Chapter 190: [190] Mundane Magic, Mundane Bird

It was only after Olivia had carried him on her back that Ark realised he could have simply used his summons...

But having her carry him around like a slave felt good, so he kept quiet about it, allowing her to trudge through the streets with luggage on her back.

Olivia was the type of person to fly to a place that was just a one-minute walk away. So having to trek all the way to the hero’s statue must have been torture.

She could have flown, but Ark complained that she was making his injuries worse, so she settled on walking.

’Good. Let her suffer.’

"Little girl. Can’t you move any faster!" Ark yelled, causing most of the passersby to turn around, staring at them.

It was a rather odd sight. A harpy carrying a broken skeleton around on her back was bound to be strange.

Olivia’s cheeks blushed red as all attention was turned to her. Her fingers tightened around Ark’s bony wrist, and he winced in pain.

"Hey, I’m injured, can’t you be gentle, you bird woman!"

Once again, all heads turned.

"One more word..." Olivia said in a grating tone. "I swear to God, one more word and I will drop you at the Kobold’s association."

"...you... you wouldn’t dare." Ark’s voice came out with a gasp.

"Try me."

"..."

"Uhum. So... how have you been doing?" Ark asked, changing the topic.

Whenever they visited the restaurant, he always saw the way those nasty kobolds ate through bone as though it were steak.

Some of them even shot him odd looks. Ark certainly wanted to have nothing to do with them!

"How do you think? I have been stuck in the inn waiting for you to return."

"About that," Ark asked. "Why were you waiting alone? Where is Thalia?"

Olivia moved out of the way and frowned at the rider as a carriage rushed past them. A few people turned around to hurl curses at the driver.

"Thalia is at the guild house. She wanted to prepare everything before you arrived," she explained.

"Oh?" He had only asked her to check out the place, but as usual, Thalia was going the extra mile. It was one of the things he liked about her.

Olivia turned her head slightly to steal a glance at him. "She said we should be ready to move in today... all our stuff is already there."

Ark nodded with satisfaction. "Good... good."

After some time, they arrived at the hero’s statue, and Ark felt relief wash over every single part of his body. His cracked bones mended, and some missing fingers regrew.

He stretched and let out a pleased sigh, only to see Olivia staring warily at him.

"What?"

She frowned. After a few seconds, her frown deepened. "Are you getting fatter?"

Ark shook his head and said in a flat tone, "Are you being serious right now?"

"Actually, yes!" Olivia walked forward to observe him closely. "Something about you has definitely changed. I don’t know what it is, but it is there!"

’Is it because of my race evolution? Is she able to tell the difference?’

Most of the changes were internal. The fact that Olivia could notice the change meant that she was either very observant or she paid more attention to him than most people did.

"Sure, whatever. Let’s go." Ark waved his hands dismissively as he walked past her.

It was not that he was planning to keep it a secret. Ark was simply too exhausted mentally to bother with an explanation.

Right now, all he wanted to do was soak himself in a warm bath and drift into sleep in the tub. Thankfully, he was a skeleton, so he could not drown.

"Where are you going?" Olivia jogged up to walk beside him. "The guild house is in the other direction."

Ark shook his head. "We will go there tomorrow. I need to rest..."

"Hmm, alright." She was silent for a few steps, and then she glanced at him again.

Her eyes narrowed. "But seriously, maybe you should stop eating so much bone? You are getting fatter instead of taller, and that makes you look even shorter..."

Ark shot her a glare, and the words froze in her mouth.

<•••>

That night, Ark fell asleep in the bathtub as planned. By the time morning came, he reheated the water with a fireball, then fell asleep.

Again...

Up until Olivia came and dragged him out of the bathroom.

Although it was morning, the clouds were dark, heavy with rain. A thick veil had formed overhead, leaving only little streaks of light to filter through it.

There was a chilly breeze that washed past the street. It smelled like rain, and Ark loved the smell. At times like this, he would be curled up in his bed, sleeping, but they had spent enough time in the inn, so storm or not, it was time to leave.

After thanking the innkeeper for his hospitality, they left the building.

"Give me your hand," Olivia said as she stared at the dark sky, her majestic, red-patterned wings fanning out by her sides.

Ark cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

She frowned. "I’m going to carry you. If we don’t get a carriage soon, we will be soaked."

"Actually..." The wind below Ark’s feet shifted, and he floated up into the sky. "You’re not the only one who can fly now."

"W-where did you... how?!"

Ark laughed. "Are you surprised, really? You have seen me fight an obsidian giant, and yet you gawk at such a mundane thing as flying?"

Olivia’s eyebrows twitched. "Gawk??"

Ark smiled internally, his face as impassive as a brick wall.

There was nothing mundane about flying. Flight was considered forgotten magic. It was practically impossible to get a flight skill tome.

But of course, Ark would not miss an opportunity to rub his achievements in her face.

"Try not to drool, little bird..."

He must have struck a nerve because Olivia launched herself into the air, staring down at him as her wings blocked out what was left of the sun.

"Ten laps around the city," she hissed, her green eyes turning feral. "Let’s see just how good you are at flying."

"Oh?" Ark laughed. "Those old-fashioned tools you have by your sides seem heavy. Are you sure you can do this?"

"O-old-fashioned tools?" Olivia seemed confused. She glanced at her sides, and her cheeks turned red.

"H-how dare you call my wings old-fashioned?!"

She dropped down to his level in the air. "Let’s go, right now!"

Ark smiled, then summoned Jenna, sending a mental command to her.

"At the sound of the explosion," he said, glancing at her by his side.

Olivia kept her gaze forward, while Jenna raised her staff.

Three. Two. One...

A fireball streaked into the ashen sky, and the moment it erupted, the two players were gone, their bodies blurring in the distance.