The Mountain Where the Fire Dragon Dwells

Far from the city of Ateil.

After riding the carriage for a while past the monster wellspring, they arrived at a great mountain range.

The magnificent ridgeline was visible even from a distance.

This area was rich in resources, and proportionally, the monsters were strong and numerous.

But ever since the Fire Dragon had taken up residence, the monsters in the mountains had stopped showing themselves.

Not that it mattered much, since humans could no longer approach either.

Any reckless adventurer who got too close would be blasted by a roar and sent running.

According to the duke's intelligence, the Fire Dragon had made its lair deep within the mountains, partway up.

This was as far as the duke's party would go.

From here, only Orleans and Yohane's group would proceed.

"I expect good news. Remember that I came all this way in person."

The words were directed less at Orleans than at Yohane, who occupied something closer to a guardian's role.

From the duke's position, saying he "expected good news" was tantamount to demanding results. Yohane had no illusions about that.

If Orleans failed, the threat of the Fire Dragon would persist.

That would mean hiring adventurers capable of fighting a Dragon.

The expense would be staggering.

If a single serf could resolve the situation, all of that went away.

Placing hope on her was only natural.

Orleans stood gazing up at the mountain.

"Nervous?"

"… A little."

"I'd imagine. But this is something only you can do."

Yohane said that and gently nudged her forward.

Orleans nodded and took her first step toward the mountain.

The air was dry.

Whether from low humidity or high temperature.

Or perhaps both.

There were no monsters in sight.

The silence was unnerving.

When Elza cleared her throat, the sound rang out, startlingly clear.

"The Fire Dragon is close. Being careful may not help much, but please be careful all the same."

"If it comes to a fight, I'll grab Master and run."

"That does sound like our best option. Stranded slaves without a master, that's no laughing matter."

The heaviness that had been settling over them lightened a fraction.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Realistically, if we had to fight, do you think we could win?"

Azu directed the question at Elza and Alexia.

"Hmm, let me think. I might be able to block one breath attack…"

"Neither Alexia-chan nor I could get through the scales, I think. If Azu-chan went all-out, maybe you could punch through them, but…"

She added that getting close meant contending with its tail, its jaws, and razor-sharp claws.

Azu stroked the hilt of her sword and sighed.

The look on her face said she'd grasped just how hopeless it was.

"There was that dragonslayer at the Colosseum, remember? I guess we'd need to be as strong as him."

"Is that person even really human?"

"The simple answer is to get stronger than a Dragon and then you can hunt one. Not a useful reference."

"That's like telling someone who wants money to just get rich. If it were that easy, nobody would struggle."

Orleans let out a small laugh.

"Oh, you finally laughed."

"Sorry. I couldn't help it."

"Don't apologize. If anything, you're usually too composed for your age. Were you like this back on the estate?"

"Yes. Is it strange?"

Yohane considered how to answer.

She'd most likely been trained not to say anything out of line around the soldiers who kept watch. That was his guess.

If she asked whether it was strange, yes, it was. But saying that bluntly to a child felt cruel.

"It's just your personality."

"I see."

The conversation trailed off.

The dryness in the air was getting worse.

Bad enough that simply inhaling made him want to cough.

Azu, perhaps shielded by the Water Elemental's influence, wasn't suffering as much, but Yohane and Orleans found it brutal.

When Alexia conjured a mist around them with magic, it became a little more bearable.

"Take small, frequent sips of water. You'll damage your throat otherwise."

"Got it. And thank you, Alexia."

"Of course."

He obeyed Elza's advice without complaint.

She could be lax at times, but when it came to her duties as a cleric, she was dependable.

After walking a little farther, they heard a sound from deeper in.

A vibration in the air reached them.

A Dragon's roar.

A warning to the humans approaching its lair, perhaps.

But the Dragon was the one who had called them here.

They pressed on.

Orleans' breathing had grown labored.

Unlike Azu and the others, she was genuinely just a girl.

That she'd have less stamina than an adult man like Yohane went without saying.

"There's still some distance. Let's take a break."

"I'm fine."

"I'm the one who needs to rest. Here."

There happened to be a fallen tree, so he laid a cloth over it and sat down.

Azu was the first to sit beside him.

Orleans watched him settle in, paused, and slowly eased herself onto the fallen tree.

After climbing this far in conditions like these, there was no way she wasn't tired.

With what lay ahead, she needed to conserve her strength.

"There really aren't any monsters."

"Dragon territories tend to be clear of monsters. Whether the Dragon hunts them or they flee, I'm not sure."

Alexia, her throat moistened with watered-down apple vinegar, responded to Elza's remark.

"Aren't dragons technically monsters?"

"Oh, Alexia-chan. Actually, dragons are living beings created by the Creator King's First Apostle. They were made to counter the unchecked proliferation of monsters."

"Is that so? The one I met was the Fourth Apostle, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, only Azu-chan got to meet her…"

Elza sounded genuinely disappointed.

Wanting to meet the apostle of the god you served—he could understand the feeling.