Wizard: The exploration panel keeps me pure.

A group of people were hurrying along a quiet forest path.

On both sides were well-equipped soldiers and knights, protecting the carriage in the middle, which was naturally the carriage carrying Count Hobert and his family of three. Of course, there were four people inside now.

"Mom, is our picnic over already?"

"What, my dear little princess, would you like to stroll around outside some more?"

Visia blinked her big, bright eyes at Earl Hobert, who had spoken, and asked with anticipation:

"Is it okay, Dad?"

"certainly......"

"No," came the Countess's stern voice.

"Vicia, your father has many important things to take care of and can't play with you anymore. Also, your etiquette, history, grammar... your teachers only gave you this half-day off, you still have to go back and finish the homework they assigned."

"So, Mommy has refused your request on behalf of Daddy. Stop thinking about playing."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Visia's bright eyes dimmed instantly, and she drooped her head, refusing to look at the couple sitting opposite her.

"Hey, Visia is still just a child."

"I was already pregnant by you when I was her age."

Earl Hobert, who had initially wanted to say a few words in defense of his daughter, was now rendered speechless by his wife's rebuke. He chuckled awkwardly and sat down beside his daughter, gently comforting her:

"Vishia, Mom is right, girls your age need to study hard..."

Unfortunately, Count Hobart was only saying this to himself.

A sly glint flashed in the girl's lowered eyes, and the voice echoing in her mind made her even more proud of her acting skills:

"Tsk tsk tsk, Miss Vicia, it's such a pity you're not an actress."

"Does Mr. Ron think so too? I think so too, but my parents will definitely not agree to my wish."

"hehe."

Ron, hiding in the girl's shadow, chuckled twice, somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected her to actually have this idea.

"By the way, Mr. Ron, when will you teach me about supernatural knowledge?"

"Hmm~ I think we need to change our previous deal. You'll need to find me some more books and teach me to read so that I can impart extraordinary knowledge to you."

He began to tell the girl about his "background," how he was abandoned by his parents, how he had always lived in the forest and knew nothing about the outside world.

In short, it was to clear his name and explain why he couldn't speak the language of this world and why he had to learn its writing system.

Visia listened to him finish his story before muttering a pitiful, low voice:

"...Mr. Ron doesn't keep his word."

Hearing the boy's voice in her mind, she felt as if she had been looked down upon.

She was naive, not stupid; she could easily tell that the other person was lying to her.

Although some books were nothing to her, this attitude of raising prices on the spot still made the girl feel a little unhappy: "Mr. Ron's behavior is a bit shameless."

"Hey, Miss Vicia, don't slander me! All these things I need are for better teaching you extraordinary knowledge. Think about it, if I couldn't read or write, and didn't know some basic common sense, how would I teach you, right?"

"...Excuses? You're just lying to me."

"How can this be called lying? I'm doing this for your own good."

"...Shameless, you big liar."

"It really isn't..."

Visia continued talking with Ron in the sea of ​​consciousness, completely unaware that Earl Hobert, who was sitting to the side, had already talked until his throat was dry.

"In short, your mother is right. You are still young and should focus on your studies. We can talk about playing later."

Count Hobart glanced at his daughter, who sat silently beside him with her head down, and assumed she had taken his words to heart.

He nodded in satisfaction and sat back down next to his wife.

"It seems that Visia is still quite well-behaved. She's still a child, and it's in her nature to like playing. Don't restrict her too much."

"Heh, let's see if you can still say that when she suddenly brings a young man back one day."

"Look at you, saying hurtful things again. Don't I know my own daughter? If she had a boyfriend, she would definitely tell me."

"Oh."

The four people in the carriage, two men and two women, bickered with each other, none of them giving in, and time slowly passed in this "joyful" atmosphere.

The orange sun gradually slanted westward.

Ron, hiding in the girl's shadow, watched this scene, a memory flashing through his mind: "How long has it been since I've seen the sun like this?"

In the distance, a massive industrial city was already taking shape in everyone's eyes.

Earl Hobart whispered a message to the old butler accompanying the carriage, and the meticulously groomed old man rode up to the front of the procession:

"Guys, hurry up and try to get home before dark, then the Earl will give everyone an extra day's pay."

"Europe!"

Everyone in the group cheered upon hearing this.

The convoy quickened its pace in this relaxed atmosphere.

Vicia leaned against the small windows on either side of the carriage, her head craning out to look outside.

Not far away, countless tall brick chimneys stood like giants on the open land, and even though it was almost evening, thick smoke was still billowing from the openings at the top of them.

The sky above the city seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of gray gauze.

The glow of the setting sun was cleverly blocked from the city, leaving only a gloomy landscape.

"Vishia, don't you usually dislike watching these kinds of things?"

Earl Hobart looked at his daughter with a strange expression, not understanding why the little girl had suddenly changed her personality today.

"Dad, we finally get to come out, I want to see what's different about Glass from the outside."

Visia said haughtily, but judging from her slightly stiff movements, the girl was clearly lying.

"Mr. Ron is really something, always making things difficult for me. I hate him."

At this moment, Ron, who was hiding in her shadow, had no time to pay attention to the little girl's thoughts. His eyes were fixed on the industrialized city in his line of sight, and he was deeply shocked.

"That's...amazing."

As the carriage drew closer, the city's overall outline became increasingly clear in his eyes.

The wide cobblestone road, the roar of steam locomotives rushing past, and the occasional horse-drawn carriages that look like buses from a previous life passing by.

Everything was both familiar and strange to him.

It's a perfect blend of magic and reality.

"Mr. Ron, we've arrived."

It wasn't until the girl's voice echoed in his mind again that his consciousness was pulled back to the real world.