The large figure of Typhon gradually became smaller as I picked up speed, and I soon activated [Mimic], watching my winged form blend into the mist.

[How do you do that with your body?] The dark fae asked in amazement, before becoming disappointed. [We're leaving, already? But we just arrived!]

I laughed at her childish complaints. [I need to check up on someone else.]

Actually, I regretted leaving Typhon so soon after he evolved.

It wasn't so long since I'd evolved myself and I remembered the all consuming hunger and conflicting emotions that came with it. In a way, I was glad to have reached him first, as so much could have gone wrong.

He was lucky there was enough food nearby or I feared he would have done something terrible to his team. And this was part of the reason I was annoyed at Sensei because he had convinced me he wouldn't be evolving so soon.

Fortunately, Typhon seemed to be doing well, and aside from a mild crankiness his team was largely unharmed. But why did his look as I was leaving give me the impression of an innocent youth? It was really hard to resist returning to give him even more head rubs.

«Was the head pat really necessary?» Sensei asked. «You shouldn't treat him like a pet, he's even more dangerous, now that he's evolved.»

"Is your scrutiny really necessary?" I retorted.

Although Typhon didn't take too kindly to my head pat, it was deeply satisfying for me, like watching a little snake growing into an impressive one. But if Sensei really thought I saw him as a pet, he was really completely wrong.

His skills were unique, his growth was fast – occurring at a speed that closely rivalled my own, and all this without a system to help him. While, I could admit that my system was useless, it was definitely an advantage.

And Typhon was smart enough to not challenge me.

Whether that was due to his loyalty, or perhaps he was crafty and just biding his time, aside from Ophelia there was no other nestling that could rival him, although there were some interesting surprises among the bunch.

If Typhon and I were to fight I was sure I would win, but that was due to being a higher level than him and because I had more combat experience.

A part of me wanted to test him right away, but there was still much to be done. I was interested in seeing how he could be useful to me and I couldn't wait to witness what he could do.

«I'm just telling you to be careful.» Sensei added. «If you want to make him more loyal, you should learn how to talk to them properly to prevent any miscommunication in the future, while their impression of you is still good.»

What the… Was he implying I might do something to change that? The rascal!

But at the same time he was right.

"I know. I'll get Ophelia to teach me."

«Good. Don't delay your return. Remember you still have a penalty to do.»

Ugh. Like I could forget.

As we flew through the forest, I accessed the Atlas once more to trace the location of my last team. It was shocking to see just how far Artemis's team had gone and I pushed my wings even faster to reach them soon.

I could see all five of their figures moving together on the map. They seemed to be heading back after coming out of a forest but they were still a long way away.

[We'll pass by the honey monsters soon.] The dark fae chirped excitedly. [There are many hives in this forest!]

[Really? You'll have to show me later.]

To reach my snakes quicker I would have to fly over the scary wasp's lair and I really wasn't looking forward to that reunion.

However, before going far, I came across a squadron of five wasps. Fortunately, I was well disguised with [Mimic] and I was sure nothing could pick me out in the air.

They weren't carrying anything and so I assumed they had just left the scary wasp's lair. However, their bodies seem to have been scorched by flames and some had deep cuts across their carapace like they were returning from an intense battle.

Since I was flying with [Mimic] active, I proceeded to glide across from them, as I was confident they wouldn't see me clearly. Unfortunately, I forgot about the annoying fairy on my head who was very visible even though my body was not. The wasps spotted her in the air and soon the squadron was following behind me.

The dark fae freaked out as soon as she saw them. [Hide! They will catch you and take you away!]

[Calm down, it's okay.] I smirked at her distress.

I could understand why she was anxious, having faced them before, but our animosity was in the past. I didn't feel the need to hide when I had a truce with their leader.

[What are you talking about?] The dark fae slapped my horns impatiently. [I'm warning you now. Run away!]

I shook my head. I had to remind myself that the approaching hunting wasps couldn't see me. All they could see was the tiny fae who looked like a harmless, easy meal. So, of course they would pursue.

Rather than avoiding them, I landed on a sturdy tree branch, deactivating [Mimic] to reveal myself.

The wasp squadron continued to approach, but they soon saw me properly and after a brief observation, they quietly turned around and continued on their way.

Ah…it seemed our truce was still in effect. If this wasn't the case I was prepared to fight off the squadron, but it was nice to know the scary wasp had kept his word.

Perhaps it was worth paying him a visit in the future to discuss a cooperation.

The dark fae was taken aback with shock as she stared at the retreating wasps. She then buzzed around my head like an annoying fly, her face full of surprise.

[H-How did you do that?] she asked, as she looked back and forth at me and the retreating wasps. [What did you do to make them leave? You have to tell me!]

[It's a secret.] I looked away from her, refusing to answer her barrage of questions.

She crossed her arms and brought her tiny face very close to my head. I could feel her eyes boring holes into my snake skin.

[A secret? You have to tell me then. I'm very good with secrets.] she continued to buzz around.

I shook my head and took off in flight once more. The dark fae frantically caught up to me and settled on my head with a pout.

The scary wasps hive loomed in the distance and I flew over it without [Mimic] and we were not pursued by any of the wasps.

The dark fae continued to sulk. [Tell me how you did that, or I won't tell you about the honey.]

Hah...

She was crafty and I applauded her quick thinking, but there was no way I was going to hand over one of my biggest secrets. However, the thought occurred to me that I could use this to find out something from her.

[You seem to know your way around the forest.] I questioned her. [If you want to know how I did it, tell me why the nymph didn't ask you to deliver her message in her stead. I'm sure it would have been very easy for you to do so.]

The dark fae fell silent and seemed to choose her words carefully. [She used to send me…well us. There were three of us at first and we all lived in the forest together, and we would help them as a favour. But one of us didn't return after a trip.]

[Do you know what happened?] I asked her.

The dark fae shook her head. [At first I thought she was just late, but it happened again, and so the spirits stopped sending us.]

That didn't sound good.

I thought it was somewhat fishy that the nymph chose me in the first place but now it made sense. If I was in her place and something was preventing the fairies from returning, I would look for something more disposable to find out more.

[What do you think happened?] I asked the fae who seemed down.

[I don't know. We are small. Many things can eat us.]

Ah…

[But you can fly away, right? And you are very fast.] I asked.

[That's what I thought too, but they didn't fly away. If they did, they would have come back.]

The dark fae soon fell silent and refused to say more. I could imagine it was a tough subject to talk about so I didn't press her further.

As we headed for my snakes I couldn't help thinking about what she said.

Being an attractive lure for many hungry creatures didn't sound very fun. Even I considered eating her not that long ago, and I hadn't yet changed my mind.

But at the same time, she was still a monster. I couldn't imagine her getting eaten without putting up a fight, so what really happened?

Perhaps those fairies had simply left and the nymph didn't want to believe it. But until I relayed the message myself, there was no way to tell, so I made up my mind.

[Alright. Why don't you tell me where the nymph needs me to go? I'm sure that's the reason you followed me anyway.]

The dark fae perked up from her slump. [It's only half the reason. If you go, I will come with you. I want to know what happened to them too.]

I had to give her credit, she was actually a lot braver than I thought.