The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 151
Just as I reached the top of the World Tree Aion, the dazzling morning sun appeared in the eastern sky, bathing the ancient forest in gentle sunlight.
“UWOOOOOOONN!!”
Something inside me was so moved by the scenery that I couldn’t help but howl at the sight. As I looked around, I could see the three other World Trees towering in the distance just as Aristia described.
(As far as I recall, the World Tree on the southeast is called “Afectio”, and at its base is the city of Elwind…)
Further ahead was the Philland Republic, whom the elves fought against in the Battle of Forest Garden and where the World Tree “Memoria” was sent to as a sign of peace after the war. It was hard to tell from here which World Tree belonged there, but it’s only the nation in the west that possesses one.
And when I turned around and faced north, there was the Easteria forest, where my pack and I live.
“Guruau, woruoaau… Wafu?” (I wonder if they’re getting alo—!?)
Suddenly, a shadow shot from behind me, and when I turned around…
“Kwaaaaaaaannn!!” (Angry!!)
“Wafuh!?” (Wha!?)
…An enormous bird of prey suddenly swooped down and tried to grab me.
“UWOOOOOOH!!”
*grab*
I tried to evade and bring it down, but… It grabbed my torso with its left leg and the “King of the Skies” soared into the dawn sky.
“Varuoh, gauruuoguruh!!” (It’s a King Eagle!!)
King Eagles are large, aerial monsters that prey on harpies, insects, and bird-type monsters. They are known for their speed, which is faster than the dragon species, so they have no natural enemies in the sky.
Another thing to note is that these birds make nests on top of large trees like the World Tree. This piece of information came to mind when I saw the enormous, white egg buried in the treetops as I was lifted into the sky.
“Ofuu, wooah!” (Wait, this is all a misunderstanding!)
“Kwaaaaaaaannn!!” (Angry!!)
My Mithril Mask of telepathy was in my waist bag, so it didn’t understand me and kept flying away from the World Tree at a tremendous speed.
I hesitated to attack the bird because of the eggs I saw earlier and as I made a futile attempt to scratch it with my feet, I noticed that we had already traveled far away from Elfast in under a minute… So these King Eagles can reach speeds of about 150 km/hour in a heartbeat.
(Kuh, then that means I’m already about 20 km away from the city!!)
And we headed further away as I realized the situation…
“Gauoaaaan!!” (I’m sorry about this!!)
Fortunately, I was able to free my right arm, so I touched the King Eagle’s thick leg and concentrated wind magic from my palm so I could fire a wind blade to cut it off!
“Kuu!?”
“Wafih!” (Wha–!)
However, the bird was sensitive to wind magic and let go of me just as I was about to do the deed.
“UWOOOOOOH!!”
Following the laws of gravity and inertia, I naturally fell at a high speed, so I pictured a parabola to estimate my landing and…
“Wofu, garuoh!!” (O wind, I command you!!)
Using wind magic, I produced an updraft to reduce the speed of my fall and made minor adjustments so I would fall on a suitable tree.
Tumble, rustle, thud
“Auh, uu…” (Ow…)
I came tumbling down a tree until I got caught in a tree branch. From there, I crept my way down until I reached solid ground.
“… Worugaon?” (Where am I?)
It seems I’ve been brought somewhere in the northeastern part of the forest from the capital…
It’s only about 25-30 km away at best, so if I can find my way to the Clarsflume River that flows into Elfast and rely on my sense of smell while moving southeast, I should be able to return.
(But the problem is getting through the Forest of Wandering…)
Well, the Elves are immune to the effects of the barrier in the Forest of Wandering, so it would be safe to assume that the mist detects the wave of magical power that goes around the body. Therefore, if I could disguise my power to be as close as the magic produced by the World Tree that maintains the barrier… It’s just a theory, but it’s worth a try.
