"Has this snake always been here?" Joseph asked Amene.
"Who are you?"
Amene raised her head and stared at Joseph in confusion.
"I'm Lawrend's Instructor," Joseph introduced himself.
"Hm… Okay. The Verdant Golden-Eyed Python is a legendary creature in this forest. There is only a 1% survival rate if you meet it," Amene explained to Joseph.
"How long has it been here?"
"500 years?"
"It makes sense that it evolved now."
Joseph nodded his head in understanding after hearing Amene's reply.
"Amene!" Nuon shouted from afar.
Amene ignored him and embraced Lawrend tighter.
Seeing that scene, Nuon felt bitter. A feeling of inferiority towards Lawrend bloomed inside him. That no matter what he did, Lawrend will always be better.
"Nuon, help her carry Lawrend," Joseph ordered him.
"M-Mr. Joseph!?"
Nuon jumped back in fright when he heard Joseph's voice.
"Mm."
Joseph nodded his head at him.
"I will."
Nuon nodded back at Joseph.
"Amene, I'll carry Lawrend for you," Nuon said to her.
"Be careful," Amene replied. She helped Nuon carry Lawrend into his arms.
"I got it," Nuon said to her after he made sure that he got a good grip on Lawrend's body.
While that was happening, Joseph approached the area where the Ruby Red Python died.
"Not bad."
Joseph picked up a blood-red crystal from the pile of ashes. The surrounding area had been razed to the ground. There were some leftover burning fires on some of the branches of the trees.
Joseph pocketed the blood-red crystal.
"PIIIIIII—!" Joseph whistled with his fingers.
Whoosh Whoosh
The loud flaps of the wyvern sounded from the horizon. It created a storm of dust as it landed at the place where the Ruby Red Python died at.
Joseph jumped on the back of the wyvern and rode it.
"Nuon and the girl, ride behind me."
Nuon crouched down a little before jumping upwards. He landed on the back of the wyvern and sat Lawrend in front of him carefully.
"N-Nyaaa..?"
Amene stared at the wyvern cautiously.
"Don't worry. It won't bite you," Joseph reassured Amene with a smile.
"Really?" Amene asked him doubtfully.
"My baby won't hurt you," Joseph said to her as he rubbed the neck of the wyvern.
"Grrrr…" The wyvern roared softly in response.
"See?"
"Okay. I believe you."
Amene nodded her head reluctantly. She could see that Joseph wasn't lying to her from his facial expressions.
Amene climbed on the back of the wyvern slowly. It took her about 10 seconds to climb on top of it.
"Hang on tight," Joseph shouted.
Suddenly, the wyvern jumped up from the ground and flew into the skies.
"Nyaaaa!" Amene screamed in shock.
She hurriedly gripped onto Nuon in front of her.
"Ow!"
Nuon could feel her squeezing his chest tightly. He struggled to breathe as his lungs ran low on air.
It took a while before Amene let go of Nuon. She had already stabilized and realized that she won't fall off the wyvern so easily.
They flew for a short while longer before the Undrasil Tail Town appeared in front of them. The wyvern slowed down and landed not that far away from the town.
"We're here," Joseph said to them before he jumped down from the wyvern.
Nuon followed after him and jumped down with Lawrend in his arms, and Amene carefully went off the wyvern.
Amene pulled down her hood over her forehead. She doesn't want her cat ears to be seen by other humans.
After it saw that they were off its back, the wyvern flew into the sky and disappeared somewhere on the horizon.
Joseph started walking towards the town. Nuon and Amene followed behind him like ducks.
Amene's heart was beating fast the closer they got to the town. She was scared that she would be caught the moment she entered inside. This would be her first time entering inside a human settlement.
They soon arrived in front of the gates. A Hill Sword was examining every person that entered the town.
His eyes then landed on Amene.
She shivered in fear feeling the scrutinizing gaze of the middle-aged man. She was bold inside her tribe, but she doesn't dare be bold in front of a human town especially down here in the south.
"Where did you come from?" The Hill Sword asked.
Joseph pulled his ID from his pocket and showed it to him.
The Hill Sword scanned the contents of the ID before he nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Okay. Pass."
Joseph led the way and the four of them entered inside the town.
Amene was covered in sweat after they passed through the gates because she heard all sorts of horrors about this town.
Joseph led the two of them to an inn. They rented a room for each of them.
Once inside, Nuon laid Lawrend on his bed.
"I will take care of him," Amene said to Nuon.
Nuon furrowed his eyebrows hearing her words, and he left the room. It felt uncomfortable for him to hear her say that. Nevertheless, he can't exactly do anything about it.
Thud
The door to the room closed. It was only Amene and Lawrend left inside.
Joseph told her earlier that Lawrend only needed a good rest, and he would wake up. She watched his peacefully sleeping face silently.
She felt complex emotions inside her. They had a passionate night that she doesn't even remember. She realized that she trusted him a lot the moment the Verdant Golden-Eyed Python split into thousands of Mini Verdant Golden-Eyed Python. Otherwise, she wouldn't have clung to him.
Then, she realized how much of a burden she had been to him. If only… she fought together with him. He wouldn't be in this state right now.
"Sigh. I miss Feli…" Amene sighed bleakly. She can't wait to meet her little sister once again.
A few hours passed as Amene continued daydreaming about her little sister.
"Hm..."
Lawrend mumbled as his eyelids trembled.
"Lawrend!" Amene turned her head to him with excitement in her eyes. Her ears stood erect, and her tail swung energetically.