by Hiro Ainana
Instead, I muttered “good night” to no one in particular and went to sleep.
The next morning, I had coffee and some space food–like rations for breakfast.
“We should be arriving soon, yes?”
“That was fast.”
It had been only twelve hours since we departed.
In fact, we could have arrived even faster, but we took a slower pace in order to arrive at dawn.
“We’re reentering normal space. All hands to your seats.”
At the hero’s command, everyone went to their chairs.
I fastened my seat belt, as I would in a regular car, but that didn’t seem to be the standard here: Weeyari was the only other person who did the same.
“Reenter normal space.”
“Reentering normal space, sir.”
Natural color returned to the dull gray scenery outside.
Suddenly, my “Sense Danger” skill alerted me.
“Watch out!”
“Hard to starboard!”
Rusus and I shouted at the same time.
Just as the hull began to tilt to the right, something slammed into us, sending shock waves through the ship.
“Eek!”
Princess Menea was sent flying out of her seat, so I caught her in my lap.
I thought she would be angry, but she seemed more afraid of being thrown to the ground and simply clung to my neck instead.
The soft sensation was pretty enjoyable.
“Hang on to something, everyone!”
“Whoa, what’s going on?!”
“Forget it, Fifi, just grab the railiiing!”
The hero’s shouts and the women’s shrieks echoed as the silver ship was shaken like a leaf.
The more combat-oriented women had managed to hang on to their seats, but the support-type pair didn’t have a strong-enough grip.
“Eek!”
“Oh my~.”
Princess Meriest and a strangely unruffled Priestess Loleiya came flying from the front seats.
Considering their high level, they probably wouldn’t be seriously injured if they slammed into the wall of the bridge, but that didn’t mean I could just ignore them.
Instead, I reached out to either side and caught them in midair.
The god of lechery must have intervened, because somehow I caught both of them firmly by the breasts.
But I couldn’t just get embarrassed and let them go, so I simply pulled them in before shifting my hands down to their stomachs.
You can’t blame me if I happened to enjoy the feeling of their ample breasts a little bit in the process.
Even in this situation, the sweet scent of perfume threatened to send my head spinning.
“Wee! Turn on the stabilizers!”
“They’re already at full power!”
I heard this conversation at the front of the bridge.
Despite the multiaxial rotation tossing us around like an extreme theme park ride, these two seemed to be quite calm.
I activated my “Search Entire Map” skill, then used Magic Hand to help steady the spaceship.
Soon, its trajectory leveled out, perhaps helped along by my magic.
On the way here, I’d been told that the Jules Verne blocked any outside magic, but apparently magic used from inside still reached the outside just fine.
“Th-thank you, Sir Pendragon. You can release me now, if you would.”
“Thank you, Sir Knight.”
I relinquished my hold on Princess Meriest and Priestess Loleiya.
Then I brought the dazed Princess Menea back to her seat, securing her in place with a seat belt.
Her escort knight was sprawled in a corner of the bridge, but his life didn’t seem to be in danger, so I decided to leave him be for now.
Opening my map to examine the red dot that indicated an enemy, I found that we were being attacked by a level-68 adult dragon. That was lower than Hayato the Hero, who was level 69.
The dragon’s status condition read Rage. Clearly, he was not in a good mood.
That last attack must have been a magic attack like “Dragon Breath” or something.
“Hayato! There’s a dragon ahead! This sheer power must belong to the lord of the Black Dragon Mountains!”
Priestess Meriest had obtained the same information as I had from the terminal of the silver ship.
“Wee! Dimensional submersion, now!”
“…We can’t! The dimensional submersion function is stalled!”
Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good.
“All right. Then I’m heading for the prow.”
Taking up his Holy Shield, the hero plunged into the passage leading to the prow.
I ran along behind him, intending to support him from the shadows. Miss Ringrande shouted from the bridge to stop me, but I ignored her and kept moving.
As I passed through a narrow aisle, I was struck by a sharp wind and the smell of ozone.
Hayato had arrived at the prow and opened the hatch.
Using “Warp,” I closed the distance between the hero and myself.
“A real dragon…,” the hero muttered.
My “Keen Hearing” skill picked up the sound through the uproarious wind and the lattice-shaped barrier that surrounded him.
Rearing its head back from its resting place near a giant tree, the black dragon stood and spread its wings in a menacing pose.
My “Sense Danger” skill reacted again.
“Crap, it’s a ‘Dragon Breath’ attack!”
Holding his Holy Shield at the ready, the hero exclaimed, “
His armor shone blue, the light wrapping around his shield. On top of that, his Unique Skill Invincible Shield created a translucent wave of light in front of his Holy Shield, protecting not just the hero but the entire prow of the ship.
Just in case, I activated the intermediate Practical Magic spell Flexible Shield from the magic menu, making two more transparent shields that floated in front of the hero’s.
“Did you do that, Satou?!” the hero exclaimed without turning.
“Yes. It’s only magic from a scroll, so it won’t do much, but—”
I started to give my prepared excuse.
But the black dragon opened its mouth before I could finish, and a flash of light pierced the sky.
“Haaaaah!”
The hero’s Unique Skill and Holy Shield pushed back against the dragon’s breath.
Both of my Flexible Shields held off the attack for only a few seconds before vanishing.
I could have made up to thirty-two more at the same time, but I didn’t want to add to the chaos, so I decided not to interfere unless the hero couldn’t handle it.
“Raaaargh!”
The attack was pushing him back, lifting him off the hull.
“Watch out!”
Panicking, I grabbed his waist from behind, using my free hand to support the shield.
“Thanks a lot, Satou!”
I smiled in response, then pointed forward, where a change was beginning to grow apparent.
The ripple of light from his Unique Skill was distorting, indicating that it was about to collapse.
“Tch, that’s not all I’ve got!”
You could call this a desperate situation, but at the same time, we were about to get a chance to turn it around.
Judging by the state of the black dragon, its “Dragon Breath” was about to run out.
I was fairly sure we would make it through, but I added two more Flexible Shields just to be safe.
The two new shields were destroyed in seconds, but they still reduced the load on the hero’s significantly.
“…Was that you?”
Shoot, he’s getting suspicious.
I decided we should finish this with sheer force of will.
Pointing at the black dragon, I shouted loudly.
“Now, Hero! Use the power of the Holy Sword!”
“Right! I’ve got this!
> Getting caught up in my enthusiasm, the hero activated his Holy Sword with the magic word.
On top of that, his Unique Skill Unstoppable Spear surrounded the Holy Sword with light.
“Try this on for size! ‘Shining Slaaaaash’!”
The full might of the hero’s attack blew through the weakened “Dragon Breath,” the aftershocks reaching the tip of the black dragon’s nose.
GROOOOOOOARRR!
Caught off guard by the unexpected counterattack, the black dragon yowled and shrieked.
> Skill Acquired: “Dragon Language”
Wait, that was language? I quickly activated the “Dragon Language” skill.
As the dragon reared its head back, I noticed a glint of light near a scale that was growing the wrong way.
…Huh?
My “Telescopic Sight” skill responded to my hunch and magnified the area.
Something that looked like a white knife was embedded deep into the gap under the scale.
With the dragon’s breath no longer opposing the silver ship’s propulsion, we suddenly accelerated forward.
Just as the ship was zooming past the black dragon’s side, I stretched Magic Hand to its limits to grab the knife.
The timing was close, but I managed to pull the knife out just in time.
“Hayato! The port skypower engine is down, and the starboard side is losing power fast. We’re making an emergency landing as far from the dragon as we can!”
Before I could even feel relieved, Weeyari’s tense voice reached us through a speaking tube.
“I’ll use my Wing Shoes to fly over and distract the dragon. Use that time to get away from the ship and hide!”
“No, don’t! It’s too dangerous!”
Priestess Meriest’s voice protested against Hayato’s suicidal plan.
Behind the silver ship, the dragon took to the skies.
It appeared much heavier than a wyvern, but its running speed and ascent were incredibly fast.
Looking behind us, I saw the black beast flailing in the sky, scratching at its neck.
RWOOOOOOLRGH!
Then its attitude suddenly changed, and it called to us in an almost friendly voice.
With the “Dragon Language” skill, I could tell it was saying something meaningful.
Completing its turn, the dragon began to fly away toward the distant mountain range I could see to the far south.
“What just happened?”
“It said it decided to let us go because it’s in a good mood.”
Most likely, the knife stuck in its neck had been making it angry.
These situations were common in fairy tales and such, so I’d just followed my instincts.
I didn’t know why it didn’t pull it out with its own forelimbs, but maybe they weren’t long enough to reach properly.
“Ha-ha, so that’s a dragon…and a demon lord is as strong as that or even stronger…?”
Watching as the dragon retreated until it was no larger than a black sesame seed on the horizon, the hero groaned.
I thought back to the demon lord I’d fought, the Golden Boar Lord.
The demon lord was definitely stronger overall, but in terms of pure attack power, I thought that dragon’s breath took the cake.
While I was waffling over what to say to the hero, our silver ship touched down on the ground, and I lost my chance to make conversation.
>Title Acquired: Dragon Turner
“That’s a pretty big tree.”
“I believe it’s known as the Tree of Healing Rest. According to legends passed down in the Lumork royal family, it was planted by the nomad elves many hundreds of years ago,” Princess Menea explained to the hero.
Entrusting the repair of the ship to Weeyari and the living dolls, the rest of us walked over to investigate where the dragon had been roosting.
In the center of a village at the bottom of a wide valley was the aforementioned Tree of Healing Rest, an arboreal giant like the kind you might see in a TV commercial.
Of course, it was an ordinary size compared to the Mountain-Tree in the village of giants, but overall it was still quite large.
By comparison, the black dragon must have been over three hundred feet in length.
The valley extended to the north and south; on the north side were several large black ditches, probably formed by the black dragon’s breath. The walls of the valley itself showed signs of similar damage.
Checking on the map, I found that the inhabitants of this village had evacuated to a town on the other side of a mountain, so there was no one left in this area.
Since the road through this valley connected several small nearby kingdoms, including the Lumork Kingdom, to the Shiga Kingdom, this village must have flourished as a rest stop for travelers.
As for the Tree of Healing Rest, I’d heard about it from Mr. Kikinu, a magic-shop owner in the old capital.
I believe his hometown was located at the foot of the far-off Black Dragon Mountains, so these nomad elves must have planted similar trees in several places.
“I-is this not a firefly lily?”
“It’s difficult to tell in the light, but yes, I believe you’re right.”
“And jewel grass, a one-night lily— Aah! Even crystal mushrooms!”
“Let’s collect them at once, Rin!”
“Yes, of course! I’m not sure what our current stock is for stabilizer, but we should collect as much as we can carry!”
Getting excited, Miss Ringrande and Princess Meriest celebrated with a high five.
Clearly they’d found some rare ingredients.
I recognized the names from my books, but this was my first time seeing the various soul grasses and spirit flowers, all blooming in crowded groups.
Among them was a spirit flower called a freezing flower. A pinch of its dried powder mixed with a recovery potion could heal even the most severe burns, so it was worth a high price. It even had antiaging effects.
“But this village is only known for its edi potato crops and the Tree of Healing Rest…”
Princess Menea tilted her head uncertainly at the sight of the rare plants flowering all around us.
The edi potato, she explained, was a small potato that could be eaten raw.
“It looks like they grew in the area where the dragon was resting.”
“I detect the scent of liquor from that pool over there. Could it possibly be…the legendary dragonspring liquor?”
Rusus and Fifi called down from a tall nearby crag.
Legendary liquor? That does sound pretty interesting.
“Dragonspring liquor is a high-grade alcohol created by dragon magic, correct? They say it can extend your life span by a hundred years…” Priestess Loleiya gazed at the pool of liquid dreamily.
If they could create alcohol with magic, the dragons in this world must love their liquor as much as the ones in old Japanese legends.
“I’m going to investigate over there.”
“Loleiya, don’t drink too much, all right?”
“Yes, I know.”
Humming a little tune, Loleiya walked over to the pool along with Rusus and Fifi.
Princess Meriest sniped at her on the way, but to no avail.
I started to follow them, but Miss Ringrande stopped me.
“Satou! Help us pick these! They lose potency if they’re not processed right away, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather rare ingredients!”
“Yes, it is as Rin says. Most likely, they grew because of the dragon’s breath, which means they will wither in a matter of days now that the dragon has gone.”
Wow, dragons were amazing.
They were so inherently fantastic that they could fill their surroundings with fantasy-like flowers just by sleeping nearby.
I loved that kind of thing, though.
Maybe when we crossed the Black Dragon Mountains, I’d try to befriend some dragons.
“Come on—hurry!”
Miss Ringran
de grabbed my arm and dragged me over, forcing me to join the plant-collecting team.
According to her, I could keep any of the herbs I collected. I started to enjoy the work as they taught me how to properly pick each plant.
Normally, these plants would be the property of the Lumork Kingdom, but there was a good chance they would wither before anyone from the kingdom could get to them. Plus, Princess Menea gave us permission to collect them as a reward for chasing the dragon away.
Once she heard that the soul grass would fetch a high price, the princess and her guard gamely started gathering herbs as well.
Luckily, there were more plants than our small number could possibly harvest, so there weren’t any scuffles breaking out.
After about an hour, we wrapped up the foraging festivities when we had reached the limit of what the hero’s party could process.
“All right, let’s search the area. Princess Menea, stay with Loleiya. We’ll meet back at this giant rock at noon.”
On the hero’s orders, everyone split up to investigate nearby.
I accompanied Princess Menea to find Priestess Loleiya, who was looking quite cheerful next to the pool of liquid.
“Oh? Hello there, Satou. Care to join me for a driiink?”
Her Shinto-priestlike outfit was slightly open at the chest, revealing skin flushed red with inebriation.
I wanted to join her very much indeed, but more than that, I was hoping to use this opportunity to find a dragon scale.
“C’mon, this is the chance of a liiifetime!”
The priestess tugged on one of my hands, pressing a cup into the other.
The arm she had grabbed was pressed into her bosom.
“Perhaps just one cup, then.”
I couldn’t bring myself to shake off such a blissful sensation.
Instead, I brought the small cup to my lips.
…Now, that’s delicious.
The drink was similar to dry sake. It felt a bit hard in the mouth, but once you rolled it around on your tongue, the sensation gave way to a rich depth of flavor.
It was so easy to drink that I could have easily downed several cups, but it would be a waste not to savor the taste of such fine liquor.
I wanted to take some back with me, but there were only a few bottles’ worth left at the bottom of the pool, so I collected just three small vials.
