Chapter 118: The departure for Sylvaris 1

The door to the Bridal Chamber had barely opened when Adam took a few steps down the corridor before stopping.

Then he looked at Lyriana.

Then Elaria.

"Wait."

The two elves stopped in turn.

Adam pointed to the Chamber behind them.

"Now that the door is open, we’re no longer restricted. We might as well review the route one last time before leaving."

Lyriana nodded immediately.

"Good idea."

So they went back inside.

The door remained wide open.

Thus, the Chamber’s time and the manor’s time remained perfectly synchronized.

The others hadn’t gone very far either.

Upon learning that they were going to review the route, Isadora asked for a map to be brought.

But the Chamber reacted before a servant could even intervene.

A large table appeared near the relaxation pit.

A detailed map of the kingdom and its eastern territories materialized above it.

Adam approached.

He had already studied general geography.

But actually seeing the route he was about to take made the distances much more tangible.

Lyriana placed a finger on the western edge of the kingdom.

"We are here."

Valoria.

The duchy occupied a position close to the western border of the Kingdom of Aurelis.

Then his finger slowly traced across the entire map.

Eastward.

Far to the east.

To a vast wooded area.

"And here lies Sylvaris."

Adam surveyed the map.

The forest seemed to cover a huge portion of the eastern region.

"So the elven territories are truly at the far end of the kingdom."

"Yes," Elaria confirmed.

Lyriana continued,

"The Forest of Sylvaris occupies the far east of the continent in this region. It shares a direct border with the Kingdom of Aurelis."

Adam followed the border line.

This meant they didn’t need to cross another kingdom before reaching elven territory.

However...

They would have to cross almost from west to east through Aurelis.

"And Aurelia?"

The capital appeared further south.

Isadora replied,

"You won’t be going through it."

Adam compared the positions.

Valoria to the west.

Aurelia to the south.

Sylvaris to the east.

Lyriana mentally traced their route.

"We’ll go through the northern part of the kingdom."

Her finger followed several paths.

"It’s much more direct."

"And probably less congested," Adam added.

"Also."

Elaria pointed out several points along the route.

"There are several towns and fortified outposts where we can stop if necessary."

"But we don’t plan on spending much time in towns?"

"No."

Lyriana explained:

"The goal is to reach Sylvaris quickly. So we won’t be going through major urban centers unless something forces us to change our route."

Adam nodded.

He did, however, notice the vastness of the territory.

Even with fast transportation...

This world was truly gigantic.

On Earth, he could have crossed an entire country in a few hours by plane.

Here...

The roads.

The terrain.

The monsters.

The wilderness.

The borders.

Everything made travel much more complicated.

He immediately thought of the Permanent Door stored in his inventory.

If it worked as intended once installed at Astraea’s...

This trip might well be the last long, mandatory journey between Valoria and Sylvaris.

"So once we arrive at Astraea’s..."

Adam tapped his inventory.

"I’ll install the door."

Lyriana nodded.

A slight smile appeared on her face.

"And then we can come back almost whenever we want."

Elaria added:

"If everything works correctly, yes."

Adam studied the map.

"This thing is going to completely change the way we travel."

Shiora, who obviously hadn’t been able to resist listening, chimed in:

"And many other things."

Adam slowly turned his head.

"We said we’d talk about trade later."

"I haven’t offered anything."

"Not yet."

She smiled.

Isadora finally steered the conversation back to the departure.

"The gear is ready. Your mounts too."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Mounts?"

Selene smiled.

"You’ll see."

The tone immediately made her want to ask more questions.

But no one answered her.

Adam sighed.

"Very well. Keep it a surprise."

They checked the final details one last time.

Food.

Clothing.

Travel equipment.

Documents.

Map.

Emergency supplies.

The Permanent Gate.

The two Technology Fragments.

Everything was ready.

Adam put the map away.

"This time, we’re really going."

They finally left the Bridal Chamber.

The group walked together through several corridors of the manor.

Adam, Lyriana, and Elaria walked slightly ahead.

The others accompanied them to the stables.

When they reached the large back courtyard of the estate, Adam discovered another place he had practically never visited before.

The ducal stables.

The building was immense.

Much larger than the ordinary stables he had seen in his first life.

But it wasn’t its size that caught his attention.

It was the creatures.

Adam stopped almost immediately after passing through the doors.

"...Okay."

Dozens of animals occupied different spaces.

Some vaguely resembled horses.

Others much less so.

One creature had six legs.

Another one resembled a strange mix between a large lizard and a deer.

Further on, a massive mount covered in thick fur slept peacefully.

Some had horns.

Others had feathers.

Several even emitted a faint aura of mana.

Adam looked around.

"I think I had a very limited definition of the word ’stable.’"

Elena smiled.

"What did you expect?"

"Horses."

She looked at the various creatures.

"There are some."

Adam followed her gaze.

"Technically, some are almost the right shape."

A female knight approached.

She held the reins of three creatures.

Adam immediately forgot everything else.

These really did look like horses.

But only from a distance.

They were almost three meters tall at the withers.

Their bodies were slender, powerful, built for speed.

Their coats were a deep green, slightly lighter on their legs.

But their most striking feature was their mane.

It didn’t hang normally.

It flowed.

Constantly.

As if an invisible wind were continuously blowing around their heads.

Adam approached slowly.

The three creatures turned their eyes toward him.

No aggression.

Only a certain curiosity.

"These are our mounts?"

"Yes," replied Lyriana.

The knight extended the reins.

"Three Wind Steeds. They were prepared this morning."

Adam observed the first one.

Light currents of air actually circulated around its body.

Its hooves touched the ground almost silently.

"Wind Steed..."

He held out a hand.

The creature moved its muzzle slightly closer.

Adam gently stroked its forehead.

It barely reacted.

Very calm.

Then a question came to him.

"Wait."

He looked at Vespera.

"Is that considered a monster?"

The dragon shook her head.

"No."

"But it uses mana, doesn’t it?"

"Yes."

Adam frowned slightly.

"So what exactly is the difference between a monster and a magical beast?"

This time, Vespera seemed rather satisfied with the question.

She approached.

"The term ’monster’ doesn’t simply refer to a creature capable of using mana."

Adam listened attentively.

"Most monsters are naturally hostile toward civilized peoples. Their behavior is often aggressive, territorial, or predatory."

Selene added:

"Even intelligent ones remain extremely difficult to approach."

Vespera then pointed to the Wind Riders.

"Magical beasts are different."

One of the steeds snorted calmly through its nostrils.

"They possess mana, sometimes even extremely powerful abilities, but their natural behavior isn’t hostile."

Adam understood.

"So they don’t attack without reason."

"Generally not."

"If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone," Elena added.

Lyriana clarified:

"And above all, many can be tamed."

Adam looked again at the numerous creatures in the stable.

"Which explains everything."

"Exactly."

Vespera continued:

"Some magical beasts have even lived alongside different peoples for generations."

"Like horses on Earth..."

Adam paused.

"Well, more or less."

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"Their classification is also different from that of ordinary monsters."

Adam turned his head.

"Classification?"

Vespera nodded.

"Magical beasts are primarily classified according to the power of their bloodline."

"Not their current level?"

"No."