"Are you saying you will lead me to Nairn?" Armand spoke.
"Not just you."
Seraphine dispersed the image and approached the group. She turned her head towards Flint.
"Mr Blackthorn. As you are now, you're not capable of paying the price of dispelling the curse completely. But if you join the journey, you'll reach the end that you wish for...eventually."
Flint shook his head in amazement. "How does that even work?"
"The principles of causality aren't always straightforward."
He shrugged. "From my point of view, that old ring is definitely incomparable to what you've done for me, so I owe you one, little lady. And it's not like I have anything to do either, so might as well accompany this fellow for a bit longer. Who knows, I might see a dragon before I die!" He smirked as he nudged Armand with his elbow.
Armand ignored him. "Is it really necessary for you and Flint to come on this journey, Lady Mizan? Could you not inform me where I can find this place, and that person?"
"That would not be possible, Lord Fontaine." She turned to observe Darryl. "It'd be best for you to come along too, Darryl."
"M-me?" Darryl's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.
"No way." This time, both Flint and Armand said it in unison.
"That'd be too dangerous, Lady Mizan."
"Hey, lady, what are you thinking? Taking along such a small kid?"
Ignoring them, Seraphine's eyes focused on Darryl. "What do you think? Would you like to come along?"
Darryl dropped his head in deep thought, his gaze directed at the smooth, polished stone of the elevated platform they were standing on.
Before he met Lady Mizan for the first time, he thought that it would be his destiny to live in the slum for his whole life. Sure, he might have been slightly cleverer and good at remembering things than his peers, but that was not enough to climb the ranks in the tough city like Dohara that suffered annual attacks by monsters. On the other hand, working for the Archon and the Magistrate as Court Officers required deep family connections.
But years ago, Lady Mizan told him he would be given a chance at a right time, if he decided to take it. Looked like the time was now.
Never in his life had he imagined being invited to travel alongside a powerful mage, a holy knight, and a skilled mercenary. And to find Nairn, a mythical place no one had ever set foot upon! He could feel the warmth of excitement surging through his veins.
"Lady Mizan." Armand's voice sounded quite stern. "Up until now, you've been quite reasonable - hard to understand, yes, but still reasonable nonetheless. But taking a fifteen-year-old along a dangerous journey..."
"I'm almost sixteen, my lord."
"Sixteen - is clearly irresponsible!"
"Hmm, is that so?" Seraphine touched her chin. "But he found me faster than any of you?"
Armand and Flint were taken aback. It was true that when Armand managed to get out of the Bamboo Formation magic, Darryl was already there. However, he thought it would be because the magic did not apply to children, or that somehow Seraphine made an exception.
As if reading his mind, Seraphine shook his head. "Mizan treats everyone equally. Why don't you share how you managed to escape the Formation magic with these two gentlemen, Darryl?" Seraphine asked.
Darryl eyed them nervously. "I...uh, just like last time, I just closed my eyes and followed the path...?"
Just followed the path? Armand and Flint looked at him in disbelief. How complicated was the Formation magic, especially this one they just experienced? Although only a couple of minutes had passed in reality, they felt they had spent hours inside the bamboo grove. The Bamboo Formation magic combined several high-level arcane magic, such as Illusion magic that tricked your senses, Space magic to distort the space and time, and Mind magic strong enough to peek through minds and materialise someone's strongest desire.
While Armand had played by the rules as he had sufficient mental resistance to such magic, Flint had to resort to brute force by destroying one of the magic 'pillars'. To have been able to sense a 'path' amidst all of those meant that the child was probably born with natural immunity against mind magic.
"I see... still, it could be life-threatening."
"! Armand, surely, you're not considering it?" Flint shouted.
This time, Armand studied Darryl carefully. He did not feel a strong divine or arcane mana affinity from him, but that was not to say there was none. Mages were exceptionally rare. Anyone with even a small affinity for mana, in addition to such a unique disposition, would always be welcomed by the Archons and the Temple.
"I-I don't mind!" Darryl squeaked. "I can take care of myself! I promise, I won't be a burden!"
Armand looked at him sadly, remembering when Niko begged him not to take him to the Magistrate. He also had this kind of desperation in his voice, something that Armand recognised very well. He sighed. It seemed that Lady Mizan had a reason for bringing along this child.
He dropped to one knee beside Darryl, who was shorter than noble children around his age due to malnutrition. "Are you sure about this, Darryl? You could lose your life, your limbs, everything. I'll do my best to protect you, but I can't promise I'll be there at all times."
Darryl nodded seriously. "Yes, my lord. I-I will learn quickly and take care of myself. I'm good at hiding, too."
Armand and Flint sighed.
Hearing this, Seraphine clapped her hands. "Good. Now that it's sorted, it's dinner time. Unfortunately, I have a lot to prepare, so I won't be joining you. Nyra will show you to the dining room and where you can stay after." Just as suddenly as she had appeared, she turned on her heel and left, her light green dress flowing behind her with each graceful stride.
The men looked at each other, then at the snow leopard who was leisurely cleaning her big, fluffy paw. Her golden eyes met theirs, and she rose, shaking her body and stretching.
"Come with me. Don't touch anything."
At this point, they were not shocked anymore by the fact that the snow leopard could talk. Armand quickly assumed that she was a mage familiar, who often took the form of animals. Obediently, they followed behind Nyra out of the mesmerising domed room, feeling like they were just awaken from a dream.