MTFBMP Chapter 57

‘This bird brought me here.’

 

At first, they were clearly flying through the sky. But at some point, as if the bird had lost strength, it landed on the sea. 

 

From then on, they drifted across the water, clinging to a plank of wood as if swept along by the waves.  

 

‘Right. That’s what happened. I was pushed all the way to this sandy beach.’

 

It was a miracle he was alive. But relying on repeated strokes of luck would be a futile hope.  

 

‘If I stay here like this, I’ll die.’

 

While he thought he couldn’t die after making it this far, despair crept in as his body still refused to move as he wished.  

 

— Screeeech!

 

At that moment, the bird guarding Dion let out a high-pitched cry.  

 

“Si, Simon! Come quickly! Someone’s washed ashore, Simon!”  

 

“What’s going on?”  

 

It was a human voice. In fact, it was a woman’s voice that he felt he had heard somewhere before.  

 

Where had he heard this voice? As he pondered, a face suddenly came to mind.  

 

A face smiling brightly, calling him “Captain.”  

 

‘Ah.’

 

Realizing this, Dion lost consciousness again.  

 

💫

 

Standing before a massive dock, a middle-aged man let out a deep sigh he had been holding in.  

 

“Still no news?”  

 

Today, the sea was unusually calm. He was more afraid of the sea when it was this quiet.  

 

“They say no news is good news.”  

 

“Right. After all, who raised him?”  

 

“And someone has been looking for you since an hour ago, so you should go in now, my lord.”  

 

“Someone’s looking for me, you say?”  

 

“It seems to be someone sent by His Majesty.”  

 

If that were the case, it would be rude to keep them waiting any longer. They were sharp people, and he couldn’t afford to give them any reason to doubt.  

 

“Let’s go quickly.”

 

Finally, Duke Noir glanced one last time at the horizon beyond before reluctantly turning away and taking unsteady steps forward.  

 

💫

 

In the end, it wasn’t until just before sunset that we regained our senses and began searching for a place to stay. 

 

If Adele continued to share his warmth with me, we could probably spend a few nights outside, but we couldn’t afford to waste time like that indefinitely.  

 

‘It’s all about losing energy.’

 

For now, we have to conserve as much energy as possible.  

 

Adele carried me as he walked for a long time, showing no signs of fatigue. 

 

The sound of his bare feet stepping on soil and wood echoed rhythmically through the quiet forest.  

 

“Even in the middle of the night, you seem quite confident about the path.”  

 

“Don’t worry, just keep walking.”  

 

“It would be better to fly unless you want to keep wandering through the forest.”  

 

Adele seemed eager to take off into the sky and find his way from above. 

 

Every time he tested the waters with his words, I shut him down immediately, which left him visibly dissatisfied.  

 

It was obvious that he was only following my orders because he had no choice as my subordinate. 

 

If I showed even the slightest hesitation in finding the way, he would seize the opportunity to take flight.  

 

“I’ve learned how to read the stars.”  

 

It wasn’t as if I had the entire path memorized. But thanks to memories from my past life, I could roughly determine the direction and set a destination.  

 

I kept my arms tightly wrapped around Adele’s neck, leaning my head back to gaze at the sky. 

 

As the sun completely set and the pitch-black night took over, countless stars lit up the heavens, shining so brightly it felt like they might pour down at any moment.  

 

‘We seem to be heading in the right direction.’

 

Among the tall birch trees reaching into the sky, one particularly bright star stood out. It shone proudly, unobstructed by the leaves, no matter the moment.  

 

‘We can use that star as a reference point.’

 

In fact, flying up would only make it more confusing to identify the star.

 

I thought my way of finding the path was more efficient. 

 

Moving away from the beach and into the forest could be dangerous, but if there were houses nearby, the situation would change.  

 

What I was aiming for wasn’t just sleeping rough but securing a safe indoor space.  

 

“Besides, unlike Adele, I don’t want to fly around half-naked.”  

 

I had no desire to wander outside in what was essentially just underwear. 

 

At least the forest provided some cover from the trees, but the wide-open sky was absolutely out of the question.  

 

“Adele ruined all my clothes, too.”  

 

My shirt was torn to the point where I couldn’t even wear it again. I was barely wearing a vest on my upper body and tattered underwear below. 

 

Adele, of course, was only wearing pants. Perhaps because he had nothing to say in response, Adele stayed silent.  

 

Maybe it was because the sun had set, but the more we moved, the colder the surroundings felt. A warm and safe space was desperately needed.  

 

“If we go a little further, there should be at least one house.”  

 

This forest was an area I hadn’t fully developed. However, I had roughly sketched out its purpose on the map.  

 

‘I’m glad I planned ahead.’

 

I didn’t know what exactly was in that location. I had only prepared the space for Season 2, without deciding what story to place there.  

 

Not only that, but I didn’t know if there would be enemies or allies. If someone was hiding in a place like this, they were most likely bandits or fugitives. 

 

Still, I wasn’t scared because Adele was with me.  

 

‘There must be a base there.’

 

For now, I was most hopeful about finding a nameless village.  

 

It would be a relief to find a place to rest, but if I got a little greedy, I might also be able to find food and clothing.  

 

‘Not having to fight would be the best, though…’

 

I tilted my head and glanced at Adele’s back. His large wings, folded just enough so they wouldn’t drag, rose from his shoulders.  

 

Being half-naked was one thing, but I doubted I could convince anyone that a person with wings wasn’t suspicious.  

 

“Adele, do you have to keep your wings out all the time?”  

 

Now that we’d grown closer, maybe he could hide his wings? I asked just in case.  

 

“Do you not like my wings either…,”  

 

“Stop. Right there. That trick doesn’t work on me anymore.”  

 

Adele paused for a moment and looked down at me. His narrowed eyes seemed to be saying something.  

 

“Out of all the winged creatures in the world, none have wings as beautiful as Adele’s.”  

 

I complimented his wings. While I didn’t need to fall for his usual tactics, as his master, it was also my duty to soothe him.  

 

Only then did Adele’s expression soften slightly, and he resumed walking. He still seemed to have a lot to say, but this time, it felt like he was letting it go.  

 

“It’s just that other people might find it strange.”  

 

“I don’t care how others see this body.”  

 

If it were Adelaine, he would’ve gone to great lengths to hide even the tip of his wings from others.  

 

“I don’t like it.”  

 

“What do you mean by that?”  

 

“I mean, I want Adele’s current appearance to be for my eyes only.”  

 

It wasn’t the full truth, but it conveyed the general idea. I also hoped others wouldn’t panic or attack him upon seeing him.  

 

And now, I simply wanted Adele’s current form to be something only I could see. I wasn’t sure when this feeling had started.  

 

“If that’s what my Master wishes, then I’ll oblige.”  

 

Whether my answer satisfied him or not, Adele flapped his wings once. 

 

A strong light emanated from them, and they slowly began to shrink.

 

“…You’re not putting them all away?”  

 

The wings had clearly shrunk in size, but they weren’t completely hidden. His wings, now shortened to about the length of his upper body, draped over me like a soft blanket, giving off a cozy warmth.  

 

“In this state, not fully retracting them is more effective for recovery.”  

 

Did that mean there were still parts of him that hadn’t fully healed? 

 

Or was it that he couldn’t completely control the beast lurking within him? I had a feeling it might be both.  

 

I wondered if it was because my abilities were lacking.  

 

‘Maybe there was a better fate out there for him than me.’

 

I quickly pushed the fleeting thought away.  

 

“This isn’t so bad, either.”  

 

With Adele covering me with his wings, I felt less embarrassed and warmer.  

 

“Still, we need to find a place to rest soon.”  

 

No matter how much Adele’s body had recovered, we couldn’t walk all night. If it came to it, we’d have to find a spot to camp out.  

 

“This time, Master might be wrong.”