The mountain range at the border between the kingdom of Kanaria and the Holy Monarchy was known as the Lemme Mountains, and it stretched the length of the border to both the east and west. If the orcs had a base somewhere in that area, I suspected it would most likely be within those mountains. There was a stronghold belonging to the kingdom in the Lemme Mountains, but it was mainly just there to make sure the roads stayed safe and was more like a checkpoint on the road. Therefore, it would be a tall order to dispatch those soldiers to Merte, since it was so far away from the main road. Especially since the orcs still had yet to attack or even show themselves at the moment.
“So that’s why I decided to see if I could spot the orcs’ base from the sky.”
“I understand that much, but why do I have to go with you?”
The day after Iria and I had met each other once again in Merte, I’d told her I wanted her to ride Claimh Soras with me and scout out the mountain range. She’d immediately scowled. If she was riding my wyvern, she’d have to either sit behind me and cling to my back or sit in front of me and be clung to. And Iria had probably thought she’d rather die than do either. She didn’t say so out loud, of course, but that was likely because her mother, siblings, and fellow villagers were nearby. She didn’t want to openly disparage the village’s savior in front of them.
If my efforts to spread potions and holy water all over the village are keeping her from mouthing off, that alone made the work worth it, I thought with a smirk. Then I answered her question politely. “Even from the sky, there’s only so much a single pair of eyes can spot. Don’t they always say two heads are better than one? Plus, I’m not as familiar with the region as you are. I needed someone who can guide me.” And while a regular guide with no combat ability would just become a burden in the event of a battle, there would be no need to worry with a Rank 6 adventurer.
My reasoning was perfectly logical. Anyone who’d been around to hear it would have accepted it. And indeed, Iria also nodded, albeit reluctantly. “In that case, I’ll go.”
“I appreciate your willingness to cooperate,” I replied. Meanwhile, the three children were all watching our conversation, looking jealous.
“No fair, Iria! I wanna ride the dragon too!”
“Me too!”
“Me three!”
They all raised their hands, expressing their desire to ride. I glanced over at Sela expectantly, but I suppose even she wouldn’t raise her hand and say “Me four!” in front of all the villagers. Kind of a shame.
I shooed the children back over to Sela. “Hey, now, it’ll be dangerous if you get too close. We didn’t come here to play, you know.”
The kids looked dissatisfied, but some gentle but firm chiding from Sela brought them in line. Seeing that they were at a safe distance, I approached Claimh Soras. The indigo wyvern was waiting there with its long neck on the ground to make it easier for me to get on and ride. Given how happily it was chirping, it seemed eager to fly with me on board.
“Ready, Iria? Just for reference, I’ll ask—would you rather ride behind me or in front of me?”
As though realizing exactly what I meant by that question, Iria responded harshly. “Behind you, of course!”
“Roger that. In that case, be sure to hold on to me tight. Wouldn’t want you to fall off and hit the ground headfirst or anything.”
With that statement doubling as a warning and a threat, I mounted the wyvern and sat down on the saddle. Iria sat down behind me, but perhaps she was still being a little stubborn, because she didn’t wrap her arms around me.
Well, no matter. Once we’re in the air, she’ll have no choice.
I grabbed the wyvern’s reins. “All right, Claimh Soras, time to fly!” I declared. In response, the wyvern’s wings spread out majestically, and it lifted off the ground surprisingly easily for such a large, scaled creature. That was because it wasn’t just staying afloat with the power of its wings—it was using mana to support itself as well. Claimh Soras and I had been training specially to fly using its mana, and we could now fly directly up off the ground without even needing a takeoff run.
The wyvern climbed higher and higher into the air. While in the saddle, I felt an uncomfortable sensation crawl up my back. It was a feeling that only those who rode Claimh Soras could experience, a curious sensation similar to weightlessness or surfacing from underwater. Of course, this was Iria’s first time experiencing it, and just as I’d expected, I heard a muffled scream come from behind me. Immediately afterward, her arms twined around me as though desperately searching for something to hold on to. Perhaps unconsciously, she squeezed me, and I could feel her soft yet toned warrior priestess body against my back. Because of her leather armor I didn’t get to feel her chest against me, though, which was a little disappointing.
Claimh Soras craned its neck around to look at me and blinked its round eyes as if to say, “Did I mess up?” It must have heard Iria’s scream or perhaps sensed her fear.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s fine,” I told the creature, petting its head. Realizing I wasn’t upset, Claimh Soras turned its neck forward again and spread its wings out as though relieved. To the wyvern, as long as I wasn’t in distress, it was fine. It couldn’t care less about how Iria felt.
As the indigo wyvern made its way through the skies, the bird’s-eye view of Merte behind us grew more and more distant. I could see the swiftly flowing Kale River to our left and Kanaria’s various plains and forests to our right. And ahead, I could just make out the vivid green of the Lemme mountain range. Beyond those mountains lay Caritas, the Holy Monarchy, where various temples and shrines were built to worship deities like the God of Law and Order, the Earth Mother, the God of War, and so on. It was literally a holy land, and I’d heard the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters was there as well...but none of that was important at the moment. For now, it was time to focus on searching for those orcs.
Numerous mountains made up the Lemme mountain range, but none of them were especially tall. They could all be easily scaled on foot, so it wasn’t like I needed a wyvern to reach the top. But that also meant that monsters, apparitions, and the like could easily cross the mountains as well. For the time being, I’d decided to pick a mountain to search at random, hover over it, and examine the area below for any signs of orcs. Once I’d made my selection, I heard Iria’s astonished voice behind me.
“A-Amazing... I can’t even see the village anymore!”
Perhaps I should have expected it from someone like her, but it seemed she’d already gotten used to being high up in the air enough to look down at the scenery below. That said, her arms were still tight around my body, so she hadn’t calmed down completely. Good. I’d only made her come along to tease her in the first place, so it would’ve been a shame if she’d regained her composure so soon. In fact, I even considered making the wyvern do a somersault just to shake her up even more, but I couldn’t have her get too upset with me or it would defeat the purpose. I wasn’t going to suck up to her by any means, but if my little pranks ever crossed the boundaries of logic and reason, I might end up with a problem on my hands. So for the moment, at least, I had to satisfy myself with just having her hold on to me for dear life.
Those thoughts ran through my mind as I pulled the wyvern’s reins to slow its speed.