episode_0040

Donarr, who had been called to the old man with Pan, sighed, recalling the old man’s nagging. Fortunately, the fight between Pan and Donarr was so widespread within the caravan that anyone could guess who was at fault first. That’s how much he and Pan had quarreled, and many people had seen it. So now he could escape the old man’s nagging a little earlier and walk among the people preparing for dinner and camping with his friend, Shalby.

Shalby: “I told you to temper that fiery personality of yours.”

Donarr: “Good heavens, now even you are nagging? Give me a break. Pan, everyone knows what that guy is like.”

He flinched at Shalby’s nagging and pleaded. He was already exhausted from being lectured by the old man, Mr. Ermis.

Shalby: “That guy doesn’t listen to a word the elder says.”

Pan, who was also receiving the lecture with him, didn’t even pretend to listen to the old man. What’s worse, his act of digging his ear and ignoring him almost made Donarr throw a punch again, but the old man caught him red-handed, only increasing the nagging.

Shalby: “I told you you’d be the only one who loses if you react to that guy’s words.”

Donarr: “Even so, there’s nothing I can do when I just can’t stand it.”

He clenched his fist, recalling Pan’s attempt to fall into Shif’s arms under the guise of a mistake. Of all things, trying to do such a terrible thing to her. He had beaten him soundly, but even now, just thinking about it made his blood boil.

Shalby: “He’s just unnecessarily tough.”

Pan, despite being beaten mercilessly by Donarr while wearing armor (though Donarr didn’t use his sword), had surprisingly few injuries.

Shalby: “That’s true. While that guy Pan is good at fighting, it’s chilling when he’s just smiling slyly even after being beaten so one-sidedly.”

Shalby also agreed with him. Yes, no matter how angry he got and beat Pan, once he felt he’d taken enough hits, Pan would simply brush himself off and get up as if nothing had happened. With a mocking smile that infuriated anyone who saw it. It wasn’t like a taunt suggesting it was useless to hit him. It was a more fundamentally different kind of sneer, making it even more unsettling. Because of this, it was now common for Donarr, angered again, to beat him up. As they were walking towards the carriage like that.

Kids: “Hey! There’s a fight!”

Donarr: “What? Who’s fighting who?”

Kids: “It’s Logi and the new kid who just came!”

It was the sound of children talking excitedly that reached them. Hearing that, Donarr and Shalby looked at each other’s faces with a feeling of ‘surely not’. All they could see were the helmets they both wore, but having grown used to them, they understood each other’s thoughts and chased after where the children had run. A fight? If it was the new kid who just arrived, excluding Usher’s sleeping friend, it could only be Usher himself. They had rushed over, worried about Usher, but they could see.

Usher: “Gyah! Aren’t you going to get up right now? Where do you think you’re looking and trying to just brush it off?!”

The blond boy was gripping the collar of a boy larger than himself, shaking him and thrashing around like an angry dragon. What was even more surprising was that the boy Usher was holding by the collar, Logi, had already lost consciousness and was slumped over. However, Usher, holding his collar, seemed to be mistaking it for him pretending to faint. Because of this, the children who had eagerly gathered at the news of a fight looked surprised. The onlookers around also seemed hesitant to intervene due to his fierce demeanor. At that sight, Shalby let out a sound of admiration first.

Shalby: “Wow, I said he was like a dragon as a joke, but he really is like a dragon.”

Donarr: “Indeed. I never thought he’d defeat Logi.”

Donarr was also genuinely impressed. Logi, despite being a mischievous rascal, was a boy considered a promising talent in their country. Even if Logi wasn’t seriously trying to fight or was caught off guard, he wasn’t an opponent a peer could easily defeat. He was in the middle of thinking he was an amazing kid.

Shalby: “But shouldn’t we stop that?”

Donarr: “Ah.”

It wasn’t until Shalby spoke as if remembering something he had forgotten that Donarr remembered why they had rushed over. They had originally thought Logi would be winning and came to stop Logi, but in the exact opposite situation, they had forgotten they even came to stop the fight. Just as they finally recalled their original purpose and were about to stop Usher.

Girl: “Usher.”

The beautiful voice of a lovely girl was heard. It wasn’t particularly loud. Rather, it was a plain voice, as if devoid of emotion. Nevertheless, that beautiful voice was strangely clearly heard by their ears amidst the murmuring of the people. As everyone stopped talking as if on cue.

-Click-clack-

The sound of small shoes came from the carriage. And at the sight of the girl who appeared, people momentarily held their breath. Donarr and Shalby were no exception. What first caught their eyes was the beautifully colored red hair, not a chilling color that simply brought to mind blood or flames, nor a fiery color. If they had to choose, it was a color like a scarlet flower. The beautiful girl, her slender body wrapped in a dark red dress, was hiding her face with a pure white mask.

Girl: “You don’t have to go that far.”

The girl, in the beautiful voice that proved she was the owner of the voice they had heard, dissuaded the boy who was gripping and shaking Logi by the collar.

Usher: “But this guy…”

Girl: “Usher.”

When the girl called his name once more, Usher let go of Logi’s collar obediently, though he wore a dissatisfied expression. Since Logi was still unconscious, he ended up just lying sprawled on the ground.

Usher: “What? Was he really unconscious?”

He looked dumbfounded, perhaps only realizing it now.

Donarr (thinking): ‘No, you, who knocked that guy out, are the strangest one.’

Donarr, who had heard from the old man that those children might be residents of the forest, seriously wondered if forest residents were fundamentally incredibly strong.

Usher: “Are you okay? Did they say there’s nothing wrong?”

Girl: “There doesn’t seem to be any particular problem. They said it’s just a side effect of the sleeping incense and the medicine.”

At Usher’s worry, the girl shook her head.

Usher: “That doctor guy, he’s trustworthy, right?”

Girl: “Probably.”

And as if to reassure him, she gently tidied the boy’s clothes and hair, which had become disheveled from knocking down Logi.

Girl: “More than that, tell me more about what happened. We were talking just now.”

Donarr, who was watching their conversation, saw the girl looking around restlessly. Usher also seemed to have noticed belatedly from her behavior that there were people around.

Usher: “Uh, when did this happen?”

That’s how the situation ended. After a while. They gathered near the old man’s carriage to eat dinner.

Donarr: “So you said you were that kid’s friend?”

When Donarr spoke to Belka, she flinched and clung to Usher’s side, as if she was very shy. This girl collapsing was why Usher had come here for help, apparently. He already knew this fact, and those who should know all knew it, but most people only knew about Usher.

Usher: “Please don’t come too close. Belka is scared.”

Donarr: “Did I do something wrong? That’s harsh.”

Even though Donarr spoke as if he was hurt, Usher was firm.

Usher: “Because Belka is scared. Isn’t that reason enough?”

Donarr: “Aren’t you being too overprotective?”

But even Donarr, who said that, understood why Usher was being overprotective of Belka. He also couldn’t help but be surprised when he properly saw the girl’s appearance this time. Her slender frame, which couldn’t possibly be hidden even by the large dark red dress that wrapped her body. Her unique colored red hair, her skin so pale it felt pure white in contrast to the dark red dress, giving the impression of a delicate girl like a single flower. Even her whispering-like beautiful voice. Even though she was hiding her face with a mask, she was an overly attractive girl, difficult for onlookers to handle. Because of this, the girl named Belka quickly became famous among the people.

Her appearance, which could make many men’s hearts flutter despite looking young, was enough to do so. Not only the boys, but even bachelors and those who were taken could be seen stealing glances at least once. It might be surprising that there were quite a few women among them. However, the girl seemed hesitant around men, perhaps having had not-so-good memories. When men approached, seemingly curious about the girl’s face behind the mask, she would cling tightly to Usher, showing her aversion, and each time, Usher would growl. His presence was so fierce that other men couldn’t even approach.

Donarr: “At this rate, isn’t he just a dragon?”

Shalby: “He’s a dragon.”

Shalby nodded beside him. At that level, he was a dragon wary of humans trying to touch his treasure.

Donarr: “If he even uses magic, you wouldn’t be able to tell if he’s human or a dragon.”

Usher: “I can hear everything!”

Donarr and Shalby: “”Whoops.””

Still, Donarr, along with Shalby, were rejected as politely as possible. At least they could sit in the same place, so it wasn’t as upsetting as he thought. Especially compared to Logi, who was chased away most severely even though the girl didn’t show any particular aversion. Usher, without stopping his vigilance against people stealing glances at the girl, asked Donarr.

Usher: “By the way, mister, have you ever seen a dragon?”

He had gotten angry upon hearing the nuance of Shalby and Donarr’s conversation and feeling like he was being teased, but he was definitely curious about dragons. He remembered seeing a strange armored dragon without eyes in an underground cave, and that dragon was also in the murals he saw in the wolf’s cave.

Donarr: “Lucky if I’ve only seen them directly, huh? I’ve seen them up close so much I’m sick of them. Ugh, those disgusting things.”

Donarr shuddered as if just thinking about them was disgusting.

Donarr: “First of all, they just look like lizards with wings, you know.”

Shalby: “Except that they’re as big as a person, yeah.”

Shalby added to Donarr’s explanation.

Usher: “Wait a minute. Dragons are only that big?”

The dragon Usher remembered was incredibly huge. He had felt smaller than its fingernail. Since the dragon was drawn very large in the cave murals as well, it was by no means just his imagination.

Donarr: “It might be surprising, but usually they are. Most dragons don’t exceed human size. Occasionally, there are ones as big as houses, but that’s rare.”

But Donarr said that large ones were rare.

Donarr: “On top of that, they have nasty tempers, so if you provoke them wrongly, they lose sight of everything and charge at you.”

He shuddered, saying that if creatures that were already freakishly strong started charging like that without caring about anything, the damage would become considerably large. Usher, while pondering the description which felt so utterly different from the dragon he had seen no matter how he thought about it, also chased away a boy who was lingering nearby.

Donarr: “And they’re madly fond of shiny things and treasures. They gather them in their nests and won’t let them be taken even if they die.”

According to him, if you encounter or fight a dragon and it becomes fixated on you even though you haven’t provoked its temper, it means you have something the dragon likes, so it’s best to quickly find such a thing, throw it at it, and save your life. If an item is stolen by a dragon, you’ll never find it again unless a miracle happens.

Usher: “That’s just a thug.”

Donarr: “Exactly! They’re thugs!”

Again, it was a story too different from the feeling of the dragon he had seen and felt. The dragon he had seen was incredibly large and looked fearsome, but its atmosphere felt more gentle than ferocious. Therefore, Usher felt a sense of strangeness, but his interest returned to Donarr’s subsequent words.

Donarr: “Don’t even mention it. They even use magic. From the perspective of facing them, it’s hell.”

Usher: “Magic?”

Come to think of it, that was true. Dragons knew how to use magic. As Usher’s eyes sparkled at the word magic, Donarr smiled wryly, anticipating that it would be a different story than what he expected.

Donarr: “Those guys spit magic out of their mouths.”

Usher: “Huh?”

Usher asked back, wondering if he had misheard.

Donarr: “They literally spit it out. Some of them breathe fire, others breathe cold air, and there are also those who spray poison.”

Other than that and being large, they’re just flying lizards with nasty tempers. Donarr felt sorry for disappointing Usher, but from his perspective, it was fortunate that these creatures could only use such simple magic. Otherwise, their homeland would have been destroyed long ago.

Donarr: “Well, there are three special exceptions though.”

As Donarr recalled, although dragons were called the kings of monsters, honestly, they weren’t creatures you couldn’t face at all if you were properly prepared. But there were three exceptions, the three largest and strongest dragons among them. They were beings close to living natural disasters, capable of bringing a country that could withstand attacks from countless dragons to ruin with just one of them.

Usher: “Have you ever seen those dragons too?”

Donarr: “Hey, if I had ever seen one of those even once, I wouldn’t be a person of this world anymore, would I?”

Fortunately, it’s rare for those guys to step forward themselves. The moment even one of them steps forward personally. At that point, you truly have to be prepared for the destruction of the country. In fact, the events that occurred when one of them appeared are all recorded as great calamities in his homeland. Recently, he had wanted to pray for one of them to appear at least once, though.

Donarr: “Anyway, the magic dragons and humans can use is different. Human magic is even unclear how it can be used.”

Surprisingly, there is a lot of information about magic. There are even books detailed about how to activate magic almost everywhere. The problem is that using magic requires unknown special conditions. No one knows how to fulfill those conditions. Even those who have fulfilled the conditions don’t know why they fulfill them, to the extent that no one truly knows the conditions.

Usher: “Ah, what is that?”

Usher couldn’t hide his disappointment after hearing all of his story. He had hoped that perhaps by hearing about how dragons use magic, he might learn a way to use magic himself. But the way dragons use magic was more primitive and underwhelming than he thought. Moreover, the fact that special conditions that no one knows are needed to use magic was also a story he knew. The only new fact he learned was the existence of special dragons.

He thought perhaps the dragon he had seen was one of them, but that alone couldn’t soothe his feeling of disappointment. The way to use magic was still distant. Belka patted Usher as if to comfort him.

Shif: “Alright, let’s stop the talk there and have dinner, shall we?”

Just as the conversation about dragons and magic was coming to an end, Shif appeared with the old man, carrying a large pot. A savory aroma flowed through their noses along with the sound of simmering, stimulating their hungry stomachs.

Donarr: “Oh, wow, what’s this! Did you even use water today?”

Donarr, forgetting his conversation with Usher, spoke to Shif in an excited voice.

Shif: “Because the Caravan Leader asked me to make an effort since there are special guests.”

Shif smiled sweetly at him and glanced towards Usher. Could the “special guests” be referring to them? As Usher looked at Shif and the old man, bewildered, the old man spoke.

Old Man: “Fortunately, your friend seems to have woken up safely. Is she not in any more pain?”

Usher: “Yes, the doctor guy said there’s no longer anything wrong.”

The old man, who nodded at his answer, soon looked at the girl and spoke to her.

Old Man: “You are Usher’s friend, aren’t you? Your name was Belka?”

Belka: “….”

She still gazed silently at the old man who had spoken to her from beside Usher through her mask, then nodded her head slightly.

Old Man: “Let’s talk comfortably while eating.”

Although it was because the girl was very shy, if Usher looked at the old man with a worried heart at her actions, which could easily look impolite, fortunately, the old man didn’t seem offended, so he could finally feel relieved.

Donarr: “Looks like we’ll feast today.”

Shalby: “It’s strange how happy you are with Labskaus.”

As Donarr spoke while receiving the bowl Shif handed him, Shalby playfully chided him and also received a bowl.

Donarr: “Well, what’s wrong with that? It’s the most delicious food we can eat right now, isn’t it?”

Shalby: “Wouldn’t that be thanks to the cook’s skill?”

Shif: “No matter how much you praise me like that, you won’t get any extra crumbs.”

Amidst their harmonious conversation. The old man also received a bowl from Shif and spoke.

Old Man: “So, what have you two decided to do?”

The conversation with the old man had already been told to Belka. He had told her they would ask her and decide whether to travel together or part ways. He had worried if Belka would feel burdened because he was passing the burden onto her, but.

Usher: “You said you were going to Lantoa, right?”

Old Man: “That’s right.”

Usher was just talking with the old man on behalf of the shy girl. Belka had already decided to accompany them. He had even asked if it wasn’t a different place from their original destination and if they weren’t accompanying them just because the distance had become too far, but fortunately, she shook her head. Saying that being with them meant Usher wouldn’t be in danger.

Usher: “Um, if it’s really not too much trouble, would it be alright for us to accompany you all the way to Lantoa?”

At his words, the old man smiled with satisfaction as if he had heard the answer he had been waiting for.

Old Man: “Of course, you’re welcome. Here, take it quickly.”

And he handed bowls to them, who were sitting a little distance away. As he received the bowl the old man offered, while thinking that the old man seemed even more relieved for some reason. The savory smell, which had faded slightly, rose from the bowl. The warm bowl heated up his hands, which had become cold in the suddenly chilly air. Looking inside the bowl, he saw a thick brown stew-like substance mixed with meat and vegetables. To be honest, it wasn’t a very appetizing sight, but.

Donarr: “Shif! Another bowl!”

Shalby: “Stop stuffing yourself!”

He liked the boisterous sounds people made across the brazier with rising flames, and the warm feeling created by the soup.