When Kara and Ophelia arrived at the site where the caravan had been attacked, they found nothing except for the destroyed cargo wagons, which had been emptied of all their contents, and a few puddles of blood. There were no signs of the people who had been traveling with the caravan or the horses that had been pulling the cargo wagons.
"It's very strange. I don't see any clues that could show us which way the beasts that attacked the caravan went. It's as if the earth swallowed them up along with the cargo and those who fell victim to them... But are they really just beasts? Although the claw marks on the surface of the wagons suggest that, considering they took everything, including clothes and carpets, it makes me think they might have been controlled by someone or were somewhat intelligent...", Ophelia said after she and Kara had spent a few minutes investigating the area for clues.
"Well, maybe the earth really did swallow them..." Kara told Ophelia, gesturing for her to stay put. She then advanced to an area where the grass was missing over an 8-square-meter surface, and when she reached the center, she bent down and punched the ground, creating a 5-meter-deep crater.
Seeing what Kara did from a distance of about 50 meters, Ophelia was literally open-mouthed, not only because she didn't expect such a thing but also because Kara was capable of such a feat.
'Damn. I knew she was very powerful, but I didn't expect her to cause so much destruction with a single punch. Plus, from what I've seen, she didn't even seem to exert much effort...' Ophelia thought, becoming increasingly curious about both Kara's identity and her true strength.
"You can approach now! I think I've found answers to some of our questions..." Kara's voice echoed from inside the crater, prompting Ophelia to snap out of her amazement and timidly make her way toward Kara's location.
"Umm, what did you find?" Ophelia asked once she reached the edge of the crater, hesitating to descend and join Kara as the crater was quite steep and filled with dust, conditions not suitable for her white dress.
"I've stumbled upon the entrance to a very wide tunnel, but the earth collapsed a few seconds after I created the hole, so there's not much to see now," Kara replied, pointing with her hand to a depression at the edge of the crater she had created.
"So, is this where the attackers retreated? What do you think we should do? Should we unblock the tunnel and then enter it to find the attackers' hideout?" Ophelia asked again, her expression clearly showing that she wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
"It won't be necessary. Now that I know the direction the tunnel is heading, it won't be too difficult to locate their hideout..." Kara replied, and then she leaped out of the crater, landing next to Ophelia with the grace of a feline. "As for who is responsible for the attack," Kara continued as she dusted off her pants, "I have a suspicion at this point, but I'll need more clues to be sure of their identity."
"So who do you suspect is responsible for these attacks? Could it be someone controlling a giant earthworm?" Ophelia asked, aware that her theory didn't have much chance of being true.
"No, the tunnel didn't seem to be made by a worm but by creatures with claws. So the most likely scenario is that the culprits for these attacks are giant moles...", Kara replied with seriousness, her tone making Ophelia unable to tell if she was joking or telling the truth.
"Huh, giant moles? This is the first time I've heard of such a thing...", Ophelia said as she looked at Kara skeptically because she didn't think Kara's idea was much better than her own.
"Well, I haven't heard of moles this big either, but that's what I deduced from the tracks and the smell coming from the tunnel... Anyway, it's pointless to dwell too much on who the culprits are because I'm pretty sure we'll find them by nightfall..." Kara told Ophelia, slightly annoyed that her hunting skills were being doubted, which made Ophelia smile.
Since Kara didn't find a good reason to continue carrying Ophelia in her arms, she didn't suggest it again. Instead, the two of them set off in the direction Kara believed the alleged moles' hideout might be, walking side by side.
"Considering that we'll most likely have to confront the caravan attackers when we find them, I think we should share some information about our abilities and weaknesses to collaborate better...", Kara said to Ophelia, aiming to get to know her better and instill in her a sense of camaraderie, to make Ophelia trust her more.
Ophelia, aware that Kara was very powerful and probably wouldn't have any trouble dealing with the caravan attackers on her own, realized that Kara wanted to take advantage of the time they had until they found the attackers to get closer to her. However, because she also wanted to learn more about Kara, she decided to play along and respond honestly, hoping that Kara would do the same.
"My class is Elemental Mage, and at the moment, my level is 38. As you've seen from our battle, I'm better at fighting from a medium distance, so it's quite challenging for me to confront large groups of opponents on my own because if they aren't eliminated by my spells right away, they can quickly counterattack, and I'll be forced into a defensive position...", Ophelia told Kara, focusing more on the disadvantages of her class to make Kara realize why she needed to be part of a team to fight at her full capacity.
"So, your class is an Elemental Mage? After seeing the attacks you used against me, I was sure you were a mage specialized in explosions or something like that...", Kara said, not knowing much about elemental mages other than that they use some flashy moves that weren't very effective.
"Well, in many of my attacks, I use 2-3 skills simultaneously because an elemental mage at my level doesn't have very powerful skills. For example, to create the explosions you mentioned, I used both the 'Air Control' skill and the 'Fire Explosion' skill, the first of them amplifying the effect of the second. Anyway, such skill combinations aren't very common among most mages because they require a lot of practice and advanced knowledge of elemental forces and natural phenomena...", Ophelia explained, her tone clearly showing she was proud of her achievements.
"It's truly impressive. Although I've seen mages who can use 2-3 skills at once before, I've never seen anyone capable of combining them so well that it seems like they've used a single skill..." Kara said, genuinely impressed by Ophelia's abilities. "Well, now it's my turn. Although you don't meet all the conditions to learn my class yet, I can tell you that the chances of someone in this world being a threat to me are quite slim..." Kara continued, her calm tone not quite matching the words she spoke, declaring herself to be the most powerful in the world.
"Huh, are you saying you're the most powerful in the world? Please don't tell me you're the new Demon King or some Ancient Dragon..." Ophelia said as she looked at Kara skeptically because, even though she knew Kara was very powerful, she didn't expect her to be so full of herself as to claim that no one could defeat her.
"As I told you, you still don't meet all the conditions to learn my class, so I won't be able to tell you..." Kara told Ophelia, a sly smile starting to appear on her face.
'I'm sure she's setting a trap for me, but I can't help but ask what conditions I need to meet...' Ophelia thought as she looked into Kara's playful eyes.
"Hmmm, what conditions haven't I met yet?" Ophelia finally asked.
"You only need to meet one more condition. To accept being one of my girlfriends..." Kara said, still smiling slyly, but her gaze had become serious, indicating that she wasn't joking.
Upon hearing Kara's words, Ophelia was momentarily stunned because although she was fairly certain that Kara liked her, she didn't expect Kara to make her intentions known so quickly. Moreover, the fact that Kara intended to have other girlfriends in the future besides her made her feel uncomfortable in a way she hadn't experienced before, and she couldn't quite explain it.
"What do you mean by girlfriends? How many beautiful women are you going to try to conquer to satisfy yourself?" Ophelia asked Kara, her words and tone betraying her anger.
Kara didn't expect Ophelia to focus on the fact that she planned to have other girlfriends in the future because she didn't think Ophelia had very strong feelings for her, which would make her jealous.
'She's probably upset with me because she felt offended by the fact that I'm thinking about other women while courting her. Anyway, her reaction shows me that she doesn't rule out entering a relationship with me, which is quite good...', Kara thought after hearing Ophelia's words.
"Well, I didn't mean to offend you with my words. I just wanted to be honest with you from the start. But I want to make one thing clear. Although I intend to have other girlfriends in the future, it's not because you wouldn't be good enough for me; it's because I'm a very greedy person who wants to get everything she desires. Plus, even if I meet someone in the future whom I want to be my girlfriend, as long as you're against it and have a valid reason, I won't enter a relationship with that person...", Kara told Ophelia, trying to convince Ophelia that her intentions were good.
Hearing Kara's explanations, Ophelia calmed down and realized that her reaction had been a bit exaggerated.
'Well, even though I'm attracted to Kara, it's not like I'm in love with her and want all her attention on me. Plus, I'm still not sure that entering a relationship with a woman, no matter how powerful she is, is a solution to my problems... Anyway, I think it's best to wait and see how sincere she is and how far she's willing to go to convince me to enter a relationship with her... To enter a relationship with Kara... If I'm being honest, I never thought I'd consider entering a relationship with anyone in my entire life, let alone that my potential partner might be a woman...' Ophelia thought, then looked at Kara with a teasing smile.
"Hmph! When did I say I want to become your girlfriend? Let's see first how capable you are and if you know how to appreciate me... Until then, don't even think I'm considering your proposal..." Ophelia told Kara, then started walking ahead on her own, unaware that her words in Kara's mind represented a resounding 'Yes'.
'To show you how capable I am? To demonstrate how much I appreciate you? If you desire it, I'll offer you not only this kingdom but the entire world... Yes, no one is more capable than me...' Kara thought as she watched Ophelia's departing figure, her sensuous strides filling Kara with desire.