Because I stayed up late enjoying the party last night, I overslept and got scolded by Yonyong.

Today, Yonyong’s eyes sparkled with determination, clearly saying he wouldn’t let this slide. I took out three top-grade mana stones for him, and he grudgingly said he’d let it go just this once.

“Giving in to money? Disappointing!”

“Kyuu!?”

Teasing my Yonyong, who was now looking at me in disbelief, I almost forgot my task.

The quest from Old Man Kraken.

I pulled out the compass he’d given me, saying it would help me find his youngest daughter.

[Golden Compass]
Reveals the location of the runaway.

To follow the compass’s direction, I stepped outside the city and whistled, waiting until the bear taxi came running.

“How’ve you been?”

“Grrraawr!”

The bear greeted me enthusiastically.

Of course, with a smile influenced by capitalism.

It was time to negotiate.

“I need to go wherever the compass points, but I don’t know how far it’ll be.”

“Graaawr!”

“That’s expensive! Give me a discount! I’m a regular!”

In the end, I fell for the bear’s sob story and failed to negotiate, starting our journey.

“Oh, by the way, how’s your family doing?”

“Graaawr!”

“You say they’re too big now? But didn’t you say they got smaller from starving earlier!?”

“Graaaw?”

Feigning innocence, the bear casually changed the subject—he’s really a terrifying bear.

As we talked about various things, I felt a pair of eyes on me.

Probably just my imagination. But then I remembered a post I’d read yesterday.

Someone wrote about feeling watched, yelling out loud, and finding out they were really being watched.

Just in case, I called out loudly.

“Come on out!”

Surprisingly, nothing happened.

Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head, only to spot… angels?

“How did you know? I was hiding my presence perfectly.”

“Interesting. As expected, there’s a reason the Archangel asked us to watch you.”

Two angels appeared in front of me, their beautiful faces framed by flowing peplos robes.

I calmed the bear, who was wary of them, and hopped off his back to approach them, feeling their curious gaze on me.

“This is strange. It feels like meeting someone I parted with long ago.”

“Indeed. It’s odd to feel this way about a human.”

One of the angels pulled something from a pocket dimension and handed it to me.

“The Archangel Michael sent this. Please accept it.”

It was a letter.

I opened it to find an invitation.

An invitation to the celestial realm.

“We’ll come for you in fourteen days.”

“See you in fourteen days.”

The angels left without further explanation, leaving me alone.

Well, me, Yonyong, and the bear.

“Would it be rude to sprinkle some salt?”

“Kyuuu?”

“Graaawr?”

With all the recent strange events, I seriously considered doing a ritual to ward off bad luck.

We followed the direction of the compass for who knows how long.

When night fell, and the moon rose, I started a campfire and snuggled into the bear’s fur to sleep.

Warm and cozy in his embrace, I didn’t even need a tent.

“Graaawr.”

“…”

Our bear, of course, asked for an extra fee for this service.

Had he been born human, he’d definitely have run a giant trading company. No doubt about it—wrong species.

Logging out for the night, I logged back in early the next day to find the bear still holding me protectively as he slept.

He was hugging me gently, as if afraid I’d get hurt.

Honestly… it’s kind of cute.

“Kyuuu.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Hearing our voices, the bear woke up, greeting us with a growl.

“Graaawr.”

“You want more payment because my snoring kept you awake…? You rascal!”

“Grahaha!”

He laughed it off as a joke, but I got a suspicious feeling.

He was probably serious.

I handed him a mana stone as we continued following the compass, noticing something in the distance.

As we got closer, I saw two guards standing at the village entrance.

“Can you wait here for a bit?”

“Graaawr!”

I left the bear behind and approached the guards with Yonyong, catching their eye.

“What brings you here, little lady?”

“I was just passing by. What’s this village called?”

“You don’t know our village?”

With a bewildered look, he introduced the village.

“This is the Village of the Sage, home to our Sage.”

[Village of the Sage]

The guard explained that the Sage serves as the spiritual leader of Arcadia, a homeland of mages, offering wisdom, experience, and mystical power to help others.

Entering the village, I found many people gathered around a fountain.

As I drew closer, I saw an old man seated at the center, with people lined up around him.

One by one, people talked with him, some even shedding tears as they expressed their gratitude.

Curious, I lined up at the back, and after a long wait, my turn came.

The old man looked at me intently.

I felt as if he could see straight into my soul.

“What brings a little lady like you to this old man?”

“There’s been one incident after another lately.”

“Let’s see.”

Muttering to himself as he looked at me, the old man suddenly seemed shocked.

“Oh my! How can such a young child…?”

“What’s wrong?”

After his initial surprise, he held my hand, moved to tears.

“You’ve saved so many lives—a saint indeed.”

“Uh, suddenly?”

After a long time of tearing up, the old man pulled something from his pocket.

“This will help you save many more lives in the future.”

He handed me a small box.

[??? Box]
I don’t know what it is.

“When you need help, open the box.”

“Th-thank you.”

After thanking the old man, I left the village, feeling many eyes on me as I passed. Embarrassed, I hurried outside and whistled.

A short while later, the bear returned, and we continued our journey, though I’d learned nothing useful.

Sigh. My luck.

---

After several days of camping and traveling, we finally reached the border of the Avalon Empire.

Massive walls stood before us, with people undergoing inspections to pass through. I’d have to go through the checkpoint to continue.

I’d be fine, but bringing the bear would definitely cause trouble.

“So, is this the end of our journey together?”

“Graaawr!”

The bear said he knew a secret path and would join me later.

My reliable bear taxi, as comforting as a hot bowl of soup!

He disappeared with a comment about extra pay for illegal entry.

Seriously, if he were born human, he’d be a merchant tycoon by now.

I took out the pass I received from Mr. Charles and headed to the checkpoint, where the line was almost empty.

[Imperial Pass]
Issued by Charles Caesar, former Captain of the Avalon Imperial Knights.

I presented the pass at the checkpoint, and after verifying its authenticity, the guard treated me with the utmost respect.

“If you’d like, we can provide a carriage to safely escort you to the capital!”

“No, thanks. Just your kind offer is enough.”

After crossing the border and walking for a while, I heard the sound of something approaching from afar.

The bear reappeared.

How on earth did he manage to smuggle himself across the border? With that size?

He laughed, telling me to get on quickly because we needed to escape—what did that mean?

Just then, an arrow flew past us.

“It’s a monster! A monster has breached the border!”

With loud shouts, soldiers began running toward us.

Looking at the situation, I finally understood how he’d crossed.

He’d barged right through!

“You idiot! And now you’re asking for extra pay!?”

“Graaawr!”

“You really think this counts as danger pay!?”

The bear turned and dashed in the opposite direction of the soldiers.

What if I end up with a bounty on my head!?

And right on cue, a notification appeared.

[A bounty has been placed on you in the Avalon Empire.]
Name: Yuna (Summoner)
Crime: Unregistered Summon Smuggling
Bounty: 10 million gold
Special Note: In possession of a War Bear over 15 meters tall.

A whopping 10 million gold bounty was now attached to me.

With a bounty, I wouldn’t be able to access regular towns or cities.

And the biggest problem was becoming a target for bounty hunters.

“What are we supposed to do now, you rascal!?”

“Grahaha!!”

“Born on different days but destined to go together!? You scoundrel!!”