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“D-d-d… Dragon!”

*―Indeed. I am a trueborn dragon.*

Emerging from the haze that boiled up from the pit was a dragon so massive, just its neck alone stood as tall as Kyodaigorou.

Its appearance reminded me of one of those “long-necked dragons” I saw in a picture book ages ago. But its body—still hidden within the pit—was a complete mystery.

That was because the intense heat pouring out from the crater made it impossible to get any closer.

“Missy… what in the blazes is this…?”
“Vaaa…”
“Uh—wait! Stell’s melting again!”

*―Little one, step back. Your body will not withstand this.*

“Y-yes sir, we’ll do just that! Mr. Arnitta, back us up, please!”
“O-oh! Right!”

We pulled away to a distance where we could just barely bear the heat. Once we did, the air conditioning kicked back in, and the temperature inside Kyodaigorou began to normalize.

Come to think of it, we were communicating telepathically anyway—there was no need to get so close in the first place.

*―Little one, child who bears the aura of dragons. I thank you for coming.*

“Uh, n-no problem… So, um, should I call you Mr. Valka?”
“Lady Momose! You can converse with a dragon?!”
“Apparently so! Though it looks like only I can hear him?”

*―Only those whose wavelengths align can hear the voice of a dragon. That is why I find it strange that one so small as you is able to perceive me.*

“Well, you see, there’s kind of a story behind that…”

I mean, how was I supposed to say “I swallowed a dragon gem that came out of a dying dragon named Claxton”? Not only would it sound crazy, I wasn’t even sure he’d believe me.

But if I had to guess at the cause, that dragon gem was definitely it. Even I could put that much together.

“Well, let’s put my situation aside for now—why did you call us here, Mr. Valka?”

*―Ah, yes. As you can see, I am already quite old.*

“‘As you can see,’ you say…”

I took another good look at Mr. Valka’s face as he rose from the pit, but I had no idea what a dragon’s age even looked like.

Now that he mentioned it, the overlapping black scales could resemble laugh lines, maybe. Still, aside from the aged tone of his telepathic voice, nothing about him really screamed “elderly.”

“Missy, what in the world is he saying? We’re about to drop dead from the stress here!”
“Mr. Valka says… he’s actually old!”
“Don’t start with the conclusion, girl! And I could’ve guessed that just by looking.”
“Oh, so you can tell…”

*―Ah, I see. Little one, you’re an Outlander, aren’t you?*

“Yes, I am! I’m looking for a way home!”

*―Then, if you would be willing to grant me a request, I shall tell you something of value. Will you listen?*

“Of course! When someone’s in trouble, we help each other!”

*―Ah… such a straight soul, you are, little one.*

“Pardon?”

When I slapped my chest and gave a prompt “OK,” I could somehow sense Mr. Valka furrowing his brows.

Turns out that whether human or dragon, I can pick up on changes in facial expression. But I wasn’t sure why he suddenly looked so troubled.

*―Little one, I am nearing the end of my life. With my passing, blessings will return even to this withered desert.*

“End of your life? You mean… you’re going to die?”

*―Indeed. But before that, I must fulfill my covenant. Please—take me to meet the King of Regulus.*

✦✧✦✧✦

“Still, to witness the end of a dragon’s life… Living long really does bring some strange experiences.”
“M-My own life expectancy has shortened, Lady Momose…!”
“But Mr. Valka doesn’t seem like a bad person—or dragon? I really want to help him if I can.”

Several hours had passed since hearing Mr. Valka’s request. Kyodaigorou, back on its planned route, rumbled across the endless desert.

Whenever its wheels got stuck in the sand, it transformed into robot mode, and we continued onward with occasional breaks. By now, the sun was already beginning to set.

That detour to the crater had delayed us, and by the time we reached our destination, the sun would likely have disappeared behind the mountains.

“Wait, come to think of it… Do they even call it the ‘sun’ in this world?”
“Oi, missy. We can see Regulus up ahead. You’d best get back inside.”
“Oh, right! Coming!”

I closed the hatch I’d been peeking out from and returned to my seat, refastening my seatbelt properly.

Thanks to the setting sun, the temperature inside the vehicle was starting to drop. At this rate, it would actually be cold once night fell.

I remembered a survival show once saying that desert nights could dip into single-digit temperatures. I hoped Master would be okay. With such drastic temperature swings, I worried she might catch a cold.

“Mm, straight ahead is the main gate. Mintark, grab those papers for me.”
“Of course. With something the size of Kyodaigorou, even the entry paperwork’s a bit of a hassle. This one?”
“Yes, yes, I’ll go handle it real quick.”
“Okay, take care!”

Being a large city, Regulus had stricter entry procedures than Rigel or Aldebaran.

As our representative, Mr. Arnitta opened the hatch and stepped out. The scent of water drifted in on the wind.

“A floating city in the middle of the desert, huh… I wonder what it looks like. I’m getting all excited just thinking about it.”
“Senior disciple… you can see it outwardly… through the hatch… now…”
“No, no, these kinds of things are best saved for later. Besides, if I get too hyped up, I might forget all about our promise to Mr. Valka…”
“Hey! Missy! Come out here a sec!”
“Huh? You’re already done with the paperwork?”

I poked my head out through the hatch at the call, only to find Mr. Arnitta standing right in front of me with a frantic expression.

The bundle of documents was as thick as a textbook—there was no way it could’ve been sorted out in just a few minutes.

“We’re not done yet! But take a look at this. It’s serious!”
“What is this? …Ah, it’s Master.”

What he handed me looked like an election poster, featuring a sketch of Master’s face.

Underneath the usual scowling expression—somehow made even grimmer than usual by about 20%—was a line of large, bold numbers marked with the currency symbol used in this world.

Wait… I’ve definitely seen this kind of poster somewhere before.

“Where’d you buy this? I kinda want one too.”
“If you ask at the checkpoint, they’ll hand you one. Missy, your master’s a wanted person.”
“…Excuse me?”
“That’s a bounty poster. There’s a reward of fifty million on her head. Just what did she do in this city?”