Monster Tamer: Volume 8 E-Book

Minto Higure

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Monster Tamer
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 319

Beschreibung

Monster Tamer: Volume 8

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Map

Chapter 1: The Misty Lodge’s Acquaintance

Chapter 2: The Dragon’s Journey ~Lily’s POV~

Chapter 3: The Demon King’s Maneuvering ~Kudou Riku’s POV~

Chapter 4: The Slime and the Wolf’s Evening ~Lily’s POV~

Chapter 5: The Dragon’s Rescue

Chapter 6: The Dragons’ Mediator

Chapter 7: On a Beautiful Starry Night ~Iino Yuna’s POV~

Chapter 8: Linking Back Up and Reporting

Chapter 9: Visiting Town with the Dragon Child

Chapter 10: A Promise with a Wolf

Chapter 11: The Mist Barrier

Chapter 12: Draconia

Chapter 13: The Dragon Clan

Chapter 14: Tragedy of the Past

Chapter 15: The Dragon Sisters ~Katou Mana’s POV~

Chapter 16: Incapable of Noticing ~Katou Mana’s POV~

Chapter 17: Things Lost, Things Not Lost

Chapter 18: Looking toward the Future

Extra Story: The Dragon’s Friend ~Kei’s POV~

Extra Story: The Shut-In’s Companion

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Images

Chapter 1: The Misty Lodge’s Acquaintance

The town of Diospyro in Aker, one of the Five Northern Kingdoms, was a stopover on the way to Shiran and Kei’s hometown. What awaited us on our second visit there had been another encounter with the visitor Fukatsu Aketora and his travel companion Thaddeus.

The encounter hadn’t been a pleasant one. I’d managed to stop Fukatsu from hassling Shiran, but things had developed in a completely unexpected direction. Beneath the hand hiding Thaddeus’s face was skin covered in scales and the eyeball of a lizard, both impossible features for a human.

“Could you please listen to what we have to say?” Thaddeus cheerfully asked after exposing his inhuman appearance.

As a monster tamer, it was hard for me to ignore him. I returned to the inn and found Katou and Kei waiting in front of our room. They were both terribly confused. That made sense, though, because I’d brought Fukatsu and Thaddeus with me, whom we’d just been quarreling with moments ago.

“Senpai...”

Katou rushed over to me. Her footsteps were unsteady, and her childish face was steeped in fear. She had androphobia, and though she was somewhat better now, she was nowhere close to overcoming it. It was severe enough that even when we walked through town, either Rose or I had to be by her side.

Despite this, she’d been so worried that she couldn’t wait in the room and had come out into the hallway where someone else might show up. Now that I thought about it, I’d plunged headfirst into a quarrel with a cheater who wasn’t friendly by any metric. Not only that, but Lily and Gerbera hadn’t been with me. Although it had been brief, I’d spoken with Fukatsu once before, so I’d stepped in believing he wouldn’t attack me in the middle of town. Katou didn’t know that, however. I felt guilty for making her worry herself sick over it.

Katou walked up to me, almost close enough to plunge into my chest, and staggered when she failed to come to a stop. I grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling.

“Wh-Why are they with you...?” she asked.

“There’s something we need to talk with them about. You don’t need to worry, so can you go back to your room and wait with Kei?”

“N-No. Let me listen too,” she said, grabbing the hem of my clothes.

Her desperate gaze had enough strength to it that I gave up on convincing her otherwise.

“Fine... But don’t push yourself,” I said.

“Okay,” Katou answered with a nod.

I let go of her shoulders. Kei nestled up to Katou in my stead to support her.

“She’s going to be coming too. Do you mind?” I asked, turning back to Thaddeus.

“I don’t. I’m the one making the request here. We can do things however you see fit.”

He gave me a friendly smile and nodded. Seeing him like that, he looked no different from a gentle young man, but I now knew that this was only one facet of him. What exactly was he? I had an idea, and there were a few points I could understand, but some things still remained a mystery. I’d decided to hear him out so that I could get my facts straight.

I guided Thaddeus and Fukatsu into our room and sat down at a table across from them. Rose and Shiran stood behind me, while Katou and Kei sat side by side on a bed. I’d intended to let Shiran rest after the incident in the alley, but she’d insisted on accompanying us. Depending on the circumstances, there could be questions that only she could answer, so I was grateful for her obstinacy. Much like with Katou, I’d told her not to push herself, but I’d agreed to her taking part.

“So? You had something you wanted to tell us?” I started. “Fukatsu, I believe you told us earlier that you couldn’t give us any details.”

“If he’s okay with it, then I’m not gonna bitch and whine,” he replied, folding his arms and staring at me with a strong glint in his eyes. “But just try and take advantage of Thaddeus. If you do...”

“Stop it, Aketora. I’m the one who wants them to hear me out.”

Fukatsu grudgingly held his tongue after Thaddeus reproached him. I’d been under the impression that Fukatsu, the visitor, was the one in charge, but that didn’t seem to be the case. His threat just now was out of concern for Thaddeus. Because of his quarrel with Shiran, I couldn’t help but think badly of him, but maybe it was better to view his overbearing behavior as the result of his consideration for his companion.

“Now then, I think we can cut right to the chase,” Thaddeus said. “Although, I’m not sure where to even start.”

He looked troubled, so I decided to throw him the most obvious question.

“Thaddeus, what exactly are you?”

“Straight to the point, I see.”

“We’re not getting anywhere until that gets cleared up.”

“A reasonable conclusion,” he replied, smiling slightly, but then his expression turned serious. “Then allow me to answer you. Just as you’ve guessed, I’m not human. I’m not a variant like an elf or the like either. I’m...” He stopped for a moment, took in a deep breath, then spoke clearly. “I’m a monster.”

The atmosphere froze over in an instant. Thaddeus and Fukatsu stared at me intently, weighing my reaction. Rose and Shiran stood at the ready for anything to happen. Fortunately for both sides, this was what I’d already expected.

“Allow me to confirm something,” I said calmly.

“Huh? S-Sure,” Thaddeus answered, looking a little let down by my unexpected reaction.

“Fukatsu is a monster tamer, and he’s your master... But that’s not right, is it?”

“Huh?”

I heard Kei’s bewildered voice behind me as Fukatsu looked at me dubiously.

“A monster tamer? The hell’s that?”

“You don’t know about cheaters with that kind of ability?” I asked.

“No...”

He didn’t look like he was playing dumb. It seemed he had no idea the ability existed at all.

“Huh? What? He isn’t? I totally thought that’s how it was...” Kei said, her eyes darting about in confusion.

“Senpai, how could you tell?” Katou asked next to her, her face a little stiff with tension.

“I just thought it might be the case. Back when we first met these guys, there were two things I found unusual,” I started, turning my attention to Thaddeus. “First, after a brief quarrel with us, Fukatsu left on his own. Thaddeus then said that he couldn’t leave him be because Fukatsu didn’t have a translation runestone.”

“Now that you mention it...” Rose muttered behind me.

I’d talked with her about this before, so she remembered the incident.

“The day before, when we first met Fukatsu,” I continued, “Thaddeus was probably in their room, but Fukatsu talked with the innkeeper normally. We visitors need a translation runestone to speak with the locals. That means Fukatsu can use one himself. Yet when we saw him the next day, it wasn’t the visitor holding the runestone, but the native to this world. I found that strange.”

“A valid point,” Thaddeus said with a nod.

“But if Thaddeus is a monster and, much like us, can’t communicate with human locals, what then? In that case, they’re both in the same situation. It wouldn’t be weird for either of them to be carrying the translation runestone.”

“I see. It’s true that I can’t communicate with humans without a translation runestone... What was the other thing you found strange?”

“How you have a translation runestone in the first place. They were developed to be used once a century whenever a visitor appeared. Even though they’re very important, the demand is minimal. You can’t just get one out of the blue simply because you need one.”

For example, it would be a different story if Fukatsu had been part of the first expeditionary force. The Empire had warmly welcomed them at Fort Ebenus, so there would’ve been an appropriate opportunity to acquire a translation runestone. However, they were supposed to be on their way to the Empire now, and if Fukatsu had left them, he couldn’t have arrived in Aker before us. In fact, Fukatsu had no knowledge of the information the Skanda Iino Yuna had brought back to Fort Ebenus regarding monster tamers. Therefore, I could conclude that he hadn’t been part of the first expeditionary force.

“That’s why I thought maybe Thaddeus is actually a monster who has lived among humans for a while now, before even meeting Fukatsu,” I said. “In that case, he would have obtained a translation runestone for his own use at the outset.”

Back then, I’d told Rose that Katou could now use a translation runestone, so it made sense that Fukatsu could also use one. Perhaps what I should have focused on at the time was the one who’d been using the translation runestone right next to me, the monster Rose. Thaddeus was a monster just like her; that was the reason he had one.

Of course, that conclusion just seemed the most natural, but I’d considered other possibilities. In the end, the definitive factor might’ve been the sense of distance between Thaddeus and Fukatsu. Their relationship wasn’t like the one I had with my servants, or like Kudou Riku had with his. It felt like they were more similar to Katou and Rose.

“However...” I added with a grimace. There was one thing I couldn’t make sense of. “Hey, Thaddeus? I’ve understood things up to this point, but...”

“What is it?”

“Are you really...just a monster?”

I had the ability to form a connection with monsters. It worked on rare monsters and beyond. In other words, I could connect the mental path to a monster with a will. Lily and Rose had almost lacked a will entirely, but Gerbera had already had the slightest ego. Then there was Salvia, who’d already had a firm ego to begin with. I’d managed to connect the mental path to all of them. Be that as it may, I couldn’t form any connection whatsoever with the monster in front of me. This was a first for me, excluding Kudou Riku’s servants like Anton and Berta.

“This is...quite the surprise,” Thaddeus said, his eyes widening ever so slightly. I was doubting his confession, in a sense, but he didn’t seem particularly offended. “Your question is valid, Takahiro. Aah, that was quite a shock.” On the contrary, he looked deeply moved. He chuckled amusedly, then shook his head. “But I didn’t lie. I’m definitely a monster,” he added, taking a look around the room. “I don’t mind showing you my true form as proof...but it’s a little cramped in here for that.”

“You don’t need to go that far. I’m not doubting your statement or anything.”

That lizard eye he’d shown us was that of a monster, so he wasn’t lying. Thaddeus really was a monster. He hadn’t told us everything, though. He couldn’t tell us everything. That was all. He was probably a monster with special circumstances that prevented me from connecting the mental path to him. Not that I had any idea what those could be.

“By the way, Thaddeus,” I said, deciding to set that mystery aside for now and ask something else. “Are there maybe far more monsters than I thought hiding among human society like you are?”

“No, that’s not the case. You can think of me as the exception. Rather, it’s normally impossible for monsters to hide among human society.”

“Well...you have a point there.”

My reply was a little vague. That was because Thaddeus was one such monster, and because the two behind me, Rose and Shiran, were also monsters hiding among human society, even if their circumstances were different. That said, Thaddeus was right in saying monsters couldn’t do so. That was why Gerbera and Ayame had to stay in the manamobile.

“To start with,” Thaddeus added, “before even considering whether any of us are hiding in human society, monsters who possess a will like I do are practically nonexistent.”

This also made sense. Even Gerbera hadn’t been able to fully acquire a will on her own. If I considered Shiran an exception, among all the monsters I’d met to date, the only one to independently gain an ego was Salvia, who’d wandered around this world for time immemorial. Thaddeus was now the second example. Or maybe he wasn’t... I felt like it was wrong to group him with Salvia for some reason.

“At the very least, the only ones I know of like me are my clan,” Thaddeus added as I continued to immerse myself in my thoughts. “All of them live secluded lives in the settlement, so I’m the only one who wanders around human society.”

“Hang on a minute...” I said, cutting him off. “What do you mean by ‘clan’?”

He’d mentioned it so casually, but that wasn’t a word to ignore. Now that I thought of it, Thaddeus had also used that word during our conversation in the alley earlier.

“This is a treasure passed down in my clan, gifted to us by a certain great lady. It’s a magic tool of the highest class.”

That was what he’d said when he took out that mysterious jewel and asked whether I knew about the monster known as the Misty Lodge. And now he’d also used the word “settlement.” There was only one thing this could mean.

“Are you telling me there’s a whole settlement of monsters out there?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. The one and only monster settlement in the world,” Thaddeus answered. “It’s called Draconia. It’s a small hidden settlement that houses the members of my clan, not even a full twenty in number. It’s a settlement of dragons.”

“A settlement of dragons...?” I repeated. The image of Thaddeus’s left eye naturally came to mind. “That means your true identity is...”

“Yes, you’re correct.”

Thaddeus didn’t deny my conjecture. Who could possibly have imagined this? He looked like nothing more than a kind young man, but his real form was that of a powerful dragon.

“We’ve lived for a long time in hiding. We avoid conflict with humans. That was our elder’s decree. Only one is chosen to leave the settlement. Currently, that’s me,” Thaddeus said, then frowned. “However...a problem has come up recently.”

“What problem?”

“Someone has snuck out of the settlement... A stray dragon.” There was anguish in his voice now. “At this rate, it’s highly likely that human casualties will arise from the stray’s rampage. If that happens, the hidden settlement’s existence could come to light. My brethren are currently on the move to capture the stray... Shiran, was it?” Thaddeus looked up at Shiran. “I apologize for Aketora’s behavior earlier. However, everything he did was for my sake. If you want to blame someone, then please blame me. If you wish, I will atone for what was done.”

“H-Hey! Thaddeus!” Fukatsu yelled, but Thaddeus ignored him.

“I know full well how shameful it is to ask this of you, but could you please tell us? Is the monster suppression operation that’s currently being planned in this town...perhaps because of a dragon?”

Shiran seemed to have mixed feelings about his request. Unlike in the alley, his circumstances were clear now. His reasons were sincere, and we could understand them. However, that was only if he was speaking the truth.

After hesitating over it for a while, Shiran looked down at me. “Takahiro, what do you think of his story?”

“Hmm...” I thought it over for a bit, then turned to Thaddeus. “I have one question. Is this the reason you’re in Diospyro?”

He answered without hesitation. “Yes. I’m staying here in case the stray dragon attacks this town so that I can deal with the situation. Besides, if any neighboring villages are attacked, the information will probably come flying here first.”

We’d first met Fukatsu over two weeks ago. They’d been staying here for quite some time now, meaning they’d been here to protect this town all the while.

“One more question. You know of the Misty Lodge, right? How?”

“Aah. That’s because the Lady of the Misty Lodge is the benefactor of my entire clan, myself included, of course,” he answered, taking out the jewel he’d shown me earlier. “This is an extremely valuable magic tool that the Lady of the Misty Lodge gifted us. It’s because you had a reaction to it that I knew you were in some way related to her. In all likelihood, you are one in possession of her blessing, much like we are, right? If so, I decided you were trustworthy enough to open up to.”

“I see...”

I was starting to get a read on Thaddeus’s relationship to the Misty Lodge and maybe about his origins as a monster. If my conjecture was correct, I could even take a guess at why I couldn’t connect the mental path to him. Well, nothing would be certain until we could verify all of this, so instead of focusing on the details for now, I decided to check one thing first.

“Is this all true?” I asked with a sigh.

“You don’t believe me?” Thaddeus replied with a lonely smile.

I shook my head. “I wasn’t talking to you...”

“What?”

Thaddeus gave me a weird look, but he was sure to understand what I meant in the next instant.

“It’s true, my dear.”

That was because the correct person answered my question. A woman wearing loose clothing appeared out of thin air. She had her arms wrapped around me from behind, but I didn’t feel any weight on my shoulders. All there was to her motherly embrace was a gentle sensation.

“Sorry. It seems you’ve gotten involved in something troublesome because of me,” the woman—Salvia, the Misty Lodge—said. “But is this really all right with you? I came out because you asked me to, but won’t this expose your secret?”

“I called you out because I decided it’d be fine. Don’t worry about it.”

If Thaddeus was lying, Salvia wouldn’t have come out. He was a monster, a dragon, and was linked to her by fate. That meant all of this was true. If so, there was no need to hide my identity from him.

“Th-That’s...?!”

I heard a trembling voice. I looked across the table, where Thaddeus’s eyes were wide open in shock.

“That’s...the Lady of the Misty Lodge? It can’t be... In the flesh?”

“I go by Salvia now. Long time no see, my cute little dragon. You’ve grown up rather splendidly.” Salvia giggled. She looked younger than Thaddeus, judging solely on appearance, but she acted like a much older woman. “Are you the current acting explorer?”

“Y-Yes. Seeing as you know that, you truly are the Lady of the Misty Lodge...”

There was some kind of secret jargon that convinced Thaddeus that she was who she claimed to be. He trembled, deeply moved by their reunion. This was a little more intense than I’d expected.

“Takahiro. I mean...Lord Takahiro, what on earth are you...?” he asked, turning his wide eyes toward me.

I ended up with some kind of title all of a sudden.

“Even if you make it sound all grand like that...all I did was form a contract with Salvia.” I frowned and gave Salvia a sidelong glance. “Hey, what’s going on here?”

“Ummm. I was involved in the establishment of their settlement, so...”

“The Lady of... I mean, Lady Salvia is the great benefactor of all those who live in Draconia.”

The Misty Lodge was of far greater importance to Thaddeus than I thought. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at me. Honestly, it was a little unnerving. Still, despite the unexpected reaction, I’d accomplished my goal by calling out Salvia.

“It’s just as you heard, Shiran,” I said, turning around in my seat. “Salvia can guarantee his background. If he’s moving to capture the stray dragon, it’s pretty good news for Diospyro. If there’s some kind of suppression operation in the works, I think it should be fine to tell him about it.”

“You’re right. I’m of the same opinion,” Shiran said with a nod and looked at Thaddeus. “In answer to your question...”

“Y-Yes?” Thaddeus said, coming back to his senses, his face now tense.

“As you’ve predicted, the Royal Army stationed in Diospyro is putting together a plan to suppress the dragon that has been spotted near one of the remote villages.”

“So they really are...” Thaddeus muttered, nodding gravely. Even if he’d expected it, it was a harsh reality for him.

“Once the Order of National Defense arrives, I’m sure a force will be dispatched.”

“The knightly order composed of Aker’s elites... Meaning things are basically in motion already. How long will it be before they arrive? How much time do we have left?” Thaddeus asked.

“I’ve heard the Order plans to arrive in four days. They’ll likely take action a few days after that.”

“Four days...” he murmured bitterly.

“Say, Thaddeus. Does it look like you’ll capture the stray dragon?” Salvia asked.

“I’m ashamed to say I’ve yet to receive any such reports. We dragons possess great combat potential, and we can move at great speeds, but we’re not suited to tracking or investigation. It’d be a different story if we could rely on numbers like humans, but the search is taking a lot of time.”

Salvia nodded. “That makes sense.”

“In truth...after a certain amount of time, we managed to find the stray once, but they desperately resisted and got away. If only we’d managed to capture them back then.”

“You weren’t there, so there’s no point in blamin’ yourself for it,” Fukatsu suddenly added.

I watched the two of them, my brows knit. From what I’d heard, the situation wasn’t good. At this rate, the suppression force would be dispatched, and the humans would find the stray dragon. If it came to battle, there were sure to be many casualties, ultimately ending with the stray’s death. This would be tragic for humans and dragons alike. To avoid such a future, the dragons had to find the stray first. However, it was questionable whether this was possible. Even accounting for the suppression force’s late start, it seemed somewhere around fifty-fifty. Life was too important to stake on a coin toss.

Things would be different if someone who specialized in tracking and investigation were to help them, of course. I gazed at everyone in the room. Besides Thaddeus and Fukatsu, everyone had a grasp of the situation. There was sincerity in Shiran and Kei’s eyes. There was a chance to avoid a great number of casualties, so from the perspective of a knight and a squire, it was obvious they would want to take that chance. Rose and Katou were looking at me in all earnest. They were leaving the decision entirely to me. I could feel the weight of their trust. As for Salvia...

“Master...”

“I know.”

I made eye contact with her and came to a decision.

“Thaddeus,” I said, facing the dragon once more. “Could you tell me a little more? Just maybe, I’ll be able to help you.”

◆　◆　◆

After I told Thaddeus that we had a means of tracking the stray dragon, he gratefully accepted our aid in shock. He told me that he expected nothing less of Lady Salvia’s contractor. He seemed to be making some kind of misunderstanding, though. Lily and Ayame were going to track the stray dragon, not me. All I could do was ask them for help.

We discussed where Thaddeus believed the stray was and where it had previously been discovered. After that, Thaddeus and Fukatsu left the inn. Combining the information we got from them with what Shiran had heard from the army, it looked like we would be able to roughly estimate where the stray dragon was currently hiding.

Thaddeus and Fukatsu had arrangements to make, so they were planning to leave tomorrow. In the meantime, we were going to go ahead of them back to the manamobile and explain things to the others.

“Sorry for calling you out today,” I said to Salvia after they left the room. “I ended up making you use your mana. If only I could materialize you on my own...”

“Oh, dear. I don’t mind at all.”

She floated up and down in the air just like a spirit, spinning around with her knees cradled, then righted herself.

“It hasn’t even been a week since we formed a contract. It would be stranger if you were able to. You’re also learning at a good pace. As a matter of fact, you’re learning so fast that it would normally be unthinkable, you know? I’m happy to have such a talented master.”

Salvia giggled, her smile impish.

“Besides,” she added, “someone I can form a contract with has finally appeared after so long. I’d like to come out like this at least once every few days to take a look at my beloved master’s face.”

“That’s a bad joke...”

She giggled again. Besides the part about me being beloved or whatnot, she didn’t seem to be lying about this being fun.

“In any case, to be serious, I couldn’t possibly complain,” she said. “I mean, you got caught up in this matter because of my circumstances.”

“It’s not really your fault... Actually, I think it was good fortune that we met Thaddeus.”

“What do you mean?” Salvia asked, wide-eyed.

“One who knows the past.”

She stiffened for a moment.

“Isn’t he related to the monster you told me about?” I asked.

“I’m surprised you could tell...”

“I was half-guessing,” I said with a wry smile.

I was reminded of the last night we’d spent at the Misty Lodge. Salvia had suggested that I talk to the one who knew the past if I wished to learn about someone else who could communicate with a monster’s heart and about their fate. There weren’t all that many monsters with wills. Thaddeus was one such rare case, and he was acquainted with Salvia. It was natural to conclude that he had some sort of connection to the one who knew the past.

If Thaddeus had been the person in question, Salvia would’ve said something. That was why I’d determined he wasn’t. So who exactly was Thaddeus? After giving it some thought, I could vaguely guess why I couldn’t establish a connection to him with the mental path. And if I was right...I had to meet the one who knew the past and speak with them. I believed it was tremendously important for our future.

“Could I ask you one thing?” I said as something suddenly occurred to me. “What was your relationship to the visitor before me?”

“Hmm...” Salvia looked extremely serious. “I loved him, and I wanted to help... I wanted him to be happy.”

“I see...”

She didn’t say much on the subject, but that was enough for me to figure some things out. In all likelihood, his story had ended in tragedy. Also, Salvia really had loved him. That was the reason she was here now.

“No, not just any visitor. You, specifically, my dear. I’ve been searching for someone who can communicate with a monster’s heart.”

That was what she’d said when she formed a contract with me. By finding out about this person from the past and using his experience as encouragement, she hoped we could give meaning to his tragic fate.

“In that case, I definitely think it was good fortune that we met Thaddeus,” I repeated.

We hadn’t gotten involved in something troublesome because of Salvia. This was a necessary encounter for us.

Hearing me say that, Salvia gave me a smile from the very bottom of her heart.

“Thank you, Master.”

Chapter 2: The Dragon’s Journey ~Lily’s POV~

When my master returned from the town of Diospyro, he informed us that our plans had changed and we would be shuffling our groups up. The reason for this was that he’d encountered Fukatsu Aketora and Thaddeus in town. I’d heard about them before from his last visit to Diospyro. Fukatsu was a visitor and a cheater. As for Thaddeus, astonishingly, he was a monster...a dragon, to be specific.

But even more surprising than this was that Thaddeus had told us about a hidden settlement of dragons—Draconia. Our new plan was to help with the search for a stray dragon that had run away from there.

“That’s fine and all, Master,” I said, cocking my head after he told me all of this in the manamobile, “but why did this stray dragon run away from the settlement in the first place? Was it to attack humans?”

I couldn’t help but picture a bleak outcome. The dragon had gone into hiding, and if it had spent all its life living out of sight from humans, dark emotions could have welled up within it. And to refresh itself...

Well, that was my train of thought, but my master quietly shook his head.

“No, that doesn’t seem to be the case. According to Thaddeus, this stray is a bit of a special being. It’s the youngest among the clan and was the only one born without an ego.”

“No ego? Then it’s a normal monster?”

My master nodded. “That’s the gist of it.”

I didn’t miss the little pause before his response. Something was probably bothering him about this, but perhaps because he didn’t have anything to back it up, he didn’t go further into detail.

“Well, even if it doesn’t have a will, they still consider it their brethren. They made sure to keep the dragon inside the settlement so that it didn’t harm any humans and get hunted down, but...”

In other words, it had all started with an accident rather than an incident.

“So, seeing as how they have no way of searching for the stray, we’re going to help them out,” I said. “The dragons of Thaddeus’s clan are all searching for it too, right? Are we going to be linking up with them?”

“Turns out there’s no way to contact them directly. Thaddeus has of course been in contact with the settlement, and the dragons out searching also keep in touch at fixed intervals, so we should be able to get a message to them like that, but it’ll take too long.”

“Now that you mention it, there are only around twenty dragons in this settlement, right? In that case, they can’t freely communicate with each other all that easily. It’d take away from what personnel they have out searching and all.”

Their scant numbers were an overwhelming impediment for them. I pinched my brow at the thought.

“If only this world had cell phones,” I muttered.

“Apparently, they do. There’s a handheld magic tool that can transfer information.”

“Huh? Really?”

“It’s a legendary-class item. The Holy Church is in charge of it, according to Salvia. I’d like to get our hands on it somehow and have Rose make an imitation...” Realizing we’d gone off track, my master reverted back to the original topic at hand. “Anyway, the dragons had just contacted the settlement two days ago, so unfortunately, their next regular communication won’t be for five days. If we wait that long, the suppression force will take the field. That’s why Thaddeus only plans on leaving a message for them.”

“So I guess it really is out of the question to join up with them and work together on the search.”

My master nodded, but his expression remained grim.

“The clan’s basic plan is simply to capture the stray. It has yet to attack any human settlements, after all. We don’t know how long this can go on, though. There are also those who say it’ll be too late if there are any casualties because it’ll bring on human intervention. Those voices are calling to dispose of the stray, saying it’s unavoidable.”

“Hmm. My Lord, is that not overly cautious of them?” Gerbera asked, joining in on the conversation. “No matter the circumstances, killing one of their own is a little...”

“Well, they’ve gone as far as making a hidden settlement. I’m sure they’re beyond cautious by nature.”

“Is that so?”

Gerbera cocked her head. I also found this rather strange. The dragons were extremely wary of humans. As a matter of fact, it felt like they were afraid of humans.

“They’re not going to do it because they want to,” my master said. “It got away from them once already, so there’s that to consider too.”

“A bitter decision then?” Gerbera asked.

“Yeah. We need to do something before it gets too bad,” my master said sincerely. It was as if he considered this his own problem. “There is, of course, the possibility that the dragons find the stray before we do. We need to hurry... At the same time, we have to make sure our preparations are perfect. Therefore, I had Katou and Kei stay in town. Rose will be their guard.”

“Oh, so that’s why you came back with just Shiran,” I said, coming to an understanding.

“That’s right,” my master replied with a nod. “Well, it took some serious effort to convince them. Katou kept insisting that I should take Rose with me.”

“Hmm. But Master? Doesn’t she have a point? I’m pretty sure a stray dragon will be quite strong. Can we capture it on our own?”

Considering how fast we could move, leaving Katou and Kei behind was the right choice. Leaving Rose behind as their guard in a fundamentally safe town was just like my worrywart of a master. Rose was also the best choice for guard given Katou’s condition. However, that meant our combat potential would fall. I was concerned that this would become a problem.

“That’ll be fine. The stray dragon is definitely strong, but we’ll have Thaddeus with us, who is equal to or stronger than it, and Fukatsu is a cheater. What’s more, according to Salvia’s estimation, based on her familiarity with dragons, the stray couldn’t possibly be as strong as you or Gerbera.”

According to the plan, we were mainly helping with the search. The stray’s capture was more or less Thaddeus and Fukatsu’s job. They already had more than enough strength on their own, but if need be, we would help there too. With that many strong combatants at hand, I was satisfied with my master’s assessment.

“Besides, we also have Ayame, Asarina, and Salvia,” he added.

“And you too, Master. I heard about your progress. Seems like you’ll soon be able to get a hit in on Rose during your mock battles.”

“Say that after I get one...” he said with a bitter smile. “In any case, the main problem is finding the stray fast enough.”

“Right. When do we leave?”

“We’re going to meet up with the two of them tomorrow. Once we do, we’ll get moving right away.”

With that, everyone nodded in agreement.

◆　◆　◆

The next day, Thaddeus and Fukatsu joined us. Thaddeus was terribly surprised by Gerbera’s existence.

“T-To have such a monster as your ally! Lord Takahiro, you truly are a grand master among spiritualists!”

“Please stop it with that,” I said.

It seemed Thaddeus had a strangely favorable impression of our master. It was giving our master a headache, but it made me see Thaddeus in a good light. It looked like we were going to get along well.

After that, we began moving through the remote wilderness. This lasted for two days. To be precise, we moved out to a spot away from any human traffic, let Gerbera and Ayame off the manamobile, had Shiran leave the manamobile in a nearby village in the name of the Alliance Knights, and then went deep into a forest where nobody would ever tread. Once we confirmed we were entirely out of sight, we changed our mode of transportation.

“Very well. Please step back,” Thaddeus said, smoothly undoing his sash and pulling his arm out of his sleeve while crouching down.

“Gh... Grr... Grrrr... Graaaaah!”

His body swelled up in a single breath. Four sturdy limbs held up his massive body, and membraned wings spread wide with a thud. A tail grew out and smashed into some trees, mowing them down in the process.

“Grrr...”

An ocher-scaled dragon, somewhere around ten meters long, now stood before us. A rugged carapace covered the majority of its enormous body, looking as sturdy as armor. The end of its tail was a ball of spiked bones much like a mace, which was what had destroyed those trees with ease. It looked down at us, its eyeline about twice our height. The gentle manner in its gaze was the only thing left of Thaddeus’s features.

“Rather impressive,” Gerbera said cheerfully, glancing at the fallen trees and looking up at the dragon’s enormous body.

It looked like Gerbera was more attracted to his strength rather than his enormous build. In truth, he exuded an aura of strength that couldn’t even be compared to that of a normal monster. If there were twenty others like him, then Draconia had a tremendous fighting force.