"Sigh, I feel kind of sorry now."
The warm sunlight.
The cozy air.
It was right after they had passed through the second fortress wall of the fortress city, Magrat. Just passing one fortress, it felt like everything—the sunlight, the air—had changed. Kim Jangcheol muttered to himself.
"… What do you mean, you feel sorry?"
Zephyros, having overheard his muttering, tilted his head.
A bitter smile appeared on Kim Jangcheol's face.
"The fortress commander."
"The fortress commander?"
"Yeah. Things are going to get pretty difficult for him because of us."
"Ah."
Zephyros nodded.
"Well, since we got through…"
"Right. He failed his mission."
"So, what happens to the human kingdom?"
"I don't know. He'll probably get demoted, or fired. If it ends with just a report of the incident, he'll be lucky."
Kim Jangcheol contained his human guilt for the fortress commander.
And he thought to himself.
He couldn't help it, the situation here was unavoidable. The fortress's access control was so strict that it was practically impossible to get through with a gentle method. So this was the only way.
"Then, shall we all transform now?"
Kim Jangcheol spoke.
Everyone nodded.
Then, perfung, the effect of the Elixir of Transformation activated.
"Baal looks beautiful!"
"Shut up and get on quickly, kkwak!"
"Asurat! You cursed! You hurt my feelings!"
"… Sorry."
Everyone took their flying positions.
Kim Jangcheol, Artanis, Zephyros, and Baal mounted Asurat's back.
Artanis tilted her head and asked.
-Wait, where's Sirgi? Isn't she coming?
"Oh, no. She's not getting on."
-Why not?
"She's the landing gear."
-......??????
Artanis' question marks appeared one after another in the air.
Inside those, Sirgi squeezed her eyes shut. Enduring a long-forgotten sense of shame and humiliation, she declared solemnly.
"... Are you ready, Asurat?"
"Of course, Sirgi."
Asurat, carrying everyone, wobbled and climbed onto Sirgi's back.
Then, the takeoff began.
"Let's go!"
"Prrr! Purrr! Pfft!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The pink alpaca Sirgi sprinted at full speed!
Carrying everyone, she raced forward.
The acceleration built up.
In that moment!
"Open!"
Kim Jangcheol grabbed the back feathers on Asurat's head tightly.
"... Kaaaah!"
Asurat spread his wings with a mighty whuup!
Thanks to that, the group took off powerfully!
Weeeeee~
The silhouette of the group carrying everyone leaped into the blue sky.
They soared higher and higher.
"Waaaaah!"
A cheer erupted from Kim Jangcheol's mouth. Baal cheered, and Zephyros lowered his body, gripping Asurat's feathers on his back to prevent himself from falling.
Sirgi, hanging from Asurat's feet, felt the fatigue caused by the sprint, and in that exhaustion, she experienced a brief moment of reality. Asurat secretly held onto Sirgi's back tightly.
Meanwhile, Artanis, who was experiencing her first flight…
-......
It was amazing.
She had never felt like this before.
"How is it?"
-......
I feel like you are incredible.
But I can't say that out loud.
'......'
Artanis looked back at Kim Jangcheol with a strange feeling. Kim Jangcheol looked back at her, responding with an oddly puzzled expression. And in his gaze, the smile from the sealed artifact was again visible.
'I only knew how to break, conquer, and dominate.'
That's why, when she had been in the human world before, she had spread seeds of destruction and ruin. She was good for nothing but that. So many demons had spilled their blood, just as many human kingdoms had fallen into ruin.
'You are different.'
Kim Jangcheol was different.
He tried farming in abandoned land, something no one had ever imagined, and succeeded. He harvested good crops not once, but twice.
And now?
Now he was on his way to sell those crops in the human world.
'......'
She had never thought such a thing would be possible. No, even if she had known, could she have done it? Could she have led them all to survive without attacking and conquering humans?
'... No.'
She couldn't have done it.
She never even dreamed of it.
Compared to her, who had raised the flag of invasion, telling herself there was no other way to solve everyone's hunger except through force, Kim Jangcheol was truly amazing.
-So where are you going to sell the crops?
She asked, hiding her admiration.
Kim Jangcheol replied.
"To Daparachia."
-Daparachia?
"Yes. I've been there before. I became pretty well known there, and thanks to that, I can make better deals there than anywhere else."
-... Ah.
Because of that, they'll be able to buy more seeds, better quality seeds, by selling the same amount of crops. The success or failure of next season's harvest depends on that.
"Do you know Daparachia?"
Kim Jangcheol asked, just in case.
Surprisingly, Artanis nodded right away.
-Of course I do.
She recalled a memory from 300 years ago.
-It was the first city my army conquered. It was beautiful, prosperous... until I conquered it, that is.
"....... Oh."
-But I didn't erase it from the map. It was the center of trade and transportation in the northwest of the human kingdom, so it was more profitable to preserve it and rule it.
"I see."
-That's right. Shall I guide you to Daparachia? Is that alright?
"Oh? You remember the way?"
-Of course.
Artanis nodded.
And arrogantly wrote down her words.
-Once again, I am the Witch of Melody. I conquered half of the human world. There's no way I'd forget the places I conquered beneath my feet.
"Ah, sounds good. Then please guide me."
Kim Jangcheol handed the back feathers of Asurat to Artanis.
And he thought to himself.
'......I'm so glad I brought her along.'
They had taken off, but he was still a bit unsure about how to get to Daparachia.
Just flying southeast?
Impossible.
'It's quite a distance. If I fly southeast randomly, there's a 99.999% chance I'll end up somewhere completely wrong.'
That's just how flight works.
Even a slight deviation in direction.
If the path is off by just one degree.
You'll end up in a completely different place.
'When we were heading to the abandoned land, I just flew northwest and followed the coastline. Eventually, I would reach Magrat Fortress.'
But Daparachia, inland?
There was no way to find it that easily.
'So, I planned to land whenever I saw a village, ask for directions, then take off again, and keep going until I found it. That was the safest plan.'
It was also the most efficient way to minimize wasted flight paths.
But when Artanis said she could find Daparachia with her eyes closed, wasn't this quite a relief?
'I can save so much time.'
... Yes, jackpot.
Kim Jangcheol let out a cheer.
In the meantime, Artanis grabbed the back feathers of Asurat's head. She observed and felt the sun, the clouds, and the wind in the sky.
This way.
".....Kwoaaaah?!"
Drawing on her long memories and experiences.
Artanis, using those to estimate the current coordinates, pulled the back feathers of Asurat's head sharply to one side.
Asurat's head naturally turned in that direction.
Of course, the flight direction changed as well.
Whoooooooosh~
The flight path corrected, cutting through the wind!
From that moment on.
All of Artanis's senses were focused on the flight. The angle of the sun and flight path, the terrain flowing below, she utilized all her memories and information to draw the optimal route to Daparachia.
They flew for four hours.
"........ Excuse me?"
-......
"Lady Artanis?"
-Ah, I was paying attention to the tilt of the sun, what's up?
"Um, I'm sorry to ask this, but... is Daparachia still far?"
-Hmm?
"Well, I'm sorry to keep asking... but last time I flew from Daparachia to Magrat Fortress."
-And?
"At that time, it didn't take this long…"
-....
"Are we... flying to the wrong place?"
-No.
"...... Really?"
-I don't think so.
"...... Are you sure?"
-I don't think so.
"........ Really?"
Hmm, let me check.
Artanis frowned and looked up at the sky. She observed the sun, clouds, and wind again, feeling them.
-...Ah. I made a mistake.
"......."
-Sorry, it's been a while. Plus, I'm still getting used to the sensations of the Catfolk's body.
"Is... that so...?"
-Yeah. There was a slight error in the path. So... if we turn this way...
"Kaaaah!"
-Done. If we fly for two more hours, we'll be able to see Daparachia.
"Phew, I see. Understood."
-Yeah. Just trust me.
Artanis's confident writing.
Kim Jangcheol awkwardly smiled and sat down.
'Well, it's been a while. It's not like I've been to the human realm in 300 years, so I can see how it'd be confusing.'
Still, this is much faster and easier than repeatedly landing in villages to ask for directions.
… At least that's what he thought, and he flew for two more hours.
"Why is it that instead of Daparachia, we're seeing the sea?"
-......
"Excuse me? Lady Artanis?"
-...Uh, sorry, I think there was a slight mistake again.
"Mistake... Slight, really?"
-Of course. Just trust me. Hmm, this way... Hmm, this way.
"....Kaaaaah!"
"Well, Asurat's head is going to get sore."
-What?
"Nothing."
-This time, I've got the route right, so don't worry. We'll see Daparachia in four more hours.
"This time, you're sure, right?"
-Of course.
"......."
-You don't trust me?
"......."
Yeah, I'm starting to.
Maybe it's better to land in a village and ask for directions, after all.
... But I can't bring myself to say that.
She's showing so much confidence.
I've decided to trust her.
'It might take a detour, but it's still less tiring than repeatedly taking off and landing.'
Even with a detour, it's still better than that.
Kim Jangcheol thought, settling into his seat.
Then, after four hours of flight...
-There, I see a city.
While he was dozing off during the long flight, Artanis's writing, more lively than before, flashed before his eyes.
".......Hmm? Mmmmbmph?"
He snapped awake.
He looked at where Artanis pointed.
In the distance, under the dimming sky, a city gradually lit up with lights.
"Oh!"
Finally, we've arrived properly.
-Whew, we made more detours than I thought. Sorry about that.
"No, it's fine. But it's a relief we got here safely, right?"
-I'm grateful that you say so. Now, I'll take over the controls... no, the back feathers.
"Alright."
Kim Jangcheol took over the back feathers of Asurat's head.
And lowered their altitude for landing.
"Alright, Asurat? Sirgi? We're landing. The location is the central plaza. Got it?"
"Kaaah!"
Asurat firmly gripped Sirgi's back. Sirgi's eyes lit up, preparing for the landing sprint.
Kim Jangcheol squinted and watched the city's center closely.
But...
'....Did Daparachia really have a castle like that in its city?'
No, wait.
Did they build it recently...?
He tilted his head.
Kim Jangcheol felt an unexplained doubt.
As their altitude continued to drop, the city drew closer.
The question in his mind only grew.
'Did Daparachia... really get this big...?'
Maybe it just looked big because it was early evening?
Or maybe it felt that way because it had been so long?
That must be it, right?
While thinking that, the central plaza of the city got closer.
So close, there was no time for other thoughts!
"Touchdown! Wings out!"
"Kaaah!"
"Purrr!"
Just before hitting the ground, Asurat spread his large wings wide. Sirgi's four feet touched the ground.
Whoooosh↘ Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Sirgi's full-speed sprint!
The giant pelican, carrying an alpaca, unexpectedly landing and sprinting caused chaos in the city's plaza. People who were enjoying a peaceful time in the plaza scrambled, taking cover.
Finally, Sirgi's charge came to a stop.
A safe(?) landing was completed.
"...Phew! Well done, everyone!"
Kim Jangcheol wiped the sweat from his brow, praising Asurat and Sirgi's hard work. He then looked around the long-absent city plaza.
Thanks to that, he discovered something.
Numerous flags fluttering around the plaza.
On them, in big letters, the words were clearly written.
[Welcome to the Royal Capital, Marnika.]
[The Royal Capital Marnika welcomes travelers with open arms ♡]
"...... Eh?"