Crawk!
A flying bird with an extremely large beak soared beside a carriage. From the carriage, a few treats were thrown out, causing the birds to fall back to catch them.
"Hurry up and move."
With his master's order, the coachman urged his horses, speeding up the carriage.
It had been a few minutes since they had dinner at a nearby resting place. Out of boredom, Mordred fed a few of those weird-looking birds, but he didn't expect them to follow him.
"Annoying pests."
Closing the window, Mordred moved away from the seat closest to it.
The inside of the carriage was extremely luxurious. It was spacious, with bright lamps illuminating the space. The seats were very soft, and the air felt fresh at every moment.
Up until dinnertime, Mordred had been in a good mood, but it had been ruined by those birds.
Leaning back on the seat, he picked up a book he was halfway through and began to read. Reading was one of his hobbies— even when he was on Earth, it was one of the only things he occasionally did besides working.
However, as he was reading, Mordred coincidentally saw the mirror in the carriage, where he could see the back of it. In the reflection, he spotted that annoying bird nesting on the rear.
"What the hell..."
He got up to shoo it away but stopped halfway. Since the bird kept following him despite his efforts to drive it away, why not just let it be?
"Let's see how this goes."
Forgetting about the annoyance, he returned to his hobby.
Kicking up a huge cloud of dust, Mordred's carriage sped past a riverside. Following closely behind were a few more carriages carrying his attending staff and guards.
At Mordred's command, the coachman slowed down, allowing the guardsmen to catch up and return to their positions, resuming their duty of protecting their master.
. . . . . . .
In the middle of a forest, atop a rock that rose into the sky like a throne, a majestic lion with golden, shimmering fur lay comfortably.
Hmph!
It breathed heavily, shifting to make itself even more comfortable. The environment around the beast was truly magical. At one moment, beautiful flowers bloomed from the ground—sprouting from seeds, growing into plants, and finally blossoming. Each flower emitted a captivating scent. Yet, with a slight breeze, the entire field of flowers faded, only to be replaced by the next wave, each set differing in colors and fragrance.
Tush!
Suddenly, the lion's ears perked up at the sound of a tree branch snapping nearby.
A few minutes passed, and the forest returned to its calm atmosphere. The lion lowered its ears again and drifted back to sleep.
Not far from it, beneath a giant tree, Celina stood still like a statue.
"Okay, he's gone back to sleep. What did I say... Be careful," the pixie whispered as she returned from checking on the lion.
With her guidance, Celine took a slow step forward, carefully avoiding dry branches and leaves on the ground.
"Can't you subjugate him like you did with that deer the other day?" he whispered to the pixie.
"No, this is different. Unlike that deer, the Ruling Lion is a creature with authority, and he's at a mystical rank. Typically, nobody could find him unless he allows it, but with my ability, you can bypass that restriction," the pixie explained as she landed on Celine's shoulder.
"Do you think our plan will work if we sneak in like this?" Celine asked.
"....There's a good chance we might get caught."
Before the pixie could finish speaking, the tree in front of them split apart, creating an opening through which they could see the lion. At that moment, the lion opened its eyes, gazing at the two of them with its menacing pupils.
"No matter what you do, don't scream or run. Just bow... Bow like you're in front of a king."
Celine heard the pixie's whisper and did as she instructed.
However...
"I've never been in the presence of a king," he whispered back to the pixie.
"Just... Just bow and kneel. Show your respect."
As Celine knelt, the tree that had moved to create the opening shifted again like a living creature. Its branches stretched out, grabbing Celine and lifting him up, bringing him directly in front of the lion.
"Show your benevolent aura... Hurry!" the pixie urged.
Celine did as she said. The benevolent force was something the pixie had taught him. He could only access it if the pixie allowed it, and it possessed strange and mystical abilities. Some were destructive—like the force he had used the other day to shatter a tree—while others were unusual, like the one that let him peer into the gazes of other creatures.
As Celine channeled the benevolent aura, a soft wind blew through the forest. The flowers that had faded with the wind on the ground below rose again, carried by the breeze, and surrounded Celine.
At that moment, the entire surrounding air was filled with pink-colored flower petals. Seeing this beautiful scenery, the lion's intimidating gaze softened slightly.
As a result, the tree branches lowered Celine to the ground.
"Grrrrr!"
With a low growl, the beast stood up. The forest began to shake, and the nearby trees grew taller as it moved. It was as if the entire surroundings were connected to the lion's movements.
The lion gazed at Celine, who still had his benevolent aura around him.
"Raghhh!"
It roared loudly, its voice echoing through the forest like a catastrophe.
"It acknowledges you. As long as you're in this forest, you will have its protection," the pixie whispered cheerfully as she flew close to Celine.
"That was... that easy?" Celine was surprised. He had expected to face some kind of hardship before earning the mystical beast's protection, but it seemed almost effortless.
"Well, you're my chosen one, so there's no surprise in that."
"Yeah, but can I know more about this 'chosen one' thing?"
"Not right now. You'll learn when the time comes."
"Ah, not this again."
"Now, now, show your respect to your new protector—the Guardian Lion of the Forest, Connoisseur."
With her words, Celine bowed to the beast, and the lion nodded in approval.
In the next moment, tree branches grew from beneath Celine's feet and swallowed him whole, like the maw of a giant creature.
When he saw light again, he was in a different part of the forest. There was no sign of the Guardian Beast, Connoisseur, but Celine felt that, as long as he was in this forest, he was safe.
"See? Didn't I say my plan would work?" As always, the pixie boasted about her success—and it was the truth.
She had warned him clearly about the danger he would face from someone she called her "opposite," and told him he needed to be extra careful. She had brought him to the mystical beast to ensure his safety. Without her guidance and instructions, he wouldn't have been able to gain the beast's approval.
"Is your opposite someone I need to defeat, or just someone I need to be careful of?"
"For now, you just need to be careful. But in the future, if you feel like it, you could defeat her. But that won't be easy."
The pixie flew around him as she whispered.
"You see... she's just like me, but the total opposite. Maybe right now, she's just doing the opposite of what I'm doing somewhere nearby."
"Hyah!"
Suddenly, the two of them heard a voice. Celine quietly moved toward the direction of the sound to check who it was.
What he saw was Deran , repeatedly punching a tree nonstop.
"Do you think what I did to him is the cause of this...?"
After observing him for a few seconds, Celine asked.
"Probably. The point is, the minds of humans are bizarre, like violent ocean waves—always changing constantly. Only someone who dives into it could feel what it's like to be in there. You're a human too, so you should be able to feel it."
After observing Deran for another few seconds, Celine took a step back and moved away.
"At least he's not bullying anyone anymore, so that's an improvement."
However, even though Celine moved away, the pixie was still gazing at Deran. She observed keenly, but finding nothing unusual like she suspected, she flew back toward Celine.
. . . . .
Argh!
Urgh!
With a kick, a thug-like man flew out from a tavern door and landed on the road. Blood stained his dirty clothes, and he had a swollen face.
Clang!
"You mother—"
Hyah!
The clashing sounds and shouting kept echoing from inside the tavern. The man stayed lying on the ground, trying to rest from the beating he took.
But suddenly, he heard a loud sound through the ground, followed by a vibration. Turning his head, he saw the legs of horses rapidly approaching him.
"Haaa!" Screaming, he backed away with an energy he never knew he had. His brain truly believed he would die there.
Crawling on the ground, now safe, the man looked at the luxurious carriage that had halted in front of the tavern. Surrounding the tavern was a group of knights, and behind the carriage were a few more carriages.
As the carriage halted, the screams and voices from inside the tavern ceased. After a moment, an old, sly-looking man stepped out through the door.
"Welcome, welcome, to my newly opened tavern," he ran toward the carriage parked in front of the tavern. The carriage was very luxurious, and the man knew it must belong to a noble who's on a long journey that needed a place to rest.
"Don't worry! Although the outer appearance is somewhat shabby, we offer premium comfort to our overnight guests."
The old man tried to get close to the carriage, but the knights didn't allow him.
From one of the carriages behind, Vanessa stepped out. Arriving in front of the carriage, she opened the door, and then Mordred stepped out.
Seeing the otherworldly look of this noble man, the old man swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Why is there an old man in here?" Mordred looked at him.
"I think he's the owner, my lord."
"Oh? Who could have guessed with that kind of appearance? Well... do you have the capability to host a guest like me?"
The old man hurriedly bowed.
"Certainly, sire! Certainly! We have the finest wine—nothing like the stuff those in here drink now—and we recently got premium Quality meat from the farmlands of those Highland folks. To tell you the truth, sire, if you took one bite, you would surely like it—definitely order a second! And we certainly do have luxurious rooms specially prepared for nobles to stay in."
He laid out everything he could offer in his tavern in front of Mordred.
"That seems sufficient. Prepare me a room, then. Also, do not let anyone enter the tavern throughout the time I'm staying."
Hearing this, the old man first felt incredible joy, but soon hesitation crept in. Not accepting any other customers was definitely not good for his pocket.
To inquire further, the old man lifted his head, but before he could speak, he saw Vanessa throwing a coin pouch at him. Hurriedly picking it up, he looked inside—gold. Pure gold.
. . . . .
As darkness fell over the night, the tavern brightened with lamps. The knights surrounded the tavern, guarding it without rest.
On the upper floor of the tavern, Mordred stood in front of his bed. On his bed lay a map of the continent.
"It should take at least one more day before we get there..." Mordred pondered while examining the map.
"Young master, may I come in?"
It was night, and Mordred still hadn't taken his dinner, so he knew Vanessa must have brought it with her. He folded the map and safely put it back into his storage.
It might seem strange, but maps were very valuable in this world. Only in noble households could someone find one.
With Mordred's permission, Vanessa brought the dinner in. As the old man had said before, it was premium meat with tasty wine.
Sitting by the window, where he could see the sky full of stars and the poor people living in poverty on the streets, Mordred had a wonderful dinner in his room.
However, at that moment, he saw the cursed bird he hated land on top of a nearby house, looking directly at him.
"...."
Opening the window, Mordred threw out a piece of meat, and just as he expected, that weird bastard ate whatever fit in its large mouth.
"This is strange," looking at the bird Mordred fall into thoughts. The suddenness of this bird joining him on his journey was something that bothered him.
There was a legend in Destiny Quest, an old tale about a sorcerer who could see people's destinies like prey caught in a spider's web. It was said that with his power, he could pull the strings of fate and connect them, creating new bonds among beings.
It was also said that he was the one who helped the player bond with characters in the game, guiding them throughout their journey to defeat the villain and bring peace to the dying world with the help of others.
It was hard to believe someone like that could exist, and it would be better if he really didn't.
I barely managed to distract that future-seeing woman, and now I'm imagining someone who can literally change destiny. Dangerous. Very dangerous.