The biting winds of the herb mountains slowly loosened their grip as the party descended, the white, merciless peaks shrinking behind them with every passing moment. What once howled like a frozen grave now faded into the distance, replaced by the dense, breathing quiet of the forest below. Snow gave way to damp soil, brittle frost to the muted scent of moss and bark.
Glaciron's massive body carved its way through the terrain like a living avalanche. The forest resisted him at first-roots tangled, trunks stood stubborn-but resistance meant little to something of his scale. Trees bent, snapped, or were simply brushed aside as if they had grown in the wrong place. Compared to the treacherous slopes of the mountains, this was almost... forgiving.
Atop the serpent's head, Ray sat with composed authority, one leg slightly bent as his spear rested across his lap. His fingers idly traced along Glaciron's hardened scales, occasionally tapping to guide direction. Each subtle motion was understood without hesitation. There was no need for reins, no need for commands shouted aloud. The beast moved as if it could read intent itself.
A low hiss escaped Glaciron as his head lifted slightly, attention drawn upward.
Ray followed that instinct.
Perched on a thick branch above, legs lazily swinging, sat Haruna. She bit into a fruit with casual indifference, as if she hadn't just outrun them and claimed the path ahead like it belonged to her.
She glanced down, meeting Ray's gaze without urgency.
"I cleared the path ahead," she said, her tone light, almost bored. "There's a corpse a little further in. You can take that with you too."
Ray's expression flattened, unimpressed.
"Seriously? We're hauling your leftovers now?"
Instead of answering him directly, Haruna dropped down in one smooth motion, landing beside Glaciron before wrapping her arms around his massive head with an easy familiarity.
"C'mon... you'd do that for me, right, Glaciron?"
The serpent stilled.
It wasn't obedience in the way it responded to Ray. This was different.
There was no command. No force.
Yet something deep within its being stirred.
A faint, indescribable sensation threaded through its instincts-something older than thought, heavier than logic. When Ray had named him, that moment had carved a bond into his existence, something absolute and undeniable. But alongside that bond... there had been something else. Something quieter. Lingering.
Now, standing before Haruna, that presence surfaced again.
Not from her alone.
But through her.
It was like catching a scent carried on the wind-faint, yet unmistakable. A presence that didn't belong to the forest, nor to the mountains, nor to any beast that roamed this land. It was distant, yet dominant. Unseen, yet absolute.
Haruto.
The name itself meant little to Glaciron as a concept. But the imprint left behind... was something his instincts recognized without question.
And Haruna... carried it more strongly than anyone else here.
Not through authority alone, but through closeness. Through connection. Through something far more intimate than simple command.
Glaciron's massive head lowered slightly, a soft hiss escaping him-not of threat, but something closer to acknowledgment.
Submission.
Not to her as a master.
But to what she carried.
To what she represented.
To him.
From the very back, Elira blinked in confusion, watching the massive serpent react in a way she hadn't seen before. Kael, beside her, narrowed her eyes slightly, picking up on the subtle shift in behavior. It was small. Easy to miss.
But it was there.
And it didn't make sense.
Ray noticed it too.
His hand paused briefly against Glaciron's scales, his gaze flickering between the serpent and Haruna. A quiet understanding formed, not fully realized, but enough to settle into the back of his mind like a puzzle piece waiting for its moment.
Then he exhaled, letting it go for now.
Ray glanced down at the massive serpent beneath him and lightly tapped his spear against Glaciron's hardened scales, the sound dull yet commanding.
"Hey now... you've known her for, what, an hour?" he muttered. "Don't tell me that meat offering already won you over."
Haruna scoffed, clearly unimpressed, fingers still idly brushing along the serpent's head as if she'd been doing it for years.
"Oh? Then you tell me," she shot back, a teasing edge curling into her tone. "What's better than a fresh chunk of Titan ape meat for a serpent like him? I bet he's been dreaming about something like that his whole life."
She gave Glaciron another affectionate pat before effortlessly leaping up, landing right at the front and slipping into Ray's position as if it had always belonged to her.
"Not bad..." she hummed, glancing around. "Luna's definitely going to lose her mind when she sees him."
Ray let out a quiet breath, half amusement, half resignation.
"So? You taking over or just sightseeing?"
Haruna tilted her head slightly, then nodded.
"Yeah. I'll handle it."
Without argument, Ray stood, stretching his shoulders before stepping back along the serpent's length. As he passed, he gave Glaciron one last firm pat.
"Take it easy," he warned, voice low but clear. "Not everyone here can keep up if you go crazy."
That single line was enough.
The others immediately stiffened.
Because now Haruna was at the front.
And that never meant anything normal.
Kael didn't hesitate. The moment Ray moved, she slipped forward, settling beside Haruna with surprising ease, her posture balanced, controlled.
"Careful," Haruna said without looking at her.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I've trained for far worse things."
Haruna didn't argue. Instead, she knocked lightly on the left side of Glaciron's head and pointed forward.
"That way, let's go."
The serpent obeyed instantly.
With his head lowered and vision limited, Haruna naturally took over as his eyes, her gaze scanning ahead with quiet precision as she mapped a path through the forest. Every turn, every adjustment came smoothly, as if she already knew the terrain before seeing it.
For a while, only the sound of shifting foliage and the low, rhythmic movement of the serpent filled the air.
Then-
"So..." Kael leaned in slightly, her voice carrying hesitation wrapped in curiosity. "I know we're... friends now, but this might sound weird."
Haruna gave her a sideways glance.
"Then don't make it weird."
Kael let out a small, awkward laugh before continuing anyway.
"Who exactly... are you?"
Haruna blinked once.
"Didn't I already tell you my name?"
"I mean-yes-but that's not what I meant." Kael shook her head, trying to organize her thoughts. "Back in Leonhart, monsters come and go all the time. Trade, negotiations... coexistence. We've learned a lot about Majin society, the council, even Majin's techniques humans can use without access to Astrons."
She paused, her gaze sharpening.
"But even with all that... I've never seen goblins like you."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"It feels like you're all directly under a Demon Lord or something."
Haruna stared at her for a second.
Then she laughed.
Not mockingly.
Just... genuinely amused.
Kael flinched.
"W-was that wrong?"
Haruna exhaled, calming herself as she waved it off.
"Relax. We're not working for a Demon Lord."
Her lips curved faintly, something playful slipping through.
"And honestly... what kind of Demon Lord would waste time and resources by naming mere goblins?"
Kael hesitated.
"...Fair point."
"You'll get it when you meet him," Haruna added, her tone softer now, almost... fond. "Lord Haruto isn't anything like that. If anything, he's closer to a hero."
Kael nodded slowly, her expression easing.
"I believe you. I mean... you saved us, didn't you? Heroes don't just show up alone. There's always someone behind them."
Haruna clicked her tongue lightly.
"Don't overthink it. That was just luck. We happened to cross paths."
"That doesn't matter," Kael replied, more firmly this time. "You saved us. That's what matters. I'll repay that someday. I swear it."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
Just raw, grounded determination.
Haruna studied her for a moment, then looked away with a quiet sigh.
"...Fine. Do what you want."
The conversation settled again, the cold forest air brushing against them as Kael took a slow breath, letting it steady her thoughts.
Then something clicked.
Her head snapped toward Haruna.
"Wait-hold on... is it true? What that scarred goblin said?"
Haruna froze.
"...What?"
"That you're really close to Lord Haruto. Are you his lover or something?"
The reaction was instant.
Too fast.
Too defensive.
"That idiot? That's Ray," she snapped, a little too quickly. "And no, don't believe anything he says. He just makes stuff up to mess with people."
She looked away, forcing composure back into her voice.
"I was the first to receive a name, yeah... but that's it. Maybe he sees me as a bit more useful than the others. That's all."
Her words were steady.
Her body wasn't.
Kael noticed it immediately.
The faint twitch of her ears.
The subtle flush creeping along their tips.
The way she suddenly found the trees very interesting.
...Yeah.
There was definitely something there.
Kael almost smiled.
Almost.
But she held it back.
Too soon.
Pushing now would only shut her down.
So she let it rest-for now.
"Oh," Haruna said suddenly, pointing ahead. "There it is. Good thing nothing got to it. That thing was annoying to deal with."
She tapped Glaciron's head lightly, guiding him forward.
Kael followed her gaze-
And froze.
Her breath caught.
Her body locked.
Because lying ahead, half-buried in torn earth and shattered undergrowth...
Was an Black-Oxe Drake.
Even in death, its presence was overwhelming.
A grotesque fusion of brute force and ancient lineage, its body resembled a monstrous blend of rhinoceros and scaled reptile. Thick, mineralized hide layered its form like natural armor, each plate resembling carved stone. From its body jutted clusters of crystalline growths-raw Astron reservoirs that pulsed faintly even now, amplifying its strength during life.
The older they grew, the more those crystals spread.
The stronger they became.
B-rank at minimum.
A-rank if matured fully.
A creature that could dominate an entire region.
And yet-
What lay before them now...
Was nothing more than a corpse.
Its head-crushed.
Not pierced. Not burned. Not torn apart through prolonged battle.
Crushed.
As if something had decided it didn't deserve the effort of a fight.
The posture said everything.
It hadn't even reacted.
No defensive stance. No struggle.
Just... ended.
Kael's throat went dry.
Even she, as a C-rank warrior, wouldn't be able to leave a scratch on something like this.
Even Glaciron... would have to risk his life to take it down.
But Haruna?
She hadn't fought it.
She had erased it.
Slowly, almost mechanically, Kael turned her head.
And looked at the girl sitting beside her.
Still calm.
Still casual.
Still... talking like none of this was abnormal.
A quiet chill crept down Kael's spine.
Haruna, completely unfazed, ran her hand along Glaciron's head again.
"Pick it up," she said casually. "We're taking it with us. No time to waste."
The serpent obeyed without hesitation.
Its jaws stretched unnaturally wide, unhinging with ease as it carefully took the massive corpse into its mouth. Not devouring-just holding. Preserving it.
Efficient.
Controlled.
As if even this act had already been calculated.
Then, without pause-They moved again.
Through the forest.
Toward the camp.
Toward the one everything seemed to revolve around.
Haruto was waiting.
And somehow... that alone made everything feel like it was already decided.
...