Eek. Kaniel was startled and stuck close to Taeyon.
“It ended up that way unintentionally. Sorry. But I have to retrieve my lost property, you see.”
While the Winged Tribe man spoke glibly, his companions gradually increased in number. Winged Tribe men who revealed themselves from behind tree trunks, on high tree branches, from the previously empty sky, and from between dense bushes gradually tightened their encirclement toward the two.
The enemy numbered five. They weren’t knight-class beastkin, but Taeyon had someone he needed to protect, so he was at that much of a disadvantage.
Taeyon briefly checked his ability wavelength. The flow was still poor, but it had improved very slightly compared to a few days ago.
At this level, for a short while…
“Hold on tight, Kaniel.”
“Yes.”
The hand gripping his waist was firm. The moment Kaniel embraced Taeyon’s neck, he began to run. Toward the Winged Tribe man who had appeared from behind a tree trunk.
“You can kill the wolf! Scratch him up!”
“Yeah, got i— Aagh!”
Taeyon’s sword, which had advanced like lightning, slashed one wing of the Winged Tribe man. The man, who had turned pale, hugged his wing and collapsed.
“My wing!”
Taeyon raised the corner of his mouth crookedly and broke through the encirclement, beginning to run.
The method to attack the Winged Tribe was simple. For Winged Tribe beastkin, wings were organs that played an important role both when courting and when fighting. So for them, wings were both a strength and a weakness at the same time, and if you cut their wing halfway, Winged Tribe beastkin would lose the will to fight.
That didn’t mean it was easy though. They also knew well that their weakness was their wings, so they fought while protecting them with all their might.
However, it wasn’t very difficult for Taeyon. Because he had an ability that could produce explosive speed instantaneously.
“It’s an ability! It’s an acceleration ability, be careful!”
While Taeyon snorted and widened the distance further, Kaniel just did his best not to get in the way of the battle. He wanted to do something too, but he’d never experienced combat that required immediate responses like this, so he had absolutely no idea what he should do.
Fortunately, that was the right answer. Whatever a mage who had never coordinated with him did would more likely be a hindrance than help to Taeyon.
Still, Kaniel didn’t have nothing to do. After Taeyon shook him to bring him to his senses, he gave instructions.
“Lure a monster.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, immediately.”
“Y-yes…”
Kaniel immediately gathered mana in his hands. It was a fragrant lure that would look like very delicious prey to monsters.
Soon a tiger monster burst out from between the bushes.
In front was the tiger monster, and behind were the Winged Tribe beastkin targeting the two. Taeyon immediately turned around and charged toward the Winged Tribe beastkin. At the sudden change in direction, the Winged Tribe beastkin stopped, flapping their wings, and raised their daggers.
However, Taeyon had no intention of facing them head-on. If he were alone it might be different, but with one bundle of baggage, it was troublesome.
Taeyon kicked off hard and leaped over them. While his body shook roughly, Kaniel had a good idea in that instant and stretched his hand forcefully downward. Mana poured out wildly from his fingertips. Mana gradually dissipated once it left its owner’s hand, but it didn’t disappear in an instant.
The tiger monster that had been rushing toward Kaniel was enchanted by the mana clinging to the Winged Tribe’s bodies and charged at them ferociously. Claws that suddenly protruded made long wounds on the Winged Tribe man’s body and broke his wing.
“Aaagh!”
“What is this!”
“Damn it, kill it quick!”
The tiger monster, already intoxicated by mana, roared kwaak in anger at the Winged Tribe beastkin interfering with it and bared its teeth.
In the meantime, Taeyon and Kaniel had fled to a place where the Winged Tribe kidnappers could no longer chase them.
“Ah… that was scary.”
Kaniel, who had gotten down from Taeyon’s embrace, broke out in cold sweat and sat down on the spot. He knew Taeyon was a strong man, but still, there were five of them on the other side. He thought he’d die from fear that something might go wrong and he’d be kidnapped again.
For them to chase even after missing him once—just how obsessive were they?
Kaniel looked up with a tearful face.
“Those people will probably come again, right?”
Taeyon nodded and looked at Kaniel.
“I’d like to hear in more detail about the circumstances of how you came down from that place called the Floating Island to the Surface.”
“That’s all I told you last time though.”
Still, Kaniel explained once more, in a bit more detail, the circumstances of how he came to the Surface. He was riding the winged horse monster Lafort flying through the sky when he was suddenly grabbed and kidnapped, he stayed still while descending and when he got close to the Surface a horned bat monster suddenly appeared, he gave it mana and asked to be saved, and he was carried down to the Surface held in the horned bat monster’s feet. And that at the time he thought he’d communicated with the monster, but seeing how it attacked when he stopped giving it mana on the Surface, it seemed like it had just stolen a delicious snack and run away.
Taeyon, who had been listening quietly, frowned.
“They said there was a client who needed a mage. They said a mage who could handle monsters would be good.”
“A client. So there’s a beastkin trying to buy you.”
“Yes. And there’s also someone who sold me.”
Kaniel laughed self-deprecatingly.
“There was someone at work who didn’t get along with me, you see. That person pushed their work onto me… and that turned out to be sending me to the kidnappers.”
“…Does the human side still have a slave system?”
“No! That’s what I want to ask you. What about beastkin? Do you employ slaves?”
“Slavery is illegal.”
That statement meant that illegally trafficked slaves existed in secret. If they didn’t exist at all, there wouldn’t even be a need to designate it as illegal.
“…You’ll protect me from being kidnapped, right?”
“Yes.”
It was a reliable, dependable face. Only then could Kaniel smile, even if faintly.
“Even in the research lab…?”
“……”
“I don’t want to be left alone in the research lab. It doesn’t matter where, so please take me with you.”
Taeyon was a bit surprised at Kaniel looking at him pleadingly. He’d thought Kaniel was oblivious, but he’d noticed that Taeyon had intended to leave him at the castle.
And he felt his heart soften a bit at the fact that Kaniel relied only on him. Protecting someone was what Taeyon did best, and at the same time, what he wanted most. It was also what Taeyon had done at Oblyad Castle.
Perhaps that was why. Even though he’d left the utterly suspicious Kaniel behind once, he’d ended up going back in the end. Perhaps at that time, he’d needed someone who relied on him.
Taeyon answered as if drawn to it this time too.
“Alright.”
Only then did Kaniel smile brightly.
***
Not long after they started walking again, the two reached the edge of the forest. Beyond it, a red rock zone spread out extensively.
Kaniel couldn’t close his mouth at the amazing sight he was seeing for the first time in his life.
Sheer canyons and a river flowing between them, deep caves visible everywhere on the cliffs. And the streamlined giant boulders positioned here and there and numerous craters that looked like meteorites had fallen created a fantastic atmosphere.
There really are so many wondrous places on the Surface.
Not only the enormous great forest that seemed endless no matter how much you walked, but this red rock zone directly adjacent to the great forest was quite a spectacular sight as well.
“Let’s go. The sun is setting soon. The temperature difference between day and night here is severe, so we need to hurry into the village.”
“Y-yes…”
Kaniel toddled after Taeyon walking ahead but couldn’t take his eyes off the surrounding scenery. Only after he almost slipped in the canyon did he come to his senses.
‘Whoa, I almost got a concussion.’
If he’d tumbled and hit his head backward, it really might have happened. The rock was so hard that it seemed like it wouldn’t even get scratched unless carved by the forces of nature over a long period of time.
Kaniel deliberately asked energetically while pointedly ignoring Taeyon’s sharp gaze he felt on the top of his head.
“But where is the village? Is it far?”
“It’s soon.”
Taeyon said that while grabbing Kaniel’s forearm and entering a cave with a very wide entrance. So he thought it was a cave village, but inside the cave there was a spiral staircase that led underground. After descending about four floors of stairs, a door leading to the village finally appeared.
It seemed to be not a cave village but an underground city.
Kaniel touched the solid rock wall and checked if his hood was properly on before moving his feet.
The two guard members who had been chatting in front of the door started to raise their heads at the sound of footsteps, then were startled and straightened their backs in salute.
“Welcome! We’ve been waiting, Sir Knight.”
“You’ve been waiting?”
“Yes. I will escort you to guard headquarters.”
What’s going on? Surely they couldn’t have known in advance that Taeyon was coming. When Kaniel looked up in bewilderment, Taeyon calmly nodded and began to follow the guard member who was leading the way.
