lead knight and lead mage exchanged a glance and nodded.
The horses began nervously nickering.
Then, their bodies slowly started to change.
The unknown mages immediately realized what was happening.
"Stop them!"
Suddenly, a figure burst forward.
Before anyone could react, the assassin appeared behind the lead mage and slashed across the back of his neck, the blade cutting all the way to the front.
Blood poured from the mage's mouth.
Yet as the assassin attempted to retreat, his hand was suddenly seized by the dying mage.
The lead knight's eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he thrust his sword straight through the assassin.
Before the knight could say anything, the lead mage shouted with the last of his strength.
"GO!"
"NOW!" the lead knight yelled.
The other knights snapped their reins.
But the creatures pulling the carriages no longer resembled ordinary horses.
Their forms had changed.
They were horlenses.
[IMAGE HERE OR KOFI]
With powerful beats of their wings, the creatures took to the skies, carrying the carriages with them.
Marc's eyes sparkled.
"Woaaa! We're flying!!!"
High above the ground, the lead knight glanced downward.
His expression darkened as he saw the body of the lead mage lying motionless below.
But then.
His eyes widened.
The unknown mages were flying upward.
And they were casting magic.
Fireballs streaked toward them one after another.
With their commander gone, the princess's mages were momentarily thrown into confusion. Still, they quickly raised layers of Megen shields, blocking the incoming blasts.
Yet the enemy mages continued their pursuit.
Inside the carriage, Juro slowly rose to his feet.
Both Bell and Marc looked at him.
"Teacher Juro, what are you doing?" Marc asked.
Juro simply smiled.
"I'll handle the attackers. Hehe."
Marc blinked.
"In the sky???"
"Yup!" Juro replied confidently. "Hehe, I'll be back."
As he said that, Heth bowed toward him.
"Lend us your aid, sir."
Juro merely waved a hand before opening the carriage door and jumping out.
One of the mages escorting the carriages widened his eyes.
"Someone just jumped out!"
The lead knight immediately turned.
"What!?"
"Woa! He jumped out!" Marc exclaimed.
Heth then instructed the knights and mages to let the man be.
Marc quickly stuck his head out of the window.
Seeing Juro hovering in the air, his eyes practically shone.
"Woaaaa! Bell! He's flying!"
Bell couldn't help but become curious himself. He wanted to see how Juro would handle the situation, so he watched alongside Marc.
Noria also stood up.
Heth glanced at her.
"Are you curious as well, Princess?"
Noria nodded.
Seeing this, Heth simply nodded back, allowing her to join Bell and Marc by the window.
..
After jumping out of the carriage, Juro smiled and casually casted magic while falling.
"Samodzielny lot."
Instantly, his descent stopped.
He stabilized himself and gained complete control over his body in the air.
"Woaaah!" Marc's eyes sparkled. "Bell! Look! Teacher Juro is flying without mana magic! What magic is that??"
One of the mages flying beside the carriage answered.
"Samodzielny lot."
Marc finally noticed the mage beside them and nearly jumped in surprise.
"Woaaah!!! Mister, you're a mage!! You're flying too!"
The mage looked at Marc's excitement and let out a brief chuckle.
"Is that what you're using too, mister?"
The mage nodded.
"It's an advanced magic that allows the caster to gain control of their body while in the air."
"Woaaaa, I see!"
Meanwhile, Bell silently thought to himself.
"There's actually more to it than that..."
"Samodzielny lot is a magic that allows the caster to control their body through the air already flowing around them."
"So if someone were trapped inside a large box and tried using Samodzielny lot, they'd fail and only waste unnecessary mana..."
Far behind them, the unknown mages suddenly stopped moving and stared at Juro cautiously.
As they halted, the carriages continued flying farther away.
The lead knight frowned.
"Sir Heth, is it truly alright to leave that man alone?"
Heth answered calmly.
"Yes. He will be able to catch up."
Marc groaned in disappointment.
"Noooo! We're getting farther! I can't see Teacher Juro in actionnn!"
The leader of the unknown mages clicked his tongue.
"Who are you!? What are you doing!? Get out of the way!"
Juro yawned.
"You asked a question on top of another question. Geez, chill, man."
The mage's eye twitched in irritation.
"Ignore him!" he ordered. "Go after the carriage! I'll deal with the man in front of me!"
Juro leisurely stretched his arms.
"If you value your lives, I'd advise you all to go back down and report to whoever ordered this assassination that it failed."
The mages ignored him and immediately resumed chasing after the carriage.
But the moment they moved—
Juro disappeared.
One of the mages suddenly felt something in front of him.
His eyes widened.
Juro was already there.
His fist was already in motion.
BOOM!!
The punch landed squarely on the mage.
The impact was so overwhelming that the man was blasted straight downward like a meteor.
He descended at terrifying speed.
A second later…
SPLAT!
His body crashed into the earth below.
Blood stained the grass.
Silence.
The remaining mages froze.
Their minds went blank.
Fear instinctively gripped their bodies.
The sheer strength of that single punch had rooted them in place.
Even the mage leading them was visibly shaken.
Still, he gritted his teeth and shouted,
"W-What are you doing!? Don't be afraid of some brute-type mage! Catch that carriage now!"