Isabella approached from the front right, tilting her head to glance at Adele, who was curled up in Leopold's arms.
“My, you're holding her so closely, Leo.”
Leopold suddenly realized what he was doing and stiffened as he turned his head, meeting a pair of ice-blue eyes.
Isabella was flying right beside him, a sweet, seemingly cheerful smile playing on her face.
“Uh... Bella, she can't fly,” Leopold explained dryly. “And it was an emergency just now, I—”
“So it was just an instinctive reaction. You only wanted to save her, right, Leopold?”
“Yes, purely instinctive. I was only saving her life, nothing more. Bella, I swear!”
“I absolutely didn't mean anything like that!”
Leopold's tone was so earnest it was almost frantic. He even turned his body slightly, holding Adele further away from him.
“Ah! Don't drop me!” Adele shrieked in terror.
Leopold's grip tightened, and he quickly pulled Adele back in.
“Sorry, sorry. I wasn't going to drop you.”
“Stop swinging me around!” Adele clutched Leopold's collar tightly.
“Hahaha!” Isabella burst into cheerful laughter. “You being this nervous just proves that I'm still pretty important to you, Leo.”
Leopold hovered in midair, still holding the thoroughly shaken Adele, the blush on the tips of his ears yet to fade.
“...You did that on purpose, didn't you?” Leopold said, crestfallen.
“I did not,” Isabella said, folding her wings slightly as she flew closer to his side. “I just wanted to make sure. I wanted to see if you really had any feelings like that, Leo.”
Adele huddled in Leopold's arms, looking back and forth between them before finally speaking up. “...Do you two always interact like this?”
“Not always,” Leopold replied.
“Is this some new kind of relationship dynamic?”
Adele's question left Leopold speechless. He opened his mouth, closed it, and instinctively glanced at Isabella.
Isabella, however, remained perfectly composed. She tilted her head and smiled at Adele. “What do you think?”
“Seriously, it's my first time seeing such a bashful dragon...”
“I've always heard that dragons are the rulers of the sky—proud, cold, and arrogant. But you two... don't really fit that description.”
Isabella chimed in from the side, “Then what do you think we're like?”
“Like... two humans who haven't known each other long and are still testing the waters of each other's feelings?”
Leopold cleared his throat and didn't reply. Isabella merely chuckled, offering no rebuttal.
The outline of Cabin Village gradually grew clearer in the setting sun, the wheat ears on the ridges swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Leopold folded his wings and landed on the ridge just outside the village entrance. The moment his feet touched the ground, he let go of Adele.
Adele stumbled forward a couple of steps, her knees buckling as she nearly collapsed. Isabella reached out from the side to steady her, helping her regain her footing.
“That was my first time flying,” Adele panted, resting her hands on her knees. She looked up, her face pale. “It felt... way faster than riding a carriage.”
“You'll get used to it,” Leopold said, brushing the dust off his clothes. He turned his gaze toward the village entrance. Sure enough, the village chief and a few others were already standing there, peering in their direction.
“Mr. Leopold!” The village chief quickly hurried forward. “We just saw you flying from the sky... over there. Did something happen in Blackstone Town?”
“Yes, a few things happened,” Leopold said nonchalantly. “The cathedral is no longer safe to stay in. It has completely fallen and become a stronghold for the Demon Race. By the way, I brought someone back.”
“How could this happen...”
“What about the village's trade from now on...”
More and more villagers gathered, discussing the news among themselves with deep worry.
The village chief's gaze bypassed Leopold and landed on Adele. Standing at Leopold's side, Adele noticed his stare, but she didn't step back or look away.
“She is...” the village chief asked tentatively.
Leopold was about to explain when Adele took the initiative to pull down her hood.
“Red hair!”
“It's a sorcerer!”
“Why is she here?”
“Mr. Leopold brought her back—”
“Why would Mr. Leopold bring a sorcerer back?!”
The crowd instantly fell into a panic. Some gripped their farming tools tightly, while adults grabbed the arms of several children playing nearby, pulling them behind their backs.
Leopold didn't rush to explain. He took a step forward, positioning himself between Adele and the villagers.
“Her name is Adele,” Leopold said, his voice not loud but clear enough for every villager to hear. “She is not a sorcerer. She is a mage, and she is one of your own!”
“But she's a sorcerer!” a middle-aged man shouted. “Sorcerers collude with the Demon Race—”
Leopold didn't back down. He tilted his head slightly, giving Adele a look behind him to signal her to remain quiet for now.
“You say she colludes with the Demon Race. Let me ask you this—did you see her colluding with them with your own eyes? Or did you just assume she was in league with them because you 'heard' she was a sorcerer?”
The middle-aged man opened his mouth, then closed it. The people around him exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one answered.
“I know you're afraid,” Leopold's voice softened slightly. “For as long as you can remember, the word 'sorcerer' has been synonymous with danger.
“You've heard too many stories about sorcerers—how they betray humanity, side with the Demon Race, and harm people with evil magic.
“These stories have been passed down for generations. By the time they reached you, no one remembers what the actual truth is anymore.
“But she is standing here today without harming a single soul. She carries no weapons, let alone any hostility. On the contrary, aren't you the ones displaying hostility?”
The village entrance fell silent for a moment. The villagers looked at one another; some lowered their heads, while others tightened their grip on their farming tools.
Adele stood behind Leopold, not uttering a single word of protest. Having long anticipated this outcome, she offered neither explanation nor defense.
“Come with me. I'll find you a place to stay...” The village chief sighed. With the Demon Race looming, it was best not to disrupt the peace.
“But Village Chief...”
“She's a sorcerer...”
Adele bit her lower lip, summoning immense resolve before she finally spoke up:
“You don't need to be afraid of me. I won't hurt anyone.”
“You say you won't, but who's going to believe that?!” someone shouted.
Adele lowered her head. As expected, there was simply no way to bridge the gap between sorcerers and normal humans...
Leopold and Isabella took in her reaction. Just as they were about to speak up and explain on her behalf—
Suddenly, the man who had shouted was punched in the face, collapsing to the ground as he clutched his cheek.
“Who the hell hit me?!” the man roared angrily, turning around to find the culprit.
“Me, you idiot,” Hector said. He and his lackeys had arrived at some point.
Hector's punch had been quite heavy. The man who was hit stumbled back a couple of steps, clutching his face. Before he could even steady himself, Hector strode forward, standing before him with hands on his hips, looking down on him.
“This girl is under my protection.”
The punched man clutched his face, his mouth twitching, but he didn't dare utter another curse.
While Hector was no saint, he was the village bully. He was used to throwing his weight around, and he hit hard.
But at a moment like this, him saying she was under his wing was far more effective than Leopold saying she was a good person a hundred times over.
“A-Are you crazy, Hector? She's a sorcerer!” someone hissed under their breath.
“So what if she's a sorcerer?” Hector turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “Did she eat your food? Did she sleep in your bed?”
“You!” But the man had no comeback.
“Um, what's your name?” Hector asked, stepping forward somewhat sheepishly as he extended his hand toward Adele.
Adele froze. Standing behind Leopold, her gaze fell upon the hand extended toward her.
“...You're helping me?”
“Why, I can't?” Hector's hand remained extended. “I just can't stand the sight of them. A bunch of grown men crowding around and yelling at a girl—it's pathetic.”
Adele didn't take his hand. Instead, she stood up straight on her own and gave him a small nod. “Thank you.”
Rate on N.U.
