LII

After breakfast, Illarion and Amanda say farewell to the house's owner. Balton gave them directions before they left so as not to get lost. It turned out that the old man had already marked some trees that indicated the direction to the nearest town.

The tropical rainforest to the east of Anarka has trees with dense leaves, forming a canopy that blocks the sun's rays. As a result, the forest is dark and peaceful. Although according to Balton's account, the journey from his home to town took more than half a day, and they were only halfway there. It was likely that Amanda and Illarion would reach the nearest city after sunset.

Hence, after a few hours of quietly riding the shire thoroughbred horses, they decided to take a break.

"A-are you okay sir?" asked Amanda after being helped down from the pitch black horse by Illarion.

A crooked smile appeared on Illarion's face. 'Treating me like glassware, even though your body is so fragile,' Illarion thought. "You?" asked Illarion back, watc