Our carriage continued its path towards the Lower Jaw of the Red Dragon, one of the two natural passages that connected the southern and western regions of the Central Continent.
The landscape around began to change gradually, the green plains giving way to more rocky and deep terrains.
To avoid unnecessary risks, our route took a large detour to skirt the mountain range.
But there was one person in the group who thought this detour was unnecessary.
"We don't need to detour around these things. We have Rygar and Ghislaine with us; we could cut straight through those mountains!" declared Eris, crossing her arms and huffing in frustration.
I just observed the conversation while practicing my control of Barrier magic.
Her stubborn gaze was fixed on the huge winged creatures that lazily circled the mountain peaks along the way. The Red Dragons, despite their apparent calm, were known for their ferocity when provoked.
Ghislaine shook her head in disapproval.
"We couldn't, I already fought once against a single Wandering Red Dragon, before becoming a Sword Saint and, even though we were among six swordsmen, two of us died."
Her firm and non-negotiable voice made Eris frown.
"But Rygar could, if he were alone, right?!" insisted Eris, now seeking some validation for her idea.
Aisha, who was listening to the conversation from the side, immediately supported.
"Yes! The master could, isn't it?" she said with a sparkle of admiration in her eyes.
Ghislaine fell silent for a moment, pondering Eris's and Aisha's words. Then, she looked directly at me before giving her answer.
"Perhaps?" She seemed uncertain, which made everyone in the group turn their gaze towards me, waiting for my answer.
I took a deep breath and balanced my head as I thought.
"I couldn't. Even I would get tired fighting hordes of those monsters. It's not just a matter of strength, but also of wear and tear and numbers."
My answer made Eris puff out her cheeks, clearly unsatisfied.
Lilia, who had been silently listening to the conversation until then, interrupted.
"But didn't you fight the Blue Dragons of Milis when you were teleported from Fitoa?" Her voice was calm, but carried a touch of curiosity.
Ghislaine smiled slightly as she recalled the episode.
"That's why I say we couldn't." She looked at Lilia and then at the others.
"Eris and I wouldn't have survived a prolonged fight against the dragons, let alone have managed to get out of that cave if Rygar hadn't split the mountain in half."
Eris, now recalling the event, broke into a confident smile.
"That's right! Rygar saved us from the dragons, they all retreated when he used the roar magic!" she said with renewed enthusiasm.
Eidar, who until then had been just watching the conversation, spoke: "They say the Red Dragons are even stronger than the Blues. Even a single one is already classified as an S-Rank monster, and they always move in groups... That's kind of impossible to get past, right?"
He paused, and continued: "On the other hand, their flight ability isn't as good as that of the Blue Dragons. That could be an advantage... but it doesn't change the fact that they are dangerous enemies."
I crossed my arms, considering Eidar's words, before replying:
"Impossible it isn't, the Seven Great Powers should be capable. Maybe I could pass through, if I fled any combat and focused only on advancing, trusting in my magic, but it would still be an unnecessary risk. After all, that's why there are the Upper and Lower Jaws. Why take the risk of folly?"
My answer was rational, but Eris didn't like it.
She puffed out her cheeks again, this time without saying anything. She just crossed her arms and looked away, clearly annoyed.
I smiled and said carelessly.
"By the way, when we leave the mountains, I'll go back and capture a Red Dragon to take along."
Eidar's mouth opened in shock, Eris and Aisha seemed instantly excited, and Lilia just looked at the sky with an empty gaze.
Ghislaine also said with a smile, "Skoll is going to be jealous..."
Eidar said, "How do you plan to carry a Red Dragon around?! People already complain about Skoll! Did you know that the Red Dragons are symbols of disaster for all the nearby villages of the Mountain Range?!"
Rygar remained impassive, "Nothing you say will convince me! In the legends, Laplace tamed the King of the Red Dragons! Why couldn't I tame a normal dragon?"
Eidar looked at him with an empty look.
Rygar continued, "Besides, I've tested these Mad Dragon King's Sealing Chains several times, anything that gets trapped in here for two minutes can't use magic, which nullifies its flame breath, must be why they wanted to trap me with them."
He picked up the green-colored magical chains with a dragon carved along them, the treasure of the Kingdom of the Dragon King that he 'stole' after being ambushed.
"Besides, the sealing cannot be broken by physical force; in fact, I still haven't completely understood how it works, putting it to use will be good to discover more about them."
Eidar gave up arguing.
Eris said super excited, "That's right! Let's take one! Can I decide its name?!"
Rygar remembered the name of his adventuring group, 'Gods of Combat' and said, "Unfortunately I already decided the name..."
Aisha asked with sparkling eyes, "And what is it?"
Rygar fell silent.
Lilia and Eidar looked at him with a teasing smile. Until Rygar finally found an out.
"It's a secret until I capture it!"
Aisha looked at him with a suspicious look, but Eris didn't suspect anything... it almost seems like their ages are swapped... how is this little girl so cunning?
---
As we continued our journey, my mind began to wander to other matters. To a being who had not manifested for some time.
Hitogami.
He hadn't appeared recently, which was great in Rygar's opinion, he could make his decisions without being questioned several times if he was falling into some trap.
In fact, all his "advice" until now had been merely practical to guide me along a path I probably would have followed anyway, which intrigued me even more.
It was as if he was watching me and altering small details, things I probably wouldn't notice.
Honestly, it would be better if he never appeared again.
Eventually, I would investigate who Hitogami was and what his true objectives were. No matter how hidden he was, someone should know about him. However, for now, I had other priorities.
One of them was convincing Lilia to let Aisha accompany me to the Sword Sanctuary.
If my prediction about the strength of the Sword God was correct, then that training would last a few years, and Aisha would enter the period when physical training was more important. I wanted her to be there so I could properly teach her.
Lilia wasn't sure about it, but I was gradually convincing her.
It was just a matter of time.
---
Currently, we were camped midway, a huge ravine stretched beside us, and there was a lot of snow. This was the last stop before leaving the mountains and Lilia was cooking a Dragon meat stew.
Aisha, who was dressed in a fur outfit that made her super cute, looked curiously at Eidar, who was demonstrating Flow.
He moved with the grace of a master, cutting the Stone Cannon, which Aisha had just thrown at him, in two with a simple movement.
The cannon split in the air, falling into pieces of rock scattered on the ground. Eidar smiled at the little one.
"See, Aisha? The Water God Style is way cooler! We can even cut magic!" he said, with a sparkle of pride in his eyes.
Aisha seemed impressed.
But another opinion quickly came from Eris, who was by the side, with her arms crossed.
"Nonsense, the Sword God Style is obviously the best!" Eris said confidently, already demonstrating a new stance of her sword style for Aisha.
Little Aisha looked alternately at both, not knowing how to decide. Both seemed so confident and sure that their style was the best, and their arguments were becoming increasingly incoherent.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine was sitting very close next to Rygar, the two were beside Lilia, who was preparing the food.
Ghislaine had a worried look on her face. She looked at him with a thoughtful gaze and asked softly:
"I'm fine living in the Great Forest, but… will they welcome me back?"
Rygar shrugged, unconcerned about the question, and replied with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. You are my wife. Any opposition they might have is nullified by that."
Ghislaine smiled. She looked at Rygar with a gentler smile, before asking an unusual question.
"And when do you want to have children?"
The question caught Rygar by surprise. He fell silent for a moment, his eyes focusing on the distant mountains as he thought of an answer.
Ghislaine watched him attentively, waiting for his answer. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke, with a slight hesitation.
"Maybe when we are more settled… When we return to the Great Forest." He looked at her and smiled.
Ghislaine nodded, "Indeed, we disbanded our group when Zenith got pregnant, it must not be very convenient to travel like that."
At that moment, Lilia, who had been watching the whole exchange of looks and words with a discreet smile, rolled her eyes and said, interrupting the couple.
"Stop flirting, we're in the middle of the mountains."
Rygar smiled, trying to hide his laughter.
"Oh, so you've never done that outdoors, Lilia?" he teased, with a smile.
Lilia blushed instantly, shaking her head quickly.
"N-no, it's not that! I-I haven't done that, I haven't…"
She sighed heavily when she realized that Rygar was just teasing her, and gave up.
Rygar just laughed with amusement, while Eidar joined the group, sitting beside them around the campfire.
Eris, who was still with Aisha, continued explaining, with visible enthusiasm, about the advantages of the Sword God Style for the little one.
She demonstrated sword stances while Aisha tried to mimic her movements, albeit somewhat clumsily.
Eidar smiled as he watched the moment, sitting near the campfire with the others.
"I'm going to miss this..." he said, with a slight sadness in his voice, but also with a nostalgic smile on his face.
Ghislaine, upon hearing Eidar's words, replied:
"Although Eris would never admit it, she will miss you too. She never had anyone at her level to train her. When Rygar met her, she was already much stronger, and you were at an advanced level. Even after becoming a Saint, you were still the closest she had to a rival."
Rygar, listening to the conversation, added with a laugh.
"I also think you were the perfect punching bag."
Lilia, who was next to him, couldn't help but laugh. Eidar, however, frowned, confused.
"Punching bag?" he asked.
Rygar explained with a mischievous smile.
"Ever since I met Eris, she trained with an intensity I've never seen in a child her age. In the dwarves' territory, on the way back, and even when we were in the Legion, no one could keep up with her training pace. But you were just right. You were a Water Saint, so defending was easy, and she also got tired faster than you did..."
Eidar fell silent for a moment, reflecting on Rygar's words. Then, he started laughing, shaking his head.
"Alright, you're right..." he said, amused by the memory.
Lilia asks, "Eidar, are you going to keep the Water God Style dojo as your residence?"
Eidar says, "That's right, when the Legion's influence reaches Ars, the plan is that I already have some base there and help them with that, although that will probably take a few years..."
Rygar asks, "How old is your fiancée anyway?"
Eidar becomes pensive, "According to the information I obtained in the Kingdom of the Dragon King, she must be close to her third birthday, I think 14 years old..."
At that moment, Skoll, who was patiently sleeping beside the campfire, suddenly stood up and became alert. His ears perked up, and he looked into the distance with fixed eyes, a slight growl escaping from his throat.
Eidar immediately put his hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared for anything.
"Something wrong, Skoll?" he asked, his senses sharp.
Skoll turned his head and looked at Eidar, shaking his head in confusion, as if trying to understand the reason for his own reaction.
Rygar, seeing Skoll's reaction, said calmly:
"If there were something, I would feel it. But why did Skoll react like that?"
Lilia, who was also attentive to the situation, spoke in a soft tone, but with a slight touch of concern:
"They say that animals are more sensitive to danger..."
Eris, who was busy demonstrating a sword stance to Aisha, immediately stopped upon hearing the conversation. She picked Aisha up in her arms, carefully.
Rygar, still with his senses alert, spoke calmly:
"Well, if something approaches, I'll know. Don't worry."
And so, as the night advanced and the calm of the mountains surrounded the group, everyone relaxed slightly.
Perhaps if Rygar had investigated this phenomenon a little deeper, things might have been a little different.
Maybe, if they hadn't made this last stop, something could change.
But Rygar couldn't feel the same as Skoll, in any way, no.
That was something reserved only for beings of this world.
A fear that arose from the depths of their souls.
-----
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