Ep 84. You’re Leaving? (3)

  It didn’t take long for Serenis to find Raizel in the unrepaired streets. The youngling’s mana ractically a glowing bea in the empty district; although Raizel wasn’t particurly versed in magic, she was a dragon heless, and the mana she carried couldn’t be pared tur civilians.

  “Raizel.”

  “Huh?”

  Upon hearing the now-familiar voice, Raizel immediately tossed away the heaps of iron beams in her hand to let them colpse unto the floor. She quickly turned around to direct her attention at Serenis, sing over the dragonlord’s figure – especially the arm that had previously been missing.

  “Oh, it’s you. Looks like you’re doing well. That goldie finally fixed your arm?”

  “…’Goldie’…?...If you mean Aldrid, she has, yes. It was rather fortuhat she could.”

  Serenis looked around their surroundings. Although the district wasly filled with intricate buildings and lively civilians like before, it wasn’t filled with death and rubbles, either.

  “I must admit, I was somewhat worried with asking you to clear the streets. But I see those worries were misguided now.”

  “…It’s just some up. Am I really that undependable?”

  “Haha, of course not. I was simply amazed by the job you’ve done.”

  Serenis approached the pouting steel dragon to give a few ending taps on her back. Iingly enough, the youngling’s sulking expression seemed to melt away at the touch. Even her voice had softened up noticeably.

  “…If you have something else I o do, just say it. I do it.”

  “There’s nothing else I o ask of you.”

  “You don’t? Then what’s the visit for?”

  “I came to tell you that I’ll be leaving the city soon.”

  Raizel’s eyes wide the ued answer. After a minute of processing, the steel dragon spoke up once more.

  “…You’re leaving? To where?”

  “To the northern ti. Aldrid’s informed me that I should be able to find other divihere.”

  “Blegh…yoing across whole tis?”

  “I am. You’re wele to remain if you wish; Ilias has said that she’ll be staying iy as well.”

  Although it wasn’t to the same degree as Serenis, Raizel, too, had bee a celebrated figure throughout Partivihe steel dragon was regarded as a hero that partook in stopping the Reaper’s terror. And although she barely cared for attention, at least here, the youngling didn’t have to worry about having a pce to sleep, or food to eat.

  Not that she worried about either in the first pce.

  “What, you think I’m crazy? Ilias mope around all she wants, I’m getting the hell out of here.”

  “…I figured you’d say that.”

  Raizel impatiently tapped her foot on the ground. She was already picturing Serenis flying up north – along with how fast she could chase her lord.

  “So, basically…you’re tellio follow you up north, right?”

  “Huh? No, that wasn’t-“

  “Works for me, I wao get out of here anyways. we leave now?”

  Serenis let out a brief sigh. She shook her head, holding Raizel’s shoulder to stop the marg youngling in pce.

  “…Now, hold on, child. You…’t fly, you? I could manage carrying Aldrid in this body, but that wouldly be pusible in your case.”

  “Oh pft, don’t worry. I just run.”

  “…”

  A small memory suddenly fshed before Serenis’ eyes – of her first, memorable meeting with the steel dragon before her. Of the small panic she’d felt when Raizel had tackled her during flight by simply jumping off the ground.

  ‘Could Arkrana have dohe same?...Probably not.’

  Dragons possessing steel affieo have severe limitations in moving or jumping due to their weight. They required a few times the strength that other dragons would normally o move about; this aspect even teo hinder learning how to fly amongst their hatgs.

  ‘And Raizel’s lived without her wings. There must’ve been a o pensate.’

  It robably the secret behind Raizel’s unnatural physical strength. Even across other lifeforms, it wasn’t rare to see certain traits evolving in a way to pensate for what the body was missing.

  ‘But if that’s ihe case, then…I wonder…’

  After a brief ption, Serenis fixed her gaze on the grey youngling. When she’d first learned of Raizel’s missing wings, a passing thought had briefly brushed her mind; now, the dragonlord had ample time to make it reality.

  “Raizel. As capable as you are, it isn’t pusible to keep up with a flight’s pace through running. Especially when the distance is as sizeable as it is this time.”

  “…Tch. So I shouldn’t e then?”

  “What I mean to say is…”

  Serenis then pointed skyward to add the bit:

  “I’ll teach you, child. It’s oo te to learn how to fly.”

  “…? The hell are you saying? You know I don’t have wings.”

  “You make them.”

  When the youngling stared at her with a ridiculed expression, Serenis cleared her throat to expin iail.

  “Uher dragons, a steel dragon’s wings are of simple make; In the case of your aors, their wings had always been nothing more than a colle of metallic fragments. Hehere shouldn’t be a problem with recreating your wings through magic. You manipute metals, you not?”

  “…I guess?”

  A dragon possessing a fire affinity didly have wings of fire; a dragon possessing a water affinity didly have wings of water. They could use fire and water magics respectively, but if their wings were entirely prised of such elements, then…well, they wouldn’t have been very useful.

  But dragons possessing a steel affinity were exceptions to this rule. Their wings were, quite literally, prised of the very element they could manipute. The shape of the wings might’ve been plex, but the prising materials were just pure metal.

  ‘So there shouldn’t be a problem with just making them anew.’

  Serenis had already seen Raizel usieel affinity to create various structures. Creating something as intricate as wings would no doubt be a difficult task, but it was still possible heless.

  “Wings made of magic will only be temporary, but you should be able to make them anew every time you hem. I will teach you the form they take.”

  “…Seriously? You do that?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “…”

  Raizel’s heart began to pa silence.

  The steel dragon had lived nearly her entire life without wings. Before she’d lost them, she’d been too young to learn; when she was old enough, she hadn’t any parents to teach her.

  The parents that should’ve been around to teach their daughter were long dead. No other steel dragon remained in the kin besides Raizel. For aire tury she’d despaired i, ruminating on how she could only look unto the skies while others took flight.

  But now, the dragonlord before her was boldly g that they could ge all that. Serenis’ air of indifference made it all the more ving, as if it’d be no trouble at all.

  Raizel’s body lightly trembled. An involuntary ughter escaped her lips.

  And Serenis, beholding the youngling’s sudden ge, couldn’t help but widen her eyes in panic.

  “Raizel? Are you alri…are y?!”

  “…”

  “What’s wrong, child?! You don’t have to learn! It wasn’t my io force you, not in the slightest. If flying seems daunting, then-“

  “I’ll learn.”

  “…What?”

  Raizel wiped her tears in silence. She couldn’t tell what was making her cry.

  “Teach me how to fly. I’ll learn.”

  From the very beginning, her lord had felt strangely familiar to Raizel; she’d sniffed Serenis from head to toe back then, trying to figure out why that was. And after all this time, the youngling finally began to realize the root of this familiarity.

  It was that weird, pleasant st plug at her senses whenever Serenis would e near. She just hadn’t been able to remember it until now.

  It’d been such a long time. She couldn’t even remember their faces anymore, but…

  ‘…They had a simir st, didn’t they?’

  Praybird