I Want to Fly Too

The chill of late autumn grew increasingly heavy in the morning.

Many places in the forest showed signs of desolation.

The patch of flower fields that Galan often passed seemed to have withered completely overnight, leaving only deep yellow fallen leaves and patches of weeds all over the ground.

"Time really flies."

Galan rhythmically exhaled small puffs of white vapor from his mouth, running while rubbing his hands together, relying on the friction to warm his stiffened fingers.

"Phew..."

His arms relaxed, and he slowly came to a stop under a large tree that still bore the mark he had carved, signaling that today's morning run had come to an end.

He usually didn't pay attention to it, but the brand-new scratch he had originally carved into the tree bark with a small knife now had a color several shades deeper than when he began. If a few more days passed, he might not even notice it if he didn't look closely.

Time truly was a cruel yet fair concept.

He sighed as he twisted his warmed-up joints, casually swinging his arms and strolling leisurely toward home.

Today he had also arranged to go out on a training expedition with Glenn, so he still needed to make a few preparations.

Glenn had accepted a monster subjugation commission yesterday, and there were two teams commissioned. Although they were not lacking in vanguards, Galan had previously consulted Glenn about the methods warriors used to train themselves, and aside from daily training, actual combat was an indispensable link.

"Oh oh! I really can fly! How amazing!"

From afar, Lia's excited voice drifted over.

Galan looked up and saw that she was floating in mid-air about seven or eight meters away from the ground, cheering and jumping for joy toward Duncan below.

[Flight Magic]

This was originally a profound magic that existed only within the demon race's magic system. However, after the war, following several centuries of study by human mages, it was finally successfully deciphered a few years ago and was now gradually becoming widespread.

Duncan, being a Court Mage, naturally knew this magic, but today was the first time Galan had seen him teach Lia this magic.

How nice.

Looking at Lia's smiling face, Galan could not help but reveal a smile.

It seemed that the process of exploring magic truly was a joy.

"When flying, you must pay attention to controlling the flow of your own magic power. Do not make overly large movements right now, and be careful of losing control of your magic power!"

Duncan stood on the ground and shouted loudly toward Lia, his brows slightly furrowed in worry that she would fall down due to being unaccustomed to her first flight.

If she fell from this current height, it was still possible to break an arm or a leg.

However, Lia did not seem to hear Duncan's shouts. She stared blankly at the distant scenery, already immersed in the shock brought to her by flight.

High in the sky, the brilliant and warm morning light spilled onto her face, as if draping her in a layer of golden veil.

That beam of light seemed to illuminate the gaze full of expectation she held for this world.

It had been a very, very long time since she had felt this kind of joy brought by learning magic.

Lia had possessed massive magic power since childhood, which was quite a precious talent. Yet protected by her family and clansmen, she had no reason to fight for survival, and thus only knew a handful of spells, all of which her mother had taught her.

After all, the small village where she grew up was not like it was now; there were no many grimoires, the ways of recording magic were relatively primitive, and most magic was taught to everyone by the elderly elders in the village.

Although life back then was simple and plain, every day she spent was extremely happy.

Until the arrival of the demons that day...

Lia's gaze suddenly dimmed again.

Within her field of vision, the forest that had originally been dyed in vast swathes of golden yellow seemed to have turned into a towering sea of fire. The firelight seemed to scorch her eyes, and the corners of her eyes involuntarily flickered with a few crystalline droplets.

Clearly possessing a talent stronger than anyone else, she had shouldered no responsibility to protect everyone.

In the end, the only one who escaped was herself... What a coward she was...

Suddenly, the magic power within Lia's body involuntarily became disordered, and her body, which had been suspended in mid-air, also lost its balance somewhat, swaying precariously.

"Ngh--!"

She snapped back to her senses, trying with all her might to return to her previous state, but no matter what she did, she could not manage it, and she began to fly around chaotically high in the air.

Seeing Lia flying randomly in the air like a headless fly, Duncan mentally cursed bad luck and hurriedly flew up, wanting to catch Lia.

Who would have thought that due to the runaway magic power, she was flying rapidly in another direction, approaching the distant cliff edge.

"Stop using magic power! Calm down!"

Duncan shouted anxiously. Although Lia's height had already dropped, there was still a distance between her and Duncan.

If he failed to catch up in time, he would just have to watch her fall off the cliff.

"Nghen--!!!"

Lia failed to hear Duncan's words clearly and was still attempting to shake off her current predicament, her small mouth pressed tightly together in tension. Yet after repeated attempts, she still failed to achieve her wish.

Seeing the imminent arrival of the cliff's edge, panic inevitably welled up in her heart.

This moment also caused her to completely lose control over her magic power, and after a brief float, she suddenly plunged headlong downward from mid-air.

"Ngh!"

A dark figure flashed past rapidly. Just as Lia was about to reach the ground, he leaped into mid-air and caught her in his arms, then landed steadily on the ground.

Lia's fingers were still tightly clenched together, seemingly harboring lingering fears about what had just happened.

Yet when she felt that familiar aura, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Galan looking at her with a helpless expression.

Uninentionally—

Something in her heart seemed to be stirring.

Just like that time, not when he brought her back from Rock's home, but back at the very first time the two of them truly met...

"You really are a handful."

Galan slowly placed her on the ground. Behind him, a flustered Duncan also dropped to the ground and ran over to the two of them.

"It was my fault for not watching Lia properly... I shouldn't have taught her [Flight Magic] in a place like this... It's my problem."

Watching Duncan push all the responsibility onto himself, Galan did not know what to say either.

"Forget it, good thing nothing happened..."

He stood up and rubbed the shoulder he had bumped against the poker in his rush.

"If only I were a mage too, I'd love to fly as well..."

"Pfft--!"

Hearing him say this, Lia, who had still been somewhat terrified, could not help laughing out loud.

What a bold heart she had; should he call her optimistic or... thick-skinned?

She had clearly almost fallen to her death just now...

"What's so funny about this? Knowing how to fly is every man's dream! Romance, do you understand?"

Galan put on a puzzled expression. When he was still young, he really had imagined that one day he could fly freely in the sky like Superman, keeping company with the birds and becoming companions with the stars.

"That really is a pity then. Magic relies on the world of imagination; who knows, if you became a mage, you might also turn out to be good seedling."

Duncan stood behind, putting on an expression of pity for him.