163 4.25 Back to the village

She was enjoying the gentle warmth of the morning sunshine as the Earth dragon completely sealed the cave with rocks and soil.

"The morning air feels nice here. It has been so long since I was last able to feel something like this," Himiko said. Her voice sounded a lot better compared to how it was inside the cave.

Hazel smiled. He looked delighted to see her happy again. "The air near the mountain is cold, but I will make sure to take you on a ride once every while."

"Oh, that's so sweet."

A moment ago, both of them were going through some kind of emotional trauma. And now, all of a sudden, they seemed like the happiest couple that I had ever met.

'I guess this kind of change in mood is normal among couples.'

Even though it would have been great to speak with them a bit longer, we were running out of time.

I was planning to fly to the village using Flare's power. That way, we would be able to reach there on time without making them wait for long.

Since Flare was here already, it would be useful to take her with us throughout the journey. That would ensure that the rest of our travel from this point forth will go smoothly.

"I think we will be leaving for the nearby village now. We are heading towards the capital, so it's better if we leave early."

"Alright, we will be flying towards the Dragon valley from here. Also, to repay the favor, I owe you if you ever need to get stronger come to the northern mountains of dragon valley. There is a mountain called the Justice mountain. That is where I live."

"It could just be a coincidence or fate, but I will soon be traveling to the northern part of the nation. I am hoping that I will be able to visit you then."

Hazel took a long breath. "If that is so, then I will teach you enchantments and medicine. The art in practice throughout the world covers only the basics, so a true enchanter is rarely seen these days. However, I do feel that with enough practice and in-depth understanding, you will become a decent enchanter."

"Thank you, that will be of great help."

"Also, before you leave, about the matter of Satan you mentioned. I will notify the other Dragon kings regarding that. It is a matter of grave importance, and it will be dealt with appropriately. We will send someone to the capital of the human nation to make the relay of information smoother. If there is anything that you uncover, let us know."

"Yes, I will. Thank you for your help."

"That's no problem. Moving ahead, we might night to face the same enemy. When that happens, we will need to fight together. Hopefully, you will be stronger by then."

"I will try not to disappoint you. Till then, goodbye."

Flare and I flew eastward towards the village from there. When I looked back, I could see him change into a dragon and fly eastward with Himiko in his back.

'Hopefully, both of them will find happiness in their lives from this point forward.'

With the way things were going, we would need to meet sooner or later, so this wasn't a farewell for good. And something was telling me that we will meet each other sooner than later.

When we reached the village, I could see the horses that we used there. That meant both Jackie and Markus and had already returned.

After flare changed into her small bird form, the two of us landed near our carriage. As soon as we did, both Anna and Eliane rushed out of the carriage and hugged me.

"Where were you gone the whole time? Do you know how worried we were?" Princess Anna said as she checked if I was hurt anywhere or not.

"Yeah, but I sent flare to inform you that I was alright. There really was nothing to worry about."

"But still… I was worried and couldn't sleep for the whole night."

She looked cute as she was saying that. The look she had on her face was priceless, so I gently toucher her cheeks with my right hand and petter her with my left.

For some reason, she seemed happy as I was doing that.

"So, what happened to the Earth Dragon?" Princess Eliane asked. She also looked somewhat anxious, but she was behaving calmly.

"It's a long story; I will tell you guys on the way. Before that, where are Markus and Jackie."

When I looked around, I could only see Fizz and Mon, which made me curious about where others were. It was unusual for them to leave princesses in a place like this with just two guards.

"On their way back, the two found the cause of animal death. They are currently investigating why, but they think that the water in the nearby pond is contaminated."

If that were the case, then it would make sense why only the animals were dying.

The demihumans in this region used wells as the water sources, while the animals used to rely on that pond.

"That makes sense. Maybe I should go and check if I can do something about it."

"I don't think that would be necessary. You weren't here then, but while they were investing, they found out that the water was slowly being purified in itself. Until it is purified completely, they decided to build a wall around it. They will probably be back anytime now," Princess Eliane replied.

I understood most of what she said, but the question here was: 'How could the water purify itself?'

While I was trying to figure out the reason, Flare answered my curiosity. "I think it's because of the water spirit we save earlier. He probably made that pond his new home as it was nearby."