Chapter 110

“W-what is this….”

Kasim blinked in disbelief.

He had traveled the desert for decades, but he had never seen such an overwhelming sight before.

The fierce sandstorm that had been raging had simply stopped in mid-air.

As if time itself had frozen.

The sun sparkled between the grains of sand, spreading a mysterious golden veil.

“…….”

Kasim turned his gaze to Ariel.

This absurd phenomenon must have been caused by Ariel’s magic.

Even the great power of nature was helpless before the magic of a single girl.

The grains of sand, which had been silently suspended, soon began to flow gently to the ground.

As the golden veil lifted, the clear sky and the vast desert landscape were revealed.

“Huh.”

Kasim exhaled in disbelief, and Ariel quickly approached him.

“Ariel, just what are you….”

In that moment, Kasim’s eyes widened.

Something had surged up beside Ariel.

It was a giant sandworm.

“D-danger!”

The sandworm opened its circular mouth wide, trying to swallow Ariel in one gulp.

Then, a blue light flashed from Ariel’s hand.

Swoosh.

With a simple sound, the sandworm collapsed.

Then, as Ariel waved her hand, the giant corpse of the sandworm disappeared without a trace.

As if it had never existed.

Even then, Ariel didn’t even glance at the sandworm.

Her gaze remained fixed on Kasim’s legs.

Kasim’s legs were trembling violently due to severe paralysis, which hurt his pride.

Kasim covered his legs with his bag and said,

“It’s fine, it’s always like this. It’s not an injury, it’s more like a disease. So, can you stop looking at me like that? I feel like I’ve become some pitiful guy.”

At Kasim’s words, Ariel’s face became thoughtful for a moment.

Then, she suddenly grabbed his bag.

“W-what are you doing….”

Kasim tried to hold onto his bag, but he was no match for her.

In an instant, Ariel had taken the bag from him.

As helplessly as a child.

This was also a blow to his pride.

A desert guide needs to have some combat skills.

That way, they can deal with bandits or monsters.

Kasim had trained in swordsmanship.

A thick machete hung from Kasim’s camel, and he knew how to wield it quite skillfully.

So, Kasim’s two daughters believed their father was the strongest man in the world.

Natural disasters like desert sandstorms were unavoidable, but they thought their father could easily take down a couple of bandits, and they were proud of him.

But what would they think if they saw him now?

Their sturdy father, trembling and having his bag taken by a little girl.

“G-give it back.”

Kasim reached out his hand, and Ariel placed the bag down beside her.

Then, Ariel crouched down and reached for Kasim’s legs, opening her mouth.

“Divine Revive.”

In an instant, a holy light burst from Ariel’s hand and seeped into Kasim’s legs.

Sacred Magic, Divine Revive.

While incurable diseases were beyond its power, it was a high-level sacred magic capable of healing most ailments.

It required a high level of sacred power, so only high-ranking clergy could cast it, and after casting, the caster would be temporarily completely drained of energy.

Of course, Ariel was an exception.

“W-what is this….”

Kasim was astonished by the change in his legs.

Strength was suddenly returning to his legs, which had been suffering from paralysis and pain.

Kasim carefully tried to stand up.

Amazingly, his legs supported his body firmly.

The spasms and paralysis were completely gone.

He could walk several steps without any problem, and he even felt like he could run.

“M-my legs are healed…?”

Kasim asked in a trembling voice, and Ariel nodded.

“Hahaha!”

Kasim burst into loud laughter.

“This, this is a miracle! How did this… Ariel, you’re truly amazing!”

Kasim picked Ariel up and spun her around.

Then, feeling dizzy himself, he collapsed onto the sand with Ariel.

“Hahaha!”

But Kasim still couldn’t stop laughing.

Above the desert where the sandstorm had disappeared.

For a while, Kasim’s hearty laughter echoed.

*

After that, Ariel’s astonishing actions continued.

A griffin that appeared out of nowhere fell with a *crunch* before it could do anything, and a hydra that appeared near the oasis struggled and collapsed as if its neck had been squeezed.

Each time, Ariel approached the monster’s corpse, and the monster’s body disappeared without a trace.

Kasim couldn’t help but feel sorry for the monsters.

Isn’t this a bit too much? He suddenly thought, and soon he had to scold himself for thinking that.

After all, they were monsters.

Monsters were dangerous creatures that attacked desert travelers.

It’s better to kill them all if possible.

In that sense, Ariel’s actions deserved praise.

But Ariel’s amazing abilities didn’t end there.

As the sun set and darkness fell, Kasim prepared to stand guard.

It was the guide’s duty to keep watch while the traveler slept.

But with a light wave of Ariel’s hand, a transparent barrier spread around them.

“You’ve worked hard, big sis has cast a shield, so rest easy and sleep soundly. No one can get in.”

Roo said that while patting Kasim’s shoulder, and Ariel also nodded to Kasim.

Then, the two of them naturally lay down on the ground.

Ariel hugged the camel Sahara, and Roo crawled into Ariel’s clothes.

Kasim stared blankly at the two of them, then soon lay down on the ground himself.

Using his bag as a pillow, Kasim looked up at the star-filled night sky and thought.

‘I feel kind of unnecessary….’

The shield Ariel had cast perfectly blocked the cold.

The desert night was usually notorious for its harsh cold, but thanks to the shield Ariel had cast, the surroundings were as warm as a greenhouse.

Thanks to that, Kasim was able to spend his first comfortable night in the desert.

*

The next day, the desert crossing continued smoothly and comfortably.

Thanks to Ariel’s excellent magic, no dangerous situations arose, and Kasim was able to leisurely enjoy the desert journey.

‘Such a peaceful journey….’

If Ariel decided to become a guide, all the guides in Sandspur would lose their jobs immediately.

That’s how outstanding and perfect Ariel’s abilities were for crossing the desert.

Finally, the group arrived at the edge of the desert and faced the dense jungle.

Kasim turned to Ariel and said,

“We’ve arrived already. Ariel, thanks to you, this journey was really smooth. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t do anything, haha. And thank you so much for healing my legs. If you hadn’t healed them, I might have had to starve my wife and two daughters. I’m truly grateful, Ariel.”

Kasim slowly bowed his head to Ariel, and Ariel smiled softly.

At that moment, Ariel felt that she had made the right decision to become Revena’s guardian knight.

Whether it was in the Elf’s Forest or with Kasim, she was able to help others thanks to learning sacred magic.

“You can sell the camel over there.”

Kasim pointed somewhere with his hand.

Where he pointed, camel merchants were gathered.

Once you leave the desert, camels are no longer useful, so travelers sell their camels here.

Ariel had known this even before they set out.

Ariel stroked Sahara’s neck with a regretful expression.

They had only spent a day together, but she had already grown attached.

Last night, when she hugged Sahara and slept, it was incredibly soft.

“Thank you for carrying me, Sahara.”

Ariel said that and took Sahara to the camel merchants.

Sahara also seemed reluctant to part with Ariel, trembling around its mouth and sniffing.

“Goodbye, Sahara.”

When they arrived at the camel merchant, Ariel retrieved the dragon doll Sparki from Sahara’s head and stroked Sahara one last time.

Seeing this, the camel merchant smiled kindly.

“Haha, you really care for the camel, what a kind-hearted girl.”

The camel merchant took Sahara with a gentle attitude, and Ariel watched Sahara walk away until the end.

And when Sahara disappeared into the tent, she turned to say goodbye to Kasim.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“No, what did I do? You’re the one who worked hard. Ariel, I know your abilities, but be careful in the jungle, okay?”

Kasim said while patting Ariel’s head, and Ariel quietly nodded.

Though parting was sad, the time they spent together would surely remain a good memory.

Ariel waved goodbye to Kasim and, with Roo, headed into the dense jungle.

She had put away her desert traveler clothes in her inventory and returned to her adventurer outfit.

As they entered the jungle, the hot desert air disappeared, replaced by a humid and cool atmosphere.

Feeling the soft sunlight filtering through the leaves, Ariel began to control Sparki with telekinesis.

Sparki had become quite chubby after being stuffed with cotton, so she made it fly a bit clumsily on purpose.

As if it were part of the concept.

“Ah, the forest is still the best, big sis.”

Roo said while busily admiring the flowers around them, and Ariel took a deep breath of the jungle’s scent.

At that moment, a huge object fell in front of Ariel.

Thud!

Startled, Roo quickly hid in Ariel’s hat, and Ariel calmly looked up at the being blocking her path.

It was an intimidating ogre.

With a massive build and muscular body, its dark green skin exuded strength.

The ogre looked down at Ariel with golden eyes and spoke.

“So, it was you who cast telekinesis magic in the Caldera Desert, little elf!”

His booming voice shook the surrounding trees, and birds flew away in fright.

Ariel instinctively realized that this being was no ordinary ogre.

“My name is Jakariss, the ruler of the southern region. You dared to cast magic in my territory, so you must pay the price!”

The ogre glared at Ariel with gleaming eyes.

“But, I will give you a special chance to kneel and beg for forgiveness. If you don’t beg properly, I will hang your little body on a tree and feed you to the crows. Now, choose, little elf. Will you kneel before me and beg for forgiveness? Or will you be severely punished and become crow food?”