Chapter 99: Dragon Knight

Across the vast, boundless grassland, flashes of blades clashed with ringing impacts. Sparks burst from colliding weapons, nearly setting the grass beneath their feet ablaze.

Pereti gripped a chain in her hand. At the other end was Changming, which she swung around like a flail, treating the lantern as a meteor hammer.

Xiaolv held a spear, calmly parrying Pereti’s attacks. Each time Changming came close to hitting, Xiaolv merely leaned back slightly, dodging with ease—only to knock Pereti flat onto the ground again moments later.

“Hey, your combat skills are pretty bad. Even with all that raw magic power, if you don’t know how to use it, it’s worthless.”

“That’s exactly why I wanted to learn from you! And seriously—can’t you go a little easier on me?” Pereti lay sprawled on the grass, refusing to get up.

Xiaolv did not hold back.

Despite her small frame, she could send Pereti flying with a single punch.

Whether it was strict teaching or just taking the chance to vent some frustration, Xiaolv never pulled her punches—every strike was delivered with full force, as if she was afraid Pereti wouldn’t get sent flying.

And she really meant flying.

If it weren’t for Holy Heal’s powerful recovery effect, Pereti would have long since been beaten into immobility.

“In a real fight, no one’s going to go easy on you.”

From the distance, Ino approached together with Lirna.

Seeing Pereti in such a sorry state, Ino couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Looks like you’re adapting pretty well to life here.”

“Yeah, sure. Getting beaten up all the time,” Pereti muttered, turning her head away in annoyance.

“Why does that sound like you’re blaming me?”

“No… I just suddenly realized how weak I still am…” Pereti’s voice grew quieter.

She had thought that after the Witch Banquet, she had already become strong.

But against Xiaolv, she had no ability to fight back at all. No matter what magic she used, Xiaolv could effortlessly neutralize it.

That overwhelming helplessness filled Pereti with a deep sense of despair.

“Looks like you broke her mentally,” Ino said.

“‘Broke her mentally’?” Xiaolv tilted her head.

“It means her spirit’s taken a hit,” Lirna explained.

“Oh~” Xiaolv nodded. Two words for four—pretty convenient.

“Hey, how is that my fault? She’s not even a fraction of my age. How could she possibly beat me?” Xiaolv grabbed Pereti’s hand and pulled her up from the ground.

“Xiaolv is that old?” Pereti asked.

“Mm… about eight hundred years, I think. I don’t remember exactly.”

“Eight hundred years… that’s amazing,” Vinika said sincerely.

“Different identities, different environments. I’m a creation of the Wind Witch—I’ve been around people who’ve lived for thousands of years. You’re just an ordinary human. Meeting me was just an accident. Think of me as a passing traveler.”

A well-behaved child was always likable—especially someone as innocent as Vinika. Even Xiaolv found herself warming to her.

“So, how’s your progress with Spell-Weapon Binding?” Xiaolv turned to Pereti.

While the technique itself wasn’t difficult to learn, the real challenge was fully integrating magic with your weapon to unleash its true power.

For ordinary weapons, that alone was already difficult. Most could only handle one or two enchantments at most—let alone something like a meteor hammer, which was notoriously hard for beginners.

The fact that Pereti could already swing the lantern like this in such a short time had already exceeded Xiaolv’s expectations.

“I can use it, but it feels unstable.”

“That’s normal for beginners. The root problem is your poor mana control during combat. That’s what makes it unstable. Hand me the lantern.”

“Here.”

Xiaolv took Changming, then plucked a strand of hair from her head. The strand transformed into a spear—one end tipped with a sharp spike, the other fitted with a small opening just big enough to attach the lantern.

“There. With proper support, it’ll feel much better to use. The rest, I can’t teach you—you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s been done for a while now. I just kept going because you didn’t even know how to fight.”

With a flick of her wrist, the lantern flew back into Pereti’s arms.

“Oh right—where did you hide Feiye? I haven’t seen her these past few days.”

Ever since Pereti learned Element Shaping, she had immediately used it on Feiye. After that, Xiaolv hadn’t seen her at all.

Logically, she should’ve shown up by now…

“Oh, that. I thought about it for a long time, and in the end, I figured this was the best place.”

As she spoke, Pereti unfastened the buttons at her chest, revealing a large expanse of pale skin.

Lirna quickly covered Vinika’s eyes.

Xiaolv also raised a hand to block her view—but peeked through her fingers anyway.

“H-Hey! What are you doing taking your clothes off?!”

“What are you thinking?” Pereti shot them an annoyed glare. “Your minds are full of dirty thoughts.”

Reaching between her chest, she pulled out a small, pale-purple ferret—fast asleep.

“Here. This is Feiye.”

After showing everyone, she tucked Feiye back inside.

She had considered many places to keep Feiye, but none felt appropriate.

She wanted to make up for deceiving her—and also give her a surprise when she woke up.

After thinking it over, keeping her close to her chest felt like the best choice.

“So… you put her there…”

Xiaolv stared at Pereti’s impressive chest, then glanced down at her own flat stomach.

A sudden sense of inferiority crept in.

“Alright, don’t overthink it. Big or small—it’s all the same to you with Element Shaping, right? Since you said you’re done teaching, I guess it’s time for me to leave.”

“Eh? You’re leaving already?” Vinika looked at Pereti, clearly reluctant to see her go.

“If you’re leaving, take this with you.” Ino, as if prepared, took out a black cloak.

“This cloak has spatial properties. The inside is quite large—you can store things in it. I’ve already put some food and clothes inside. You’ll probably need them.”

“Spatial magic? Thank you.” Pereti put on the cloak—it fit perfectly.

“How do you plan to leave? Your destination is quite far, after all.”

“That? I’ve got a plan.” Pereti turned to look at Xiaolv.

Xiaolv immediately felt like she’d been struck by lightning.

“Y-You’re not thinking of making me carry you, are you?! No way!”

“Oh come on, it’s just a short ride. It’s not even that far. Please, Senior~”

“…Fine, fine. I can’t deal with you…”

“Oh, right—Senior, can you turn into a dragon?”

“You little brat, don’t push your luck!”

“Please, Senior.”

“….”

Before long—

Pereti, clad in her cloak, sat atop the neck of a massive dragon, soaring through the skies.

“Woooah! So this is what being a dragon rider feels like?! This is AWESOME!”