Chapter 8

The place we arrived at seemed to be a castle garden, or rather, a sports field.

It was very spacious and had a clear view.

I couldn’t see any children, though. Had the children who were making noise earlier already gone home?

In such a vast square, there was a large lizard that the captain had called "Virta."

“No, this isn’t an ordinary flying lizard… is it?”

I felt it was different.

This Virta had a beautiful blue color that was rarely seen in flying lizards. It had two horns on its somewhat bumpy head.

Moreover, it was much larger than the three flying lizards that had been brought out with it. The other flying lizards were green.

…What’s going on? I thought, and then the captain explained.

“This is a genuine dragon.”

“Dra…!”

Because I had been reincarnated, I knew that in this world, real dragons were quite rare.

Even in games, I hardly ever saw them except as the final boss in events.

Eh, the captain owns a dragon!? I was surprised.

Moreover, a dragon, when grown, should be so huge that it could destroy a castle. So, this is a baby dragon? How did you tame it!?

Of course, I couldn’t bombard the captain with all these questions. As I was surprised, Frey came over and put a thick cloak on me.

“Cover yourself well. It might still be cold, miss.”

“I see, the sky… it’s cold, after all.”

The sky is cold. With my memories from my previous life, I understood that.

That’s why when I was about to go out, Helga, who was nearby, had put long socks, boots, and a brown coat on me.

Perhaps I was a bit absent-minded, as I hadn’t even thought of flying through the sky when moving from the southern fortress.

I was still thinking, isn’t this a bit too much clothing for early spring?

“Hey, where did you hear that? Usually, even soldiers don’t know such things.”

“From… a traveler or someone before, I think.”

I couldn’t talk about my memories from my previous life, so I vaguely answered and fastened the three buttons on the front of the cloak.

“It seems you’re ready. You’ll ride on Virta. Come.”

“Yes, yes!”

I’m going to ride a dragon!

I was happy for a moment, but then I was intimidated by the height of the saddle on the dragon.

It was like climbing to the second floor of a house, and it didn’t seem like I could jump up and reach it.

Just as I was thinking that, the dragon lowered itself, making it a bit lower. But it was still higher than a horse!?

Should I jump at the saddle and somehow get my foot into the stirrup? As I was thinking, the captain picked me up under his arm.

“Whoa!?”

While I was surprised, the captain, with his incredible jumping ability, jumped up and onto the saddle with me in his arms.

I was stunned and was seated in front of the saddle.

“You’re small, so two people can fit comfortably. Hold on to the front of the saddle tightly.”

“Yes, yes!”

The front of the saddle had a handle-like shape, so I obediently grabbed it with both hands.

Then I realized.

Eh, won’t I fall off with just this?

I had experienced horseback riding in my previous life, and it was quite bumpy. If that’s happening in the air and in all directions, I might die…

I almost rolled my eyes at the thought.

But the captain, who was behind me, grabbed my waist firmly while holding the reins, which made me feel a bit relieved. Out of fear, I felt more like I had a seatbelt on than embarrassment.

However, I still had doubts about the safety.

Even if I was held by someone experienced, I could slip out at any moment.

While I was trembling, the captain called out.

“Let’s go!”

The dragon stood up, spread its wings wide, and took a big leap.

At that moment, it felt like being in an elevator that was rapidly ascending, which was the scariest part.

As we started to float into the sky, the feeling of being pulled by gravity weakened.

“Eh?”

When I realized it, we were already floating in the sky. The castle was gradually getting smaller.

However, I felt more comfortable than I would on an airplane. The wind blew because there were no walls or ceiling, but it wasn’t so strong that it made it hard to breathe.

My hair, which I had tied up loosely, was gently fluttering in the wind.

It was cold in the sky, but I could endure it with the coat. Most importantly, the arms holding me from behind were warm.

Even though the captain was also dressed warmly, his large arms, which covered my stomach, felt warm… and I became strangely aware of them. The fact that an adult man’s arms were in close contact with me.

Ah, I realized my back was also pressed against him.

At that moment, the captain seemed to notice my change.

“Riding a dragon wasn’t as scary as you thought, right?”

He only noticed that, right? I was relieved.

If he had realized what I was thinking, I would have been too embarrassed to face him again.

“Yes. I thought it would be more like jumping from a tree and continue to be scary.”

I couldn’t say "airplane," so I used a plausible example to cover it up.

“Most first-time riders say that. But dragons have the necessary abilities to fly at their speed and withstand the cold at high altitudes. In a sense, they are close to spirits and can apparently control air resistance and other factors during ascent.”

“Control…?”

So, not feeling much gravity when we ascended was due to gravity control?

And the wind being controlled was because of wind magic?

In games, dragons just fly, and characters don’t fall off when riding them, but there are many things needed to make that happen.

“Dragons are amazing.”

I couldn’t help but say that, and the captain agreed.

“Yes, a dragon that can use multiple types of magic is indeed an amazing existence.”

But the conversation ended there.

I actually wanted to ask why I was riding such an amazing dragon and other questions. But since we weren’t colleagues and he had only picked me up out of sympathy, he probably wouldn’t tell me that much.

So, I stopped asking questions and started looking at the sky and the ground.

But I was still aware of being held.

Even though the dragon could control gravity and I didn’t feel like I would fall off the saddle, the fact that the captain was still holding me meant he was prepared for any irregularities and might drop me if something happened.

If that’s the case… I should try to compare this situation to someone I can understand.

I tried to remember being carried by my father. But my father in this life had passed away when I was young, so the memories were faint.

So, I recalled being carried by my grandmother.

She had recently passed away from a cold. When I was young, she used to carry me and read old picture books.

When my parents died from illness, she held me and comforted me…

In the end, I returned to the town where I was born and raised, feeling a bit melancholic.