She rubbed her hands on her apron. “If we're soaking in a hot spring, why do we need to buy... that?”
She stammered for a long moment, the tips of her ears flushing red again.
“A bathrobe and a swimsuit?” Chen Mian finished the sentence for her.
Flora stood at the kitchen doorway, still clutching the spatula she had just picked up. She looked like a dazed deer caught in headlights, her voice soft and embarrassed. “Why do we have to buy those just to soak in a hot spring...”
“The bathrobe is optional,” Chen Mian said, leaning back on the sofa. He took a sip from his teacup, then looked at Flora with a gentle expression. “If you don't buy a swimsuit, you can always soak naked. I don't mind.”
The spatula fell to the floor with a clatter.
Flora bent down to pick it up, her face flushed red from her neck to her ears. “I—I mind!”
Loviki's voice drifted down from the stairs. “What are you two talking about?”
She walked down, her black hair still damp, clearly having just taken a bath.
“Mr. Chen Mian said we need to buy bathrobes and swimsuits,” Flora said, her voice muffled.
Loviki glanced at Chen Mian. “Where are we buying them?”
“There's a hot spring town nearby.” Chen Mian stood up and picked up a silver coin from the table. “Tangwu Town, located on the border of the Kingdom of Chaowu, a little over two hundred kilometers north of the Forest of Death.”
“It's a scenic town famous for its hot springs. There should be shops selling swimsuits there.”
“Are you coming?” He stood up, walked to the door, and began changing his shoes.
Flora pinched the edge of her apron, hesitating for a moment before asking softly, “Isn't that too far? Over two hundred kilometers...”
Chen Mian bent down to tie his shoelaces and straightened up. “We can just ride a flying magical beast. Think of it as an apartment outing. My treat.”
“...Are we really going?” Flora asked in a small voice.
“Didn't I just say so?” Chen Mian opened the door. “Or do you want to try soaking naked?”
“I do not!” Flora's ears flushed crimson instantly. She spun around and ran upstairs. “Then... I'll go change.”
Loviki stepped down the last few stairs, draped her towel over the back of a chair, and glanced at Chen Mian. “What flying magical beast are you talking about? I've never seen it.”
“A griffin. I tamed it a while back.”
A subtle light flickered in Loviki's eyes. “You even tamed a griffin?”
“Yeah. Took a lot of effort.”
Ten minutes later, the three of them stood outside the apartment door.
Flora had changed back into her hooded grey cloak, wrapping herself up tightly.
Loviki wore dark, casual clothes with her black hair tied into a low ponytail. She looked like an ordinary adventurer, though her delicate features and ruby-like eyes were still striking.
Chen Mian looked at Flora. “Aren't you stuffy?”
“...No.”
“Tangwu Town is a hot spring town. The temperature is higher than here.”
Flora was silent for a couple of seconds before pulling her hood down.
Her light brown hair fell over her shoulders, her pointed elven ears peeking out from between the strands.
She wasn't wearing her wooden hairpin today, letting her hair hang naturally, which made her face look even smaller.
Loviki glanced at her. “Pretty.”
Flora's face flushed again. “L-Let's go.”
After walking for about ten minutes, Chen Mian stopped in a relatively open clearing in the forest. He raised his right hand, condensing a pale blue halo of mana in his palm. The halo slowly rose into the air.
A moment later, a strong gust of wind swept overhead.
A massive creature swooped down from high above, the airflow generated as it folded its wings bending the surrounding shrubs.
It landed steadily in the middle of the clearing. Its golden-brown feathers gleamed with a metallic luster in the morning light. With the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, its front talons dug into the dirt, leaving deep grooves.
Its amber slit pupils swept over the three of them before stopping on Chen Mian. It lowered its head and let out a low cry.
Flora instinctively took half a step back, then froze. It was an Epic Rank magical beast... yet Loviki couldn't sense any hostility from it.
Using a magical beast of this caliber as a mount... A magical beast of this rank would be enough to cause terrible disasters in any nation.
Yet it was so gentle in front of Chen Mian. Just how terrifyingly powerful was this guy...
“Is it... really not going to throw us off while flying?” Flora squeezed the small cloth bag in her hand.
In her understanding, it was practically impossible to tame a magical beast of a griffin's caliber.
“It won't,” Chen Mian said with a smile, patting the griffin's front leg. “His name is Ryan. I named him. He's been with me for many years.”
“Gulu,” the griffin let out a very soft coo, looking at Flora and Loviki as if greeting them.
Chen Mian leaped up, landing steadily on the griffin's back, and reached his hand down. “Come on up.”
Loviki was the first to react. Grabbing Chen Mian's hand, she kicked off the ground and nimbly flipped onto the griffin's back. Settling in behind Chen Mian, her hands naturally held onto the feathers on either side of his shoulders.
Flora stood in place, looking at the griffin's broad back and then at Chen Mian's outstretched hand. Taking a deep breath, she grasped his hand. With a firm pull from Chen Mian, she landed lightly in front of him. Flora had no mana right now, and he was genuinely worried she wouldn't be able to sit securely if she sat at the very back.
“Hold on tight.” Chen Mian snapped his fingers.
The griffin spread its wings, which spanned over ten meters, blocking out most of the sunlight in the clearing. With a powerful kick of its legs, its massive body took off from the ground, the strong airflow flattening the surrounding shrubs.
The immense inertia of the takeoff caused Flora's entire body to tilt backward, crashing right into Chen Mian's chest.
The back of her head rested against Chen Mian's collarbone. Her light brown hair was whipped up by the wind, a few strands brushing past his cheeks, carrying the floral scent of her shampoo.
“?!” Flora didn't even have time to let out a gasp before her entire body froze.
Chen Mian stabilized the griffin with one hand while his other hand held her shoulder, pulling her back slightly to help her sit upright again. “Just lean back. Takeoffs are always like this.”
Flora's ears flushed so red they looked ready to bleed. She wanted to sit up straight, but the griffin was still climbing, and she couldn't move her body at all under the force of inertia. She could only lean stiffly against his chest, her hands tightly clutching the griffin's soft feathers.
“...Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the whistling wind.
“You're welcome.” Chen Mian's voice was steady, carrying a hint of amusement. “Relax, it'll smooth out in a moment. If you hold on that tightly, Ryan will think you're trying to pluck his feathers.”
Flora quickly loosened her grip, but then she didn't know where to put her hands. In the end, she could only cross them over her knees.
Her back was still pressed against Chen Mian's chest. She could feel his steady heartbeat, its calm and measured rhythm in stark contrast to her own heart, which felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.
Loviki's voice came from behind. “Chen Mian, you did that on purpose, didn't you?”
“She has no mana. It's not safe for her to sit in the back.”
“Oh.” Loviki didn't say anything more, but her fingers on Chen Mian's shoulder tightened slightly.
The griffin finally entered the high-altitude clouds.
The endless dark green sea of trees of the Forest of Death spread out beneath them. The wind howled past their ears, but it was no longer as violent as during takeoff, becoming steady and powerful.
A few flying magical beasts circled on the distant horizon, but they quickly flew away upon seeing the griffin. Wherever Ryan flew, flocks of birds automatically parted to either side.
Flora's body gradually grew less stiff.
She tentatively released her crossed hands from her knees, leaned forward slightly, and looked down at the boundless sea of forest beneath the griffin. Squinting her eyes, the corners of her mouth curved up unconsciously. “So beautiful...”
“Is this your first time riding a flying magical beast?”
“Yes.” Flora nodded. “Mr. Chen Mian, how long have you known Ryan?”
“Hundreds of times longer than the two of you combined.”
“That must be a very, very long time.” Curiosity tinged Flora's voice, but she didn't pry further. Leaning back, her back pressed against his chest, her heartbeat gradually slowed.
Behind them, Loviki rested her chin on Chen Mian's shoulder. Her ruby-like eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze lingering for a moment on the slightly flushed tips of Flora's ears.
“Flora,” she suddenly spoke up.
“Hmm?”
“Your ears are extremely red.”
“...I-It's just the wind!” Flora quickly raised her hands to cover her ears, but this movement made her lose her only support, and her body swayed backward again.
Chen Mian reached out to press down on her shoulder, steadying her. He smiled and said, “Loviki, stop teasing her.”
“I'm not teasing,” Loviki said, her tone utterly innocent as she shifted her gaze to the distant clouds. “I'm just stating a fact.”
“Even facts need the right occasion.”
Loviki huffed, but the corners of her mouth quietly curved upward.
After flying for about half an hour, the terrain below began to change.
The deep green primeval forest was gradually replaced by rolling hills, with neat farmlands and scattered small villages nestled in the basins between them.
A faint, fleeting scent of sulfur drifted through the air, mingled with damp mist.
“We're almost there,” Chen Mian said.
A small town appeared ahead.
Nestled amidst surrounding mountains, the town featured hot spring pools of various sizes scattered between buildings, with rising white steam weaving a thin mist in the air.
The griffin landed on an uninhabited hillside.
Flora slid off the griffin's back with Chen Mian's assistance. Her legs were still a bit weak when she touched the ground, and she had to hold onto his arm for a couple of seconds to steady herself.
Loviki jumped down on her own, her movements clean and agile.
“Thanks, Ryan,” Chen Mian said, patting the griffin's front leg as he stuffed a piece of magical beast jerky—pulled from who knows where—into its mouth. The griffin let out a satisfied low cry, spread its wings, and soared back into the sky, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
“It's not staying here to wait for you?” Loviki asked.
“No need. He's nearby. He'll return when summoned.”
Rate on N.U.
