The magic training comes to a conclusion as the day ends. For the whole day, Kyoko tested every single possible to use her power, including transfiguring her Katana into various weapons. She also does some experiments on her magic power every time she uses magic; she wants to see how long the side effects go without mana supply.
Of course, Reinhard was there as her battery recharged. She will kiss her, draining all his mana until empty every time she uses her magic. Luckily, the Sword Saint is capable of storing huge mana capacity inside him, but still, getting drained again and again will make him dizzy.
With that, Reinhard was bestowed a new title, Kyoko's mana supplies, which he was unwilling to accept.
The next day would be the day Kyoko gets her Earth Dragon for transport. The White Whale will appear in Flugel Tree. That giant tree lives in the middle of Lifaus Highway, which is a huge field without any trees except the Flugel Tree. To travel that, it's going take a long time which Kyoko need transport.
But, the main problem is...
"EEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!"
The screams of Earth dragons can be heard from outside their barracks. All of them run in fear, to return to their nest for protection.
And Kyoko, standing alone in an empty field without a single of them.
"WHY THE HECK EVERYONE IS RUN AWAY FROM ME!!!!?"
Not far from there, Reinhard watched his mistress's miserable beside Julius. Today, he has patrolling duty with Julius, but right now is break time, and he wants to get a transporter for Kyoko as fast as he can.
"This is the first time I saw those Earth Dragons being scared by someone else, especially a human," Julius was astonished by Kyoko's situation.
The Earth Dragon is a dragon created by The Divine Dragon, Volcanica. Much like horses on earth, these wingless, land-based dragons are often domesticated to be used in menial labor such as transport or in warfare. They have varied body types and colors to suit different terrains, environmental conditions, and jobs, which makes them excellent to work with.
And those creatures refused to be near nor touched by Kyoko. Extremely rare case.
"That's weird. No matter how prideful and hostile they are, they never avoid humans or harmless demi-humans." Said Reinhard, placing his hand under his chin.
Kyoko walked towards the two knights as she complained about the attitude that she received from the community of Earth Dragons, "Yeah. Weird. Why the heck do they run away when I come closer to them? I even offer they a portion of food, you know?"
"Mmm... Well, we can't do anything about that." Julius straightforwardly claimed without any filter on his words.
Kyoko groaned angrily at the purple knight. She can't believe that guy just accepted it and didn't do any research for the cause of why the Earth Dragon avoided her. She looked at her knight and crossed her arms.
"So, what I'm going to do now, Reinhard? I don't have any transport. The Earth Dragon was scared of me—No, in the first place, why would I need the Earth Dragon? I could just ride with you."
"That's true. I can give you a ride, but that would restrict your movements when you face the White Whale. What if we have to split up during the fight?"
"So annoying. Still, the main problem here is none of those creatures wants me. Am I smelling bad or what!!?"
As Kyoko passionately debated with Reinhard and Julius, her voice rising with intensity, an unsettling presence loomed nearby—two piercing eyes lingered from the dimly lit stable, observing her every move. A chill ran down her spine as the air grew thick with tension, she sensed a deadly gaze boring into her from behind.
Instinctively, she whirled around, her golden eyes shimmering like twin beacons against the engulfing darkness, reflecting both surprise and determination in that eerie night.
The Earth Dragon, upon locking eyes with Kyoko, was immediately overwhelmed by a weighty dread gnawing at their very souls. To them, she wasn't merely a typical girl with black hair; instead, they beheld the fearsome gaze of a dragon with shimmering golden eyes that pierced through to their core. This was no ordinary creature; it was a dragon adorned in white scales with magnificent backward-sweeping, forward-curving light blue horns, resembling a mighty Bighorn goat.
"Milady?" The Sword Saint called her as soon as he noticed her silent.
"I think I found it."
"What?"
Kyoko walked toward the stable and watched all the Earth Dragons trembling in their protection territories. Her heels stopped in front of the most far stable, the one that was filled with spider webs on the ceilings and empty noise on the inside. She looked into the darkness; something that lived in there flinched slightly when she arrived.
"Come here."
Slowly, those creatures moved by standing up, their taller body just towering Kyoko as they walked forward. It follows Kyoko out of the stable, only for Reinhard and Julius to be surprised. The Earth Dragon that Kyoko brings isn't a normal species. Which, unlike other species, this one has backward-sweeping, forward-curving horns, too, just like the image of the dragon that those Earth dragons witnessed.
"I never saw this species." Said Julius.
"Me neither," Reinhard claimed.
"Hey, couldn't you be more excited? What with that reaction? I just got my first pet after getting avoided by them. More specifically, I get the most exotic among them!" Kyoko grinned arrogantly as she placed her palm on her left chest to show how proud she was.
The Sword Saint could only smile at his master's excitement; he had already gotten used to her overconfident personality, "I see. It really follows you, and I don't see any fear from it. Perhaps this one was made for you, milady, but... Don't you think its horns look old?"
"That's because he is the oldest one here."
Kyoko, Reinhard, and Julius pivoted on their heels, their eyes fixating on the figure of the old man making his way towards them. This man was not just any passerby; he was the rightful owner of the stable, a guardian of its secrets and history.
"Care to tell me more about him, mister owner?" Kyoko asked.
"His name is Helias. My great-grandfather once took him from nowhere and raised him to sell. But none want to buy him for several reasons. He prefers to eat alone, spend time alone, and sleep for the whole day. He dislikes when interacting with his fellow kin and the customer. At this point, I want to release him back to his habitat but...."
"You're afraid that he couldn't survive in the wild, right?"
The owner nodded his head when he heard Kyoko's answer, "That's correct. Many aristocrats wanted to buy him, but he never showed any interest in them and ran away. If they force him or use violence, he will kick them. There's one case where he almost murders someone for touching his tail."
"Cool!! I take him!!" She said instantly right after the owner finishes speak.
"Hey, don't hear what I just said?"
"I hear."
"Then, why do you do that?"
"Because I want it." Kyoko extended her hand to Helias to start their bond. If she doesn't make the first move, who is going to do that? Besides, Helias looks like an introvert. Maybe that's why he isn't being bought by anyone because of this.
Helias stared deeply into Kyoko's hand. He moved his head closed, sniffing her hand first for safety. Once he is done sniffing, he snuggles his nose against her palm, which that's means he finds Kyoko is a harmless person.
"OMG, he really likes me!!" Kyoko exclaimed with glee, her heart fluttering as she nuzzled her cheeks against Helias. The warmth of their newfound bond filled her with joy, making the moment feel utterly magical.
The owner was surprised by the Earth Dragon's affection; not in his whole life had he ever seen Helias acting so close to living creatures, not to mention how isolated he was.
"Mr. owner," Reinhard took the old man's hand and put a bag of coins. He said with a dazzling smile that could blind anyone, "Here is the money."
"A-Ah... Thank you—"
"REINHARD!!! LOOK!!! Helias let me ride him!!"
The Sword Saint glanced away for just a moment, and his master already was charging forward on the notoriously unruly earth dragon at breakneck speed. While it might appear to the untrained eye as a child gleefully enjoying their new pony, Reinhard couldn't help but feel a rush of concern. Kyoko was riding her earth dragon with reckless abandon that lacked any semblance of safety!
"She even gets a ride on the first day... That woman is really insane, " The owner muttered in shock.
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