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“So this is the valley.”

“It really is shrouded in mist…”

 

We stood above and looked down into the valley. The mist was so thick that you could not see the valley floor.

 

“Well, Daniela. Let’s move as planned.”

“Understood.”

 

Daniela prepared to use her magic. A jade colored magic. Wind attribute. She also used the power of the wind spirits to enhance it further.

 

This was what we decided to do upon reaching the valley. First, Daniel would use her wind magic to blow away the mist. Now that I knew that Daniela could cause a tornado, I would fully rely on that. Daniela had been out buying potions while I was getting the other supplies, and there were also potions that replenished your magic if you ran out. I didn’t think we would be using them so early on, but then again, we came up with this idea because of the potions.

We assumed that whatever it was that was wriggling on the valley floor, did not have the ability to fly. And so we thought of a bold plan to ‘blast the mist away and use Legs of the Forest Wolf to move to the center and expose it.’

 

“Alright, here we go. Support me.”

“Leave it to me!”

“Hey!? Where are you touching, you idiot!”

 

I was so pumped up that I had made an error. I quickly fixed it, and Daniela coughed before stretching both arms out towards the valley and unleashing all of the stored up magic.

 

“Galestorm!”

 

As it was a great spell, she shouted the name as she activated it. The strongest wind magic were these ‘gale’ types, and it was actually difficult to cast them with just saying the name. But that’s Master Daniela for you.

The jade tornado that she created moved along the rim of the valley, it’s point directed down toward the mist. Daniela’s outstretched arms moved to the side, and the tornado began to move in that same direction. I watched as the mist was pulled in by the strong winds, and the valley slowly became clearer. I wanted to move forward to get a closer look, but I had to stay here and support Daniela.

 

After only a few minutes, the galestorm had completely cleared the valley floor of all mist. Daniela was drained of magic, and she collapsed on the ground, her face eerily pale. And so I quickly opened a magic recovery potion and brought it to her lips. Daniela drank it slowly and sighed. But she had no strength to stand, and so she lay, her head on my lap, and rested.

 

“Ahh… I would recover much faster if this was the lap of an adorable girl…”

“Sorry, only ugly boys here.”

 

She was at least well enough to crack a joke. I brushed away her sweat covered hair from her face and she smiled. Her silvery hair was thin and soft. It was straight and felt like a luxurious cloth. Daniela’s hair was on the short side for a woman, but it wasn’t because of the trouble of taking care of it. It was short for ease of movement. She actually cared about it a lot.

 

“Now that I think of it, your hair is quite different.”
“It is?”

 

It was in this world, anyway. As a modern man…it wasn’t too unusual. I suppose you would call ‘asymmetrical.’ Women in this world generally kept it short or long and tied it up.

 

“I looked in the mirror after cutting my own hair once, and I like the results enough to keep it.”

“Is that right.”

 

Oh, so she was just incapable of cutting straight… Maybe she cut one side too short and kept trying to fix it by cutting the other side. I could imagine her frantically fighting with the scissors already. Thinking about her look of shock when she looked in the mirror was enough to make me start laughing.

 

“What is so funny?”

“Hehe, uh, it’s nothing.”

“Hmph…you are mocking me!”

 

I stroke her hair as she scowls at me. Then she immediately closes her eyes quietly and relaxes. Too easy.

We rested like this for a few minutes until the potion’s effect had fully kicked in, and Daniela felt better. I felt a slight feeling of remorse when her weight left my lap, but then I picked her up and activated Legs of the Forest Wolf, jumped, and hovered over the edge.

 

“Hmm, I did a fairly good job.”

“I doubt anyone’s ever had such a clear view of this place.”

 

The mist was completely gone now, thanks to Daniela’s magic. It was impressive. But from what we could see here, there was nothing unusual lurking below.

 

“Well, let’s go down a little.”

“Do not descend to the floor. We should investigate while looking down from above.”

“I know, I know.”

 

Slowly, I allow myself to fall towards the center. The valley seemed much bigger when we were this close. And it was deep. We were already below ground level. When I looked up, I could see the sky getting narrower as the valley walls pushed in. Still, it was clear and blue.

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