I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 146 Where exactly is the Red Dragon going?

It takes about eight hours to travel from Ironweave Town to Area A in the heart of the forest.

If you ride the blues the whole way, this time can be reduced by about half.

But Bruce was just an ordinary beast, not a monster with superhuman strength and agility, so it couldn't run at high speed continuously for four hours.

It takes about six hours.

This is Wilder's estimate of the time of arrival at the destination.

It's almost midnight now.

Therefore, the time of arrival at the hinterland A·9 should be six o'clock in the morning.

Summer tides rise very early; by six o'clock, the morning mist in the dense forest is almost dissipating, making it the perfect time to look for someone.

Wilder patted Bruce on the head, signaling it to speed up.

Once this is over, I'll treat you to a whole nest of kobolds!

"Aww!"

Bruce howled as he darted through the dense forest like a gray lightning bolt.

According to Wilder's planned route, they would essentially go straight into District 9 and then rush south, which would be the most time-efficient route.

Of course, this reckless way of running around also increases the chances of encountering monsters.

Wilder wasn't too worried about this.

His two staffs were charged with a total of four [Fireball] spells, so he was not afraid even when facing difficult-level monsters.

An hour passed, and Bruce's speed had noticeably slowed down.

They have reached the outer G.9 area.

Wilder patted Bruce on the head, signaling it to slow down and rest for a while, and gave it some water.

The moonlight poured down from above, falling on the ground in the forest like solidified mercury.

The forest was extremely quiet at this time.

There was no wind, no birdsong, and no rustling of leaves.

All the ordinary sounds of the daytime were veiled and disappeared into the darkness.

Wilder could only hear Bruce's footsteps.

This is a good thing.

Although he didn't have Joffrey's extraordinary hearing, he could hear further and more clearly in the quiet of the night.

Moreover, he has the expertise of a linguist.

What sounds that are unusual to the average person can be directly translated into words that he can understand, which undoubtedly enhances his vigilance.

However, the problem now is that he is a little sleepy.

I can't sleep.

Wilder patted Bruce on the head, signaling that his rest was over and that he should start accelerating.

"Aww!"

As Bruce started running, the wind he created blew against Wilder's head, clearing his head a bit.

We've reached area H.9.

Faster!

Before I knew it, another hour had passed.

During this time, Wilder fell asleep several times, but he woke up immediately each time, repeatedly raising and lowering his head like a chick pecking at rice.

He wasn't bad at staying up late, but unfortunately, he had too many things to do during the day.

Hunting the two-headed giant, searching for the kobold cave, and making a comeback with the red dragon —

When Wilde thought of the Red Dragon, his thoughts were suddenly diverted for a moment. Where did it go after that?

After the battle, Lyle climbed to the top of the tallest tree, but despite his amazing eyesight, he couldn't spot the dragon in the air.

This is really weird.

The team was hiding in the cave at the time, and they climbed out of the cave not long after the last roar. Logically speaking, the red dragon should have flown away not long ago.

Moreover, it must have been severely damaged by the investigation team, so its flight speed would only be slower.

How did it disappear?

Thinking of this, Wilder's drowsiness suddenly vanished by more than half.

He realized something was amiss.

When the red dragon first emerged from the heart of the forest, it was flying towards the kobolds' burrow.

That is, the north side.

The direction of Tiewen Town.

Where exactly was it going?

This was a problem that grew more and more terrifying the more he thought about it, and Wilder was completely wide awake.

But he couldn't stop thinking about it—

At that time, the red dragon had just created its first dragon breath in the heart of the forest, and then flew out to the outer X.9 area, which is the location where the team discovered the kobold burrow.

Is something chasing it?

Wilder immediately rejected this answer.

Because the red dragon played shuttlecock with him several times back then, and even told him in dragon language that he saw a dragon.

If something is chasing it, it wouldn't have the leisure to do these inexplicable things.

It seems more like it went to the heartland to complete something and is now preparing to head back.

Where is its capital?

The town of Tetsumon lies to the north of area X.9.

It can't possibly live in town, can it?

That leaves only one answer —

That red dragon dwells somewhere on the outskirts of the forest, between X·9 and Ironweave Town!

Wilder gasped instantly.

Because he was on his way to X·9 at that moment.

On this route, between X.9 and Ironweave Town, where the Red Dragon may reside!

In other words—

He could run into the red dragon he'd just seen during the day at any moment!

and many more.

and many more!

Wilder, who almost fell off Bruce's back a second ago due to excessive tension, forced himself to calm down.

His deduction, though seemingly reasonable, had a crucial flaw.

That's the road he's walking on now, the same road the team took during the day.

But that's because they didn't discover any structures resembling a dragon's nest.

Moreover, the team at that time also had Lyle, who had excellent eyesight, and Joffrey, who had superb hearing.

If there really was a dragon's nest, they should have discovered it long ago.

After thinking about it all, the question comes back to the very first one.

Why did that red dragon fly towards Ironweave Town?

Wilder was completely baffled.

How strange————

Just then.

"Aww!"

Bruce, who was sitting down, suddenly shouted.

This sound was extremely pure, without any explicit wolf language meaning; it only represented terror.

Wilder immediately became alert.

Humanity?

Monster?

still----

A red dragon?!

He looked up and saw no light in the dark forest.

Apart from the dense tree trunks and the branches and leaves reflecting the faint moonlight, he could hardly see anything.

He strained his ears, but heard no other unusual sounds except for Bruce's slowed footsteps.

You cannot speak at this time.

He slowly drew two staffs from behind him, an oak staff in his left hand and a hazel staff in his right.

No matter what you encounter, four [Fireballs] will always leave you half-dead.

Bruce's steps were light and slow as he moved forward little by little, as if something strange was just around the corner.

After passing through two tree trunks, it suddenly stopped.

Wilder gripped his staff tightly with both hands, staring intently ahead.

Under that tree a dozen feet away, there seemed to be a blurry shadow lying there.

Can't see clearly.

Wilder patted Bruce on the head, signaling it to take a few more steps forward.

One step, two steps.

I can finally see it clearly.

It's not a monster, and it's not a red dragon.

It has a human body shape.

Wilder breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his eyes.

Suddenly, his heart leaped into his throat.

It was a girl.

Talia.