21st Century Archmage

Flap, flap, flap flap flap.

“Huhuhuhu…”

Feeling Bebetos powerful wingbeats beneath me, a smile of satisfaction danced on my lips.

Three days at the Temir temple had passed in a flash. During that time, I was able to see exactly how captured wild wyverns were turned into usable ones.

‘Theyre not things you can catch every day.

Wyverns were easy to catch, but difficult to tame. First, the captured wyverns were fully immobilized using stakes driven into the ground. Then, they were fed water. It wasnt regular water, but water mixed with the blood of shamans.

I was astonished while watching. The shamans cut their wrists over a bucket, letting blood flow for quite a while. All thirty or so of the shamans in the temple worked together to fill a large bucket with blood. Then, water was mixed in, and that bloody water was fed to the wyverns.

‘Not just anyone can become a shaman.

I discovered another reason why the Temir folk respected the shamans. The shamans blood was used in such a fashion, but afterwards, their blood couldnt be used for at least three months. I didnt know the details, but the production of the special component in their blood was slowed down after blood-letting. I heard that the shaman blood wasnt only used for wyverns, but also distributed to tribespeople as a kind of lucky charm. With shaman blood around, monsters and demon beasts dared not intrude. That was only possible because they were not simple shamans, but dragon descendants, an existence feared by monsters, no, by all creatures of the Middle Realm.

Even after thousands of years of genetic dilution, the blood of the dragon still flowed in his descendants. I was certain that other dragons created various life forms within the human world during their times of amusement, but the Temir folk had something distinctly different about them. They had had an inkling of Tarkania, a dragon who had such intense affection for his descendants, that he would usemy beloved children to refer to them, and had used some kind of secret, unknown method to pass down dragon-like traits.

‘Lass, Ill put them to good use.

I turned to look behind Bebeto.

Flap, flap, flap flap flap.

20 wyverns strung together with ropes that mimicked the shape of vienna sausages were trailing Bebeto. The wyverns, which were rough, wild monsters just a few days ago, were obediently flying behind Bebeto like gentle lambs. Red shaman marks were drawn on their bodies.

‘Its really frickin intense…

As I looked at the marks carved on the wyverns bodies, I remembered Lokoroïas wan face. Using tattooing tools made of mithril, the shamans carved marks on each and every one of the wyverns, utilizing blood drawn from the lass wrists.

‘If it were me, theres absolutely no way Id be able to do it.

When no more blood flowed from her wrist, she would drink holy water, take a short break, and then draw more blood—that went on for two days. Shockingly, there was enough blood to mark 20 wyverns in that small body of hers.

‘What if she never grows because of it?

A certain worry suddenly occurred to me. She wasnt some kind of blood donation machine, but a girl undergoing her growth spurt, so wasnt it excessive to draw so much blood? No matter how good the holy water was, there was a limit to everything.

‘Theres no such thing as free.

Despite her youth, Lokoroïa ruled over the Temir folk. She was selling her blood—if you could call it that—to forge a glorious path for her people.

Guoooooooooooooo!

With 20 wyverns strung on his ankles, Bebeto gave a deafening roar towards the front.

‘My escorts here.

We were surrounded wholly by fields of snow, and above the snow, I spotted ten wyverns. It was a wyvern flight from Orakk Castle. It seemed they had gotten word of my arrival from one of the sentry posts we passed.

Swoooooooosh.

After coming within 1 km, the flight smoothly divided into two and waited for me.

Kioooooooooooo!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Seeing new comrades behind Bebeto, the wyverns let out long cries, I imagine saying something like :

“You suckers are in for it now…”

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