With the information we had received from Eselda, we set our sights on Yabel Valley.
Naturally, we informed Gregory-san and Felix-san about this development. Both had been concerned about Simone’s absence, so they were more than willing to lend their support.
Gregory-san offered us provisions, while Felix-san provided us with weapons, ensuring that our preparations went smoothly.
Yabel Valley was quite far from the town of Driessen. In such cases, we typically relied on a horse-drawn carriage for travel. While riding on Simone’s dragon form would be faster, we often chose the carriage for the journey’s enjoyment.
But this time was different—speed was of the essence.
Thus, we asked Eselda to transform into her dragon form and carry us. That’s when an unexpected issue arose.
Eselda’s dragon form was far too small to carry all of us at once.
As a compromise, we decided to use the cart we typically attached to the horse carriage. Eselda carried the cart in her claws as she flew us through the skies.
When we finally took to the air, however:
「Th-This is scarier than I thought…」
「Y-Yes, I agree…」
Kiara and Martina’s reactions said it all.
Despite being a relatively similar mode of transportation to what we were used to, something about it felt far more precarious this time.
「I suppose the larger size of Simone’s form gave us a sense of security.」
「Indeed desu wa. Simone-san was quite large, wasn’t she?」
「Truly… In every way.」
Charlotte and Hanon nodded in agreement.
…I decided it was best not to question what they meant by “in every way”.
During the journey, Eselda shared more details about her past. She had originally lived in Yabel Valley as part of its dragonkin community. However, a few years ago, another group of dragonkin had moved in, driving her out in the process.
Charlotte speculated that the dragonkin who had driven Eselda away was the source of the rumors about a dragon in the valley.
Eselda explained that she had encountered Simone by chance after leaving the valley. When Simone learned of Eselda’s plight, she decided to return to Yabel Valley to confront the dragonkin responsible. This was a significant step for Simone, who usually preferred to avoid conflict. Her determination to stand up for her friend showed just how much she had grown.
While I reflected on this, we suddenly arrived at our destination.
「So… this is Yabel Valley…」
The scene before us was striking. Towering rock walls flanked a large river that cut through the valley. With a touch more greenery, it could have been a picturesque tourist destination.
Charlotte explained that this valley had once served as the shortest route to the neighboring country. However, it had been abandoned after dragon sightings began several years ago. Rumors claimed that even the bandits who once preyed on passing nobles and merchants had all been devoured by the dragons.
As fantastical as these stories sounded, the imposing landscape made them strangely believable.
Here, somewhere in this valley… Simone awaited us.
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