After passing through the forest of Renoir, we came to a gently sloping hill. Autumn was deepening and it was already getting dark. It would probably take about a day of climbing to reach the herd where Krulkan lived. As one would expect, climbing at night is difficult. Since we are not in a hurry, we decide to camp here today.
From the infinite storage, I take out potatoes, onions, meat from the kash-sharoleh, and seasonings. Today's dish is a meat and potatoes dish. I put in some mushrooms I collected in the forest. They are not poisonous, so they should work. I don't have soy sauce, but I'll make do with salt. I found some sweet sake, but not sake, so I'll use it instead of mirin. Add sugar and sake, and finally salt to taste.
Meanwhile, prepare bread and salad. There are only a few eggs left. Let's eat them today. Make omelette quickly.
Ggggggggggghhhh!
"Meat, meat, meat..." he says.
For Lars, who loves meat, I serve him some leftover grilled meat from lunch. It's just eaten with salt, but it's really delicious. Does magic power make meat taste good? I'd like to find out when I get a chance.
Me, Gon, and Lars sit around the table. Lars' appetite is so good that it's pleasant to watch. He doesn't dislike anything and eats everything. Probably, his sense of taste is only "love" or "like". He ate the meat and potatoes with a big appetite, and had a second helping. It was indeed delicious, but he was eating our portions at a rate that he was devouring them. The french fries, for example, were served in a heaping portion on a plate, but they were devoured in one bite. Gon gives me a reproachful look. Don't look at me like that. He's my big brother.
I'll make French fries for Gon again.
We'll make daikagaimo for dessert. They've been a big hit with Gon and Lars, and have been the dessert of the past few days. I tried to make a kind of baked sweet potato, but their request was always for college potatoes. Lars especially seems to love crispy ones, and always requests them.
I make zenzai. Anko (red bean paste) is good. Red beans are very cheap in this world because they are used to feed animals. If you can get glutinous rice, I would love to make ohagi.
It seems that what others are eating tastes good. Lars came close to me. I gave him some of my rice and he ate it happily. What in the world is going on in his stomach?
Now that he is full, all he wants to do is sleep. I call Ilimo to my side and set up a ward. We make it a little thicker than usual because of the dragon's habitat.
Lars is playing on top of Ilimo. The two have grown quite close during the trip. Ilimo was a little intimidated at first, but he is now a big sister. He is masterfully controlling Lars. Lars is holding the reins and letting Ilimo run, but Ilimo is careful not to let Lars fall. A small dragon is riding on a unicorn pegasus. It is a surreal sight. It is a sight that would make anyone who sees it swoon. I regret that I do not have a camera or some other device to record the images.
Just when I was about to go to bed, my map reacted. They are coming down the mountain at an unbelievable speed. There were 5 of them, probably dragons. Tension is building between Gon and me.
The map shows this dragon in yellow. It's a sign that they're worried about us. It's probably a dragon scouting party. As soon as we think that, the dragon appears.
Huge. A really big dragon...maybe 15 meters long. Its bright red scales shone in the dim light leaking from its warding. Probably Kukulkan.
I stand up and take out my life magic light. The area is illuminated. The dragons have landed on the hillside. I hold Lars so that I can see him.
One of the dragons moves. At that moment there is a great roar. An earth-shaking roar. My ears perk up.
Lars! I am saying !!!!!!."
Gon is a reliable interpreter in this situation.
It is probably the mother dragon of Lars. She came within a stone's throw of us. A dragon with two wings on the back of its neck and two on its back. Let's see what we can find out.
NAKITES (Kulurkan, age 304) LV54
H!? H!? : 100024
M!? : 9654
Wind Magic LV5
Warding magic LV3
M!? Recovery LV3
Presence Detection LV3
Magic Detection LV3
Physical Reinforcement LV4
Dragon Magic LV4
Evasion LV4
Culture LV4
Paralysis Resistance LV3
Poison Resistance LV3
Flying LV4
Weather Domination
Dragon is indeed strong. All of the stats are at a high level. It is said that dragons live for 1000 years, but this dragon is probably still young. In human terms, he would be in his 30s.
The dragon labeled "Nakites" descends at close range of us.
Lars jumped out of my arms and flew to the mother dragon. Lars flies around the mother dragon's face. He looks really happy.
It sounds like a thunderclap. The mother dragon must be happy to see Lars again.
After a while, the mother dragon coils its tail around itself to form a coiled tail. Lars fits snugly into the hole in the middle of the tail. He grinds his face against his mother's back.
"He says thank you for saving the child and bringing him home.
Thank God. I'm so glad.
He also said he'll thank you later.
Yeah, tell him it's not worth it.
Where are you going now, sir?
"If I could... I would go through these mountains to Kushana in the Heedata Empire."
If you cut through this mountain, you will find yourself in Kushana. It is the nearest town from here.
"Gogogogogoo!"
"Yes, sir. This area is our territory. I will tell the other species to leave you alone.
"Good enough. Thank you.
While I was conversing with the mother dragon, Lars came fluttering up to me. He clung to my chest.
"Grua, grua!"
"I don't want to leave you," he said.
Lars's claws were digging in, gripping my arm so hard. I take Lars in my arms. Mother dragon apologizes to me.
"No, it's okay. We are all like this when we are little. Yes, Lars is lonely and whiny, but he is also quite strong.
While I am having such a conversation with Mother Ryu, Lars starts to sleep quietly. He always falls asleep as soon as he does this.
But maybe because he is tense, he suddenly opens his eyes and looks at me. When he sees me, Lars clings to my arm again.
"Oh, it's okay. "Oh, it's okay. Lars was great, wasn't he? Even in captivity, they never did anything the enemy wanted them to do. Yes, for a week without food or water. On the contrary, they tried to escape from their captivity as fast as they could.
Lars' eyelids droop again. Then he begins to sigh in his sleep. After a while, Lars' body twitches again and he looks up again. He sees my face and clings to my arm again. I hug Lars tightly.
"Yes, Lars was badly injured when I found him. . ..and his injuries were completely healed. After that he said he was going back to the herd by himself, but it was too dangerous..." "Yes, Lars was badly hurt when I found him... ...and he was completely healed. No, of course not. We learned a lot from him. We learned a lot... I was hunting a big rat or something by myself..."
Lars looks relieved. Gradually his eyelids droop and he begins to breathe again. After a while, Lars' body becomes heavier. He has slept soundly.
I put Lars back into his mother's litter again. She looks so happy. I knew. In his sleep he kept saying "mama, mama" over and over again. At last, at last, I could see my beloved mama. I'm so happy for you, Lars.
Ilimo glances at Lars' happy face and licks it. She has been a good playmate and a good big sister. He seems to be pleased too.
"Well, it's about time. I'm saying..."...
With Lars in her arms, the mother dragon slowly floated up into the sky. The other dragons flew after her.
That's good, Lars. I know you will be a great dragon. I put Gon on my back and climbed on top of Ilimo, hoping to live as long as possible to see Lars' heroic figure.
Tonight we will spend the night plowing through these mountains. Our goal is the Heedata Empire.