Chapter 136: Where Trust is Forged

The wind roared past them, a constant, exhilarating torrent that whipped their hair and clothes. They soared above the cloud layer, the world below reduced to a patchwork quilt of green forests, brown roads, and distant, toy-like settlements. The sun was bright and clear up here, warming their faces.Elise, seated securely in front of Adam, her back against his chest for stability, leaned slightly over Ignis’s shimmering, scale-dappled neck. Her eyes were wide with unabashed wonder. "This is... incredible," she breathed, her voice almost lost in the wind. "I’ve read about flight, but to actually experience it..."

Seraphina, sitting rigidly behind Elise with her arms locked around the princess’s waist, called out, "Your Highness, please do not lean so far! The fall would be... terminal!" Despite her fear, even she couldn’t help the awe in her own eyes as she gazed at the breathtaking panorama.

Adam, with one arm around Elise to anchor her and the other gripping a scale-ridge, couldn’t suppress a proud grin. "Don’t thank me. Thank the pilot." He patted Ignis’s neck.

Beneath them, Ignis let out a rumbling, happy growl that vibrated through her entire frame. ’They like it! They really like it!’ Her draconic heart swelled with pride. The effort of carrying four people was significant, but the joy of flying freely, of being useful in her true form, made it effortless.

"At this speed, we’ll be there in no time," Elise said, a real smile gracing her features for the first time in days.

Seraphina nodded grimly. "A small mercy. And it is fortunate that when Lady Ignis... transformed, there were no observers from the Duke’s household to see it."

From behind Adam, where she sat with an almost preternatural calm, Lilith remarked, her voice carrying easily on the wind, "There was no need for concern. Adam could have simply hidden us all, had it been necessary. Although, his camouflage does seem to fail at the most inopportune moments."

Adam scowled over his shoulder. "My skills are always useful! What are you talking about, Lilith?"

"Of course they are, Adam," Lilith replied, her tone dripping with false sincerity.

Elise, her mind still working even amidst the wonder, shifted the topic. "Speaking of the Duke... he seemed particularly suspicious of the three of you. More than just general caution toward strangers. Have you... done something to draw his attention before?"

Adam blinked, genuinely perplexed. "Done something? Like what? I don’t know anything about that." He looked back at Lilith. "Do you know what he’s talking about?"

Lilith feigned deep thought. "Hmm. I am also at a loss. What possible reason could the Duke have to suspect us? We are but humble travelers."

Elise took a breath, the wind snatching at her words. "He didn’t say it outright, but the implication in his questions was clear. He suspects you might be... dungeon entities. Monsters who have recently escaped from a nearby dungeon’s collapse or uprising. He’s heard reports of powerful, intelligent non-humans emerging, and your group... fits a certain description."

The statement hung in the thin, rushing air.

Adam was silent for a long moment, processing. A dungeon escapee? Well, he wasn’t wrong, but they hadn’t "escaped" in the chaotic sense the Duke probably imagined. They had conquered, evolved, and walked out.

Finally, Adam let out a short laugh, the sound carried away by the wind. "Dungeon entities, huh? Well, he’s not entirely off the mark. But ’escaped’ makes it sound like we’re fugitives. We just... changed our address."

Elise’s grip on Ignis’s scales tightened. "So it’s true then? You are from the dungeon... the ones who slaughtered the humans there?"

Adam’s voice was calm, matter-of-fact. "Oh, that. Yes, that was us. We killed the humans we encountered."

The air grew thick with tension, colder than the high-altitude wind. Behind Elise, Seraphina’s hand instinctively flew to the hilt of her sword, her body coiling. Lilith, from her position, didn’t move, but the atmosphere around her grew still and sharp, like the moment before a spider strikes from its web.

Adam continued, his crimson eyes meeting Elise’s over his shoulder. "They started it. They attacked us. We just returned the favor. Do you think we were wrong to defend ourselves?"

Elise swallowed, her mind racing. "Defending yourself isn’t wrong... but there must have been another way. A solution that didn’t end in bloodshed."

"Another way?" Adam’s tone held a note of grim realism. "What other way? They saw us as monsters. As trophies to be hunted for glory and loot. Their ’solution’ was our annihilation. Ours was survival. Which of those is the wrong choice?"

He paused, his gaze steady. "So? What now? Do you want to cut ties with us? Turn us in to the Duke as the ’dungeon escapees’ he suspects we are?"

Elise shook her head, the motion firm. "No. It’s not like that." She took a deep breath. "I think... you are good people. In Elden Hollow, you helped without question. You saved that village. You’ve protected me."

"Exactly," Adam said, some of the edge leaving his voice. "It’s about perspective. We don’t attack humans who show us kindness. We helped that village because they needed help, and they didn’t try to kill us on sight. We’re protecting you because you’ve treated us as allies, not prey." He looked at Seraphina, whose hand still rested on her sword. "We’re not mindless beasts. We’re beings who respond to how we’re treated. Hunt us, and we’ll fight back. Offer us respect, and you might get an ally. It’s really that simple."

Elise nodded slowly, absorbing his words. The fairytale monsters from storybooks were one thing. These were complex individuals with their own code, shaped by a life of kill-or-be-killed. It was horrifying, but it was also undeniably true.

Seraphina’s gaze remained hard, locked on Adam’s back. "That does not change the fact that you are dangerous. And you could be lying about the circumstances."

Adam didn’t turn around. "I’m not forcing you to believe anything. Frankly, it’s a waste of my time and energy. If you doubt us, then this partnership is a liability. Distrust will get us all killed faster than any monster. Hesitation in a fight is a death sentence—for you, for Elise, for us. If you can’t commit, you should leave now."

Lilith’s voice, cool and analytical, cut through the rushing wind. "Consider the perspective, knight. From a human standpoint, is it not considered natural, even heroic, to slay monsters in a dungeon? Is that not ’survival’ for your kind? You claim the moral high ground of civilization, yet your actions are rooted in the same primal instinct: remove the threat to ensure your own safety. We are no different. We simply lack the luxury of pretending our survival is a moral crusade. It is arithmetic. A threat exists; we neutralize it. The source of the threat is irrelevant."

Seraphina fell silent, Lilith’s logic striking a dissonant chord. Her entire life’s training was built upon a clear, moral dichotomy: protect humanity, vanquish monsters. This relativistic view of survival, where humans could be the aggressors and monsters could be defenders, had no place in her knightly tenets. It was unsettling, and it left her mentally floundering.

Elise, sensing the stalemate, spoke with calm authority. "Seraphina. Look at me." When her knight’s eyes met hers, Elise continued. "I will be honest—I, too, am apprehensive. What they admit to is grave. But I also saw them in Elden Hollow. I saw their actions when there was no gain, no immediate threat. They helped because it was the right thing to do by their own code. I choose to trust that part of them. I trust my own judgment. And you are my protector, sworn to follow and support my decisions. Do you trust my judgment?"

It was a masterful appeal, bypassing the philosophical debate entirely and grounding it in their unshakeable bond of loyalty and duty.

Seraphina held her princess’s gaze for a long moment. The conflict raged in her eyes—knightly dogma versus sworn fealty. Finally, the tension in her shoulders seeped away, replaced by weary resignation and steadfast devotion. Her hand fell away from her sword completely.

"I... trust you, Your Highness," Seraphina said, the words quiet but firm. "Always. If you believe this is the path, then I will follow. And I will... endeavor to understand." The last part was clearly a concession, not an agreement, but it was enough.

Elise smiled, a genuine expression of relief and gratitude at Seraphina’s loyalty. She then turned her attention back to Adam, her expression softening with sincerity. "Adam, I... apologize for probing into such a sensitive matter. It was not my place to question your past actions so bluntly."

Adam gave a slight shrug, the motion felt through his secure hold. "Don’t worry about it. It is what it is. Hiding it would have been pointless anyway."

From behind, Lilith added, her voice carrying a note of approval. "Indeed. Clear air, even if initially turbulent, is preferable to a mist of unspoken doubts. It prevents... unfortunate misunderstandings later."

Adam nodded, glancing at the horizon where the Crags loomed. They still had a little time before arrival. "You should all try to get some rest. Elise, you’re dead on your feet. Sera, you look like you could sleep for a week. Even Ignis is flying on autopilot. We’ll need our wits about us when we get there. Sleep now."

Elise didn’t need to be told twice. The emotional exhaustion layered on top of her physical fatigue finally won. A huge, involuntary yawn escaped her. "You’re right... thank you." She allowed herself to relax fully against Adam, her head finding a comfortable spot against his shoulder. Within minutes, her breathing evened out into the deep, steady rhythm of sleep.

Adam shifted slightly to better support her, then looked over his shoulder at Seraphina, who was still sitting rigidly, her eyes scanning the skies out of habit. "Your turn, knight. Get some sleep. And relax. I give you my word," he said, a hint of dry humor in his tone, "I won’t eat you."