There's no time for recklessness. I take the reins this time, pushing us to overtake the convoy.
We burst out of the forest, the port coming into clear view. At the same time, the convoy from the village road appears beside us.
"Can we pass them?!" Rose asks.
"HAA!" I shout, whipping the horse—WUSH. The horse accelerates, not all at once, but steadily enough. Like this, we can slip ahead of them.
We draw closer to the port. "I'm curious what Olivia meant," Rose murmurs.
At last, we reach the port. "Phew," Rose and I exhale together. Their ship is already prepared—just like Olivia said, entry requires a ticket, but not for VVIP.
Only then do we understand what she meant: our carriage, black with yellow patterns, stands out sharply from the other horse-drawn carriages, all of them plain yellow, clearly visible as we approach.
They let us through immediately. We board at once and set sail for Nimurelle.
Rose stands beside me at the ship's rail, amazed at how decisive Olivia's help is, watching the other carriages being inspected one by one with strict scrutiny.
Rose smiles in awe.
"So that's how it is. There really was no way out without Olivia, huh."
I tilt my head back.
"I thought miracles never exist, for me." I murmur.
"Hm?"
---
It's time to depart. The carriage moves away. The port shrinks behind us. The ship pulls farther from shore.
The sea growls beneath the hull as dawn breaks, a thin blade of light cutting across the horizon.
Two days, two nights.
First night: long conversations, dinner, staring at the moon, and one of us falling asleep first.
The next day: breakfast, walking around the ship, talking with the captain, lunch. Nothing special—except the exhaustion that clings to me.
Second night: dinner again. More stories. More laughter. More fatigue.
By the next dawn, exhaustion crushes me. The sea, the silence, her closeness—everything squeezes the air from my lungs. I lean against the railing and slowly close my eyes.
Then I see it, the same as last time—at sea.
Land.
The difference is that I see it with my eyes closed. Of course, it's a limited glimpse of the future, something I can use at any time.
And that's a bad sign.
Because the power flowing through my body is already far too much.