Chapter 28: Kidnapped by the Dragon, Thrown away by the Dragon

Within the dark and dense forest, a lone man stood. As the beasts of the forest slept in this pitch black night, covered in a black cloak, the man quietly travelled inconspicuously. Even the slightest noise and movement could not escape this man’s attention. It was as if the man was on the run from something.

Just beyond the trees was the scent of the ocean and the low sounds of the waves on the coast. At one point, the consistent sound of the waves was paused for a moment. Believing it to be a simple s.h.i.+ft of the tide, the man resumed his travel. However, when the sound of something falling into the sands was heard, he stopped.

He focused his gaze towards the source of the sound. Blocked by the shrubberies, he was unable to get a clear image of what fell onto the beach.

He thought for a moment before deciding to investigate and changed his destination to the beach.

「What in the world&h.e.l.lip;」(???)

The quiet man unintentionally leaked his voice. In the man’s eye was a humanoid with its head stuck in the sand, scrambling to get free. Seeing such a scene for the first time, he couldn’t hold in his voice.

「I guess I’ll pull it out first. It’s probably the right thing to do, right?」(???)

The man grabbed the buried person’s legs and pulled. In response to the man’s pulling, the buried individual started to push out from the sand as well.

Thanks to the two’s efforts, a sand covered young man popped out of the beach.

「Phew, I’m saved」(???)

The young man, in a moment of relief, fell onto his rear end in joy. Once he caught his breath, the young man s.h.i.+fted his gaze towards his savior.

「I’m not sure who you are, but thank you for saving me」(???)

「You’re welcome. Would you mind telling me how you fell into such a situation?」(???)

The man carefully examined the young man as he asked.

He dressed like a traveler, but his lack of baggage made it difficult to tell why he was in such a situation.

「Sure, I have a few things I want to know too. I guess I should introduce myself first. My name is Kousuke, I’m a traveler that was on his way back to the Sebus.h.i.+k continent」(Kousuke)

In Kousuke’s eyes, the man before him looked older so he tried to sound as respectful as possible.

「I am&h.e.l.lip;..」(???)

That was when the man suddenly went silent. After short hesitation the man opened his mouth.

「I’m Scheidt. I was on my way to Mt. Mubrant. When I heard a loud sound coming from the beach, I ended up finding you at the source」(Scheidt)

「Mt. Mubrant? Where exactly are we right now?」(Kousuke)

「You don’t know? We’re in the Kingdom of Karbaret, a part of the Ezenbia continent」(Scheidt)

「Ezenbia&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;. Just south of Kalhode right?」(Kousuke)

「That’s it. Perhaps you were traveling from Kalhode?」(Scheidt)

Kousuke nodded.

Although Kousuke said he was heading back to Sebus.h.i.+k, seeing him here in Ezenbia made Scheidt wonder if Kousuke had a terrible sense of direction.

Since talking on the beach was a bit cold, the two discussed their plans as they walked.

Kousuke continued to recall and explained how he arrived here.

When Kousuke’s group left the port city in Kalhode, they didn’t encounter any storms or typhoons and sailed smoothly.

It was a medium-sized pa.s.senger s.h.i.+p, similar to the carvel s.h.i.+p of his world. Including themselves, the entire s.h.i.+p held around 60 pa.s.sengers. The only incident that he could recall on the s.h.i.+p was that Viare became seasick since it was rocking quite a bit.

On the 4th day of the voyage, Kousuke, who had nothing to do, decided to sunbathe and nap on the deck.

「Oh Viare, this is where you were」(Kousuke)

「I feel a lot better outside feeling the breeze than being cooped up in the room」(Viare)

Ever since she got over her seasickness, Viare has been in a good mood.

「I guess the motion sickness medicine worked」(Kousuke)

The s.h.i.+p had some medicine for motion sickness on board for the pa.s.senger, for a price though. When Alice remembered about the medicine, she bought some for Viare from the sailors.

「I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be rocking so much if it was a larger s.h.i.+p」(Kousuke)

Kousuke was reminded about his experience on a large ferry that barely rocked.

「Really? Well, this is my first time on a s.h.i.+p so I really don’t know much about them. Oh, that reminds me, why is Kousuke-san here on the deck?」(Viare)

「I’m a bit bored so I figured I’ll sunbathe a bit while napping」(Kousuke)

「That sounds like a wonderful idea, the weather’s really nice too」(Viare)

It was probably for the sailors, but there were some seats on the deck to lay on. Since they weren’t occupied at the moment, it wouldn’t hurt anyone for the two to use them, they thought.

After informing the deck sweeping sailor, Kousuke went back to the seats. Viare probably wanted to take a nap too as she followed Kousuke.

Taking a seat, as he closed his eyes, a loud, sudden voice was heard from overhead.

Standing in the crow’s nest, a sailor was shouting for attention as he found something unusual nearby.

「Did he just say it’s a Sea Dragon?」(Kousuke)

「I heard that as well」(Viare)

The two stood up from the seats and headed towards the edge of the deck where everyone gathered.

The two s.h.i.+fted their gaze towards the direction the crowd was pointing and saw a gigantic serpentine-like creature in the water. Despite how far away it was, its enormity could not be hidden. Kousuke rubbed his eyes, but seeing no change in the creature’s size confirmed that his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

Somebody in the crowd said that it was the Seigairyuu, the Blue Ocean Dragon.  Certainly, the creature before them was covered in blue scales. 【TL: The kana used was 青海竜, literally Blue Ocean Dragon. 青海竜 can be read in various ways, Seigairyuu just sounded the best - "Say-guy-loo" is the closest p.r.o.nunciation】

「Shouldn’t we be avoiding or escaping from this?」(Kousuke)

They’re making quite the scene, but none of the sailors or pa.s.sengers seem to be afraid of the incoming dragon. This made Kousuke a bit confused.

After confirming with a nearby sailor, Sea Dragons avoid getting too close to s.h.i.+ps as long as they are not threatened, apparently. These sailors probably experienced this situation many times before. 【TL: Kou-chan, you’re a Dragonslayer.. You’re a threat】

「It’s my first time seeing another dragon besides the Black Dragon」(Viare)

Viare and the rest of the Preal Kingdom’s population have seen dragons fly over their heads a few times. Upon seeing them, they would shudder in fear and pray that the dragons would not a.s.sault them. So even though the dragon before her is not the tyrannical black dragon, her deeply rooted sense of fear could not be suppressed.

「It’s also my first time, seeing a live one that is」(Kousuke)

Since the opportunity presented itself, the two decided to observe the Sea Dragon a bit more. It was still a fearful experience for Viare, but for the first time curiosity was the larger reason.

「What the?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke tilted his head. An unusual change in the Sea Dragon’s movement caught Kousuke’s eyes.

Its head suddenly s.h.i.+fted towards the boat and began heading towards them.

「What’s the matter?」(Viare)

「The Sea Dragon’s movement&h.e.l.lip;..」(Kousuke)

「Movement? Ah, is it coming here?」(Viare)

Viare also noticed the dragon’s size was visibly getting larger and guessed that it was approaching them.

「It.. It wasn’t threatened or attacked right? Why is it coming here!?」(Viare)

Viare asked in a trembling voice, but Kousuke remained silent as he didn’t know either.

When the sailors noticed the dragon’s movements, unrest started to spread.

Something of that size will create large waves and may capsize the s.h.i.+p if it’s too close.

As unrest spread, various voices of concern were getting louder and louder.  A certain person ran to the captain to inform him of the situation, another tried to adjust the sails to create some distance, and another ran back and forth in confusion.

Noticing the sudden disturbance on the deck, Alice and the rest of the guests came over to find out what was going on.

「The source of this disturbance is that, isn’t it」(Alice)

While maintaining her gaze on the approaching Sea Dragon, Alice spoke with confidence.

Kousuke nodded in agreement.

「It is」(Kousuke)

「Was someone idiotic enough to a.s.sault it?」(Alice)

「No, no one did such a thing. I wonder why it’s coming towards us?」(Kousuke)

「What’s with this situation&h.e.l.lip; We can’t use flight magic to sh.o.r.e from here since it’s too far. Is there enough time to prepare a teleportation circle?」(Alice)

Having experienced the might of a dragon with her own body in the past, Alice was inclined towards escaping. Since it’s too late, she dare not fight against one. It was suicidal to do so without any preparations. Her battle with the Black Dragon was with sufficient preparations, but she did not win and barely escaped.

「How can you two be so calm!?」(Viare)

Viare was shocked hearing the two’s leisurely conversation in this situation.

「Because it can’t be helped?」(Kousuke)

「Something like that. If necessary, I was planning on escaping into the air with flight magic」(Alice)

Alice felt that even if she attempted to block the Sea Dragon with her most powerful s.h.i.+eld magic it would be useless in front of the dragon’s charge. The two understood this instinctively. The only viable plan for the two was to grab Viare and escape into the air. However, neither of the two thought of what to do afterwards.

The originally 1km away Sea Dragon was now 500m, no 300m away. As it got closer, the waves it produced intensified and the s.h.i.+p began to sway heavily.

「Whoa」(Kousuke)

Kousuke grabbed the hands of Viare and Alice as they almost fell. In this situation, Kousuke was the only one maintaining his balance perfectly. 【TL: Cheater&h.e.l.lip;】

The approaching Sea Dragon slowed down and came to a complete stop around 50m away from the s.h.i.+p. In return, the waves stopped and the s.h.i.+p regained its balance.

「Quite a big one」(Kousuke) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Letting the two go, Kousuke commented while staring at the Sea Dragon, who was larger than the s.h.i.+p. Including the submerged portion of it, this dragon was definitely larger than the Black Dragon. Permeating an aura of invincibility, it can be instantly understood why lesser beings would normally cower or faint when near it.

The rest on the s.h.i.+p were silently staring in awe and trepidation at the experience of seeing a Sea Dragon so close. The only ones unshaken were Kousuke and Alice.

The crowded deck was silent with no sense of disorder, primarily attributed to the lack of hostility coming from the Sea Dragon.

s.h.i.+fting its gaze from person to person, the Sea Dragon’s eyes stopped firmly onto Kousuke.

「What’s this?」(Kousuke)

By some unknown force, Kousuke felt his body being pulled. And the force increased rapidly. Involuntarily, he was slowly getting dragged towards to the edge of the deck. No matter how hard he tried to stand his ground, he couldn’t stop. Coming to their senses, Viare and Alice tried to drag him back, but ultimately failed to do so.

「Are you calling out to me?」(Kousuke)

Sensing no imminent danger, Kousuke turned his head towards Viare and Alice as he stopped resisting. It may have been a reckless judgment, but having no strength to resist, the end result would inevitably be the same.

「I’ll be heading out for a bit. I’ll somehow get back on my own, alright?」(Kousuke)

「It has no hostility towards us, but I haven’t the faintest clue of its goals. Be careful, got it?」(Alice)

「Mm. There’s no need to be so worried Viare, I’ll be fine」(Kousuke)

Facing the tearful Viare, he smiled in a care-free manner as his body floated off the s.h.i.+p towards the Sea Dragon. He was gently placed onto the Sea Dragon’s head.

Obtaining Kousuke, the Sea Dragon s.h.i.+fted its body away from the s.h.i.+p and swam in a different direction. Its movements were sudden and caused the s.h.i.+p to nearly capsize.

But everything settled soon after and all on board let out a sigh of relief. While the pa.s.sengers were baffled at the Sea Dragon’s sudden kidnapping of Kousuke, the sailors on board were inspecting the s.h.i.+p for any damages.

After an hour worth of inspection, the s.h.i.+p finally resumed its original course. The sailors felt that nothing else should happen during the trip not knowing that 8 days later they will be a.s.saulted by a ma.s.s of sea demons. With so much happening on just one trip, many of the sailors wanted to retire from this hazardous occupation afterwards.

On the emptied deck, Viare and Alice kept their gaze on the distant Sea Dragon and Kousuke. Viare earnestly prayed for Kousuke’s safety while Alice pondered the Sea Dragon’s motive for taking him. After the Sea Dragon disappeared into the horizon, the two returned to their room.

The Sea Dragon, while carrying Kousuke on its head, kept him mostly paralyzed from moving as it swam. At least he was able to move his head, arms and legs a bit. Most likely it was to keep him from falling, but to Kousuke, it was an ordeal not being able to move for such a long time. Still though, despite the discomfort, at least he was safe from falling as the Sea Dragon’s swimming speed was easily many times that of the s.h.i.+p. Based off the wind pressure he felt, it reminded Kousuke of the time when he rode his motor scooter at 50km/hr (31.07mph).

It was a bit difficult to pinpoint the Sea Dragon’s speed as the scenery was the same all around them, but it was definitely over a 100km/hr at the very least. Normally, the average human being would be unable to bear such pressure, but the Sea Dragon was guarding Kousuke from some of it, making it seem like they were only going 50km/hr.

「Hey, just where exactly are you taking me?」(Kousuke)

Despite not hoping for a response, he threw a question at the Sea Dragon. It responded with silence. Since he expected this much, Kousuke tried to lean back slightly and managed to fall onto his back to relax. He closed his eyes and slowly dozed off.

The Sea Dragon, ignored the fact that Kousuke fell asleep, and continued its journey.

Later that evening, Kousuke awoke to find himself near land. As callously as he was kidnapped, he was similarly tossed onto the land.

This was the reason for him being stuck headfirst in the beach.

The s.h.i.+ft in the waves that Scheidt originally ignored was when the Sea Dragon arrived near the sh.o.r.e. He probably could have caught a glimpse of the Sea Dragon’s shadow disappearing into the night if he came to the beach immediately.

As a matter of fact, the Sea Dragon didn’t target and kidnap Kousuke due to his ident.i.ty. As long as the individual was strong, it would have done the same to them. With its senses, the only individual that met its requirement was the nearby Kousuke.

As for the reason for kidnapping him, it was equally haphazard. Within the Ezenbia continent, there exists a human individual that the Sea Dragon favors. That individual has been troubled these days and in attempts to a.s.sist the said individual, the Sea Dragon was gathering “reliable” people. The Sea Dragon decided to gather and toss these “reliable” people near the favored individual, in hopes that they will be of a.s.sistance.

Since the two never had a conversation, Kousuke was left in the dark about the Sea Dragon’s intention. Hence, the only goal in his mind was to head to Sebus.h.i.+k. With a little thinking, Kousuke knew the Sea Dragon had its reasons for tossing him here, but the lack of a hint made it impossible to confirm.

Regardless of Kousuke’s success or failure to a.s.sist the favored individual, the Sea Dragon would simply kidnap another to replace him, however.

Changing certain details, Kousuke reiterated to Scheidt what had occurred.

The s.h.i.+p he was on was a.s.saulted by a wave of sea demons. He latched himself onto a piece of wood and was drifting aimlessly until he saw land. As he tried to swim over, more sea demons appeared and ended up launching him onto the beach. Considering that the truth was that he was kidnapped by a dragon, this story sounded more plausible.

Changing the phrase from “I rode the sea dragon” to “I rode the waves”, Kousuke grinned at how ingenious his wordplay was.  Scheidt only saw the grinning Kousuke as peculiar. 【TL: Kairyuu, depending on the second kana can be read as the “sea waves” or “sea dragon”. They sound the same】

Despite Kousuke’s efforts, Scheidt felt something off about Kousuke’s explanation. His clothes. He explained that he was adrift, but nothing on him was drenched. To be specific, he looked a little soaked as if he was in a light drizzle, but for someone who was originally submerged in the water, it simply did not match.

In the end, Scheidt kept his mouth closed about this point. He wanted to maintain a friendly relations.h.i.+p with Kousuke. 【TL: You swing that way? Sorry, but Kou-chan already has two wife candidates!】

「You went through quite the trouble」(Scheidt)

「Seriously&h.e.l.lip;」(Kousuke)

「Since it’s like that you must have nothing to eat or drink, right? I have a bit on hand so do you want some?」(Scheidt)

It must have been at least a few days he did not eat or drink since he was adrift, so Scheidt thought.

「Is that alright?」(Kousuke)

「Yea, helping others in need is normal, no?」(Scheidt)

Forgetful of the importance of the saying “Nothing is more expensive than free”, Kousuke accepted Scheidt’s offer.

The meal was quite meager, bread, water, and some dried meat. Still, it turned out to be quite delicious as he was fairly starved.

「What are you plans from now on, Kousuke?」(Scheidt)

Scheidt asked the now full Kousuke.

「Go home」(Kousuke)

「Makes sense, but do you have any money?」(Scheidt)

「Ah&h.e.l.lip;」(Kousuke)

Kousuke sifted through his pockets and pulled out his wallet. He only found 2 silvers and a few copper coins inside. He realized that the rest of his money was in his luggage, the very luggage still left on the s.h.i.+p.

「&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; I guess I need to earn a bit before getting home」(Kousuke)

At the very least his identification card was still on hand so accepting guild requests was still possible.

「Interested in teaming up? I know a great way to earn quite a bit」(Scheidt)

「But I don’t need that much though」(Kousuke)

Being confided in about a profitable situation made Kousuke, with his upbringing in j.a.pan, feel skeptical. 【TL: “Why confide in others when you can grab it all for yourself” kind of thing】

「I know it sounds suspicious, even I would be hard pressed to trust such a thing. Still, I need your help on this since doing it alone is quite difficult」(Scheidt)

「Are you sure that I’ll be able to make a difference?」(Kousuke)

「A hunch. It keeps telling me that taking you along is the right thing to do. It’s never done me wrong since it’s a gift I was born with. Take a look」(Scheidt)

He pulled out a card displaying the gift he has, smiling brilliantly to further prove his confidence in it. In the past, regardless of how perilous the situation became, his hunch has always prevented his death. Since his hunch keeps telling him to take Kousuke along, he will put his utmost into convincing the other party to join.

「It really is a gift」(Kousuke)

Kousuke tilted his head in thought, hypothesizing that Scheidt’s gift reacted to his Dragonslayer gift.

「&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; How about giving me some details first, I’ll decide after that」(Kousuke)

「Well, I guess that’s fine」(Scheidt)

Scheidt immediately agreed, as asking another for a favor without disclosing anything felt quite rude.

「See that mountain over there? It’s called Mount Mubrant and its home to many monsters. There’s a spring near the peak and it streams down the mountain. Ah, well, the spring doesn’t really matter, but near the spring is a spot with plenty of sunlight and many rare herbs grow there. I’m in need of one particular herb from the bunch. To be more specific, I need the medicinal water produced by mixing that herb’s flower pollen and morning dew」(Scheidt)

「What does the medicinal water do?」(Kousuke)

「It’s really good for the throat」(Scheidt) 【TL: dafuq?】

「Good for the throat? I’m guessing you’re gathering this for someone with a bad sore throat?」(Kousuke)

「Not exactly. The throat is very valuable to the individual and she is currently attempting to collect as much of it. Have you ever heard of the World’s Best Diva? She’s this kingdom’s princess」(Scheidt)

Kousuke didn’t know so he shook his head.

「I’m surprised since she’s quite famous. Well it’s like that, a person of that stature needs it so I’m here to get some. Now you see why I said this is a great way to make a lot of money?」(Scheidt)

「Since it’s so profitable, wouldn’t there be many adventurers accepting this request constantly?」(Kousuke)

Scheidt raised three fingers.

「There are three reasons for its scarcity.

One: That herb only blooms at high alt.i.tude.

Two: The medicinal water is produced in limited quant.i.ty and the timing to gather it is set every year.

Three:  The monsters that roam the mountain is a rank or two stronger than anything else in this region」(Scheidt)

「So the third one is main deterring reason for most of the adventurers, I see」(Kousuke)

「Exactly」(Scheidt)

Kousuke determined that Scheidt’s hunch isn’t a vague feeling, but something more pinpoint at this conjunction. Even if he were to venture alone, with his hunch alone, he could easily avoid or escape from danger. Clearly, even without Kousuke’s help, Scheidt could retrieve the medicinal water himself.

However&h.e.l.lip; It’s also the case that Kousuke is in need of money. Not a fortune’s worth, but at least something substantial enough. Kousuke could clearly reject the request, but something was constantly nagging in the back of his mind.

It began the moment he received some food from Scheidt. After receiving such good will without requesting any compensation, it brought about hesitation in Kousuke. This was clearly something Scheidt aimed for. Kousuke was baited, Scheidt clearly knew he would be rejected if he asked outright so he planned this according to his hunch.

「&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; I’ll agree under one condition」(Kousuke)

「And that would be?」(Scheidt)

「Due to personal reasons, I want to maintain a low profile so keep the news of my involvement in this to yourself.

I’ll a.s.sist in exchange for a portion of the reward and nothing else, sound good?」(Kousuke)

Scheidt showed a slightly disappointed expression. The condition proposed was something so minor.

「Just that? That’s fine by me. Well then, I look forward to our cooperation」(Scheidt)

「Mm. Likewise」(Kousuke)

The two shook hands and proceeded to head to the nearest village. The two needed to prepare before venturing out to the mountain, and Kousuke needed some rest after being “adrift” for so long.

「By the way Scheidt, why are you after the medicinal water? For money or is there another reason」(Kousuke)

「The latter, I want to see the princess in person, you see」(Scheidt)

Scheidt hesitated slightly before responding and tried to lower Kousuke’s suspicion with a normal reason.

「I see, so you can meet her if you have some of the medicinal water」(Kousuke)

「Apparently she wants to thank the people who put themselves in danger herself」(Scheidt)

「Hmm, I see, quite a bold princess」(Kousuke)

「As a singer, she’s constantly on the move from place to place, meeting new people. It would be unusual if she wasn’t bold and outspoken」(Scheidt)

『And she probably doesn’t feel like a part of the royalty with how small the Kingdom of Karbaret is』(Scheidt)

Towards this though, Scheidt has no complaint. On the contrary, being able to meet a member of the royalty in person was to his convenience.

「Oh, I think I see it. Is that the village you mentioned earlier?」(Kousuke)

「It is, but how can you see it from this far? I’m familiar with this region and I can barely make out the village. And here I felt that my eyesight was quite good」(Scheidt)

Scheidt was a bit shocked at how well Kousuke could see in this dark forest.

「I’m quite confident with my eyesight」(Kousuke)

「A moonless night and shrouded by trees and shrubs, that’s quite the ability you have there」(Scheidt)

After speaking, Scheidt was tempted to ask Kousuke if he was also a gift bearer.

However, considering Kousuke’s situation, Scheidt kept his mouth shut. He wanted to keep the relations.h.i.+p between them as amicable as possible, at least until he gets the medicinal water. Scheidt decided to ask after everything was done.