Chapter 98: Did you just lick me?

Several days had passed since they left the Silent Stones.

During that time, they hadn’t encountered any monsters capable of destroying an entire forest, any ancient ruins, or any immortal creatures trying to kill them.

For Noir, that meant the journey was going surprisingly smoothly.

Too smoothly.

The carriage moved slowly along a path surrounded by trees that grew larger and larger. Their canopies stretched toward the sky, forming an enormous dome of leaves that filtered the sunlight.

Noir sat on top of the carriage, completely bored; he needed some stimulation. The only thing that changed was that the trees kept growing taller and taller.

"How much bigger can they get?"

Arlene, who was sitting in the front seat, let out a little laugh.

"A lot bigger."

Noir looked at her, lazily wagging his tail—and flapping his wings; perhaps he couldn’t stay still for very long.

"That doesn’t reassure me."

"Why?"

"Because every time you say that, we end up finding something strange."

Arlene shook her head.

"This place isn’t dangerous."

"That’s what you said before we got to the Silent Stones."

Arlene fell silent because the young black dragon was right: the Silent Stones were a relatively harmless place. After that, they found an upside-down mausoleum, statues of four gods, and an immortal who belonged to a criminal organization. Where was the peace and quiet?

"The Silent Stones were different," Arlene quickly explained.

"Yes. There were statues of ancient gods, a giant monster, and an immortal who belonged to a criminal organization."

Arlene sighed.

"When you put it that way, it sounds worse."

"Because it was worse."

The little demon princess, who was sitting inside the carriage, poked her head out.

"Noir!"

The young dragon turned his head.

"What?"

"Look!"

The girl pointed ahead.

Noir followed her finger.

The forest was beginning to change. The trees were even larger, but now their trunks arched over the path, forming enormous natural arches. Some roots jutted out of the ground like small hills, while others sank back into the earth several meters further on.

The path continued beneath those natural structures until it disappeared among the trees. Beyond, between the trunks, a vast expanse of water lay ahead.

Noir was stunned. For the first time in several days, something had fully piqued his curiosity.

The carriage moved slowly forward until it emerged from the tunnel formed by the trees.

Noir looked up.

A huge lake stretched out before them.

The water reflected the blue sky and the clouds floating above the mountains. In the distance, huge trees grew near the shore, some so large that their trunks resembled columns from an ancient city.

Small streams flowed down from the mountains and emptied into the lake. Everything was surrounded by vegetation.

Noir stood motionless for a few seconds.

"Wow."

Arlene smiled at his reaction.

"Pretty, isn’t it?"

Noir nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

The little demon princess leaned almost all the way out the window.

"I want to go down!"

Arlene grabbed her immediately.

"Wait."

"But I want to see the lake!"

"First we have to make sure it’s safe."

Noir extended his Draconic Senses throughout the surrounding area. He detected numerous life forms among the trees, near the lake, and even in the water. He found far more creatures than he expected, but none seemed hostile.

Noir relaxed his legs slightly.

"There’s nothing dangerous."

Arlene raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. There are a lot of creatures, but none of them seem interested in us."

"None?"

"No."

Arlene thought for a few seconds.

"That’s really strange."

Noir looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because magical creatures don’t usually get this close to travelers."

"Maybe they like me."

Arlene burst out laughing.

"Sure."

"It’s possible."

"Yeah, Noir. I’m sure all the animals in the forest have decided you’re adorable."

The dragon looked at her seriously.

"I am."

Arlene shook her head.

"You’re definitely impossible."

The carriage finally stopped near the shore. The demon princess was the first to get out, though Arlene had to hold her back before she could run straight into the water. Uki also got out, sniffed the air, and walked calmly toward the shade of a tree.

Noir stayed near the carriage, watching the forest.

Then he heard a sound coming from among the trees.

Something was approaching.

Uki immediately pricked up his ears.

Noir turned his head.

A group of creatures slowly emerged from the undergrowth.

At first glance, they looked like deer, but something felt different about them. Their fur was bluish-white, and small, luminous markings ran along their legs and parts of their bodies. Their antlers were translucent and seemed to be made of glass, reflecting the sunlight every time they moved their heads.

Noir watched them closely. His Draconic Senses confirmed that they were magical creatures. But he detected no hostile intent.

One of the deer approached slowly.

Noir stood still.

The animal stopped in front of him and raised its head.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"What are you?"

The deer tilted its head slightly.

Noir waited.

Nothing.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

Arlene laughed from inside the carriage.

"I don’t think he can answer you."

"It could try."

The deer took another step and began sniffing one of Noir’s legs. The dragon looked down at it. The creature seemed completely calm.

Then it gave one of his scales a little lick.

Noir opened his eyes.

"...Did you just lick me?"

The deer did it again.

"Hey!"

The demon princess began to laugh.

"He likes you!"

"I don’t think that’s the problem."

Another deer approached, followed by two more. Before long, several of them surrounded Noir and the carriage, though none seemed afraid.

Noir looked around.

"Why are they coming so close?"

Arlene stepped down from the carriage.

"Maybe because they don’t see you as a threat."

Noir looked at one of the deer.

"That’s strange."

"Why?"

"Usually, creatures try to attack me."

Arlene crossed her arms.

"Maybe you’re the problem."

Noir looked at her.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"I’m not doing anything."

"That’s exactly what’s strange."

Noir decided to ignore her.

One of the deer approached Uki. The white wolf raised his head when the creature began to sniff him, but he didn’t react. Finally, the deer sat down in front of him.

Uki yawned.

Noir watched him.

"You don’t even care."

Uki closed his eyes.

"I didn’t expect anything else."

The demon princess approached another of the deer and began to pet it. The animal remained completely still, letting the girl run her hands over its head.

"It’s soft!"

Noir approached as well and extended a claw toward one of the animals’ necks. He stroked it slowly, feeling the fur beneath his scales.

The deer closed its eyes.

Noir smiled.

"I guess you’re not so strange after all."

Arlene looked at him amusedly.

"Does that mean you like them?"

"No."

"You like them."

"No."

"You just stroked it."

"I was just checking something."

"Sure."

The tranquility of the place felt strange to Noir. He had spent so much time facing hostile creatures that he found it hard to get used to magical animals that simply wanted to come closer and watch him. In addition to the deer, other creatures began to appear.

Small fox-like animals emerged from among the tree roots. They had long ears and a pair of small, transparent wings on their backs, though they could barely lift themselves a few centimeters off the ground. Round creatures covered in leaves walked slowly through the grass, while some brightly colored birds flew down from the branches to drink water near the lake.

None of them attacked. They simply went about their business while the group rested nearby.

Noir walked to the edge of the lake. The water was so clear that she could make out tiny creatures swimming among the aquatic plants. Some of the fish had slightly luminous bodies and left small trails of light as they moved.

The demon princess appeared beside her.

"Can we go swimming?"

Noir looked at her.

"Do you know how to swim?"

The girl shook her head.

"Then no."

"But you do."

"Yes."

"You can carry me."

"No."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks.

Noir watched her for a few seconds.

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please..."

"No."

The little princess’s expression slowly changed. Her eyes began to well up.

Noir stood completely still.

"...Don’t do that."

A tear appeared.

"No."

The little girl looked at him.

Noir closed his eyes.

"That’s cheating."

Arlene started laughing.

"I told you kids are dangerous."

"This isn’t normal."

The demon princess smiled immediately.

Noir opened his eyes.

"...You tricked me."

"Yes!"

Noir looked at Arlene.

"I need to learn how to resist that technique."

"Good luck."

Noir sighed.

"Children are terrifying creatures."

They spent several hours there, but Noir wouldn’t let the demon princess ride him.

Arlene took advantage of the break to prepare some food while the demon princess played near the lake. Uki stayed in the shade, sleeping peacefully. Noir, for his part, had found a huge root sticking out of the ground and decided to use it as a place to rest.

He lay down on it and let his wings fall to his sides.

The breeze was pleasant.

The sound of the water drifted in from the shore, and the leaves rustled gently above his head. Various creatures continued to move about the camp without paying them much attention.