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"This place really is...." Uttered Naell as his gaze was filled with amazement.
Evening came by the time they were done. It was a truly busy day as all of them inspected and assisted in pruning the forest.
As he explained the importance of keeping the forest well-kempt, both the tribe and the knights of Taglagas promised they would manage it.
The knights even reported it immediately to the kingdom especially when Naell said, "Remember, one would only need fire, a source of ignition- which is plenty out here- and oxy— I mean uhmm air to cause a wildfire."
"Who would have thought air was a component as well huh." Said Kent casually.
Naell could only smile awkwardly and nod. It was not his intention to provide more info about the words he had said. He was lazy afterall.
Further, since the source of "heat" was nowhere to be seen, Naell and Owly would still need to investigate further.
And since there were no reports of wildfires, the day seemed to end with a joyful Naell.
With the escorting knights of Taglagas returning to their post, Kent Freide invited Naell and Owly to the tribes of Pegasus which they both wholeheartedly accepted.
Regardless of how lazy he was, Naell was also an adventurer, and with that, he was really curious about the place that Owly often boasted about.
Even Andrew and the rest of the protagonist party often spoke of the beauty of the winged tribe's dwelling.
Much to Naell's expectations, what beheld his sight was utterly stunning. Like Lagupa, the trees in the tribe of Pegasus extended high up into the air.
It was filled with bustling green leaves and trunks that were as thick as one needed for a half-aerial village to be safely hoisted up.
Additionally, the trees appeared even more majestic as it had flowers that bloomed an ethereal pink, much like cherry blossoms.
Yet unlike the known sakura trees on earth, the flora in front of them donned glowing peach petals.
However, what was more eye-catching was how even when the sun was down, the lights shone still; yet it was not too bright for those who wished to sleep, and not too dim for the energetic winged-tribe kids running about the place.
"Welcome to our humble abode, Naell, and welcome back Owly." Said Kent with hints of joy in his voice, as he grinned.
Even the two haughty winged-tribe guards that were with them were brimming. Seeing Naell's reaction only made them happy, they afterall pride themselves on how charming their city was.
Unlike the populated cities, that place had clean air permeating the area. It might have been one of the reasons why the aura and mana of such a place were as pure as they could be, giving all the living things like plants and flowers a healthy environment to live in.
Rivers were situated nearby the waterfall not too far from the forest, its mountainous bedrock also acted as a wall.
And as they walked further into the village, Naell could not help but be in more awe of their culturally-rich ambiance.
Sculptures and paintings of the legendary Pegasus, their direct ancestors, and what seemed to be the guardians of old were neatly placed within the center of the village.
Just by that alone, Naell understood why Athena was close to the secluded tribe. It was not just by chance, but also because of a deep connection that was rooted way back.
Nevertheless, what truly left him speechless was their architecture; most houses were nested atop the thick branches of trees, resembling tree houses, yet much bigger.
There were also hanging bridges made of vines and wood, with clear evidence of magic making the foundation as strong as it could be.
"We are here." Said Kent as he looked above.
Unlike the rest of the nest, the chieftain's home was clearly more lavish, decorated with exquisite fabric made of wool.
The tree was also clearly different from the rest, having a more profound dark color, resembling Naell's wand.
"Is this a dark elven tree?" With Naell's question, Kent and the other two winged-tribes grew wide-eyed.
For one, elven trees were so rare that even in the Kingdom of Elves, Awdita only had a handful of them. Although rumor has it that the Land of Faeries had this kind of tree propagating as far as the eyes could see.
"Yes, Naell, I'm surprised you know." Replied Kent who got even more surprised upon seeing Naell's staff as he [ poof ] it out.
"It reminded me of my staff. They look similar even from a distance"
"...Where did you get this?" Still in shock, asked Kent.
He briefly explained that it was a gift from his sensei. He then thought, 'I better ask my teacher where he got the materials.'
Naell actually just learned recently how expensive his staff was. Considering his schools had nobles, famed adventurers, and teachers, he rarely saw elven wood regardless of how he anticipated its prevalence.
This is why when he asked Lesjon about it, his cousin smirked and lectured him on how expensive his staff was. Especially since it had intricate inscriptions that only high-grade weapons have. It would have been safe to say that it was made by a mysterious expert.
'You're quite naive, cousin.'
"I guess he was right." Uttered Naell to which Kent and others looked at him confused.
Naell then immediately stammered and corrected himself, "Ahh- it's nothing, you have a nice climate here Ha...haha."
This brought awkwardness, yet since Owly was used to it, he managed to salvage the atmosphere, "Not much has changed, this place is still so beautiful, HOOT!"
"HAHAHA, of course! Now Owly, why don't we head up and test your flying." Kent said as he stretched his wings almost tauntingly.
In return, Owly's small eyebrow-like feathers went up and down smugly in agreement.
The two winged tribesmen that accompanied them then bowed their heads and went away. Soon thereafter and with a HOOT, Kent and Owly took off, leaving dust and racing to the bridge high above them.
As the small bird further accelerated, flapping his wings so strongly that it pierced through the air, his dark talons triumphantly got a hold of the thick magic coated rope first.
He HOOTed as he won the race, and from behind him, Kent could only clap to see the young owl's improvement, although he was taken aback.
"To think you would be this fat- fast now."
"Hahaha, I could be faster, ask Naell, HOOT!"
"Ah yes, Naell-"
Yet when they turned around upon mentioning their companion's name, they no longer saw anyone as they were several feet up in the air. It was only then they remembered, Naell had no wings to flap whatsoever.
It would have been possible for martial artists to leap with their aura, or perhaps even climb a tree with pure upper body strength, yet for mages who rely on magic, they could only go as far as what levitation magic could offer.
"Ah wait I'll go fetch him." Apologetically said Kent as of course it would have been his duty to bring Naell up.
Yet as he was about to go down, he saw the silvered-haired young man with red chilly eyes gaze back at him, mana and pure air swirling around his body.
Kent did recognize Naell as he was unmistakable as anyone else, however, the manner in which the young master of Beryldot went up, almost made him question who was before him.