* * *
Even without humans entering, at this rate, that single beast could tear the forest apart all on his own.
The ground nearby was already torn, the trees leaning.
Fallen leaves and broken branches littered the area, turning it into a desolate scene.
Thud!
But it seemed like he didn’t even notice any of that.
Klen kept provoking the Pegasus, waiting until the last possible second to dodge, taunting him in the process.
Thanks to that, the beast’s attention was entirely on him.
Thud!
“……!”
There were several openings during those repeated attacks.
Clear chances to strike.
But each time, my sword only sliced through empty air.
The biggest problem was not knowing where to strike to take it down.
Something told me that if divine beast blood spilled onto this forest, it would bring disaster.
That hesitation held me back.
Probably the same reason why Klen hadn’t been able to do more than graze its feathers.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
“Klen!”
Like walking a tightrope, Klen kept narrowly avoiding danger—until he finally got hit.
Thankfully, it only grazed him, so he wasn’t seriously hurt.
As I was about to rush over to him, the Pegasus raised its front hooves, ready to crush him.
“Haah!”
Thwack—!
This time, I threw my entire weight into a charge, using my speed to crash hard into the beast.
The same kind of attack it had used against us—I gave it right back.
The creature let out a low groan and twisted its body in pain.
‘Serves you right.’
That thought flashed through my mind.
But attacks like that rarely leave only one side hurt.
The impact shook my whole body too, and I was sent flying with the Pegasus, crashing hard to the ground.
“Urgh…”
Even through the dizziness, I forced myself upright.
My head spun like I was about to pass out.
“Adrian!”
“……?”
Klen’s shout snapped my eyes wide open.
The Pegasus, far more experienced with this kind of chaos, had already risen to its feet, its white wings spread wide.
Wind howled between its feathers, and it glared at me with sharp, murderous eyes.
‘Magic!’
At this close distance, I wouldn’t even have a chance to lessen the impact.
I was still well within range, and Klen was too far away to help.
I raised Levatein.
‘Can I… trust you?’
Right now, this sword was the only thing I could rely on.
It was called a legendary blade—maybe it could even cut through magic.
I held onto that faint hope.
Clang—ch-ch-chang—!
“……?!”
Just as I lifted the blade, bracing for the oncoming magic—sharp shards of ice suddenly rained down around the Pegasus.
The beast leapt into the air to dodge, flustered.
Even so, it didn’t forget to hurl wind magic my way.
Whoooosh—
It hadn’t aimed well, so the wind didn’t hit me head-on—it veered upward, above my head.
But my arms, already braced to strike, moved on their own.
Shhhhk—!
Levatein sliced into the center of the wind.
“Urgh!”
A piercing howl echoed in my ears.
The raging wind forced my eyes shut.
The pressure was so intense, it bent my arms and pushed my body back.
I stumbled but managed to regain my footing.
I didn’t know how long I held out like that.
Then, suddenly—silence.
My arms ached, but the force pushing against me had vanished.
‘Did I… really cut through magic?’
I slowly opened my eyes.
“……!”
The whirlwind had disappeared, dissolving naturally into the air.
In its place, a faint breeze now clung to Levatein’s blade, shimmering with a soft glow—as if the sword had absorbed the magic itself.
‘It didn’t just hold the magic… is it absorbing it?’
“Adrian, watch out!”
Clang—!
The Pegasus’s hoof struck Klen’s blade, right in front of me.
While I’d been distracted by the strange phenomenon, it had launched another attack.
Do divine beasts not know basic manners?
Fortunately, Klen hadn’t been as distracted as I was.
I shook off the daze and swung Levatein toward the beast’s wings.
Whooosh—
“……?!”
“!”
It should’ve been just a sword swing.
But the wind wrapped around the blade burst forward like a spell—lashing out at the Pegasus’s wings.
Not a sharp slash, but a storm-like gust.
The wings trembled violently—then crack!
A sickening sound echoed, like bone snapping.
Neigh—!
One wing twisted unnaturally, and the Pegasus thrashed in agony.
But it didn’t stop.
If anything, it grew more frenzied, its eyes wild with rage, ready to charge again.
Just as Klen and I raised our swords for a counterattack—
Beeep—
“What the hell?!”
A sharp, piercing sound cut between us, and something flew straight into the space between.
‘This forest never gives us a moment’s peace, does it…’
What now?
One insane event after another—it was almost impressive.
Chirp!
A small, blue bird appeared before us.
It was tiny, cute, and delicate.
Klen and I both reflexively lowered our swords, charmed by the sight.
Strangely enough, even the Pegasus did the same.
Chirp! Chirp-chirp!
‘Wait—could this be the one that used the magic earlier?’
Though the attacks had stopped, the Pegasus still had a murderous glare in its eyes.
Even so, the bird kept flying around it, chirping insistently.
Even to me—who couldn’t understand a word—it sounded like nagging.
Eventually, it seemed tired of flying and landed gently on my head.
Chirp! Chirp!
Like it had claimed its rightful perch, it got comfortable and started chirping again.
“……”
“……”
Just like that, the fight was over.
The Pegasus, now unguarded, walked right up to us, still shouting at the bird.
We couldn’t understand a thing, but one thing was clear—the bird was on our side.
‘You were the one who ambushed us first…’
Was that just the Pegasus’s twisted way of saying hello?
After all that chaos—clashing hard enough to roll across the ground—this sudden calm felt surreal.
Klen and I just exchanged glances, unsure what to do next.
In the end, we both just shrugged.
No better ideas came to mind.
‘Or maybe we should ambush it now and tie it up?’
I glanced around to check where the yarn had rolled off to when—
–Are you saying these humans, who barged into the forest, are innocent?
Suddenly, it felt like the Pegasus had said that.
Not aloud, but directly into my mind—just like with the wolf before.
“You’re the ones who brought Klen here in the first place!”
Before I could even think about why I felt that way, the words slipped out of my mouth.
Pegasus’ eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected me to talk back.
His head dipped slightly, his gaze locking onto mine.
That expression was easy to read.
He was probably thinking, “How did this human understand what I said?”
After staring at me for a moment, his eyes shifted back toward the bird.
“Adrian. Can you understand them?”
“Ah, no. I just… kind of got a sense of what they were saying.”
It was just a feeling. But judging from Pegasus’ reaction, it seems I hit the mark.
If that’s the case, maybe it’s not full communication, but partial understanding might be possible.
“I think we can at least hold a basic conversation… So, why don’t we just talk it out?”
Pegasus shot me a side-eye glare without moving his head.
What? What’s wrong with using words?
Solving things peacefully is always the best first option.
Or maybe it would’ve been better to tell him that his master will show up soon, so he doesn’t need to worry and should just wait quietly?
‘Yeah… no way he’d believe that.’
Maybe I touched a nerve.
He could get mad and attack.
For now, staying still might be the better option.
The bird might even be able to convince him.
I felt a small glimmer of hope rise in my chest.
* * *
