Standing on the grassy slope outside the valley, Yvette ignored the curious gazes of the nearby sheep. Using water magic, she cleaned Abella, then applied a combination of wind and fire elements to create a gentle, warm breeze to dry her off.

With this, Abella looked much more presentable. Her jet-black hair swayed gently in the wind, and her clean face was flower-like in its beauty—regardless of the angle, she was undoubtedly a stunning woman.

Yvette admired her handiwork with satisfaction, reaching out to gently stroke Abella’s hair, like one would pet a dog.

Abella, startled for a moment, instinctively lowered her head in a display of submission, seemingly embracing her role as a servant.

However, amidst this tender scene, Yvette suddenly asked, “You must be dying to eat me, right?”

“What? How… how would you know?” Abella exclaimed, shocked, nearly letting slip her true feelings. Luckily, she caught herself just in time, “I am absolutely loyal to you… my Mistress!”

Yvette nodded, not particularly concerned. After all, her defensive magic was on constant standby; for quite a long time, Abella wouldn’t be able to harm her. The unexpected comment was merely a preemptive hint.

Then she instructed, “Wait here for a moment. We’ll be heading out this afternoon, so stay outside while I bring the vehicle around.”

While she could have taken Abella into the village, that would have meant having to introduce her to every villager individually, which would be too much trouble.

Abella nodded, watching as her new mistress vanished into the valley, then immediately turned her attention towards the once proud ram nearby, a fierce glint in her eyes.

“I’ll kill you!” she shouted, rushing at it, only to be butted over once more.

…

The atmosphere in the valley felt a bit lonely as many of the dolls had come out to see Yvette off, knowing she was leaving today.

Before departing, Yvette prepared a projection image based on light and shadow magic, featuring Rosalind as the subject. She handed the image to Copper Skin, the local administrator, and provided some background information, requesting his assistance in keeping an eye out for the girl in the picture.

Copper Skin had a task of his own to relay and, after a brief pause, readily agreed. He handed a letter to Yvette.

“What is this?” Yvette asked, surprised as she examined the envelope in her hand. The scrawled writing was somewhat crooked, but she could make out “To Bellflower” in legible strokes.

“Miss Bellflower used to be a member of our kingdom,” Copper Skin explained. “However, after the Mountain Whales appeared, it became too dangerous, and she chose to leave. I only know the general direction she went, but I don’t know where she ended up.” He continued, “Miss Yvette, I hope you can deliver this letter to her if you encounter her during your travels.”

“Are you trying to call her back?” Yvette guessed.

“No, I just want to let her know I’m safe and hope she won’t worry about us,” Copper Skin replied.

“I will do my best,” Yvette said, offering a serious expression.

“Thank you, Miss Yvette,” Copper Skin said, sounding somewhat pleased. Then he hesitated and added, “May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Are you… really an envoy of the Gods?”

“If I said I was human, would you believe me?” Yvette casually tossed out the question. Seeing Copper Skin freeze in place, she smiled and took her seat in the vehicle, driving it to the valley’s mouth.

“That… shouldn’t be possible…” As the realization of their imminent departure sank in, Copper Skin finally came back to his senses and rushed forward to wave goodbye along with the others.

Something was different this time, however. With the hint he had just received, Copper Skin began scrutinizing Yvette’s body for any hidden seams that might indicate she was one of his mechanical kin, much like what he had observed in Ice Rain.

But perhaps due to the clothing obstructing his view, he found nothing.

“That… really shouldn’t be possible…” he murmured to himself, watching the vehicle move further away.

…

To facilitate travel, Ice Rain placed her motorcycle atop the vehicle. Due to limited space and the absence of a second bed, she would essentially have to make do with a makeshift sleeping area on the roof whenever she wished to rest during their journey, provided it wasn’t raining.

Dugrabi didn’t mind; after all, given its size, it wouldn’t fit in the vehicle anyway.

As Yvette drove down the slope, she spotted Abella, who was conspicuously standing atop a rock, where the ram had reappeared nearby, still watching her with an aggressive glare.

Noticing the grass and debris clinging to Abella, Yvette could roughly guess what had transpired and shook her head.

Soon, Dugrabi dived down from the sky, startling the sheep into fleeing. It looked at Abella standing on the rock with caution and hostility, saying, “What are you doing here? I’ll warn you—my teacher is right behind!” Content originally comes from novel fire.net

It suspected that this aberration had regained her strength and was plotting revenge, instantly recalling how scared it had been when she nearly trampled it into the ground just two days prior.

“It’s you.” Abella was surprised by the sudden appearance of this massive creature but when she realized it was one of her former subordinates, she breathed a sigh of relief and then proudly lifted her head, saying, “What? Can’t I be here?”

“She’s my subordinate… for now, at least.” Yvette chimed in, stepping out of the vehicle.

“A subordinate?” Dugrabi raised an eyebrow. Then it watched as Abella leaped down from the rock and approached Yvette, respectfully calling her “Mistress” and receiving an approving nod in response.

Dugrabi was momentarily at a loss for words. What purpose did Yvette have in taking an aberration as a subordinate? But as it further considered the matter, realizing it held a higher status as Yvette’s student—a legendary mage’s disciple—it felt slightly reassured.

After all, it had the support of its teacher!

“Hello… I’m Ice Rain, from the Kingdom of the Sky in Silver Mirror Continent. May I ask which kingdom you are from?” Ice Rain asked, her eyes blinking curiously as Abella approached.

“I am not a mechanical automaton,” Abella replied, a playful smile gracing her lips as she turned to Ice Rain. “I am a Godkin serving my Mistress. You may call me Abella.”

“Godkin?” Ice Rain tilted her head in confusion.

“It means a high-stage aberration,” Yvette explained.

Upon hearing this, Ice Rain’s expression shifted to fear as she instinctively stepped back, but Abella approached and took her hand, kindly saying, “Don’t worry. We Godkins, like humans, are highly intelligent beings, entirely different from those mindless fish. We are partners now and won’t harm you. You can treat me as just a humanoid automaton.”

“Uh… uh… alright…” Ice Rain mumbled hesitantly, glancing at Abella’s nearly human-like beautiful face and seemingly sincere expression, she weakly nodded, “If you say so… then we’re partners now, and you can’t hurt me.”

“Mm, I promise,” Abella smiled brightly.

“That’s hypocritical,” Dugrabi scoffed from the side.