Chapter 40

I set out from Persolon with Emma and Yui.

I walked alongside Emma and Yui on the road.

I was walking quite fast, and I was a bit out of breath.

Since I get tired quickly when I run, I walked at a speed just before I would get too exhausted to move.

For a human like me, it was a fast pace, but dragons have far superior physical abilities compared to humans, so they didn't show any signs of fatigue at this speed.

I thought about whether we could increase the speed a bit more.

Just then, Emma spoke to me from the side.

"How much longer until we reach our destination, Cyril?"

"Hmm."

I nodded and took out a map from my pocket, spreading it out.

It was a map delivered by Rose through a messenger.

The map showed the city of Bovarsel, our base Persolon, and our destination, the Etain Ranch.

I looked at the map, calculated in my head, and answered Emma's question.

"According to the map, we'll go along the road, turn east before the Eclipse River, and head to the foot of Mount Nureyev—"

I was explaining what I read from the map, but Emma looked confused, so I skipped the details.

"Anyway, it should take about half a day along the road."

"Can't we go faster? If we turn, going straight would be faster, I think."

"That wouldn't be a road."

I smiled wryly while looking at the map.

The map prepared by Rose was quite detailed.

Indeed, as Emma said, if we turn, going straight from here would shorten the distance significantly.

"But it's a continuous grassland, and with my human legs, it would be slower."

"Then I'll carry you."

"No, let's not."

"Why not?"

"This time, it will be a battle. If we force a march and exhaust ourselves before the fight, it would be pointless. Besides, Emma isn't suited for carrying things, right?"

"That's true... but if we brought Louise—"

"I don't want to push Louise too hard. We agreed that she would rest when she's tired. If I bring her and she falls asleep halfway, it would be a problem."

"In that case, you could just give her an order. It's an emergency, after all."

"An order...?"

"Using the Dragon Tool called the Collar of Obedience."

"Oh, that one."

I smiled wryly.

The Collar of Obedience.

It was a Dragon Tool that lived up to its name.

Mostly, it was a collar for dragons, but some were made in other forms to fit the size of certain dragons.

The effect was the same: it allowed the wearer to force commands on the dragon wearing it.

"I don't like it. I don't like forcing commands on dragons."

"But it's an emergency."

"Emma."

I looked at Emma with a serious face.

"Y-Yes."

Emma flinched a little.

"Once you make an exception, it becomes 'well, that too, and this too,' and before you know it, everything is an exception."

"An exception..."

"I don't want to force commands on dragons, even in emergencies. I shouldn't make exceptions... I think."

"Yes... I'm sorry."

Emma hung her head.

I patted her on the back.

"It's not your fault, Emma. I'm just stubborn."

"No, you're wonderful."

"Wonderful?"

"Yes, unlike ordinary stubborn people, you work really hard in other ways. A stubborn person wouldn't be this desperate to hurry."

"Ahaha."

I laughed, a bit flustered by the compliment.

"Do you know how rare such people are? I think there's a term for them..."

Emma hummed in thought.

"...Craftsman?"

From the other side, Yui, who had been silent, spoke in a low tone.

"Yes, that's it! It feels like a craftsman. You're stubborn, but not just stubborn. You have a strong sense of dedication and are strict with yourself."

"Ah, I see."

"Ordinary stubborn people are lenient with themselves."

"That might be true."

I continued walking fast and nodded slightly.

I understood what Emma meant.

Indeed, such people exist, and what I'm doing now might be similar.

"...Thank you, Emma."

"Huh? For what?"

"..."

I smiled back and said nothing.

Thanks to Emma, I was able to keep going.

Actually, I had been a bit out of breath and was considering taking a break.

But Emma called me "wonderful and craftsman-like."

After being praised like that, I couldn't just stop.

I have some pride as a man.

I couldn't stop right after being praised.

I think this pride helped me.

I "rode" on my pride, maintained my fast pace, and continued to hurry towards our destination.

☆

"Stop!"

"Huh?"

"Cyril!!"

"---!"

Yui noticed first.

But since she said it in a low tone, I didn't realize the situation.

Then Emma shouted.

I was startled and applied the brakes, flying backward.

Right after I flew back, the spot where I had been standing exploded.

Something had flown and "torn" through that spot.

I took more distance, understanding that I had been "attacked."

When I took more distance and saw who it was, I was surprised.

"Louis...? What's the meaning of this?"

There stood Louis.

The man who used to be in the same guild was leading three dragons.

All the dragons were of the same Smey species as Emma.

The Smey species, suitable for combat, were in formation, protecting Louis.

Louis glared at me with a face full of anger.

"What's the meaning of this? Don't play dumb!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't want you to go."

"...Are you serious?"

After a moment of confusion, I understood the meaning of his actions but doubted his sanity.

"Of course! If you go, our reputation will be ruined."

"Is this the time to talk about reputation? ...Fine, I'll go, but what about Rintvurm?"

"What?"

"Is Rintvurm working to resolve the situation? After all, it's because you failed that the task came to us."

"That's none of your business!"

Louis shouted and threatened me.

I realized this was a no-plan move.

If something had happened, Louis would have gleefully used it to look down on me.

The fact that he didn't do that was proof that nothing had happened.

So, I couldn't back down.

"Nothing has changed... What a terrible guild."

Emma said this as if muttering.

"Don't worry, Emma. I'll do everything to help the stranded dragons. Everything."

"Yes! I trust you, Cyril!"

Emma showed a level of trust that was evident in her tone.

I was happy.

And it connected to my pride and the resolve that followed.

I planned in my head.

A way to defeat Louis without injuring the three Smey species.

"You've been fooling around long enough. You guys! Take him down!!"

Louis waved his hand.

He gave the "attack start" signal to the dragons.

But the three Smey species didn't attack me.

"What's wrong! Attack, you guys!!"

Frustrated by the unmoving Smey species, Louis kicked them and gave the signal again.

But even for a small species, they were still dragons, and combat-oriented.

Louis's kicks didn't even cause a mosquito bite's worth of damage.

Ignoring Louis, the three looked at me and Emma.

"Emma, can you trust this guy?"

"Yeah, I can trust him, Michelle. Don't you know about Cyril?"

"I knew he was in Rintvurm, but I've never met him."

"That's right... Yeah, he's the most trustworthy person I know."

Perhaps because they were of the same species, Emma spoke in a much more casual tone than usual.

The three on the other side seemed to understand.

"Alright, you can go."

"Really?"

"I don't want to be at his mercy."

"Actually, we want to go too."

"It's just too troublesome to go, so we're holding him back here."

The three Smey species said this.

Some of them clearly looked down on Louis, revealing his lack of popularity.

But this was a relief.

I didn't want to waste energy on Louis here.

Especially since my strength comes from energy stored by overeating, it's better not to use it until necessary.

Of course, there are times when it's needed.

But using it on Louis would be a waste.

"Emma, Yui. Let's go."

"Yes!"

"...Hmm."

Emma nodded vigorously, and Yui followed with her usual low energy.

"You! Hey, what are you doing! Kill him!"

"..."

The three Smey species didn't move.

One of them even yawned loudly.

Knowing their thoughts from the conversation, I was confident they wouldn't attack and started walking fast.

---

Louis lost his temper.

I underestimated him and thought "oh no."

I had underestimated the situation, thinking that no matter how much a human loses their temper, they can't do anything to combat-oriented Smey species.

In a sense, I was right, and in a sense, I was wrong.

"---"

Louis extended his hand and chanted something.

After chanting what sounded like a spell, the three Smey species suddenly started to suffer.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

"Stop, stop!"

"G... G... G..."

Each of the three suffered in different ways, but they had a common point.

Something was glowing around their necks.

"The Collar of Obedience!"

"Louis, you!!"

"Hmph—Go!"

At Louis's command, the Smey species attacked.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they seemed to have lost their minds.

They were forced to obey by the Collar of Obedience.

I dodged the attacks of the Smey species that flew at me.

More attacks followed.

I couldn't dodge them all—so I shot a fireball at the ground.

The fireball exploded, causing a cloud of sand and smoke.

Using the smoke as cover, I moved a great distance away.

"Don't let him get away!"

Right after Louis's shout, the Smey species flew at me again.

Even though I was "smoke-screened" by the close-range attack, Louis could still see me and "controlled" them to come straight at me.

"You die here!"

"Damn!"

"Cyril, counterattack! We're not that weak!"

Emma shouted.

In a way, she was right.

The Smey species, though small, were tough due to their combat orientation.

"Knock us out properly! Otherwise, it's painful just to move!"

Emma was right again.

The Smey species, being controlled, seemed to be in pain just from moving against their will.

So, the best way to stop them without causing more pain was to knock them out.

Emma, being combat-oriented and of the same species, instantly suggested the best method.

It was correct.

But.

"Yui! Hide me with all your strength. You too!"

"...Hmm."

Yui responded with her usual lack of emotion, and my figure disappeared.

Yui's figure also disappeared.

Yui's technique of projecting the background onto her body to make her effectively invisible.

I moved.

Since Yui was doing it with all her strength, I remained invisible even when I moved.

"What!? Where did he go!"

Louis was shocked and looked around.

The Smey species stopped moving.

Without Louis's commands, their attacks stopped.

They stopped but were still looking at me.

They were looking at me as if they could see me.

They probably could.

The combat-oriented Smey species were somehow able to detect my location.

But Louis couldn't.

If the Smey species were attacking on their own, it would have been dangerous, but since Louis was forcing them, it didn't work.

I approached and got close to the three, hitting their Collars of Obedience with fireballs simultaneously.

The three Collars of Obedience burned and exploded simultaneously.

"What!?"

Louis was shocked. I remained hidden and got close to him.

Then, I delivered a powerful strike to his body.

"Gah...!"

Louis opened his eyes wide for a moment, spewed blood, and fell unconscious.

"It's okay now, Yui."

"...Hmm."

Yui and I reappeared.

Emma ran to her companions.

"Are you all okay!?"

"Yeah... for now."

"But that idiot tightened it so much that we can't move properly for a while."

"That's good..."

The Smey species were weak but not seriously injured, and Emma visibly relaxed.

"That guy!"

"Stop, Emma."

I stopped Emma from jumping on the fallen Louis.

"Why, Cyril?"

"It's a waste to use my strength on this guy. I need to conserve my strength to help the dragons."

"Oh... Cyril didn't use his strength either."

"That's right."

Emma understood what I meant.

Yes, I didn't use my strength on Louis, just a strike to an unguarded spot.

It would be a waste to use my strength on this guy. I need to conserve it.

"...I'm envious, Emma."

"Really, really."

"You found a great master. I was worried about you."

Emma responded to her companions' words.

"Yes! He's the best master ever!"

She answered with a full smile.