“Wow…! Amazing! Spectacular!”
“Meow!”
I couldn’t help but shout out at the breathtaking view that stretched beneath us. Ketsue, who had been hiding inside my jacket, was also mesmerized by the sight, eyes sparkling at the unfamiliar scenery. Since it would be dangerous if I dropped him, Ketsue only poked his face out to peer around.
After all, we were currently riding on the back of a golden dragon flying right above the Great Forest.
◆◇◆
While on a patrol of the continent, the golden dragon Rei agreed to take us to the nearest village.
After reincarnating in this other world, I had secluded myself in the Great Forest for a while, fearing being targeted as the summoned hero’s weakness.
But once my level surpassed 100, my perspective changed.
(Aside from beings considered extraordinary like heroes and legendary figures, I, a high-level High Elf, should be pretty strong, right?)
At least, I was sure that humans would be much weaker than the magical beasts, demons, and dungeon monsters that roamed the area around the Demon Mountain.
Even if I was surrounded by a crowd, I could probably take them down easily with mid-level magic.
If I used water and wind magic to create a thick mist for disorienting, escaping would be easy.
(If I had to flee in a town, I could escape easily with parkour, and in the forest, I’d be even faster with my Elf agility. Plus, I could even use dark magic to confuse them. …Yeah, there’s really no reason for me to fear people, right?)
I should still be cautious of thieves or the people from the Shirlan Kingdom who summoned my cousins.
(Hmm, but the wyverns I fought inside the dungeon were a bigger threat than thieves, right?)
Thieves who attack on the ground would be much easier to defeat than the pesky wyverns that attack from the air with wind magic.
Plus, I had an accessory-style magic item from the Demon Mountain dungeon.
When appraised, it turned out to be a magical tool that created a dizziness-inducing distraction.
It required a fair amount of magic power to use, but once activated, the effect lasted for half a day—quite a useful ring.
(If I use this magical tool, I should be safe even while camping, right?)
After thinking it all through, I came to a conclusion.
The journey that would normally take over half a month could be done in one leap if I rode on a dragon’s wings, so I decided to take advantage of that!
The kind dragon would pick me up on the way back. Since it was a patrol of the continent, it would take about half a month, which was perfect for sightseeing.
(If I have the communication mirror I got from the Minotaur floor boss, I can contact them. And the golden dragon scale Rei gave me seems to work like a GPS.)
It was as if some god was encouraging me to go to the village, saying, “Hey, why not go check out the human settlements?” I didn’t like playing into someone’s plans, but I was starting to get tired of my hermit lifestyle, so I boldly decided to ride on Rei’s back.
“The nearest village isn’t in the Shirlan Kingdom, right?”
Just to be sure, I had to confirm that.
“No, it’s not in Shirlan. I’ve heard about Tohma ’s situation. We’re heading in the opposite direction. It’s a village on the edge of the Great Forest, in a shallow area.”
“Got it. That’s a relief. Thanks, Rei.”
“If you head further west from there, you’ll reach the sea. I remember you were talking about wanting fresh seafood. If you’re going to go that far, you might as well make it a sightseeing trip to the sea.”
“The sea? Really? That sounds amazing! Ketsue, we can eat all the sashimi we want!”
“Gwaaan!”
Excited by the surprise, my mood shot up.
As expected, Rei was the best! Maybe I got a bit carried away cheering him on, because the golden dragon began flying higher and higher, and we almost froze from the cold.
The strong wind was blocked by a Wind Magic barrier, but the cold was another matter.
Though the clothes I was wearing were blessed by the Creator God to be cold-resistant, my head was still exposed.
“Sorry. This is my first time carrying living creatures, so I didn’t know how to adjust…”
“I’m tougher than a regular human, but compared to a dragon, we’re weaklings! We’d die instantly!”
I made sure to emphasize that, so Rei decided to fly slowly and cautiously from that point on.
Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy a graceful journey through the skies.
“I’ve tried paragliding and skydiving before, but riding a dragon is definitely way more thrilling and fun.”
“Meow.”
Ketsue, traveling in kangaroo-style, responded dutifully. Rei, enjoying the rare flight, seemed to be having fun too.
Sometimes, reckless flying monsters would attack us, but with a single swing of Rei’s long, elegant tail, they were instantly obliterated, disappearing without a second glance. As expected of the strongest divine beast.
Even without any effort, Rei was invincible in the sky.
After about three hours, we finally reached our destination. Rei gently lowered us just before we reached the village. A dragon landing too close would definitely cause a panic, so we chose a spot further away.
“Thanks, Rei. It would have taken me over a month to walk here, but thanks to your wings, we got here in three hours.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll come back to pick you up in half a month. But if you need to move before then, just contact me with the mirror.”
“Right, that thing. The makeshift smartphone. Got it.”
I stretched up and gently petted Rei’s jaw. He closed his eyes in pleasure, almost like a cat.
Ketsue, who had been sleeping inside my clothes, finally crawled out and lightly climbed onto the dragon. When Rei noticed, he nudged his face closer, and Ketsue gave a little nose bump in greeting.
It was cute, now there were two of them.
Of course, I didn’t miss the opportunity to take a picture. I’d send it to Akimi, who loved cats, later.
“Be careful, Ketsue. Watch out for monsters, and don’t get caught by people.”
“Nya.”
Reluctantly, I said my goodbyes. The dragon’s massive size made it hard to stay unnoticed. As I watched Rei silently soar into the sky, disappearing above the clouds, I released a quiet breath.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Nyaa.”
“Now we’re finally going to meet the first otherworlder. I’m looking forward to it.”
Ketsue, who had gotten quite lazy, jumped onto my shoulder. I rubbed his head affectionately as we walked on.
The place was so far from the Demon Mountain that we couldn’t even see it anymore.
I’d heard that there were four major countries on the continent, surrounded by several smaller ones. The village we were aiming for was made up of a small race that didn’t belong to any nation.
“I wonder what kind of race lives here? I hope they’re friendly.”
I didn’t want to appear suspicious, so I decided to pretend to be a traveling merchant elf.
I had some trade goods in my Item Box, so exchanging goods could be fun.
The shallow part of the Great Forest only had weak magical beasts, so we walked leisurely. Thanks to my Sense Presence skill, I kept a lookout for goblins, wolves, deer, and boars, but they didn’t pose any threat.
Far off, I could sense a bear-like magical beast, but it was nothing compared to the challenges I had faced in the Demon Mountain dungeon.
I was humming to myself as we walked, when suddenly my sharp High Elf hearing caught a scream.
“Ah, seems like there’s a crisis with the first otherworlder.”
Smiling wryly, I decided to rush toward the source of the scream.
