Taming the Wyvern

Heehee!

Finally, I can go home!

All the evil cultists are defeated too!

And the human pyramid I made thinking of Bellona turned out great!

It’s perfect!

With light steps, I followed the direction Rex indicated, entering the cultists’ base.

Behind me, Rex was muttering something, but I didn’t pay it much mind.

I kept my promise!

In exchange for bringing me home, I spared their lives. Now, all I need to do is ride the wyvern!

But unexpectedly, the base was much larger than I thought.

The entrance, hidden between rocks, led to an expansive space that I couldn’t have imagined.

However…

“Hmm…”

It felt like an old military barracks from a TV show.

Long buildings stood in a row, and in the center of the courtyard were extinguished campfires and grotesque training dummies shrouded in darkness.

How come it looks just like that in this other world?

Is this layout the most efficient, which is why it’s the same?

Or am I seeing it this way because of the military dramas I watched in my past life?

Anyway, it seems the cultists were living in an organized manner.

From one of the barracks came the roars of monsters.

“Grrr…”

“Kieeek…”

There must be the wyvern over there.

But it was a shame to go straight there.

There might be some treasure here!

I began to snoop around the barracks.

The first building was like a dormitory.

Bunk beds were crowded together, and personal belongings were scattered everywhere.

“Ew…”

Socks and underwear were rolling around everywhere.

It even smelled a bit.

Wait…

A dormitory should smell nice, like fresh laundry and fabric softener, right?

But this smells more like a girl’s room!

Feeling disappointed, I moved to the next building.

This one seemed like an office.

Large tables had maps spread out, and various documents were piled up.

Oh!

I might find something important here!

I started flipping through the documents.

At first, they were routine reports.

‘Today’s Monster Modification Status’, ‘Border Patrol Assignment’… things like that.

But as I kept reading…

“The great plan bestowed by Abraxas…”

“Bringing true enlightenment to humans…”

“The limits of fleeting civilization…”

What the…?

So these guys were Abraxas followers too?

I thought they might be followers of another evil god.

But Abraxas again…

He keeps popping up everywhere!

Continuing to read, I found something important on the last page.

『Continent-wide Operation Manual』

『Objective: Create an appropriate level of crisis in each country』

『Precautions: Do not send monsters that are too strong. Inspire despair but avoid complete annihilation』

『Exception: The Kingdom of Genes is inaccessible due to Frostia, so it’s on hold for now』

“Appropriate… crisis…?”

I stared at the document again.

Weren’t the attacks they carried out the strongest?

They deliberately held back and sent monsters?

But I heard that everywhere except the Kingdom of Genes was in chaos…

What kind of sinister plan are they hiding?

I searched through more documents, but there were no specific details.

However, there was this line at the end.

『Upon achieving the final goal, Abraxas will descend personally』

Ugh…

What are they plotting?

I should tell Cecil to cut ties with Abraxas.

His power as an apostle might be useful, but he’s definitely up to no good.

Whatever his plan is, it won’t be anything good.

Cecil is still young and impressionable, but I won’t fall for it!

After searching the barracks thoroughly, all I found were smelly socks and moldy bread. No treasure in sight.

Sigh…

Clean up better in your next life!

Reluctantly, I headed in the direction of the monster roars.

The sounds grew louder, mixed with what seemed like cries of agony.

Upon opening the door…

“Ew…”

A horrifying sight met my eyes.

Dozens of monsters were trapped in cages, half-zombified.

Their eyes were rolled back, and blue foam dripped from their mouths.

These monsters, once normal, were now controlled by some strange magic.

Some still had their senses and let out sad cries when they saw me, as if pleading to be put out of their misery.

“These crazy bastards…!”

So they were the ones producing zombies!

How dare they ruin a beautiful magical fantasy world with disgusting zombies!

Puah! Puah!

I used my roots to eliminate the monsters in one go.

The suffering creatures finally found peace.

Tsk…

Poor things…

I’ll make good use of the experience they provided.

And when I get the chance, I’ll give Abraxas a good beating too…

Now, where’s the wyvern…?

Looking around, the wyvern was nowhere to be seen.

Could it be…?

Did I accidentally kill it too…?

“Peep!”

?

Suddenly, a chirping sound came from somewhere.

If my instincts are right…

That’s the wyvern’s cry…

“Peep! Peep!”

Following the sound, there was a new door.

Since I could faintly see the sky, it seemed to lead outdoors.

With anticipation, I opened the door…

“Wow…”

In a vast room with a broken ceiling, several cages were smashed, and only one wyvern was trapped in a corner.

Looking up, I saw red wyverns flying far away.

Crazy…

They must have fled in fear after hearing the screams of the cultists and monsters.

“Peep! Peep!”

『 ☆ 【Canyon Wyvern】 LV11 』

All that remained was the peeping pink wyvern in front of me.

Its color, size, and appearance suggested it was still a baby, only slightly bigger than me.

Though it seemed rideable, it was much smaller than the adult wyverns in the sky.

“Peep…!”

The baby wyvern, upon making eye contact, began to tremble in fear.

“So cute…!”

The wyvern’s appearance was unexpectedly adorable.

Like recent discoveries that dinosaurs had feathers, this wyvern was a colorful, feathered reptile.

Especially the small pink wyvern, with its round eyes, tiny wings, and fluffy pink feathers, looked even cuter!

It was like…

A giant pink parrot?

Anyway, it was adorable!

“Hehe… Don’t worry… I’m a good person…!”

I approached slowly, making my most innocent face.

“Peep!!”

But the baby wyvern wailed even more, as if in its final, desperate cry.

“Come on, I’m not going to kill you! Do you think I’m some kind of lunatic murderer?”

I only kill the bad guys!

Well, I do kill a lot of monsters for the experience…

But you won’t even count as a kill!

“Peep…?”

The baby wyvern tilted its head, trying to understand me.

“I’ll ride you to go home! And since you’re so cute, I’ll take good care of you!”

The baby wyvern tilted its head again.

It didn’t seem to understand.

Well, let’s just get on!

Creak!

I used force to bend the iron bars of the cage.

“Peep! Peep…!”

The baby wyvern cried out again.

Oh!

I’m not going to kill you!

I reached out to the trembling baby wyvern inside the cage.

Rumble rumble!

I could feel an enormous vibration through my hand.

It was amazing how such a small body could produce such strong vibrations.

Hmm…

Like in those dragon taming shows, maybe I should touch its forehead?

I tried placing my forehead against the wyvern’s, but it remained terrified.

What to do…

This state would be dangerous to ride.

Here’s an idea!

My honey, filled with willpower!

“Polymorph!”

A deep red fog enveloped me, transforming me into a flower.

“Peep!!”

The baby wyvern, seeing me transformed into a flower, shrieked and ran deep into the cage.

Aw, come on!

Stop being noisy and eat quickly!

I used my roots to scoop up a lot of honey and shoved it into the wyvern’s mouth.

“Peep…!”

The baby wyvern’s eyes widened in surprise but gradually relaxed, swallowing the honey with a gulp.

At first, it was startled, but it soon looked happy.

There we go…!

Returning to my human form, I looked at the wyvern.

Its sparkling eyes seemed to fully recognize me as its master.

Unlike before, it no longer showed fear, even wagging its tail.

The baby wyvern exited the cage and lowered its back obediently.

Heehee!

Success!

I climbed onto its back.

The fluffy feathers felt wonderfully soft.

“Great! Let’s go home!”

“Peep!”

The baby wyvern flapped its wings powerfully and soared into the sky.

“Wow!”

The cool night breeze cutting through the gorge felt amazing as I looked down.

Below, the human pyramid I made glowed artistically under the red moonlight.

“Yay!”

“Peep!”

There was something about riding the master that felt different from riding Frostia.

Frostia was like a luxurious passenger plane, while this wyvern was more like a personal ultralight aircraft.

More free, closer, and more… well, not necessarily worse, but more familiar?

Like how a Morning is more familiar than a high-end sports car…

“Nice! Your name is Peep!”

『 ☆ 【Peepy】 Canyon Wyvern LV11 』

“Peep!”

Peepy seemed to like its name, crying it out proudly.

“Hehe… Let’s go to the Kingdom of Genes!”

“Peep…?”

Hmm…

Maybe it’s too young to know geography…

Or am I lost again…?

“Ahhh!!”

As I wailed, a familiar, cold presence began to emerge from the distance.

Something enormous was approaching from afar in the sky.

That overwhelming presence…

“Zuin-nim is here!”