"This toast is to our good friends and our newfound freedom. I hope nice days like these continue in the future as well. Cheers!"

Layla raised her juice glass and watched everyone else cheer up and celebrate their last night in this gathering.

This was a beloved place for these dark elves. It had sheltered them for a long time, and they had built a strong connection to it.

But as times changed, the elves also needed to leave and adapt to new places. As such, this place was no longer somewhere they could live.

"D-Don't worry! The place we prepared for you all is j-just as good as this one. It is inside the Duchy grounds, so the t-temple could not enter there."

Mary raised her glass as she spoke as well.

Her maid was already drunk, but Layla did not know if it was the alcohol or her acting that made her like this.

Mary almost slipped as she drank more of her beer before she looked at Layla and grabbed the juice glass in her hand, replacing it with alcohol.

"Missss drinkkkk with meeeee. It is realllyyyyy gooddddd. Youuuu'llll reaaallllyyyy lllliiikkkkeeeee ittttt."

The glass bubbled and frothed at the top as it landed in Layla's hands. It was a tempting offer, but one Layla was going to decline.

"I am six. No matter how mature I seem, my body is a child's. I will not be drinking this."

Layla had strict morals that she was not going to break. She needed her body to be a solid foundation for magic.

That meant having a strict diet and everything.

There were no gyms or dietary instructors during these times, but the magic books detailed everything for her anyway. She could easily point out what was good for her body and what she needed to avoid.

Moreover, attending potion lessons helped her even more, and Layla could say she was healthier than ever.

"Aww! You are no fun! Relax! Let yourself go! Feel the wind and *hick* all that. Ahhh, look at that shiny spot. I wonder what it is. Maybe a firefly? I want to see it."

It was likely safe to say that Mary was drunk at the moment as she walked around.

Everyone was celebrating their last night at their old home before they needed to leave early in the morning.

It was a fool-proof plan, but Layla felt a little worried. Her instincts were acting up and warning her that something big would happen soon.

Layla could not explain her feelings but knew they related to what would happen.

For now, everyone looked happy, so Layla decided not to say anything about it and simply sit back and enjoy this moment.

"Ugh, I want to drink as well. If only I were not this injured, then surely-"

Kolvar spoke up from beside Layla.

He had been so quiet until now that she had even forgotten that he had been sitting here until now.

The longing in Kolvar's eyes made Layla feel sorry for him. He also looked like he wanted to head out and join in the fun.

But his leg was broken, and despite the elves' treatment, Kolvar would still require half a month to recover.

It was a miracle that he had worked up today in the first place.

"Forget about drinking. You are too injured and also underage to drink. You should focus on recovering first and not letting all my efforts go down the drain."

Layla spoke with full conviction. She controlled her expression when she looked at Kolvar.

He flinched at the look he was getting, but he soon turned his head away. He was not able to look at Layla for much longer because of the guilt he felt.

"I…that is not true! I am focusing on myself as well. I will recover quickly since I am so sturdy."

Kolvar assured Layla, but she could hear the doubt in his voice.

This incident had broken him like nothing else had in his life. He wanted to scream, but no voice came out when he tried to open his mouth. All he could do was sit there and look at his people with envy and curiosity.

Layla also turned her attention toward the people celebrating in front of her. She felt happy for all of them and relieved at the same time that these people looked happy to leave.

After all, she had aimed to grow her business, and unhappy labor was not a good way to go about it.

"I'll go to bed now. If I don't, I will have trouble waking up on time tomorrow."

Layla spoke as she yawned once more. Her body was signaling to her that it was tired and that she needed to go to sleep.

No one stopped her when Layla crashed in the guest room she and Mary had been given. She slept like a log, and Mary woke her early the next morning.

"Wake up, miss! It is time for us to leave now. If you feel too tired, shall I help you up?"

Mary asked as she extended her hand toward Layla.

It took Layla a few minutes to register what happened, and she tried to wake herself up.

"How many hours of sleep did I get? It feels like I did not sleep a lot."

Layla asked as she stretched her arms above her head to get comfortable.

"You got two hours of sleep. Ah, you should sleep more in that case. The effects of last night might not be all gone by now. In that case, please go back to sleep, Miss!"

Mary spoke sparkly, and the feeling Layla was having increased even more.

Two hours! She had only gotten two hours of sleep? What about everyone else? Did they not sleep at all? Would they be able to keep up with the pace that needed to be set for this journey?

"Ah, are we doomed even before we begin?"