The high sky was actually quite monotonous.
Steel was carrying me through the air, and once we reached a high altitude, there was no need to flap his wings frequently. Despite this, we still maintained great speed. Up here, we were even above the clouds, and aside from the sunlight, there was nothing to be seen. Not even eagles could fly this high, remaining beneath the clouds instead.
I sat on Steel’s back, a faint protective shield around me. I hadn’t consciously cast the shield spell—it had activated as naturally as breathing, without any incantation.
Just then, Steel suddenly felt a strange uneasiness. Since we shared a deep connection, I too sensed this unsettling feeling.
“What’s wrong?” I silently asked in my mind.
“I don’t know. It feels like something bad has happened,” Steel responded, also thinking quietly. This was how we communicated: efficiently and silently.
“What kind of thing?”
“I’m not sure. It felt like my heart clenched for a moment,” Steel continued, maintaining his speed.
“How far are we from Ashen Town?”
“There’s about a day and a half left of the journey.”
“And if we fly at full speed?”
“We can get there in about a day,” Steel pondered for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to land and get some food?”
During our previous flights, I had made him land by a river to rest, where I caught fish and grilled them for us both to eat. He clearly enjoyed it.
But since he had this uneasy feeling, I thought it best to focus on our mission and reach Ashen Town as quickly as possible.
“No need. Fly as fast as you can. We won’t stop for any breaks.” I considered his endurance, “Can you manage?”
“I’m fine. I can handle it,” Steel said proudly. “I can fly for a whole week without rest.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Alright.” I didn’t say anything more.
Feeling my decision, Steel flapped his wings more vigorously. We surged ahead, flying even faster.
---
Inpal Kingdom's Capital, Mage Guild
Meanwhile, at the Mage Guild in the capital of Inpal Kingdom, Lily, the Executive Vice President, was in her office, staring at two "Red" level emergency intelligence reports submitted by the intelligence department. It had been a long time since such urgent, top-priority reports had been seen, and now there were two. After contemplating for a moment, she opened the right drawer of her desk, pressed a red button inside, and said in a serious tone, “Assemble the elite mage task force at the guild immediately.” A wave of magic rippled out from the office. Sighing, she called for her attendant. “Summon all elder mages and vice presidents present in the guild to the conference room. We have an emergency meeting.”
The attendant, having never received such a directive before, rushed off to the communications department to issue the orders.
---
Kenny Village
The cave where Barok was held wasn’t far from Kenny Village. Earlier, Elder Omono had flown at a slower speed to trace the magic trail. Now, with the flying carpet at full speed, powered not only by magic stones but also Omono’s own magic, they quickly arrived at the skies above Kenny Village, where Mage Yoo was respectfully waiting for them in the square.
“How’s it going?” Omono asked hastily before even stepping off the carpet.
“Vice President Lily has already received the message, and the intelligence department is still trying to contact Guild Master Angla,” Yoo replied with a bow. “But we haven’t gotten a response yet. What should we do next?”
“Hmm… Let’s go see the bishop first,” Omono said, then turned to Barok. “How are you feeling? Do you need to rest?”
Although Omono was asking, he didn’t really want Barok to rest. He was eager to gather as much information as possible from the person who had witnessed the events firsthand.
Barok stretched, checking his wounds. Thanks to the healing spell and the songs he’d sung on the flying carpet to restore his strength, he was mostly fine, though his clothes were still torn. “I’m okay. I’ll follow your lead, Elder Omono.”
Yoo, recognizing that Barok was the key intelligence source, didn’t ask any more questions. He gestured for the two to follow him to the bishop’s quarters.
Bishop Ken had been anxiously waiting in his office. When he saw the three of them walk in, he beamed with delight. “Elder Omono, you’re amazing! You found Barok so quickly.” After asking about Barok’s condition and hearing that he was fine, Omono took charge of the conversation.
After they all sat down, Barok began recounting the events. While the core information remained the same, Omono picked up on some new details. He cut straight to the point: “You’re saying that Lord Rang descended upon the village riding the black dragon Steel, correct?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know Rang? The Mage School doesn’t have any portraits of him. Only the Guild’s Sacred Hall does,” Omono inquired. “Wouldn’t Rang find it strange that you recognized him?”
Barok hesitated for a moment and glanced at Bishop Ken.
Omono quickly understood and spoke softly, “Everything said here will remain confidential. Can we trust you to keep it secret, Bishop Ken?”
Ken nodded, indicating that he was aware of the sensitive nature of the upcoming conversation.
Barok, reassured, said, “I didn’t see Steel and Rang’s portraits at the Bard Guild. I saw them in our royal family’s private library.”
Two things immediately clicked in Omono’s mind, and he followed up, “Did Rang question your words at all? Did anything seem off about him?”
As an Elder Mage, Omono had access to the Sacred Hall’s secret archives, so he knew of Rang’s existence. Dragons, on the other hand, weren’t so secret—students at the Mage School even took courses on them.
Barok thought back to the encounter and said, “Now that you mention it, something did seem off... Rang behaved like a novice mage in some respects, not the all-knowing figure of legend.”
Omono leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes, deeply contemplating all the details from the conversation. After a long silence, he asked another key question: “How did Steel behave? Was he close to Rang?”
“I heard him call Lord Rang ‘uncle’…”
A gleam flashed in Omono’s eyes. “It seems Lord Rang had a very close relationship with Steel’s parents! Moreover, he must be facing some unknown issue. I might even venture to guess that Lord Rang has lost some of his memories.”
(Continued...)