Evolution begins with an ant colony

Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

Oliver, hearing what Leona said and the fact that she was about to proceed and actually carry Hestria, couldn't help but voice his thoughts. "Hey, hey, hey," his words caused Leona and Hestria to pause, redirecting their gazes at him, wanting to hear his reason for calling out to them. Oliver then continued, "This isn't how it's supposed to go.

I'm the charming guy of the group." He used his left thumb to point at the smug expression on his face and then proceeded to add, winking his right eye, "Don't you think it's my responsibility to help if a lady needs a hand?"

Once he made his statement, he flashed a charming smile. His words and actions made Hestria blush as she gazed at him, her heart rate slightly increased. Suddenly, Leona spoke with a nonchalant tone; her facial expressions seemed to reflect her disappointment but also indicated that she expected this to happen.

She began, "The only reason I'm doing this is so you won't be preoccupied with flirting rather than putting your full focus on our mission."@@novelbin@@

Oliver, hearing what Leona said, felt slightly insulted. He suddenly became irritated as he pointed at her and replied, "Hey, I can be focused. I'm actually focused all the time. Why do you think our liege gave me the bow if I was so bad at being focused?" It was an attempt to defend himself from the painful words of truth Leona said.

Oliver then folded his arms and gazed elsewhere.

Leona let out a sigh, momentarily using her right hand to cover her face. She then replied with the same tone, "It doesn't matter what you say; my words are final." She crouched down slightly in front of Hestria, turned her head back slightly, and instructed, "Hey, get on my back. I'll be carrying you."

Hestria replied, "O-ok." She felt awkward that, as a grown woman and a knight, she would be carried on someone's back like a child. It wounded her pride, but she didn't exactly have a choice, so she reluctantly got on Leona's back as Leona lifted her up, grabbing both of her legs.

Oliver, still feeling slightly defeated, then spoke in a nonchalant tone, his words directed at Hestria as he said, "Alright, point us in the right direction already." He let out a sigh.

Echoing what Oliver said, Leona then added, "Yes, point us in the right direction; the sun is already almost out of view."

Hestria then proceeded to point directly in front of them as she said, "If what you guys say about your speed is true, then you just have to run in a straight direction. You will have to avoid trees and cliffs, though."

Seeing the direction Hiandra pointed towards, Leona and Oliver replied simultaneously, "Okay, off we go then."

In that moment, both of them crouched down slightly, then propelled themselves forward with a monstrous amount of force. The snow beneath their feet scattered, and the chilly wind whipped against their faces as they surged ahead.

The sun dipped below the horizon as they sprinted through the vast snowy landscape, a breathtaking scene of snow stretching as far as the eye could see. Leona and Oliver moved with skill and speed, their bodies leaped over obstacles and avoiding trees that stood like silent observers in the wintry expanse.

The snow crunched beneath their swift footsteps, and the cold air carried the thrill of adventure as they raced through this serene, yet challenging, terrain.

As they zoomed past, their movements created a blur, their footsteps too swift to follow. Massive clouds of snow billowed up from beneath their feet, and the wind whistled past their ears. The speed made the cold air feel even chillier, particularly for Hestria, whose cheeks seemed to be affected by frostbite.

Inwardly, Hestria marveled, "I can't believe something alive can move this fast. These two are way faster than that lion monster the other knights and I encountered in the forest. Are all the monsters in that forest this strong?"

Observing all this unfold, she couldn't help but be astonished by their incredible speed and power.

As Oliver and Leona raced through the vast snowy landscape, the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm orange glow across the snow. Border Town gradually emerged on the distant horizon, a collection of small structures coverd in snow.

Hestria, her expression slightly surprised, pointed towards it, and her voice echoed through the surroundings, "There it is." Inwardly, she mused with a mix of wonder and disbelief, "I can't believe we were able to reach it in a matter of minutes."

Captivated by the view, Oliver couldn't help but smile, his eyes squinting against the setting sun. "That's the place? Seems rather dull. Hope it's fun there," he remarked, his excitement palpable.

Leona, ever composed, voiced a question, "Is fun all you ever think about?"

Oliver, maintaining his cheerfulness, responded, "Yeah, it is. What's the point of life if it's not fun?"

Leona sighed, her breath forming a small cloud in the chilly air, "We are going to have to slow down soon." The urgency in her tone hinted at the need to approach their destination with caution.

Oliver's curiosity sparked as he questioned, "Why? What's the point? Why don't we just stop when we get there?"

Leona, maintaining her calm demeanor, responded, "The speed both of us are using to run right now is not something regular humans are capable of. Seeing both of us, who look like ordinary individuals, run this fast on our feet will raise suspicion among the humans."

She continued, "Even if the people wouldn't have seen us, witnessing two people running this fast will give anyone the idea that we are being chased by something." The urgency in her explanation emphasized the need for discretion in their arrival.

Leona pressed on, her words carrying the weight of caution, "And if the humans end up thinking that we are being chased by something, they will believe it's something very powerful for us to be running like this, likely prompting them to sound an alarm. We don't want that."

Comprehending her rationale, Oliver sighed and acknowledged, "Guess you're right." The duo gradually slowed down in their tracks, aligning their pace with the pace of the ordinary world they were about to step into.

Hestria, catching every word of Leona's strategic thinking, found herself in awe of her logical prowess. Internally, she admired, "She's amazing, able to spot out important facts that would usually be overlooked by a normal person." Pausing for a moment, she delved deeper into her thoughts, "But what she said confirmed my suspicion.

Although they look completely human, these two are monsters of some sorts. I wonder how they were able to acquire a human appearance and such logical reasoning."

As they slowed down, Leona gently lowered Hestria to the ground, and the trio proceeded to approach Border Town. The journey brought them to the gates after a while, where two guards, clad in leather armor instead of iron, stood watch. The practical choice of leather over iron could be seen, considering that wearing iron armor in the snowy environment would only serve to intensify the cold.

Standing before the gate, the guard sharply instructed them to halt. "Halt! You must pay the entry fee before the gates will be open for you to go beyond this point," he said.

Leona, unfazed, responded with a nonchalant assurance. "Alright, we'll pay up," she said, pretending to reach into her cape. With a swift movement, she took hold of a couple of silver coins that Akun had created for her from her inventory.

Handing them over casually, she said, "Here you go."

As the guard prepared to signal the opening of the gates, he caught sight of the emblem of the Holy Empire on the coins. This discovery prompted him to pause and ask, "Wait just a moment, miss. Why is the emblem of the Holy Empire on these coins?"

Leona's expression shifted to visible confusion upon hearing the guard's question. She responded with a hint of irritation, "Those are the coins we have. We brought them with us directly from the Holy Empire. What's the issue? Is there something wrong with them?"

The guard, still puzzled, couldn't help but press further. "But how can you have coins of the Holy Empire all the way out here? I thought you were just adventurers who had returned from a quest. Are you saying you came here directly from the Holy Empire? How?" He posed this question, perplexed, as the usual route from the Holy Empire would involve passing through multiple checkpoints.

If they had taken that route, they should have exchanged their coins for those of the Leonheart Empire.

The guard, his skepticism growing, added, "Just wait up! How in the name of Galceus did you get here without changing your coins? Did you use some sort of illegal route?"

Hearing this, Leona was at a loss for words. She could only stutter, "Ummm, well, we..."