Chapter 51

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

The magic circle Melfiera drew on the cloudy crystal had the ancient magic words "explosion," "whirlwind," and "adhesion" inscribed on it. Although Melfiera had never studied offensive magic, her talent was evident in the composition of the magic circle. After making the cloudy crystal explode, it would create a whirlwind to scatter the sticky liquid.

The problem was how to make it explode right under the nose of the enraged Celestial Wolf. Jumping onto the Celestial Wolf's back would be quick... but who could perform such a daring feat? Mulan was the best at handling the reins of the dragon, but she wasn't knowledgeable about magic and couldn't activate the ancient magic circle.

(There's no other choice. I might get scolded by Chaos, but I have to do it.)

While slashing at the charging Bergenion, I circled around to the Celestial Wolf's back, maintaining a certain distance. I tied a net containing the cloudy crystal to my waist to prevent it from falling.

"Chaos, can you hear me?"

I removed the resonant stone from the dragon's horn, attached it to my chest for easier communication, and called out.

"This is Chaos."

Chaos immediately responded.

"I'm about to jump onto the Celestial Wolf's back."

"Jump onto it? Don't say that so casually. You'll definitely be thrown off."

"It's just a matter of casting the spell."

"That's not something you should do, sir!"

"Then who will do it? I'm the only one who can dodge the lightning strikes."

The lightning strikes from the Celestial Wolf were incredibly powerful. With my excessive magic power, I could counter with a spell of equal strength if necessary, but it would be too much to ask the other knights to do the same.

"Don't worry. If I can distract it properly, the Celestial Wolf should fall straight to the ground. I'll leave my retrieval to you."

"What?! What do you mean by retrieval?!"

Chaos's scream echoed, and I acted before he could stop me.

"You're right, I'll definitely be thrown off!"

Ignoring Chaos's cry, "I can't grab you with a fire eagle!" I undid the safety line from the saddle and prepared. Minor injuries were a daily occurrence. The sharp claws of the fire eagle digging into my body wouldn't be a big deal, or so I hoped.

I stayed close to the Celestial Wolf's back, which was still chasing Bergenion. It seemed to be focused only on Bergenion, or perhaps it instinctively knew we wouldn't harm it. It flew around the sky without caution, releasing another lightning strike.

"Alright, let's go a bit higher. When I land on the Celestial Wolf's back, you need to retreat immediately, got it?"

I spoke to the dragon, holding the spare reins and waiting for the right moment. I carefully approached the Celestial Wolf, matching its speed and movements.

(A little more, a little more, I can get closer... Alright, now!)

The moment the dragon's claws were about to touch the Celestial Wolf's back, I jumped over.

"Grgh!"

It seemed the Celestial Wolf didn't expect someone to jump on it. Perhaps because I hooked the reins around its neck when I jumped, it shook its head and roared, twisting its body in mid-air. I clenched my teeth, wrapped one arm around the reins, and grabbed the Celestial Wolf's fur with my free hand, reaching for my waist.

"Sorry, but I can't let you keep thrashing around!"

I took out a yellow-green cloudy crystal. The smell seemed to have dissipated in the wind, but the yellow-green liquid, which looked ominous to me, was glowing with magic.

(First, let's see if this can bring it back to its senses.)

I considered adding my blood to the cloudy crystal to make the magic more effective, but I remembered Melfiera's worried face. She had said I only needed to lick it. The smell from the cloudy crystal was intense, and I swallowed hard. There was no time to hesitate. I closed my eyes and licked the surface of the cloudy crystal.

"Choke!"

I accidentally inhaled and choked. The smell was so strong that tears welled up in my eyes instantly.

"Ah, g... it's so strong!"

Melfiera had come up with this plan, but I wondered if she was okay when she had to extract the smell and magic. She must have endured it with tears in her beautiful green eyes. I would have to comfort her when I returned.

All I had to do was throw this at its nose and cast the activation spell, but the Celestial Wolf wouldn't just let me do that. It swerved left and right, trying to throw me off. My hand, gripping the Celestial Wolf's fur, started to go numb, so I decided to take a risk.

"Grumble, roar!"

"Hey, stop thrashing around in someone else's territory!"

Aiming for the moment the Celestial Wolf turned its head, I threw the cloudy crystal and cast the ancient magic word "explosion." A loud noise echoed, followed by a whirlwind that spread the liquid.

"Screech, grumble, crackle!"

The intense smell immediately filled the air, and a yellow-green whirlwind centered on the Celestial Wolf's nose. The sticky liquid, mixed with the juice of the Scrimwood fruit, adhered to the Celestial Wolf's white fur. Even I, who wasn't directly hit, was tearing up from the smell. It was clear the Celestial Wolf was affected too. It shook its head violently and tried to scratch its nose with its front paws, making uncomfortable sounds.

(Alright, it's working, but let's add another layer just to be sure.)

I could still endure as long as I wasn't directly hit. I took out another cloudy crystal and threw it at the Celestial Wolf's nose, casting the same spell.

"Screech!"

The Celestial Wolf let out a pitiful cry and lost altitude, plummeting. The liquid must have gotten into its eyes this time. I was so overwhelmed by the smell that my nose was numb, and tears streamed down my face.

(Melfi... it definitely worked, but this is too strong...)

The rainbow-colored magic from the Celestial Wolf's wings faded as the "Sky Soaring" spell weakened, and it plummeted.

"Number 5, 6, 7, remove the barriers! We'll drop it inside the walls. The wall defense team, coordinate with the dragon riders to thoroughly scatter Bergenion!"

"Understood."

It wasn't clear if the Celestial Wolf had lost its will to fight due to the smell, but it fell through the gap in the barrier, howling in pain.

(I wasn't thrown off, but it's time to get out of here.)

I couldn't let the Celestial Wolf crash to the ground with me, so I called Chaos, who was waiting inside the barrier.

"Chaos, I'm jumping down!"

"Really, you've always been reckless."

Chaos and his subordinates, who were circling with the fire eagles, flew towards me and the Celestial Wolf. Once the fire eagle was close enough, I released the reins and kicked the Celestial Wolf's back. The nearest fire eagle swooped down, its sharp claws ready to capture me. It was better than hitting the ground, but it would still hurt. Bracing for impact, I was grabbed by the fire eagle's claws.

"Ugh..."

The moment I was grabbed, a burning sensation, like a hot blade pressing into my left shoulder, shot through me. I couldn't help but let out a sound but managed to endure the pain. The fire eagle's claws had penetrated the gap in my shoulder armor.

"Sir, are you okay?!"

"...Yeah, I feel like prey."

My shoulder felt wet, and a lot of blood must have been flowing. It wasn't a serious injury since I still had feeling, but the sight of Bergenion's dead bodies scattered on the ground and the Celestial Wolf's emergency landing was concerning.

"Chaos, drop me next to the Celestial Wolf."

"That's an order I can't follow. We'll set up a barrier, and you should catch your breath first."

"Hey, Chaos, where are you taking me..."

I was carried by the fire eagle to a nearby square near the castle. I hadn't realized my injury was noticeable. At the edge of my vision, I saw a bright red color.

(Melfi? Why is she outside?)

Melfiera, in her white dress, stood alone with her red, fluffy hair flowing. Natalie from the Blanche squad was a bit further away, and the Celestial Wolf's cubs were rolling around, seemingly unaware of the commotion. What was going on? Blanche had said Melfiera was in her room.

"Sir, I'm dropping you now."

Chaos flew the fire eagle close to the ground, flapped its wings to slow down, and released me. I rolled on the ground despite trying to land properly, and the impact made it hard to breathe. I managed to sit up and looked at Melfiera, who was running towards me.

"Then, Melfiera, please take care of Sir."

"Sure!"

It seemed Melfiera and Chaos had some kind of exchange. Chaos circled the fire eagle and returned to where the Celestial Wolf was, surrounded by all the fire eagles and knights. With so many of them, even the Celestial Wolf couldn't move easily.

Confused about what was happening, Melfiera approached me with an orange cloudy crystal.

"Melfi, why are you—"

"Sir, I'll neutralize this smell first."

"Neutralize?"

My nose was already numb, and I knew my sense of smell was off, but that wasn't the main concern right now.

"Melfi, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Melfiera, who usually had gentle, arched eyebrows, glared at me.

"Chaos has the barrier cloudy crystal, so it's safe for a while. Really, you should listen to Chaos and Captain Blanche."

Melfiera's voice seemed a bit harsh. I had no idea what she was upset about, but I blew the oil paper of the magic circle she had roughly stuck to my forehead.

"When I gave the cloudy crystal to Captain Blanche, she said, 'Sir will definitely charge at the Celestial Wolf, ready to risk his life.' Chaos also said, 'Sir would use a mutually destructive method.'"

Melfiera's magic circle activated, and a warm magic enveloped my body. The gentle, nurturing magic made me exhale the breath I had been holding.

"Melfi, that's—"

"I saw everything."

Melfiera knelt in front of me. Her green eyes, visible through the gap in the oil paper, were filled with tears that were about to spill. But it wasn't sadness; it was something else.

"Don't risk your life so easily. I know you're strong, but you said you would think about living with me, didn't you?"

Melfiera, who was clearly angry at me, started chanting the ancient magic words.