"Alright, we've arrived at the Central Ruins, but… where are we supposed to meet?"
"The meeting place is at the central site of the royal castle. But first, I'd like to stop by somewhere. Is that okay?"
Once, grand gates stood tall here, but all that remains now are the decaying remnants. The Central Ruins stretch far and wide, so I intended to ask Ava about the meeting point, but she seems eager to visit another location.
"I don't mind, but… aren't the monsters that appear in the Central Ruins quite formidable?"
"According to the information from the Thieves' Guild, the monsters that appear in the Central Ruins are at least Class C... but that's old news."
I asked Trinity about the monster situation in the Central Ruins, but it's true that it hardly matters now. With the incredibly powerful Ava on our side, and after navigating through a wasteland filled with Class C monsters, the valley of flying Drakes with Class B monsters, and past the nests of Class A dragons, encountering a Class C monster feels trivial.
"Well, as long as we stay alert, we should be fine. So, Ava, where do you want to go?"
"Um, I think it was this way..."
As she spoke, Ava guided the Drake into the ruins. We moved westward from the remnants of the southern gate. This area seemed to have been a residential district, with some houses in ruins and others still intact enough to offer shelter from the rain.
Along the way, we encountered a few monsters like large slimes and skeletons wandering through the ruins. Ava's magic and my sword made quick work of them.
"Ah, there it is! Over there... Wait? Be careful, something's nearby!"
As Ava spotted our destination, her sensing abilities picked up something. We carefully dismounted the Drake and tried to suppress our presence as we approached to investigate.
As we walked, the scenery around us suddenly changed. Before us stood a house, remarkably intact amidst a number of decayed structures, and in front of it loomed a gigantic creature—the dragon we had seen multiple times over the past few days. Its scales gleamed in a rare and stunning silver, unlike any other dragon we had encountered.
This silver dragon, surprisingly charming, curled its enormous body, about ten meters long, and lay in a deep sleep in front of the house. Nevertheless, it was still a dragon, and provoking it could lead to disastrous consequences. Glancing at Ava, I found her in a daze, exposed to the dragon.
"Ava! Hide, hide!" I urged, trying to pull her back, but the silver dragon seemed to sense her presence and lifted its head, gazing at us intently.
What was happening? Were we about to engage in battle? But instead of attacking, Ava and the silver dragon locked eyes, neither of them moving an inch.
"No way… could it be you, Snow?"
"Grrruuu," the dragon responded.
Hearing Ava's soft whisper, the silver dragon lowered its snout, sniffing the air. Then, as if recognizing something, it nuzzled against Ava affectionately.
"I see... you've been through a lot too, haven't you?" Ava murmured, gently stroking the dragon's head while examining the scars on its scales.
Upon closer inspection, the silver scales were marked with numerous small scars. They told the tale of this silver Drake's storied battles.
"Wait... a silver dragon named Snow? Could it be the mount of the priestess goddess, Snow?!" Trinity gasped, wide-eyed, as she turned to Ava and the others. The name of the priestess goddess Fenris kept coming up everywhere.
"So, does this mean this silver Drake is a legendary mount?"
"Of course! It's the elusive, mythical white silver mount that vanished after the priestess goddess was invited to the realm of the gods!"
How did the phantom of a legendary mount end up right in front of us? And if it wasn't going to attack, was there really any reason to be on guard? The white silver mount, Snow, began to lean closer to me, as if intrigued by our presence.
"Cluuuhhhrrr!"
It sniffed around like Ava, and then suddenly let out a joyful cry, showering me with affectionate licks.
"Whoa! What the?! All of a sudden?!"
"Hehe, looks like Snow has taken a liking to you," Ava said, chuckling.
Wait, is this what it means to be liked? Ava watched us with a delighted smile.
"...So, does this mean I've somehow acquired a legendary mount or something?"
I realized that we could use Snow as our Riding Drake, thanks to Trinity's words. Having Snow with us would significantly shorten the time needed to conquer the Angel Quest. Normally, wild dragons don't easily bond with humans. To train a Riding Drake, you have either to raise it from a Whelp or display your strength to subdue it. Moreover, this is Fenris, the Priestess Goddess, who commanded this Riding Drake. Taming it wouldn't be easy. Yet, for some reason, Snow is quite fond of me. It shouldn't present any issues in using him as our Riding Drake, aside from the potential divine punishment from Fenris.
"Hey, Snow. Can you carry us around the world?"
"Grawr!"
It seems Snow was willing, responding cheerfully. This would certainly cut down our travel time significantly.
"By the way, what was Snow doing here?"
While I was pleased to have a new companion, that question suddenly popped into my mind. What had this striking silver Drake been doing in these crumbling ruins? Surely, there must have been some rumors about such an eye-catching creature being here.
"Probably, he was guarding this place.
This house... it belonged to the Priestess Goddess Fenris and her companions."
"Huh? Is this the house where Fenris lived?
...So, Snow was guarding the home of its former master.
"And believe it or not, this little one can use magic.
It's a light attribute spell called Lux Mirage—it's a magic that projects illusions around it. It seems this spell was used to hide this place."
"I see, so the scenery changed earlier because we entered the illusion."
"W-wait... a dragon using magic? This is impressive, considering it's a priestess's Drake."
Trinity was astonished that Snow could use magic, but it wasn't all that surprising—after all, the ancient Drake of the 'Apostles of the Beginning' had used healing magic.
Actually, you had seen the 'Apostles of the Beginning' using magic too, hadn't you?
Snow rubbed its face against me and turned to look at its back.
Huh? Are you telling me to get on?
"Ava, it seems Snow wants us to ride it. How about we take a leisurely flight?"
"Sounds good! Without a saddle, we won't be going fast, but we can manage a slow cruise."
Given Snow's size, four or five of us could easily fit.
We climbed onto Snow's back and took to the skies.
"Growwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!—"
Our eyes were captivated by the breathtaking view below.
To the north loomed snowy mountains, to the east stretched vast plains with the sea beyond, to the south lay the Source Forest and distant volcanoes, while endless grasslands appeared to the west.
"Wow... what is this view? It's a completely different kind of natural scenery compared to the forest of skyscrapers in the city... amazing!"
"It's incredible... definitely a sight we rarely get to see in our world."
"You guys really seem unfazed. I'm a bundle of nerves wondering when I'm going to fall off!"
It seemed like only Ava and I were enjoying the surroundings. Trinity, on the other hand, clung desperately to Snow's back, clearly not in a position to appreciate the view.
As we circled above the ruins and descended, I noticed a battle taking place in the plaza of the southern area of the ruins.
One monster, about four meters tall, caught my eye. It was a grotesque creature, a round mass of flesh adorned with eight spider-like legs in black and yellow stripes. Dozens of tentacles sprouted from the top, while a vertically split eye and a wide, gaping mouth marred the center of the monstrosity.
Three adventurers faced this nightmarish foe: a swordsman, two wizards, and a priestess. However, one of the wizards was entangled by the monster's tentacles, while the other two were being tossed around by its attacks. It was clear they were struggling.
"I'm going in to help," I declared, steering Snow toward the plaza, but I was immediately met with protest from Trinity.
"Wait, why are you helping? That monster looks like something straight out of a nightmare!"
"We have no reason to help them," I said.
"What? So Trinity has no intention of helping? Looks like you were just trying to trap us after all," I shot back.
"Guh..."
Trinity glared at me, her face twisted in frustration.
Still, I understood her point. While saving lives is indeed a virtue, acts done without any conditions or rewards often leave behind a sense of distortion. If you don't set some boundaries for yourself, you'll eventually reach a breaking point.
"But there is a benefit to this. What we lack right now is combat experience. Not just against weaklings, but against monsters with real strength. That monster over there could be just the right challenge. It looks grotesque, but it likely possesses a decent level of power, don't you think? Helping people can be an afterthought."
Aside from Ava, Trinity and I were lacking battle experience against boss-level or mid-boss-level monsters. For the upcoming Angel Quest, each of us needed to be adequately strong. That's why we had to gain as much combat experience as possible.
"Alright, I get it. But just so you know, if things get dangerous, I'm out of here!"
"That's perfectly fine. Running away is a legitimate tactic too. Snow, head down to that plaza."
Following my command, Snow dove swiftly toward the plaza.
At that moment, the tentacles of the amorphous monster reached out to ensnare the warrior-like man. He struggled to evade the swiftly advancing appendages. I leaped off Snow's back just as I got close to the ground, drawing my sword in mid-air and slicing through the tentacle that was aiming for the man as I landed.
"Hey, you alright?" I called to the warrior, but as relief washed over his face, he turned and bolted away.
Beside me, the monk-like woman who had been with him was also fleeing, her back turned to the danger.
"...Wait? Is he running away? Leaving his companions behind?"
"That's a typical reaction. He used us as bait to save himself," Snow replied. She touched down gracefully, while Ava and Trinity dismounted and positioned themselves beside me, weapons ready.
"No way. I can understand fleeing, but abandoning your allies? That's just wrong," I said.
"Is life in this world really so cheap?"
"Maybe Suzanne's world is more fortunate," she mused.
"P-please help me!" cried the remaining wizard-like man, desperately stabbing at the tentacle that held him. But each wound he inflicted healed almost instantaneously, making escape seem impossible.
Come to think of it, the tentacle I had severed earlier had regenerated almost instantly as well.
As we moved to aid the trapped wizard, the amorphous monster ignored us entirely, instead dragging the captured man toward its grotesque, gaping maw.
With a sickening crunch, the creature tore into its victim, loudly snapping flesh and bone. "Ugh..." I swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes away from the grisly scene. It began by ripping apart the upper half, then shoved the remaining lower half into its mouth to chew with repugnant satisfaction. Watching a person being devoured like this was haunting, especially knowing that if I had moved a moment sooner, I might have saved them.
The grotesque monstrosity, now full from its meal, turned its gaping, slit eyes towards us, locking onto its next prey.
"Stay alert, both of you. The monster has set its sights on us!" Ava warned, her voice urgent. Gripping my blade, the Unicorn, I steeled myself to confront the beast, but Trinity was trembling uncontrollably, unable to prepare her weapon.