Chapter 96

After that, Vice-Commander Berri and Gar went to search for the dragon rider who had fallen during the flight.

Amelia was checking if her wings were damaged in the battle, with Liette examining each one carefully. Even though she said she was fine, they were doing it just to be safe. Liette seemed to be studying a lot, so they left it to her.

The captain was talking seriously with the dragon rider from the monster research institute and the carriage driver. Urgas was watching Amelia and Liette closely. He didn’t get too close because Liette would get angry. He was worried about the boy’s curiosity.

I was sitting with my knees hugged, a little away from them. The vast sky, white clouds, and the approaching giant vulture brought back memories. I shuddered. Recalling the fear, my fingertips trembled. For some reason, I suddenly wanted to smell the scent of a cooked egg. Where had the peaceful daily life gone? But being part of the knight squad meant this. I was prepared, but the moment of facing life-threatening danger made everything disappear.

"Mel, do you want to eat?"

"!"

What was offered in front of me was an oval red fruit. When I looked up, Zarra’s smile was there.

"Ah, thank you."

I took one and ate it. It was sweet and sour, a bit astringent, and delicious. It had a good texture and a long, thin seed inside.

"How is it?"

"It’s delicious."

"I’m glad."

"Zarra, what is this?"

Zarra, who had sat down next to me, explained about the mysterious fruit.

"This is the fruit of the Chinese dogwood."

"Wow~"

It seemed to be a fruit from a tree that is highly cold-resistant and bears fruit from winter to spring. Zarra said it grew wild in her village.

"It’s also good when cooked with sugar, and my mother used to make alcohol with it."

"Alcohol? The astringency seems like it would be a good accent."

I would like to try it, but when making alcohol in the capital, you have to apply to the alcohol guild. The application fee is quite high for individuals.

"Ugh~"

"If you ever have the chance to visit my village, I’ll let you try it, Mel."

Zarra said she had also made alcohol when she was a child. I had been making alcohol for my grandfather and father since I was a child, so it turned out we had done similar things. It seemed that my village and Zarra’s village had a lot in common. That’s why we got along so well. I was grateful for this chance encounter in the city.

"Here, Mel, a~n"

"a~n"

Zarra fed me the Chinese dogwood fruit. It was so delicious~

"No, no! A~n, oh, ugh, cough, cough!!"

"Mel, are you okay!?"

Zarra was rubbing my back. I was surprised. She suddenly did an "a~n."

The Chinese dogwood fruit got stuck in my windpipe, and I had a hard time coughing. I finally calmed down.

I had been casually doing "a~n" before, but being on the receiving end was quite embarrassing. I didn’t know. I have to be more careful from now on.

"Mel, do you want more?"

"No..."

A voice came from inside my bag, making me realize I had completely forgotten about Album.

"Oh, Album, I’m sorry!!"

I had neglected him even though he had performed well in the aerial battle. I searched my bag and took out Album, who was stretched out. Well, he’s originally a long-bodied weasel-like fairy.

"Zarra, Zarra, Album worked really hard today. Can I have a few Chinese dogwood fruits?"

"Yes, of course."

I picked up the Chinese dogwood fruits from Zarra’s palm and brought them to Album’s mouth.

"Yay!"

He bit into it and seemed to enjoy it, pressing his cheeks. I’m glad.

When I was about to give him the second one, Zarra picked up Album, placed him on her lap, and fed him the Chinese dogwood fruit.

"Delicious~"

Album ate the Chinese dogwood fruit from Zarra’s hand without any hesitation. They seemed to be getting along better, even though they had a bit of a rocky start. Still, Album eats a lot. He seemed to have eaten a lot for breakfast, but...

"Oh, by the way, Zarra, the ingredients I can produce with the Gra have increased."

River turtle, golden forest apple, large winter strawberries, and snowdrop fruits. It had become quite a variety.

"But I don’t understand the conditions for the increase."

"Right."

Not everything I caught or picked appeared as an option.

"Maybe we can figure it out by whether the Chinese dogwood fruit appears or not."

"What do you mean?"

"If it doesn’t appear, it means that only the items Mel actively collected and ate will appear as options."

"I see, that makes sense."

If that’s the case, it would explain why the fish we caught with Zarra didn’t appear. Zarra is indeed perceptive.

I tried to activate the Gra, but nothing came out.

"The activation conditions for the Gra are also a mystery."

I thought it was triggered by hunger, but it appeared during a battle when I wasn’t hungry. It’s really confusing.

"Maybe it reacted to the life-threatening situation, or perhaps to the vulture’s appetite."

"We need to verify that."

While we were talking, Vice-Commander Berri and Gar returned. This time, they were with a dragon rider. They joined the captain and started talking. A few minutes later, a call for assembly was made, and the results of the discussion were reported.

"For now, we will continue as planned."

More holy water would be sprinkled on the dragon carriage to ward off monsters. I wondered if that would really be enough. The captain continued.

"This incident is a very rare case. Apparently, we hardly ever encounter monsters."

It turned out that the giant vulture was not a monster, which is why the holy water didn’t work. Since the people from the monster research institute said so, it must be true. Album had said it was a vampire’s familiar, but perhaps it was just a vulture that had grown large due to receiving power. It was a mystery.

"So, the flight ahead should be fine."

Then, the main topic came up.

"The artificial dragon that fell earlier apparently cannot fly due to injuries. Therefore, the dragon rider will continue alone."

I see. If it’s injured, there’s no choice. But will it be okay?

I glanced at the captain, and our eyes met.

"I have a request for Risris and Amelia."

"What is it?"

"I want to put Gar on Amelia."

In aerial combat, a spear that can attack from outside the enemy’s range is advantageous. So, he wanted to make Gar a griffin rider on Amelia.

"However, Gar is not a contractor. What do you think—"

"Ah, right. Amelia, what do you think?"

There was a contractual issue. It seemed that difficult mythical creatures wouldn’t allow anyone other than their contractor to ride them. Also, even if Amelia agreed, Gar was the largest and most robust in the second squad. Could she handle it?

"Quack quack~!!"

"Really?"

She said it would be fine. But I was worried because she was a sheltered girl and might be overexerting herself.

"Are you really, really sure it’s okay?"

"Quack quack!"

Amelia raised one of her front legs and spread her wings. That was the pose of a fierce eagle!!!

Right, I had forgotten that Amelia was the strongest griffin.

"That’s right. Carrying Gar shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"Quack quack!!"

I turned to the captain.

"Captain, it seems Amelia is fine."

"That’s a relief."

We decided to do a test ride. Amelia kindly let Gar ride on her back.

I was nervous, but it seemed to go well. When Amelia returned from the sky, she was happily chirping.

"Quack quack quack quack~!!"

Gar said it was fun because he could fly fast without any problems. Well, that’s good.