4 - Misunderstandings Happen to Everyone, Right?
EVEN after we finished teleporting, our surroundings didn’t look any different. I guess all the rooms housing teleportation circles were pretty minimalistic.
“A little bit further ahead, there’s a place with a great view,” the commander-in-chief urged us forward with an almost mischievous grin.
I was fond of beautiful views, so I eagerly followed along.
Before long…
“No way! Absolutely not!”
I was in fierce agreement with Marie’s opinion.
On one side, a cliff dropped off suddenly in a straight vertical plummet. There wasn’t any hint of an incline, just a flat wall like you might expect to see in a rock-climbing gym. There was a tiny ledge fortified with magic to create a path to walk along. The path was wide enough that people walking in opposite directions could theoretically pass by one another, but if you did fall, it would be like going wireless bungee-jumping; you wouldn’t tumble down; it would be a straight free-fall.
The scenery is beautiful, but I don’t have the peace of mind to enjoy the scenery in a situation like this! Why didn’t they install a fence?! Would it kill them to at least set up a guardrail?! There are no safety precautions at all! If there was ever a time for a lifesaving rope, this is it!
“Are you okay, Daux?” I asked.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m a little nervous, but…”
Dang, he’s got nerves of steel! Although, he’s still a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to social interaction… Maybe he’s more suited for the military arts than diplomacy, after all?
“Marie, would you prefer to be carried by Paul or Shinki?” I asked.
“Why do I have to be carried?! I can’t think of anything I would like less than being even further off the ground in a place like this!”
Calm down, Marie! Being carried is the safest option!
I was doing my best to calm Marie down when Paul unexpectedly knelt down in front of her.
“If you’re frightened of being carried, how about I hold your hand?” he suggested, holding out a hand towards her. Doing her best not to look at the scenery around us, Marie gripped Paul’s hand for dear life. “I swear I will protect you, so please don’t worry.”
Even though I’d been the one to ask him to do so, it felt weird to see my servant so earnestly serving another lady. All of our servants seem to place the Osphe family before God himself in the ranking of who they most respect!
“What will you do, Miss Neema?” Shinki asked.
“I want to be carried, of course!”
There was no way Shinki would ever drop me, and even if he somehow fell, I had a feeling he’d save us one way or another. He could always get the elemental spirits to help him, after all.
Safe in Shinki’s arms, I returned my attention to appreciating the scenery, and it was gorgeous. The view from the northern mountain where Sol lived had been beautiful as well, but that mountain was covered in year-round snow that made the scenery seem rather desolate.
I suppose this wasn’t entirely dissimilar. It was a sheer cliff boasting only the barest dusting of greenery. Something about it seemed to forbid the intrusion of humans or any living creatures. Although, I suppose most places described as “scenic” only got that title because they’d maintained their natural state due to a lack of human interference.
Marie desperately clung onto Paul’s entire arm while Daux shuffled forward a bit stiffly, staring almost recklessly down the entire time.
Even the members of the private guard were walking as close to the wall of the path as possible. Only the commander-in-chief seemed entirely unbothered, strolling along with an unperturbed gait.
Does the way his tail is waving leisurely back and forth prove just how relaxed he is? Maybe his feline blood is responsible for him being so unfazed in this situation? But even if he likes heights, it’s not as if he can climb a sheer cliff!
In the end, we all made it to flat land without anyone getting an impromptu wireless bungee jumping experience. The flat land also appeared to have been created using magic and was large enough to house a small village.
“These are temporary dwellings for the Dragon Corps soldiers.” The commander-in-chief explained that the Dragon Corps soldiers lived here while on duty.
In general, the Dragon Corps soldiers didn’t work typical 9-5 shifts. Instead, the three troops each took turns being stationed here, working and training for two days at a time. Of course, they didn’t work for 48 hours straight. Just like the foot soldiers, they alternated their work time between patrolling, practice, and rest.
Once their two days on duty were up, they would spend the next day doing various tasks at the army headquarters, followed by two days off before starting the cycle over.
Thanks for your hard work, gentlemen! Oh, wait, can I say that? It kind of makes it sound like they’re working for me, or I’m talking down to them or something…
Maybe it’s okay because I’m an aristocrat, so my rank is technically higher? Hmm, but considering I’m an aristocrat from a foreign country, it’s probably better I don’t say it, just to be safe.
Since the commander-in-chief seemed to not mind in the slightest answering all of my questions, no matter how asinine, I went ahead and asked one more. “I remember hearing that the wyverns’ barracks are close to the army headquarters; is that true?”
“Yes, they’re surprisingly not far.”
Saying that you couldn’t see it from here, he led us into a narrow tunnel that seemed to have been carved from a naturally occurring crevice in the cliff wall. Once we exited the tunnel, our line of sight opened up dramatically, revealing the wyverns.