The dragon was about one size bigger than Lucky.

　With a dragon of this size, Lucky would be able to take a walk in the sky with him.



　I put Lucky in a basket and ask ...... the dragon to carry him.

　Yes. The guild ...... or even the country would be pissed off.



　I imagine we'd start the last war.

　We'll have a good time swimming in the sky, but for the public, it'll be a shame to see a dragon and Fenrir come down from the skies.　



　Even that cute little Lucky would be a natural disaster if he got out of control.

　A dragon of this size could ...... really destroy a country.



　I can only imagine people panicking.

　Of course, it would be fun in the woods or something.



　But there is no way I would turn my country against me just for the sake of entertainment.

　In the first place, I don't see the ...... idea of taking a dragon as a friend just because he wants to fly with Lucky.



　Luckily, he has more friends, but there is no way he can make a dragon join his group.

　I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the stupidity of the idea.



"Mr. Locke, ...... are you alright?　I'm worried about a lot of things, like the fact that you're laughing by yourself at the dragons,...... but more importantly, you told me to wait over there, didn't you?"



　The village chief suddenly appeared from what I thought was a wall and started talking to me.



　Apparently, shadows had been cast in the cave, making it difficult to see the passage.

　If you look closely, it appears that there are multiple passages hidden behind the walls.



　It seems that the light shining on the dimly lit side of the passages blocks the view and makes it difficult to find side passages.

　Were the photocrystals intentionally placed?

　I was surprised that there was such a way to make them invisible.



"Excuse me, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Margret told me to come over here and take a look. ......"

"That's why the ice and snow clan is so ...... selfish. You've come to the right place. Please don't move from here. There are many natural traps here. I can't be responsible for your death.



　The chief left me there and walked toward Margret.

　I see Domorte and Margret are talking very happily in front of the crystal a short distance away.



　I guess that is the control panel that is operating this ward.



　Perhaps because they have magic in common, they seem to hit it off immediately.



　As I look at them sideways, I wonder about the crystal in which this dragon is sealed.

　I wonder how this is sealed.

　Inside the crystal, the dragon is completely asleep.



　It seems that it is not completely dead, since its body sometimes moves.



　When the crystal is lightly tapped, a rumbling sound is heard.

　It is amazing that a dragon can be trapped in this very hard crystal, but it is also strange that it can live in this crystal.



　When I touched the surface of the crystal, I could feel its coolness on my hand.

　It is as if it were made of ice.



--......Something...... came in......It's hot......I was just sleeping! ......Why are you waking me up......I'm looking for it again......--

"Whoa!"

　I let go of the crystal in a panic.

　Suddenly, I heard what sounded like voices coming from somewhere.



　I look around, but do not see the owner of the voice.

　Is it the voice of a sleeping dragon ......?　How is that possible?



　The voices were quite loud, as if they were echoing directly into my head,...... but the domortes only heard my voice, they looked at me for a moment and then quickly went back to their chatting.



　What was that?

　Once again, I slowly touch the crystal.



--That's disgusting!　They disturbed my sleep. I don't want to be here anymore.

　Just after hearing the voice, the ground shook once.



　The dragon released its magic power. However, the crystal was not broken or even cracked by the magic power. It seems that only the magic power escaped from the crystal.

　I have never seen such technology before.



　The warding that can seal a dragon is amazing, but a dragon that can explode magic out of its warding and cause the ground to shake like this is also out of the ordinary.



　Margret received the magic stone from the village head hurriedly, and then, folding her knees, she began to pray in front of the crystal that looked like a control panel.



　The crystal in which the dragon was sleeping changed from transparent to pale blue at once, and I began to feel a powerful magic power from the crystal.



　The crystal itself seems to have a magic formula to amplify the magic power.

　A single magic stone cannot create such strong magical power.



　I thought I was just in the countryside, but ...... the world really is a big place.

　I've never seen anything like this.



"I hope these lizards are used up for the good of our village!"

　I could hear the village chief saying this out loud.



　The chief must have been using this technique to put the dragon to sleep by putting magic into the crystal like this periodically. The effect of the sleep and the strong protection of the crystal make it impossible for the dragons to get out.






　After Margret's prayer, magic power was suddenly released from the top of the crystal where the dragon had been sleeping. The magic power traveled along the ceiling and through the cave, followed by a sparkling red light.



"How ...... beautiful. ......"



　A red, jewel-like light, like nothing I've ever seen before, slowly descends on us.

　The light was somehow gentle and warm.



"That was a release of magic from the dragon I tucked in. If left unchecked, it would explode in the crystal and cause an earthquake. We have to channel it into this circuit.

　If you look closely, you can see a unique magic circuit painted on the ceiling.



　It is hard to imagine how hard it must have been to embed such a circuit in the ceiling, but it must have taken several years.



"This is also embedded with a magic circuit that I made. Isn't it amazing?　Ha-ha-ha!"

　While I was gazing at the red light of the shrine, Margret and the other three had returned.

　There was another boy I had seen on the snowy mountain.

　This boy must be the one behind the footprints.



"Come on, Ivan, say hello."

"Hello."



Hello. Is this the boy you saw on the snowy mountain?　I'm Rock. Nice to meet you.

You've been to the snowy mountains again. I'm really ...... sorry. He's my grandson, but he has a hard time living in this village. He has a talent for magic, but he's ...... a bit shy."



　The boy greeted him and immediately hid behind Margret.

　If I tried to talk to him, he would probably avoid me.



"By the way, that was a great magic you just did..."

"Of course it was. It was magic of my own making. The world is full of things we don't know. The world is full of things we don't know.　I'm tired of so many small people who can only measure things in their own small world. You know, Chief."

　Malgredo turned to the village head a little sarcastically, and then trailed off a little.



"Oh, ......, yes, that's right. It's bad enough that we have to keep our guests waiting here for so long. This is the end of our tour of Anesa. If we go home now, we can make it back to Coron before dark. I think it's time for you to leave.



"You really are an inflexible man, aren't you? But I'm afraid they'll have to stay in the village. We need their help to strengthen the dragon's seal.

　With these words, Margret slapped Domorte's buttocks with all her might.



"You were originally an easy child. It's a pity you didn't have more talent."

"Hey, what are you doing? It's best to let the stranger leave early.



Shut up, Chief!　We have no say in what goes on outside the village. But as long as there are dragons there, you promised not to interfere in our affairs.

"Kk ...... do what you want. The village needs the dragon sealed. But I won't let you meddle in the village's affairs.

　It seems that the two are not on the best of terms.



"Chief!　You're here! The merchants from the neighboring country want to say hello before they leave.

　A man from the village hurriedly entered the cave.



"I didn't know merchants still came to this village at this time of the year."

"Yes,...... yes, they do. Please, Mr. Locke, take your time to look at the dragons.

　The chief's movements suddenly become awkward, and he now asks me to stay behind when he had been trying to get me to leave before. This is very suspicious.



"Thank you very much. Then go to ......."

"Mr. Locke, I don't want you to stay here, so please go to the chief and the merchant."

What?　Me too?

　Margret suddenly changed her mind.

　A few minutes ago she had said it was okay for him to stay.



"Margret, what are you talking about? He just said ...... that he would take care of these people.

All we need is a domorte over here. I don't care if he wears yours, he's just a distraction. When you're teaching crystal magic and you don't have a gift for it, it's just a distraction. You don't care if the dragon's seal is broken!



Hurry up, chief!

　The man who had come for the chief was in a hurry to get to him.



"Why is this not going the way I want it to go? Mr. Locke, it's better than letting you roam around the village on your own, so you can come, but please don't interfere.

"I'll leave it to you. Of course, I'll keep quiet.

　The chief walks out of the cave looking very tired.



"Domorte, will you help me?

"Of course, sir."

Mr. Locke, take a good look around.



　Domorte smiles and waves at me.

　Beside him, Margrette looks mysterious and says something meaningful.



　I responded lightly and followed the village chief.

　The neighboring country is supposed to be the magical land of Suiju.



　Why would a neighboring country come all the way across the mountains during such a snowy season?

　And in such a rural village?

　I just hope that they are just merchants who are out of season.