She nodded and replied softly.
"Your brain." Gerald lightly tapped his own head. "You said your knowledge had not faded, long-lived one."
"Then from now on, you will answer any question I have—and you must be available whenever I call. The same goes for any other needs. You have no right to refuse my demands."
Just like a slave.
Kal'tsit thought.
But at this moment, she had no other way to survive.
In the end, Kal'tsit could only lower her head and swear loyalty to a being who was almost her master.
"...Understood. I accept."
"Very good, then next—"
Gerald had not finished speaking before a sudden ripple interrupted him.
An unusual sensation came through the wind.
Just like the thrill he had felt when he first faced Lamaline, the wind whispered softly by his ear. At that instant, the boundaries of the world were quietly torn apart, and only two breaths existed within space.
[Come.]
The wind urged and guided him.
The currents outside were being altered by human intervention. A more powerful will had descended upon this place.
And not only that—there was another presence, incomparably excited and gradually heating toward a boil. The piece of cloth on his shoulder was giving off a sharp sense of exhilaration, constantly urging him to go meet the appointment.
"...Stay here. Let your monster protect you. Do not come out, no matter what."
Pegasus briefly left her with those words, then walked outside under Kal'tsit's slightly surprised gaze.
She soon learned why.
Because the scent of blood had filled the air.
Battle-Hardened, Part Two
Outside Kazdel City, abandoned grounds.
In truth, the place Kal'tsit had chosen had inadvertently helped her avoid many watchful eyes. If Gerald had not come because he caught her scent, she might have survived here for quite