CHAPTER NINE

"Why am I doing this?"

After almost an hour of bickering and screaming, Senpai finally gave up and muttered curses as he set on all four in the ground.

Leila was in a fit of laughter and had been constantly teasing him at his ridiculous state for the last ten minutes.

She fought against a grin breaking out on her face and said, "I wanted to go see the outside world and mingle with something---or someone that isn't made of marble or plants. You can shapeshift-I can't, and I can't possibly walk all the way since I'm a delicate female, so you have to carry me."

"Since when are you delicate?"

"Excuse me?"

Senpai immediately flashed a smile and said in a suspiciously sarcastic tone., "Nothing. I was just saying you're as fragile and delicate as a porcelain doll."

"Good, now get on with it."

"Yes, Your Royal Wickedness."

Clearly, it was an unfair battle for Senpai, who had never talked to anyone long enough for them to start bickering before they burst into ashes. So, it wasn't surprising if he stood no chance in winning verbal battles with Leila, who was known for being a savage bitch queen.

Three days after their fruitful slash annoying meeting, Leila and Senpai had now finished the preparations for their journey.

Senpai was most unwilling because he had to do all the heavy lifting and writing and stuff, while Leila enjoyed the whole time sitting, eating sweets and drinking tea, while she ordered him around.

Eventually, it came to the point where Senpai had to call a time out and wondered what came to his mind when he asked her to be his master. He must be crazy!

Nevertheless, though he looked like he was complaining, it was just a sort of defense mechanism to show that Senpai was actually very enamored when it comes to his master.

To him, Leila was an object of fascination and she was unlike anything he had ever seen. Her mindset, skills, and experiences were definitely something to be impressed on.

Which is why Senpai was feeling fluffy and warm inside. The competency of the first master he has chosen has made his chest swelled with pride.

"Ugh, I'm so tired."

Dressed in her usual training slash traveling clothes and boots, Leila kept pacing around and fidgeting. She had been waiting for this moment for as long as she can remember and her adrenaline kept her up all night, so she hadn't had a good night's rest.

"What do you mean 'tired'? To here from the castle is a five-minute walk, not to mention you're immortal."

"Well, a five-minute walk is tiring for me." She retorted. "Now, shush! The faster we arrive, the sooner I get to collapse on a bed."

Senpai took back all of the good things he had just said. 'This girl really...it would've been perfect if only she wasn't so annoyingly lazy.'

"You seem to be forgetting what powers I have. Your trash talk is leaking out."

"O-oh, dear. Whatever do you mean?"

Leila rolled her eyes and tugged on her brown satchel filled with shooting star diamonds and jewels, and secured her leather canteen on her waist belt to keep it from falling. "Now go and be Toothless."

"Eh? Why a dragon of all things? Can't I just grow wings?"

"No, no. I need something that could carry someone heavy with weapons and jewels." Leila said, pointing at her satchel. "Unless you want to turn into a hippogriff or something."

"Can I do a pegasus? It's more..."

"Girly? Ha! Weak!"

"I meant elegant and sophisticated. A pegasus has always been a majestic creature, even in legends."

"Well, yeah, but dragons are more awesome. I'm not really a goody two shoe type of person, so things like pegasusss--ses or something... don't suit my preferences."

"Hmm...what about a unicorn?"

"Pfft...yeah, that suits you. You have a boner sticking out of your forehead."

"Eww, you're gross! Just how green-minded are you?"

"Just transform into a dragon already!"

"Eh? But I don't wanna."

Leila threw her hands in the air in defeat, "You know what? Let's just make do with a BLACK pegasus. Okay?"

"Okaay." He flashed her a winner smile and began to shift.

His fair, muscular body began to grow glossy black fur, his face contorting as well as his arms and feet into that of a horses's, his tailbone extended to form a long ebony tail and on his back, exploded a majestic pair of wings.

Leila's mouth dropped as she gazed at the pegasus version of Senpai. She whistled, "Hmm...it looks better than I thought. Though a dragon would've made a better statement, oh well!"

The pegasus Senpai started emitting low growls that sounded like grumbling.

"Huh? What's that?" Leila smiled teasingly. "You need a scratch on your bum?"

Senpai shook his head violently and in a really high-pitched voice that sounded like he inhaled helium, he said. "We don't have time for this. Just hop on, already!"

"Alright, jeez." Leila grabbed her stomach to stop herself from laughing. "Seriously, who lit the fuse on your tampon?"

***

Nothing beats the world above land.

That was some of the holy sayings from back when she pretended to be a nun to assassinate a corrupted Pope.

It was a saying that pertains to the sky is Heaven itself, and that humans should always aim to ascend, as the sight of Heaven is the greatest blessing.

'Ha! Blessing, my ass.' She thought as she remembered things that were supposed to be deleted from her recycle bin.

Truth to be told, at that time, Leila was bewildered why she felt such satisfaction from killing that guy, other than the fact that he was corrupted and a criminal. But now, based on all the shitty things she went through, Leila finally knew why.

With that thought, she sometimes wondered if she was really destined to stray from the path of faith since the beginning.

She gazed at the marvelous sight. Still, unlike the usual sky of Earth that Leila's familiar of, this world really has a sky worth envying.

The sky seemed like it was painted with watercolors. A soft, aesthetic collaborations of blue, violet, pink, yellow, and soft orange perfectly blended to form one majestic and eye-catching dawn.

The thick clouds looked like giant cotton candy with tiny bits of glitter shimmering against the soft morning light.

They looked very fluffy and solid that Leila can't help but wonder if she could jump in them and not worry about falling to her death.

Apart from that, Leila would see bizarre and some, familiar, flying creatures that travel in fours every once in a while.

With sparkling eyes and mouth agape, Leila peered down to observe the scenery from what looked like three hundred feet above the ground.

She never thought that her territory would look so creepy, misty, and dreary like it was under a constant cover of dark clouds and rain.

'Looks like the kind of forest the Slender Man would reside in.'

But at least she got the point why people would call it 'The Dwelling', when monsters of all sorts would look like they would literally burst out like a terrifying clown inside giant music box and yell 'Peek-a-boo!'

Based on the map Leila had reviewed in her first month, 'The Dwelling' is located on the far edge between Kratos up north and Kingdom of Candor close to it as neighboring kingdoms.

Apart from that, what stands as the borderline between the two kingdoms and 'The Dwelling', are dangerous mountains known as Pandora.

Due to the immense amount of magic stones and jewels that literally grow on its soil, the Pandora is literally a tourist spot for those who seek a long life of comfort and wealth.

But as she said, the mountains themselves are as dangerous as it is luxurious.

Legends say that Pandora was actually the name of the spirit that resides in the mountains, like Gaea of the Greek or that earth lady in Moana.

It is said that Pandora deeply loathes greed, which is why whenever she detects an individual who seeks her blessings but bears immense hunger for wealth and power, she would summon her guardians who usually take form as massive monsters that rest in her mountains and slaughter them.

There weren't any specifics about Pandora because the ones who dared explore it never came back or lived to tell the tale.

That was-before an alien woman woke up covered in roses, got bored, ventured to her territory, got attacked by a superior spirit who turned out to be overbearing, narcissistic but perfect gay butler slash diva.

Leila was in the middle of listening to Senpai's travels abroad and adventures until they discussed deeper topics about Pandora.

Leila was particularly active, especially when it comes to discussions about making money.

"Really? Are those stones, jewels, really worth that much?" Leila asked, eyes shining.

"Well, of course!" Senpai exclaimed. "There are all sorts you can find in Pandora."

"What do those stones do anyway? Besides decorations and jewelry?"

"Magic stones act as a kind of reservoir." She explained, his mane furiously billowing against the wind. "Red stones for heat, blue ones for cold, yellow ones emit light...that sort of thing."

"So, shooting star diamonds aren't the only ones used as a source of light?"

"Those diamonds-they are filled with holy power and are great in producing impenetrable barriers."

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the holy saintess?"

"You can't extort the power from the diamonds." Senpai clarified. "Also, it could never compare to the worth of the saintess, however, it is also something they can produce."

"...I see." Leila tightened the grip of her legs on Senpai's strong body to prevent her from slipping to her death.

Soon enough, Leila began to see small villages scattered across the green fields. One of many countrysides of Candor, the nearest kingdom to Pandora.

They could've just landed there, however, they needed to find a place where they could convert the diamonds and jewels brought by Leila and so they ventured further.

When a seemingly populated town finally came to sight, both Leila and Senpai gave a sigh of relief.

Riding pegasus was fun and thrilling at the beginning, but since she constantly worrying about slipping to the sides, so Leila was not able to enjoy taking in the sights. She had stiffened her body the whole journey to just maintain her balance.

She had learned how to ride horses as part of her training but there were very few missions that involved such an activity. Therefore, Leila's horse-riding skills were kind of stiff and it might take her at least another ride before she could get used to it.

The sight of a black pegasus descending from the clouds may attract unwanted attention, so they remained hidden amidst the thick clouds until Leila pointed out a forest with thick groves of trees.

There was a loud booming sound of wings as Senpai gently landed in the far end where the forest is a bit darker.

Finally, the aching muscles of her inner thighs gradually relaxed.

Leila dismantled herself from him with wobbling legs until her feet touched the damp ground, crunching a few dry leaves with the movement.

She released a sigh of relief and playfully gave the pegasus a pat in the butt, "Time to turn back, Toothless."

"You do know Toothless is a dragon, right? Can't you see I'm a pegasus?"

"Quit your yapping and just turn back!"

Senpai gave a low growl in response and started shaking its head. Leila watched as the Pegasus began to shrink, his mane and wings disappearing turning back into his human-like form.

Senpai groaned, still on all fours, before stretching his body upwards.

His transformation was incomplete, so Leila laughed when she saw a black tail swishing from his butt. "Somehow, you remind me of this Filipino movie where this selfish, arrogant, overbearing gay was cursed into a horse by the king of horses...I think. It suits you very well."

"Please shut up."

"Aw, come on. It's cute." Senpai snorted at her remark. He jerked his head towards some direction Leila is unaware of-the exit of the forest, perhaps? Nonetheless, she kept silent as she followed wherever Senpai was heading to. He's more familiar with the place anyways.