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Chapter 44 – Part 1

 

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TRANSLATOR: Artemis

EDITOR: Ryunakama

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We headed to the Magic Academy’s office, and went around checking the various requests posted on the bulletin board.

A lot of requests from the Magic Academy and from the townspeople come in, asking for help with creating magic tools or mixing medicine, but we couldn’t quite find one that caught our eye. But then we found one that stood out from the rest.

It was a request from an ancient history professor who works at the Magic Academy.

「Hmm, so it’s a request from Professor Edward Bramnoch」

「We won’t receive much money from this one. And it even requires us to dedicate seven days to helping. Does it not seem too difficult?」

「But the location is interesting」

「The location? Um, let’s see. Ah, that’s true. Isn’t Sky City Solania that thing that looks like a castle and sometimes flies in the sky?」

「It’s one of the historical ruins of celestial beings that once existed in ancient times. It was a constantly flying, mid-air city that followed the same routes in the same altitudes of the sky as its neighboring countries, but that isn’t to say humans were able to step foot in it」

As I’ve read about the celestial beings, they were an ancient race that lived in cities they had built in the heavens, and ruled over the people who lived on the earth.

Compared to current civilization, their techniques in both magic and science were far more advanced than ours, and they reigned supreme over the earth with things that we can’t possibly imagine right now.

From the deepest depths of the ocean where sunlight does not reach, or the underground core of the world hidden under overwhelming masses of earth, to the moon sitting high in the night sky — their reach covered all.

「Alright, let’s do this one. We should be able to meet the qualifications for accepting the request」

「If that is what Dran-san has decided, then I have no objections. But we should tell Christina-san and Fatima-chan that we will be away from the Magic Academy temporarily」

「Hmm, you’re right. Alright, shall we go to accept this request first? The talk with Christina-san and everyone can wait until after」

Then, we met up with the professor and his assistant in Galois Harbor, and found out that it was just the right season for Solania, the city to which we were headed, to soon start to fly closer to Galois.

Including Selina and myself, we were only four people in total, and although it was doubtful if just the four of us would be able to investigate anything in seven days, it was apparently okay to consider that whatever we find is to be ours for the keeping.

So then, using an airship, we headed for Solania, the city that floats in the sky.

To call a boat an airship it must be able to actually fly in the sky.

In the central part of the hull is something called a floatation jewel, it’s a special type of crystal installed with a wind spirit. The keel and other important parts have interiors made up of generously large amounts of wood, and the hull contains wings made of sails instead of feathers.

The one that we will ride is a small-sized airship held by a certain company, and I didn’t think it seemed suitable for carrying humans to Solania, but since they were receiving official research support from the kingdom, demand will continue to grow. The company would probably continue to earn steady sales and earn customers’ trust.

By talking with Professor Edward, in the three days until we arrived at the Sky City, together with Selina, I gathered information on the reign of the Sky City, and on Professor Edward’s personal investigation on it. And at the same time, I also sent body doubles to those who wouldn’t show their faces.

First, I went to meet the friend of a modern dragon who was living in the Moreth mountain range. The Water Dragons, Wedro and Wyvern, used to live as a flock alongside the mermaids in the mountain range’s lake. Commanding them was the Wind Dragon known as Oxis.

I had met the Wind Dragon Oxis after getting to know Wedro, and in human terms, the dragons would be in their late thirties.

They had large wings but small forearms, and steel-colored scales tinged with a light shade of green.

I descended upon a single small island in the middle of the lake that Wedro lives in, and then Wedro extended his long neck up from underwater while Oxis descended with his large wings folding. While picking away at the three cart’s worth of meat that I had brought as an offering, we talked.

「The city that floats in the heavens, huh? By the time I hatched from an egg, that city was already in the sky」

While eating a fish from Uala Lake that boasts a size five times larger than an adult man, Wedro muttered quietly and stared up at the clear blue sky.

「I’ve sometimes spotted the city, and it even comes close when it lands to rest its wings, but I don’t remember ever seeing even just the figure of their people.
I’ve seen humans there before, but those were people who had come from the earth. Perhaps you won’t find anything」

Eating every bone of the pig’s thigh meat with a loud crunch, was Oxis. He spoke with a rusty male voice, showing the refinement of someone who had developed a deep intelligence.

In his jade green eyes, there was a light of reason that could wipe clean the impression that humans have of dragons being barbarians.

「It’s fine even if I don’t find anything. I’m just looking forward to the view from atop the Sky City, and finding out how exactly it was created, and with what kind of logic does it fly — humans may not understand these things, but I am sure that I will」

「You’re full of confidence, aren’t you? I ordered the flying dragons not to attack the ship you were flying on, but with you there, those humans and the lamia certainly won’t be in danger」

「So it seems. You say that I’ve become weaker since reincarnating as a human, but just by suppressing our power, they can exceed us. Even if you were to speak of how I used to be an ancient dragon, or even a dragon king, you would still be nothing but satisfied.」

「Let’s keep that a secret between us. If you find anything interesting, do come again with souvenirs or stories to share」

「Really, your stories are interesting. Life here is definitely calm, but it’s also a little too uneventful. We look forward to them」

「So you see that Wedro feels the same, but if you don’t come by a little more frequently, ‘that one’ gets into a bad mood. Can you not do anything about it?」

As ‘that one’ that Oxis mentioned all of a sudden came to the front of my mind, Wedro and I couldn’t help but share a wry smile. But the fact that we were able to understand exactly who he was talking about even as he only called it ‘that one’ was amusing.

「Heh, is taking care of that one’s mood my job too? Then maybe I’ll show my face after eating this」

「It would be great if you did」

「Could you please?」

If both Wedro and Oxis would go to the lengths of bowing their heads to me like this, then I can’t possibly refuse. After we finished eating, we spread our wings and took off into the sky.

Now then, ‘that one’ refers to the young lady, a Crimson Dragon. And her presence, Vaje’s presence… was there.

When I shifted my line of sight to look in that direction with my dragon eyes, I saw her in the middle of preparing a well-done, whole entire roasted griffin as an offering.

Out in the open of the mountainside’s surface, Vaje was there smacking and licking her lips at the cooking griffin, and I flapped my wings to head towards her.

Vaje immediately noticed my presence, but unlike last time, she didn’t suddenly hit me with a fireball. Instead, she turned the other way with a snort of the nose.

Hmm, maybe it was because I hadn’t come to see her for quite some time, but it appears that she was sulking.

「It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Vaje? But of course, for dragons, it was only a short time, like the blink of an eye. Hmm, but perhaps it’s because you’re still growing, it looks like you’ve grown a little」

「……」

「What, you don’t have any of your usual complaints today? I thought I could feel reassured since you looked healthy, but since you seem really off, won’t I become worried about you?」

「Hmph」

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