Witch of the witches

The carriage looked different from other carriages Winifred had seen. This carriage had a creature resembling a large lizard attached to it, and it was longer compared to the carriage Winifred had sat in earlier. It had a rounded roof and looked much better—not like a king's carriage but also not simple either, in comparison to other carriages.

A person was on the carriage, controlling the lizard with a rope attached to it. The person wore an angular hat, similar to a witch's hat but smaller compared to Elise's hat. Their clothes also looked better than those of others Winifred had seen.

"Who is he?" Winifred asked.

"One of my friends," Elise replied, looking toward the carriage with a smile on her face.

Winifred was a bit shocked to see Elise friend.

The carriage started coming toward where Elise and Winifred were standing. It stopped near them.

Seeing the large lizard suddenly halt near them, Winifred instinctively stepped lightly behind Elise, peeking out from behind her to look at the carriage. She hid completely behind Elise when she saw the lizard more closely.

Elise laughed. Seeing Winifred scared of the lizard, Elise turned and chuckled.

"So it's true, then? You actually took on a student. Doll was right after all," the man sitting on the carriage said, slightly lifting his hat so Elise and Winifred could see his face.

The man driving the carriage was an adult, handsome, with a slim body and medium height.

'Is this Elise's boyfriend?' Winifred wondered.

"So Doll told you everything, huh?" Elise replied, looking toward the man on the carriage.

"Yes, I met him before I came here. He told me everything! I was shocked, you know—taking a girl under your wing, really?" the man on the carriage replied.

"Yes, I do," Elise said with confidence in her eyes.

Looking into Elise's eyes, the man on the carriage seemed a bit surprised.

"Haa…" He took a long breath, closing and opening his eyes.

"Her name is Winifred. Winifred, this is Noah, my friend," Elise said.

"Hello…" Winifred replied, slightly bending from behind Elise with shy eyes, looking toward Noah on the carriage.

"Oh, hello there. It's nice to meet you," Noah said, slightly lifting his hat in the air.

"Oh, nice to meet you too, Mr. Noah," Winifred replied, stepping back behind Elise.

"Don't worry. Dragons are smart and honorable creatures. They won't hurt you unless you hurt them first. Come here," Elise said, gesturing for Winifred to follow her.

The creature attached to the carriage, which Winifred thought was a big lizard, was actually a dragon.

"What? A dragon?" Winifred said, a bit shocked.

Elise went near the dragon, gently touching its head and resting her forehead against it while closing her eyes. The dragon also closed its eyes, pressing its head gently against Elise's. Winifred stood behind Elise, shocked at the connection between Elise and the dragon.

"Come on, do the same as I did," Elise said with a smile.

"Oh…okay," Winifred replied.

"Don't push her. This is her first time seeing a dragon, right?" Noah said with a smile, looking toward Elise and Winifred.

"Don't worry. She's already seen demons, so touching a dragon isn't that big a deal," Elise said, gently pressing her hand against the dragon's head.

Suddenly, the dragon let out an unusual sound without moving its head from Elise's hand. Seeing the dragon grow angry, Winifred quickly hid behind Elise again.

"Oh, sorry… I was just saying she's already seen a battle today, so it's okay if she touches you," Elise said, realizing the dragon was offended by her earlier comment.

Hearing Elise, the dragon calmed down, gently rubbing its head against hers. Seeing the dragon's intelligence and affection, Winifred understood it wasn't just a fearsome creature but also a loving one. Her fear of the dragon completely vanished, and she now wanted to touch it.

Elise noticed Winifred's reaction. "Winifred, come on. Touch her. You want to, don't you?" Elise said with a smile.

Winifred slowly approached the dragon, raising her hand to touch it.

Meanwhile, Noah watched everything from the carriage, smiling at Winifred and Elise.

When Winifred touched the dragon, a smile appeared on her face, and her heart started to race.

The dragon took a deep breath, then lowered its head toward Winifred, closing its eyes.

"Oh, look! He likes you! Do the same as I did," Elise said with a smile.

Realizing the dragon liked her, Winifred gently pressed her forehead against its head, closing her eyes.

'Hmm… she's definitely special,' Noah thought, watching the connection between Winifred and the dragon with a worried expression.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Noah's mind. "Don't worry. You can blame me if anything bad happens because of her," Elise said, communicating directly with Noah's thoughts without Winifred noticing.

Noah was shocked Elise understood his concern.

"Okay then, I'm not worried!" Noah replied to Elise in his mind, ensuring Winifred didn't hear.

"You guys go and sit inside the carriage," Elise commanded Leo and the others standing behind her through her mind control.

Hearing Elise's order, Leo and the others got into the carriage one by one.

Winifred, still touching the dragon's head, heard Elise's command and snapped out of her thoughts. She gently pulled back her head.

"You know the story, right?" Elise asked, looking at Noah.

"Which one? The saving one or the group one?" Noah asked with a smile.

"The saving one," Elise replied with a smile.

"Let's go, Winifred," Elise said, looking at her.

Winifred was still brushing her hand gently against the dragon.

"Oh…okay!" she replied.

"Okay, then I'll tell them the saving story. Well then, goodbye, Winifred!" Noah said with a smile, looking at her.

"Oh, bye, Mr. Noah," Winifred replied, smiling confidently at him.

"Are you coming home?" Elise asked.

"Nah, I'm kind of busy. I actually thought about sending Dune, but when Doll told me you'd taken on a girl and were going to teach her magic, how could I not come? So I came," Noah replied.

"Why not bring Dune with you?" Elise asked.

"I sent him on the job I was supposed to do," Noah replied, smiling.

"Hu, I guess that work was really important then," Elise replied.

"Don't worry about that. I will tell you if things don't work well," Noah replied, understanding Elise's worry.

"Ok then, I should go. The sun is about to set because you're late," Noah said.

"Well, you're also late! Take care, you and Leo," Elise replied with a smile.

"You too, I guess," Noah replied with a smile.

"Ok then, I'll go," Noah said, looking towards Elise and Winifred.

"Okay!" Elise replied.

Noah headed towards the east city gate, where Luna and others were waiting for Leo.