Just as the flower's disgusting yellow liquid was about to rise over Mia's face, a memory flickered through her hazy consciousness—something Leca had told her.
—"If anything ever happens, summon the fire lizard, Salamander."
—"I just have to call it?"
—"Salamander only communicates with spirits of fire, but due to the spirit pact, since you are now my master, it will obey your commands too."
"Salamander… help me…"
Mia murmured the words with great difficulty. But nothing happened. Was her voice too weak? Did she call it the wrong way?
The yellow liquid was just about to pour over her face. Mia struggled and sputtered as it flooded down onto her.
Then—
A thunderous whooooooosh—a massive sandstorm erupted out of nowhere. The flower, seemingly startled like a living creature, stopped vomiting and began twisting violently. At the same time, a large shadow appeared in the sky.
—Screeeeeeeech!
A strange, inhuman cry echoed through the air. The creature shot down like an arrow and, with razor-sharp teeth, tore through the threads that bound Mia's body. It was the fire lizard—Salamander. But it was much larger than when she had seen it before.
"Salamander! You came!"
Salamander let out a soft, grunting sound like a loyal puppy and quickly bit through the rest of the threads. As soon as Mia was completely freed, it lay flat before her, as if beckoning her to climb on.
Without hesitation, Mia jumped onto Salamander's back. It let out a roar like a dragon toward the sky, then fwoooosh—breathed a massive stream of fire that incinerated the flower.
"Th-Thank you… Salamander…"
Kiing—
The fire lizard soared for a long while, then landed in an oasis lush with palm trees and set Mia down. The moment she dismounted, the creature shrank down to the size she had seen before.
Kiiee...
It stared up at Mia with its round, black eyes, as if to say its duty was complete. When Mia gently patted its head, Salamander closed its eyes in contentment. Then, with a poof, it vanished.
Mia looked around. There were many palm trees and a few cacti. The water of the oasis sparkled beautifully. She still trembled from the trauma of the flower, but thankfully, nothing like that strange, monstrous bloom was in sight.
Where… am I?
It was nothing like the oasis she had visited before with Leca and the beastfoks. That had been more like a spring—this, however, was wide enough to be called a small lake.
Her whole body ached, and she was exhausted, but she didn't dare rest. Just thinking about what had happened while she slept made her legs shake. On top of that, her body was soaked in the yellow fluid the flower had expelled, and the chill was starting to creep in. Not to mention the utter discomfort.
She desperately wanted to wash off and dry herself. Still wearing her clothes, Mia stepped into the oasis and quickly rinsed off the nasty fluid. The water was cold and refreshing.
After washing up, she summoned a few flames to dry her body and clothes. Her clothes dried faster than expected. Just as she was about to dispel the flames, thinking she was done—
Rustle.
Somewhere nearby, something moved.
After her transformation, her hearing had become sharper than when she was human, allowing her to catch even the slightest sound. Mia gripped the dagger tucked inside her clothes and scanned her surroundings cautiously.
Rustle. Chirr...
Chirr?
It was a sound she'd never heard before. Almost like the chirping of a cicada on a summer night. Mia looked around again, but there was nothing in sight.
This feels... off.
Rustle, rustle.
This time, the sound was clearer. She could now pinpoint the location—it was coming from above. Somewhere in the dense leaves of a palm tree.
This isn't right… I should get out of here. Time to fly.
Just as she unfurled her wings to take off, a cute kya-ung! echoed from above, and a creature leapt down from the tree.
Boing, boing, boing!
It bounded toward her, twitching its nose and staring up at her.
"…!"
It was a creature Mia had never seen before. At first glance, it resembled a rabbit, but its fur was a soft pink like strawberry milk, and around its neck was a vivid red fluff that looked like a scarf. And—it stood upright on two legs.
The creature, with its adorably perky ears, stared at Mia, and without meaning to, she found herself speaking.
"Hi there…"
"..."
The pink rabbit-like creature tilted its head with an innocent expression, twitched its nose, then pointed at the flames Mia had conjured.
"The flame? Why that?"
The creature pointed to itself, then at the flame, again and again with its front paws. It seemed to be asking for the flame, so Mia cautiously lowered it a little closer toward the creature.
"Like this? Is that what you want?"
The creature nodded enthusiastically. And then—
Without warning, it leapt straight into the flame. Mia nearly fainted from shock.
"What the—?!"
The fire, having swallowed the rabbit, began to grow with a deep, humming sound. Woooooo… Mia screamed and ran away. But the fire woooooo-ed louder—and started to follow her.
While running, she glanced back. Through the flames, a horrible creature had taken form, slithering toward her like a giant worm.
"What the hell is this now?!"
The flame had vanished. In its place stood a fully formed monstrosity. It looked like an enormous, fat worm—no, fatter and thicker than any worm. The grotesque creature's body was a terrifying pink, and around its neck was a vivid red band—just like the rabbit from earlier.
Mia took off into the sky. But the monster sprang up after her, opening its massive jaw wide. Inside its mouth were rows of sharp, jagged, saw-like teeth.
She flew higher with all her might, but the monster slammed its thick tail against the desert floor and shot upward like a dragon, soaring after her again. Cold sweat dripped down Mia's back.
What is wrong with this place? Every corner is crawling with monsters!
Determined, Mia turned to face the creature head-on. Running wouldn't help. She'd have to attack it with magic and end this once and for all. Just as she began chanting the incantation for her fire spell—
"Milady, please stop."
A voice called out from behind. Mia turned around in alarm.
A man riding a giant bird approached, the hem of his brown robe fluttering in the wind.
"My apologies for the trouble. Maria, come here now."
Ma...Maria?
The enormous worm creature let out a delighted bwoooong sound and slid over to the robed man. He gently stroked the beast's body. With a sizzling sound, the creature transformed back into the cute pink rabbit and hopped calmly into the man's arms.
"Wh-What was that…"
"Maria is one of the magical creatures I've raised... She escaped. I've been looking for her. You must've been startled."
"You…raise that thing?"
"Yes. Well then, shall we speak more on the ground?"
The man flew toward the oasis where Mia had earlier dried her clothes. Once they landed, he whistled, and the giant bird flew off into the sky. Mia folded her wings and sat down. She was still trembling from fear.
"What brings you to a place like this, alone?"
The man looked at her with a curious smile. Mia instinctively grew wary. Could she trust this person?
But the man's expression was honest, and in his deep black eyes, there was a strange warmth. Mia decided to take a chance.
"I… I'm not from this world. I'm trying to find a way back to where I came from."
"Hmm."
He stroked his short black beard thoughtfully. Judging by the lines on his face, he seemed to be middle-aged.
"I suppose it's because my son disappointed you."
"…What?"
Mia shot to her feet. The man also stood up, and the rabbit—no, the worm, no, the rabbit again—darted away somewhere.
"I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Behemoth, father of Leca. I serve as a royal mage in Naizman."
"Wha…"
Mia was so stunned she forgot to respond and simply stared at him, slack-jawed. Behemoth continued calmly.
"I've heard that Sibareth's been in an uproar lately because of my son. I couldn't go see him myself, but… I've been watching over the situation between you two."
"How much do you know?"
Mia narrowed her eyes. She felt like her privacy had been violated. As if reading her thoughts, Behemoth answered cheerfully.
"Don't worry. I didn't know much until you escaped from the palace. But the movement of the phoenix and Salamander made me suspicious, so I looked into it. Turns out quite a lot had happened."
"Then…"
"Yes. It was I who sent Salamander your way. Though I didn't expect Maria to cause such a commotion."
Behemoth's warm black eyes curved into a gentle smile. He looked just like Leca.
"So, you wish to return to your original world, do you?"
"Yes. You must know how. Please tell me."
Mia replied curtly on purpose.
"More than that… I believe it would be better for you to become queen first."
"What? Why? Don't tell me—you're in league with Leca and Mithys too?!"
Behemoth's booming laughter echoed across the desert.
"In league? What a funny way to put it. But let's clear up that misunderstanding."
"What misunderstanding?"