Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Volume 1 E-Book

Makishima Suzuki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 288

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Kazuhiro Kitase's only hobby is sleeping. Ever since he was young, he would enter a wondrous world within his dreams and go on thrilling adventures. One day, he goes on an adventure with an elf girl he became friends with in his dream world, but it's put to an abrupt halt when they both get scorched with a dragon's breath! As he wakes up from his dream, he notices a familiar figure sleeping next to him...the elf girl from his dreams?! Join Kazuhiro on his new adventures through Japan with Ms. Elf!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Chapter of Elf

Prologue

Episode 1: Hello, Ms. Elf

Episode 2: Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf

Episode 3: Arkdragon

Chapter of Magic Stone

Prologue

Episode 1: It’s Gyoza, Ms. Elf

Episode 2: The Magic Stone’s Light

Episode 3: A Restful Weekend

Episode 4: Battle with the Band of Thieves

Interlude: Shopping with Ms. Elf

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Color Images

Table of Contents

Chapter of Elf: Prologue

It was a morning just like any other. Sparrows were chirping outside the window as usual, and the morning sun filled my room through the curtains. With the recent arrival of spring, and this having been the first sunny day we’d had in a long time, it was the perfect day to go for a walk. Breathing in the fresh morning air would be just the thing I needed to wake up and clear my mind.

Or so I thought...

“Calm down. Take a deep breath. I didn’t do anything wrong. Not a thing.”

I realized I was spouting nonsense in my confusion. I sounded like someone who had just committed a crime, but that definitely wasn’t the case.

“Wait a minute. What’s going to happen now? I brought someone into my room without their permission... Not to mention, their nationality is...”

I wondered to myself out loud as I looked over at my bed. Maybe this could be considered a crime in certain circumstances, but I needed to take a deep breath and focus on the main issue here.

There was an unfamiliar sight on my bed, which was a bit bigger than necessary for one person. The lump under my blanket slowly moved up and down, softly breathing in its comfortable sleep. I wondered if the faint, sweet smell was coming from those exhalations. The long, silky, silver-white hair glimmered radiantly in the sunlight, drawing me in with its luster. They seemed young in age. Their pale, pink lips, shapely nose, and long eyelashes almost made the person seem doll-like in appearance. I found myself mesmerized, but now wasn’t the time for absent-minded gawking.

My gaze shifted slightly over to the woman’s ears. Those, I thought, were my main source of concern. Judging by her elongated, slightly drooping ears, she definitely wasn’t human. Though, the world was a big place, of course, so maybe it wasn’t impossible for someone like this to exist out there. But what would probably be going through most people’s minds if ever they saw her fairy-like appearance was:

There was an elf in Japan.

Elves only existed in fantasy stories. I couldn’t imagine what sort of panic there’d be if people found out they actually existed, and that there was one sleeping in my bed right now.

As those thoughts went through my head, the eyebrows of the elf girl in question twitched. Her eyes slowly opened, revealing their amethyst shimmer to Japan. Seeing their elegant, misty color felt like I was witnessing the moment a flower bloomed. People sometimes described eyes that seemed to draw you in, but I never thought I’d actually experience it.

I forgot about everything for a while, including the current situation, entranced by the girl’s eyes. As they began finding focus, my brain started functioning normally again.

What in the world happened last night?

Just like the girl who was slowly opening her eyes, my thoughts accelerated toward the past. My heart beat louder with anxiety and inexplicable anticipation.

Yes... That time, I...

Chapter of Elf, Episode 1: Hello, Ms. Elf

People tend to have at least one strange side to them. There are people who can sense ghosts and spirits, and people who can easily draw beautiful works of art. There are beautiful people with terrible singing voices and skinny people who are voracious eaters. There are people who aren’t so good-looking but have no problem finding dates, and so on.

I, too, actually have one of these strange quirks myself. This was related to the fact that I was an average twenty-five-year-old salaryman, but, above all else, including the advancement of my career, my primary focus was on getting off work on time.

I undid my tie as soon as I got back to my room and began putting on my comfy pajama top. The way I hummed as I made my bed might very well have been a strange sight to behold. It may have not been as weird if I weren’t single, but, unfortunately, I’d never had a girlfriend before. This was my routine, or rather, the thing I lived for. After all, I’d been dreaming of living in a fantasy world ever since I was a child. I loved stories about fighting and defeating monsters with swords, shields, and magic the most. I remembered borrowing those books from the library and reading them over and over until they were all worn out.

Maybe it was because of my obsession, but I’d dreamed about this sort of thing practically every night. I would fight in a world of swords and magic, participate in intercontinental wars, and step foot into enormous labyrinths. Those dreams began when I was a child, and even as an adult, I still looked forward to seeing them at night.

The one unfortunate thing was that they could also get too real. It’d have been nice if they’d go easier on me every once in a while, but I’d actually been beaten by monsters time and time again, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to jump awake from them in the middle of the night. I was always extraordinarily weak, and I couldn’t remember how many times I’d gotten dissolved by slime-looking things. I’d been robbed by natives whose speech I couldn’t even understand countless times, too.

But, no matter how terrifying those foes may have been, they were just dreams. There was never any pain since they were just dreams, so I could get away with such recklessness as charging straight toward a towering dragon. Then, afterward, I’d be awakened by the morning sunlight and stretch my limbs, thinking about the fun dream I just had. There was simply no way to experience such things in modern Japan.

So, as usual, I prepared my bed for the night. I put a water bottle next to my pillow, along with a bento that would still taste good cold. This wasn’t some sort of ritual, but doing it meant that later... Actually, it would be quicker to just do it than to explain.

I looked at my watch, which told me it was 7 p.m. If things went as they usually did, I’d wake up at 7 a.m. I slept for longer periods than most people my age, but I worked hard and lived alone, so no one could really say anything about it. It was nice to only have to take care of yourself. Though, I wasn’t sure if I should think about it as a grown-up’s privilege or lament my trivial life. Of course, I thought of myself as the former, but most people would see me as the latter.

But that was fine. Life was to be enjoyed, and I had no intention of letting go of my life of sleeping.

“Well, good night.”

And so, I dove into my cozy blanket. A veteran sleeper by now, I let out a snore and stepped into that other world as usual.

＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋

Chirp chirp, chirp chirp.

As soon as I lazily opened my eyes, I saw a little bird right in front of my face. The blue color of its small, round body gradually grew darker toward the end of his wings. This extremely curious little guy was named Nuzzle, and he wasn’t really afraid of humans. He was named after some nearby ruins called Nazul-Nazul. In the spring, he came out in search for food, but he seemed to spend most of his time in the ruins.

“Ahhh... I slept really well. Though, on the other side, I just fell asleep right now.”

And yet, I felt well-rested even when I woke up in Japan, too. Well, I guess that made sense, considering I was in a dream on this side.

I offered breadcrumbs from my chest pocket as usual. The bird chirped with gratitude, then picked them up in his beak and flew off.

I brushed off the remaining crumbs and stood up as I suppressed a yawn. Then, the sun, rising into the clear blue skies and gently sloping meadow, filled my view. There was a river flowing nearby, so it seemed I wouldn’t have trouble finding drinking water.

“Hm, guess it’s picking up where I left off last night. Ah, that’s right, I was sleeping under a tree...”

Night dew had collected on the cloak I used as a makeshift bed, and the droplets fell off in beads as I wiped them off. I had picked an area with some trees growing in it because I was being cautious of the rain, but judging by how the sky looked now, it seemed there was no need for worry.

I took a look at my surroundings: There was a leather shoulder bag and something glinting in the sunlight next to it.

“There it is. A water bottle’s good enough, but I gotta have my tea during meals.”

There was a plastic bottle that seemed out of place in the fantasy world, and a bento was wrapped in cloth next to it. I had prepared it before going to sleep, and, strangely, it filled my stomach when I ate it in my dreams. Or maybe it was weirder that I could even get hungry in my dreams...

“Food is hard to come by and tastes bad in my dreams, so this really helps.”

A while back, I would fish to keep myself from starving, but I switched to this method once I began working full-time. The reasoning was that I didn’t want to waste time trying to secure food when I could be enjoying my dream.

Now, I put it all into my bag and began walking toward the river. I needed to refill my water bottle, and my face could use a morning rinse.

I felt the chill of early spring as I splashed some water on my face. Rubbing my face with the cold water was very effective at waking me up from my dozy state. My face in the reflection of the wavering water was far different in age from my face in the real world. The smooth, youthful skin and sleepy-looking eyes... Oh, I’m awake now, but that was just how my eyes naturally looked. Judging by my height, I was probably on the older side of middle school. My black clothes clearly didn’t offer much in terms of protection, and I’d chosen something cheap, so I didn’t mind if they got damaged. I suppose the only equipment on me that would’ve been out of place in Japan was the sword hanging at my waist.

“I’ve gotten a bit older compared to before, but I age much slower in the dream world. Now, judging by how that bird was here, this must be near the Nazul-Nazul Ruins.”

If I just walked down along this river, it’d lead me to the underground city, but the question was whether I’d keep heading that way or find someplace else. I stroked my silver bracelet as I thought about it, and a bluish-white screen appeared before me. These were distributed to every country, and they were able to inform the wearer of their current status. It showed that I was level 72, indicating I was far too overpowered for this area.

“Man, my level has gotten pretty high from keeping at it all these years.”

I was hopelessly weak to begin with, but I’d grown so much from all the hard work I’d put in. Then again, I’d been playing for nearly twenty years, so it was hard to say whether my pace had been fast or slow. Though, there wasn’t some nemesis like a demon lord for me to defeat, so I’d just been taking it easy. If there were some grand enemy like that to get excited about, I probably would have been trying much harder instead of raising my fishing skill all this time.

“To be honest, I was only raising my level so I could go check out other areas... Hm?”

Just then, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I noticed it thanks to the Intuition skill I leveled up to avoid combat, but it seemed whoever was looking at me wasn’t looking for a fight.

A young girl with long ears appeared from behind a tree and approached me.

“Oh, good morning, Kazuhiho. I see you’re out here camping primitively as usual. If you ask me, you seem far more elf-like than I do.”

“Ah, yes. Good morning, Marie. I’m lucky the weather is nice again today. Sometimes I wake up during heavy rain, and that can be pretty mentally draining.”

Marie tilted her head as if she had no idea what I was talking about.

Her species was that of the elves, and her real name was Mariabelle. I called her by her nickname, Marie, and although she seemed to be about my age, she was over a hundred years old, which was partially why she was called a half-fairy. Her hair, glimmering in the sunlight, was pure white like the fluff of a dandelion. It went straight down to her waist, making her easily recognizable even from afar.

Then there was me, who, for some reason, went by “Kazuhiho.” I only had my young self to blame for getting one letter wrong. It was based off of my real name, Kazuhiro Kitase...but I had spelled it wrong when I was doing the initial setup.

“No use crying over spilt milk... Oh, just talking to myself. Anyway, it’s not often I see you all the way out here, Marie. Would you like to go check out some nearby ruins with me?”

“My, that’s quite a place you’ve just invited me to. I don’t quite understand human sensibilities yet, but do women usually like it when someone invites them to ruins?”

“I guess that would depend on the person. But, if you do decide to join me, I’ll treat you to some bento.”

Her long ears twitched in response.

I saw a sparkle in her purple eyes, and despite it being plain as day that she was tempted, she fidgeted with the staff she was holding behind her back.

“W-Well... If you really insist, I suppose I could take you up on your offer. Though I am pretty busy with some other business, just so you know.”

With that, she glanced at the bag I had placed beside me. It was quite small, so the shape of the bento box was visibly bulging out of it. She seemed to have a keen sense of taste. Ever since I’d shared some of my bento with her a while back, she came to expect it more and more. But, being difficult as she was, she never directly asked if she could have some.

It was also very rare for me to run into her. Ever since she moved from the elven forest to the Sorcerer’s Guild, she’d been spending her days studying magic. Since I had this rare opportunity to spend time with her again, I wanted to go have some fun with her.

“Let’s go, then. There aren’t many strong enemies around, so it’s perfect for taking a walk.”

“I think your idea of a ‘walk’ is a little odd. Most people would call this ‘exploring ruins,’ not some afternoon stroll.” Her brow furrowed adorably as she corrected my not-so-common sense.

I’d known her since grade school, now that I thought about it, so she may be my best friend in this world. Though she did act like she was my big sister or something, being much older than me and all.

We began walking side by side, when my gaze was drawn to the object she was holding.

“Oh, is that your staff? I wanna see!”

“Hmhm, go ahead. The shaft is made from holly—and look, it even has unicorn hair here.”

“Wow, Marie, I’m always so impressed that you can even use magic. Let me take a good look at it while we walk.”

Marie smiled happily in response.

Her ability to control spirits was a specialty of the elves, and, as her gray robe indicated, she was also a mage. It seemed she had just obtained her staff recently, as it was in pristine condition. I had no idea how this thing was able to unleash magic, since all I’d learned was how to swing my sword around.

It was cute listening to her go on about the valuable materials her staff was made of, but she had actually killed me when we first met. She was quite an outrageous elf, but she seemed to have finally calmed down in recent years. I voiced this observation out loud, and she gave me a slightly annoyed expression.

“You have it all wrong. That was your own fault, you know. I was horrified when you came back to life and talked to me again with a smile on your face. I thought you were a ghost or something.”

“Well, in any case, it wasn’t murder. And I don’t know if I was really smiling, but I do feel happy when I see you, since you’re so pretty and all.”

Marie ran her hand through her hair with a cool expression, as if she heard that all the time. She kept glancing back at me as if to say, “Go on...”

I thought it was cute when girls made that sort of expression. I might be in the body of a child, but I was a full-grown adult in reality. So being able to escort an adorable girl like this was far from unpleasant. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it when she acted cheeky like this... though she would hate it if I told her that.

I gazed at her in the morning light as we walked along the river. The color of her smooth hair was far too lustrous to describe as a mere “white.” Maybe the closest comparison would be silk. Her eyes were purple like amethyst, so saying they were like gems would be an apt comparison. Maybe it was because of the long life she’d lived, but even though we were similar in height, I couldn’t hold a candle to her in terms of intellect.

“Oh, is that it? Over by those mossy rocks.”

Her slender finger pointed at the ruins in question. The cave-like hole before us that was surrounded by moss-covered rocks was the entrance to the Nazul-Nazul Ruins. It had quite a long history, and rumors said it was once an underground city that was destroyed one thousand years ago. But how was such a well-developed magical civilization destroyed? That was a mystery still yet to be solved.

“Well then, let’s go seek ancient mysteries, shall we?”

“Yeah, you’re definitely an odd one. What do you hope to find in some ruins nobody has stepped foot into in ages?”

We stepped up to the cave, and I pulled her up by her slim hand. I didn’t realize how light she was and overcompensated the pull. She was propelled into my chest, and I found her big, round eyes right in front of mine.

“Hmph, can’t you do something about those sleepy-looking eyes of yours?”

“I was born with these eyes. There’s nothing I can do about them.”

She giggled and waved her holly staff. A light spirit emerged from the staff and began floating around us. Then, it flew over to the cave and banished the darkness within.

The preparations seemed to be complete. Marie nodded, and our exploration of the Nazul-Nazul Ruins began.

The Nazul-Nazul Ruins...

Long ago, there was a civilization that had suddenly been wiped out. In most cases, destroyed cities met their end due to war or natural disasters wreaking havoc on homes. But those who’d investigated these ruins reported no signs of conflict, and most homes there had been left undamaged. Because of this, there was a theory that this civilization had crumbled due to an unknown illness. However, the likelihood of that was questionable when considering how advanced their magic was.

“So that’s why this is known as one of the seven wonders of the region. This was investigated by countless others in the past, so what makes you think you think you’ll be the one to solve the mystery?”

“It’s not just me. I have you here, too. Besides, I wouldn’t mind even if I didn’t succeed. It’s the will to solve it that counts.”

Our footsteps echoed aloud as we continued exploring through the ruins. The ceiling was high overhead, and it was impossible to see it through the darkness even with the light spirit accompanying us. Its summoner, Marie, conjured additional spirits upon recovering her magic powers, and there were already five of them flying around in total.

“So you’re saying you’ll just consider us lucky if we do find something? In any case, this place is pretty big now that I see it from the inside. I never would have guessed it was this spacious, looking at it from outside.”

“Yeah, it did used to be a whole city, after all. The entrance is just part of the sewage system.”

It seemed the waterway was crucial for the ruins. The river was flowing down the path formed with rocks, and seeing that there was still water here, either the water source hadn’t died yet, or there was rainwater flowing into it. It looked to be made quite simply, with a basic rock construction. However, I’d spotted many magic runes on the way here that served to increase its durability. That must have been the reason it was able to retain its shape for a millennium.

“That’s some incredible technology, to be able to endure for a thousand years like this. Couldn’t they use this for the city buildings, too?”

“I don’t think so. It was built into a vein so that it wouldn’t have to be resupplied with magic, meaning there are pretty strict conditions that need to be met. It would also require a highly skilled caster, which I doubt anyone would be able to afford.”

Hm... I didn’t really get it, but it sounded like it wasn’t really plausible. Coming from an earthquake-prone country like Japan, it made me envious to see magic that could increase stability like this.

The girl’s long ears twitched in response to my muttering, and then she turned to me.

“Earthquakes certainly are scary, but it can’t happen all that often. Where in the world are you from?”

“Oh, I’m from Japan, but it’s probably not on any of your maps. It’s an island country really far from here.”

She made a noncommittal noise and contorted her face in such a way that was hard to tell whether she was interested or disinterested.

Black hair and black eyes was a rare combination in this world, but her interest was more focused on my bento. I knew that the whole reason she even followed me into the ruins and the reason she kept glancing at my bag was all due to that boxed lunch I’d made.

It’d been some time since we entered. Fatigue would be setting in soon, so I found an open area where we could rest and turned my face toward hers.

“That looks like a nice place to sit down. How about we have some lunch?”

“Good idea! I wonder what you brought today, hehe~”

The elf’s footsteps suddenly seemed lighter, and she excitedly helped me prepare. To think she was actually a hundred years old. Elves really were hard to understand sometimes... Well, even though she was just after my food, it sure was cute when girls were this expressive.

I handed her the cloth-covered bento, and her purple eyes lit up brighter than her light spirits.

“I-I’m going to open it now...”

“Sure, go ahead. You probably don’t know how to use chopsticks, and you already washed your hands, so you can just eat it without utensils.”

The girl opened the bento box, and she blinked her eyes with childlike glee. Today’s menu was some juicy inarizushi and chikuzenni that was enjoyable down to the texture. They might not have looked flashy in the color department, but the delicious fragrance was very enticing. The sharp smell of soy sauce emphasized the subsequent gentle sweetness, stimulating one’s appetite whether they wanted it to or not.

“Mm, that smell... It’s so wonderful!”

I couldn’t help but smile as she took several deep breaths with the lid still in her hand.

“Go on, dig in. I’m not that good at these kinds of simmered dishes, but I love how I can just make big batches at once and still have them taste good when cold.”

I gestured for her to begin eating, and she first took the inarizushi in her hand. It was full of juices, which ran down her fingers as she held it. Unconcerned, she carried it over to her lips, and the juices seeped out into her mouth.

“Nn! Mmm... So... sweet!”

The faint aroma of soy sauce. She licked her fingers and put little wrinkles between her brows. She then chewed the inarizushi, full of umami, and the intrinsic sweetness of rice came flooding in. The juices and sour-sweet flavor mixed together, leaving the fragrant aftertaste of sesame. The elf seemed completely enchanted and continued chewing with her eyes shut tightly.

“Here, have some tea. Drink it slowly, now.”

She politely bowed her head, even in her currently enamored state, and took the plastic bottle. She was taken aback by the material when I first introduced it to her, but she’d eventually gotten used to it.

“Nn...nng... Paah! I’m impressed. It seems you’ve improved your skills again. So, what is this brown stuff?”

“Inarizushi. It’s really good because it brings out the flavor even when it’s cold. And this is chikuzenni. It’s made with spring vegetables, so it’s very nutritious. Here, try some.”

Marie nodded repeatedly, then tossed bamboo shoots and lotus roots into her mouth. The crisp consistency fanned her appetite as she alternated eating between the inarizushi and simmered vegetables.

It was hard to believe a slender elf like her could eat so much. It was entertaining to watch her toss food into her mouth one bite after another despite being far skinnier than I was. She drank some tea and rested a bit before turning to me with a smile.

“Hehe, I was right to tag along, Kazuhiho. I’ve always wondered, but is this all home-cooked?”

“Yeah, today’s meal is. I just buy it at the store when I don’t feel like cooking, though.”

“Where do they sell them?! Come on, tell me! Is it nearby, at Sissle? Or is it at Phlox?”

I figured I couldn’t tell her it was from Japan. If I tried avoiding the question and gave her a vague answer, she’d puff out her cheeks and get upset at me for trying to “keep it a secret again.”

“Well, I’ll treat you to some more anytime. Let’s come hang out here again when you’re free.”

“I’m busy with my studies, so it’s not like I have a lot of free time... buuut I suppose I can make time every once in a while.”

It wasn’t often that she showed me her pretty smile like this. I’d heard she usually disliked humans, so it made me strangely happy when she was friendly with me. It was like interacting with a wild animal that shouldn’t possibly warm up to you, but this was probably an extremely rude way to think of elves.

“We should get going soon. I want to get out of here by sundown.”

“Yes, we should. But I’m pretty full, so would you mind walking slowly?”

We washed our fingers with the water bottle from earlier and wiped our hands with a towel before standing up to leave. Finally, we dusted ourselves off, and our fun little lunchtime came to an end.

The Nazul-Nazul Ruins were full of running water, and every part of them was full of humidity. We walked along the waterway and peeked into dwellings as we passed by. These might have been thousand-year-old ruins, but due to their underground location, they were slow to deteriorate, and it wasn’t hard to imagine that people used to live here.

I wondered just what type of people lived in such a dark place like this before it was destroyed a thousand years ago, and as I mulled over the thought, I noticed something lurking in the shadows.

“Oh, a monster. Wait here for a sec... Heeey, hellooo?”

I left the startled Marie behind and moved closer to the shadow as it slowly faced me. The monster looked like a lizard on two legs, and it was far wider than even a crocodile. This one’s level seemed to be in the twenties, and they were considered to be quite vicious.

They were known as lizardmen. It was a bit odd that even the females had “men” in the name, but that was neither here nor there. He directed his round eyes toward me, then bowed his head. It was partially because there was such a severe level gap, but I could also understand their language, so it was rare to get into a fight unless something drastic happened.

“Ah, if it isn’t Kazuhiho. Going for a walk with an elf today? Boy, am I jealous!”

“Well, I think she’s just after my bento...”

Most lizardmen weren’t used to talking, so some parts of their speech were a little hard to understand. But some species of monsters didn’t even have a language, so this was still well within the range of things I could handle.

“We just came to explore these ruins. So, is this area safe?”

“I wouldn’t say that... There’s a dragon with a nest in the back, and she just entered her spawning season. It’d be dangerous to go near there. My people are a subspecies of dragonmen, as I’m sure you know, and we’ve been dragon guards since my ancestors’ time. But young ones these days spout things like ‘We’re lizards, not dragons!’ But... I digress. In any case, the dragon back there is very irritable right now. I would advise against going near that area.”

He sure was talkative for a lizard.

I waved at the helpful lizardman and walked away. I jogged over to Marie, and she looked at me with slightly widened eyes.

“My goodness, did you learn how to speak with monsters now? Where did you learn how to do that? I doubt there’s any literature of that kind.”

“Yeah, I just kinda dove into it head-first. I can’t count how many times I got attacked, and it took about three years to learn. You remember how I learned how to speak Elvish from you? It’s kinda like that.”

“Oh, you really did dive into it, didn’t you...? I felt strangely sorry for monsters just now.”

Even an elf, who lived for nearly an infinite amount of time, seemed to have trouble understanding my life choices. She pressed her pointer finger to her forehead and squashed it up and down as if struggling to do just that.

There were many different types of monster languages, divided into categories ranging from A to E Groups. I wondered what sort of face she would make if I told her I’d already learned all the way up to C Group.

“But it’s so useful. Want me to teach you, Marie?”

“I have to admit, I am a bit interested... Then, maybe I could ask you to teach me tomorrow, if you have time.”

“Sure, I don’t mind. It’s been a while since I made upcoming plans with you like this, so it makes me happy.”

She gave me a suspicious look, as if trying to figure out if I was attempting to hit on her. I didn’t mean to make excuses, but now that I was twenty-five in the real world, time spent with cute girls was extremely valuable, and it made me happy just hanging out with her. But I wouldn’t tell her this, because she’d probably just look at me like some sort of pervert.

“But anyway, a dragon in spawning season, huh...? I want to go take a look.”

“Here you go again... Do you intend to make some otherworldly dishes or something?”

“What? No, not at all. Though, I have read that reptile eggs come in all sorts of varieties. Some are jelly-like substances, some have hard shells, and others are squishy and soft. I hear dragon eggs are oily, but I wonder if it that’s true. Hmhm, I guess I wouldn’t know until I eat it.”

She gave me a look as if to say she was right. But still, I’d like to see something like that at least once. I didn’t mean to eat it, of course, but I was very curious to find out what a dragon egg was like.

I dragged Marie toward the depths of the ruins despite her obvious reluctance.

I wore a cape with a Stealth Effect over my head and covered my entire body, then crawled across the ground like a caterpillar. The light fairies had already been dismissed, and the surrounding area was covered in darkness. I looked to my side with bated breath, and then a pair of purple, forlorn-looking eyes turned to me.

We went through the dried-up waterway and arrived at what seemed to be the deepest area there. A low, eerie noise echoed around us, and there seemed to be no sight of any monsters. That, too, provoked an unnerving image in my head.

What could possibly be up ahead...?

I moved closer with the elf and looked down from the rocky plateau to find darkness awaiting below. The loud rumbling sound of something breathing from its depths was an obvious sign there was an ancient dragon sleeping down there. But of course, I didn’t have the ability to see through complete darkness.

(Stay still, Kazuhiho. I’ll give you night vision too.)

(Whoa, thanks, Marie. You never cease to amaze me.)

I could always count on Marie. She could use Sorcery in addition to Spirit Magic, letting her adapt to a wide range of situations.

Her fingers, which she pressed firmly against my forehead, glowed faintly in the gloom. This apparently granted a buff that amplified light like a cat’s eye, making it seem as if my surroundings were shining.

I looked down once again, my heart jumping, as I could now clearly see an enormous dragon.

So big...

Judging from its size and staggering intensity, it could be the rare legendary-class dragon. Its estimated level may have even surpassed 1,000. Being only level 72, I wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

(It really is big... Do you know what this dragon’s name is?)

(It’s black and possesses dense magic, so possibly an Arkdragon. Look, the marking on the surface of its body is moving. So it’s true, they can generate magic simply by breathing...)