The nights in Roukaku’s desert are cold.
The wagon bed is lined with cloth and heated by magic power fire orbs, giving it a kind of floor-heating effect, but the wind that slips through the cracks is so chilling it makes you squirm. We had no choice but to sleep huddled together.
「Uuugh… it’s cold…」
Wendy was pressed against my right side, Aina on my left.
My arms were buried in their soft, ample chests, yet I was still freezing.
Their peaceful, sleeping faces on either side of me were the picture of bliss. No matter which way I turned my head, happiness was right there.
But now, I faced a trial that would force me to escape this heaven.
Yes, nature’s call.
I don’t want to move! But if I stay, disaster will strike!
I thought maybe I could endure a bit longer… but remembering how the two never let go even in their sleep, yeah, I was already at my limit!
「Hmm… wait… sorry, just a bit, sorry…」
When I tried to slip away, both of them squeezed my arms tighter between their chests.
Whoa! My forehead started to sweat in panic.
No, this is bad, seriously bad!
I can already picture the tragic scene waiting in the morning!
I have to pull free by force! Resist, me! You can get back between them later!
「…What are you doing?」
「Perfect timing, Sorte! Help me pry them off, quick!」
Sorte, who had been on watch outside, must have heard me rustling and came to check.
Honestly, thank goodness!
「…Damn boobs…」
「Not now! Focus! I’m gonna pee myself here! I’m not a kid anymore!」
Sorte glared at the chests trapping my arms with lifeless eyes, but please, cut me some slack just this once!
「Alright, alright, go already, kyaaa!」
Sorte yanked me free… only to fall right between Aina and Wendy.
With her shorter height, her face ended up perfectly wedged between their twin chests. The two shifted in their sleep, pressing from side to side as if searching for the perfect cuddle spot, squashing Sorte’s face in the process.
「W-wait, help….」
「…Sorry, Sorte! My bladder’s at its limit!」
Forgive me, but I can’t save you right now.
I’ll get to the toilet, relieve myself, wash my hands, wipe up, admire the stars, and ‘then’ I’ll come back to rescue you!
「I helped you and this is what I get!? Idiot! Ungrateful jerk! And you two, wake up already if you’re gonna make this much noise!」
Hearing Sorte’s scream fading behind me, I sprinted toward the rocky area we’d designated as the toilet.
Sorry, desert, there’s really no choice but to go standing here.
「That was close… way too close…」
I let out a long breath of relief, washed my hands with the water we’d set aside for that purpose, wiped them clean with a cloth, and began walking back toward our camp while looking up at the sky.
「…Man, what a beautiful night sky…」
With only the campfire and a light stone for the toilet area, the heavens above were pitch-dark, and the stars shone with a clarity I’d never seen before.
The air was pure, the world silent, so this was what a true starry sky looked like.
It was a sight you rarely ever saw in my old world, and I found myself lost in its beauty. I should probably get back to help Sorte now, huh?
Was it just me… or did the stars seem farther away?
I looked down.
My legs were buried up to my thighs in sand.
And in an instant, the sand swallowed me past the waist, then the chest, and before I could even process it, it was up to my neck.
「Eh? Wha, wait!」
This is bad! Quicksand!? Call Sorte, no time! Escape, escape! Invisible Jail!? No, the coordinates, stay calm! Vector Accel! Input’s not responding….
※
Something fine and dry was brushing against my face. I slowly opened my eyes.
「…Ugh…」
My back hurt.
Fine grains of sand were falling gently from high above, and all I could see was a ceiling of shifting sand.
Then the memories came rushing back, being swallowed by quicksand.
「…Haah… should I call it bad luck, or a miracle that I survived a fall from that high…」
If this is divine punishment for not saving Sorte, then that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think, Goddess…?
「Oh? Looks like you’re awake.」
「Hm…?Wha!?」
A soft, languid, but not slow, gentle voice reached my ears.
When I turned toward its source, my mouth fell open and my breath stopped.
My eyes went wide, my body froze, cold sweat poured down my back, and goosebumps ran across my skin.
My heart pounded, loud and fast, echoing painfully in my ears.
Because standing before me was unmistakably,
「Hm? What’s wrong, charming little visitor? Ah, if you could refrain from screaming, I’d appreciate that. I dislike noise.」
…dragon.
Not a drake or an earth dragon.
A ‘true’ dragon.
Even I, with my limited senses, could feel it, the air itself trembled with the terrifying pressure of its presence.
Its shell was so solid it seemed to reject and repel all that existed.
Its massive limbs radiated power enough to bear its immense body with ease.
A tail long, sharp, and strong enough to crush or slice through not just rock, but even iron as if it were butter.
Claws that could rend anything apart, fangs that could crush all without question.
No matter how I looked at it, this being could never be compared to that fearsome earth dragon from before.
「A-ah… ka…」
My mind was in such chaos that all I could do was press my hands against my mouth to keep from screaming.
And for some reason, my thoughts drifted to something completely irrelevant like ‘thank god I went to the toilet first…’
Yeah. Definitely not the time for that.
「Huh? That’s strange. I definitely caught you properly… maybe you hit your head or something?」
Caught? Wait, does that mean I’m alive thanks to this dragon?
Right, that must be it. There’s no way someone with my low stats could have survived a fall from that height otherwise.
「Ah, um… thank you very much for saving me…?」
「Oh? You can talk. That’s good. I was worried for a second there.」
「Um… are you… going to eat me?」
Even as I said it, I wondered what the hell I was saying.
But honestly, that was the most important question right now, so I had to confirm it first.
「Fufu. If I were going to eat you, I would have caught you with my mouth from the start. You’re lucky. I ‘am’ hungry, but I’ve been thinking about something, so I’m not really in the mood to eat right now.」
「……」
Caught with that mouth, if that had happened, I’d have been swallowed whole without resistance.
Th-thank goodness… lucky, so lucky!
Well, I guess if I hadn’t fallen into the quicksand in the first place, luck wouldn’t even be part of this conversation, but still, thank goodness!
「Hm? You’ve gone quiet. Oh, are you doubting me? Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. I’ll swear it upon the Covenant. Dragons keep their Covenants, after all. …And actually, I’d like to talk to you a bit about that.」
Talk?
If it means not being eaten, I’ll gladly listen!
Sitting upright in seiza, if that’s what it takes!
「No need to be so formal. But I’m glad you’re smart enough to listen. If you’d attacked me or anything, I would’ve had to kill you.」
「Ahaha…」
You say that so casually, but it sounds ‘way’ too real…
I wouldn’t dare do something so stupid anyway.
I can’t even imagine an attack that would work on you.
Still, I’m really glad I didn’t panic and pull out a weapon…
「Anyway, about that talk, I want you to understand what the Covenant means. For dragons, it’s something sacred. As I said, dragons never break a Covenant.」
「I… see…」
「So then… does that mean I’m safe because of that Covenant?」
Also, wait. Dragons ‘talk’?
I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but honestly, I was too overwhelmed by your ‘existence itself’ to even process that until now.
So, you’re saying dragons and those monster-type “wyrms” are totally different things, huh?
「Well, you see… some of these old Covenants have been around so long that no one really knows what they even mean anymore. They’re completely outdated. Honestly, I’ve been wondering if it even makes sense to keep following them…」
「Uh…」
「Ah, don’t worry, I’m not talking about the Covenant that says I can’t eat you. You’re ‘very’ appetizing, but I won’t break that one.」
…Why did you have to say it twice!?
「Normally, humans don’t look all that tasty to me, but you, hmm, you look ‘very’ appetizing.」
That was the ‘third’ time!
Y-you’re not actually going to eat me, right!?
And is that drool!? That’s not just a little drool, that’s enough to ‘drown’ me if it drips down here!!
「Slurp, oops, oops, that was close. Don’t worry, I’ll keep the Covenant. Anyway, even if I’m not the clan elder, it’s not like I can just decide to end it on my own. Still, I can’t help wondering if we should really keep holding on to something so ancient and meaningless. I’ve been so troubled by it that I’ve lost my appetite completely.」
「Hah… that much, huh…」
「Yeah. It’s to the point where I feel like talking about it to someone outside my family. So, tell me, human, what do ‘you’ think? Should I keep following the Covenant out of duty to my elder, even if I disagree? Or should I go against it, even if nothing really changes? What should I do?」
「Um…」
So, dragons must obey their Covenants.
I don’t know what kind of Covenant this one’s talking about, but it’s clearly something ancient, and they’re not happy about it.
They’re also deliberately avoiding the details, which means I probably shouldn’t pry.
And since I could still die here even if I’m not eaten, I’d better ‘choose my words carefully’.
「…If you broke that Covenant, would it endanger your life in any way?」
「No, not really.」
「Is there any absolute reason you ‘must’ keep it?」
「Not especially. Other than the fact that I’m a dragon, and dragons honor our Covenants.」
「If you stopped following it, would anything bad happen to you?」
「Hmm… nothing too serious, I think. I’m already known as the odd one out, so people just might think I’m even weirder.」
「I see…」
There was nothing particularly special about it, just an old covenant that didn’t seem to matter much anymore.
…At least, that’s how it sounded to me.
She probably just wanted to hear another person’s opinion.
「…If you don’t like it, then I think you don’t have to do it」
「…Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought humans disliked change. Or are you just trying to please me?」
「No… I don’t particularly like change either. But if I dislike something, I’ll say it clearly」
「Oh? Even if the other party is above you?」
「Yes. As long as there’s no harm in refusing, it’s still my life. I’d rather keep at least one conviction I won’t bend on and live freely otherwise」
Whether or not that was the answer she wanted didn’t matter. That was my view.
If you hate it, don’t do it.
If you don’t want to, then just walk away.
Of course, that’s only if it doesn’t cost your life or have special consequences, but if there’s no such reason, then even if it’s an order from above, I think it’s fine not to obey.
「To live freely with an unyielding core, huh… I see. Then tell me this, if I wanted to erase the covenant itself, what should I do?」
「Hmm… asking the Chief… wouldn’t work, right?」
「Right. They wouldn’t even listen」
「Then… it’s simple, but maybe you should become the Chief yourself? Then everyone would have no choice but to listen, right?」
「So, it comes to that after all… Hmm… maybe that really is the only way…」
The dragon tilted her head, troubled.
But compared to earlier, she seemed oddly more at ease. Maybe it was just my imagination…
「…Yeah. My worries aren’t gone yet, but that’s enough for now」
「Ah, okay…」
「Thank you. I feel a bit lighter now」
「No, I’m glad if I could help…?」
「Fufu. I told you, no need to be so formal. My name’s Cassandra. You’re quite an unusual human, you know? Maybe we get along because we’re both a bit strange. Talking to you was fun. Ahh, now that I feel better, I’m hungry」
「…Um」
Wait, am I about to be eaten?
Should I use Coordinate Transfer (Point Gate) to escape?
No, my legs are shaking too much…
I can already see a future where I’m half gone before I even finish the spell.
「Please… be gentle with me…」
「I told you, I’m not eating you. I still want to honor this covenant. I’ll just go hunt an earth dragon or something instead」
So earth dragons eat other earth dragons…
Cannibalism… well, no, the others are monsters, basically lizards.
「Ah, then……」
「Hm? What is it?」
I spread out my map and pointed out the spot where earth dragons spawn, the farthest, most troublesome place, where the numbers are high and even making a full circuit would be barely possible.
「Thanks. That saves me the trouble of searching. In that case, I should give you something in return」
Cassandra lightly thrust her massive, spike-covered tail into several points of the ceiling.
With a heavy rumble, sand began to pour down in great heaps.
「This should open a way to the surface. Though this place will probably collapse soon. Can you make it back on your own?」
「Yes. I think I’ll be….」
「Too formal. You and I shared words under a covenant, that makes us allies. Just speak normally」
「Ah, right… Got it. I’ll be fine. I can make it back」
「Good. Oh, one more thing, I want to ask you something. What is that core you hold inside you?」
「There are a lot of things, but if I had to put them all together into one, it would be ‘to be happy’. That’s all」
「…Ahahaha. That’s wonderful. Simple, but really good」
Cassandra laughed so heartily that I almost laughed along with her.
After she finished, she held out a massive claw before me.
The pressure it gave off was tremendous, but I didn’t feel afraid.
「Well then, we probably won’t meet again, but if we ever do, let’s call it fate and have another talk」
「Yeah. Got it」
Saying that, I placed my hand against Cassandra’s claw, our version of a handshake.
She nodded happily, then lumbered off through the collapsing tunnels.
Watching the sand rain down, I cast an invisible barrier and ascended before the entire place caved in.
As I looked after Cassandra disappearing below, I couldn’t help but think what a strange dragon she was.
When I reached the surface, Shiro and the others were already awake, apparently out searching for me.
They looked desperate when they were searching, and deeply relieved once they found me.
I told them I’d been swallowed by quicksand, but said nothing about Cassandra.
After all, nothing bad had happened, and she did say, 『I don’t like noisy things…』.
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