Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 138: Pegasus [Bonus - ]

Chapter 138: Pegasus [Bonus Chapter]

"Do not exhaust your life force anymore unless you want to die. Open up and show us the way. We do not intend any harm. We are here to help you and what you are protecting. Lead us to your location. I can help you regain your strength," Alwin clarified with tempting offers to boot. He was speaking with the dryad through her roots.

The roots glowed golden green and Arabella learned from Alwin’s thoughts that he just shared some of his mana to heal her from the damage she got from the other magician earlier.

The roots earned a healthier texture, girth, and color. The roots soon retracted and an opening appeared on the wall, a size good enough for everyone to enter.

They followed the retracting roots until they arrived in a wide cave.

"It’s so beautiful," Arabella gasped in awe as they were greeted by an underground spring.

The water was crystal clear. Despite the drought outside and the absence of trees, there was a hidden gem like this underground.

Arabella focused her eyes when she noticed there was something under the spring. It moved upwards until it floated on the surface.

It was something spherical fully protected by roots all around it. The roots retracted all on their own until all of it was gone and a spherical magic barrier was revealed.

Inside it was a lady with green long hair resembling the color of a forest and clothed in a flowing dress that had leaves and vines as design.

’So this is Esmeralda?’ Arabella could tell she was so pretty from just a peek of the dryad’s face which was partly covered by her hair.

And the other one was... Arabella gulped and blinked repeatedly. She thought her eyes tricked her but they did not. She was right about what she saw.

Wrapped in the dryad’s embrace was a winged horse. It was still a foal but Arabella was sure it had wings. It was lying beside the dryad in what looked like a soft circular cushion.

’I’m seeing a real pegasus?!’ Arabella got excited.

[Oh, she seems to like the foal.] Ferdinand noticed. [Should I get her a pegasus of her own?]

’That’s possible?!!’ Arabella was overwhelmed. She wanted to say yes please but stopped herself.

Tree roots brought the sphere barrier where they were standing.

Alwin touched the barrier and it vanished. The dryad then stirred and gracefully rose with the help of vines and roots connected to her. She was wide-eyed at the sight of Ferdinand.

[A dragon?!!]

"Greetings to The-"

"You are in the presence of His Majesty, Emperor Ferdinand Valeria," Alwin cut off the dryad and gave a side glance to Arabella.

[Oh, the human must not know about their true identity.] Esmeralda was quick to understand the situation.

"Greeting to His Majesty, the Emperor of Valeria," she corrected her greeting. Thus, Arabella didn’t get to know what the dryad was about to say earlier.

"I am Esmeralda, the guardian of Mt. Esme. My apologies for my unseemly appearance. I had been sleeping due to the circumstances," Esmeralda felt embarrassed about the state of her supposed forest which was now just a barren mountain.

"At ease," Ferdinand replied and he glanced at the sleeping foal.

From Ferdinand and Alwin’s thoughts, Arabella learned that despite being in her sleeping state, Esmeralda knew about everything that was happening in Safiro due to her root system spreading everywhere and her magic abilities.

Thus, they didn’t need to explain to Esmeralda. They were the ones who had questions for her instead.

"This pegasus has quite a strong mana to have caused so much magic ores to form," Alwin touched the foal’s forehead but it didn’t stir.

’Pegasus?!’ Arabella just recalled after Alwin said it that indeed, in books she had read, a winged horse was called a pegasus.

[Oh, it’s injured.] Alwin thought and Esmeralda flinched when he was about to touch the wings of the pegasus.

"I’ll be gentle," Alwin said in defense.

’Yes, please do!’ Arabella was internally screaming. She felt so bad for the young pegasus.

"Yes, please. She had remained sleeping ever since she lost her family. Her wings were severely injured so she was trying to recuperate. It had been a while but it hasn’t recovered yet."

’It lost its family?’

Now Arabella had second thoughts about receiving one from Ferdinand since it would mean getting separated from the others. No matter how she liked them she would feel bad if they were lonely.

"What is a pegasus doing here?" Alwin questioned the dryad.

"She used to live with her parents under the shelter of my tree. But her parents died in war and she was injured severely. I barely managed to save her by hiding her in caves in Mt. Esme so she could recuperate in peace."

However, it had been several hundred years since the pegasus had slept but it hadn’t fully recuperated yet.

Esmeralda used to supply the foal with her mana to help her recover. But after the forest fire caused by the magician along with the curses, Esmeralda grew so weak.

As last resort, Esmeralda hid the pegasus deeper in the caves in Mt. Esme for protection.

When the mining began, Esmeralda kept going deeper and deeper underground so the people won’t reach the pegasus.

Esmeralda also diverted Dempsey’s people by blocking the progress they had made during mining and getting back the magic ores. She also manipulated the cave systems so the magician wouldn’t be able to find their location easily.

However, when it was the people of Safiro doing the mining, Esmeralda felt bad covering the progress they made or getting back the magic ores when the Safirans wouldn’t be able to eat when they didn’t get any progress.

This was why she couldn’t stop the mining. Esmeralda had gone weaker the longer the drought lasted as well. She could not fight the magician in her state.

Thus, her priority was protecting the Safirans or helping them out with what little mana she had left and hiding the pegasus.