NOVEL NEXT A long-awaited outing with my sister.
Even knowing that heading out to tidy up the remaining Dragonkin in the enemy’s canyon was no walk in the park, Plona couldn’t help but think it felt like a day out.
“Of course, no ragtag band of Dragonkin could stand in my sister’s way.”
These pesky nuisances that had been neglected out of busyness and annoyance. In the end, it felt right to see it as just a trip for two.
That’s right, just the two of us. Not three, just two.
Initially, since this was related to the Dragonkin, Aria was planning to bring Eleonora along, but it had only been a moment ago when Eleonora shook her head with a look of regret.
“I’ll follow whatever you decide regarding those Dragonkin, my master.”
To Plona, it seemed Eleonora was more disappointed about missing the chance to hang out with Aria than getting revenge on the Dragonkin who had reduced her to a slave.
If so, there’s really no other way to put it than that it was just bad timing.
Ideally, Eleonora, who serves as the emperor’s personal maid and secretary, should be right by Aria’s side.
The reason Eleonora was acting separately was that this matter also involved Dragonkin. Among the four factions of Dragonkin, the only one that had no direct responsibility for Eleonora’s banishment and had contributed to the war against Luminous was Eleonora. She was in charge of overseeing the settlement of the former Drake faction.
From the Dragonkin’s perspective, besides themselves, Eleonora was the only Dragonkin affiliated with the Scarlet Empire and was also the daughter of the previous war chief, making her the most suitable candidate for mediating.
Thanks to this, Plona unintentionally gained legitimate authority to hang out with Aria alone. Her mind was already buzzing with happiness.
“How long has it been?”
Though Plona usually stayed roughly near Aria, it was rare for them to be alone.
Since reuniting in the Mist Labyrinth, there had always been someone like Eleonora or Stella nearby, and after Aria ascended to the throne, the royal palace was always bustling. It was likely the first time since their orphanage days that they could spend hours just the two of them.
Plona’s lips quivered with excitement. Even though she had become quite close to Eleonora and Lavina to the point of feeling no discomfort in any situation, nothing compared to the special bond she shared with Aria.
If Eleonora and Lavina were friends, Aria was family. Regardless of familiarity, friends and family just felt different.
“Plona?”
“Oh, yes!”
Plona, who had been lost in thought, sprang up at Aria’s call.
She leapt up, not exaggerating, about fifty centimeters into the air, which looked utterly unrealistic, but Aria, whose very existence had lost the concept of reality, simply tilted her head and shrugged it off.
Plona glanced around.
What caught her attention was not the grand entrance to the royal palace but the garden specifically created for the emperor’s leisurely strolls.
“Wait, weren’t we supposed to go to the Dragonkin canyon? Shouldn’t we be leaving the palace?” Plona’s confusion quickly turned into understanding with Aria’s next words.
“We’re going to fly there. We have to hurry and come back.”
Plona blinked.
The fact that Aria could fly wasn’t exactly new information.
Thinking back, on the day of the last battle against Luminous, hadn’t Aria mysteriously appeared as if falling from the sky to stand before the beleaguered allied forces?
But since it was such a chaotic time, she hadn’t really seen it properly, and afterward, there hadn’t been a chance for Aria to move solo, so she hadn’t had the opportunity since.
No matter how much one might be Aria, it would be impossible to carry thousands of soldiers at once. Or maybe it was possible? That is, if the safety of those transferred wasn’t a concern.
Still, discussing the feasibility of something that had never been executed seemed pointless. But the way Aria casually brought it up made Plona think that at least one person might be safely transported.
“…Uh.”
Seeing Plona just blinking silently, Aria realized something was off.
“Did I not tell you?”
“Right?”
“Oh no…”
Aria slapped her forehead with a look of realization at Plona’s question-like response.
In the next moment, a pair of wings sprouted from near Aria’s waist.
“With these, I can fly. At least for now.”
“Wow.”
Plona was simply awed by the sight of enormous wings that appeared to be made of black feathers.
If angels were to exist, would they not have wings like those? Although being black, if one were to think about it conceptually, they were closer to being demonic than angelic.
But they were indeed wings created with that image in mind, so it wasn’t wrong either.
Of course, the intention was not to aim for angelic. When Aria jumped off the sanctuary of Yustelein, the only wings she could picture on a humanoid creature were either bats or these wings.
Based on Aria’s memories of her past life, one could say the bat wings were more vampire-like, but she judged that due to personal preference it just didn’t feel right, so she went with this option instead.
And by now, she saw no reason to change what she had grown accustomed to. Changing the form of an organ would mean going through a new adaptation period.
“When I returned after meeting the first life… I thought it would take too long to run back. When I tried it then, I found I could fly.”
Strictly speaking, while she had wings, Aria added with a somewhat awkward expression that it wasn’t flying like a bird.
Although she had accidentally knocked her head once, that was a trivial matter so Aria didn’t bother to mention that.
“By exploding a small amount of blood distributed between the feathers for propulsion and adjusting the direction to control the force.”
With darkness magic creating the form of the wings and infusing it with blood to give it substance, it was like a magical organ that existed materially.
The black wings themselves were formed by darkness magic, serving as both a space and an extension of her physical body.
“That’s pretty amazing.”
To Plona, who couldn’t handle Blood Magic, it was a completely incomprehensible sensation, but she understood that it was undoubtedly advanced magic.
While even Plona could create the shape of wings using dark magic, defining and manipulating it as a space was certainly something only someone like Aria, a spirit’s avatar, could do.
“Is that so? Now, Plona. Come here.”
It seems that my sister is surprisingly susceptible to praise.
Thinking Aria, while trying to hide her embarrassment, was oddly cute, Plona was pulled into Aria’s embrace like a magnet drawn toward the opposite pole.
“…Plona. Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable flying like that?”
“Ah.”
Realizing Aria’s intention as she was about to hug her straight on, Plona cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed, and turned back.
“Ah, so it wasn’t a hug after all.”
Right, since only Aria had wings, if they were to fly together, she’d need to be held. If she hugged Aria head-on, she would suffocate. Of course, it was only metaphorical, regardless of how biologically necessary breathing might be.
“Is this how it should be?”
As soon as Plona felt a soft sensation on her shoulder, thin arms securely wrapped around her waist.
A moment later, her feet left the ground and she gently floated up, then rotated 90 degrees to look down parallel to the ground.
“Eek.”
Bouncing, Plona’s upper body bent involuntarily from the impact of a tremendous mass pressing down near her neck and back.
Although they were in the air, both of them were in a prone position towards the ground. Aria’s weight, affected by gravity, pushed down on Plona’s upper body, and her legs naturally folded down towards the ground, leaving Plona bent over, held only by her waist.
“Hm.”
Seeing Plona’s position, reminiscent of a calf being rescued while hanging from a helicopter, Aria seemed to think this was not quite right and rotated 180 degrees sideways.
How it was possible, she maintained perfect horizontal alignment with the ground as if lying flat even in the air.
And now, Plona found herself able to lay comfortably on Aria like a bed.
“…Oh.”
Legendary. Unfathomable words erupted in Plona’s mind.
It was soft and fluffy. The indescribable sensation on the back of her head made Plona feel overwhelming reverence, akin to facing the wonders of nature.
Even though the towering form defied gravity and stood so high it could nearly snap her neck, once she rested her head, it sunk down to a pillow level.
The tightly compressed feel against the back of her head was plush yet bouncy, and the flesh that spilled over gently wrapped her cheeks, completely engulfing Plona.
Aria had a sweet, subtle fragrance. It was a comfortable, sweet scent that wasn’t overwhelming but reassuring.
“…Is everything okay?”
Aria asked with a voice laced with embarrassment and concern. The sound of her fluttering heart echoed through Plona’s skull.
“It’s great! Really!”
Plona asserted her stance unusually proactively.
What should she call this feeling? Longing? Comfort?
Having been protected in the orphanage as a baby, Plona had no memories of her parents.
However, she thought maybe this was the warmth of a mother felt by a fetus in the womb or the sense of security experienced by a child cradled in her mother’s arms.
“…Alright. Then, let’s take off.”
As Aria and Plona’s bodies floated upwards, they soon climbed high enough to overlook the palace’s peak.
Before long, they began to move swiftly, but thanks to Aria’s gentle embrace, Plona could maintain comfort without feeling the air resistance too much.
Sister. But sometimes, like a mother.
In a place where perhaps only Plona truly felt as if she was regarded as real kin in this world, she laughed innocently.
Despite all that had happened, Plona was utterly happy in this moment.
The fact that they were about to meet the Dragonkin was wiped completely from her mind.