Free Web NovelChapter 33: Great Rock City
The journey continued for a few more hours without any major problems.
The Dmond family’s carriage traveled along a narrow road through the middle of a dense forest, where towering trees formed an almost continuous green ceiling above them. The branches intertwined like clasped fingers, creating a canopy that filtered the sunlight into golden beams dancing across the packed dirt road.
The air was cool and humid, carrying the scent of moss, decaying leaves, and wildflowers that Lukas could not identify.
No other incidents occurred. No distant roar echoed among the trees. No threatening shadow moved at the edge of sight.
Only the rhythmic sound of wooden wheels turning over the earth, the occasional crack of branches beneath the horses’ hooves, and the melodic songs of unfamiliar birds that Lukas tried to memorize. High-pitched notes followed by deep trills, a pattern he had never heard on Earth.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere had calmed down.
Judite was still a little frightened, her brown eyes still slightly widened, and her fingers nervously played with the hem of her dress, twisting the fabric into little knots that Aurora patiently undid. But she was no longer trembling. The worst had passed. Her father had won.
Aurora soothed her by stroking her hair, gently running her fingers through the brown strands, undoing the tangles formed during the scare. Her lips murmured words of comfort.
"It’s alright, my love. Your father is strong. He would never let anything happen to us."
Lukas, seated beside the window, could not stop thinking about the beast he had just seen.
The One-Horned Tiger.
Its orange-red fur gleaming beneath the sun. Muscles moving beneath its skin like living snakes. Yellow eyes filled with fury. The horn pulsed with blue light, charged with mana, ready to destroy.
He was already mentally cataloging every detail he had observed, the texture of its fur, the shape of its claws, the curve of its fangs, and the pattern of its stripes. In his mind, an imaginary dossier was beginning to take shape, just like the ones he kept in his previous life for the zoo animals.
’Species. One-Horned Tiger.’
’Habitat. Temperate forests near human settlements.’
’Danger. High. Possesses concentrated mana within its horn, capable of firing energy blasts.’
’Behavior. Aggressive when provoked or hungry. Territorial? Probably.’
He needed more data. Much more data.
"Mother..." Lukas called, turning toward Aurora. His voice was calm, but there was insatiable curiosity behind it.
"The One-Horned Tiger... is it common for beasts like that to appear around here?"
Aurora looked at her son with a tired but patient smile. The dark circles beneath her violet eyes were darker than usual, the fright had taken its toll. Even so, she dedicated herself to answering her son’s questions with the same patience as always.
She adjusted the blanket over Lukas’s legs, an automatic, maternal gesture, before replying.
"They are relatively common in this region, yes. Not as common as wolves or wild boars, which appear near villages almost every week, but often enough to be a constant problem." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"The forests around the mountains are their natural habitat. From time to time, they come down in search of food."
"Are they the most dangerous?" Lukas asked, although he already knew the answer. He wanted to hear his mother’s perspective.
Aurora frowned, recalling stories she had heard when she was younger.
"Yes. They are one of the strongest beasts in the forests near the villages. They attack lone travelers, destroy crops when they are hungry, and sometimes even invade small villages when winter is harsh and food becomes scarce." She paused, her eyes drifting briefly toward the window.
"That’s why your father insisted on riding outside. He was protecting us. As he always does."
Lukas nodded, absorbing the information.
’So this world truly isn’t peaceful at all. Dangerous beasts are part of everyday life.’
He felt a mixture of excitement and caution. He wanted the opportunity to study those creatures up close. To understand their behavior, their habitats, their weaknesses. One day he wanted to capture them, not kill them, capture them, and protect species like that. Create a sanctuary. A zoo. A place where humans and beasts could coexist safely.
But he knew that was a distant dream. A dream that would require power, knowledge, and resources he did not yet possess.
"One day. One day." He promised himself.
The carriage continued in silence for some time.
The road gradually widened. The trees retreated, giving way to cultivated fields, golden wheat plantations, orchards filled with red and yellow fruits, and small flocks of gray-wool sheep grazing on gentle hills.
Farmers worked in the fields, bent over the earth, their simple clothes and straw hats protecting them from the sun that was beginning to set.
Some raised their heads when the carriage passed, and Lukas watched their faces light up upon recognizing the Dmond crest on the door. They waved, and the coachman waved back.
’We’re known here.’ Lukas thought.
’Respected, apparently.’
By late afternoon, when the sun was beginning to set and painted the sky in shades of orange, red, and purple, a spectacle of colors that Lukas never grew tired of admiring. So different from the skies of Earth, they finally caught sight of Great Rock City.
Lukas was speechless.
For the first time since his rebirth, he was seeing a true city of this world. Not the small, rustic villages near the manor, with their wooden houses and dirt roads. A real city. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Tall walls of pale stone, so high that Lukas had to tilt his head back to see the top, surrounded the entire city. They had to be at least fifteen meters high, enough to stop large beasts and invading armies.
Square watchtowers rose at regular intervals along the walls, each flying a banner at its peak, a dark blue standard bearing a golden symbol that Lukas could not make out from such a distance.
The main road, wide and paved with uneven stones, led to an enormous gate of iron and wood. The gate stood open, and a line of carriages, mounted riders, and travelers on foot waited to enter.
Guards wearing gleaming armor and carrying spears inspected every person who passed through, searching carriages and asking questions.
But what truly impressed Lukas was the center of the city.
