As a dragon, not a bird, Zephyr could take off from a stationary position, but doing so created too much wind pressure, especially requiring significant strength at the moment of takeoff!

  The best way to take off was by jumping from a spot or finding a high point to leap from. Using magic would make it easier, but he hadn't mastered that yet...

  Even when flying after jumping, the gusts from his wings still caused the trees below to sway. Once he reached a certain height and flew further, he realized he couldn't see the castle anymore!

  Despite being visible from a high vantage point, the castle was now nowhere to be seen.

  "...You're right, without you, I really can't get back."

  The phantom maid nodded lightly and sat quietly beside Zephyr, her presence cool like a small air conditioner. Still not sleepy, Zephyr's gaze returned to the group of people.

  Recalling for a moment, he channeled his mana through mental guidance to draw a magic array externally. This spell was a weak healing spell, another method of casting magic.

  It didn't rely on directly activating the engraved array in his consciousness but used mental power to guide mana to create a temporary array for spellcasting. This method made the magic array visible, akin to the flashy spellcasting seen in anime or movies.

  A faint green glow fell upon the injured, healing their minor wounds completely. With nothing better to do, Zephyr began examining these people more closely.

  There wasn't much to look at with the middle-aged man, so he skipped him. The men weren’t particularly interesting either. As for the girls... due to the unique powers in this world, everyone benefited aesthetically, making them quite attractive.

  Noticing his constantly rubbing right claw, Zephyr quickly restrained himself, nearly reverting to old habits before meeting Loris. Instead, he decided to check out the bags they carried.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "Huh? Is this a pastry? Looks pretty good." Picking up a delicately boxed pastry, Zephyr sniffed it; its sweet aroma was intoxicating.

  Though he didn't have high standards for food, he wouldn't mind enjoying delicious treats. "Do you want some?"

  The phantom maid gently shook her head.

  Zephyr didn't hesitate and popped the surprisingly tiny (for him) pastry into his mouth. A dragon's body was indeed powerful, but inconvenient in some situations.

  If he were human, he could savor this pastry slowly, but as a dragon, everything went down in one bite. Setting aside the box with a faint magical aura, he continued rifling through other luggage.

  Their belongings mostly consisted of daily supplies and some spare clothes, nothing special... Hmm? What's this?

  Picking up a small card, Zephyr studied it. The text was in a universal language he could understand.

  "Patty... Fergus? Summoner?" Reading the name aloud, he infused a bit of mana into the card, causing a three-dimensional image to appear, revealing the card's owner.

  So, a summoner... This was considered an extension of mage professions. Although summoners relied on various creatures they contracted with for combat, it didn’t mean they lacked personal combat ability.

  Summoners became formidable once they advanced!

  This was Zephyr's conclusion after Loris explained the development paths of professionals in this world. Initially, summoners seemed dependent on summoned creatures for effective combat, lacking personal strength and vulnerable if enemies got too close.

  However, during the intermediate stage—after reaching the entry rank—the true power of summoners emerged. They could not only contract with numerous powerful creatures but also enhance themselves with the abilities of those creatures!

  While this might sound unremarkable, the enhancements were diverse and did not conflict but rather stacked stronger over weaker.

  Of course, becoming a summoner required substantial resources. While others needed just one portion, summoners needed two or three times more, though perhaps not as extreme as seven or eight times.

  Overall, it was a rare profession.

  And now, he had encountered one here.

  With purpose, Zephyr quickly found similar cards, reviewing everyone’s information. Patty was the only one with a specialized profession; the others had traditional roles, none even being rarer battle aura warriors.

  "Aren't you afraid of sunlight?" As the sun rose, the blackened trees in the forest regained their normal color, resembling an ordinary forest again.

  The phantom maid gently shook her head.

  "That's good then." Muttering, Zephyr adjusted his position to block the slanted sunlight. Noticing his action, the phantom maid silently smiled, eyes half-closed.

  The middle-aged man was the teacher accompanying these students. Though unsure why they ventured into the Illusionary Demon Forest, which posed a clear danger, considering it wasn't his fault, they probably wouldn't face serious consequences...

  As their teacher, he was the strongest among them and woke up relatively early from his coma. However, his eyes were still red, still under the influence of hallucinations. Upon waking, he immediately swung at a nearby student as if seeing a mortal enemy.

  Thud—

  With a dull thud, the teacher passed out again after just waking up. Zephyr pinched a wooden stick he had carved arrays into while waiting, enhancing its strength and knock-out effect, specifically prepared for re-knocking out anyone who woke up confused.