When fighting, he would terrify not only regular soldiers but even lowerranked knights with his tremendous and horrifying roar. But when he responded, he made a rather cute sound.

Could it be that she already knew she was no match for this fellow?

Icar had played with the knights in front of the barrier with his astonishing intellect, so he must have realized that Riga couldn’t use magic.

‘To be seen through even by a divine beast.’

Well, there’s nothing that can be done now. Lamenting won’t bring back the lost skills.

“Ah!”

Icar quickly changed direction, and this time, he looked toward the imperial palace. The large and spacious beautiful white palace stood silently surrounded by greenery. He looked at it triumphantly, as if asking, “What do you think?”

“Um… yes, it’s beautiful. You live in a nice place.”

Is it over? Riga looked at him as if to say, “Put me down if it’s over,” but Icar didn’t flinch. What more did he want to hear? Riga was flustered, not knowing anything as this was his first time dealing with a divine beast.

“Grrr!”

“Is that not it?”

He didn’t understand the divine beast’s language as he had never learned it, but it was clear that the beast was dissatisfied.

What does he want? It’s already terrifying to be hanging like this, how could he appease this creature to land safely on the ground?

As Riga was racking his brains, Icar kept squeaking, seeming dissatisfied with something or other.

To think that he was living a wasted life, even being nagged at by a divine beast at this age, the thought crossed his mind.

“Icar.”

In an instant, Icar shut his mouth, and simultaneously, Riga felt the stabilizing touch of his hand on his back. A familiar scent filled his nostrils.

Only when approaching the accidentprone Icar calmly and strategically, did Hayden use magic to protect Riga and finally used teleportation magic to sit precisely behind Riga.

“I certainly didn’t say to fly away with the Gennes Executive.”

The clever griffin subtly turned its gaze away, pretending not to hear its master’s terrifying voice.

It was too smart, having realized that Riga had once fought it fiercely as an archenemy.

Always listening to Hayden’s words properly, Riga thought it wouldn’t cause an accident. Hayden sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“Apologize, Executive Gennes. You must have been greatly startled.”

Riga firmly believed that an apology should be accompanied by proper compensation.

But those who ruled over power often forgot such things, and often they didn’t even apologize. So even an empty apology was something.

“No.”

“Are you okay?”

Hayden asked cautiously, examining Riga.

Of course, she is a sturdy knight who has been through thick and thin. He knew that she had encountered such things countless times, but no matter what, he had committed a grave indiscretion.

“I’m fine. I wasn’t scared.”

She couldn’t let a story get out that the Caleta Executive was so frightened that she fainted.

Especially when articles were pouring out that she was being dragged here and there by Emperor Perseus, and diplomats were betting on when she would pack up and run away.

The situation was greatly unfavorable to Riga, so she had to hold on bravely even if she was on the verge of death. Riga hid her trembling hands in Icar’s mane.

“I’m truly sorry for startling you. Give me the reins.”

Hayden apologized once more with a voice even more subdued than usual, reaching out.

He trusted Icar.

But it was also true that it was dangerous. Until Icar landed at a stable altitude after soaring into the sky, he had wrapped Riga in layers of magic, holding his breath and tension, hiding his feelings, and managed the situation without showing any signs.

“Straighten your back, and let go of the mane.”

With one hand around her waist and the other holding the reins, he whispered softly from behind her.
The voice directed at her was affectionate, but the gaze plunging into the back of Icar’s head was fierce. He knew that too, but he didn’t even look back, just looking ahead.

“Taking you down safely to the ground, so you don’t have to worry now, Duchess. The original goal was to slowly adapt before coming up here, but now we have to go down.”

At those words, Lu looked once more at the beautiful city spread out beneath her feet. And then she looked back at Hayden, whom she had tried never to look at directly.

The man who ruled all the land that could be seen was looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow, worried. Normally he acted carelessly and lightly, but maybe he felt a little sorry.

“Why did you want to come up here?”

“The sunset is pretty. Let’s just go down and look at it later.”

“It’s pretty now too.”

You tried to roll all over Icar’s back until the sun went down. Lu chuckled bitterly to herself.

“Can’t we look a little longer before going down?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“It’s fine as long as you don’t fly violently all of a sudden.”

After looking at her face for a long time, Hayden finally nodded.

“Then lean on me more. You said you know how to ride a horse, Duchess.”