Epilogue: A Hero’s Work
“You...want us to take out an ancient dragon?” Sasa and I asked in unison.
Our party had been close to leaving Great Keith when an envoy arrived, asking us for aid.
“We are aware of the danger, but if our new hero Lady Aya Sasaki could eliminate the ancient dragon that nests within our lands...”
“And that’s something we have to do?” I asked. Great Keith’s State-Authorized Heroes were made up of countless strong veterans, so why did the newest one have to do it?
“The extinction of the sand dragons has caused an ecological shift in the desert, leading to a rise in the ancient dragon’s activity.”
Sasa and I exchanged wordless glances. Sand dragons were calamity-level drakes that had lived in the deserts of Great Keith. Incidentally, Sasa was the one who’d changed their status from “lived” to “had lived.”
“A full hero would be required against an ancient dragon, so this would usually fall to Lady Olga. However, an accident several days ago damaged her holy sword...”
Sasa looked away awkwardly. Though the envoy had glossed over the details, Sasa was definitely the one who’d broken it. The man was probably well aware of that fact.
“Oh! How shall we face such a beast while our hero is useless?” he lamented exaggeratedly.
You know...it’s obvious you’re acting, right? Also, should you be calling your hero useless? Well, these people really were in a bind, and we were the ones who had caused it. I suppose we don’t have a choice.
“I-I’ll do it...” Sasa conceded in defeat.
“Truly?! Thank you, Lady Aya! There will be a suitable reward for your assistance!” he said, overjoyed. Then, he left.
It really felt like we’d been taken advantage of... Still, we had accepted, so now we’d have to follow through.
Time to fight an ancient dragon.
◇
“Argh! It’s so hot! How far is it?!” Furiae demanded, pulling her dress away from her chest and fanning herself.
It was midway through our journey to the ancient dragon. We were traveling in a vehicle dragged behind several massive birds—they were at least three times bigger than ostriches. This was apparently the fastest way to traverse the desert.
“Princess, that’s immodest,” I warned since Furiae was showing too much of her chest.
“My knight, I should be the least of your concerns,” she replied, pointing to Lucy.
The elf was slumped out flat. Her top was tied only around her chest, leaving her stomach bare, and her skirt had been rolled up around her hips—it’d ended up no longer than a micro miniskirt. In fact, it was just on the verge of showing her underwear...and from my position, they were visible.
“You okay, Lucy?” I asked.
“Makoto... I’m...melting...”
Well, at least she was conscious. Sasa was fanning her. I stuck my hand into one of the large water containers in the carriage.
“Water elementals,” I murmured. At my request, they filled the area with a cooling breeze.
“Oh? That’s much nicer,” Furiae remarked.
“Makotoooo,” whined Lucy, “why didn’t you do that sooner?”
“’Cause it won’t last long. Give it a few minutes and it’ll be just as bad.” Also, the water elementals weren’t particularly cooperative in the heat.
“Doesn’t the heat bother you?” Sasa—the newly minted State-Authorized Hero—asked me.
“Calm Mind helps me to be mostly fine with it,” I replied.
“Okay. I actually like the heat.”
Indeed, she hadn’t even broken a sweat—lamiae were right at home in scorching temperatures.
“Argh, it’s already heating up again. I hate the sweat in my hair,” Furiae complained.
“I can’t take it anymore!!!” Lucy yelled “It’s coming off! All of it!”
Sasa reached out to stop her. “You can’t do that! The driver’s up front!”
A tamer woman was controlling the birds drawing the carriage. She looked like a normal person but was apparently pretty strong. Considering this was a request from a military country, it made sense that our guide was from the military as well.
After that commotion died down, we spent about another half-day in the shifting carriage.
◇
“Is this the place?” I asked.
We were now in a town that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It had been built around an oasis, and I spotted many carriages that were similar to ours.
“This town is Tobermory, one of the centers of Great Keith’s trade,” our tamer guide told us.
Now all the carriages made sense.
“Lodgings have been prepared. This way, Hero Aya.”
Our guide showed us to an inn on the shores of the lake in the center of the oasis. Inn or not, it was completely different from the lodgings in Macallan—this place had pure-white walls and looked more like a resort than anything.
As we entered, a line of suited butlers and maids greeted us. “Hero Aya, we welcome you and your party.”
“U-Uh...” stammered Sasa. “This place is...”
“To aid in your battle against the ancient dragon, we have prepared the best lodgings available in Tobermory. The inn is fully reserved to avoid hindering your work.”
“Umm...how much...”
“Great Keith is, of course, covering the bill. Lady Aya, please just concentrate on defeating the ancient dragon.”
“R-Right...”
The lavishness of the place was overwhelming Sasa. She was certainly getting the real VIP treatment. Well, she is a hero.
One of the employees guided us to our rooms, their posture dead-straight.
“It’s huge,” Lucy exclaimed when we arrived.
The room was obviously a suite and it was laughably large. That wasn’t all, though. The furniture and decorations were definitely high-class.
“Takatsuki,” Sasa said, tugging at my arm. “Can we really use a room like this?”
“It’s not much different to what we got in Cameron, is it?” I asked.
“Well, that was for you! This one’s for me. It’s kinda scary...”
Ah, that made sense. The room was reserved in her name, because of her—that fact seemed to have prevented her from relaxing. I definitely understood her hesitation.
“Aya, Fuuri!” came a yell from Lucy. “Look, there’s a pool!”
“A pool?!” came the chorus in response.
Surely that was too much of a luxury for a place where water was so precious... But no...there was a large open area containing a huge pool.
“Let’s swim!” Lucy exclaimed, stripping down.
I was a bit worried she was going to go skinny dipping, but there were swimsuits available in the room.
“I guess I’ll join in too,” Sasa said, starting to pick out a swimsuit. “You too, Fuu.”
“Uh... Do I...also need to wear one...? They’re somewhat...” Furiae seemed much more hesitant and lost. She glanced at me every so often as she spoke. What’s with that?
“Are you embarrassed to wear one in front of Makoto?” Lucy asked.
“Tee hee.” Sasa giggled. “You’re surprisingly innocent.”
“Wha?! And what of it?!” snapped Furiae. “My knight has been leering at me this whole time!”
That was unfair and excessive!
“I don’t care what you wear,” I told her. “I’m going to look around the town.” They’d find it hard to change with me around anyway, so I decided to be the gentleman and leave.
“Hold it!” Lucy said. “You’re always going off on your own.”
“Takatsukiiii, let’s swim together.”
Before I knew what was going on, Lucy and Sasa had grabbed hold of me.
“Where do you think you’re going while I’m so defenseless?!” Furiae demanded. “I cannot believe you! You need to stay!”
What happened to not being allowed to look? Either way, we all ended up in the pool.
“Ahhh, this is so nice...” Lucy sighed, paddling around in her red swimsuit. She was using a swim ring, and she looked like she was enjoying herself. Considering how bad the journey here had been for her, the oasis must’ve felt like heaven.
Suddenly, there was a massive splash. I looked around and saw Sasa leaping up like a dolphin in her striped swimsuit. She was way too good at swimming... It made sense for her race, though.
“Umm... What should I do...?” Furiae asked, walking carefully up to the side of the pool and getting in. It seemed as though she couldn’t really swim. Also, I didn’t know what kind of swimsuit she was wearing.
“I’ll teach you!” Sasa exclaimed, surging over like a fish.
“You’re too good at swimming to help a newbie,” Lucy remarked. “I’ll teach— Huh?” As she came over, she noticed something that cut off her train of thought.
“You’re still wearing your clothes?” Sasa asked.
“You won’t be able to float like that,” added Lucy.
“What?! I won’t!”
Wearing the swimsuit must have been too embarrassing for Furiae, so she still had a shirt on over it. There was no way she’d manage to swim like that.
“Nrow, nrow,” came Twi’s contribution.
“Oh, you can swim?” I asked. Even the cat was splashing through the water in a dog-paddle...a kitty-paddle? Didn’t cats hate the water? Maybe not in this world?
“Come on, off it comes,” Lucy cajoled.
“Wait! I can do it myself!”
“You’ll never take it off,” Sasa argued. “I’ll hold her down, you get the clothes off, Lu!”
“Gotcha! Give it up, Fuuri.”
“Let me go!” cried Furiae. “You’ll take the swimsuit with it...! Ah, no, stop...”
The peerless beauty Furiae was surrounded by two other beauties—Lucy and Sasa. They proceeded to strip off her top. It was a pleasant sight.
Not going to join in? Noah asked.
You don’t get it, Noah. It’s such a nice scene because there’re only cute girls involved. A guy can’t get into the middle of that.
That sagely tone is really annoying...
She didn’t seem to agree with me.
“Ahhhh! I’ll take it off! I will!” shouted Furiae.
“Great! Now you’re in a proper swimsuit!”
The yelp had been less than sexy, but Lucy was currently holding Furiae’s removed T-shirt.
“Give it back!” Furiae protested, trying to get out of Sasa’s hold, but her struggle was to no avail—she wasn’t going to beat a lamia queen in a contest of physical strength.
“Makoto, catch!” Lucy yelled, launching all of Furiae’s shed clothes my way. The cloth was saturated and really heavy, so I used water magic to dry everything out.
Then, when I went to fold the clothes, I noticed something.
“Huh?”
Something else was caught in the bundle. The cloth was purple, different from the rest, and the garment was shaped like two upright bowls.
“Ah...” came a noise of realization from Lucy and Sasa.
A moment later, I realized what it was: they’d torn off her swimsuit along with the clothes.
Before I could turn to look at Furiae, she barked out a curse.
“All of you, Sleep!!!”
I didn’t even have time to think about how sleeping in the water was dangerous—we all instantly passed out.
When I came to, Lucy and Sasa were apologizing for going too far. I was lying on a sofa, and the other two were kneeling in front of Furiae in the middle of the room.
Furiae was peering down at them with her legs crossed, an angry look on her face. Seeing that, I stood and walked over, deciding to mediate.
“It doesn’t really matter though,” Lucy insisted.
“Yeah, it was such a cute swimsuit!” said Sasa.
“You two!”
Lucy and Sasa didn’t seem all that apologetic. As I listened, I could practically see the vein pulsing in Furiae’s temple.
“Guys, apologize properly,” I said.
Furiae was the first to react. “M-M-My knight?! You’re awake?!” She backed off with brightly flushed cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You’re all red.”
“And whose fault is that?! I’ve had enough of the pool. I’m going shopping. Come with me,” Furiae demanded.
“Right, Princess,” I replied, obeying my liege’s commands.
“That’s not fair!” Lucy protested.
“I’m coming too!” Sasa added.
“You two will stay here!” declared Furiae. “It’s your punishment.”
After what’d happened in the pool, Lucy and Sasa couldn’t really argue, so they just slumped sadly.
“We’re buying clothes,” were Furiae’s first words as we stepped out into the town. The dark dresses she usually wore must have been too hot, so we browsed store after store, anyplace we could find that sold clothes.
Furiae hummed as she perused the different outfits. When we’d first arrived in Great Keith, she’d been adamant about never wearing something so revealing. But apparently, she now thought much more kindly of sparser attire. It must have been the country’s style—a lot of the clothing here was airy and colorful. And, when the greatest mortal beauty wore that attire, she turned quite a few heads.
Furiae ended up trying on over thirty outfits and buying seven of them.
“Shopping is so much fun!” she exclaimed.
“I’m just glad you’re in a good mood again.”
“I was in a good mood from the start.” She had a lot more pep in her step now than when we’d left.
We took a break, sipping tropical drinks and munching on some local snacks. By the time we returned to the inn, it was nearly evening.
While Furiae seemed utterly satisfied, Lucy and Sasa—who’d stayed in all day—were in quite the opposite mood...and cheering them up had taken even more effort...
◇ That Night ◇
“Is this where the ancient dragon appears?” I asked our tamer guide. She would be accompanying us for the entire trip.
“Yes. This is where it has appeared for the last half a month.”
That date coincided with the sand dragons’ destruction. It seemed like this ancient dragon was an aftereffect of that.
“Does Tobermory not have an adventurer’s guild?” Lucy asked.
I was curious as well.
“It does, along with Temple Knights tasked with keeping order. However, while they can face normal monsters and bandits, an ancient dragon is beyond them.”
Well, yeah...that figured. Macallan was way larger than this town and even we would have been wiped out by an ancient dragon.
“Right! Then I’ll just pound it back when it comes out!” Sasa declared, rolling her sleeves up.
She seemed so reliable, and the tamer was captivated. “I saw you in the tournament...but now I get to see you fight up close...” The tournament winners were almost holy existences to the warriors of Great Keith. It seemed like the tamer was head over heels for Sasa.
Now, all we needed to do was wait.
“My knight, it seems like the ancient dragon will not be present tonight,” Furiae remarked.
The rest of us uttered noises of confusion as we looked at her.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I saw the future. In my vision, the warrior was saying that she waited all night and it didn’t appear. She looked exhausted.”
So...it wouldn’t be here today?
“Uh, Miss?” I asked the tamer. “How frequently does it appear?”
“Um...roughly...one in every three days.”
You could have said that at the start! It seemed like we were going to be stuck in this town for a while...
“I’m heading back to bed then,” Furiae said with a wave. “Good night.”
“Ah... Is she always right?” the tamer asked uneasily.
“Fuu’s pretty much always on the mark, huh?” Sasa said.
“Most of the time, yes, but not always...” I replied. The future wasn’t absolute. Which meant... “It probably won’t show, but we should wait just in case.”
Lucy and Sasa already looked tired as they protested. The tamer seemed ready to cry as well.
“We’ll keep watch in turns,” I suggested.
“R-Right...thanks.”
We paired off to wait through the night. And...just as Furiae had foreseen, we saw neither hide nor tail of the ancient dragon.
◇
“My knight, this meal is delicious!” Furiae exclaimed over breakfast.
She was probably so much more energetic than the rest of us because she’d gotten a full night’s sleep. Lucy and Sasa were exhausted. I was too, but an RPG player couldn’t spend the day sleeping after arriving at a new town.
No, seriously. Sleep if you’re tired, Noah jabbed.
Still, I didn’t stop. “I’m going to walk around the town.”
“You’re going out?” Lucy asked. “I’ll come with.”
“Me too!” Sasa cheered.
But then, someone interjected to rain on our parade.
“I apologize, Lady Aya,” the tamer said, looking like she meant it, “but the lord of Tobermory has invited you to a welcoming party...”
“What?!” Sasa yelled in dismay.
This was another aspect of being a hero—you had to go through all the formalities. Sasa put up a bit of a fight but ended up going off with the tamer.
“Then it’s my turn today!” Lucy exclaimed, tugging at my hand.
I looked over at Furiae to see what she’d do. She was reclining on the sofa, playing with Twi.
“It’s hot outside. I’m taking a break. Enjoy yourselves.” She waved at us.
Well, since she didn’t fancy coming out, today would be a date with Lucy.
“So hot...” Lucy moaned. We’d only left a few minutes ago.
“Want to head back?” I asked. The inn had cooling magic that kept it comfortable even during the day.
“No! That’d be giving up!”
I didn’t entirely understand her logic... Staying in the sun would certainly be tough for her.
“Shall we go to the lake?” I asked. “It might be a bit cooler.”
“Maybe... Though with how hot it is, even that will probably be boiling.”
“Well, it’ll be better than here.”
I tugged the skeptical girl along to the lake in the middle of the oasis. It was apparently open to the public because there were plenty of families and couples around the water. We followed their example, taking our shoes off and stepping into the water.
“Wah!” Lucy yelped. “It’s cold.”
“It really is.” The water was actually cooler than body temperature—perfect for refreshing ourselves in the heat.
“Makoto!” Lucy yelled, scooping up water and splashing me with it.
Huh. Challenging me with water sure was brave.
“Water Magic: Water Whale.”
A massive splash rose up as I created an enormous whale out of water. Lucy squealed as it hit her. Whoops. I hurriedly yanked her up.
“What are you playing at?!” she demanded, smacking at me. Still, she was smiling rather than being actually angry.
“I know. It’s been a while—let’s do this again.”
She squawked in confusion as I grabbed hold of her hand. I then created a current of water on the lake’s surface. We rocketed off like a Jet Ski.
“Waaah! This takes me back!” she exclaimed. “It’s the spell you used in Macallan, right?”
“Yeah. I used it when we got rid of the goblins.”
“Oh yeah... Goblin Cleaner, wasn’t it?”
“Forget that name already,” I protested.
As we chatted, we reached a little island in the middle of the lake. It was covered in palm trees, and the shade made it more comfortable. The two of us lay beneath the palm canopy to take a break. Though the sun was still beating down, the shadows were much cooler.
In fact, it was comfortable...and I could feel myself dozing off. Just as my eyes had drifted closed, I felt something lean into me.
As I muttered something about Lucy not sleeping tidily, I opened my eyes again. She was right in front of me.
“Makoto...” she murmured.
“Lu—mph.”
Her lips covered mine before I could get a full word out. After a long kiss, she looked temptingly down at me.
“There’s no one on this island, is there?” she whispered into my ear.
“Nah. Someone might own it, but no one lives here.”
I could feel her chest pressed against me.
“No one can see us, can they?”
“Well, it’s a few hundred meters to shore... As long as they’re not using Clairvoyance, they shouldn’t be able to.”
Her hands began to slowly pull my clothes off.
“Uh, Lucy?”
“Well, we haven’t gotten time for just us in ages.”
That’s ’cause you’re always with Sasa though...
“It was just the two of us in Macallan,” I commented.
“I regret missing the chance now. I should have made a move when I watched you bathing in the Great Forest...”
“We didn’t have that kind of relationship back then,” I replied. What she’d said was kinda extreme.
“We do now, don’t we?” Her smile was alluring.
“Well, yeah.”
We were together now. Her nose almost touched mine as she spoke.
“Don’t worry... I’ll take the lead—huh?” She broke off, noticing something, and turned around.
I followed her gaze but could only see the lake. There were people on the shore, but I couldn’t tell who.
“A-Aya...”
Lucy’s stutter prompted me to use Clairvoyance—I saw Sasa surrounded by a bunch of important-looking people. Apparently, the party to welcome her was happening on the terrace of a lakeside restaurant. Sasa was staring steadily at us.
“She spotted us,” I observed.
“Ugh, she’s glaring.”
So, instead of our original plan, we just relaxed on the island. After that, we stopped by a few shops and headed back to the inn.
Sasa was there, imposingly waiting. The second she spotted Lucy, she said, “We’re talking!”
“Aya, that hurts!” Lucy protested as she was dragged to our room.
I heard some arguing, but I couldn’t tell exactly what was said.
“What’s going on? They’re fighting? Shouldn’t you stop them?” Furiae asked, obviously confused.
“Ah, well...”
I couldn’t tell her I was the cause of the argument. Fortunately, not half an hour later, they came back hand in hand. I guess they’ve made up...
◇ The Second Night◇
“What’s the outlook tonight, Princess?” I asked.
“Uh...wait a moment.”
Furiae frowned in thought. That was her expression when looking into the future?
“Ah! It’ll be here!” she declared.
“Really?!”
The tamer had the loudest reaction. As part of Great Keith’s military, she must have felt bad making one of their State-Authorized Heroes stay up all night for nothing.
“I saw the warrior covered in blood,” Furiae stated. “She definitely fought the ancient dragon.”
Sasa seemed baffled. “What? I’m covered in blood?”
“Sasa got hurt?” I asked. That was bad. We needed to do something to prevent injury.
“Don’t worry,” Furiae assured us. “It was all splash back—she wasn’t hurt.”
“That’s good.” At least it wasn’t serious.
“No, it’s not!” Sasa protested.
I guess getting covered in blood wouldn’t be nice.
“W-Well...good luck,” said Lucy.
But Sasa grabbed her arm as she tried to sidle away. “Nope! You’re coming with me.”
“Why are you holding me? Let go!” Lucy exclaimed.
“You’re in this with me!”
“I don’t wanna get covered in blood!”
The two of them ended up making quite a bit of noise while we waited for the dragon. Furiae stayed with us this time. Like yesterday, we split into two groups and took turns keeping watch.
We were more tense tonight, wondering when it would appear, but...
It never showed.
“Uh, Princess?” I asked meaningfully as the sky started to brighten.
“I-I can’t help it... The future isn’t absolute...and forcing visions often causes them to fail! My visions are usually accurate if they just randomly appear to me.”
That was way too inconvenient... Regardless, the second day in town ended without us getting anywhere.
◇ The Third Day ◇
“So sleepy...”
“I can’t take anymore...”
Furiae was going to go back to bed after breakfast—she wasn’t used to late-night adventuring. It was also our second day running around, so Lucy had decided to do the same.
“Then you’re coming out with me today, Takatsuki!” Sasa exclaimed. She was the only one with any real energy now. Well, that’s a lamia queen for you—her stamina’s on a different level.
“Where to?” I asked.
“How do you still have energy?” Furiae asked, looking quizzically at me.
“I train every day,” I replied.
I’d always been like this whenever a new RPG came out—three sleepless nights was honestly nothing to me. Even so, I was still a bit tired.
Is that something to be proud of? I heard Noah ask.
It’s fine.
“Let’s go,” Sasa said, pulling me out into Tobermory again.
I’d been wondering where we were going, but apparently “out of town” was the answer. We soon left the oasis and gazed down at the town from the sand dunes. It’d seemed huge while we were inside, but looking at it from the outside, Tobermory was surprisingly small, probably only half the size of Macallan.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Sasa asked.
“What brought that on?” I questioned.
“Well, it’s a center for trade and tourism, but the ancient dragon is pushing merchants away from the town. And, no one wants to come on holiday when there’s a dragon around...”
“Right...”
I’d thought the town was pretty lively, but apparently, this wasn’t what it was normally like.
“The lord and head of commerce were both practically begging me to get rid of the dragon,” she continued. “I told them I’d try...but the pressure is real.”
“Sasa...” She’d been acting as energetic as ever so I hadn’t noticed, but she’d actually been feeling more sensitive than usual.
“Also, the tamer who’s helping us has a poor family and lots of siblings. She’s trying to secure a good career so she can feed them all, but it looks like that hinges on our success...”
“I-I see...”
No wonder she’d been constantly urging Sasa—her appraisal depended on it.
We had—at least, technically—been on an adventure together over the past few days. Problems always weighed the heaviest when they concerned people close to you.
“You’re like my senior with all this hero stuff, right?” she asked. “What should I do?”
That was a hard question.
“Well, if it was me...”
After I’d become the State-Authorized Hero of Roses, I’d more or less just carried on like a regular adventurer. I thought back to the first real job I’d had as a hero. I suppose it must’ve been...the revolt and stampede in Highland? Though, back then, I’d ended up as a guardian knight working together with the Soleil Knights. We’d been so overwhelmed that I hadn’t really gotten time to worry about my place as a hero.
My next job had been in Macallan—the ancient dragon and monster stampede. Macallan was my home though, so I hadn’t really thought about the whole hero thing before jumping in to defend it. I’d just gotten embroiled immediately.
The most recent job had been in Springrogue, when we’d stopped the demon lord Bifrons from being resurrected. Eir had given me that tip-off as a divine revelation, so I hadn’t been able to worry about whether or not to take it.
You always just get dragged into things, Noah sniped.
She was right... Things just sort of ended up that way. However, that mentality wouldn’t help Sasa.
H-Hmm... I need something that works as advice. We need to be careful when adventuring, so...
That reminded me—Princess Sophia had mentioned that she wanted to accompany us when I gave the report about this dragon. She’d been pretty sad to realize that her work schedule wouldn’t let her assist us.
“I need to pick up a souvenir for her,” I muttered to myself.
That prompted Sasa to shoot me a flat look. “Well, that does remind me... You’re given jobs by your girlfriend Sophie. Of course you don’t feel any pressure.”
Damn it. That’d been a slip of the tongue. “Let’s go find something nice to eat,” I said. “It’s hot just staying out here.”
“Just how blatantly can you change the subject?” she asked, but in the end, she still agreed.
At that, we looked around for a good place to eat.
“Hero! Are you looking for something?!”
“Let me guide you!”
“This way!”
Within moments, people working for the lord appeared in front of Sasa and escorted us to a fancy place.
“We have already paid, so please order what you wish,” they said before leaving.
Sasa and I exchanged wordless looks. I could see how this would put pressure on her, and we didn’t end up eating much because of the atmosphere. When things were like this, everything seemed more tiring.
So...I came up with an idea: Sasa used Transform to disguise herself as an elf.
When I asked “why an elf?” she said that constantly being around Lucy made it easier to visualize. She also mentioned knowing what part of Lucy’s body was most sensitive...but I thought that was a bit too much information.
Regardless, the disguise meant that the lord’s subordinates didn’t fawn over us. After wandering around shopping for a while, we headed into a back-alley bar. There, we ordered some meats and cheeses and drinks. Ale for me—a cocktail for Sasa.
“It’s not normally just the two of us in these places,” she commented.
“Isn’t it?”
“Nope. We’re usually with at least someone else. This is more like a date. It’s fun.” The look on her face seemed almost relieved, like she’d been freed from the pressure.
The bar seemed pretty popular since there were plenty of customers besides us. The seats soon filled up. I could see the odd adventurer among them, and I heard plenty of talk about the ancient dragon.
Well, it was the (literal) talk of the town, so hearing gossip wasn’t much of a surprise. I wanted to do something about the beast, but it hadn’t shown up yet.
“Takatsuki, shall we head back?” Sasa asked after a while.
“Yeah. We’ll find it tonight.”
So, we paid our bill and left.
Lucy was waiting outside when we got back. I’d thought she was coming to greet us, but she seemed slightly...off. Her eyebrows rose and she glared at me.
“Who’s this girl?!” she demanded.
“This girl? What...? Oh.”
Oh. Right. Sasa still looked like an elf girl.
“Out of all the girls you could’ve chosen to cheat with, you pick an elf?! I can’t believe you!”
That’s what she’s angry about?
“Wait, Lucy, this is—” before I could explain, the girl at my side hugged me.
“I had fun today, Takatsuki. We should do this again♡”
Then she—without letting the disguise go—kissed me.
S-Sasa?!
It didn’t stop there—her long tongue snaked its way into my mouth and started entwining with my own.
It’s so long... Is it ’cause she’s a lamia? I managed to think.
Lucy’s face had gone bright red, and she stood shaking. I needed to say something...but Sasa’s kiss had been too good. I couldn’t come up with anything.
“How was it?” Sasa asked. Even in disguise, I knew that slightly shy look definitely belonged to Sasa.
“It was great,” I answered honestly. Though, it did feel like I was forgetting something...
Hm? There’s a lot of mana next to me.
“You piece of crap! Firebaaaalll!”
Lucy totally lost her cool and launched a huge fireball the size of a house.
Crap!
“Lu! Wait! It’s me!” Sasa blurted, hurriedly turning back to normal.
“Huh? What? Aya? Why were you an elf?”
“Lucy, do something about the fire first!” I yelled.
She’d nearly blasted the whole inn away...
◇ The Third Night◇
“It will definitely show up tonight!”
“Yes!”
Sasa rolled up her sleeves as she cheered. The tamer had said it appeared once every three days, so tonight seemed likely.
“What exactly did you see in your vision?” Lucy asked Furiae.
“Well, the warrior was covered in blood, just like yesterday. So were you.”
“What?!” Lucy cried. “I was covered in blood?!”
“Don’t worry, it was all splash back. Neither of you were actually hurt.”
“I don’t want to be covered in blood to begin with!” Sasa protested.
“Why was I as well?!”
Lucy and Sasa looked unhappy. And...yeah, of course they were.
“What about me?” I asked.
“I didn’t say? I cannot see your future at all.”
Right. It was hard to see my future because I believed in Noah so strongly.
It’s a good thing! Noah insisted.
It is? I wanted her to look at my future as well.
I’ll guide you anyway!
My goddess was puffing her chest out. Cute. Still, I really wanted the ancient dragon to show up today.
Then, suddenly, it happened.
The sky went dark.
I thought it was a cloud at first, but no...something’s shadow passed slowly over us.
Then, with a thump, it landed quietly in the sand.
“Is that...?”
“It is... The Jade Dragon that has lived in Great Keith since ancient times.”
The dragon was huge, with gorgeous green scales. It closed its eyes and lay back on the sand.
“What is it doing?” I asked.
“We do not know. It hasn’t attacked the town, but it appears here every three days or so, and the townspeople are completely terrified...”
“What are we doing, Makoto? Want me to attack with magic first?” Lucy asked, lifting her staff.
Well...
“Let’s get closer.”
Unlike in Macallan, the ancient dragon wasn’t attacking the town. In fact, it looked like it was sleeping. We slowly approached it. When we were about thirty meters away, I heard a voice.
“Adventurers?” came a low rumble.
It took me a moment to realize—that was the dragon’s voice.
“You desire the fame of my defeat... Reckless adventurers. Very well, I shall face you.”
I felt the mana around the ancient dragon increase. Damn it, we had to fight?!
“I am Aya Sasaki, Hero of Great Keith! I have nothing against you, but I’ll take you down!” Sasa called, her aura surrounding her body.
A lamia queen’s aura had made even dragons flee. This particular dragon was ancient though, over a thousand years old, so it had no effect at all.
Sasa carefully approached it. She hadn’t yet activated her trump card, Super Star. That skill had a time limit, so it was best used once Sasa knew the strength of her opponent.
“Fire Magic (King Rank): Phoenix.”
Lucy chanted the king rank spell and created a phoenix of fire. It was about the same size as the dragon, and even bigger than she’d managed in Highland. Her mana capacity didn’t seem to know any limits. She hadn’t evolved like Sasa, but she also hadn’t stopped growing.
“Young elf. You are quite the mage for your age,” the dragon praised.
“What are you doing, my knight?” Furiae asked.
Lucy and Sasa could probably manage alone, but I was technically the party leader. So, I lifted the arm I’d turned into an elemental the other day. I still couldn’t control it perfectly... However, I slowly refined the mana, making sure that it didn’t spiral out of control.
Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly...
“××××××××? (You called?)” a blue-skinned woman asked as she appeared, twisting around my arm. It was Undyne. She’d been showing up a lot lately... Her body was surrounded by thick, dense mana.
“Ah...ahhhh...can’t breathe...” the tamer sputtered. She fell to her knees, reeling from mana sickness.
“Are you okay?” Furiae asked, supporting her.
“××××××××××××? (Undyne, can you rein in the mana around you?)” I asked.
Undyne looked awkwardly back at me. “×××××× (I cannot make it any weaker.)”
This ridiculous amount of mana was the least she could manage. These minor adjustments were the elementalist’s fault...my fault. The previously clear sky was suddenly covered in thick clouds.
It started to rain, definitely due to Undyne’s influence. Lucy and Sasa looked at me in exasperation. I hadn’t meant to change the weather...
Oh well. We’d just have to fight like this.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait! Are you an elementalist?!” The dragon had sounded majestic, but its voice was now panicked. It was so different that, for a moment, I was confused about who the voice belonged to...before realizing it was the same dragon.
“Yeah...I am...”
“A water elementalist...with...Undyne...” The dragon started to shiver.
What on Earth?
“Takatsuki!”
“Don’t you think the dragon’s acting weird?”
Sasa and Lucy had both rushed over to me. Lucy had stopped her chant.
“Maybe it can’t deal well with water magic?” I suggested. “I’ll try getting Undyne to attack—”
But that was as far as I got.
“I surrender! Please don’t kill me!”
“What?” we all asked flatly in unison.
◇
“A legend, dating back over a thousand years—never make an enemy of an elementalist controlling Undyne.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I know not. I simply heard it from my acquaintances. Even those stronger than me have quaked in fear.”
“Huh...” The elementalist who’d inspired the legend and frightened the dragons must have really been something.
Hmmm... An elementalist from a thousand years ago...
“Lucy, do you think it was your great-grandfather?” I asked. Johnnie Walker the Spellbow had also used elemental magic as he’d fought alongside Abel the Savior.
“Maybe...” she replied. “He usually used his sword and bow, though. I don’t know whether he was that skilled with elemental magic.”
Maybe not, then. I guess it didn’t really matter if we managed to avoid a fight.
“Why are you here?” Sasa asked the dragon.
On the other hand, that was definitely something we needed to know.
“For the oasis water. It holds mana desert fish. I was hunting them.”
“Desert fish?” we asked in unison, not having heard about them.
“These.”
“Wah!”
“What is that?”
The ancient dragon used its massive foreleg to heft a white fish—about a meter long—toward us. It flopped around on the sand before trying to slip beneath it. The dragon’s tongue shot out and wrapped around its scaly body before swallowing it whole.
S-So...that’s how they were eaten.
“The sand dragons used to eat all the fish around here. Now that they are gone, hunting them is much easier.”
“I see.”
So this ancient dragon wasn’t here to attack the town.
“U-Uh, that’s because of me...” Sasa admitted.
“Aya!” exclaimed Lucy. “Why would you say that?!”
“Well, because...”
“Are you worried I will take offense because we are both types of dragon? I would never try to take vengeance for dragons defeated in battle.”
“Phew, I see.” Sasa sighed in relief. This dragon was really understanding.
“If the elementalist demands I stay away from this town, then I will refrain from these hunts.”
I mulled it over for a moment. All it’s really doing is getting food. After thinking, I called the tamer over.
“Wh-What is it?” She was shivering at the sight of the dragon in front of her.
“Can you be the local liaison for the dragon?” I asked.
“Me?! Talk with the dragon?!”
Her eyes went wide.
The dragon being so close to the town had caused a lot of fear, but if the people could communicate with it, things would be different. After all, the Jade Dragon had said it wouldn’t attack people.
“I can also lend my strength should the town ever be attacked by monsters,” it offered.
How friendly was this dragon?!
“Why are you so accommodating?” I asked.
The ancient dragon looked seriously at me. “Allow me to answer your question with a question. What god do you follow?” The dragon’s massive eyes were fixed on me.
“Well...”
Did it know?
It seemed to have read my mind because it continued. “You follow that ancient goddess, do you not? My tribe said that an elementalist following her was to never be made an enemy.”
“I...see?”
Noah’s apostles had made quite the name for themselves. With that much time...it had to have been the hero killer, Cain. He was my predecessor. How much fear had he earned?
So that’s what happened with the drakelings, Noah remarked in amusement. Still, good for you. You didn’t need to fight.
That’s right. However strong Sasa was, an ancient dragon was nothing to sneeze at.
After that exchange, the tamer and the dragon started discussing how they would communicate in the future.
Our guide was struggling for money, but if she was the only person who could talk with the ancient dragon, it would put her in a pretty good position. Hopefully, with this new role, she could keep her younger siblings well-fed.
“Can we head back now, my knight?” Furiae asked.
“Yeah. Looks like everything’s sorted.” We hadn’t wiped the dragon out, but the problem was nonetheless solved.
“Aya and I didn’t get covered with blood though,” Lucy said skeptically.
“Fuu’s divination was off the mark, then.”
“Wait just a minute!” Furiae protested. “It was Future Sight, not divination! And don’t talk like it’s never right!”
The three of them had started getting into their discussion when suddenly, a voice echoed across the sands.
“S-Someone! Help!”
We looked in that direction and saw a carriage being attacked by monsters.
“We need to save them!” Sasa said, immediately surging forward.
But the ancient dragon acted first.
“Hmph... I can start already... GRAAAAH!”
The tamer screamed at the roar, and the monsters chasing the carriage turned tail and fled.
However, the real problem was yet to come.
The three birds pulling the traveler all scattered, breaking their connection with the carriage. Then, the carriage came barrelling toward us.
“We have to stop it!” Sasa quickly got in its path.
“A-Aya! That’s dangerous!”
Actually, it was probably riskier for Lucy to stand next to her.
“Hyah.”
Sasa caught the carriage with a loud crash. It was damaged, but it did stop safely.
Even that wasn’t the main problem though...
This carriage was piled with freight. The darkness made it hard to see what the cargo was, but apparently, it was a load of food. Vegetables and the like.
Red fruit rained from the battered carriage as tomatoes spilled from it.
“What is this?”
“Ew, it’s all gooey.”
Sasa and Lucy...were covered in tomatoes.
“Oh,” Furiae said in realization. She was also stained red with juice and pulp.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“This is what I saw. It wasn’t blood.”
“M-My apologies, Elementalist,” the dragon said. He hadn’t done it on purpose though—he’d just been trying to help.
The trader driving the carriage had collapsed, so we helped them while the tamer caught the escaped birds.
Finally, our adventure was safely concluded.
The ancient dragon menacing the town was now a powerful protector. Trade was flourishing again, and the number of tourists had more than doubled with the chance to see the dragon up close. The tamer had also earned her success—she was given the role of dragon liaison.
It was all good. Everything was solved.
And yet...Sasa wasn’t happy.
“I was trying to do my best.” She sighed. “Takatsuki, you would’ve been enough on your own though. Can I even do this hero thing?”
She was really down.
“No, Sasa. If I’d been on my own, I would’ve been too scared to even try talking. It was only because you were there that I could do anything.”
“Really?” she asked doubtfully.
“You’re too uptight, Aya,” Lucy interjected, trying to cheer her up. “The next thing will come soon.”
“And I’ll use my Future Sight when it does!” Furiae exclaimed.
Sasa’s mood seemed to clear with their words. “Lu, Fuu... Thanks.”
I still had to say one thing, though.
“Can you make Future Sight a bit easier to use?” I asked.
“I thought that too,” Lucy added.
Sasa nodded. “Yup.”
“B-Be quiet!” Furiae sputtered.
“Still, it’s a good thing you didn’t both get covered in blood.”
The possibility of them getting injured was actually what I’d been the most concerned about. I didn’t know what I’d have done if they had been hurt. It seemed like her skill saw negative futures more easily, and that was bad for my heart.
“Hmph. I’ll be able to see perfectly sooner or later. I’ll charm you at the same time.”
“Yeah, don’t,” I retorted.
“You can’t,” Lucy added.
“No charming, Fuu.”
It made sense that she wanted to improve her abilities...but charming her allies wasn’t the way to do it.
And so, that was how Sasa’s first job as a hero ended.
We traveled back to Gamelan, and just before we were ready to leave for Roses, Princess Sophia arrived with a grave expression.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Hero Makoto, everyone. Please, listen calmly to what I have to say,” she prefaced. “The schedule has been set for the Northern Front Plan.”
Those words prompted tension in us all.
The Northern Front Plan referred to an expedition from our continent to the one to the north of us, commonly called the demon continent.
Three demon lords ruled that continent, and part of the plan...was eliminating them.
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