MTFBMP Chapter 51

The Whitewood. A legendary spirit tree that was said to burn itself into a second sun the day the sun fell into the sea.

 

The beast reared its head before all of us.

 

I patted Adele’s back as he lowered himself to make it easier for me to climb on, then leaped unsteadily onto him. After a few twists and turns, I settled in easily.

 

It would have been unpleasant to have a human trampling all over him, but Adele was patient through it all.

 

“Come on, let’s go,” I said, reaching forward to stroke Adele’s shoulder once as a signal that we could leave.

 

A pair of enormous wings spread wide, showing off the fullness of his form.

 

Behind Adele, the sun began to rise as we began our flight.

 

💫

 

The beast took off, carrying its master.

 

Adele focused all his attention on his back, remembering the sight he had seen earlier.

 

His little body squirmed, trying to make the most of the uncomfortable position. It layered itself with invisible aura as if it would never let go.

 

The beasts on the ground would never be able to see us in the light, and the beasts in the sky would never be able to roam near us.

 

Still, I felt uneasy.

 

‘It was definitely a color I’d like to see again.’

 

In fact, it was unpleasant to see his master talking to other humans. But he was determined to be patient, knowing that they would never meet again.

 

Then his master’s body seemed to become more and more transparent.

 

Just as it had when it first appeared in front of him, at the moment he was imprisoned and losing his mind.

 

Luckily, the master quickly regained form. Its eyes, blinking innocently as if it knew nothing, seemed to have no idea what was happening.

 

But there was no fooling the beast’s eyes.

 

The master’s eyes, though fleeting, were clearly glowing a vivid coral color.

 

When it faced the light again, a strange memory flashed through its mind, then scattered like a mist.

 

Growl—! 

 

The beast roared loudly as it shook off the memory.

 

It longed to retrieve the fragments, but its senses told it that they seemed to blur its master.

 

💫

 

The first flight was smoother than I expected.

 

“Adele. Are you okay?”

 

Although the sun was beating down on my back and I felt hot, I was no match for Adele, who was flying nonstop.

 

Adele’s ride was actually…, quite enjoyable. 

 

There wasn’t much of a headwind, and the pressure wasn’t as high as it would be if we were flying at full speed. Perhaps Adele was being considerate.

 

Flap!

 

Instead of answering me, Adele, in flying form, flapped its wings once, rather vigorously. Instead of being reassured by this behavior, I became increasingly worried.

 

Adele had only just recovered. Even though he claimed to be well, there was no way for me, a layman, to know if he was really all better.

 

Even now, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been thrown through the deck of the ship, attacked by people, or otherwise injured.

 

“Don’t push yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know right away.”

 

Adele still didn’t answer, so I decided to hold him as tightly as I could, since according to him, just my touch would help him recover somewhat. 

 

If he wasn’t just talking rubbish, it might help a little. With that in mind, I pressed my body against his back.

 

The fluffy feathers seemed to muffle the sound a bit. 

 

The steady flight should have relaxed me, but my heart was still pounding loudly.

 

“Dion…, is he going to be okay?”

 

That must be the protagonist’s fate. Even though I knew there was no need to worry, my mind was still a mess.  

 

The fact that the wheel of fate, which I thought had stopped, had started turning again weighed on my heart, and on the other hand, I was worried that Dion might not be able to endure this fate.  

 

Contradictory thoughts kept swirling in my head, tormenting me. I was in a daze, clinging tightly to Adele and rubbing my cheek against his soft feathers, when—  

 

“Ah!”   

 

A sudden sensation of dropping and then rising sharply hit me in quick succession.  

 

“Adele!”  

 

I instinctively called out to Adele, almost like a scream, startled by the sudden descent.  

 

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”  

 

After shouting his name, I suddenly felt a pang of worry. I wondered if something was wrong, so I slowly stroked Adele’s broad back, checking for any issues.  

 

— It seems like an unnecessary worry.

 

‘Is he saying there’s nothing wrong?’

 

This was the first time I’d heard Adele speak since the flight began. 

 

I nodded, thinking it was possible to communicate in this state, but then tilted my head in confusion.  

 

What on earth was that unstable flight about? I couldn’t understand it at all.  

 

‘Could it be about Dion?’  

 

I didn’t think Adele would care that much about Dion, but I decided not to bring up Dion’s name anymore. 

 

Somehow, my instincts were screaming at me to stop.  

 

“If something’s wrong, you have to tell me. Understand?”  

 

Adele didn’t respond again. He only spoke when he wanted to.  

 

Suddenly, I thought of the stray cats that used to wander near the inn. They only responded to my calls when they felt like it, even when I tried to lure them with treats. 

 

Adele reminded me of those cats.  

 

‘Is talking a bit awkward?’  

 

Conversing with Adele in his beast form felt like he was hammering his voice directly into my head.  

 

‘Huh? Wait a minute.’  

 

What if we weren’t actually talking through words but communicating through thoughts?  

 

A sudden wave of unease washed over me, and I swallowed hard. I stared intently at Adele flying below me and tried shouting strongly in my mind.  

 

‘Adele.’  

 

Surely, it’s impossible to communicate through thoughts alone, right?  

 

Just as I was trying to reassure myself—  

 

— It seems the Master has realized something again.

Adele actually responded.  

 

“Adele. Just asking, but… can you hear all my thoughts? Right?”  

 

I was scared that all the thoughts I’d been having might have been exposed, so I asked directly. 

 

Could all the secrets I’d been pondering alone have been laid bare?  

 

— Your thoughts toward me aren’t that deep, Master.

 

What kind of nonsense is this? I wanted to smack him for speaking so cryptically, but since we were mid-flight, I held back.

 

“So, you’re saying that I have to call out with strong thoughts for you to hear me?” I asked, hoping that was the case. 

 

Adele didn’t answer my question, but I was starting to understand that in situations like this, it usually meant a yes.

 

“That’s a relief. It’s not like you can hear everything.”

 

As I said that, Adele subtly swayed his body from side to side while flying.

 

“Adele!”

 

Afraid that I might fall off Adele’s back, I reflexively hugged his neck tightly.

 

“Stop messing around! It’s scary.”

 

Only when I spoke firmly, without letting it slide, did the flight stabilize again. 

 

Still, I didn’t loosen my grip on Adele. Once fear takes hold, it doesn’t easily disappear. It was too high up, and I was terrified.

 

— There’s no way I would let go of my master.

 

It meant that I shouldn’t worry. It sounded softer than before, making my heart flutter.

 

‘Is this what they call the suspension bridge effect?’

 

I tried to distract myself with other thoughts to shake off the anxiety and relax.

 

‘For now, let’s not think about anything else when I’m near Adele.’

 

But is it enough to just focus on Adele right beside me? Thoughts don’t always go as planned, so it was an ambiguous method.

 

‘Even this handsome face seems to be losing its effect over time.’

 

I still thought he was handsome, but I had gotten somewhat used to it, so I didn’t lose myself in admiration like I did when I first saw him.

 

And I no longer felt the fear that he might harm me, and it seemed like I could treat him more like a person. 

 

This was a huge improvement when it came to Adele.

 

The current flight was like that too. Considering it was our first flight together, our coordination wasn’t bad.

 

Even though I was riding on a giant bird without any safety equipment, it felt comfortable. I believed Adele would do well, but the flight was more pleasant than I expected.

 

‘If I master land travel too, I’ll have conquered land, sea, and air.’

 

Even if I were to do it, I wouldn’t want it to be as sudden and perilous as this. I repeatedly wished that such a thing wouldn’t happen, but it was just my wishful thinking.

 

Not long after, I regretted even having those thoughts.