"Damn the grass, damn the trees, damn Echel!"

All along the way, the complaints of Mr. Reed rose up without cease from the waist-high grass, crushed underfoot and releasing a bitter plant juice.

Echel walked at the front, followed by Lyle, with Reed bringing up the rear.

The heavy armor, entangled by branches and vines, made Reed’s burdened trek even more difficult, and the invisible pits hidden in the thicket were enough to provoke a stream of authentic Dreya curses from within his fully enclosed iron helmet.

Lyle cracked a relieved smile; it turned out he wasn’t the only one suffering in Liveser.

The trio was on their way to the kingdom of Liveser in the trees, with Lyle as the invitee and Reed tagging along.

"Ha! So much for the so-called land conquerors, the knights of Dreya are this incapable?"

Before Reed could reply, there was a clang—a loud sound of metal striking metal that echoed through the quiet forest.

Reed kept silent, crouching down to remove that thing from his iron boot.

"Monkey, what is this?"

Echel glanced over indifferently.

"A bear trap; what, is it strange? This is the jungle," Reed roared from within his helmet.

"You bastards set traps on your own paths! Lunatics! If it weren’t for the armor, I’d have lost my leg! Damn fools!"

Echel snorted with disdain.

"You’re fine, aren’t you? We people of Liveser don’t walk, we fly. Only idiots like bears get caught by their own traps."

Echel glanced at Lyle, "Look, Lyle didn’t step on it. Besides, if it breaks, it breaks, just attach it back on. You really think you’re something, huh!"

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief; beneath his visor, Nia absorbed the cold sweat on his face.

That was close, no wonder Nia pulled me to take an extra step to the left just now.

"It’s hunting season now, the beasts are gathering food for winter, and so are we."

All along the way, the grumbling and complaining never ceased, with Lyle constantly playing the mediator.

And so, they arrived at a familiar place.

Directly below the Liveser Kingdom, they looked up at the enormous platform overhead that resembled a car hood, the web-like drawbridges, and the dense ropes, filling Lyle’s heart with memories.

As for how Lyle managed to recognize Liveser’s location after only one visit, it was because he spotted something that had made a deep impression on him.

The dark grooves starting a meter up the giant, dark tree, climbing up it like a centipede.

Truly nostalgic.

"Liveser children’s passage."

Echel climbed first, scaling the wall like a gecko, not waiting for Lyle and Reed to follow.

Lyle looked at Reed, clad in his heavy armor, and pointed to the grooves in the tree.

"Mr. Reed, would you like to try the children’s passage? It’s quite easy, simpler than it looks."

"..."

Under Reed’s silent gaze, Lyle, without a hint of shame, began climbing as if he were on familiar territory. Although he could now rely completely on Nia to clamber up, he relished in the sensation of ascending by his own effort.

The feeling of climbing up step by step. Especially after reaching ten meters high and looking down at Mr. Reed’s small dark spot on the ground, Lyle felt a kind of superiority as if a veteran were looking down on a newcomer.

Whoosh—a series of intertwined vines next to Lyle’s climbing spot whipped down to the ground.

"Lyle, Reed, get in the basket! I’ll pull you up!"

"..."

Lyle climbed back down and sat beside Mr. Reed in the sturdy basket, silent.

Facing Mr. Reed’s meaningful look, Lyle felt like an idiot.

"It’s okay, Lyle. A boy is a boy until he dies, we all have our childish moments."

Finally, the two arrived on the large platform.

Lyle looked resentfully at Echel as he was retrieving the basket lift.

"Mr. Echel, since when did Liveser have such a convenient gadget?" I clearly had to climb up step by step through the children’s passage last time I came.

"After your last visit. I realized that climbing might be troublesome for some guests, so I added this."

"...Sigh, at least you could have given me a heads up."

Echel frowned, "Didn’t I already climb up in advance? You just had to wait for me down there, and that’s all there is to it. What’s there even to discuss with such a short wait?"

It was such a short time, but my dignity was already gone.

Perhaps Echel’s beastly instincts sensed the frustration in Lyle’s heart, as those bear-paw-like large hands patted Lyle on the back.

"Cheer up, later you’ll have dinner with my precious Kayla. The joy of enjoying two delicious meals at once, I’ll share it with you."

The Liveser Kingdom’s vine walkways were sturdier than imagined, probably reinforced in anticipation of Reed’s arrival. Even the clunky armor only caused a slight wobble when stepped on.

"Good job, Reed, you’re solid. Walking over without even a tremble, that’s manly!"

A cheerful voice came from inside the helmet.

"Hmph, the men of Dreya are the pillars of our nation, not to be defeated by heights and shaking!"

Echel clapped his palms.

"Speaking of which, Lyle was so scared the last time he walked over here, his legs were wobbling. It was hilarious, the guy was like he had springs in his legs, twisting and turning as he walked."

Lyle sighed quietly.

I really want to throw Echel down there, but no, he probably wouldn’t die from the fall.

At the top of the Liveser Kingdom, the palace atop the canopy, the Dawn Hall.

It seemed that Queen Kayla already knew about the arrival of Lyle and the others. She was sitting on a horizontally swinging vine with fruit and veggies served on giant leaves, preserved meats, and smiled at the dark silhouette appearing in front of the door.

"Ranger Captain Kaeland told me you brought me some surprises, Grandpa Echel."

Kayla swayed on the vine, with only her tiptoes lightly touching the floor. The fluorescent light from the firefly lanterns made her flawless skin as translucent as ripples of water shining on her long, full legs adorned with pure white stockings under the moonlight.

Her soft golden hair was held back by an olive branch crown, and the playfully swinging tips added a childlike innocence to this mature beauty. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Her smile lingered on her face, her reflective eyes like moonlit amber.

"I’m so happy to see you again, Lyle."

Kayla left her seat and hopped over like a breeze.

"What do you think, isn’t my granddaughter beautiful!"

"Beautiful, but my Lina won’t lose out to your girl!"

The two grandchildren were still whispering and arguing.

Kayla had already come close.

Her steps gradually slowed, and as the distance closed, she could see Echel’s face more clearly in the night.

With a mix of surprise, double the anticipation, and a hint of uncertainty, Kayla called out timidly.

"Grandpa Echel, is... is it really you?"

Echel, who appeared to be in his thirties or forties, smiled, opened his arms wide, his rugged expression as gentle as water.

"Even if my face changes a thousand times, my Kayla, my love for you remains constant, like the ceaseless wind through these woods."

Kayla covered her mouth, her eyes beginning to glisten with amazement.

"It really is you, Grandpa Echel... I’ve seen this face in paintings."

"Yes, my dear, want to give it a pinch? The last time was when you were little, I still remember your chubby little hands tugging at my beard."

"Lyle, your fleshly creation won’t harm my precious granddaughter’s delicate palms, right."

Lyle shrugged his shoulders, this was his twelfth time being asked.

"No, even if she slapped your head off, you wouldn’t fight back."