Chapter 138: Air Travel

n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chapter 138: Air Travel

They had traveled along the valley for a few hours when―

「Everyone, please be careful!」

Ciel cautioned everyone while pointing at the sky. Aria and co. readied themselves as they curiously looked at the sky. Three giant bird-like monsters were flying above them.

「Ciel-sama, what are those?」

「They are carnivorous, pterosaur-type monsters called 〝Ptero?!」

The moment Ciel replied to Aria’s question, the monsters, the Pteros, nosedived toward them. It seemed they wanted to eat Aria and co. Aria and co. got ready to welcome the sweeping attack of the Pteros.

A Ptero’s sure kill strike was attacking its prey with sharp claws while using the momentum of its nosedive.

Aria and co. side-stepped to avoid the Pteros’ attacks.

When the Pteros saw that their sure-kill attacks had missed their targets, they tried to ascend to the sky again.

「Ciel-sama, can you tame these monsters?」

「Uhm… It’s possible, but is there any merit in taming them? They are flying creatures. We can’t get on them.」

Ciel replied to Aria’s question with a puzzled look on her face.

Even if they somehow tamed those Pteros, they had to consider the problems like atmospheric pressure and wind resistance. Riding on the backs of these Pteros at high altitudes was pretty much impossible.

However, Ciel suddenly recalled something as she looked at Aria.

「Interesting! Let’s tame these Pteros. Everyone, please make sure to not kill them.」

「Since that’s the case, leave it to May!」

May cheerfully raised her hand upon hearing Ciel’s instruction.

The Pteros commenced their nosedive strike once again.

「Take this! 《Black Bullet》!」

May fired her darkness skill toward the flying monsters. The jet-black bullets rushed toward the Pteros.

『GAGYA!?』

The Pteros lost their balance as the black bullets knocked them.

And the attack had yet to end.

Due to the special characteristic of the darkness magic skill—it could rob the vitality of its target—the Pteros became too weak to flap their wings and fell.

「Good job, May!」

Ciel gave a thumbs up to May.

She then closed in toward the fallen Pteros and stabbed them with the tip of her 《Celcius Blade》.

『GUGA…』

The exhausted monsters had lost the strength to fly. They could only wait for their death.

However, Ciel took out a bottle of potion from her cleavage and sprinkled its contents on the Pteros.

Just like what had happened to the dinosaur-type monsters from before, the Pteros presented their heads to Ciel as if they were pledging their allegiance to her.

「Taming complete! Tama, it’s your turn!」

「Nya~n(Roger that, Master)!」

After replying to Aria with adorable cries, Tama invoked one of his inherent skills, 《Divine Protection of the Lion King》.

Thus, a golden light enveloped everyone.

「I see nyaow!」

Vulcan finally understood Aria’s plan. Tama’s 《Divine Protection of the Lion King》 raised all resistances of its target. Therefore, it could be used to reduce the atmospheric pressure and wind resistance when they would ride on the back of the Pteros.

「This is the first time I’m riding on a Ptero, but… let’s bring it on.」

Ciel got on the back of a Ptero as she spoke. Maybe because they had realized her intention, the Pteros lowered themselves so that the others could also climb on these monsters’ backs.

「Sounds fun to me!」

Stella rode behind Ciel with the look of a child who had just found a new toy. Everyone else also followed suit and sat on the Ptero’s backs.

And then—

「Hahahah! AWESOME~!」

「The experience of flying in the air is AWESOME~!」

Stella and Faeri frolicked non-stop when the Ptero sprung high to the sky.

The others, from their expressions, also enjoyed this experience.

This was the second time Aria was flying in the air; she had ridden on the back of Tama in his 3rd form in the battle against Vassago. However, the situation during that time hadn’t allowed her to enjoy the sensation of flying in the air. Thus, she was also enjoying this second experience.

「Fuu… at least, I’ve managed to get a grip of myself at the last moment.」

Cedric, who sat in front of May on the Ptero’s back, spoke with a wry smile on his face.

It seemed he had recovered a bit from the relapse of seeing Ciel’s naked skin in the morning.

After flying in the air for a while, Horo’s hamlet came into view.

There was a lake beside the hamlet, a lot of stone buildings, and a big mansion in the middle of the hamlet. Calling it a hamlet was an understatement. The place was big enough to be called a city.

「Everyone, prepare for landing.」

Ciel buckled her back as she informed everyone.

As if they understood their master’s intention, the Ptero started to descend very slowly.

Even though this was her first time riding the back of a flying monster, Ciel could still control them skillfully. It showed why she could become a hero.

Aria and co. followed her example, and their Pteros also slowly descended.

Everyone safely landed on the outskirts of the hamlet.

「It’s awesome!」

「It seems we can meowve more easily with these Pteros!」

Stella and Vulcan conversed with excited looks on their faces.

Tama had been stowed into Aria’s cleavage during the flight to prevent him from falling. He also safely landed.

「Let’s get going, everyone. We have to explain our situation to the 〝Patriarch? first.」

After storing the Pteros into the arc ball, Ciel spoke as she walked toward the village.

The other followed her.