“If there’s something I should know, please do tell me, so I can be careful.”
“It’s not anything you need to worry about, Haruka. I don’t want you to be offended, but recently, some kids have started saying that dark elves are born from the god of destruction. They don’t see dark elves much around these parts, so I guess you could call it prejudice. I sure hope the kids we’re bringing with us aren’t like that.”
“Then…perhaps I should keep hiding my face.”
“No, no, you’re just as much a part of this expedition as anyone else,” he insisted. “You can’t be the only one carrying the burden. I’ll do my best to warn them, but if anyone bothers you, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Hiding my face wasn’t a complicated issue for me, but it would definitely be a hassle if people asked me why I was doing it. In any case, it seemed like it wasn’t something I needed to obsess over, because I felt like I could trust Cody to handle things like an adult. Ever since I’d received my new robe, my habit had been to keep the hood up. So far though, no one had discriminated against me because of my appearance either way. I’m sure it’ll be fine this time too.
“I’ll leave it to you, then,” I said. “Please let me know if you need anything.” I cut the conversation short because honestly, I really wanted to return to my observation of Ozian.
A sudden cold wind brushed my long ears as it swept through the area. Come to think of it, reptiles on Earth hibernated in winter. Did that apply to dragons too since they were so reptilian? The weather was only going to get colder from now on. It would be terrible if they abruptly had to go to sleep for months.
“Cody, do dragons hibernate?”
“Ah, there are similar creatures that hibernate, but they aren’t called dragons. We call them lizards, no matter how big they are. Dragons have flame sacs in their bodies, so they can regulate their own body temperature. That means they move a little slower, but it also means they can still work in winter.”
“I see. Then, can they breathe fire using the flame sacs…?”
“Yeah, some species like that exist. Are you interested in dragons, Haruka?”
“I am,” I admitted. “I think they’re so cool.”
“It’s funny, my son says the same thing. Oh ho, what’s this I see… Adventurers really are an inquisitive lot, eh?”
Cody laughed as he watched Montana try to climb onto Ozian’s back. I was relieved the man wasn’t angry, and I also felt a bit envious. I wish I could be that daring. Ozian followed Montana with his eyes and simply let the boy do as he pleased.
“Montana! My turn! My turn!”
“Okay.”
Montana jumped down, and Albert hoisted himself up. I was also envious of how much fun they were having. The thought of joining them made me cringe, but I didn’t want it to make me cringe. The older you get, the more strangely self-conscious you become. It was a real problem.
I’m forty-three years old, I mentally admonished myself in an attempt to suppress my childish side. I repeated it silently like some sort of chant, then I remembered it had been almost six months since I came to this world. My birthday had definitely already passed, so that would make me forty-four years old. I was just a couple steps away from my fifties.
As I got lost in my somewhat maudlin thoughts, a group of people dressed in blue and white came walking toward us without slowing down. Cody straightened up when someone wearing heavy armor rushed over to him.
“Cody, you’re early, as usual. Or were we late? The escorts are here already too, hm?”
“Well, maybe a little early,” Cody said. “But the timing was good. Gave us a chance to get to know the guards a little.”
Seeing that the new members had joined us, Albert hurriedly jumped off Ozian. He must have thought it would be bad form to greet newcomers from astride a dragon. Montana was clever, getting off the dragon first.
“So these are our escorts?” the armored man asked. “Wow, you really are young, just like they told us.” He stroked his chin, and though his expression didn’t change, I noticed that his gaze fixed on me for a moment. Maybe because I’m unusual?
His powerful build combined with his armor made me suspect he was a temple knight of Lejion. I’d heard that each and every one of them had the skills of a high-ranking adventurer, and that their main duties were to travel around the territory, guarding the roads and escorting important national figures. This particular knight had a very impressive cleft chin. Combined with his blue eyes, he looked exactly like a prototypical gallant knight you’d imagine in a fantasy story. Except probably three times stronger.
Three people wearing similar armor caught up with him from behind, likely his subordinates. A few minutes later, two young boys wearing robes walked up to them. To me, they all looked quite intimidating in their matching attire.
“I see everything is loaded onto the wagons. We can depart at any time, then,” the knight said. “If the guards are ready as well, we can leave immediately. By the way, I’m Dekt, leader of the Temple Knights. Feel free to ask the others their names during the journey. You’ll enjoy yourselves more that way. Wouldn’t you agree, Cody?”
“I would, in fact,” Cody said. “Once again, let me thank you for accepting the request submitted by the Lejion delegation. Allow me to formally introduce myself. Cody Hednart, acting representative, at your service. Please keep us safe during our journey. Now, then, are we all ready?”
Cody laughed mischievously at the shock on Albert’s face. Apparently, Al really had thought he was just a mere porter or Ozian’s caretaker.
I thought as much. That was my reaction to Cody’s announcement, and I was sure the same went for Corinne. The two of us had read the document carefully so we already knew Cody was the representative. It was just too unlikely for there to be two different people with the same first name on this expedition.
Montana, who hadn’t even glanced at the document, looked as unfazed as ever. But maybe he just didn’t care.
“We’re ready and look forward to working with you as well, Cody,” I said.
“Huh. You’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be. Too bad.”
“Well, I did read the document thoroughly.”
“Shoot, and after I deliberately wrote everything in tiny letters to make it indecipherable,” Cody muttered in frustration.
Is he always up to some kind of mischief? Maybe having a playful travel companion would keep things interesting.