Chapter 213: Are You Thinking about Riding Me?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A normal person would have viewed a suggestion of an impending Armageddon with skepticism. That was how Baiyi perceived the suggestion when he first heard it, and that was happening right there to the two dragonkin. 'The world as we know it... Is heading to its end? And yet I'd felt nothing?'
After a detailed discussion analyzing the animals' behaviors, especially the wild dragons', the two High Counselors of the dragon knights had to admit to the plausibility of such an otherwise-outlandish claim.
"To tell you the truth, I still have a hard time believing this," Aya said, and her gaze turned apologetic when it rested on Baiyi. "If those dragons had sensed it, then why haven't I? I mean, even if I was one of the sluggish types, the other dragons here would have sensed it, too."
"That's because you all are inside the safe zones," Baiyi shrugged. "I think that these barrier-guarded territories are probably what the berserk beasts have come to regard as their safe zones because, for some reason, these barriers shield them from the source of their terror."
"But all we planted to mark these safe zones are wind-shielding barriers and thermal barriers. Sure, ours are much larger and wider, but zones similar as ours are still abundant throughout Gouve. Are you suggesting that these animals invaded these no-fly zones just so they can be protected by these barriers?" Yosef added.
"More or less, yea. Stopping them is a correct move, though. These barriers usually contain highly-populated cities. A wild animal in a place like that is gonna make for a very messy outcome," Baiyi replied. "I have a hunch that this Crisis has something to do with temperature or destructive winds. These are the elements that people within the barriers would not have felt."
"That makes a lot of sense," Yosef nodded in agreement. "We have conducted multiple investigations outside the safe zones, but we never knew what variable or element to be on a lookout for. You might have just cracked the case! I'll depart on another investigation tomorrow."
"Father!" A cry of alarm escaped from Aya, worrying about her father's age and safety. "You shouldn't. You're wearing yourself down with this. Let me take your place," She volunteered, turning to face Baiyi.
"Would you be my company, Master Hope?" She blurted.
'Company how? You want me to ride on you? Quite a bold lady-dragon. I mean, yea, she meant the literal meaning of riding and not the innuendo, but still… Letting a stranger on your back can't be considered be a safe practice!'
Baiyi didn't voice his thoughts, but Aya may have reached the same conclusion all the same. Her cheeks flushed again, and she started frantically and abruptly waving her hands as she blurted, "I-I-I mean, I… It's just a very normal investigation; please d-d-don't think of it as something else!"
'Um… I didn't. Your reaction, on the other hand, is making me "think of something else",' Baiyi thought. However, to be objective, it isn't too bad to be the Fifth Walker's mount, you know. Your "Lord Divine Dragon" hadn't mind, so a normal lady-dragon such as you should be honored! Plus, that shocking blessing from earlier, I was the one who delivered them to you per his will!
Discounting Aya's "inspiring" reaction, the deal was settled. Yosef had been busy for a long time, so having a good company for the beautiful Aya while she went out to investigate was a pacifying idea. It let the elderly rest without any worries.
Evening came at the same time the exhausted dragon knights they returned from their respective duties. The camp did not the celebratory atmosphere that usually signaled a hero's homecoming, and instead, they quietly washed up and went to sleep.
A report was still delivered to General Kandor.
"What? Someone was injured?"
Aya was hugging Mordred in her embrace. The child had been playing the whole day; she only stopped when she became exhausted. Her head was buried in her mother's bosom, and her eyes drooped, making it evident that she could fall asleep anytime soon, yet, after hearing that someone was injured, the wave of drowsiness was up, and she sat up with concern plastered on her face.
"It was a wild one… went mad when it was halted. Fortunately, the rider and the mount only suffered light injuries, so don't worry too much," General Kandor replied.
"Are they… getting worse? Is it just as Master Hope had said. As the end draws closer to us all, their fear will only continue to intensify, and they." Aya murmured as her own fear bubbled, and her finger stroked Mordred's head for subconscious comfort.
"I hope he was wrong," came the General's sigh.
It was barely dawn when Aya came knocking on Baiyi's door.
After hearing his voice of approval, she entered and was treated to the sight of Baiyi enjoying another kind of family time with his little potted plants. Since that there was no one back at home in Isythre to take care of them, Baiyi decided to bring the plants along.
The mysterious seeds were planted in his animal-themed money boxes, and Baiyi was always excited to see what plants they would turn out to be. Under his care, some of the seeds had started to sprout.
After lining up the boxes neatly by the windowsill, the Soul Armature turned to face her. "You're up early."
"Mordred is the one who is always up early. She woke me," Aya replied gently.
"Alright, let's go."
"... Without Miss Mia?" Aya asked in surprise. She had been told, during yesterday's conversation, that Mia was the man's Soul Armature Practitioner. Normally, he would have to be at close range with the girl at all times. This was especially so if the Soul Armature was of his level because more the more powerful the Soul Armature was, the greater the limitation would be on the range that was possible between the Soul Armature Practitioner and the Soul Armature.
"See?" Baiyi took out a Soul Booster from his armor and shook it before Aya.
"Oh! What a handsome thing. I have never seen a Soul Booster before this…"
This gem was a gift from the noble Duke's daughter, Vidomina 1 , but it was really just for show, useful for stifling unnecessary probes such as the one Aya had asked. Ever since the fight with Thaas, Baiyi realized that there was no distance limitation between him and Mia; he was not even hindered after crossing realms. Baiyi understood that unlike other Soul Armatures, he enjoyed a very large degree of flexibility and freedom.
The duo went to the Command Unit. Baiyi was expecting Aya to transform to see if her dragon form was cute, but it turned out she had never intended to do that, at all. She whistled loudly, and from the horizon, a mighty White Dragon came to them.
A mighty male White Dragon.
"This is Launcelot—the strongest of our tribe," Aya ran her fingers along the dragon's scale gently as she introduced it.
'Okay, back up. What the hell is with the naming convention for dragons? Is the rule somewhere along the line of "When possible, rip them off from the Arthurian Legends!"? Come on, where is Morgan le Fay? Where is Gawain?'
However, the dragon gave Baiyi a nasty side-eye before hissing a few words in Dovahzul 2 .
"Um..." Aya, who was supposed to be the translator, had an awkward expression on her face. "He said… 'What a pleasure to meet you.'"
"Pah, come on! He said 'Where the hell did you find this loser?', didn't he?" Baiyi was equally as unimpressed. "I understand Dovahzul, guys."
Aya was even more embarrassed, but the dragon raised its head even more haughtily as if challenging Baiyi's to react since the Soul Armature knew exactly what it had said.
'Oh, that's it! The class is in session,' Baiyi thought as a sly grin etched on his face.
He mustered parts of his aura and cast them out to the dragon.
Suddenly, the entire camp was alarmed.
"W-wh-what was that devastating shriek?!?!"
"That… That sounds like… old Launcelot?"
"Go to hell with that! We all know that Launcelot is that one haughty ass great dragon who would only look at others with his flaring nostrils. How the hell that dragon whimper like a puppy being kicked?"
"I don't care what it was. I just think we really should go and check it out!"
Even Little Mia was roused by that sudden shriek, and she climbed up from her bed groggily, placing the hammerhead shark plushie next to her and looked out of the window in curiosity.
The soldiers rushed to the scene. Their faces were brimming with disbelief when they found out the source of the shriek; it really was the Proud Launcelot who had cried out like that. It no longer had any traces of the haughtiness it normally displayed.
Instead, the humbled Launcelot was curled into a fetal position like a puppy that had been bullied. Its head faced downwards, and whimpers for help involuntarily escaped from the guttural part of its throat.
Beads of sweat dripped down Aya's head as she tried to comfort the gigantic puppy.
"Looks like he's not feeling too well," Baiyi commented with a coy grin, retracting his aura.
Launcelot felt the pressure disperse and immediately raised his head. It regarded Baiyi with a look of terror, and it immediately unfurled its wings and fled.
"H-hey! Y-you!" Aya stomped her feet in frustration. Just when she was about to go after the feeling dragon, Baiyi held her shoulder, stopping her.
"Alright. We should get going. Right, Miss Aya?"
"But our mount—" Aya could feel herself burning in shame. It was hard enough for her to find the courage to share a mount with a stranger like Baiyi, and now, that mount had fled. What was she going to do now? Turn into her original form for Baiyi to ride on her?
"Oh, right. Nevermind that, we'll just fly on our own." Baiyi cast his levitation spell on both himself and Aya, then created a harness out of mana that bound onto her hourglass-like waist.
"Let's go!" He bid a quick greeting to Little Mia, who was still by the window, and she waved at him goodbye. With little concentration, Baiyi flew at such a high speed, he seemed like an arrow ripping through the sky as he headed to an arbitrary direction.
"Whoooaaaaaaaa--!" Aya's scream echoed back at the camp from afar.
"I don't really get what's going on, but is… Is Miss being kidnapped?"
"Kidnapped? Have you ever seen someone being kidnapped without a single struggle against her captor? Oh no, I tell you, this is an elopement we are witnessing!"
"That grey fella is an important visitor of General Kandor, right? Or is that just a cover-up to get close to Miss Aya?"
Chatters like these were rare among the ever-disciplined dragon knights, but this morning had been quite different from the usual. It took General Kandor some time to explain to the crowd to break up the confusion.
By then, Baiyi had already dragged the little dragon-lady far, far off.