Ep 85. You’re Leaving? (4)

  The twons stood outside in the grass, fag the stretg, empty pins before them. Before beginning the flight lessons, Serenis had led Raizel outside of the city first, lest the youngling reduce the city back to rubble while practig.

  …And it’d already been an hour since. Perhaps two.

  Raizel didn’t think it’d be easy to learn how to fly; things had often been difficult for the steel dragoo her massive weight, if not ht impossible. Swimming was one example, and she didn’t think flying would be any easier.

  But before the steel dragoook her first attempt at flying, the youngling was already beginning to question the practice. Raizel couldn’t help but cw at her back from the strange sensation creeping behind her – at the metalligs sprouting out of her formerly empty backside.

  Despite being her own magic, it still felt nothing short of alien. It ractically no different than magically growing two new arms.

  ‘…e to think of it, lord’s been going around like this all the time, huh?’

  On top of the alieion, stantly maintaining the spell in pce was having a noticeable toll on the Raizel’s mana reserves. She could mahem for shorter windows of time, but it’d be impossible to keep them up all the time like Serenis did.

  But that aside…

  “Lord? If I’m going to learn flight anyways, isn’t it better to learn in dragon form?”

  Serenis shook her head at the youngling’s question.

  “Then your wings will also have to grow in size, which would make the spell far more difficult. It’ll be harder to maintain as well.”

  “Ahh...”

  “So do try to limit your flight to your current form.”

  After a brief nod, Raizel turned her head to gnce over at the wings sprouting from her back, making sure their form matched the dragonlord’s description.

  But truth be told, even though she’d shaped them exactly as told, the youngling couldn’t rid of the feeling that her lord was teag it wrong. The wings she’d made weren’t anything like what Raizel had seen on other dragons.

  “But lord, is this…right? You sure wings are supposed to look like this?”

  “In your case, they are.”

  Behind the youngling’s back were two thin, beam-like metallic structures stretg sideways to replicate the wingbone. Beh said structures were hundreds of smaller metallic pieces casg downwards, their arra reminding Raizel of a bird’s feathers.

  But as far as she knew, dragons had hers.

  When Serenis noticed Raizel’s doubtful eyes, she spread her own spelled wings outwards, pointing at them for the yougling to pare. Unlike Raizel’s, the dragonlord’s wings cked the feather-like features beh their skeletal structure; instead, a , ft surface was all there was.

  “I suppose you’re more familiar with the kin’s wings having a smoother appearance like this. It’s true that a typical wing looks to be a ft surface, folding and spreading at will. But child, you imagine what would happen if it were made of metal?”

  “…Oh.”

  It was a isception. A typical dragon’s wing could spread and fold as necessary, but those weren’t made of metal. If the same were doo a ft metal surface, it wouldn’t fold – instead, it would break.

  Hence, a steel dragon’s wings had alossessed a distinct shape: they were prised of numerous smaller pieces instead of being o surface. It was a necessary trait for them, lest their wings bee dysfunal.

  ‘…I never knew our idle versations would bee so useful, Arkrana. What began as mere curiosity is ging the life of your desdant.’

  Having spent most of her life holed up in the dragonkin’s s, the dragonlord practically knew everything there was to know about her kin, including the way of life among other dragons. Ironically, the knowledge had beuch more useful after losing so many of them.

  And when Raizel finally finished f her wings with a dull acceptance of their shape, Serenis beamed a satisfied smile at the youngling.

  “Just so. You learn fast, child.”

  “…This is fast? I feel like we’ve been out here for hours. And these things still feel hel weird.”

  “That’s only to be expected. Making intricate structures through magic is always difficult. Also, you’ve grown two new limbs that you’ve never used before; it’s not surprising that you find the feeling odd.”

  The dragonlord circled Raizel once more, sing the wings on her back with another approving nod. They weren’t any different from the wings of her aors.

  “Even if it feels fn for now, your instincts should allow your seo ease in time. First, try spreading them outwards.”

  “Ehm…’kay…”

  Raizel momentarily wriggled her bad shoulders. The metal wings lightly shook in response, slowly creaking outwards to spread out to each side.

  ‘Good. Seems like she move them at will.’

  After firming that the youngling could properly move her new limbs, Serenis then pointed upwards.

  “Well done. Now, sint times, dragons of steel have always struggled to fly; they have always been the slowest to learn among the kin. Why do you suppose that is?”

  “…Because we’re heavy?”

  “Precisely.”

  After another brief nod, Serenis lightly jumped into the air. Occasional wis kept her afloat, h in the air as she looked down at Raizel.

  “Most dragons are able to remain afloat just by the strength of their wings. Unfortunately, this is impossible fons possessing steel affihey only remain in flight when maintaining suffit speed.”

  ‘And to gain this initial speed, it was necessary to kick off the ground with suffit force…which hatgs were often g in.’

  Wings alone couldn’t allow a steel dragon to remain in flight. Because they required a burst of initial speed, steel dragons have traditionally o reaear-adulthood to even attempt at flying.

  Not that it would pose a problem to the steel dragon before her.

  Serenis then poiowards the stretg pins before them.

  “Uhe others, you ot depend on your wings aloo fly. Instead, think of them as tools that tinue your leap indefinitely.”

  “Leap? So the whole key to flying is…jumping?”

  “Precisely. Try jumping as far as you with your wings spread open – with proper form and posture, you should be able to feel a slight floatiion in your body.”

  “…Sounds plicated, but…eh, guess I’ll give it a try.”

  Raizel’s wings then began to cycle between folding and spreading, creaking iallioises each time. Ohe dragon had a firm grip on moving them acc to will, she fixed her eyes towards the empty pins stretg ahead.

  And finally, a thunderous explosion of sound and dust shot the youngling into the air.

  Serenis watched the grey figure speed off in an arto the distant skies. A small crater had formed where Raizel reviously standing.

  ‘…It seems she’s already above Arkrana in raw strength.’

  Despite her age, Raizel’s skills in both flight and magic were underdeveloped; normally, she should’ve already known how to fly, and Serenis shouldn’t have had to teach her how to make those wings step-by-step. Despite most kin taking the two skills frahe steel dragon hadn’t had ao teach her either of them.

  But in exge, Raizel’s physical capabilities were far surpassing that of others – even pared to steel dragons that had existed in the past.

  ‘She need but learn, then. And she does seem eager to learn anyhow.’

  The dragonlord’s worries had turned out to be pointless s. trary to Serenis’ expectations, it wasn’t that Raizel had refused to learn; she simply hadn’t been able to. Now with a teacher to guide her, the youngling was right there, doing her best to follow through with what was being taught.

  As if to prove the point, Raizel soon plummeted into the distant pins with a thunderous noise. Even though her figure was merely a faraeck, the sound was still audible.

  And of course, she remained pletely unscathed. It didn’t even take long for the steel dragon to pace back to Serenis’ side.

  “…Lord!”

  “Mm. How was it? It was only your first try, so-“

  “This actually works! It goes way further than when I normally jump!”

  “…?”

  ‘Truly? Already??’

  The dragonlord’s surprise went unnoticed in the youngling’s excitement. She paced around like a hatg learning how to fly for the first time, eagerly fpping her wings.

  “You were right, it does kinda feel like floating! What’s ?”

  “R…ight. Now you need but maintain that feeling. Flight is simply bining the jump with occasional wis to keep yourself in the air.”

  “Huh, I didn’t think it’d be so easy. I’ll try again!”

  “…Do be careful now.”

  “Pft, it’s fine, I’ve crashed worse. Be back!”

  When Raizel once agai into the air, the curiosity in Serenis’ expressioenfold.

  ‘…Did Arkrana not say that it took her weeks to acquire her first sense of flight?’

  There were rgely two reasons why steel dragons had trouble learning how to fly: the first reason, as Serenis previously mentioned, was because they cked the strength to take off during their younger years.

  The sed reason was, because steel dragons could not stay afloat ih just their wings, learning how to fly sisted of a series of skyward leaps that ended with a crashing fall. This self-harming behavior had to be repeated until they eventually learned how to stay afloat.

  Unbeknownst to Serenis and Raizel, this sed reason had been a formidable obstacle for many steel dragons. In their younger years, fear of falling teo slow them down, preventing the younglings from reag suffit speed in their leaps. Regardless of race or affinity, jumping into the sky only to plummet back down wasly the most pleasant activity.

  versely, with an overload of strength and a plete ck of fear, learning how to fly was cakewalk.

  “…”

  A soft smile curved the dragonlord’s lips. Raizel was once again approag her from the distah excitement all over her face.

  ‘…She’s grown well. It couldn’t have been easy.’

  In part, Serenis felt proud; in part, she felt sorry. She couldn’t rid herself of the feeing that her past ignorance had resulted in the present kin’s suffering. And if only she’d known hoy Raizel would be to learn flight, she would’ve mustered the time during their very first meeting to teach the youngling.

  When Raizel once again stood before her, Serenis reached out her hand, gently petting the youngling’s head.

  “? Lord?”

  “…I’m sorry.”

  “Huh? For what?”

  “…”

  Instead of expining, Serenis merely beamed back at the youngling’s puzzled gaze. It only fused Raizel further, but she didn’t bother asking further.

  What if Serenis stopped smiling because she asked? It wasn’t worth the risk.