Chapter 96: A fantasy cheat key for someone who never swims in his life is...
"You have to remember the path, Jade," I told the little bird as we followed Doun deeper inside the forest. "I don’t really have a spatial gift, you know."
Jade chirped energetically while hovering beside me. The bird was a bit sulky yesterday, perhaps to express its frustration with my prolonged stay in the Castle. But after I fed it with a lot of mana, and spent the night sleeping beside me on the pillow, Jade was back to being the energetic bird that it was.
And not just energetic, it also became clingy, way more than before.
When the little bird was just born, it stayed with me most of the time, sleeping as close as it could to me. But after evolving once, Jade had this independent streak where it would fly around from time to time or spend time with the older elemental bird instead. It also preferred to sleep on the cushion I prepared above the table below the window—unless Natha came, during which Jade would disdainfully and aggressively peck the Demon Lord once and wordlessly flew away.
But now, the little bird even came with me while I bathe. And while we were walking inside the forest, it stayed hovering around me instead of flying above like the time we frequented that small clearing.
"I think if you ask the trees, they would tell you the way for a bit, Young Master," Doun told me with a smile. "Although you might need to be patient while at it."
Huh? Why? Did they talk in a really loong and slooow way like in the stories?
"They liked to give it in riddles," Doun answered my silent question.
Oh, ouch—I wasn’t good at it. Especially since I had no power of native knowledge. So I looked at Jade and repeated my order sternly, The green orbs looked at me in earnest and the little head swayed up and down, wings flapped quicker as if saying ’leave it to me!’.
Anyway, we went deeper, past the small clearing to the part where the trees were older and higher—so high I couldn’t see the tip clearly. They were big too, with wide leaves that felt like a canopy. The deeper we went, the more it felt as if the world was getting bigger.
"It’s fascinating..." I muttered, feeling not only the trees, but everything around and below with my senses.