Chapter 43: The Female Winged Person

According to the winged woman, she was merely resting in the tree and had no intention of startling anyone. Unexpectedly, Sophie happened to be standing beneath her tree, and as raindrops fell, the woman shook her wings. The sudden movement frightened Sophie so much that she let out a sharp scream.

“I’m truly sorry,” the winged woman apologized again. Sophie, noticing Erik and several guards rushing over, was no longer concerned about the earlier fright. “It’s alright…”

The winged woman appeared to be in her thirties, with a cylindrical container hanging from her chest. She was soaked through from the rain, but the container seemed well-protected, barely touched by the raindrops.

“Are you a messenger?” Erik asked, eyeing the container.

“Yes,” the winged woman nodded.

She had flown from Gladia to deliver messages to Dorn. Because of the sudden heavy rain, she had to take shelter in the woods. When the downpour lasted for hours, she had no choice but to abandon her flight plans.

Erik glanced up at the treetops. “So you plan to stay here overnight?”

The winged woman nodded. Seeing the little nun who had been frightened earlier looking puzzled, she added, “For us winged folk, this is nothing.”

“Have you eaten?” Erik suddenly asked.

She was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

“Our camp is just over there. Come warm yourself by the fire and have something to eat,” Erik said, then sheathed his weapon and began walking back.

Once he had gone some distance, Alena turned to Sophie and whispered, “Are you alright now?”

Sophie blushed and glanced at the wet leaves on the ground. “...Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

The two nuns accompanied the winged woman back to the carriage. The guards cleared a spot near the fire for her to sit and dry off, especially her enormous wings.

They had already eaten most of their food, so the remaining dried roast meat and broth were left for her.

“Thank you...” Surrounded by so many watchful eyes, the winged woman was a bit reserved, expressing her gratitude with simple, repeated phrases.

Erik then told the guards to rest in the carriage.

“Young master...” They wanted to speak with the winged woman as well.

Erik pretended not to hear. “We still have a long journey tomorrow. Rest early.”

“Alright.”

Watching the four guards reluctantly cram into one carriage, Erik suddenly wondered where he himself would sleep. Would he have to squeeze into the nuns’ carriage?

By the fire, only three remained. The winged woman was clearly more relaxed and ate faster now, obviously very hungry.

Erik took the opportunity to observe this unique subhuman race. The first thought that came to him was how extraordinarily large their wings were.

But if the wings were smaller, they would not be able to lift their heavy bodies into the sky. Apart from the extra pair of wings on their backs, the winged people’s anatomy was no different from ordinary humans.

The feathers on their wings were just like those of birds. Staring at them for a few moments, Erik recalled a hunting falcon once gifted to his uncle by a minor noble.

“...Can winged people communicate directly with birds?”

Noticing the three by the fire looking over, Erik realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

“No, sir,” the winged woman said, putting down her broth without finding the question odd. “At most, we can understand some bird calls and use them to judge directions... or the weather. Direct communication with birds is impossible. Unless...”

“Unless what?” Sophie asked, intrigued.

“Learning the skills of naturalist Druids,” the winged woman replied after glancing at the nun’s habit.

Sophie glanced at the abbess but dared not ask further.

To them, all faiths outside the Yela religion were considered heretical, including the naturalist cult.

However, heresy wasn’t the same as evil cults. Many non-mainstream beliefs, such as the nature gods worshipped by Druids or the truth gods revered by mages, were now recognized by the Church. Yela’s followers might avoid discussing them but did not hate them.

“If you can judge weather changes by bird calls, why didn’t you find shelter before the rain?” Erik brought the topic back.

“I’m used to it, sir,” the winged woman said. “If I had to hide from every rainstorm, we wouldn’t deliver many letters each month.”

Erik was silent for a moment. “Does this kind of heavy rain count as ‘every rainstorm’?”

The winged woman lowered her head, gazing at her broth. “I thought I could find shelter before nightfall.”

“Are you used to that too?” Sophie asked.

The winged woman looked at her and slowly nodded.

“...”

Sophie clasped her hands together in a prayer gesture, unconsciously furrowing her brow.

Erik gestured for the winged woman to continue drinking her broth and added more wood to the fire. After a while, he asked, “Where are these letters mostly going?”

“To Dorn mainly, but some to Otville as well,” she answered.

“Then deliver a letter to Dante County in Otville for me,” Erik said.

The winged woman was momentarily surprised but quickly nodded. “Certainly, sir, as long as you provide the letter and address.”

Erik rose to fetch paper and pen from the carriage.

Having just set out, he had no urgent reason to write, but thinking of today’s encounters, he penned a letter of greeting to Erin and his uncle.

As he was about to finish, he recalled the two Aran people he had met a few days ago and asked his uncle to keep an eye on their movements.

Folding the letter, Erik wrote the address on its back and handed it to the winged woman along with several gold coins.

“This is the fee. Please be sure to deliver the letter to my family.”

“This is... very generous, sir... a few silver coins would have sufficed,” the winged woman hesitated, politely refusing.

“I’m a noble, and my letters are important. This is their worth,” Erik said. “Only if you accept these coins can I trust you with the letter.”

She looked at him for a moment before accepting the letter and coins.

“Thank you... sir... I don’t know how to express my gratitude... I promise to deliver the letter before sunset tomorrow.”

Erik simply nodded, watching her carefully place the letter into the container.

After eating and warming up, the winged woman thanked the three again and then prepared to leave.

“The rain has stopped. I will carry your warmth and kindness to find a suitable place to stay.”

Sophie glanced at Erik, her eyes anxious, silently hoping he would say something.

“Are you still traveling tonight?” Erik asked.

“No, not really...”

“Then stay here and keep watch for us,” Erik suggested, pointing to the fire. “With the fire burning, no wild beasts will dare approach. You can watch until midnight, then rest. I can pay you for your trouble.”

“No payment needed!” the winged woman said immediately, then looked around. “But... will I disturb you?”

“No, no!” Sophie assured her, and Alena shook her head.

Only then did the winged woman settle in, beginning to dry her wings by the fire. She didn’t like having them wet if she could avoid it.

As the conversation continued, some curiosity could no longer be restrained.

“Do winged people molt like birds with the seasons?” Erik asked.

“May I touch them?” Sophie reached out.

“...” Alena looked at the two of them.

Despite their combined age probably being less than hers, the gentle winged woman was happy to answer all their questions.

Late into the night, Sophie yawned, and Alena urged her to rest.

After bidding goodnight, the two nuns climbed into their carriage, truly spending their first night on the road since leaving Dante County.

Meanwhile, the earlier problem returned to Erik. Seeing the carriage crammed with four guards and the noisy interior, he looked at the other carriage.

...No, forget it. It was impossible in every sense.

He returned to the campfire and sat down.

“Mr. Erik?” the winged woman asked, watching him. “Aren’t you going to rest?”

“I can’t sleep,” Erik admitted, tossing a few dry sticks onto the fire. “I’ll just rough it out here tonight. I can catch up on sleep in the carriage tomorrow during the day.”

Bathed in the flickering firelight, the winged woman looked at him, then rose and sat behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“If you don’t mind, you can lean on me to fall asleep tonight.”

Erik was taken aback and shifted slightly. “That’s not necessary... you don’t have to go that far.”

“It’s not forced... because even if I’m not holding you, I’m used to hugging a tree trunk to sleep outdoors,” she whispered near his ear. “Holding your body makes me feel safer in the dark night.”

“Well... alright then.” Erik didn’t insist. He let his body relax as she moved closer, sinking deeply into gentle warmth.

Her enormous wings stretched out on both sides, intertwining to shield him from the dancing firelight.

A winged big sister’s embrace... so warm...

That was Erik’s last thought before drifting off to sleep.