In a hurry, thoughts spilled out as words.

But there was no response from the holy sword. Instead, with a cool fragrance of perfume, the fall stopped.

“I came to save you, but am I being treated like a piece of metal?”

A solid body filled with warmth enveloped Rukna.

“How did you…?”

Matian had snatched Rukna as she fell, riding a large black reptile, and held her in his arms.

“Ah, I didn’t see you earlier. When did you arrive?”

Coming to her senses, she found herself trapped between his arms.

Rukna bowed her head deeply to hide her reddened face.

“Hmm, when you were desperately clinging to Chad’s waist?”

The expression was a bit strange, but Rukna nodded while examining the identity of the companion creature she was riding.

‘Wow, the world view discriminates against people.’

Perhaps because he was a male protagonist candidate, even his mount was extraordinary.

With a body of black scales like a lizard and huge wings, larger and more menacing than a wyvern, the identity of this creature was…

“Is this perhaps a dragon?”

Judging by its size, about as big as two horses side by side, it seemed to be a young dragon that hadn’t shed its skin yet, but the intimidation was considerable.

Bolton, who had flown up with a drugged ostrich, and Hans, who had struggled while clinging to a wyvern’s feet, suddenly felt pitiable for no reason.

“You noticed I had a black plague dragon before, remember? Don’t pretend to be surprised.”

I knew that? Then Rukna recalled the conversation she had with Matian at the training ground a few months ago.

Right. That’s how it was.

But that was just a joke she made thinking Matian was going through late puberty when he mentioned the devil’s heart.

“Haa. The story about the black plague dragon in the left hand was just a joke.”

“How is that a joke?”

“Let’s just say it was a popular joke in my hometown.”

Anyway, I could tell from his prince disease, but this guy seems to lack flexibility in thinking.

As she thought this, Rukna tried to move. She couldn’t stay in his arms forever.

But Matian stopped her.

“You’ll fall like that. Stay like this for now.”

“No, but this position is a bit…”

The posture of being trapped in his arms was quite embarrassing.

What if the cadets tease after the test is over?

“You’ll fall, so hold on tight.”

With those words, his arms holding the dragon’s reins tightened.

The dragon’s body tilted sideways as it took off, caught in a strong air current.

Ack! Rukna’s wandering hands grabbed onto Matian’s jacket lapels.

“…Hold my waist tighter, like you did with Chad.”

Rukna was already gripping the jacket so tightly her hands were turning white, but it seemed insufficient to Matian’s eyes, as he deliberately mentioned Chad.

Adding an explanation that since the dragon was still young, it might be temperamental with unfamiliar riders.

“I’m holding on well enough. In this position, if we fall, you’ll fall before me, you know?”

As Rukna stubbornly insisted, Matian directly pulled her hands from his jacket lapels to his back, making her embrace his waist.

“Ugh?”

Rukna’s heart raced with excitement as she found herself in a position of embracing him. But that lasted only about 1 second.

‘Hey, you jerk, how can you hold the reins with just one hand and use the other for something else!’

The reason her heart was pounding now was due to fear.

It felt like riding a roller coaster from an amusement park in her past life, but without safety devices.

“Hold the reins properly! The dragon might flip over like this!”

“You’re the one who needs to hold on tight, pressed close.”

What is he, cosmetics or something? Why is he obsessed with being pressed close?

Rukna glanced down at the dizzying height below and tightly embraced Matian’s waist with both arms.

‘It’s embarrassing, but the sense of security is certainly different.’

Like this, she was reminded of the common fairy tale where a hero rides a dragon to save a princess in danger.

If this were a romance novel and she were a lady in a dress, she might have fallen in love with Matian at this point.

While lost in such useless thoughts, pain struck her hands like lightning again. It was extreme pain as if her fingers were being cut off.

“Argh!”

Rukna screamed and detached her arms from Matian.

She knew it was dangerous to move carelessly, but it was beyond what she could endure.

“Rukna!”

Damn it! Matian tried to grab the falling Rukna, but as the dragon also screamed and writhed, he ended up missing her.

‘I’m falling!’

As the sensation of descending made her heart plummet and fear surge, Rukna kept her eyes wide open and focused ahead.

‘Once might be a coincidence, but twice can’t be.’

And it wasn’t a coincidence that she met eyes with Chad, who had drooping eyebrows.

‘Hi Bisby, please save me!’

“Don’t worry. Your faithful servant is flying over now.”

What’s coming? Rukna glanced down slightly.

The members of Luibitdong were rushing left and right, trying to gauge her position to catch her.

‘There are times when I’m grateful for those guys too.’

In about 5 seconds, her body would hit the ground.

But before even 1 second had passed, something soft intercepted Rukna in midair.

Keeek! It made a familiar cry as it caught Rukna on its back and took flight. It was the griffin she had purified during the last sacred studies class.

“Mongsil, is that you? You’ve grown so much!”

She almost didn’t recognize the griffin that had grown as big as a lion in just a month, but its kindly sparkling eyes were exactly the same as before.

Rukna hugged the griffin’s eagle head and rubbed its fur vigorously.

Feeling good, it made kweun! kweun! sounds and pecked the air with its beak like a chicken, just as cute as a month ago.

“The rolling stone has magic resistance, master.”

The holy sword still referred to the griffin warily as a rolling stone.

‘Why suddenly mention magic resistance?’

“So you don’t get hit three times. Use the griffin.”

Then it added that for reference, the first attack was secretly defended with holy power to lower its effectiveness, but in the second situation, it couldn’t use its power.

‘Ah, so what I just suffered was magic, you mean?’

Alright, I won’t let this slide.

Rukna glared at Chad, who had just arrived at the airship.

‘The only one who could accurately calculate the magical trajectory of a moving target here is that guy.’

The black plague dragon Matian was riding was also suffering from Chad’s magic, twisting its body in pain.

She was worried about Matian on such a dragon, but after confirming Rukna’s safety, Matian was skillfully controlling the reins to prevent the dragon from causing damage elsewhere.

‘Someone like Matian could have avoided or blocked the magic. Did he get distracted somewhere?’

Rukna didn’t think for a moment that he might have been distracted by her, and began looking for the cause of the dragon’s suffering.

‘Found it! There’s a small ice thorn stuck near the dragon’s claws.’

Even humans would be in pain if a thorn was stuck there, how much more painful would it be for a young dragon?

Rukna flew with Mongsil towards the writhing dragon’s leg and pulled out the ice thorn stuck in its foot.

But misunderstanding this action, the dragon suddenly twisted its body and opened its maw towards Rukna.

“Dodge, Mongsil!”

The black plague dragon, living up to its name, breathed out a very powerful flame.

But this griffin, instead of dodging, widely opened its eagle beak to face the black plague dragon.

“Mongsil, now is not the time to compare beak sizes!”

Rukna urgently shook the griffin’s neck.

If we don’t dodge now, we’ll all die!

But surprisingly, the breath spewed by the dragon went straight into the griffin’s mouth.

The griffin absorbed the dragon’s breath like a sponge soaking up water, and then even burped.

“Was that okay to eat, Mongsil?”

It looked so hot, it seemed like it would cause indigestion. Rukna worriedly stroked the griffin’s nape and around its mouth.

“Kyup!”

Mongsil nodded as if to say it was fine, but soon puffed up its cheeks as if about to vomit.

“Oh no, no, no, no!”

If you’re going to spit it out, spit it that way. Rukna turned the griffin’s head towards where Chad was.

Chad, who had just set foot on the airship’s landing pad, tilted his head with round eyes saying, “Rukna?”

At the same time, the griffin opened its beak wide and spat out the breath it had just swallowed right at Chad.

Gueoeoeoek!

“No way… ugh!”

Chad quickly spread a defense barrier, but failed to block it completely. The aftermath of the enormous pillar of fire passing by was devastating.

Chad, covered in black ashes, brushed off the soot covering his face with a “whew.”

Holes were burned in various places on his clothes and shoes from the flames.

“I didn’t expect this.”

Chad looked down at his body and then closed his eyes tiredly.

It seems he was somewhat shocked.

Soon Rukna, who had boarded the airship, patted Chad’s shoulder.

“Oops, my mistake.”

And she returned the exact words he had said when he made her fall off the horse.

Rukna passed by the dazed Chad and checked her evaluation score with Professor Taming and Todley, who were standing at the landing pad.