My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Once all preparations were complete, the merchant caravan set out again.

The next few days of the journey passed without incident.

The latter half of the journey was surprisingly smooth.

There were no bandit attacks, the weather was clear, and the wheels rolled steadily onward in peace.

Finally, on the seventh day.

As the merchant caravan crested the last low hill, the view before them suddenly opened up.

The colors of the entire world seemed to change in an instant.

Unlike the cold, harsh landscape of Black Stone Town, Sengu Town, which was nestled in the hills, didn’t look like a human settlement at first glance.

It looked more like a forest that had developed a sense of architecture, growing freely across the land.

By this time of year, the seasons were turning toward deep winter.

While the Northern Territory was already blanketed in vast sheets of ice and snow—a world of cold, desolate white—this place looked as if the Creator had overturned a paint palette, displaying a marvelous transition of colors between lush green and burnished gold.

The carriage slowly approached the first wide archway.

It was hard to make out the original color of the brick and stone on the city walls, which towered more than ten meters high.

Several ancient, towering trees clung to the top of the walls. Their thick roots dangled down, covering the surface and merging with the structure.

The old leaves near the roots remained a deep, inky green, while the middle sections began to blush with a flame-like orange-red.

At the very top, the newest shoots had already turned a brilliant, burnished gold in the gentle breeze.

A single ancient tree displayed the colors of three different seasons, like something out of an oil painting.

"Whoa..."

Gray, leaning against the carriage window with his eyes wide, let out a gasp of amazement.

"This isn’t a city wall, it’s practically a vertical garden."

On the other side of the carriage, Valles’s pointed ears twitched, his eyes reflecting his delight.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the rich, clean scent of tree resin.

As a Half-Elf, Valles had a natural affinity for this kind of environment.

’It smells like home...’

After passing through the archway, which was gnarled with layers of tree roots, the caravan officially entered Sengu Town.

The feeling of being embraced by nature grew even stronger.

The streets of Sengu Town were wide, but they were far from straight. They twisted and turned with no discernible pattern.

All the houses seemed to have been deliberately built to accommodate the placement of the town’s trees.

Massive ancient trees, so thick it would take two people to wrap their arms around them, stood at nearly every street corner.

Some houses were even built around the trees, with enormous trunks piercing through their eaves or rising from the center of a courtyard to serve as natural pillars.

Overhead, dense canopies of leaves intertwined, forming a dome that obscured the sky.

Sunlight struggled through the gaps in the dense layers of branches and leaves, casting dappled light onto the bluestone-paved road.

A breeze swept through.

"RUSTLE..."

A sky full of leaves detached from their branches and drifted down, brushing past them like a gentle rain.

They landed on the shoulders of passersby, on the cloth awnings of shops, and in thick piles along the sides of the street.

The wheels crunched over the dry leaves, creating a crisp sound—the unique melody of Sengu Town.

The caravan proceeded down the main road, paved with fallen leaves, drawing the curious gazes of many townspeople.

The eyes of many young women, in particular, fell upon the black-robed young man on horseback.

Zelir was not sitting in the carriage.

He was riding a brown horse, moving at a slow walk along the convoy’s flank.

Zelir held the reins with one hand and caught a spiraling, falling maple leaf with the other.

His gaze swept across the fairytale-like town, and he couldn’t help but murmur in admiration.

’This view really is beautiful...’

"Whoa—"

As the last heavy carriage pulled steadily into the warehouse’s rear courtyard, the seven-day escort mission officially came to a successful close.

The courtyard burst into activity.

"Pick up the pace!"

"Unload the leather in Warehouse One."

"Ore in Warehouse Two!"

"Watch for fire hazards! And stop smoking that damn pipe!"

A heavy ramp was thrown onto the back of a carriage with a CLANG.

Bare-chested workers hoisted crate after crate onto their shoulders, sweat steaming off their backs in the late autumn afternoon sun.

Zelir swung himself off the horse and handed the reins to someone nearby.

The other members of the squad climbed out of the carriages one by one, stretching their stiff joints.

"Speaking of which... Hill, where were you when you killed that merchant?"

Zelir had been looking around curiously, but this thought suddenly occurred to him.

He asked in a low voice.

"It wasn’t in Sengu Town, was it? We don’t need anyone coming after you... You should have given us a heads-up."

"Why would I ever return to a place where I have enemies? You’re questioning my professionalism a bit, aren’t you?"

Hill raised her arms and stretched languidly.

The movement revealed the curves hidden beneath her loose-fitting robe.

In fact, Hill wore tight leather clothing on her upper body, but it was always hidden by her robe.

A slender waist, long legs, and the firm, full curve of her chest.

The supple leather clung perfectly to her skin, outlining a graceful figure without a trace of fat.

She gave a contented little shake.

"That merchant died in Blood Fang Town. It’s far from here, and that place is nothing like Sengu Town..."

"It’s full of gloomy types. Any random person you bump into could be a wanted criminal."

"That’s good..." Zelir relaxed.

In another corner of the courtyard, Valles stood quietly under an ancient tree.

The tree’s trunk was a marble-like gray-white, but its leaves were a rare shade of pale purple, with a faint light seeming to flow through their veins.

Valles’s fingertips slowly brushed across the rough bark, his eyes becoming uncharacteristically gentle.

"It’s Stream Wood... I’ve only ever seen these trees in my homeland. I never expected to find one in the human world."

"Yes. Pure-blood Elves are very proud. They generally don’t venture into the human world."

Marcus walked to Valles’s side.

"But Sengu Town is different."

"Its unique natural environment and its philosophy of living in symbiosis with nature make it very similar to the places where Elves live."

"So, this is one of the few places where you might occasionally spot an Elf."

"Maybe you’ll run into some of your own kind, Valles," Gray chimed in.

Valles stared at the veins of the leaf in his hand. The gentleness in his eyes faded, replaced by a deep loneliness.

He murmured in a low voice.

"My own kind...?"

"Everyone!"

Booker’s hearty voice called out.

He was in high spirits, thanks to the caravan’s safe arrival.

Beaming, Booker walked up to the Adventurer Squad.

"Thank you for your valor in escorting our caravan. It was a very pleasant journey!"

"Here is the payment we agreed upon."

Booker untied a large cloth bag from his waist and handed it to Zelir. "One Hundred Gold Coins."

"A pleasure doing business with you," Zelir said, nodding as he took the bag.

"Oh, by the way, Mage Zelir."

Booker rubbed his hands together and asked tentatively.

"When are you planning on returning? If the timing is right... perhaps we could travel together again."

"That’s not certain..."

Zelir thought for a moment. "I can’t give you a definite time, but I don’t think it will be anytime soon."

’After all, we’re here to explore ruins. Who knows how long that will take?’

"That’s no problem. We’re in no rush to head back."

Booker patted his chest cheerfully.

"The roads back to Black Stone Town are probably snowed in by now anyway... When our caravan is ready to depart, we’ll contact you and see if our schedules align."

"If they do, we’d be honored to have you serve as our Guard Team again."

"Good idea. We’ll see when the time comes," Zelir agreed with a nod.

’Hitching a ride back would be ideal, of course.’

After receiving the payment, Zelir began to distribute it among his teammates.

He had taken twenty of the one hundred Gold Coins from the bandit job in Tula Town.

He also took twenty of the one hundred Gold Coins from the escort mission.

His personal savings had jumped from ninety-two Gold Coins to one hundred and thirty-two.

It was a small but welcome replenishment after his recent major expense.

’Food and lodging covered, plus an income of forty Gold Coins.’

’Not bad at all.’