Chapter 743: Fly [4]

Even after the official announcement, the crowd remained quiet.

All eyes seemed to be fixated on the towering figure that stood next to me.

I could understand why. Pebble stood out a lot. Its towering figure and enormous pressure were something that unsettled a lot of people.

I looked at the dragon standing tall, and I smiled.

’In the end, it all worked out for the best.’

This had been more or less my plan from the very start. From the moment I caught sight of the little cat and caught a glimpse of its determination, I knew that Pebble was just one push away from finally reaching the next tier.

I also knew that the moment Pebble reached the next tier was also the moment that I would reach the next tier.

I fought, and I struggled.

I could’ve ended things earlier, but I dragged them longer than they needed to be dragged.

All for this one moment.

For the one moment that Pebble flew.

It was a dangerous plan. One that I wasn’t even sure would work.

In the end, however, it worked.

Pebble managed to evolve.

...And so did I.

’I don’t feel much different after reaching the seventh tier. In fact, I feel like my body is in pieces right now. I did manage to regain a bit of mana, but that’s hardly enough.’

My vision was hazy, and the sound around me was quite subdued.

I was merely using the last shred of my will to remain standing.

Thankfully, as if understanding my current condition, Father-in-law didn’t drag the situation on for much longer.

"...There are a few other things that I’d like to announce, but I’d like to save that for later. For now, please allow the participants to rest. I’m sure all of them are tired."

Father-in-law turned his head in my direction.

I forced a smile and tried to walk forward. I tried to keep my appearance. However, the moment I took a step forward, I realized that my leg hardly had any strength in it.

’Oh... shit.’

I could see that I was just about to fall.

However, right before I even got to that, I felt something rough brush against me as I was suddenly flipped into the air.

".....?"

Thud!

Feeling something hard against my bottom, I blinked slowly before looking around.

’Why is Father-in-law suddenly so small? Why—’

I realized rather quickly what had happened as a pair of gigantic wings began to spread, casting a massive shadow over the region beneath. A terrifying pressure burst forward not long after as Father-in-law’s hair fluttered behind him as he stood with a simple smile on his face.

Then—

Fwap!

The wings flapped, and the ground began to shrink before my very eyes.

Fwap, fwap—!

The large wings began to flap again.

The ground grew even smaller, and before I knew it, the trees beneath had suddenly become extremely small.

Staring at the ground in awe, in particular the massive shadow beneath, I gripped onto the rough and cold scale before me as the wind started to brush against my face. My hair and clothes fluttered behind me as I sat in silence, watching as everything beneath me started to shrink.

In that moment, looking down and then at the dragon.

I realized something.

"I’m flying."

...Just like Pebble.

I was flying.

***

"Haha."

Aoife stared at the sky, her face twitching as a laugh soon escaped her lips. She was at a total loss on how to react at the moment. Staring at the massive figure that loomed in the sky, casting a shadow on everything that was beneath, Aoife found herself speechless.

She wasn’t the only one.

Practically everyone was left speechless by the situation.

And yet—

"Hahaha."

All Aoife could do was laugh.

What else could she do besides laugh?

Turning her head to stare at her brother and seeing his expression, the laugh grew louder.

’He never fails to surprise me.’

In all the years she had known him, he’d always find a weird way to overcome a situation. Aoife should’ve grown used to it by now, and yet, somehow, just when she thought she had grown used to it, he’d somehow manage to find a way to outdo himself.

’...He really did outdo himself this time.’

Who would’ve thought he was hiding a dragon the entire time?

No, thinking about it, Aoife knew all along. She was aware of the cat’s presence. Julien was also the one who had taught her about wills. If not for him, she wouldn’t have been able to form one herself.

Theresa...

It had been a while since she had called her out.

She was probably upset.

Aoife smiled softly while thinking about the little girl. She had been so absorbed with everything around her that she had started to neglect the little girl. Aoife could already imagine what the little girl would do to her once she called her out.

But most importantly...

"No, this makes no sense. How did he have a dragon? This is cheating... It must be cheating."

Staring at her brother and seeing him grow increasingly more frustrated, she sat back down on her chair while brushing her long red hair behind her ears.

"Why do you sound so flustered by the loss?"

Her voice came out rather calm.

In fact, it was extremely calm. This wasn’t a surprise. After all, she did manage to get the result that she desired.

"You..."

Feeling Aoife’s gaze, John turned to look at her. His face turned a few shades of red before eventually settling into a strange calm as he looked at her.

"Did you know?"

"Know...?"

Aoife cocked her head, her eyes blinking in confusion. Know about what?

"Don’t play dumb. Did you know about the dragon?"

"Oh, that."

Aoife made an exaggerated motion with her hands.

"Of course not. And even if I did, it wouldn’t really matter. After all, we’re not ’officially’ involved in this matter, correct?"

Aoife looked at her brother with a meaningful look. Neither of the two was officially allowed to interfere with the Rite. The fact was known to everyone. In reality, however, the only one who followed this rule was Aoife.

Unlike Aoife, John had practically funded the entire operation.

His expression cracked upon hearing Aoife’s words. He didn’t believe for one second that she didn’t interfere. Just as his mouth began to move and he was about to speak, Aoife spoke over him.

"No, I didn’t know."

Leaning back further, she crossed her legs.

"I know you aren’t dumb. You should’ve been aware of the fact that my reaction is real. No, wait..." Aoife paused, her expression growing extremely troubled.

Seeing this, John’s eyes lit up.

"So you kn—"

"I’m an experienced actress, so it’s possible that my reaction could’ve been staged."

She clicked her tongue.

"Damn! Who told me to be so good?"

"....."

John’s expression underwent a series of changes upon hearing Aoife’s words. Thankfully, he managed to calm himself down rather quickly as he closed his eyes and nodded.

"I understand."

He turned his head, shifting his attention towards the Marquis, who stood on a lower platform with a similarly calm expression. However, if one looked closely, they’d notice the subtle trembling of his body.

John’s eyes narrowed for a split moment before he turned around and left, his body fading from the platform as he was teleported away.

Aoife stared blankly at the spot he had previously been in before her lips pulled into a smile.

A... deeply uncomfortable smile.

Her eyes flickered for a brief moment as she looked back at the forest. As she did, she couldn’t help but mumble, "Should’ve killed him on the spot. What a pity."

Her gaze turned cold a few moments after.

However, that merely lasted a few seconds before her gaze reverted to her usual one as she sat in a daze for a moment, and she pressed her hand against her forehead.

"What...? What was I just thinking?"

***

"...."

"...."

"...."

Leon, Evelyn, and Kiera blankly stared at the sky where the enormous figure roamed. They stood in silence for what felt like ages until Evelyn eventually shattered the silence.

"...So that’s why he wanted to do it."

"Right..." Kiera nodded silently, "We should’ve seen this coming from miles away. Of course, he’d have a dragon secretly hidden in the form of a cat. We should’ve expected this. Don’t you think so, too, Leon?"

"....Yes."

Leon emptily stared at the sky.

His lips quivered as he slowly covered his mouth.

Kiera and Evelyn looked at each other when they saw his reaction.

’Wait, why is he reacting like this? He doesn’t look happy at all.’

’I’m not sure.’

Evelyn narrowed her eyes while looking at Leon. Seeing his trembling shoulders and somewhat moist eyes, he looked quite sad at what he was seeing. Sad or moved?

’Is he sick in the head?’

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders again, ’How should I know?’

But seriously. Something really did seem off with him. In the end, Evelyn had no choice but to tug him lightly on his shirt to pull his attention.

"Leon..."

Finally getting his attention, Evelyn hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you okay?"

"Am... I okay?"

Leon looked at Evelyn for a brief moment before looking back toward the sky.

His lips quivered again, and Kiera and Evelyn looked at each other. He really wasn’t okay! Just as the two were about to comfort him, they suddenly heard Leon mumble to himself, ’Finally...’

He said, his tone low yet moved.

’...Finally we can travel without using carriages.’

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Evelyn and Kiera blinked slowly.

Gradually processing his words, their expressions changed. Kiera’s leg twitched as she looked at his exposed back, almost tempted to kick him off the platform. In the end, she held herself back while clicking her tongue.

Opening her mouth, she saw Evelyn shake her head.

"No, don’t say it."

But Kiera didn’t care.

"Come on. From the random jokes in the past to this... This fucker is practically another version of Julien."

Evelyn’s face twisted as she clenched her heart.

Her heart ached at her inability to argue.