"Is there no one riding a dragon here?"
Vir just grinned. That little girl is like a big boss, he thought. She's sitting pretty on the cart and I'm the one who has to pull the damn cart, damn it!
They had come down from the high cliff and were now passing through a very fertile valley between beautiful hills.
Aira looked at several points. And indeed, she did not see a single dragon in the sky.
"That's the only thing they can't get."
"Why?" asked the nine-year-old girl, again. "You said they live without rules. That means freedom to do things, right?"
"I don't know!" replied Vir. "Maybe if they do that, the Central Empire will destroy them."
"You think so?"
Vir shrugged his shoulders. "So far, only people who want to become riders have the privilege of riding dragons. At least, this was enforced by the al-Banix after they destroyed the four great lands. So yeah, I think so."
"You said they were outcasts, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Isn't this sort of weird?"
Vir glanced back with a frown. "Oh, you!" he said and then chuckled. "You're still a kid but your curiosity is much bigger than your body."
"I'm curious about everything in this world."
"God..." Vir chuckled and continued pulling his cart. "You know, someday, that great curiosity of yours might kill you."
"Maybe," the little girl replied. "But that won't deter my curiosity."
"Oh, whatever!" Vir shook his head. "What do you think exactly?"
"I don't understand what you're asking!"
"Oh, you're really annoying!" Vir took a deep breath. "About that weird thing, you said earlier, you little brat!"
Aira smiled faintly. "Oh..."
"Just oh?" Vir glanced back again and pointed at Aira. "You're so happy, huh? You're happy to make my head spin!"
"I mean about their existence."
"What's so strange about that?"
"There's no way the Eastern Kingdom wouldn't know about them, right?" said Aira.
"So what?"
"If they're as evil as you described them to me earlier," the little girl replied. "Shouldn't the Eastern Kingdom do something about them?"
"I don't think that will ever happen."
"Why?" asked Aira, again. "It's possible that one day they'll cause great harm to the Eastern Kingdom, right?"
"I told you that won't happen," replied Vir, again. "First of all, they're rude people indeed, but they wouldn't dare bother the kingdom's people because every kingdom is protected by the Central Empire. And the last thing you should know is that the people in the Outcast Village often supply certain goods to certain people. Usually, those who come from the nobility or the royal people."
Aira let out a deep breath. "Some kind of dark goods provider, is that it?"
"Yeah!" Vir replied. "You could say that."
Well, it was quite understandable why the existence of those rough and outcast people was not bothered by the people of the Eastern Kingdom, nor by the Central Empire. At least, this was what Aira believed now.
Vir pulled his cart along a dirt road, beside a large river that was so clean, it seemed to promise abundant life within the river itself.
"I'd like to replenish our drinking water supply first."
The man grabbed two water bags from his cart and approached the riverbank.
Aira got off the cart, approached Vir, squatted on the bank, and washed her face and hair.
"This river is so clean," the little girl murmured. "The water feels cool and very fresh."
Vir smiled in response to the little girl. "This stream comes from that hill over there!" He pointed to one hill that was bigger than the others, to the east. "There's a big waterfall over there."
"I see, huh?"
The man frowned as he found the little girl sighing sadly.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Maybe you're right," Aira replied. "Those people... Though the nature around these hills and valleys is very fertile, they have chosen other things to live their lives. They have done badly, have been harsh to themselves."
Vir took a deep breath and cast his gaze across the river. There was a meadow that was not very large, but he could see several creatures grazing peacefully. Even the birds were flying back and forth happily.
"You can't force things on people, Aira," he said. "Even if what you're forcing is something good, something right, but still, you can't. People have different ideas, different thoughts. think differently from you. Finding a quick way to accumulate wealth is everyone's choice. And it's all to satisfy their own stomachs and crotches."
Well, that sounds both pathetic and disgusting, thought the little girl.
And Vir, sometimes he thought that Aira was much more mature than she looked. It was as if there was one very wise and very old soul trapped inside the body of a nine-year-old girl.
Was this the nature of all Asurry people?
Vir could only guess with his long breaths.
"Never mind," he said as he stood up with two full water bags. "Let us continue."
Aira gave a small nod. Her beautiful face looked brighter after being washed with the river water.
Just as the little girl was about to climb back into the cart, they were suddenly startled by the sound of a woman's long scream, and then the shouts of several men.
Vir and Aira looked at each other.
"Do we have to—"
"No!" said Vir.
"But, Vir," Aira replied with a worried face. "That woman might need your help badly!"
"Did you forget what I said?" said Vir. "You can't trust anyone and anything in this area. It's for your own life, Aira. For once, please listen to me. You got me?"
Although the little girl's mind was not at ease, there was no way she could ignore the man's words. After all, Vir knew more about this area than she did.
"Get on!" said Vir while the screaming and shouting continued.
Aira climbed onto the cart and Vir placed two water bags beside her before he pulled the cart back.
The more they moved forward, the more clearly they heard the screams and cries for help.
Despite being very worried, Aira remained silent as Vir was not moved to do anything.
Until they heard an unusually high screeching sound, followed by a burst of fire, a dozen meters ahead of them. However, they could not see what was happening because they were blocked by tall mounds of earth and thick trees.
"Vir?"
Vir looked at Aira. "Oh, alright, alright!" he said as he pulled the cart faster. "You little brat, you're giving me a hard time!"
After a dozen meters and a left turn over a mound of earth, Vir and Aira saw for themselves what was happening there.
"Red Eyes!" Aira choked up.
Vir became nervous for a moment. He had heard of that type of dragon but this was his first time seeing the creature in person.
Over there, a pair of legless and wingless dragons were on the rampage, tearing through a group of people. Several people had fallen with most of them in a disjointed state.
The river water surged violently with the movements of the two rampaging dragons, even the one with a man in its deadly jaws.
"What should I do?" said Vir, keeping his eyes on the scene ahead. "I don't have my harpoon-throwing weapon anymore!"
"It's not usual for that kind of regulus to attack humans," Aira said. "Oh my God... What happened?"
"What are you talking about, huh?" Vir winced and snorted. "Didn't you just ask me to hurry up and here we are! Say something!"
The few remaining people ran for their lives, saving themselves by galloping in several directions, or hiding behind boulders in a state of trembling fear.
Then the pair of fiery red-eyed dragons with bodies the size of coconut trees both fell silent, their heads equally pointed at Vir and Aira.
"Oh, shit!" Vir muttered and immediately drew his black dagger. "No, no. Don't come here, you damn dragons!"