The blue-scaled Sylphid is flying through the sky, with her master on her back. Beyond the sky, which is a more vivid blue than even Sylphid’s scales, two moons stand apart in the sky, each shining a faint white. The pure white moon is so white one might think it even transparent, and the red moon has a faint reddish tinge to it. A fantastic sight that only one flying throughout the sky could be blessed to witness.
Kiyurukiyuru.
Sylphid begins to snort at her master, hoping to maker her hunger obvious.
However, Sylphid knew that should she interrupt her master while she is reading, she would end up angering her. Sylphid could only look at her with a sideways glance, wondering what to do.
The girl, Sylphid’s master, is straddling the part of Sylphid’s neck that is just slightly lower than the top of her head, leaning against her dorsal fin. With the girls short blue hair blowing in the wind, currently she is leisurely reading a book.
Despite turning 15 this year, due to her rather undeveloped and petite body she looks to be no older than 12 or 13. It was as if she simply stopped growing.
The blue eyes behind her glasses are both cold and clear, showing zero emotion. Her face lacks any expression at all, making it hard to tell if she is truly engrossed in her book or merely flipping the pages to pass the time.
However, her profile, though cold, exudes a certain beauty, much like a calm untainted spring. The clear, cold air, much like a winter breeze, gives the girl’s innocent face a touch of maturity as it blows past her.
This is Tabitha, Sylphid’s precious master.
Guuuu, Sylphid’s stomach growls.
(Ahhh, I can’t take it anymore! She might get angry but I don’t care anymore! Sylphy doesn’t care anymore!) After murmuring to herself a little, Sylphid begins to make demands of her master.
“I’m hungry. I’m hungry. I’m hungry.”
Tabitha turns her head away from the page of her book to look at the face of the familiar she is straddling. Noticing that her masters attention is finally on her, Sylphid happily snorts.
“Kiyu kiyu. Big sis’s face finally moved! She is looking at Sylphid’s face!”
Sylphid has a habit of calling her master, Tabitha, “Big Sis”.
This is due to the fact that Sylphid is an only child. When she was suddenly summoned by Tabitha during the “Summoning Ceremony” at Tristain Magic Academy, she had decided to call Tabitha Big Sis, making Tabitha the Bis Sis that she could never have.
Sylphid has a rather simple personality. After receiving some attention from Tabitha, she completely forgot that she was hungry, and so started chatting with Tabitha hoping to get a conversation going.
“Big Sis, you are so cute today too. That makes me so happy!”
Sylphid is a wind dragon… About six meters long.
Her scales are a beautiful translucent blue, and glisten when hit with light.
With her wings spread out, they expand far wider than her body length. Like most dragons she can fly, flapping her massive and powerful wings. No matter at what angle you look at her, you cannot mistake her for anything other than a wind dragon.
However, usually dragons don’t talk.
The dragons intelligence is among the best out of the mythical beasts, but it is not at the point where it can learn or mimic human speech.
“The weather is so nice today! What do you think about it, big sis?”
Even so, Sylphid herself can talk, and cute-sounding human words are fluently coming out of her mouth.
A wise man with a wealth of knowledge would quickly be able to discern Sylphids true identity.
This race has since long disappeared into the darkness of legends.
Tabitha is reading a book by one of those very wise men. The title:
(Mysterious Ancient and Intelligent Creatures ~ The Rhyme Dragon)
“Big sis, what are you reading?”
Sylphid asks, in her cute sounding voice that doesn’t suit her face.
“A book about your race.”
Tabitha answers back in her usual expressionless voice.
“That makes me happy. So, are you interested in me?”
“Not really. It is just a coincidence.”
“I am happy even if it is just a coincidence. Hey, big sis, do you remember the day you summoned me?”
“I remember.”
Tabitha responds coldly, as if there is something wrong with remembering that.
“I remember it too! That day, big sis gave me a name! What a wonderful name! Sylphid! A human name!”
Kyui kyui, Sylphid begins to make happy squeaks as she remembers that day.
“That is not a human name.”
“That’s right! It is the name of the wind fairy! An ancient fairy! Kiyu kiyu!”
Sylphid begins to happily shake her head. Tabitha’s body began to shake along with it, but she didn’t move at all from her position. She has an amazing sense of balance.
“My dragon name is Illococoo. It means “Gentle Breeze”. My human name is Sylphid. I have two names! And a big sis! Kiykiyu!”
Tabitha turns her attention back to her book. Sylphid continues to speak.
“That is right! My big sis called for me, and then that girl with pink hair called for her familiar! And she called for a human boy! I was so surprised! He was so ugly I couldn’t help but laugh!”
Tabitha, however is no longer paying any attention to their conversation already, making Sylphid feel sad. There, she suddenly remembers that she is hungry.
“I’m hungry. Is my food ready yet? Is my food ready yet?”
Sylphid, a dragon capable of language manipulation, is not a normal everyday wind dragon.
Sylphid is a wind dragon, yes, but she is a rather ancient one, a Rhyme Dragon, that has long since been disappearing… The Rhyme Dragons were thought to live quietly in the depths of the mountains and forests, far from human civilization.
Because Rhyme Dragons are intelligent enough to understand human language, they take time to mature and grow. Based on the annual rings on her scales, Tabitha estimated that Sylphid has lived for about 200 years, but in human years she is barely 10.
However, despite her being equivalent to a human child, that does not mean you can simply lower your guard around her.
Rhyme dragons are powerful mythical beasts that boast a greater intelligence than humans, have excellent language manipulation skills, can utilize ancient magic, can fly at high speeds in the sky, and can also utilize their breath as a weapon.
Through the Summoning Ceremony Tabitha was able to summon Sylphid from somewhere in the world, and contracted her as her familiar. Such a feat alone, summoning such a powerful and rare mythical beast as ones familiar is enough to prove her worth as a magician.
Sylphid is completely in love with Tabitha, a master whose strength she has recognized.
“I’m hungry. I’m hungryyyyy.”
“Noisy.”
“If I don’t tell you I’m hungry, you always forget to feed me. That is why I have to keep saying it. I’m hungry. I’m hungry.”
Sylphid continues to raise her voice in protest against Tabitha, mixing with the occasional squealing sound.
“We will have dinner once we arrive.”
“Really? Really?”
“I promise.”
“I’m happy. I’m happy! I am going to eat my fill! I’m going to eat an onion! Onionionionion!”
Sylphid began to sing. Thank’s to her big breaths, the sound of her singing is enough to rival the wind noise from her flying. Tabitha whacks her head with her staff.
“Oww. Oww. That hurtssssss.”
“Then be quiet.”
“Fine, I will be quiet. By the way, big sis, since you are on my back and not in a carriage, does that mean that you are going to the castle and not the mansion?”
Tabitha nods.
Sylphid became sad, and pouts. She hates castles.
“I don’t like castles. Hey, why can’t I talk in front of other people?”
“Troublesome.”
Tabitha answers quietly. The Rhyme Dragon is thought to be extinct. If Sylphid’s true identity were to become known, Tristain’s Academies and the Gallic Royal Family would odds are attempt to force Tabitha to hand Sylphid over for experimental use. It is for that reason that Sylphid is forbidden from speaking in front of others or reveal her human form.
“It’s a castle. It’s a castle and I can’t talk. It is boring not being able to talk!”
Tabitha looks off into the distance.
“Be patient.”
Sylphid felt a chill in the air when she saw Tabitha’s attitude quickly change, and fell silent. That didn’t stop her from sneakily stealing glimpses of her face however.
Her usual, expressionless face.
Whether Tabitha is in a bad mood, normal mood, eating, or angry, Tabitha is always expressionless.
Even when Tabitha is happy (granted Sylphid does not know if there was ever a time when Tabitha was truly happy), Sylphid could only imagine that, odds are, her face would still be expressionless.
Sylphid has never seen Tabitha smile.
Tabitha’s expression has never changed, it is as if her expression has been frozen by her very name, “The Snowstorm”.
Sylphid has always wanted to put a smile on her face, one as bright as the sun above.
However, she does not know how to achieve such a goal. Frustrated at her failures so far, she lets out a cute little squeal.
Lutèce, the royal capital of Gallia, is the largest city in Halkeginia, with a population of 300,000, located inland approximately 1,000 leagues from the border of the neighbouring Tristain.
At the eastern end is where Versailles is located, a huge and magnificent palace where the members of the Gallian royal family live. It was Robespierre III, the previous king, who opened up this once forest and built the beautiful and magnificent manor. Its current owner, King Joseph I, wields the sceptre of politics in the rose-colored marbled building called Grand Trois at the centre.
In a small pale pink palace called Petit Trois, far away from Grand Trois, a girl yawns loudly.
“Fuwaaaaaaaaaaa”
She looks to be around seventeen years old. Her slender eyes have the same rare bluish colour as her eyes. Those traits alone distinguish her from others, as they mean that she is descended from the Gallic royal family. Her shoulder length blue hair is carefully combed, and is as soft and flows like silk. Her bangs are lifted by a large, luxurious crown, revealing her smooth unblemished forehead. As if they have never faced hardships before, her impeccable lips are plum and have a lustrous sheen.
The girl wipes her lips, which have red lipstick applied to them, with her tongue. Her vulgar and crude gesture instantly ruins the previous nobility and elegance of her features.
She is the daughter of King Joseph, Princes Isabella of the Kingdom of Gaul.
Isabella lays listless, tugging at the string hanging next to her bed. Suddenly, three maids burst into the room.
“Are you calling for us? Your highness.”
“I’m bored.”
“Would you like us to play a game with you?”
“Shuffle? Hoist? I’m tired of playing with cards.” (TL Note: Not sure what these games are a reference to, google images didn’t help. Must be series specific games that are not actually real.)
“Then, what about a game with dice…”
“Those are vulgar games, not fit for a princess.”
“Why don’t you go on a hunt to distract yourself? Mr.Saint-Simon, the head dog hunter, has reported that recently a deer has been released into the forests around Pierrefonds.”
“I don’t want to go out.”
The maids all look to each other in confusion, not sure what to suggest next. Isabella, on the other hand, has a clear look of irritation on her face.
“My father is such a terrible person! I want to help out the royal family! Unlike all those other puppets he surrounds himself with, I am a truly capable person! That is why I asked him for a government job…. Commander of the Guardians of the North Flower Garden? I am sick and tired of such a menial job! I wonder if my father truly even loves me!”
The maids tremble when they hear her mention that name.
Also known as the “Rose Garden”, the palace of Versailles is home to countless flower beds that are filled with seasonal flowers. The venerable Order of Knights of Gallia are named after these flowerbeds. Southern Rose Flowerbed Knights, East Lily Flowerbed Knights, etc… However, since there are no flowerbeds on the north side of the palace, there are no knightly orders with the word “north” in their name.
However that remains true only on the surface. Behind the scenes of the royal palace, there is a single order of knights with the word “North” in its name.
That is the Order of Knights of the North Flower Bed.
This is an organization that takes care of all the dirty work of the Gallian royal family. Various behind-the-scenes matters occurring both domestically and internationally are brought to them to be handled, and Isabella is the leader of this organization. As a knightly order they have various “chevaliers” among its ranks as well. These are dark knights who operate in the shadows, unaware of the others missions or even faces and have thrown away any honour in return for success… These are the Knights of the North Flower Bed.
Isabella is currently awaiting the arrival of one such of her North Flower Bed knights.
“Has that gargoyle still not arrived yet?”
The eldest maid shakes her head.
“Charlotte has not been spotted yet.”
“She is merely a doll. Gargoyle is enough to refer to her.”
”Ye-, yes master…”, the maids stammer out. Charlotte, who is on her way to visit Isabella, is of Gallian royal blood… Or rather, she is the cousin of princess Isabella who is laying before them. The maids cannot act out over Isabella using such a crude name as Charlotte has lost her royal titles and names. On top of that, many of the maids sympathize with Charlotte and when comparing her to Isabella…
Isabella, sensing the servants silent struggle, gives them an order in a bored voice.”
“You girls, please go welcome that gargoyle when she arrives.”
“Ye-, yes master.”
The maids bow, their faces looking relieved.
Isabella, however, chides the maids as they line up at the entrance of the room to leave.
“You are not giving her “that” kind of welcome.”
“Eh?”
Isabella smiles wickedly towards them.
Sylphid, carrying Tabitha, lands in the front garden of Petit Trois. A guard, waiting for her arrival at the entrance, approaches and bows to Tabitha who has climbed off of Sylphid’s back.
“Welcome back, Charlotte.”
The other guards begin to chide the one who had welcomed Tabitha with her proper name and a bow.
“Yes.” (TL Note: the word used here is 「おい」, which is a general word used for agreement. It can also be used as a very simple greeting, such as here.)
The guard, with a bitter look on his face, takes a step back. His careless gesture caused the other guards behind him to slightly panic.
“Her Royal Highness is waiting.”
Tabitha hands the reins of Sylphid to him.
“Feed this child.”
Saying that, she points at Sylphid, who happily snorts. Since Tabitha is rather strict with her, she is well trained and does not speak in front of anyone other than Tabitha.
Tabitha makes her way to the building and enters.
A gargoyle is standing off to the side in front of the princess’s room, its staffs uncrossed. Compared to other countries, the use of “gargoyles”, magical statues given will, is more popular in Gallia. Compared to “golems”, which require commands or can only do simple tasks, “gargoyles” can move with independent intentions and wills. Due to that freedom gargoyles are used everywhere in Gallia, hence why that magic is so well developed here than elsewhere. (TL Note: I will just leave this bit here, but Isabella when calling Tabitha a “gargoyle” has the furigana of “doll” frequently.)
As Tabitha moves the thick curtains aside hanging from the ceiling in front of the door…
Hyun! Hyun hyun!
Various things are flying towards Tabitha. Without making any move to dodge them at all, Tabitha is hit with everything thrown at her.
An egg, animal intestines stuffed with mud.
Basha! Basha! The projectiles collide with her, spilling their contents. Egg white drips down Tabitha’s face. Tabitha, however, is still expressionless, not even wiping her face clean.
Seeing her handiwork, Isabella, the owner of this room, lets out a mischievous laugh.
“Oho! Oho! Ohhohoho!”
The maids who had thrown the eggs and stuffed intestines at Tabitha all came out from behind the curtains with apologetic faces. Tabitha, for her part, is still completely expressionless as she stares straight ahead. In front of her is Isabella, however the focus of her perspective seems to be beyond her.
“Hey, you girls should be laughing at her too! Look at her outfit! What a disgusting gargoyle!”
The maids, forced by Isabella’s demand, begin to smile, and laugh at Tabitha with her.
However, still Tabitha’s expression does not change.
This seeming lack of care did not go unnoticed. Isabella, faced with such an uncaring attitude, begins to become irritated.
“Why won’t you say anything?”
Tabitha remains silent. The maids, too, stop their laughing and fall silent.
“Why won’t you become angry, frustrated, or at the very least start crying?”
“…”
Tabitha’s eyes and shift downwards, to look into Isabella’s own.
“Tch…”
Unconsciously, Isabella bites her lip. Suddenly, she forces a generous smile onto her face.
“… You really are just a gargoyle. I cannot even begin to tell what you are thinking right now. Maybe you think you are so much better than me and getting carried away just because you can use a little bit of magic?”
Isabella mutters in a tone that is half full of contempt.
Still Tabitha’s expression does not change. She continues to stare at Isabella, as if she were merely looking at a figurine.
Seeing Tabitha still motionless, Isabella’s emotions begin to intensify, and overflow.
“Are you seriously going to talk to me in such a disgusting outfit? Take it off already!”
The maids make their unhappiness obvious, outraged internally at what Isabella would say to Tabitha after doing this to her herself. However, they could only tremble, unsure of what was going to happen next.
“Take your clothes off. That is an order!”
With those words, Tabitha begins to unbutton her shirt. Next, she casually takes it off, along with her skirt, as if she were merely undressing before going putting on her nightgown and going to bed in her own room.
She was reduced to wearing only her chemise.
An unblemished girls body.
However, her small proportions make it hard to believe that she is 15 years old.
Isabella in response gives a faint smile.
“Take those off, too.”
Tabitha removes her chemise, her expression unchanging. The maids instinctively cover their eyes in pity as her bare body is revealed. A beautiful girl with perfect complexion, her skin pure white like snow.
“… Hmph, are you sure you are eating properly?”
Tabitha still remains expressionless.
Some would wonder, is it truly possible for one to treat their own blood so cruelly?
But that is avoiding the point. Isabella can truly only treat Tabitha like this, because she cannot tolerate her own bloods talent. Despite being a mere 15 year old, she has already earned the title of “Chevalier”.
(Why can’t I be as talented at magic as she is…?)
Having magical talent is a valuable asset in society now. Lacking any magical skill… How many nobles, no, how many servants within these palace walls recognize her as princess? Whenever she imagines that, her frustration boils to the point where she truly fears the stress might kill her.
Isabella stands up off her bed, and approaches Tabitha. There, she takes off her glasses and brings her face closer to her cousins.
Isabella mutters to herself while painfully biting her lip.
“You aren’t a member of the royal family anymore, right? You understand that, right? Just because you can use some magic, what gives you the right to act so pretentious?”
Isabella glares straight into Tabitha’s face.
The air in the room becomes tense, several minutes pass with no change at all from either two.
Sweat begins to appear on Isabella’s forehead.
Hmph, she snorts, unable to bear Tabitha’s silent and emotionless pressure anymore. Picking up a letter off her bed, she carelessly throws it at Tabitha.
“This is your mission, Knight of the Northern Flowerbed No. 7. Complete it quickly.”
Without a word, Tabitha puts her clothes back on, grabs the letter, and leaves the princess’s room.
The Aldera region is located two days away by horse or five days on feet from Lutèce, the capital of Gallia. However, flying on Sylphid the trip is a mere two hours for Tabitha. This is a land covered with deep forests, with the forest bordering Germania commonly referred to as the “Black Forest” by both countries.
In a corner of this forest is a village called Eginheim. It is a small village of only about 200 people, who have been moving back and forth between Gallia and Germania whenever there is a war in either. Villagers make a measly living chopping down trees and selling the lumber in nearby cities. However, today, said villagers are gathered in the central square of their village that day, voicing their anger.
“I refuse to hold back any longer!”
A burly man with an axe resting on his shoulder shouts.
“That’s right!” his fellow villagers chant in unison to him. The villagers each clutch a weapon, an axe, as to be expected of a village mainly made up of lumberjacks. No matter how you look at it, this cannot remain peaceful. It is as if at any moment they might turn on their target, and this peaceful chant will become a bloodcurdling scream.
“Those damn winged people! They are trying to stop us from our trade, from cutting down trees! Do you understand what will happen to us? Huh?”
“Y-, yes, that’s right!”
–An elderly woman screams out, trembling, clutching a sickle in her hand.
“They are basically taking the food off of our plate! We will never survive the winter, thanks to those bastards! The lords are all talk! He said he would send knights to protect us, that they would come soon to protect use from those winged bastards… It’s been months already!”
“Old Lady Amida is right! If we continue to let those winged people tell us what to do, we will starve! Today, we end this! Let’s go! Everyone, follow me!”
When the villagers start to walk towards the forest with scary and angry eyes… A thin-haired boy stands in their way.
“Wa-, wait! Everyone, just wait for a moment!”
“Josiah.”
The rugged man at the lead of the villagers scratches his head in confusion.
“Brother Sam please, just wait!”
“Move.”
“Let’s talk! Please, just talk to me! We need to communicate, think this through!”
“You want to talk? Please, do tell who I should talk to.”
“Then, talk with the winged people…”
Josiah flinches at his brothers aggressive tone.
“Talk to them, you fool! They will just open fire on us with magic when we get close to them! There is nothing to talk about anymore!”
In agreement, the villagers begin to yell.
“That is only because we came at them with bows and arrows the first time we went to them…”
“Listen here, Josiah. Those guys, they can fly in the sky. Do you know what else flys in the sky? Birds. They belong to the birds, not us humans. What is wrong with shooting an arrow at birds?”
“That doesn’t matter! They are winged people and can speak human languages, right? They are not birds! They are our friends, and live in the same forest as us!”
Sam’s face changes for the worse.
“Did you just say that they are our friends? Don’t be stupid. The only friends are those right here! The only people that are your friends lives on THAT side of a fence!”
Sam points towards the fence separating their village from the rest of the forest.
“Bu-, but…”
“If we live in a forest, we are all friends. Is that what you believe? Don’t be so innocent or naive! You are my younger brother! You’re the village chiefs son! Tell me, Josiah. If you don’t protect the lives of everyone in the village, who will!?”
Don! With that, Sam pushes his rather frail brother away.
Josiah falls to the ground, pushed by his brother who weighs more than twice his own weight. Sam the the villagers pass by, unconcerned for him. Josiah, frustrated by his failures to convince his brother to change his plans pounds the dirt in frustration before getting back up and chasing after the villagers.
The villagers march to a raika zelkova forest, which is about 30 minutes away from the village. Raika zelkova is a large and easy to process hardwood that is suitable for making building materials or furniture. The residents of Eginheim Village make a living by cutting raika zelkova to make furniture or selling it as is. (TL Note: Zelkova is a real species of tree, however I cannot find anything about raika zelkvoa, which odds are is a made up sub species.)
The raika zelkova here are thick and tall, with their trunks reaching high into the sky. The sunlight, unable to penetrate these leaves and branches, mean that despite it being daytime that the forest itself inside is dark.
Sam stops the villagers in front of a cluster of particularly thick raika zelkova trees. Each villager then takes their place hiding behind a tree. Sam quietly signals the hunters holding bows and arrows to point their weapons towards a specific corner of trees.
“They nest around there. In total, there are around 10.”
The hunters nod, understanding his command.
“All you have to do is hurt their wings. Once they plummet to the ground, we will just use these to finish them off.”
Sam says, holding up his massive axe as if it was a mere knife.
“Remember, they can use magic. Will you be alright?”
–One hunter asks with a worried look.
“Look at all these people with us. Compared to these numbers, the magic of some stupid birds is nothing to worry about.”
Surrounding Sam are 30 strong men, carrying their trusty and sharp axes. With them are 20 hunters with bows. The hunters are experts at shooting down aerial targets, knocking birds out of the sky with easy. They are a skilled force, easily capable of even dealing with small groups of mercenaries.
Sam yells, throwing his strong and thick arm up into the air, yelling,
“Let’s kill all those damn birds!”
The villagers begin to cheer with him, relieved, laughter and excitement ringing out.
After making sure that the hunters had strung their bows and loader their arrows, Sam grabs a nearby rock about the size of a cows head.
“Hmph!”
With a loud voice and veins bulging on his forehead,he lifts and throws the rock towards the largest tree in the area. Gon! The rock hits the tree, the impact ringing out.
The hiding villagers hold their breath, waiting.
–A moment later…
A human falls from the top of the swaying huge tree.
The human falls, crashing into the ground! At least, that is what the humans expected. Just before hitting the ground, it stops falling and begins to float.
Fuwa, fuwa. The human floats there, gently.
However, if you look closely, it is not just a normal human being.
–Their clothes are simply, nothing more than just a cloth wrapped around their body. But what stands out even more, are the two massive wings on their back.
They were members of a race that the humans of Halkeginia were accustomed to calling Wing People or Winged Men.
Sam began to yell at the hunters.
“Now! Do it!”
Arrows begin to fly from the hunters bows.
Hiyun hiyun hiyun, with a whizz countless arrows begin to fly towards the wing men who were floating in the air, the hunters relying on both numbers and accuracy, their arrows flying true.
However, just before the wing men were impaled by countless arrows, something unexpected happens.
All of the arrows swerve, and either pierce the trunk of the tree or fly off into the bushes.
“Kuh!”
Frustrated sighs escape from the hunters mouths. Perhaps they all just happened to miss their target?
No, they are all expert marksmen. One or two arrows would be understandable, but there is not possibility that they all missed their mark.
In other words, they did not “miss”.
Something had intervened and diverted the arrows.
“Do it again! And don’t stop shooting!”
Sam’s booming voice brought the hunters back to their sense, and they began to fire arrow after arrow.
The winged people floating in the air… There are about 4 men and woman in total. They look rather young, and like opera actors, they stick out their hands, fluttering in the air, while they speak.
“The air stirs and the arrow shifts.”
With those words alone, the air around the wing men distorts like a haze.
An arrow bends and flies towards seemingly nowhere. —Ippon! However, suddenly it turns back around, and hits the tree trunk above the head of the hunter who had shot it!
Hii! With a yelp, the hunter who had shot the arrow drops his bow.
“Do-, don’t flinch! Stand strong!”
Admonishing the flinching hunters, Sam attempts to revive their confidence.
The next moment, however,
Goooooooou! There came a loud sound, and the branches of the zelkova that the wingmen were carrying on their back began to switch and rapidly grow.
“Magic!”
The villagers begin to panic at the sound of somebody’s voice.
The wingmen continue to chant spells in low, quiet voices. Rather than a spell, the tone and content were more like a matter-of-fact reading of what would happen in the future.
“The branch with which we have made a contract with will grow and bend to take away the freedom of those who threaten my freedom.”
– When on wing men hummed that, the remaining three wingmen also join in.
“We promise we wont!”
The pious hunters throw down their bows and flee in unison.
“Don’t run away! There are only four of them!”
“Hiiiiiiiiiie! It’s ancient magic! Ancient magic!”
“It’s the ancient magic of the demons!”
As the hunters run away, they begin to scream “ancient magic!” “They are using ancient magic!”.
“Who cares if its ancient magic! That doesn’t matter! A noble mans magic or ancient magic! I will show you what an axe is and the strength of a lumberjack!”
The ten or so burly and rough lumberjacks who did not run away charge towards the wingmen, raising their axes high and shouting. However, they were quickly fumbled down by roots that ripped through the ground.
Sam looks up.
About 10 meters away, his eyes meet the eyes of a wingman who was floating in the air, looking down at him coldly. A shiver runs through his spine. Even though they look like humans… These creatures are completely different from them. The atmosphere and aura around him is nothing like a persons.
Same could only beat himself up over his naivety. Perhaps with numbers he thought he could achieve something, but as it turned out… Without being able to use magic they had never stood a chance.
One wingmen began to hum a spell and waved his hands towards the fallen woodcutters.
“Based on our contract, the withered leaves gain the power to replace water and turn into blades.”
“Turns into a blade.”
The fallen leaves being to rise, as if they had a wire tied to them, and then suddenly become stiff and taut! It is as if… They had become as hard as iron. Suddenly they hard leafs fly towards the woodcutters, as if they were being blown by hurricane speed winds!
The moment Sam and the others close their eyes in resignation—–
Gooooooooooooooooooo!
A snowy wind begins to fall.
The leaf blades that were flying towards Sam are blown away by the wind, which itself is full of ice particle like pellets.
The wingmen look up.
What caught there eyes is a girl, falling from the sky… Tabitha.
The wingmen in response immediately switch their focus to Tabitha.
The falling leaves begin to fly again, this time turning into blades aimed and, and attacking, Tabitha.
While drifting down to the ground, Tabitha hums a rune while waving the large staff in her hand.
“Il fur de la sol wind”
Fuwan! Suddenly, Tabitha’s trajectory is changed!
The leaf blades pass through her previous trajectory, hitting nothing at all.
It is a spell called “fly”, a spell from the wind family. Using it the caster can freely fly through the sky, despite not having wings.
However, while flying using this spell, no other spell can be cast. Avoiding the previous attacks, Tabitha is able to safely land on the ground.
The wingmen however are not going to just standby, and begin to manipulate the branches of the zelkova trees. Multiple branches stretch out towards Tabitha, moving using the same method that the wing men had used to make the villagers trip.
Tabitha merely waves her wand. A blade of wind shoots out, and cuts away the branches racing towards her, causing unrest to form among the wing men.
Unlike the villagers, this little girl with the blue hair seems to be a threat.
The wing men and Tabitha face each other with only 15 meters between them.
Tabitha expressionless while the wing men glare at her.
Time passes with both parties failing to attack the other. The reason is simple, their positional relationship. Should your attack fail… The other party is sure to press the advantage and finish you in that gap.
“Stop it! Stop you guys! Don’t use your contract with the forest for something like this!”
Suddenly, a scream.
The wingmen look up, and a winged person with long and beautiful flax coloured hair is slowly descending from above. The sight of her descending, with her big wings spread, loosely wrapped in a white cloth… It is a beauty so sublime, it seems not of this world.
“Aisha-sama!”
Tabitha does not miss this opportunity, the winged people shouting and panicking.
Just as she is about to cast a spell… Something tightly grabs the arm which is holding her staff.
“Please! Please, listen! Just put away your staff!”
A skinny boy dressed in a green jacket… Josiah is trembling as he grips Tabitha’s right arm with both of his own.
The beautiful winged person, which the other winged people had called Aisha, beckons to them with an exaggerated gesture.
“Come back! Please, come back! Do not fight!”
The wing men who were glaring at Tabitha look to one another as if they are hesitating… But as if they were forced by Aisha, they stop fighting, and fly up to her, leaving.
Relief washing over him, Josiah looks up and watches the group fly away, his eyes drawn to Aisha’s figure.
Aisha looks back at Josiah, then she lowers her face, as if in grief and sadness.
The wingmen leave without further incident, flying over the towering treetops of the zelkova forest. Sam, who had been watching this entire situation unfold as if in a daze, suddenly comes to his sense and runs up to Tabitha.
“Could you-, could you be a knight from the palace?”
Tabitha expressionlessly nods, and briefly states her position and name.
“Gallian Flowerbed Knight, Tabitha.”
“Everyone! It’s a knight! A Flowerbed Knight has come from the palace! Our Lord really did call the palace for help!”
Cheers begin to erupt from amongst the villagers.
Sam noticing his brothers is still holding onto Tabitha’s arm punches him off.
“You little-! That is your punishment! Take your hands off of the knight! Even worse than you touching her, you interfered with her magic!”
Josiah is knocked mercilessly to the ground, his despair clear.
“Then, Knight-sama. Please deal with those bastard wing men as quickly as you can.”
Sam begins to move and lean closer to Tabitha, as if nudging her along.
Tabitha, however, stand perfectly still, not moving a muscle.
“Is something the matter?”
Tabitha slowly places her hand on her stomach.
And then, she murmurs in a toneless voice.
“Hungry.”
Tabitha is led back into the village by the villagers. There she is taken to the best room in the village chief’s mansion, where an unending series of delicacies are brought out and laid before her.
“Even when I begged the lord to exterminate those vermin wing men, nothing had happened. I had completely given up hope, but… Thank you, truly, for coming to help.”
The village chief bows his head.
A sigh escapes the mouths of the villagers who look at Tabitha. How matter how they looked at her, she is nothing more than a child, young enough to be many of their daughters. Will she truly be okay? Some begin to voice their concerns. However, in response Sam begins to glare at them.
“Do not slander this knight! Tabitha-sama was able to easily drive away those damn wing men who had tried to kill us!”
– In response, the villagers begin to look at Tabitha with a mixture of fear and admiration. Could this girl, only around 12 or 13 years old truly do such a thing?
Mages are truly a scary being. Even a young child could be such a powerful being through magic. That is why in this world only mages can be royalty or nobility and given the opportunity to rule Gallia or even the entirety of Halkeginia…
Tabitha slowly lowers her staff.
Even with such a casual gesture, biku! The villagers are shocked, and become to tremble, clearly nervous of the power that this girl possess.
Tabitha begins to eat the feast that was lined up for her.
“Pl-, please, eat as much as you want.”
Looking at her, one would be assume that Tabitha is a reserved eater… However… Where does such a tiny body eat so much food? She is effortlessly eating one dish after the other, with a vigour that would make any viewer tilt their head in confusion.
Tabitha gulps down the mountain of salad before her, staring at her empty bowl.
One of the villagers asks her a question as she stares quietly at her empty plate.
“Do you like the taste of hazel grass?”
Tabitha exaggeratedly nods her head. Hazel grass is a very bitter, thorn-shaped vegetable. It is normally served as a garnish for meat dishes… But still, it is rare to find someone who likes the taste of it.
“Bring me a refill!”
Soon, a heap of hazel grass is brought in… And Tabitha again begins to silently eat.
As the villagers stare at Tabitha…
The window, gon, gon! Begins getting hit by something.
“GIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The villagers turn towards the sound and begin to scream.
“Dragon! It’s a damn dragon! There is a dragon outside!”
On the other side of the window is a blue scaled dragon, peering into the room with its round eyes.
The dragon is Halkeginia’s strongest mythical beast. For commoners living out in the countryside, dragons are as feared as storms and blizzards. They are comparable to natural disasters, something that the overwhelming majority have no power to combat.
However, this dragon is not one of those natural disasters, and is instead Tabitha’s faithful familiar, Sylphid. Earlier, Tabitha had spotted that the villagers were in trouble from the sky and jumped off of Sylphid, however this had left her familiar flying alone in the sky.
The dragon is knocking the window with her nose.
“THERE IS A DRAGOOOOOOOOOON! THERE IS A DRAGON RIGHT THERE OUTSIDE THE WINDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!”
The villagers all run away in fear.
Barin!
The force of the dragon banging her nose against the window is so strong that the window shatters, her head going through the window. Staring at the feast lined up on the table, the blue-scaled wind dragon cries out in protest.
“Onee-sama, I am hungry too! Hungry! Sylphid is hungry! Kiyu kiyu kiyu!
The wind dragons yells out in anger, making the already noisy and chaotic room even more so.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! THE DRAGON!!!!!! THE DRAGON JUST SPOKE!!! THE DRAGON!! SPOKE!! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Tabitha scratches her nose, still expressionless. Come to think of it… She had forgotten to feed Sylphid after her feeding at the castle.
Noticing the villagers making a fuss, Sylphid thought to herself “I’m done for”, and stuck out her tongue. Personally Sylphid thought it was kind of cute, she had seen girls doing it before at the magic academy and people seemed to like it… However, a dragon baring its fangs is not cute at all, understandably.
“Don’t eat us! Please, don’t eat us…!!!”
“Sorry, Onee-sama. I talked in front of other people, but I am really really hungry…”
The village chief shouts in a tone that overpowered the yelling of everyone else.
“Calm down! Is that not the knights familiar? For a familiar to speak a human tongue is not strange at all! For a dragon to be a knights familiar, what an outstanding knight!”
– For a moment, the villagers became relieved from those words. But…
“I have never heard of an animal being able to speak after becoming a familiar. But still, cats, dogs, rats, I have heard of and seen these familiars before…. I have never heard of someone having a dragon as a familiar before though.”
When everyone heard the words of Grandma Amida, the most knowledgeable and elder of those in the village, once again the villagers erupt into panic.
“THAT DRAGON IS A MONSTER AFTER ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!”
“PLEASE DON’T EAT US, WE TASTE BADDDDDDDDDD!!!”
Tabitha lifts her glasses with one hand, and then points at Sylphid.
And then, she says a single word.
“Gargoyle.”
She barely mutters.
Eh? Gargoyle?
Those who live in Gallia, a highly advanced magical society, naturally know what a gargoyle is. It is a magical statue created by a magician that is given a pseudo-life. In fact, when a gargoyle is well made, it is indistinguishable from living things.
“Wh-, what! Is that what that is! Ahaha!”
The villagers, embarrassed in being such a panic over a gargoyle, all start to laugh to hide their embarrassment.
“Ahaha!”
Sylphid begins to laugh along with them.
In the midst of such a friendly atmosphere, Sam enters the room hauling Josiah by the scruff of his neck. His hands had been tied behind his back with ropes.
Sam drags Josiah up in front of Tabitha, who stares at Josiah with her usual unchanging expression.
“Earlier today, this kid did something incredibly rude to you, even after all you did for us… Boil him, roast him, do with him as you wish.”
The villagers, too, look at Josiah with cold eyes.
Tabitha however shakes her head. With a relieved look on his face, Sam nudges Josiah and unties his ropes.
“Thank you! Thank you, kind knight! Hurry up and thank her for sparing your life, even if she had killed you there would be nothing to complain about! Do you understand?”
However, Josiah just bites his lip. Sensing something in his younger brothers behaviour,
“You are still thinking of those wing men, aren’t you…”
The villagers, witnessing this, begin to whisper rumours,
“The village chiefs son and a winged girl…”
“A shame on our village…”
“Hey, what is going on? Josiah!”
Sam begins to yell. Josiah jumps to his feet and runs out of the room. Tabitha, looking uninterested, merely returns to finish her meal.
Later that night.
After resting for the night, Tabitha was planning on going out tomorrow morning to finish up the wing men issue and complete this mission.
Tabitha had been given the best guest room in the village chief’s house, and currently is lying down on the bed there. In order to conserve her magic for tomorrows battle she did not even want to use her “light” spell, which consumes a minimal amount of mental energy, and instead is reading her book by the light of a lantern.
The ever talkative Sylphid stuck her head in through the window, and is talking to Tabitha before going to sleep herself.
“Hey, hey, let me have a drink. Just a little, even a teensy bit. Then I can sing a nice song for you. It will be fun. Roro, ro-roro~“
“Quiet.”
“Hmph. I am a gargoyle, aren’t I? You summon a Rhyme Dragon and treat her like a mere gargoyle! How rude! Since I am just a gargoyle now, I can speak in front of whoever I want and whenever I want! It is Onee-sama’s fault that I am so noisy anyway. It isn’t my fault at all! In human words, wouldn’t this be called a self-inflicted trouble! However, actually, that is a strange concept. Does that mean that your actions will come back to punish you? However, everything and all actions are determined by a “greater will”. At least, that is how us dragons think. And what does that mean? That means that the greater will is punishing itself. How terrifying.”
Sylphid continues to ramble on and on about incomprehensible things. How annoying.
Still, Tabitha remains silent, and so Sylphid stretches out her neck and licks Tabitha’s face with her tongue that is as big as a child’s body.
Due to the drool, Tabitha’s upper body is drenched as if she had just gone for a run in the pouring rain.
Tabitha takes out a handkerchief and silently wipes her face dry.
“Onee-sama, look over here. Come closer to your best friend Sylphid.”
The moment that Sylphid makes that request…
Tabitha… Slams her book shut.
Maybe she was interested in hanging out with Sylphid?
No, it is something else.
Sylphid herself also stops talking.
Tabitha grabs the staff that was leaning next to her bed.
There is someone on the other side of the door, at this late hour.
“Who is it?”
A small, frightened voice responds from the hallway on the other side of the door.
“M-, me… I’m Josiah.”
It is the thin and frail boy who had gotten in the way of Tabitha’s chanting earlier that day.
“Why?”
“I need to tell you a story…”
“Do it tomorrow.”
“Please. Let me tell you it now.”
Tabitha gets out of bed and opens the door.
Josiah is there, trembling, but with a determined look on his face.
“Go in.”
Josiah is so shocked for a moment when he saw Sylphid sticking her neck through the window. Regardless, still trembling he bows and enters the room.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience at such a late hour, and I know that it is disrespectful for me to address you, a nobleman…”
“What is it?”
“Um… I would like you to stop hurting the wing men…”
Tabitha shakes her head.
“Please! I am begging you!”
Josiah kneels at Tabitha’s feet.
“It is my mission.”
Tabitha answers in a cold voice.
“Just let me explain the situation!”
Tabitha remains quiet. So, Josiah begins to speak.
“Wingmen change the trees in which they build their nest every season. Now that it is spring, the size of the individual families gets bigger. That is why they are building their new nests at the top of specifically thick-trunk zelkova trees. No, don’t even call them “nests” actually… While I might have called it a nest, really it is an elaborate house.”
Tabitha stares expressionlessly at Josiah.
“The wingmen started living here about half a year ago. Besides, the villagers can survive without cutting down those specific zelkova trees, there are so many other trees in that area. We could just cut down those trees. But everyone is obsessed over cutting down zelkova trees in particular since they can be sold for a lot of money… Because of that now there is this big lie that everyone believes that the wing men are taking away our livelihoods.”
“Is that why everyone wants the wing men to be driven away?”
Rather than Tabitha, Sylphid asks this question, startling Josiah who none the less nods.
“Yes, that is right. Originally this forest belonged only to the wing men. It was us humans who invaded their homes and started building fences around the forest and claiming it as our own. We have no right to drive them out of their homes.”
Even still, Tabitha does not make any movement or nod her head.
“Why won’t you listen to me? Do knights not know or have any mercy? We have right to kick them out of their homes.”
“It is my mission.”
Tabitha in response gives a curt answer.
“I see now. You are just a monster, not a human! A selfish inhumane monster!”
Sylphid is the one who answers Josiah.
“Onee-sama is merely a pawn you know.”
“A pawn?”
“That is right. A pawn can only move according to their orders. That is what a knight is. Once you are given the order to “wipe out the wing men”, you have no choice but to carry out that mission. You have no power or control over it yourself.”
Dejectedly, Josiah hangs his head. Then, he looks up with determination.
“Then I cancel that request! Please, leave and do not fulfill the mission now!”
“Is that the consensus of the village?”
Sylphid asks in a timid voice.
“N-, no…” Josiah responds back, troubled.
“The entire village had decided to appeal to their feudal lord, who then passed on the request to the castle, and Onee-sama was then dispatched. For Tabitha’s mission to be withdraw, at the very least the entire village would have to come together and ask her “we ask the knight to withdraw and ignore our request”. Onee-san would be punished should she leave otherwise. For abandoning her duty, Onee-sama might even be decapitated!”
Sylphid spoke as if Tabitha being decapitated was purely someone else’s problem.
Josiah in response could only look down sadly.
“But, you must know a lot about the wing people. And for some reason, you seem to respect them a lot… Why?”
When Sylphid asks that… A clear voice comes from behind.
“Josiah.”
Upon hearing that voice, Sylphid and Tabitha both turn around. There, a beautiful woman is peeking in from a gap in the open window that Sylphid’s neck is coming through.
However, if Tabitha remembers correctly… She is on the second floor.
However, upon looking closely, she can remember this face. This is that woman that descended from above the treetops…
And on her back, is a pair of wings.
Aisha, a wing man.
In response to seeing her Tabitha immediately readies her staff, but Josiah shouts.
“Wa-, Wait! She did not come here to hurt you!”
“?”
Aisha nods as well.
“I came here to see Josiah.”
Aisha came into the room and sits down on a chair. Up close she looks like a normal, albeit extraordinarily beautiful young human woman, except for the large pair of wings on her back. The feathers of her wings are the same flaxen colour as her long hair.
Josiah is standing close to Aisha, as if to protect her from Tabitha or Sylphid. Tabitha sits down on her bed, leaning her staff against her pillows, ultimately deciding to listen to the pair. When Sylphid had ultimately heard of the pairs relationship from Josiah, she had let out a surprised voice. Aisha’s eyes in response went wide at the sight of a talking dragon, but Josiah had explained that “Sylphid is just a magical statue, we call them gargoyles.”.
“Wow! To think that a wing man and a human are in love! You two are so cute together!”
The pair tell Tabitha how they had met each other.
Josiah had been out picking mushrooms on his own, and had hurt his leg in the process…
“Aisha healed my injury using her magic. I think it is called ancient magic? That kind of magic. She managed to cast it without even using a wand! I was so surprised when I saw that for the first time.”
“You humans call it “ancient” magic, we call it “spirit magic”. The power of the spirits is everywhere, hidden, be it in the air, in water, fire, etc. I was just borrowing their powers.”
“That’s right, that’s right! Aisha has taught me so many things that I had never known about before! She is amazing!”
Josiah, a massive smile on his face, began to happily talk about Aisha to Tabitha and Sylphid as if Aisha herself wasn’t in the room with her.
“The wing men know so much more about the forest than we do. That is why we should all work together… But instead we are at each others throat. The villagers all say the same thing about the wing men, “I cannot trust you you devil!”…. It’s ridiculous!”
“The wing men are no better, many make fun of the humans calling them lowly worms who crawl around on the ground.”
“But us two, we are different. After meeting secretly in the woods a few times and talking to each other, we started to think differently of one another.”
“That’s right.”
“Once I realized this… Aisha became something more, something special to me. Although we might be different races… I want to know more about you and your people.”
Aisha smiles, a mixture of sadness and happiness. She then grabs Josiah’s hand, and locks her eyes on his with a serious look.
“You know what, Josiah?”
“What is it?”
“Today, actually… I came to say goodbye.”
“Wait, you are saying goodbye? Why!”
“Our clan… Has decided to leave that tree.”
“But that… Isn’t your clan in its mating season right now? There are not many zelkova trees with trunks that thick for you to build your nest on! Where are you possibly going to find a tree that can support your nest!”
“Our clan has discussed that and came to a solution. As long as we have to fight, there is no purpose in having offspring anymore.”
“Please, Aisha! I will convince everyone! I promise, I will try even harder!”
“But… Your village chief called for such a powerful warrior… I do not want to have to use the power of the spirits for fighting…”
Aisha glances towards Tabitha, who has remained expressionless. Aisha mumbles apologetically.
“I am sorry, again. I am not blaming you for this. You are here on orders you cannot refuse, and even if you did they would merely call for someone else to take your spot. I do not know much of humans, but I understand how these kinds of organizations work.”
Tabitha in response tilts her head.
“Wait, that’s it! Knight! Please, withdraw, or appeal our case to the castle!”
Tabitha answers him, quietly but resolutely.
“Impossible.”
Josiah’s face begins to contort in rage.
“Is that it then! Is it no use for me to ask of you so little? Do you nobles even have a heart to begin with!? All you can do is follow orders? You are nothing more than just a gargoyle! The same as that dragon over there!”
Sylphid snorts in dissatisfaction at being called a gargoyle.
Josiah in a fit of rage pushes Tabitha’s small back onto her bed. Then, he puts weight on her neck, stopping her from moving and reaching for her staff.
“You are nothing more than a child, how could you even understand what it feels like to love someone! The pain of being separated from the very one you love!”
Guuuh… Josiah puts more strength into his hands around Tabitha’s neck. However, Tabitha’s face does not change at all. She continues to stare at Josiah with her expressionless eyes.
Aisha, in a desperate bid to get him to stop, clings to his back.
“Stop it! Josiah, please, I am begging you! Stop hurting humans!”
“I-if I kill this bastard kid here, I can at least buy us some time…”
With blood shot eyes, Josiah continues to tighten his grip on Tabitha’s neck.
“This is everyone else’s fault! If we just cooperated with the wing men, there is even the possibility that we would be richer than before! Cooperating would let us achieve so much more than before, we could do things that before we only dreamed of! Why can’t everyone just understand that!”
Yet, the moment that Josiah began to cry out…
His body is blown away, and he slams against the door.
It was the spell “Wind Break”, a spell that creates a high pressure wind.
Tabitha had suddenly sat up on the bed, her right hand tightly gripping her staff. Sylphid had blown out a breath of air and knocked the staff that was next to the bed into her hands.
Tabitha with staff in hand slowly climbs out of her bed. Josiah, understandably, is cowering in fear. Angering a noble man would lead to a terrifying outcome, never mind trying to kill one…
Josiah closes his eyes in resignation, knowing what would be coming soon.
Aisha, however, stands in front of him.
“If you want to kill Josiah, then you will have to kill me first!”
Aisha closes her eyes at the sight of Tabitha’s staff, taller than Tabitha herself.
However, no matter how long they wait… No spell is thrown at them. When the two of them open their eyes in fear, the first thing that they saw was Tabitha’s face, right in front of them, crouching down slightly and holding her staff, peering at them.
Tabitha spoke quietly, her eyes showing no emotion like usual.
“Let’s do that.”
“Let’s do that?”
Sylphid answers the two’s question.
“Onee-sama is saying that she wants to show the villagers that “there are things that cannot be achieved without the help of the wing men.”.”
“Wh-, what?”
Josiah and Aisha look at each other, both surprised and confused.
Sylphid, who unlike Tabitha is rather good at speaking, begins to explain. Since Tabitha had only said what the conclusion was, Sylphid herself has to explain what she means. However she doesn’t complain since it isn’t often that she can talk to other people.
“Don’t you get it? When you want to ask Onee-sama for something, you have to tell her exactly what you want and how to do it. She cannot just go home without doing anything, or else she would be punished for abandoning her mission. But, if the village where to come together and say “stop driving away the wingmen, we need them for our survival!” then Onee-sama would have no choice but to leave and wouldn’t be abandoning her mission.”
“Th-, then…”
The two suddenly look relieved.
“Well then, leave it to us! Sylphid and Onee-sama are the best flowerbed knights in all of Gallia! There is nothing we cannot do! Kiyu kiyu!”
Sylphid, suddenly happy, begins to lick Tabitha’s face. Tabitha, now covered in drool, once again wordlessly takes out her handkerchief and begins to wipe her face dry.
The next morning…
A terrible situation has occurred in the village.
The person who had reported this situation was one of the hunters who had taken part in the attack on the wing men the other day. The moment he had gone out hunting, had had come across it.
“A run away gargoyle?”
The village was in an uproar.
A runaway gargoyle occurs when a magical stature created by a mage whose pseudo will has gone haywire, either due to damage or an issue in its creation.
Control over a gargoyle is paramount to safety… A runaway gargoyle, however, will not even listen to its master now.
And the rampaging gargoyle in question… It is the dragon shaped gargoyle that was ridden by Tabitha, the flower bed knight who had arrived the previous day.
“I’M HUNGRY—-! FEED ME—!”
She yells and buwa! Sylphid breaths out. Despite it being a small breath, it was enough to terrify the villagers. That very same gargoyle is now rampaging in the village square. Amidst its tantrum, it easily crushes a bucket next to the village well!
This situation is far beyond the threat presented by the wing men.
A rampaging dragon gargoyle could easily and effortlessly burn down the entire village, leaving the villagers nowhere to go.
The villagers hurry to Tabitha’s room, hoping to get her help.
“Knight-sama! Your gargoyle, something has happened to it!”
Tabitha was in her guest room, sitting with her staff lying across her staff and meditating.
Once Tabitha notices the villagers entering her room, she looks up at them and says in her expressionless but serious tone,
“It is of the upmost embarrassment for a knights gargoyle that is accompanying them to go out of control.”
Then, with no expression on her face, she raises her staff before her.
“Please! Please hurry up and do something!”
“Mental focus, a cursed soul, annihilating of my enemies, snow and wind magic.”
While muttering some kind of strange curse, Tabitha slowly heads downstairs. The villagers follow her, not sure what she is doing.
Awing at the words she is muttering, the villagers have no idea what spell she might be chanting, but judging from the words she is saying they are positive that it must be some kind of powerful magic!
Tabitha slowly heads to the plaza, ready to confront her crazed dragon gargoyle.
“Silence! Gargoyle!”
“Shut up! I’m hungry—! Food—!”
Buoha! Sylphid breaths out her dragon breath at Tabitha! In response Tabitha waves her staff, and a whirlwind filled with snow dances before her, scattering the flames!
“Now my strongest spell! Wind club!”
A sudden uproar erupts from the villagers at these words. “A royal knights strongest spell!” “Really, her strongest!” “But a wind club?” There is a mixture of cheers and anticipation.
A gust of wind suddenly shoots from the tip of Tabitha’s staff, bogon! And hits Sylphid straight on her head!
“Oww, that hurt! Why did you really hit me! You idiot!”
Tears begin to fall from Sylphid’s eyes. Crying! The gargoyle is crying! A commotion begins to ensue amongst the villagers watching Tabitha unleash her magic on the run away gargoyle. Tabitha frowns a bit, and began to unleash more magic on Sylphid.
Wind break, windy icicle. High pressure winds, ice spears, and wind blades all attack Sylphid, who is even now still pretending to be a gargoyle.
Sylphid couldn’t help but be forced to take to the sky, now floating and spewing flames at Tabitha.
“It’s flying! The gargoyle is flying!”
The villagers begin to scream out at the sight. Tabitha nods, waves her hand, and begins to float into the sky, again using her “fly” spell.
“Even knights can fly. A knight soaring through the sky.”
Tabitha mumbles as she chases after Sylphid.
Although her voice is quiet, Tabitha was apparently in high spirits right now.
An aerial battle between a knight and her gargoyle. A spectacle like this is something you might never see again in your life. The villagers watch from below, with bated breath.
“That attack from earlier hurt you know–!”
Sylphid flaps her massive wings and continues to attack Tabitha. Tabitha in response deftly flies above, below, left, and right to avoid her attacks.
“Knight-sama! Use a spell! A counter attack one! Or else you will be defeated!”
Tabitha shakes her head from the air.
“Right now I am casting “fly”. I cannot cast any other spell right now.”
The villagers had forgotten.
It requires great concentration to cast fly and dodge attacks.
Casting another spell right now is not impossible, but it requires a great amount of concentration and a tremendous amount of training.
Sylphid moves to tackle Tabitha with her massive weight.
Tabitha manages to dodge the attack several times, but ultimately…
“Knight-sama!”
The screams of the villagers are in vain, and Tabitha’s body is blown away by Sylphid, and she tumbles to the ground.
“That’s it… We are done for…”
The villagers fall to their knees on the ground. To think, that a renowned flower bed knight, as mighty as she is, would be beaten by her own gargoyle…
Turning her attention from Tabitha back to the village, Sylphid flaps her wings and flies towards it to resume her attack.
”Run away!” someone shouts.
But where could the villagers hope to run in the face of such a deadly beast?
“Abandon the village? There is no way we could do that!”
Same explains to those seeking to run.
“AHHH! Since it has come to this, I will fight and die with my village!!”
”Our village is everything! If we abandon our home, we will simply perish in the forest!” the old granny yells.
Tabitha, barely able to maintain her spell, slowly floats down to land next to Sam.
“Knight-sama! Are you okay!”
“I was negligent… I am lucky to be alive…”
While her expression carried no more gratefulness than she would have normally, Sam regardless did not notice this.
“Does that gargoyle have any weakness whatsoever?”
“There is an arrow wedged into the sole of its foot… It looks like she had stepped on it on accident… Once we pull it out… I think she will go back to normal… Gaku…”
After muttering that, Tabitha faints.
Looking at Sylphid in the sky, indeed, there is an arrow stuck in her foot.
But how is it even possible to get it out?
The foot of a flying and rampaging gargoyle that even her own knight couldn’t get close to…
At that time.
“This is out punishment!”
Sam could hear Josiah, yelling.
– A man from the crowd stands up, and begins to scream out.
“This is all because we tried to kick out the wing men! Now we are being punished! Now do you understand? You, too, will now be kicked out of your home!”
“Shut up! These are two entirely different things!”
“We are not done yet, we can still survive this! We just need to work together! If we do that, we can even defeat a gargoyle!”
“And how do you plan on doing that!”
“This is how!”
Aisha suddenly came running out of the bushes as Josiah shouted, albeit she looks slightly ashamed and embarrassed.
“You little… I knew you didn’t break up with that damn bird!”
Sam’s face twists in anger, and he roughly grabs Josiah’s arm.
“Now is not the time to be arguing about this! Just leave this to us!”
The brothers both glare at each other. Reluctantly, Sam let’s go of Josiah’s arm.
Josiah and Aisha both look at each other. Then, they nod.
Aisha grabs Josiah from under his armpits, and begins to rise.
And then, the two of them began to fly off.
However… Aisha has only ever flown solo before, and since she was carrying Josiah she was flying in a shambling, and awkward manner.
“Flying like that, you are doing to drop him!”
At the sight before him, Sam turns pale, desperately yelling out.
What a weird group of people—!”
Sylphid approaches the duo, a new target in her sights.
At that moment, a swarm of wing men fly up from out of the nearby tree tops and bushes.
In total, there were about 10 wing men, and they began yelling at the awe struck villagers.
“Fire an arrow! Attract the gargoyles attentions!”
The hunters come back to their sense, load their arrows, and begin to fire at the gargoyle.
As Sylphid is in a daze, surrounded by arrows as if she were in a hailstorm, the wingmen begin to fly around her, further dazing and confusing her.
“Wawa! Wh- what is that! Enough!”
Sylphid screams out, and begins to act erratically.
“You guys are all in my way—!”
Sylphid shouts, and spreads her wings with her legs thrust forward.
Aisha approaches at that perfect moment, not missing her change. Flying close, Josiah jumps at Sylphid’s feet.
He manages to grab onto the arrow, holding onto it and swinging around from it.
Then, suddenly, he pulls the arrow out.
Josiah begins to plummet from the flying Sylphid, arrow in hand.
However, Aisha swoops in, catching him mid air.
The villagers, who had been watching the whole ordeal with bated breaths, erupt in cheers.
Three days later…
The villages square is filled with cheerful commotion.
The reason? This is the day that Aisha’s and Josiah’s wedding is being held on.
After working together to stop the rampaging gargoyle, the villagers had decided to change their minds and seek peace with the wing men. It was ultimately decided that the patch of zelkova trees that the wing men live in would be given to them and their safety guaranteed, as well as a share of crops from the village. In return, the wing men were tasked with roles such as searching for suitable trees to be cut down from the sky, and even helping with transportation when necessary. Naturally, the subjugation mission was cancelled.
Ultimately both races came to the conclusion that they could live a more beneficial, and easier, life if they were to work together. Of course their issues were not resolved over night, they still had different cultures and life styles which leads to some fights from a lack of understanding. But right now, there is a heartwarming relationship forming between the two races.
In the middle of the plaza stands the figures of Josiah, dressed in the formal clothes of a wing man, and Aisha, dressed in a human pure white wedding dress, both dazzling figures.
The children of the village are laughing, holding the hem of Aisha’s dress as she begins to float and dance.
No matter what difficulties these two races may encounter as they become closer to one another, Josiah and Aisha are living proof that humans and wing men can live together.
Away from the commotion, Tabitha is straddling Sylphid at the outskirts of the village. Josiah and Aisha had asked both of them to attend the ceremony, so for that reason Tabitha is remaining in the village for now.
Since Tabitha had been “present” for a period of time, she had left early without waiting for the ceremony to finish.
Suddenly Sam was running towards Tabitha, away from the ceremony too. Once he was close to her, he bows deeply.
“Thank you, knight-sama. For everything.”
Tabitha shakes her head.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No… The one who had planned all this was you, right? Josiah is a nice guy, but he isn’t very smart. There is no way he could have planned something this elaborate.”
Tabitha remains speechless.
“It is not that I do not love my brother, nor do I hate him, but since I am the village chief’s first born son, I must always stand with my fellow villagers… in other words, there are times when I must chain my heart up and do what is necessary. My position does not allow me to express my emotions… Much like you, knight-sama.”
Sam smiles, relieved at finally saying those words.
Then, he bows again, even deeper than before.
Flapping her massive wings in the sky, Sylphid takes off.
Suddenly, “Thank you both!”, Tabitha could hear Josiah yelling at her. Behind her is Josiah being held up by Aisha, flying in the sky.
But Tabitha does not turn to look at them.
She merely continues to read her book.
The pair fly in parallel for a while, before Aisha ultimately throws a bouquet of flowers at Tabitha and then turns around to head back towards the village.
Sylphid catches the bouquet of flower in the air and then thrusts it towards Tabitha, who shakes her head.
“I do not need it.”
“Then put it on my head. It is so cute!”
Tabitha lightly waves her staff. Suddenly, a light breeze knocks the bouquet off of Sylphid’s head. Then, as if deep in though, Tabitha mutters,
“Feet.”
“Eh? Oh, the arrow never pierced my scales! I just held it pinched in place with my toenail! Kiyu kiyu!”
Hearing that response Tabitha turns her attention back to her book. Sylphid is happy that Tabitha showed some concern for her, and so decided to start chatting with her a bit.
“The wedding was so beautiful! I wish Onee-sama would marry someone soon! Then Sylphid can dress up too! I was lots of flowers on my dress! Kiyu kiyu! Oh, first Onee-sama needs a sweet heart! Having a lover must be so nice! I hope you can find one soon, Onee-sama! Lover! L! O! V! E! R! Kiyu kiyu!
“……”
Tabitha does not utter a single word.
“Who do you want as a lover? Who would you like? That’s right! How about Mr.Guiche? He is so handsome!”
Tabitha expresses her inner emotions with a single word.
“Idiot.”
“Ah, that’s right! He is a little dumb, isn’t he? Ahahaha!”
Sylphid fully knows, that when she gets back to Tristain’s Magical Academy, she won’t be able to talk freely like this.
That is why, for now, the blue-scaled Sylphid shall continue to talk, seemingly forever, even though a certain Onee-sama might complain that she is being noisy.
Silvered Tongue Reborn 