Chapter 580: Are Trials Always So Easy?

Ganjo looked at Kana, his face still red, but his thoughts were a mess. He was someone who had spent all his time reading, so the thought of romance never crossed his mind. But he has had many interactions with Bell. Bell was cheerful, kind, and very attentive. She would always bring him tea, snacks, and other things even though he did not need such things. But even still, he would always stop what he was doing to have tea with her. He could never say no to that sweet smile she always had when she came in to bother him. 

As he began collecting his thoughts, he looked up at Kana, who was staring back at him. "I will take my time..."

"Mm… Good! Now go!" Kana missed the whole take my time part and sent Ganjo on his way. 

Lysairth looked at Ganjo running out of the room and shook her head. "Are you sure about this?"

"Mmm… Bell needs someone who can help her break out of her shell and give her companionship. As her mother, I just want her to be happy. With Ganjo at her side, I can feel a little more at ease." Kana wanted all her children to be happy. She hoped that this would also cure some of Bell's clinginess. 

"So, where are we off to next?" Aoi asked. 

"Hmmm..." Kana looked up at Eie and Tri'an. "Have you two located any more elements?"

"We have quite a few. Some of which might be memory fragments as well. They are already loaded into Eve's navigation system," Eie replied.

"Alright. Eve set a course to the closest element." 

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Back inside the realm of blood, Yana slowly made her way up the steps towards the tall blood red palace at the peak of the mountain. As she climbed, Yana had no idea that each step was set up in a way that gravity would weigh down on the person climbing up them getting stronger with each step. This was one of the reasons why Lord Ein was the realm of blood's rank one because he was able to walk to the top without issue. It was what awaited at the top that was the problem.

The trip to the top took Yana almost two days. She looked up at the towering monster in front of her, feeling slightly confused. Mainly because the three headed dog stood above her, panting and wagging its tail back and forth. Yana tilted her head to the side and reached up with her small hand. As she did this, the three headed dog's middle head lowered and allowed her to pet it. A smile broke out on her blood smeared face as she tousled  the soft fur on the large dog head. "Yes, yes. You're a good boy."

Her soft words caused the three headed dog to become even happier as it woofed a few times and nuzzled her with all three heads. "Alright, alright. Calm down." Yana chuckled. She could tell this dog was very strong as it was not affected by her gravity in the slightest. She looked past the three headed do, then at the long path ahead of her, and then at the big broad back that the three headed dog had. Seeing its soft fur and spaciousness, an idea came to Yana's mind. "Since we are friends now, will you take me up to the castle?" 

"Woof!" The dog barked, and all three heads nodded at the same time. It then laid on the ground to make it easier for Yana to climb onto its back.

Yana jumped onto the three headed dogs back and made her way up to the middle head of the three headed dog. She sat down in between its ears cross legged and patted its head to let it know she was ready. The three headed dog stood back up and happily walked towards the castle.

Because of its sheer size, Yana was able to get a good look around at the place. The path was wide, but on the edge, danger lurked at every corner. She could see the traps the road to the palace held for those who passed past this dog. There were places where thousands of monsters were caged up, ready to be released and even places with mindless undead roaming about. There was even a place where a large mechanism was in place that had sharp blades attached to it that would have swung out in many different heights to chop any unsuspecting person in many pieces. 

From above, it did not seem like it should be all that hard, but for those who were not sitting up high in a no fly zone, they would not be expecting any of these things. Yana, on the other hand, had a leisurely journey as the three headed dog carried her towards the palace. 

Although the journey took almost an entire day, even without needing to deal with all the traps on the road, the fact that it took that long was strange. Mainly because the distance did not seem all that far away when looking from afar, but when she finally stood at the gates of the blood red palace, she finally understood why. The palace did not seem to be made for a human sized figure. The massive gate seemed big even for the three headed dog. On each side of the massive stone gates were two towering stone warriors that were holding the gate in place. The stone walls surrounding it were so tall that even on the three headed dog's back, Yana had to crane her neck up to see the top. 

"Woof!"The three headed dog barked once at the stone gates. A few seconds later, the ground underfoot began to shake, and to Yana's surprise, the stone warriors began to move. They stepped out of the wall and began lifting the gates  up into the air. The three headed dog wagged its tail and walked through the opening that was just big enough for it to pass through and entered the palace grounds.