Chapter 6:
Signs of Strength
EVEN MOUNTED on Lind’s back, the black giant continued to ignore us. It didn’t even consider us a threat. We had to figure out a way to defeat it.
“You said it is like the fiendified Linford Laurentia?” Mea asked.
“Right down to the black barrier.”
“How strong is it?”
“Very.”
“A-all right.”
I elaborated on Linford’s powers. The giant wasn’t exactly the same, but any information would help at this point. Mea explained that they’d managed to break through its barrier and damage it once. It regenerated soon after, but it at least meant that the Fiend wasn’t invincible.
“I saw its core,” Mea said. “I think it’s made of the thing the Valkyrie used. Fiendstone. Remember?”
“Of course.”
How could we forget?
As soon as the Valkyrie used it, she’d mutated into a living pile of Malice.
“The giant’s Fiendstone is buried deep inside it,” Mea said. “I sensed it.”
That must be the source of its energy.
Fiendstone is resilient. It’ll take a lot of force to destroy it.
“And it’s shielded under three layers of protection,” said Mea. “The black barrier, the giant’s flesh, and an inner barrier around the Fiendstone itself.”
That sounds rough… Can you penetrate its defenses again?
“I can do one more. Anything beyond that is doubtful.”
“My lady’s White Fire takes a lot out of her,” Quina explained.
I see.
Mea’s white flames were powerful enough to damage Murelia, but it came at great cost.
“Still,” she said. “I will deal with the barrier. It will regenerate in under a minute, so you need to work fast to destroy the Fiendstone. Can you do it?”
“Hrm…”
That’s a tall order…
Even if Mea managed to break through, we still had to puncture its skin and break the barrier protecting its core.
I can get through its flesh with Kanna Kamuy. From there, we could use Sword God Form and…
No, Sword God Form would only last a few seconds. If we didn’t kill the giant instantly, we’d be all out of options. I wouldn’t have enough durability left to try anything else.
“We have to find another way.”
“Agreed. I’d rather not form a strategy around such a capricious skill.”
But then, what should we do about the Fiendstone?
“I have a plan,” said Fran.
She explained the part we would play in it. It was a pretty good idea.
“We’ll run with that, then!” Mea said.
“Hm!”
We split up and headed to our positions. As Fran and I took to the skies, Quina made the opening move.
“Will you play with me a while, giant?”
“Gugoooo!”
“My, aren’t we impatient? You won’t catch me while you’re flailing about like that.”
“Guaaaa!”
“That’s it! Go on the offensive!”
Quina wasn’t just a distraction. She would draw out the giant’s most powerful attacks to give Fran and Mea a clear run. Quina provoked the creature with her acrobatics and Illusion Magic, and it wasn’t long before it launched a barrage of spells. As powerful as the giant was, it ran out of spells soon enough.
It was almost time for us to launch into action. Far up in the sky, Mea charged her right hand with white-gold flames. It was the same attack she’d used against Murelia. Could Lind cope with that inferno forming on his back? He didn’t seem fazed. Instead, he rushed headlong toward the giant.
“Guaaaa!”
Quina perfectly dodged another of the giant’s attacks. It glared at her, all of its rage fixed on the small insect buzzing about its feet. It was then that Mea made her move.
“Excellent, Quina! I won’t waste this opportunity!”
“Kuooooo!”
On Mea’s command, Lind burst into flames. It almost looked like they had self-destructed. Fran and I watched as a fireball hurtled toward the black giant. Lind added his flames to Mea’s, increasing their power. When it was at its peak, Mea unleashed her trump card.
“Golden Flame of Annihilation!”
The flames formed a sword in Mea’s right hand. This was the firebrand that’d incinerated the Valkyrie.
“Taaaah!”
“Kuooooo!”
At the sound of Mea’s battle cry, Lind accelerated even further. The princess swung her white-gold sword like a batter at full swing, and Lind’s speed only amplified its force. The bright fireball tore right through the giant’s barrier. Without slowing, Lind pivoted and attacked again. Mea swiped her firebrand across its side, and the Golden Flame of Annihilation lit up the giant’s body.
“Aaaaarg…!”
The giant screamed in pain. It reached up to the sky, like a sinner begging for mercy.
That was amazing.
“Hm.”
Fran and I charged up our own energy. It wouldn’t be long before we had to follow up on Mea’s white-gold fire.
“Are you okay, Teacher…?”
I’m fine. We’ll make this work…
“Yeah. I know you’ll be fine.”
My role was to attack with Kanna Kamuy and expose the giant’s Fiendstone, but I still hadn’t completely mastered my magical abilities. Could I really pull off such a powerful spell? I couldn’t just throw it out there—I had to keep the area of effect small to make sure it penetrated the giant’s flesh. Even before my remodeling, I’d never tried it.
That made me anxious. What if I failed? In the end, Fran knew me better than I knew myself.
Sorry. I’m just a little worried.
“We can do it, Teacher. Even if you miss, I can still destroy its Fiendstone.”
Fran…
And to think that I was meant to be her guardian. I didn’t know if I could do it, but that only meant I had to find a way! I’d lose my teaching license if I failed. As pathetic a father figure as I was, I had to step up to the plate and score a homerun!
“Giiiiiaaaaa!”
The air shook with the giant’s scream. It flailed around with its right arm and launched a volley of spells at Mea. The magic assaulted her like a swarm of locusts.
“Gah!”
“Kuooo!”
The attack was too dense, and Lind couldn’t evade it. His body was riddled with spells. He and Mea went down together.
“No!”
She’ll be all right, Fran! It will take more than that to hurt her!
“Hm.”
It’s our turn now.
“Let’s beat this thing.”
Damn right.
Quina had anticipated the princess’ fall. She would take care of her. The best we could do was land our attack. Fran set her gaze on the giant, waiting for the flames to go out. The creature was badly burned, and a poisonous-looking smoke rose from its body.
Let’s go, Fran!
“Hm!”
If we wanted to break that Fiendstone, then our attack needed to be at least as powerful as Mea’s. The situation was a lot like Bulbola. We’d torn through Linford’s body with an aerial attack, but only defeated him because he was already injured. If it wasn’t for Amanda and the others, we would have lost. It was a tough pill to swallow, but we had done some growing up since then.
Fran began her freefall and drew me from my scabbard.
“Awaken. Flashing Thunderclap.”
Fran’s trump card. This was power that she didn’t have in Bulbola. Power she risked her life to obtain.
“Come on, Teacher.”
Yeah.
She spoke like she was asking me to go for a walk, and that was fine. She didn’t have to stress if she didn’t want to. Fran fell with the pull of gravity, completely relaxed. Even though we were in freefall, she closed her eyes and controlled her breathing.
But inside, she was bubbling with power, and she focused all of it into a single attack. She breathed deep into her belly, and I felt her black lightning flow into me. Turning me into an extension of her arm. It was a good feeling—as though we were closer than ever before.
Raaaaah! Kanna Kamuy!
At my command, a magic circle appeared in the sky. But it wasn’t exactly what I wanted.
Hrrrrrrgh!
I focused, trying to concentrate the lightning on a single point. I pictured a white dragon made of electricity, coiling up to strike its prey. At the same time, I pictured Murelia’s Kanna Kamuy. As much as I didn’t want to use her as reference, she’d executed it perfectly.
Raaaaaah!
I can do this! Control the mana! Don’t let Fran down!
Aaaaah!
A spear of lightning fell from the sky and shot right through the giant.
“Gyagoaaaaa!”
It worked. The lightning destroyed the giant’s left shoulder and sent its arm flying. Better still, a pitch-black crystal peeked through the gaping wound.
Over to you, Fran.
“Hm!”
Fran opened her eyes and readied me. She hopped through the air, accelerating toward the giant below. She’d finished Linford in the same way with Pressurized Quickdraw, only this time she was a black lightning bolt. We applied all kinds of buffs on ourselves. Weight Manipulation, Elemental Blade, Enhanced Physique, anything that might help. That was when we started to glow blue.
But we were stronger now, with more skills at our disposal and Fiend Crusher Revelation to boot. That made the blue light different too. It was always an aqua color before, but now it was deeper, closer to ultramarine. It felt like we could crush anything in our path. And of course, now had an even stronger finishing move at our disposal.
“Sword King Arts…”
“Gogaaa?”
As Fran began her incantation, the black giant finally noticed her and looked up. We were close enough to see its barrier was identical to Linford’s. Back then, we couldn’t get through it. Not with all our might. And in fact, the giant’s barrier was so concentrated that it might be even stronger. But neither of us were worried. Despite the creature’s overwhelming malice, neither of us despaired. How could we?
“Skycutter.”
How could we be afraid when we had grown so powerful?
“Ooooorgh!”
My blue blade split the Fiendstone clean in half. This was the attack that put an end to the nightmare in Bulbola.
We teleported away before we hit the ground, while the giant stumbled awkwardly, like a man learning the robot. Mea was right: that Fiendstone was its weak point. But as the giant was faced with death, it roared.
“Eeeeeergh!”
There was something different about that scream. It sounded like it was trying to talk. But it didn’t have Intimidate or Roar, so what was it doing?
There’s a magic circle at its feet…!
It was almost as large as the one I cast for Kanna Kamuy. Pitch black mana drafted upward and roared into a torrent. A geyser of mana covered the creature’s body.
Why won’t you die?!
“Haaa!”
We tried firing off some spells, but the black mana deflected them.
“Rooooogh!”
The giant lurched out of the black cloud. We couldn’t believe our eyes.
What…?! He’s completely healed?! But we destroyed his Fiendstone!
There was barely a singe or a cut on it. Did it just heal itself? Maybe the Fiendstone wasn’t its weak point after all.
Fran sniffed the air and winced. “Something smells.”
What?
I Identified the giant out of habit and found that it had changed.
Before, the only thing I could tell was that it was a Vilefiend.
Name: Corrupt Lesser Zombie Giant
Race: Undead
Level: 1/99
HP: 4877; Magic: 301; Strength: 1878; Agility: 107
Titles: Blessed of the Evil One; Revived
So, it was undead now? It only emitted around half as much Malice as it had, but it was teeming with necromantic energy. I still couldn’t see its skills, but I could see its stats and titles now. Enough to tell that it was weaker than Linford. Even its health was no match for the old Fiendmancer.
I think it turned itself into a zombie just as it died.
“It made itself undead?”
Seems like it.
Fortunately for us, it was only a Lesser Zombie Giant, significantly weaker than before. Something must’ve gone wrong with its transformation. But it was still pretty tough. I didn’t want to imagine what we’d be up against if its spell had worked perfectly. Even as it was, it had a boatload of life and strength, and was easily a B-Threat.
We had to kill it, but Fran was nearing her limit. I could heal her, but there was no healing the mental exhaustion. We just needed one more attack.
Fran, I’m going to cast another Kanna Kamuy. Get ready with your black lightning.
“Got it!”
When we’d faced the A-Rank adventurer Phelms in the fighting tournament, we’d combined our attacks together. We were going to do the same thing now. A Black Thunderfall-amplified Kanna Kamuy was the most powerful attack in our arsenal, but it came at a cost. Using it would kick Fran out of her Awakened form, and she wouldn’t be able to use Flashing Thunderclap for a while. If it didn’t land, we were done for.
To make a fully charged attack, we needed to get close. Fran readied me and rushed headlong toward the undead giant. It turned to face us, probably sensing our presence with Life Sense.
“Bloooorgh!”
“Urgh.”
Poison mist, but it’s not too powerful. Punch through!
“Got it.”
The giant burped poisonous gas, but Abnormal Status Resistance and Manipulate Poison gave us a free ticket.
“Gorgh?”
The giant sounded confused. The poison mist only succeeded in concealing us. The creature brought its arm down to attack us, but Fran jumped on top of it easily. She was going straight for its head.
Here we go!
“Hm! Black Thunderfall!”
Kanna Kamuy…!
Black lightning mingled with my spell and crashed into the undead giant. The air sizzled. Kanna Kamuy came out a lot smoother than I’d expected. I was stunned. White and black lightning fused together and formed a pillar, piercing the giant.
“Ruuuiiiiaaaaaa!”
The creature’s roar was as loud as the thunderclap. The lightning cracked its skull open, and electricity lit up its entire body. It did almost as much damage as Skycutter…
And yet it failed to clinch victory.
“It’s still moving!”
How is that possible?!
The creature’s Magic Resistance was too high. Its insides were pulsating with Malice and mana.
“Wargh…”
“Its head is growing back…”
This was bad. This was very bad. Fran and I were pretty much out of mana.
Mea… No, she’s still out cold.
She wasn’t dead, but she was badly injured and exhausted from her ultimate attack.
I thought of letting the city guards and adventurers finish the creature off, but things wouldn’t work out that easily. Now that I got a closer look at it, the giant was up to something. Something terrible.
“Ruaaaaaaa!”
“Teacher, look!”
It’s making more undead!
The giant raised undead civilians from the rubble of their houses. These lesser zombies weren’t very strong, but there were so many of them. How could this thing still use necromancy when it was undead itself? All the bodies within three hundred meters of the giant rose as zombies. If we didn’t do something soon, the city would be overrun.
“We have to kill it…”
But how…?
“Teacher.”
I knew what she was about to say. There was only one way to defeat it. I’d realized it a few seconds before, but I didn’t want to admit it. It was too dangerous. Even Fran was against it unless there was no other choice.
“We have to use Sword God Form,” she said.
It was our most powerful skill, as well as our most dangerous. Even if we were backed up against a wall, I couldn’t agree to it. There was just too much about it that we didn’t know.
It’s too risky… We haven’t mastered it yet.
“We have to kill it.”
But even when we were in good condition, we could barely control it.
Now we were exhausted. Who knew what would happen?
“But it’s the only way,” Fran said, looking at me with determination.
There was no talking her out of anything when she looked like that.
“Please, Teacher. I want to save everyone…”
Ugh…fine. But we’ll only use it for a second, got it?
Fran smiled. “Okay!”
She was right. If she was the sole survivor of this onslaught, she wouldn’t be pleased. She would move mountains for her tribesmen, but even so…
“Teacher?”
It’s nothing. Come on, we have a giant to kill!
“Hm!”
We controlled Sword God Form together, and that meant I could protect Fran by taking the brunt of it. Fran readied me and set her feet. She was like an arrow ready to launch. She closed her eyes. It was time to make our move.
“Come on!”
Fran accelerated toward the giant. It tried to swat her away, but it was too late. She had activated her skill.
“Sword God Form!” she yelled, her voice twisted with pain.
Uaaaaargh!
The spirit of the Sword God was upon us. Power flowed through me, and Fran’s aura changed completely. The giant noticed the sudden shift. It felt the fear of death in the air. The creature prepared to release another blast of poison gas by opening its mouth but, by the time Fran was done, it couldn’t close it again. In a flash, she lopped its head clean off.
I was worried it would grow back again, but the undead giant crumpled to its knees. Its Malice and mana dissipated as it died, and it was all thanks to Sword God Form. Just imbuing a weapon wasn’t enough. The divine element had penetrated the giant’s body, neutralizing its skills and destroying its mana. The perfect manipulation of the divine element and knowledge of its weak point came together to create the fatal blow…but we didn’t have time to analyze the effects.
Fran, turn it off!
“Ah…”
Her whole body ruptured as she was pushed beyond her limit. Blood spurted from her mouth. She’d managed to turn it off, but she was already gravely injured, and the divine element meant that she couldn’t be healed effectively. The only thing I could do was lower her gently on the ground.
“Teacher…”
Don’t talk! I’m going to heal you now!
Fran barely had enough strength to hold me, but she smiled. And not just because she’d managed to kill the giant.
Fran! Why did you have to do that…?!
I’m glad you’re okay, she said.
If you die here, none of this will be worth it!
I’m sorry…
No… I’m sorry too.
Fran knew that I would take more than my fair share of the burden. So she took the brunt of it so I wouldn’t be destroyed. Since she was the one who actually possessed the skill, her will overrode mine. That’s why her body had burst open, while mine only suffered a crack.
Damn it! It isn’t working…!
Greater Heal could barely repair a fifth of her wounds. I threw potions on her, but still got nothing. The ground beneath us was drenched with potions and her blood.
I was running out of mana. I had to make it count. I concentrated on my Healing spells and tried to amplify them, as I’d done with Kanna Kamuy. I visualized healing Fran from the inside, not just her flesh and bones, but her entire existence.
No. This was no longer visualization. This was prayer. Now I understood why priests were healers in RPGs.
I prayed with all my being. Please heal Fran. Please make her better.
God, please! Greater Heal!
The spell felt different this time. The mana looked different as it flowed through Fran too. Heal had always worked like a potion applied on an injury. Now, it was like I injected it directly to her veins. She wasn’t completely healed, but that one spell had done more than all the others.
No, this isn’t enough… Wait, I know!
I flew to the giant’s corpse, activated Mana Thief, and jabbed myself into it. I was running out of mana, so I might as well get what little I could from the environment. There was Malice mixed in with it, but not very much.
That’ll do it!
I spent the next ten minutes flitting back and forth between Fran and the giant’s remains. It felt like going back to a well to put out a fire. After that, Fran looked completely healed. She was still unconscious with blood loss, but the worst of it was over.
Oh, thank goodness…
“Zzzz.”
I sighed with relief. Fran was sleeping peacefully.
What am I gonna do with you…
“Zzz.”
“Teacher! Is Fran all right?”
Mea. Good to see you’re okay.
“And Fran?”
She’ll be fine. She’s just tired.
“Excellent…!” Mea said.
She sounded relieved too. The princess smiled the same way that Fran had earlier—rejoicing in the good fortune of others.
“My lady,” said Quina. “May I suggest we move to a safer location? It’s still dangerous out here.”
“Ah, of course! There are still Fiends around!”
“We can take you to Count Marmano or to the Black Cat tribe. Which would you prefer?”
Black Cats, please. Jet’s still with them, but I’m worried whether they can handle another goblin attack.
“Very well,” said Quina. “Let’s hop to it.”
“Indeed!” Mea agreed. “I shall carry Fran!”
She pulled Fran on her shoulders and sprinted, despite her exhaustion. It made for a bumpy ride, but Fran didn’t look like she was getting up any time soon.
“P-Princess!” Salutia called out. “What happened?!”
Jet whined with worry, looking as troubled as the young Black Cat. Fortunately, everyone in the encampment was accounted for.
“She is exhausted after a hard day’s battle,” Mea explained. “Nothing to worry about. May I ask you to look after her?”
“Of course! Miss…?”
“Mea. And this is Quina. We are Fran’s friends.”
Revealing her true identity would only have made things more awkward. And besides, the fact that she was Fran’s friend was more important to her.
“I see! Thank you for helping the princess!”
“Thank you for looking after her. We must be going now.”
Mea and Quina left Fran in Salutia’s care and departed the encampment. When they’d gone, Salutia carried her to the inn, and the women laid her in bed.
Never seen you that worried, Jet.
Arf?
She’s asleep. She’ll wake up soon. You better take care of us though, because I’m about as tired as she is.
Woof!
I genuinely thought Fran would wake up in a few hours, but she ended up sleeping until the next morning. The other Black Cats were so anxious that they treated her awakening like the resurrection of the dead. The first thing she said was “I’m hungry,” which was very much like her. After that, the beastmen threw a breakfast carnivore carnival, and Fran ate ten kilograms of meat. They really did have iron stomachs.
Still, Fran hadn’t fully recovered yet. I think she was only at about 20 percent of her full power. Even so, she had enough strength to use Pocket Dimension, Healing Magic, and to help clean up Green Goat.
That night, she and the others prepared to leave. As much as we would love to stay a few more days, we had other plans.
“So, you’re really leaving?”
“Hm. I have to be at the ceremony, and I have a boat to catch to Granzell.”
“I see…”
The Black Cats were all sad to see her go, especially Salutia, but Fran had made up her mind. If we missed that high-speed ship, we wouldn’t make it to Granzell in time. And Fran wanted to keep her promise to Garrus.
“I’ll be back.”
“We’ll be waiting for you!” said Salutia. “But…”
“But?”
“I might get strong enough to look for you first.”
Fran raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t thought of that possibility.
“I see.”
Salutia chuckled. “I hope I’ll see you out there.”
“Hm. Me too.”
Fran smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen. Given how expressionless she usually was, she might as well be laughing. She was fond of her tribesmen, but she had always thought of them as helpless. Salutia’s words reassured her that they could take care of themselves.
Fran was in a good mood as we rode to the capital on Lind’s back. She chuckled as she talked to Mea, and even hummed. I could count on one hand the number of times that had happened.
We arrived at Bestia in the middle of the night. The city walls were closed, but Princess Nemea had her own private door into the palace. Fran had a (rather hefty) light dinner and a bath, and she retired to her quarters.
You’ll have to go to sleep early tonight. We have an award ceremony in the morning, then straight onto Grayseal after that.
“Hm.”
We were on a tight schedule, and I would carry her with Telekinesis if I had to. But, as it turned out, Fran wouldn’t be getting sleep for a little while yet.
“Fran! I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Mea? What are you doing here?”
Mea was in Fran’s room, wearing oversized white silk pajamas and a nightcap. It looked great on her.
“You know what I’m doing here!”
“Hm?”
“Well…you know…”
Mea was tongue-tied, but I knew what she was trying to say.
“My lady, you must actually tell Fran that you wish to have a sleepover, since tonight is her last night.”
“I-I was getting there!”
I knew it. And Quina’s timing was perfect as ever.
“There it is,” said Mea. “I’m sleeping here tonight!”
“Hm. Okay. Can Jet stay too?”
“Jet?”
“Arf?”
Upon hearing his name, Jet popped his head out of the shadows. We hadn’t invited him to eat with us in the palace dining room, so he was a bit sulky. I mean, he would’ve made quite a mess.
“He fought really hard,” said Fran.
“I see. Very well! Jet has proven his mettle in battle!”
Jet barked happily, his mood improving immediately. And so, Fran spent her final night in the Beastman Nation talking to Mea about girly things. Monsters they’d fought, near death experiences…you know the sort of thing.
It was the morning of the award ceremony.
In the end, it wasn’t as flashy as I’d thought. The ceremony was held in a room at the palace, where Fran’s accomplishments would be read by some government officials. After that, a member of the royal family would award her with the medal. The whole thing would take about thirty minutes, and the public announcement would be made later, during the victory parade.
The medals were already prepared, and the ceremony would end as soon as everyone received them. The beastmen weren’t ones for formalities, so their award ceremonies were short. None of the participants looked surprised at the lack of pomp and circumstance.
Varavarham, the Purple Wind Elephant, was the first general to go up. They’d all drunk enough alcohol over the last few days to sanitize a hospital multiple times over, but none of them seemed to have a migraine and they all walked straight as an arrow. Prime Minister Raymond and Guiza, the Minister of Finance, were officiating—attended by their subordinates. Lucius was present too, although he was the court mage, so maybe he was officiating too. Finally, Princess Nemea awarded the medals.
“You have done well, Black Cat Fran.”
“Hm.”
“You have repelled the northern invasion and saved Green Goat from certain doom.”
“Hm.”
“Please accept the Golden Beast Fang in recognition of your accomplishments.”
The ceremony was as solemn as it was short, and it ended almost as quickly as it began. But there were two surprises. First, Jet got a medal of his own. It was awarded to outstanding familiars who were of great service to their tamers. Mea made sure it was ready on time.
“You have done well too, Jet.”
“Woof!”
“Hm. It looks good on you,” said Fran.
Jet barked happily as Mea hung the medal on his collar. I should make him some extra spicy curry as a reward. I always made it on the mild side to accommodate Fran’s tastes, but if there was ever an occasion to reward the direwolf with hellfire curry, it was now.
The other surprise was our reward money. Apparently, it came with a pledge to support the Black Cat tribe. The government had considered the tribe’s actions in Green Goat and promised to support them in the future. They would also provide any Black Cat who wanted to fight with equipment and training. Fran even got to keep her ten million gold. They must have been very inspired by her.
Once the ceremony was over, it was time for us to depart. We’d done all our shopping and received all our prizes, now it was time to catch the Beast King’s speedboat in Grayseal and head back to Granzell. Normally, the trip to the harbor would take ten days. Even a horned cart cutting through the Haunt on the way would take half a day. But we would be taking a rather more direct route.
We should get going.
“Hm.”
Fran visited the room where Kiara’s body was resting. There were no tears or words, she just spent a few minutes in silent vigil. She looked determined when she left. Clearly, Fran had inherited something from Kiara, although I knew not what.
Are you sure you’re okay? I asked.
“Hm. I’m fine now.”
All right.
“Come on, Teacher.”
Yeah!
Mea was waiting for us outside.
“Come then!”
“Hm.”
Mea had watched her bid Kiara farewell. She smiled wordlessly, then led us to an empty pasture outside the city walls.
“Are you ready, Fran?”
“Hm.”
“Good. Come, Lind!”
“Kuooooo!”
Lind would be taking us to Grayseal, and Fran and Mea were his only passengers. Quina was staying behind at the palace. The dragon looked happy for it and could probably go faster too.
“Kuoooooo!”
So fast!
“Wow!”
Lind spread his wings and accelerated. Fran was used to air travel, but even she was surprised. I was used to going faster, but riding on Fran’s back made for a different experience.
“Ha ha ha! This isn’t even the fastest he can go! Lind, show them what you’re made of!”
“Kuoooo!”
Lind sped up again, his body glowing bright red, leaving a blazing trail of fire across the sky. It looked similar to the flame spell Vernier, only Lind could use it to maintain his speed instead of just short bursts. This was his Unique Skill, Essence of Pyromancy. I paid close attention. Perhaps I could apply it to my own skills in the future. Despite the speed, we didn’t really feel the air. The wind was only about as strong as a standing fan—negligible at this altitude.
“Look over there! Monarch tortoises!”
“Oooh.”
Mea pointed to a lake where a pack of tortoises with trees on their backs swarmed together, forming a small hill. I had never seen anything like it.
“And down there is the famous Jade Lake!”
It’s so pretty.
The lake shimmered green, and the green rocks at the bottom reflected the sunlight. Mea showed us one rare sight after another. She was like a tour guide on the Airbus Lind.
“Oh! The mist has cleared over the border mountains!”
“Wow.”
It’s so high up.
Mea turned toward the gigantic gray mountain range. Even from afar, it looked divine—like a veil connecting the earth and the sky. I’d never seen a sight like it. That thing was even taller than Mt. Everest.
And we were only at the foot of the mountain…
“Hm.”
As Fran looked at the mountains, a string of events played in her mind—good, bad, and everything in between.
“Fran?” said Mea.
“Hm?”
“You’ll come back, won’t you?” she asked, finally revealing her reason for playing the tour guide. A lot of things had happened since Fran came to the Beastman Nation, most of them painful. Mea wanted to give her something nice to remember this place by.
“Of course,” said Fran.
“R-really?”
“Hm. You’ll be here.”
Fran was a lot more optimistic than she let on. All she needed was one good thing to outweigh the bad. She might have lost Kiara and almost gotten herself killed, but she would certainly come back to visit her best friend Mea.
“I’ll come again,” she said. “Promise.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I thought that Mea trembled as she spoke, but perhaps it was just my imagination.
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