Chapter 301: Wings of Freedom (2)

A female birdfolk, her eyes red from crying, hugged Icarus tightly as she scolded him.

“W-what are you doing, Mom? Everyone’s watching. This is so embarrassing...”

“Be quiet! Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

Standing in the middle of the village, wrapped in his mother’s arms, Icarus’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“Alright, alright... I get it...”

While he was busy trying to calm his mother, the other birdfolk whispered among themselves as they observed Kai.

“But who is that bird over there? I’ve never seen a species like that before.”

“Oh my, it looks like his beak is broken. That must make eating difficult. Poor thing...”

“And he doesn’t have any feathers. Won’t he be cold in the winter?”

As the murmurs of sympathy toward Kai continued, one birdfolk spoke up.

“I heard that he’s not a bird at all. He’s a human.”

“

Chiiirp!

A human?!” The startled birds cried out in shock.

“Yes, I heard it from one of the search party members.”

“A human... You mean like the ones the elders and the chieftain sometimes talk about?”

“I thought all those stories were just made-up tales.”

“I did too... But...”

“How did a human even get here?”

Walking into the birdfolk village alongside the search party, Kai felt like a monkey in a zoo. However, having experienced similar treatment during his time as Unknown, he nonchalantly looked around the village.

Hmm.

Having visited the villages of dwarves, merfolk, and elves, Kai immediately noticed something.

For a birdfolk village... something feels off.

The cities of other demi-human races all had unique cultures and characteristics embedded into their layout, but the birdfolk village lacked such distinctiveness.

Just as Kai was wondering why that was, a deep voice echoed through the area.

“Silence, all of you.”

The entire village fell silent as if by magic.

Kai turned his gaze toward the approaching group of birdfolk. Among them, the figure at the front immediately caught his attention.

That’s a bald eagle.

The elderly-looking bird even had a long beard that reached his shoulders.

“

Hmm

... I thought it was impossible when I heard the report, but it really is a human,” the old birdfolk muttered, swallowing a deep breath as he came closer to Kai.

The birdfolk standing behind him were also elderly, and they, too, seemed to recognize what Kai was.

“It seems we have much to discuss. Come with us.”

“I appreciate your hospitality.”

As the bald eagle took the lead, the birdfolk parted to either side, as if witnessing a miracle like Moses parting the sea.

A short while later, they arrived at a large mansion, which appeared to be the village’s community hall.

“My apologies, but the only drink we can offer is herbal tea from the forest.”

“I would be grateful for anything, thank you.”

“Polite, I see.” Seated, the bald eagle looked at Kai and said. “First, let’s introduce ourselves. I am Gust, leader of the birdfolk.”

“I am Kai.”

“Kai, Kai... I will remember that name. Now, could you explain how you ended up on this island?”

The moment that question was asked, the eyes of the many birdfolk surrounding Kai filled with curiosity. It was only natural, as they hoped his answer would reveal a way to reconnect with the outside world.

However, the response that came from Kai was entirely unexpected.

“I have come here to rescue all of you.”

“

Huh?

”

The fact that a human, who couldn’t even fly, had managed to enter this place was already astonishing—but now he was saying he had come to rescue them?

As the birdfolk simply blinked, Kai looked at them for a moment before opening his inventory.

Thud!

A backpack filled with hundreds of teleport scrolls dropped onto the table.

Staring at it, Gust said in a trembling voice, “Th-this is...?”

“These are teleport scrolls,” Kai responded in a firm, confident voice.

He expected the birdfolk to break into cheers, embracing one another in celebration. However, their reaction was far colder than he had anticipated.

Gust let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “The effort is appreciated, but teleport scrolls cannot be used here.”

“What? What do you mean...?”

“You are aware that this island is within the domain of Sea Dragon Harley, correct?”

“Of course.”

“The dark clouds it has spread have the effect of disrupting the flow of mana.”

“Disrupt the flow of mana?”

“Simply put, spatial magic like teleportation cannot be used. Additionally, any magic that consumes mana will last for a much shorter duration than usual.”

Gust tore one of the teleport scrolls that Kai had brought without hesitation. Just as he had said, the scroll failed to activate.

“

Ah

...”

In that moment, what flashed through Kai’s mind was the protective barrier he had recently installed in his territory.

Is it a similar principle? But since it was cast by the Sea Dragon, its effects must be even stronger.

Kai had believed that everything would be resolved the moment he arrived here, but now he couldn’t hide his disappointment.

So this means I have to lead the birdfolk out of here myself?

With Harley keeping watch, that was as good as impossible.

The difficulty level just skyrocketed.

As Kai frowned, feeling a headache coming on, Gust asked, “I appreciate your effort to help us. But may I ask you one thing?”

“Please, go ahead.”

"I doubt that humans would go out of their way to rescue us. So, who exactly sent you? Who requested this rescue?"

It was a reasonable question. As Gust had said, it had been centuries since the birdfolk had been trapped here. There was no reason for humans to suddenly decide to save them.

Kai let out a faint sigh and answered, “The Sky God Iska. He personally sent me, asking me to save his children.”

“S-Sky God...!”

“

Oh...

Then that means you are a messenger sent by god!”

The moods of the birdfolk, who had been sullen, suddenly changed in an instant. Gust was no exception.

He said with excitement in his voice, “I-I see... Forgive me for not recognizing you. I had no idea you were such a remarkable human.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I understand. By the way, do you know of the Paladin of Radiance?”

“Of course!”

Gust and the other birdfolk immediately responded, their voices growing louder. It was a sign of their intense excitement.

“Patrick. He was the strongest knight I have ever seen among humans.”

“With him on the battlefield, there was nothing to fear.”

“Patrick... That’s a nostalgic name. He was kind enough to give me worms from time to time.”

The birdfolk each sank into their own cherished memories.

Only Gust remained grounded in the present, and asked the most practical question. “But why bring up Patrick all of a sudden?”

“Because I inherited his power.”

At that moment, the hundreds of teleport scrolls on the table began to levitate. The tremendous surge of energy came from a single holy sword, which had suddenly appeared on top of the table.

“

Gasp

... The Holy Sword...!”

“He really is Patrick’s successor!”

“I-I never thought I would see this sword again in my lifetime.”

The birdfolk shuddered, their feathers standing on end from the overwhelming excitement.

“

W-wooow

...!”

This time, even Gust was unable to contain his emotions. As he gazed at the Holy Sword Prius, he got caught up in past memories.

“I remember him... Whenever I told my battlefield observations to him, he would always give me a faint smile and thank me.”

After some time passed and the birdfolk settled down, Gust spoke again, “If you have inherited his legacy, then that means you are the Apostle of this era, correct?”

“Yes. I am Kai, the fourth Apostle, following in Patrick’s footsteps.”

“I see. Now I understand why the Sky God entrusted you with such a difficult task.” Smiling brightly, Gust grasped both of Kai’s hands firmly. “Thank you for coming to save us.”

“

Oh

, well, about that...” Kai, looking slightly awkward, hesitated before speaking again, "I didn’t exactly come here planning to fight Harley, you know? Even the Sky God said I would lose if I tried, so he only asked me to rescue the birdfolk..."

"You’re saying...

Oh

." Gust looked at the teleport scrolls scattered across the room with a look of disappointment. "Oh no..."

With Sea Dragon Harley’s magic preventing the use of teleportation scrolls, that meant one thing. Kai had no way to rescue them.

"

Sigh

. So, we’re back to square one."

The birdfolk let out heavy sighs, their shoulders slumping in despair.

Seeing them like that, Kai scratched his head and said, "That’s why I’d like to ask, can you tell me more about the current situation of the birdfolk?"

"Our situation..." Gust’s voice as he repeated those words was heavier than ever. "It couldn’t be worse."

Gust’s following words relayed the terrible reality of the current state of the birdfolk.

"That is serious."

The current situation of the birdfolk could be summarized as follows. The fear of Harley prevented them from leaving the forest, and the same applied to flying. On top of that, due to the magical dark clouds that had covered the sky for centuries, most of the birdfolk had never seen the real sky or the sun.

So that’s why Icarus thought my Sacred Flare was the sun.

But the biggest problem was that, since they hadn’t been flying high for generations, their wings were slowly weakening.

"Lately, when we examine the young birdfolks, we’ve noticed that their lower body muscles are developing more than their upper body. This is a serious issue."

The wings of the birdfolk, once called the rulers of the skies, were now deteriorating. It was no wonder Sky God Iska was worried.

"

Sigh

. I understand now. In that case, I’ll try to find a way to get everyone out of here."

Though he said that, Kai already felt it in his gut that the only way to escape this island was to fight Harley and win.

***

"A human!"

"He looks so weird!"

"He really has no feathers!"

The children of the birdfolk village were excited from the moment morning arrived. After all, something interesting had finally appeared in their otherwise boring village. Of course, the one suffering because of that was Kai.

"Kids, I’m really busy, so..."

"The human is running away!"

"Chase him!"

After being relentlessly hounded by the children, Kai had no choice but to summon Blizzard.

"You called for me, Master."

"Do something about these kids."

"These children, you mean?" The imposing Blizzard fixed his gaze on the children, and glared at them.

"

H-hiiiik

...!"

"

Uh oh

...!"

"A-a monster! Run away!"

Terrified by his gaze, the birdfolk children scattered in every direction.

"Why’d you scare the kids?"

"My apologies, Master."

"No, good job."

Kai gave a thumbs-up and left the village, walking along the forest path with Blizzard. Just then...

"Master..."

"I know."

Kai interrupted Blizzard. He had been aware from the moment they left the village that someone was following them.

That kid, his name was Icarus, was it?

He was the first birdfolk he had met upon arriving here.

"Just leave him be. If Gust is right, he’ll give up and turn back soon enough."

Because today, Kai planned to leave the forest.