Chapter 90
“What am I doing?”
Ludwig looked confused.
“You said we’re flying, right? Then of course I have to carry you. Just like I did back in the human world.”
“…Ah.”
Ariella’s reaction came a little late.
“That day, when I grabbed you by the back of your neck, you panicked like crazy. Said you couldn’t breathe.”
Memories returned to her.
Before coming to the Demon Realm, on the Empire’s battleship, the two of them had acted out a play.
It was staged so that it looked like the Demon King had kidnapped the princess against her will.
That way, her disappearance wouldn’t be blamed on her kingdom, or on herself. It would look like an unavoidable event.
They had predicted the Empire would then give up searching instead of chasing after them.
After all, no one would want to fight the Demon King himself just for one princess.
“If you lift someone by the neck, of course they can’t breathe! I’m not a dog or a cat.”
“How was I supposed to know that? It was my first time flying with a human.”
“Do you really need to test it to know? Some things are just common sense.”
She muttered in a smaller voice.
“…You still remember that day?”
“Of course. After that, I tried carrying you over my shoulder, but you hated that too, wriggling around.”
Ludwig said proudly,
“That’s when I learned! How to properly carry a human while flying.”
At last, Ariella understood why Ludwig had stretched his arms out and stepped toward her.
Just like the day he burned the Imperial battleship, he was planning to hold her in a princess-carry, one arm under her back and the other under her legs, and fly like that.
‘Why did I… overreact?’
She couldn’t even explain it to herself.
Her racing heartbeat calmed down.
The heat on her cheeks faded.
‘Why was I flustered over this?’
She felt a bit foolish.
After all, Ludwig wasn’t flustered at all—completely calm.
It felt like she had lost, and that annoyed her.
Ariella quickly fixed her expression, hiding her feelings.
Her eyes and voice returned to normal.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“…Not necessary?”
“You don’t need to carry me when flying.”
“Then what? Are you not coming with me? How can we find the Serpent without you?”
“Of course I’m coming. But I don’t need to rely on you anymore. I can fly on my own now.”
This time, Ludwig’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Flying magic?”
Ariella nodded.
“You already learned that?”
“Of course. I even mastered invisibility magic—why wouldn’t I be able to learn flight?”
Ludwig was speechless for a moment.
“That difficult spell? It took me years to learn!”
He could hardly believe it.
‘She learned it in just a few months? How did she even find the time?’
He knew Ariella was already busy.
She was involved in every matter of the Demon King’s Domain as it developed, while also planning how to defeat Delrak.
On top of that, she helped Philly study magic, taught Ludwig how to read, dealt with complaints about the dragon, and spent nights poring over old books.
And somehow, she still managed to study her own magic.
But mastering a high-level spell like flight? That was unbelievable.
Even among demons, it was rare because it was so difficult.
‘To be honest, I still don’t fully understand the formulas myself…’
Fire magic came naturally to him, but for other spells, he needed teachers. Flight had been one of them, and it had taken years of struggle.
“…She really doesn’t waste a single moment,” Ludwig muttered in awe.
Ariella smiled lightly.
“That’s why we have to keep growing the Demon King’s Domain. If we gain more reliable people, I’ll naturally have less to handle.”
She began preparing to chant the flight spell.
But then Pi piped up.
“No, Ariella! You don’t need to do that.”
“Why not?”
She thought he was going to use his dragon-words magic again.
Instead, Pi spread his wings proudly and turned his back toward her.
“Because I’ll carry you! Climb on.”
He smiled brightly.
“I can fly perfectly well on my own!”
“No! That means Ariella has to use up her magic. Pi, you’re a dragon, but Ariella isn’t. She should save her strength.”
He shook his head firmly.
“Ariella, if you use too much magic, you’ll get tired. There’s no need. I’ll carry you.”
His voice held both care and pride.
Ariella chuckled.
“You’re worried about me?”
“Mm-hm!”
She had planned to refuse, but then paused.
‘Wait. When will I ever get to ride a dragon again?’
It might be her first and last chance. Maybe even the first time any human—or even any demon—had done it.
Curiosity surged inside her, stronger than her hesitation.
“Won’t it be heavy for you if I climb on your back?”
“Nope. Last time I carried something much heavier, and it was fine!”
“…Heavier? What exactly were you carrying? Did you steal something else and bring it to your nest?”
“Uh—uhm…”
Pi quickly looked away, refusing to answer.
Ariella made a mental note to check his tower nest again soon.
Then Pi shouted to change the subject.
“Ariella, that’s not important! Are we going or not? Hurry and climb on!”
He even imitated Ludwig’s stern tone.
It wasn’t bad—he was learning how to dodge questions.
“Fine then. This time I’ll accept your offer.”
Ariella climbed onto Pi’s back.
Thanks to his healthy growth, there was more than enough room for her.
‘Maybe even space for one more person,’ she thought.
“Am I heavy?”
“Not at all! You’re light!”
“Then maybe Ludwig could—”
Pi’s face instantly turned cold.
Just a moment ago he’d been all smiles, but now he was dead serious.
“Why would I carry him?”
He declared firmly,
“Only one person in this world can ride on my back—and that’s Ariella!”
Ludwig crossed his arms and retorted,
“As if I’d ever want to! I refuse.”
Ariella sighed.
‘Honestly… they’re like children arguing over pride.’
With a powerful flap of his wings, Pi soared into the sky with Ariella on his back.
Ludwig quietly chanted the flight spell and followed after them.
“Woooow!”
The wind roared in Ariella’s ears.
The barren coast below shrank into the distance.
Her first time riding a dragon filled her with exhilaration.
It felt completely different from when Ludwig had carried her before.
‘This is incredible.’
She shut her eyes against the fierce wind, then opened them again.
They were already flying far over the sea.
Storm winds and rain still raged, but they didn’t affect the flight at all.
Thanks to Pi’s dragon magic, it felt like they were moving inside the calm center of a storm.
‘It’s like flying through the eye of a hurricane.’
Beneath her, giant waves crashed, racing past.
She turned her head to check on Ludwig.
The Demon King was flying close behind.
Their eyes met, and his lips moved.
She couldn’t hear him, but she knew exactly what he said.
‘What are you looking at?’
‘So stiff, as always,’ Ariella thought.
And so, the human, the demon, and the dragon flew together over the stormy sea.
After a long while, Pi suddenly said,
“Huh? The wind’s weaker now.”
“You’re right,” Ariella replied. “We’ve passed the most dangerous area.”
Over a hundred artificial suns made by Demon Kings kept the Demon Realm’s land warm and pleasant.
But the sea, with no suns, was naturally cold.
The difference in temperature caused violent storms along the coasts, blocking sea travel.
Now they had passed through that barrier.
Pi ended his dragon spell, and the air grew calmer.
“…It’s gotten darker,” Ariella murmured.
The sea wasn’t frozen yet, but it was cold enough that they were far from land.
“This is the route we’ll use for sailing later,” she explained. “We have to ride that fast current.”
Pi blinked. “Here? That water?”
“Yes. If we put ships here, we can reach the north much faster.”
“Why is the water moving so fast?”
“Because cold water from the glaciers pushes against it.”
“Glaciers?”
“Yes. If you fly far past the horizon, the sea there is frozen solid.”
“Why?”
Ariella answered patiently, but the endless stream of “why’s” left her shivering.
“Ah… it’s so cold.” Her teeth chattered.
Then Ludwig silently summoned a fireball.
Fwoosh!
Not as bright as the sun, but big enough to light and warm the air around them.
The flames floated alongside them, keeping pace with their flight.
“Ah, thank you,” Ariella said, feeling the warmth on her shoulders.
Ludwig just gave a small nod, without speaking.
‘Can’t he at least say something?’ she thought.
But Pi shouted,
“Ariella, you’re cold? You should’ve said so sooner! I’ll make you warm!”
He cast another dragon spell.
“Hot and cozy!”
The temperature around Ariella rose even more.
Ludwig frowned, and his fireball grew larger.
“…?!”
That provoked Py.
He clenched his teeth and shouted,
“Even warmer!”
The Demon King and the dragon both poured more power into their magic, competing with each other.
The flames grew hotter. The air blazed.
Soon, it felt like they were flying through a tropical island.
Finally, Ariella couldn’t take it anymore and yelled,
“Stop it, both of you! At this rate I’ll be roasted alive!”
