The wind feels amazing.
Looking behind us, the forest where we left gradually becomes smaller.
This is the first time I've ever flown this high before.

I left the Lithuvar Tribe without planning a proper destination.
Since the Lithuvar Tribe is completely unaware of the outside world, I regret not asking Adolf about the world's geography back when I spent some time with him.

But now, with my current flight capability, I'm able to fly even higher above towns and avoid them entirely.
It may not be difficult to find a place to settle from up here.

Although I haven't decided where exactly to go, there is at least one thing I'm certain of.
And, it's that my destination should be in a remote place that's as far away from any human settlements as possible.
This should divert the Ouroboros subjugation force away from the Lithuvar Tribe so they'll surely go after me.
Since I told the beast swordsman, Nell, who's from the "Hungry Hunters" about it beforehand, it will be doubly sure.

Below us, many towns from different places are seen.
I can only see the humans below as tiny dots though, but I wonder how they see me from up here.
If they can clearly see me, are they pointing their fingers at me and screaming, I wonder.

【"Ey, u gonna drop 'im"】

Partner tells me via thought message, and I just now noticed that my grip on Treant is loosening.
Treant is also slapping his branches at my claw, trying to get my attention that he's about to fall.
S-Sorry, sorry......
Still, that's a really rude way to get someone's attention.

Partner looks at Treant with judgmental eyes, probably thinking about why we're even bringing him with us.
I look away from Partner, pretending I don't know the answer.

On that note, Alo is currently riding on my head.
She enlarged her hand and is holding onto me tightly, keeping a strong grip.
It doesn't seem like she's gonna fall even if I speed up a little.

The masked spider, Petite Nightmare, is also riding on Partner's head......
Or so I thought, but when I looked at Partner again, Nightmare is nowhere to be seen.
...... Hey Partner, where's Petite Nightmare.
Don't tell me you ate her.

Partner nudges her head backwards.
I look back behind us and see Petite Nightmare flying in the air at a tremendous speed and chasing after us.
I couldn't believe it at first and I had to look twice to be sure I wasn't seeing things. But, looking closely, there's something shining in front of Petite Nightmare.
It's a spider web reflecting the sun's rays at my eyes.

...... I-It's not gonna snap, is it?
That looks extremely dangerous...... but, if Nightmare is having fun, then I guess it's fine, even though she's shaking so rigidly in the air.
The next time we land and take flight, don't do daredevil stunts like that again and ride safely please.

After several hours of flight, we've finally lost sight of any human roads.
From here on out, we'll be entering uncharted territory. I feel so free, I could fly all over the world in a week.
I don't even know how big this world is though......

We fly over a mountain pass.
And beyond those mountains stretches the sea.
These mountains might be a good place for me to rest my wings for a while.

...... Or, should I fly a bit more and check out the other side of the sea?
If I go somewhere not connected to the mainland, news about an Ouroboros on the loose might take a while to reach there yet.
To avoid contact with the outside world, it's probably a good idea to go off-shore.
Heck, even an isolated island is fine by me.

I continue to fly over the mountains and cross the ocean.
After a few more hours of flying, I begin to feel hungry.
...... Alright, let's get serious in searching for land now, and if I still can't find anything, I'll turn back.

While thinking that, something felt off.
No, rather, I think I just didn't notice it until now.
The horizon that I thought was missing is finally coming into view.
And as we get closer, I slowly realize why.

The seawater suddenly slopes downwards and is falling towards nowhere.
It looks like an extremely large cliff in the middle of the ocean.
Or...... maybe I should call it a giant waterfall instead.
No, that doesn't sound right. I feel like an undiscovered word is needed to express this scene before me.

Rapidly, the water falls down inside a dark blue void.
I can't see what lies at the bottom of it. Large amounts of seawater are falling in it.
Just looking at it makes me feel like I'm about to be sucked inside it.

For an instance, my head went stale blank.

A mountain of questions are piling up inside me.
Where does that void of darkness lead to?
How is the ocean infinitely replenished to maintain sea level?
If this world is not spherical, then what's keeping the gravity of this planet stable?

As I think of that, I spot a huge island at the edge of the great waterfall.
There are mountains, cliffs, and gigantic trees on it.
It's giving off an unearthly vibe. It doesn't look like there are any humans inhabiting it either. Truly an isolated island at the edge of the world.

I-Is that...... really the right place for me?
Should I turn back? That's obviously a dangerous place.
B-But...... I'm rank A, so I should be fine, right?
There's no other place that has any higher ranked monsters to give me decent exp points and maybe that place has those, I think...... hmm......

Right then, let's do this.
With the plan of flying away immediately at the sign of any danger that we can't handle, I descend down the island.
It'll be fine. With my speed, I can make a quick getaway in case anything bad happens.