Part 6: A Medium-Sized Dragon and the Client
THE weather on the first day of our expedition wasn’t particularly sunny or rainy, but was rather cloudy with occasional glimpses of the sun. If the weather was supposed to be an omen for the rest of our journey, you could probably interpret it as something like “watch out for trouble.”
I put on the robe Viche gave me and pulled the hood over my head. Strangely enough, it always kept my body at the right temperature regardless of how hot or cold it was outside. I was still too scared to try finding out exactly how much it had cost.
When we arrived at the city’s western gate, our rendezvous point, several others were already there, ready to set off. The delegation was sending personnel in shifts to churches in various locations, where they would also be buying local specialties before heading back. They had apparently purchased a large amount of wood and other products processed in Oranz, and were now loading it all into the wagon.
We had nothing to do until the key people from Lejion arrived, but we didn’t just want to watch the others work in silence either, so after making brief introductions, we decided to help them load up the goods. Whenever I lifted heavy cargo with ease, Albert would lift something equally heavy, his face bright red from exertion. Is he trying to compete with me? If I brought it up the wrong way, I knew he’d get irritable again, so I continued working while watching him out of the corner of my eye.
After all the supplies were loaded, the man shouting out instructions, a kind-looking man in his forties, called over to Albert. “I sure am glad to have so many young folks here, but since you guys are bodyguards, you know you didn’t need to help out this much, right?”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Albert replied, trying to act tough as sweat poured down his forehead. “All this exercise is the perfect start to the day.” He was actually quite strong, so he’d be fine again after a small break. I was a bit concerned to see him already out of breath before our first expedition was even underway, but he hadn’t injured himself or anything. I suppose that’s good enough.
The man continued, squinting his already-narrow eyes even more. “At any rate, you really helped us out,” he said. “My name is Cody, by the way, and I’m in charge of the luggage and the earth dragon. Looking forward to working with you.” Cody tilted his head toward the four-legged dragon at the front of the wagon, then held out his hand to Albert.
“You got it. If there’s anything we can help you with, feel free to give us a shout.” Albert took his hand and squeezed it tightly.
While this heartwarming exchange was taking place, I found myself captivated by the creature Cody mentioned, the earth dragon. It looked like a giant lizard, had the spiky legs of a dinosaur, and was about a head shorter than me. Its wide body and low center of gravity likely kept it from falling over easily. I wonder how strong it is. Very strong, probably.
Its face looked rough and rugged, but it had calm, slightly sleepy eyes, and the way it flicked and retracted its long tongue was just like any reptile. I’d seen dragons before, in the form of tiny dots as they flew over the city, but this was my first time seeing one up close.
When you think of fantasy worlds, you imagine swords, magic, and dragons. Seeing this one had the same impact on me that seeing a dinosaur would have had. It was a creature I never would have encountered back in Japan.
I wanted to reach out and touch it, but I was worried it might get angry and start rampaging or something. Also, if I touched it without permission, there was the possibility I could even get in trouble with the delegation. So I pulled my hand back and continued to observe the earth dragon, circling it from a respectable distance.
After a while, the man who had introduced himself as Cody headed in my direction. “Is this your first time seeing a dragon, young lady?” he asked while stroking the creature’s head. I nodded silently in response. “We call this one Ozian,” he said. “He’s docile, so you can pet him. Used to people since birth, you know. By the way, I figured you were older because of how quietly you were working, but maybe I was wrong. You seem pretty young.”
Excited to have permission, I slowly reached out toward Ozian’s head. I vaguely heard Cody asking me a question, but the meaning didn’t really register. When I stroked the dragon’s rough head, I found it to be cooler than I expected, just like the wall lizard I’d caught as a kid. I’m glad he’s so big and domesticated, I thought. Otherwise, he would have run away in fright the second I touched him.
“Whoa!”
His long tongue stretched out and brushed the back of my hand, and I couldn’t help yelping. I was embarrassed to have overreacted; he hadn’t even bit me. Ozian didn’t move a muscle, just followed the movement of my hand with his eyes.
“I think he wants us to shake hands.” Cody tapped Ozian lightly on the head and held out his hand. “I’m Cody. Nice to meet you, Miss Hood.”
It was only when he called me “Miss Hood” that I snapped out of it. I quickly pulled said hood down and shook his hand. It would be rude to greet someone while hiding my face. After all, the expedition was scheduled to last for about a month, and I couldn’t keep my hood on forever, so I really should have taken it off sooner.
“My name is Haruka Yamagishi. Pleased to meet you.” I clasped his hand in both of mine and bowed my head politely.
“You really are a dark elf, huh? I’d heard as much, but I have to say, it’s still a bit of a surprise. I’ve only ever seen your kind once before, in the south. I appreciate your polite greeting, Haruka.”
His barely disguised curiosity made me feel a bit uneasy. I didn’t want my looks to cause trouble for my friends or the people I was guarding.
“Will my being from a rare race pose a problem for the journey?”
“It shouldn’t.” He paused. “Hm, well, I don’t think you need to worry.” He waved his hands dramatically to reassure me, but I could tell he had hesitated to answer me honestly. That made it hard not to worry.