Chapter 101:
Sweet-Potato Tart, Once More
THE YOUNG PRIEST Gustavo had only recently come of age, yet here he was, soaring through the sky.
The higher he ascended, the thinner the air got, making him gasp a little for breath. The cliff in front of him seemed to rise upward forever; the blue sky peppered with white clouds spread beyond the horizon.
Given the changing season, the mountain air was even colder than usual. Every breath Gustavo took was chilly enough to sap his stamina; he thought he might freeze. He directed his blurry vision to the man flying before him. I-Is Father unaffected?
Gustavo’s father Antonio—a veteran priest of the Lord of Gold—zipped through the sky on larger, more powerful wings. Flying made a mess of his religious robes, revealing holy patterns etched onto his powerful, rock-like body with golden dust.
Gustavo thought humanity was one of the weakest races to worship the great gods, yet he’d wanted to be like the man before him since his childhood. Antonio had fought the Lord of Red’s and the Lord of Green’s followers numerous times. He’d even held off a great priest capable of transforming into a dragon; he was the embodiment of courage.
“You’ve finally learned to fly, eh?” Antonio had said. “Then let me take you somewhere special.”
And so, Gustavo was following his father up the steepest cliff visible from their house. He’d trained hard throughout the winter, finally learning to use dragon wings, but he’d doubted his own ears when Antonio told him they’d soar all the way up here. Dragon wings let them fly long distances, but scaling this specific cliff required quite a bit of training.
I-I can’t go any higher, Gustavo thought.
The fact that he couldn’t see the clifftop, and the headache coming on out of thin air, weakened the flapping of his wings. Just as he was about to give up and set his feet down on the cliffside, Antonio’s large hand grabbed one of Gustavo’s muscular arms.
“We’re close to the top,” Antonio told him. “Make sure you can get up here yourself next time.” With those words, he gripped his son’s arm and beat his wings, pulling Gustavo upward.
“Wh-whoa!” Gustavo couldn’t help but cry out; he felt as though Antonio might dislocate his shoulder. Just as he glimpsed something black, the cliff above him vanished, revealing the blue sky beyond.
“We’re here,” Antonio said.
W-we made it? Just as the thought crossed Gustavo’s mind, his father let him go, and he landed on a wide shelf on the cliff.
“Ah,” said Gustavo. “This is incredible!” They’d flown up past the clouds, so he only saw endless blue, and it made him gulp. Gustavo had just gained wings, and he was now looking at something he’d never seen in his entire life. He turned to speak to his father.
“Hmph. What’re you doing? Hurry and tidy yourself up.” Unlike his son, who was transfixed by the sky, Antonio had folded his wings, anticipating their destination.
“You mean fix my clothes? What’re… Huh?” Full of questions, Gustavo noticed something—an out-of-place black door on the cliffside behind Antonio. “Father, why’s there a door…?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m taking you somewhere special to celebrate your new wings. It’s a wonderful place.” Antonio nodded and revealed the unbelievable truth to his son. “This is the door to an otherworldly eatery.”