I had just returned to the Papal Palace from the Adventurer's Guild when I rushed to the Church's library. I had reserved a three-day water magic course here, but it seemed I had to cut it short today.

However, I had barely started learning from Hurbert when Cyra excitedly came in from outside.

"I knew you'd be here! How did your quest go, all settled? Cysper said he was going to take us to the busiest shopping street and park in Jethrobaines tomorrow!"

"I'm afraid not! The situation has changed, the rescue mission must continue, and to save time, we have to leave tomorrow!"

I shook my head and told her what happened when processing the quest at the guild. The quest was indeed canceled due to Yulanda's request, but that didn't matter anymore. Not only was Vivianne confirmed to possibly be alive, but Adrian was also involved. For emotional and moral reasons, I could not ignore it.

Moreover, in terms of rescue difficulty and danger, having an extra hand increased our chances of success. At least with Brennan there, I didn't have to worry so much about Yulanda. Even as a human, his combat experience and ability were more formidable than Cyra's.

"So you ran into those friends from before Edenmere..."

Cyra seemed a little disappointed upon hearing this. It made sense - she and Cysper had gotten along well these past two days. But that was all the time they had before parting ways, even a day earlier than expected. Of course she'd be disappointed.

"If you and Cysper hit it off so well, why don't you stay here? After this is resolved, you can meet me at the designated spot, or I can just return to the Holy City..."

Seeing her like that, I suggested. To be honest, even though Cyra's strength was lacking, I still hoped she would come along as every bit of combat power increased our chances of success. But ultimately, Vivianne and Adrian had no relation to her, and they didn't even know each other. She had no reason to take this risk for my sake.

Originally, I had planned for us to fly there, as swift as the wind. The three-day journey on foot could perhaps be done in a day by air.

But with two humans in our party, I would need Cyra's help. The problem was her low rank might not allow extended flight while carrying people, and I definitely couldn't support two passengers alone.

Fortunately, Brennan said there was no need to rush. Adrian had foreseen the current situation before this operation and prepared ample survival and rescue supplies in advance. They could last ten days or even half a month in the cave with no issues.

"That's not necessary..."

Contrary to my expectations, Cyra shook her head, rejecting my proposal.

"It's not good for me to stay alone either. Since you're going on a rescue mission, as a follower of the Lord, I can't just watch idly by."

"But after we leave tomorrow, you may not get to see the Pope again for a long time!"

I confirmed in surprise.

"I already told you, we don't have that kind of relationship. Why don't you believe me! I'm a true man, we're just good friends who get along well!"

Cyra emphasized again, sounding a bit unhappy now. I didn't dare say anything more. Even their bodies had been swapped - their relationship was really hard to describe.

"Then how about we..."

Since she agreed to come along, I wanted to try the flying idea again for our journey. But she cut me off midway.

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"Let me say this first - I absolutely will not be a 'transport girl'!"

"..."

Alright! She saw that one coming. I shouldn't have told her my idea from the start.

With the blabber mouth Cyra around, news of our early departure quickly reached the Pope's ears.

The next morning, a group of high-ranking True Church officials enthusiastically saw us off from the city. Unexpectedly though, they were all dressed casually, seemingly not wanting to draw too much attention.

"It feels really weird..."

I glanced doubtfully at Cysper beside me. I was very satisfied with his low-key arrangements, but his appearance was too flamboyant for this city. Even in casual clothes, he was still recognized by some in the bustling streets, including True Church believers who knelt reverently to the ground. That completely defeated the purpose of hiding his identity! Fortunately, we later took a more secluded side path when we saw the situation was off, avoiding any further commotion.

"Why don't you just see us off here? It's not far from the south gate anyway."

The Sulide Volcano was in the Dona Mountain Range southwest of the Holy City Jethrobaines. We had already arranged to meet Brennan and the others at a small, secluded forest just outside the city gates.

"It's fine, if you're in a hurry, we can just pick up the pace!"

Cysper calmly replied, still insisting on "enthusiastically" seeing us off to the city outskirts. Thankfully, there wasn't a huge flow of people coming and going during this period. Plus our group deliberately concealed ourselves, and even notified the city guards in advance. This allowed us to get through this stretch reasonably unnoticed.

"We'll have a chance to meet again in the future!"

After leaving Jethrobaines, seeing them still not stopping, and barely anyone on the roads anymore, I quickly bid farewell while pulling Cyra along.

No need to worry about being seen now, so we spread our wings and flew up, finally ending this bizarre sendoff.

"Why were they so enthusiastic? It felt excessive, seeing us off such a long distance!"

Cyra also found it puzzling as she looked back at the group still waving down below and asked me.

"Who knows, you're so close with the Pope, why are you asking me? Those church folks are just generally eccentric..."

I shrugged and didn't pay them any more mind, then turned and flew with Cyra towards the small forest. We had gone quite far already, as there were too many people seeing us off, so I didn't want to lead them all the way to the meetup spot.

"Great, you made it at last! Brennan did choose this remote spot expecting you to fly here, but..."

As soon as we landed, Yulanda greeted us warmly, though her expression was a bit odd.

"Why did you come from the south?"

"Never mind..."

I answered helplessly, not wanting to dwell on it any further. The redhead was there too, but he was clearly stunned by Cyra's beauty. Although he had heard about my new angel companion, this was their first meeting!

It was a good thing he hadn't seen Michelle in person, otherwise I'd have to give another long-winded explanation about their relationship.

"H-hello, I'm Brennan..."

Even brawny young men can get shy when meeting a pretty girl, especially an angel. Facing his stammered greeting, Cyra had probably gotten used to it by now. She confidently stepped forward and patted Brennan's shoulder.

"Hello, just call me Cyra! I hear you're quite capable, a fellow fourth-rank like me. You even know some ability I've never seen before. We'll have to spar sometime! What was that ability called again..."

She looked over at me.

"Demonology!"

I rolled my eyes. The guy was right in front of her and she still asked me. Her excessively deliberate self-introduction showed she felt pressured by his demeanor.

Back in Norvale, a boy had once rushed up, forcibly giving Cyra a rose and letter before immediately running off. That incident left her flustered for a long time. Although it never happened again, it must have left quite an impression on her.

"Shall we depart now?"

After the introductions, Yulanda naturally didn't want to delay any further to make up for lost time. A steep mountain path still awaited, likely taking a day or two.

Though Brennan had just arrived in the Holy City yesterday, he was energetic after a day's rest today. Moreover, with two angel assistants, his mission was accomplished.

It was now confirmed that only one phoenix remained. Although my offense was lacking, I could probably stall the sixth-rank phoenix. The other three would be enough to rescue the people in the cave. The only concern was potential additional dangers inside, so the main uncertainties lay in what could happen after entering.

So the safest approach was still to defeat the phoenix first, then enter the cave together. But arranging it this way, without Nicola's Condensation Sword, success was unlikely. At the end of the day, we were still shorthanded...

"Where's that music coming from?"

We had only just turned onto the mountain path when the melodious sounds of a familiar tune drifted over - the "Castle in the Sky" I had just heard a couple days ago! Of course, the timbre wasn't from a piano this time.

"Could it be..."

Cyra and I exchanged a surprised look. Who else could play this piece? But it was hard to imagine the Pope following us all this way!

"Over there!"

Brennan's sharp eyes quickly spotted someone leaning against a large tree up ahead, playing a lute in a rather flashy manner. No mistaking it, it was Cysper!