The journey by flying dragon was over in a flash.
The Duke Alway’s territory is not far from the Capital City, so although they were told it would take an hour, they actually arrived much sooner. This was likely thanks to the flying dragon and the Dragon Knight.
However, while arriving early was good, a problem had also arisen.
“Uwoooooooohh—”
It was Laurentz, repeatedly vomiting in a corner. He was suffering from motion sickness.
Whether or not a flying dragon counts as a vehicle is another matter, but Laurentz, who was never good with boats or carriages, was spectacularly seasick.
As soon as he disembarked from the flying dragon, he made a beeline for the shade of the trees and threw up. The Dragon Knight could only offer a wry smile. According to them, Laurentz was the first person to get sick riding a flying dragon. Most people, like Jared, seemed to enjoy the aerial journey.
The Dragon Knights had already returned. Since flying dragons are often prey for Dragon Species, they made the judgment not to unnecessarily provoke them.
Jared thanked the Dragon Knights and also thanked the flying dragon, stroking its scales.
That was just a few minutes ago.
Jared decided to assess the situation while Laurentz recovered, so he spread out a map from his luggage.
Frankly, Duke Alway’s territory was vast. Even if it wasn’t far from the Capital City, entering the territory itself would require more time. It was only because a flying dragon was prepared that it took just an hour.
The place where Jared and the others were was the easternmost part of Duke Alway’s territory, close to the border with the Dragon Kingdom.
The territory was generally prosperous, and the populace was concentrated closer to the Capital City, but small towns were scattered throughout. According to prior information, they had heard again that towns near the border were destroyed, but they didn’t know the extent of the human casualties.
They also had medical supplies prepared by the Mage Association, so they wanted to save as many people as they could.
“Ugh… Sorry, I’m alright now.”
“Really? We might be thrust into combat at any moment, so please recover as much as you can.”
“No problem. In fact, moving around might be better. Besides, we can’t just leave the Dragon Species be, can we?”
“That’s true…”
Even with a deathly pale face, his assertion of being fine lacked conviction. However, there was certainly some truth to what Laurentz was saying.
After a moment’s hesitation, they decided to proceed slowly, keeping a close watch.
“Drink some water, at least.”
Laurentz, catching the water bottle thrown to him, rinsed his mouth and then drank several gulps.
“…Thank you. Let’s go.”
“Understood. First, let’s head to the damaged town. It’s less than ten minutes’ walk.”
Putting the map away, Jared and the others began walking.
They had already confirmed the town’s devastation from the back of the flying dragon. They remembered that many of the buildings had collapsed, presenting a terrible sight.
“Given that a Dragon Species was confirmed, it’s surprisingly quiet.”
“It probably depends on the type of Dragon Species. If it can fly, we won’t know until it attacks us, and it might even be taking a nap somewhere.”
“If only it were sleeping… Honestly, I’m just anxious.”
Laurentz, who had recovered enough to converse, had sweat beading on his forehead.
Since it was only the fourth month, it wasn’t hot, so Jared wondered about it.
“Laurentz, are you alright? You’re sweating a lot.”
“It’s because I’m nervous! Actually, why are you so calm?”
“Ah, that’s right, this is your first real combat, isn’t it? It’s natural to be nervous. You just have to get used to this kind of thing.”
Hearing that the sweat was due to nervousness, his confusion disappeared. It was a path everyone had to walk. Jared remembered how terribly nervous he had been during his own first real combat.
“You were like that too?”
“Of course. I was facing a flying dragon alone. I was told there was just one, but there was another nest nearby. After fighting desperately, I counted them, and there were thirty. I was amazed I survived.”
“Thirty flying dragons for your first real combat… I would have died.”
“You’d be surprised, you don’t die that easily. I was just trying to survive, so the fear disappeared partway through. Then, strangely, anger welled up.”
“Anger?”
Jared spoke as if reminiscing.
“Yes, anger. Anger at the Mage Association for their inaccurate information, anger at myself for not verifying it, anger at my own foolishness for thinking I could handle one flying dragon alone. Anger surged at everything, and I fought with all I had. Even after killing the flying dragons, the anger didn’t subside, so I went to the Mage Association and seriously punched the staff member who handled the request.”
“That was… well, a bit of misfortune.”
“It might have been misfortune, but I also had my responsibilities. Anyway, that was a year ago.”
“I wish I could become as composed as you, Jared, soon.”
“You’ll get there quickly, Laurentz. Besides, your first real combat being against a Dragon Species is even more impressive than mine! Future requests will probably feel like nothing in comparison, don’t you think?”
“I hope so…”
He continued speaking to encourage Laurentz, who was still anxious, but his expression remained clouded.
It was understandable. It was his first real combat. It would be difficult not to be nervous.
It wasn’t as if Laurentz was a complete novice in combat. Weathered Royal Academy conducted practical training, which mostly involved sparring between students, but sometimes they would fight lower-class Magical Beasts.
For Jared, sparring between students was far more terrifying. Even if they were students and held back to some extent, magic was pure power. A slight slip could lead to killing the opponent.
In the long history of the academy, training accidents resulting in death were not uncommon. Most of these involved training between students.
Compared to that, an opponent against whom no restraint or hesitation was necessary was much easier to fight.
However, that was solely Jared’s perspective, and he couldn’t impose it on Laurentz.
“Speaking of which, how did you manage to get permission from your parents?”
“Hm? Ah, did someone tell you about my Mother?”
“Yes. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Mother has always been overprotective. But this was the first time—the first time I ever defied her like that.”
As they walked, Laurentz smiled, a hint of shyness on his face.
“I had never gone against Mother before. I probably thought I’d live my whole life unable to defy her. She’s not a bad mother, but her excessive worrying felt like a burden. Bertha and Kurt were also influenced by her from a young age. They are my precious family now, but at first, I resented them, feeling like they were guards.”
“So you defied such a mother for the first time.”
“I was surprised myself. I had originally intended to speak only to Father, but unfortunately, Mother was also present. Of course, she objected, but I managed to stand my ground. Both Mother and Father were surprised. But I’m glad I defied her. Now I can live as myself.”
Laurentz seemed to have a newfound composure, his expression somewhat radiant.
While still nervous about his first real combat, there was an undeniable, different kind of human composure about him.
“We should be nearing the town soon. Even from above, it looked quite bad, so I hope the residents are safe—Hey! I see it!”
“I see it too. But this is…”
As the two emerged from the forest, they were met with the aftermath of a ravaged town.
Most of the buildings had collapsed, presenting a tragic sight.
“…It’s too horrific. Is this the work of a Dragon Species? Are we going to fight something capable of this?!”
Laurentz’s cry echoed through the surroundings. Jared quickly covered his mouth, signaling him to be quiet.
In a situation where they didn’t know what might be lurking, shouting loudly was unwise. Especially since there was a possibility that the Dragon Species was still in the town.
“I’m letting go. Let’s go into the town quietly and observe.”
Jared slowly released his hand from Laurentz’s mouth, and they headed into the town.
