Chapter 17

In the grasslands near the capital, countless black spheres appeared in the sky. They moved randomly, as if toying with something, and were shot down one after another from the ground. The breath of a dragon was what brought down the black spheres, and the dragon and its breath were also black.

"Oh, you're getting much faster at bringing them down," I said.

I was playing a game similar to clay pigeon shooting with Ryu. I prepared the targets, and Ryu aimed at them.

When I praised him, Ryu was delighted and pressed his head against me.

"You're still such a big baby, even though you've grown so big."

I couldn't say I minded being pampered, so I lifted Ryu's massive body and spun around. Ryu, purring like a cat, was incredibly adorable.

This is something I heard later. It seems that a dragon, which had recently started appearing over the capital, was spinning on the spot in the grasslands, emitting a roar that shook the ground. The witness, who had lost control of their bladder, fled in a panic.

It was undoubtedly Ryu, but the witness must have disliked animals. It's similar to how some people love dogs while others fear them.

Today, I have an appointment with a dragon rider. I agreed to meet, thinking it would be good for Ryu to have a friend.

Currently, there are three dragons in the Balshain Kingdom that are accustomed to humans. One is, of course, Ryu, and the other two are part of the national army with their parents.

I am meeting one of them today. They usually stay at a military facility on the outskirts of the capital, but considering the risk of them causing trouble, we agreed to meet in the grasslands a few days ago.

Riding on Ryu's back, I headed for the grasslands from the sky, and the person I was meeting was already there. It was a ground-type dragon without wings, which appeared to be smaller than Ryu.

A man in a military uniform was standing next to the dragon. He must have hatched a dragon egg like I did.

"Ryu, let's land over there."

As Ryu began to descend, the dragon on the ground started to act up. The man tried to calm the dragon, but it was ineffective. The dragon eventually started running and disappeared from sight by the time we landed.

The man approached me, looking flustered.

"Nice to meet you, are you Yumiera?"

"Yes, I'm Yumiera Dorkness. This is Ryu."

"I'm Roland. And the one who just ran away is Gregory."

Roland was a middle-aged man with a kind face. Since he hatched a ground-type dragon, he must also be an excellent ground-type mage.

"What happened to Gregory?"

He must be extremely shy, or perhaps dragon-shy. Gregory, who is actually a girl, might have been embarrassed to face the handsome Ryu.

"It seems Gregory... you got it right, Gregory, was scared of Ryu... I mean, you."

To be feared by a dragon. I realized he is indeed my child, but I didn't want him to be so similar.

"Does Gregory fear other dragons as well?"

"No, Gregory is usually calm or rather, insensitive... This has never happened before. Ryu is too big and looks strong."

Roland scratched his head with a wry smile. However, I was worried about Gregory, who had run away at full speed.

"Is it okay not to chase after him?"

"Gregory can't fly and doesn't go out alone. He will eventually return home..."

Ryu returns immediately when I call him, but it seems Gregory is different.

"Should we search for him on Ryu? If we don't get too close, he won't go berserk again."

"I appreciate that. I was hoping to deepen our friendship as dragon riders, but I'm sorry this happened."

I let Roland ride on Ryu's back, and we started searching for Gregory from the sky.

After flying for a while in the direction Gregory had run, we found him. He didn't seem to notice Ryu above, but he was still running.

"He's still running. When Gregory stops, I want you to drop me off a little distance away."

I thought we would have to wait for Gregory to stop, but it didn't seem possible.

"I can see a village over there!"

There are several small villages scattered around the capital. One of them was in Gregory's path. If he continued, the village buildings would collapse, and the villagers might be injured.

"This is bad. Stop! Gregory!"

Roland shouted, but Gregory didn't seem to hear. Should I try to guide him in a different direction? No, there are villages in that direction too.

"I'll stop him. Ryu, drop Roland off a little distance away."

Ignoring Roland's protests, I jumped off Ryu. I adjusted my posture with a magical burst and landed between Gregory and the village.

The falling speed increased rapidly, and the ground was right in front of me. Just before landing, I cast a spell downward to counteract the momentum. The impact kicked up a cloud of sand, but I didn't create a crater like last time, so it was a pass.

Gregory, still in a panic, charged at me.

"Dark Bind"

Numerous hands extended from Gregory's shadow, grabbing his body. Gregory gradually lost the strength to resist and became immobilized.

After a while, Roland came and calmed Gregory down.

"There, there, Gregory, you were scared, weren't you? Ryu is no longer here."

I thought his words made Ryu sound like a bully, but Gregory gradually calmed down.

I gradually released the Dark Bind, and Gregory didn't go berserk again, so I was relieved.

"Thank you, I'm grateful. Gregory, who should protect the country, was about to hurt the citizens. However, suddenly jumping down is bad for the heart, so please don't do it again."

"You're welcome. I didn't want Gregory to hurt anyone. He looks gentle up close, doesn't he?"

Gregory is a rugged, bony dragon, but he exudes a gentle aura.

"He really is. He's not good at rough tasks and can't fly. In the army, he carries people and cargo."

He is modest, but I think he is highly valued in the army for his speed and capacity, even if he doesn't go to the front lines.

"He really is a gentle one. I hoped he would become friends with Ryu, but it's a shame. Can I pet Gregory?"

"Sure, go ahead."

With permission to touch Gregory, I approached him slowly to avoid startling him.

The moment I reached out to touch Gregory, he started to run away again.

"Hey, Gregory, what's wrong this time! Ryu isn't here!"

Even when Roland chased after him and called out, Gregory didn't stop and accelerated.

"Gregory, stop!"

Thinking it would end up like before, I ran over and grabbed Gregory's thick tail.

Gregory, suddenly stopped, tried to shake off my grip, but his tail and body didn't budge.

It took Roland a while to calm Gregory down again.

"What's wrong with Gregory?"

"Probably, he's afraid of you, Yumiera. If you could stay a bit further away..."

I didn't expect to be feared even by a dragon. Well, if someone suddenly appeared and restrained you, you'd be scared too.

So, Ryu's attempt to make a friend failed.

I hoped the other dragon would be a better match, but it is busy as the only flying means in the national army.

Later, I heard from Roland that the wind-type dragon is very nervous. Since it is much smaller than Ryu, becoming friends might be hopeless.

"So, Patrick, do you know anyone who might become Ryu's friend?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know any dragons."

As usual, I was telling Patrick what had happened.

"Even a human would be fine, as long as they can withstand playing with Ryu."

"Then I'm out."

Patrick declined to be Ryu's friend, but it felt odd.

"Isn't it weird for a friend to be a mother's friend? Ah, if I quit being Patrick's friend and become Patrick's friend's mother, that would be..."

"No way. What about the dragon rider? He doesn't seem to be afraid of Ryu, right?"

Ah, what was his name...

"Ah, Gregory's dad. Ryu seems to think of him as a father, and Gregory and Ryu can't meet."

I forgot his name. He might have forgotten mine too. We are enough as Ryu's mom and Gregory's dad.

"Ryu's father? Then you, as the mother, are like..."

Patrick suddenly panicked, but I wanted him to relax.

"Don't worry, Ryu's father is Patrick. Gregory's dad is, well, like an uncle to Ryu?"

We were there when Ryu hatched from the egg. I think it's fine to call him father.

"Me, the father!? Then, you and I are like... No, Yumiera wouldn't think that way."

Patrick was flustered again. Being called a father at 16 is understandable.

"Like what?"

"Nothing!"

I think having friends is a good thing. I hope Ryu can make friends soon.