“It seems... we are at the far edge of the Celestial Realm. It was a reckless teleportation, but we’ve managed to arrive.”
“I see. I’ll leave the guiding to you, Jiriel.”
“This area is so remote that even a city boy like myself is a bit out of his element, but...”
It didn’t look much different from the place I had visited before. To me, it just looked like fluffy clouds floating around, but I suppose even angels have their own perspectives on these things.
“Ah, no, it won’t be a problem! No matter how far into the sticks we are, I, Jiriel, shall brilliantly guide Master Lloyd to God’s side.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”
Jiriel bowed respectfully, then thrust his arm into a nearby mass of clouds. He started rummaging around for something.
“God resides in the Great Palace at the center of the Celestial Realm. Since there are so few landmarks here, we travel by carriage. We have them navigate by scent. As for the way to call a mount... ah, here we go.”
He pulled out a carrot. Seriously... where on earth did he get that from?
“This is a Cloud Carrot. They’re often found buried in Cloud Fields.”
“Wait, that was a field...?”
“It’s the countryside, after all. We might actually be lucky. If I hold this up... oh, here one comes.”
Following Jiriel’s finger, I saw a horse approaching through the clouds. It wasn’t a normal horse, though; it had wings. I suppose that was a Pegasus.
The horse let out a loud neigh.
“Please, after you.”
The Pegasus stopped in front of us, snatched the carrot from Jiriel, and began munching away.
“Heh, traveling by Pegasus? The Celestial Realm is more refined than I thought,” Grimo remarked.
The horse snorted aggressively.
“Whoa! Easy there!”
Grimo had been patting the Pegasus’s rump, and it had clearly taken offense. Come on now—stand behind a horse and you’re going to get kicked.
“There, there. Calm down.”
The horse snorted softly. When I tried to soothe it, the Pegasus rubbed its neck against me, looking quite content.
“As expected of Master Lloyd. You have a natural hand with horses.”
“I was taught quite a bit as part of my royal education.”
Albert had drilled it into me before, saying a royal who couldn’t ride a horse was no royal at all. I never thought those lessons would be useful in a place like this.
“Now, like this... if you hook a set of reins made with Radiant Armament onto it, the Pegasus will sense the mana, allowing you to control it at will. Just like so.”
When Jiriel attached reins made of Radiant Armament, the Pegasus became docile.
I see. It looked like it had a Magic Sensing Organ near its mouth. He was utilizing that. Even with actual horses, the area around the face was highly sensitive—mostly because other parts of the body were covered in thick muscle that made signals harder to relay. To give precise instructions, you needed a bit in the mouth.
“Alright, let me try.”
I immediately shaped some reins with Radiant Armament, but just as I was about to slip them over the Pegasus’s neck—
The horse let out a shrill neigh and bolted. It stayed a short distance away, watching me warily, though it clearly didn’t want to abandon the carrots.
“...Huh?”
“It looks like it’s terrified of your mana, Master Lloyd.”
“Your mana is overwhelming right now. It probably thinks it’s about to be reduced to cinders.”
Seriously...? I was looking forward to riding a Magical Beast of the Celestial Realm. And don't talk about reducing things to cinders. I’m not an incinerator.
I thought I was suppressing my mana quite a bit, but I guess it wasn't enough. This body really is a handful.
“...Wait. What if I activate Healing Magic at the same time?”
To use an analogy, if my mana was a flame that burned anything it touched, then applying a cooling mist at the same time should prevent any damage. Let’s test it out.
“Here we go.”
The horse neighed in surprise. I hooked the reins onto the fleeing Pegasus while simultaneously unleashing Healing Magic.
The Pegasus suddenly reared up on its hind legs, its front hooves pawing the air as it let out a frantic squeal. Its eyes went wide as it thrashed about in confusion.
Hmm? Did I get the balance wrong? I really don't know my own strength yet. After a moment, the horse settled down and bowed its head deeply before me.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! That horse was just trying to run away, and now it’s bowing to Master Lloyd!?”
“Wounding and healing at the same time is the absolute basis of torture. By unleashing both at once, he’s hammered the hierarchy directly into the Pegasus’s body. As expected of Master Lloyd... how terrifying...”
Grimo and Jiriel were muttering something or other, but I felt I’d chosen a fairly peaceful method.
At any rate, I climbed onto the Pegasus and took off across the celestial sky.