Delaisi finished answering and then stared absently at the letter from Erica in his hand.
Colin withdrew his gaze and urged his horse forward.
He had wanted to give Erica's remains to Delaisi as well... but it seemed that now was not the appropriate time.
Better to wait until they camped and set up camp later on.
And so, he led Delaisi and his group forward in silence.
More than two hours later, when the sky was almost completely dark,
they arrived at a natural mountain cave to camp and set up camp.
Crackle crackle—
The campfire blazed fiercely, with Delaisi and the others sitting around it.
Colin and Renee, however, started another campfire and kept some distance from the rest.
The original owner of this cave—a mountain beast equivalent to an Advanced Knight, had been turned into fragrant roast meat over the fire and was now being consumed by them.
It was now the time of rest after dinner.
Delaisi's face had regained its calm, and he gazed at the urn that was now in Eliel's arms, his expression somewhat wistful.
Before dinner, Wizard Colin had given him Erica's urn.
As for why it had been cremated, according to Wizard Colin, it was Erica's specifically instructed last wish.
Withdrawing his gaze, Delaisi caressed an object he kept close to his chest and finally made up his mind, rising and walking towards Colin.
Polly, who was nearby, watched him leave, as if understanding something, her face suddenly showing a tense expression.
"What is it?"
In front of the fire, Colin saw Delaisi approaching and asked with confusion.
"My lord."
Delaisi suddenly knelt on one knee, then took out a badge shaped like a feather of intermixed silver and gold from the clothing next to his skin and handed it to Colin,
while saying, "I accidentally found this badge in the Crystal Mine outside Kabu City in the southern part of Holy Flame Kingdom, along with the remains of a wizard."
Here, he paused before continuing:
"The remains of the wizard in the Crystal Mine, along with the other items, had already decayed, leaving only... this feather badge."
As Delaisi spoke, Colin took the feather badge.
The badge was only as long as a thumb, and the feathers were clearly defined and exquisite. Upon close examination, a faint spiritual fluctuation was detectable.
"Lord Colin, if this badge is of use to you, I would ask you to take us to Merredith City within the Wizard Alliance."
Colin didn't rush to answer but tried to probe the feather badge with his spiritual power.
The badge didn't react.
He then added his Magic Power and tried again.
This time, the feather badge immediately emitted a faint glow, with the silver and gold colors starting to flow slowly in a pattern, seemingly containing a peculiar beauty.
But Colin wasn't paying attention to that; he closed his eyes slightly, processing the information that had just been transmitted by the feather badge.
Tin Saint School... the 1656th examination voucher... Neustadt City...
Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing through them.
As luck would have it, he had found a pillow when he was sleepy; it had come without any effort!
The information in his mind indicated that this feather badge was actually an examination voucher for a "Tin Saint" School within the Wizard Alliance.
As long as certain requirements were met, one could take the School's exam with this badge.
Using it to pass the exam meant one could join the Tin Saint School.
...Although he didn't know what level the Tin Saint School was at within the Wizard Alliance, the stringent requirements for joining suggested it wouldn't be too shabby.
"King Delaisi, it is of great use to me,"
He said to Delaisi in a serious tone, "In return, I accept your request and will take you to Merredith City."
Compared to the use of the feather token to him, delivering Delaisi and the others en route to Merredith City within the same Wizard Alliance was a simple task.
"Thank you, Lord Colin." Delaisi's face showed joy.
He slowly rose to his feet, looking at Colin and asking casually,
"Lord Colin, may I know what use this feather badge has?"
"I've had it for a while, and aside from being particularly sturdy, I haven't discovered any other special aspects to it; I'm quite curious."
Colin looked at him and didn't hide anything, briefly explaining the function of the feather badge to Delaisi.
Now that the badge was in his hands, there was no way for Delaisi to take it back, so letting him know the specific use was no harm.
"So that's it," Delaisi said, suddenly enlightened, before sighing, "Such a badge, had it remained in our hands, would have probably ended up as a mere ornament..."
Having said that, he bid Colin farewell and returned to their side of the campfire.
"My king, how did it go?"
Seeing Delaisi return, Polly quickly asked.
Delaisi touched the pocket on his chest and nodded.
In reality, they had obtained more than just that feather badge from the wizard's remains in the Crystal Mine.
There were several other items as well.
Unfortunately... the attack by the Qi'an Kingdom was so sudden, he could only take the two smallest items—two badges.
Although he had already given Colin one of them.
But as for Colin, he didn't know much about him... so to be cautious, he chose to keep the existence of the other badge a secret.
After all... this remaining badge might be the only hope for rebuilding the Holy Flame Kingdom.
Polly saw him nod and a joyful expression appeared on her face, about to inquire about the details.
But Delaisi stopped her with a look in his eye.
He sat down cross-legged, picked up a thin twig from the nearby wood, and began to write on the dirt ground between him and Polly as if it was a sheet of paper.