Two Worlds at a Time
100. New words now!

"Sorry… Sorry… Slept a bit too much and took too much time to poop," Aric said after almost tumbling down the stairs. His room was on the upper floor, which had its own toilet and bathroom, and this was his guise to hide when he wasn't there. Aric had a feeling that Gopher might have figured out that something was wrong with him and that he held secrets, but Gopher never asked or even showed that he might know anything.

It was also for this reason that Aric respected Gopher and showed him trust by letting him handle the books for his sales. Of course, it didn't mean he didn't keep track. Apis used to make the inventory, and Mira would make sure he was receiving the proper amount of gold coins.

"Poop?" Gopher and Alden were confused by this new word that Aric had just 'invented.'

"Ah. I mean shit… like the actual shit," Aric said.

"You have so many new and fancy words for these things," Gopher said. By now, he was used to the odd words that sometimes came out of Aric's mouth, which none of them had ever heard before. Though "poop" was something he had heard before, he had never bothered to learn it. Maybe he would remember it this time.

"Is everything packed?" Aric asked as he saw four heavy bags.

"No thanks to you." Gopher was annoyed that this big kid hadn't helped his siblings at all with the packing.

"Sorry, I was busy with a bit of my work," Aric apologized. He would have helped, but who knew his grandparents would hold him back with food and distract him with the dog? Alden and Gopher both rolled their eyes. The only happy person here was Avian, as it would be her first time going outside the city. She couldn't wait to see a new world.

The carriage was already waiting at the door to take them to the square, where their transport was waiting. When Aric's group reached the city square, Aric got the surprise of his life. He had heard about how they would be transported out of the city to their respective schools, but seeing the magical animals in the square was astonishing.

All of the animals looked like some kind of birds—or at least most of them. Most of them were huge eagles in different colors or some kind of hawk Aric had never seen before, nor could his lens recognize.

"These are Razor Talons, most commonly used by mages who want to travel long distances. They can carry the weight of six healthy individuals easily and fly long distances of up to 1,000 kilometers before needing rest to eat and sleep. They are low-maintenance, and their beaks and talons are known to be as strong as hard iron, capable of piercing any normal animal quite easily. Using them as transport is a common business, as they are relatively easy to tame," Gopher said, giving a general introduction as he saw that Aric and the others were quite surprised; this was their first time seeing such a majestic bird. Gopher was proud of his knowledge.

"What is that animal?" Avian, the curious soul that she was, pointed at a creature standing on four legs with the head of an eagle or hawk and huge wings. It looked like a cross between an eagle and a horse. A Pegasus would be the right word to describe it—if not for its head.

"That is an Ironbeak Griff, known for its beak and talons, like the Razor Talon, but more powerful. It can carry more people, take up heavier weights, and fly further distances. They're better in every way, but the downside is that they're almost impossible to tame unless you belong to the beast schools. Also, this will be our ride," Gopher said as he led them toward the magical creature.

Aric could see why this animal was so hard to tame. Its size alone was enough to intimidate anyone. Its wingspan was definitely longer than the midsize commercial planes he had seen in his world, which was enough to show just how majestic the animal was.

"You guys are on time. Hop in," Sylva said. Aric could see both of the teenagers he had seen the previous day, and they weren't carrying much with them, just a small bag that looked coarse and rugged. Since they had all arrived, the two teenagers were the first to climb upon the Ironbeak Griff, and since the animal was at least twice their height, Sylva lifted them up as the creature bent its body.

The teenager went straight for a spot beside the main 'driving chair' of the saddle and looked quite proud that he had secured that location. Alden and Avian didn't like the look of this proud teenager's face at all, but they didn't speak their thoughts out loud. Aric had taught them manners as best he could when he was around. It paid off.

Sylva was next to get up after the teenagers.

"I suppose you can help yourself," Sylva said.

"You don't have to say," Gopher replied, then waved his hand. In the next moment, the group slowly left the ground and started floating up. This amazed Aric, Alden, and Avian more than ever. They had never expected that Gopher could actually make them fly—and that too, so gently. They slowly floated up and then landed on the Griff's back.

The proud teenager had the scare of his life when he realized that Gopher was actually a mage and was following Aric. This was not something he had expected at all. Sylva didn't look shocked.

"Uncle, you could do this all this time?" Avian's eyes sparkled as she understood who was responsible for the flight.

"You never asked." Gopher still held resentment because for Avian, Alden and Aric were the parents and even though Gopher had tried hard to get close to Avian, she for some reason was fond of Aric and Alden more, even though he had brought her toys and sweets. Now seeing the joy, he would not let go of the chance. 

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.